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The feel-good factor at Tottenham Hotspur has taken an almighty hit after Ange Postecoglou's nine-man side fell to defeat against Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday night.

Now, second-placed Spurs travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers to get back to winning ways, but will have to do so without multiple players in that injury and anarchy-strewn fixture.

Tottenham team news vs Wolves

Where to start? Tottenham are set to be without a heap of first-team stars for the trip to Wolverhampton, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie both suspended after red cards against the Blues.

To compound the woes, impressive summer signings James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are both set to be sidelined until the new year, which hits Postecoglou's fluid system with the force of a steel hammer.

Richarlison is also going to be unavailable for around one month after undergoing a groin operation, but Postecoglou will at least welcome defender Ben Davies back to the fold following injury.

Eric Dier's stats vs Chelsea

It is unfortunate that the absentees are all some of the most crucial cogs for Postecoglou, but such is the way of football and Tottenham will now need to improvise and overcome.

Davies was hooked at half-time during his only Premier League start of the season a few weeks ago against Crystal Palace, but the Welshman will now be required to partner Eric Dier in central defence, who has played a similarly peripheral role.

However, Dier was impressive off the bench against the Blues and won 100% of his duels, made three clearances and one interception, as per Sofascore.

The 29-year-old also came oh-so-close to restoring unlikely parity in the closing stages after his second-half goal was ruled out by VAR, but he proved that he has what it takes to impress in this ambitious Spurs side at present.

It was a stoical display that lived up to previous praise from pundit Jermaine Jenas, who once called him “sensational”, but there is no disputing the fact that Dier is second-choice – with Monday's defeat just his first appearance of the campaign.

Nonetheless, the 6 foot 2 defender has been presented with a big opportunity to steer the Spurs ship back on course at Molineux.

Why Eric Dier should start vs Wolves

The obvious reason that Dier deserves a starting spot against Wolves is simply that Postecoglou's side is rather threadbare following the chaotic contest against Chelsea.

But the England international can certainly play a convincing role over the weeks to come, having previously been described as "reliable" by former Spurs manager Antonio Conte.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 18% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for blocks and the top 11% for aerial wins per 90, highlighting the strengths that Postecoglou will strive to utilise.

The £85k-per-week ace has also won four of his six matches against the Old Gold, and his experience and leadership at the back could be integral today.

Postecoglou's preference to keep Dier on the sidelines has been clear; after all, the experienced asset is only going to start in exceptional circumstances, and were Van de Ven and Romero to be available it is possible that he would have reached the winter transfer window with a shadow of a role in the squad.

But now, Dier has the perfect opportunity to impress, and he must grasp it with both hands if he is to preserve Tottenham's renaissance and potentially even salvage his career in north London.

A centre-back partnership of the former Sporting CP man and Davies may not inspire too much confidence, but as it is, needs must for Postecoglou and his high-flying outfit.

Tallawahs put up the highest-ever T20 total at Providence, on the back of a superb century from Glenn Phillips, but Devcich ensured the mark lasted less than two hours, before Ben Cutting sealed it off with a six

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Sep-2018Glenn Phillips celebrates a hundred•Getty Images

Ben Cutting provided a sense of at Providence, striking a six off the penultimate ball to clinch a nailbiting two-wicket victory, the second time in two nights a win had been registered by that margin at this venue. This time, the result went in favour of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, as the 2017 finalists knocked out Jamaica Tallawahs in a record-breaking chase.Tallawahs had posted the highest-ever T20 total at Providence, making 191 for 5 on the back of a fantastic Glenn Phillips century. But the mark lasted less than two hours as Anton Devcich sparked a middle-order revival following Ish Sodhi’s three-wicket haul. Cutting, who had dropped Phillips during the course of his century, then turned from goat to hero by smashing the decisive blow over the midwicket boundary to put Patriots on the plane to Trinidad, where they’ll take on Trinbago Knight Riders on Friday night for the right to face Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final.Kiwi Phil-harmonicPhillips batted all 20 overs to become just the eighth batsman in CPL history to record a century, and just the second overseas batsman to do so, following in the footsteps of Colin Munro, another South African-born New Zealand international, who achieved it in 2016.Phillips played second fiddle to his senior New Zealand team-mate, Ross Taylor, through the first half of the innings. After the fall of Johnson Charles, caught at backward point off Fabian Allen’s left-arm spin in the third over, Taylor controlled a 70-run second-wicket stand with 33 off 23 balls, before being deceived by a slower ball from Cutting.Phillips finally got his motor revving in the 13th over, bashing Cutting for two sixes and a four to bring up his half-century in the 20-run over. Rovman Powell fell in the following over, slogging Tabraiz Shamsi to Cutting at long-on, and Andre Russell didn’t last long either, skying a catch to deep point off Carlos Brathwaite.Phillips kicked on past 100 with a helping hand from Cutting, who spilled him on 79 at long-on off Shamsi. Phillips became more adventurous as he closed in on three figures, ramping Brathwaite over the wicketkeeper for four, before shuffling all the way across his stumps to a ball almost off the pitch outside off stump, and flaying it over wide long-on for six to move to 97. He brought up his century off 58 balls in the 18th over, cutting Shamsi behind point for a four.However, Phillips lost steam thereafter, as a wheezing finish to the innings arguably cost them in the end. Phillips and David Miller added just 17 runs in the final two overs, underwhelming after the position they had got into, which made a record total suddenly appear far less daunting to chase.Ben Cutting clinches the eliminator with a six off the penultimate ball•Getty Images

Sod’s lawPatriots’ chase got off to a sluggish start as Devon Thomas was caught in the deep off Steven Jacobs in the second over. Sodhi continued to trouble the Patriots, striking twice in the 10th over. Rassie van der Dussen fell trying to force the pace, as he top-edged a slog sweep, which wicketkeeper Phillips collected by running to his right.Chris Gayle drove straight to long-on two balls later to make it 62 for 3. When Allen creamed a flat, low chance that was expertly taken by Russell at long-on in the 14th over, Patriots needed 74 off the last 38 balls. Unfortunately for the Tallawahs, their most potent threat with the ball – Sodhi – was two balls away from finishing his spell.Dev-con OneWith alarm bells ringing, and the season on the line, Devcich stepped up to steal the Man-of-the-Match award away from Phillips with a clinically-devastating spurt. Having swatted Jacobs for four and six over wide long-on in the 13th over, he pulled two fours off Colin de Grandhomme in a 17-run 15th over that took the required run rate down to 10 an over for the first time since the third over.Devcich continued peppering the leg side by starting the 16th over with another pulled four off Russell, and brought up his half-century off 22 balls with a single later in the over. A double-strike by Oshane Thomas in the 17th over accounted for both Devcich and Brandon King, swinging the momentum Tallawahs’ way before Cutting’s heroics.Cut through the heartTallawahs needed 27 off 12 balls with four wickets in hand, when Cutting’s six over long-on off Thomas brought the equation down to 16 off eight balls. Lewis fell two balls after the six to another sharp effort from Russell on the boundary, and Powell was tossed the ball for the first time on the night to defend 14 off the final over.Brathwaite followed a swing and a miss on the first ball with a six when he smashed a full toss over square leg. But Russell snapped up his third sensational low catch of the night, diving forward at long-on on the third ball, to leave Cutting on strike with nine needed off the last three balls.The next ball arrived with the perfect width, just inside the tram lines outside off, but was controversially signalled wide. The decision appeared to rattle Powell, who followed it up with two more clear-cut wides. Cutting turned down a run to mid-on off the fourth legitimate delivery, putting the onus on himself, instead of tailender Hayden Walsh Jr, to get Patriots across the line. Another wide down leg was followed by a juicy length ball that was heaved over the midwicket rope to end the Tallawahs season and put the Patriots one win away from returning to the CPL final.

Kent take a five-point lead over third-placed Sussex with three matches remaining

ECB Reporters Network07-Sep-20181:22

Warwickshire’s lead cut as Division Two heats up

ScorecardMatt Henry was again Kent’s spearhead with 4 for 72 as they completed a 102-run victory against Northamptonshire at Canterbury and maintain their Specsavers County Championship Division Two promotion push.Henry’s latest haul gave the New Zealand fast bowler match figures of 11 for 114 as Northants, who began the final day on 56 for 3 needing another 264 runs for a win of their own, were bowled out for 217 shortly before 2.45pm.Adam Rossington, who top-scored with an excellent 56, held up Kent’s bowlers for almost three hours and featured in a seventh wicket stand of 48 with Nathan Buck, who battled to 17 before gloving a Henry short ball to keeper Sam Billings shortly after lunch.Brett Hutton also offered lower order resistance, with 21, but the end came quickly once Rossington was eighth out, pulling Harry Podmore to Heino Kuhn, who was stationed as one of two short mid wickets.Richard Gleeson was then caught behind off Joe Denly’s leg breaks to go for 3 and Hutton was last out – stumped off Denly, who finished with 2 for 7. Podmore took 2 for 32, while Henry now has 61 championship wickets from eight matches this season at an outstanding average of 14.85 runs apiece.Kent were made to work hard for their eighth win of the championship campaign, however, with the Canterbury pitch flattening out noticeably from the testing surface on which 18 wickets had fallen on day one.Richard Levi, Alex Wakely and Saif Zaib all fell in a hard-fought morning session in which Kent used six bowlers, and it was no surprise when Henry made the day’s initial breakthrough.Matt Henry is Kent’s No 1 weapon•Getty Images

Henry, who took a career-best 7 for 42 in the Northants first innings of 105, opened up from the Nackington Road End and struck in his second over – the fourth of the day – when Levi was beaten by a ball which kept a little low and was leg-before for 14.Earlier in the over, Wakely had driven successive balls from Henry through mid off and mid on for eye-catching fours, and the Northants captain had batted well for 38 from 74 balls when he unluckily edged on to his pad, attempting to force the last ball of Ivan Thomas’s first over through midwicket, and saw it lob up for the bowler to catch the rebound in his follow-through.That was 105 for 5, and Northants lost their sixth wicket when Zaib, who had punched Henry through the covers off the back foot for a lovely four, was caught for 9 when he clipped Podmore’s second ball to Henry at mid-wicket.Then came the Rossington-Buck partnership, however, and Kent were forced to regroup at lunch before Henry – who else? – broke the stand to ensure Billings’ team would bank 19 points from the win and move back into second place in the Division Two table behind leaders Warwickshire and five points in front of Sussex, who are third.Kent’s head coach Matt Walker said: “It was not a straightforward task today. It took quite a bit of hard work because the pitch flattened out very quickly and in the end it took a lot of skill and patience to break the wall down, if you like.”Matt Henry has been in unbelievable form this season and the number of wickets he’s got is extraordinary. But all our other bowlers have also stood up, all season, in support of Matt and they’ve all had their moments too. I thought, for instance, that Harry Podmore bowled brilliantly today – as he did up at Derby in our last match on a flat pitch.”

Tony Palladino led a Derbyshire fightback before Leicestershire’s bowlers regained control at the end of the second day of the day/night Division Two match at Derby

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2018
ScorecardTony Palladino led a Derbyshire fightback before Leicestershire’s bowlers regained control at the end of the second day of the day/night Division Two match at Derby.The experienced seamer, who will be 35 on Friday, took 4 for 62 as Leicestershire slipped from 168 for 1 to 297 all out with skipper Paul Horton top scoring with 88. But the visitors exploited helpful bowling conditions under the County Ground lights to make early inroads as Derbyshire closed on 43 for 3, nine runs behind.Leicestershire had looked set to take control of the game earlier in the day after losing only one wicket in the first session when just 72 runs were added in 31 overs. Palladino nipped one back to have Colin Ackermann lbw but Horton and Sam Evans, who replaced concussion victim Harry Dearden, established a solid platform only for it to be dismantled by disciplined pace and swing bowling.In temperatures nudging 30 degrees, Derbyshire plugged away and after Duanne Olivier had Evans caught behind for 29, Hardus Viljoen found enough movement to have Horton lbw and then pinned Neil Dexter in front with the next ball.Lewis Hill was perilously close to becoming the hat-trick victim but he was forced to leave the field briefly with a hand injury as Derbyshire’s pace quartet cut through the lower order.Ben Raine drove Palladino loosely to cover and when Hill resumed his innings, he was well caught off bat and pad at gully before Mark Cosgrove edged a drive at Olivier to slip. Palladino breached the defences of Gavin Griffiths and Richard Jones to reduce the visitors to 273 for 9 but Callum Parkinson and Mohammad Abbas stretched the lead to 52 which looked a lot more when Harvey Hosein was trapped on the crease by Abbas in the fourth over.The pink ball was moving sharply under the floodlights and Ben Raine bowled Wayne Madsen with a beauty in the ninth over before Abbas found the shoulder of Ben Slater’s bat and Jones took a fine diving catch running behind gully.At 17 for 3 with 10 overs remaining, Derbyshire were in desperate trouble but skipper Billy Godleman and Alex Hughes hung on in testing conditions to give the home side some hope going into day three.

The South Africa head coach also mentioned Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar as possible candidates for the No.4 position at next year’s World Cup

Firdose Moonda28-May-2018News of AB de Villiers’ retirement came as a “shock” to South Africa’s coach Ottis Gibson, who still believes that he has enough time to plan for the World Cup without the marquee batsman. The tournament is 12 months and 23 ODIs away for South Africa and Gibson has opened the door to all South Africa’s franchise cricketers to try and stake a claim in the national squad.”The announcement came as a shock to me. He called me the morning before he made the announcement to tell me what he was planning to do. We had a long conversation around, ‘are you sure you are doing the right thing?’ He reckons that he is. He has spoken with the people who are close to him and he reckons he is tired,” Gibson said.”Of course, it’s disappointing. He is one of the best players in the world. He could have made a huge difference in the World Cup and he knows that. Yes, it’s disappointing for the country and for world cricket. But it gives an opportunity for somebody to put their hand up. There is a big space somebody can fill. If I was a young cricketer playing franchise cricket in the country and I saw that there was a position at No.4, I would be doing everything I can to make sure that position is mine.”While Gibson did not want to name too many possible candidates, he mentioned Aiden Markram, who captained in five of the six ODIs against India last summer, and Dean Elgar, who has scored three fifties in his last three List A games for Surrey, as possibilities.Elgar is a particularly interesting case because he has only played six ODIs for South Africa, and none since late 2015, but has long insisted he does not want to be boxed in as a long-format player and his time in the UK could put him ahead of the queue. “When it comes to picking a team for the World Cup, we will pick guys that we believe can go and perform in that set of conditions. Dean playing country cricket puts himself in the picture,” Gibson said.Perhaps most importantly, with a player like Elgar, Gibson may not need to see as much of him as with a less experienced player. At least, that is what Gibson explained when he discussed whether Vernon Philander, who has played 30 ODIs and last appeared in coloured clothing mid-2015, may also be considered. “With experienced players like Vern – we know what he can do. If we are widening the pool, we don’t need to see him immediately. Vernon doesn’t need to be playing every game leading up to the World Cup to come into the conversation,” Gibson said.Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar: possible World Cup candidates for South Africa?•AFPInstead, players like Philander and Elgar and even Dale Steyn, who is aiming to make his comeback from a heel injury for Hampshire next month, may only feature in ODIs early next year, when South Africa play their last 10 matches ahead of the World Cup, according to Gibson.Steyn’s name has popped up again, even though he seemed to have only an outside chance of playing at the World Cup, after Morne Morkel’s retirement. While a Test return might be a higher priority for Steyn, because he only needs three wickets to overtake Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker, Gibson has brought his name into the white-ball conversation.”Dale Steyn could come into the World Cup, if he gets fit. We don’t need to see him now,” Gibson said. “Dale is very passionate about playing for South Africa. All the conversations I have had with him, he just wants to get back on the park and play for South Africa. When retirement comes, who knows? If he comes back and he plays well for a few games and he thinks I am satisfied – because he has been injured for a long time – therefore he wouldn’t want to retire having been injured. Maybe he wants to play a couple of games, get back on the park so he can get the sort of send-off he deserves.”While there are no current plans for a similar celebration for de Villiers, Gibson also suggested that may happen, though he does not know in what form. “For the country, it being AB, one of the best players in the country, it would have been nice for us to give him the sort of send off that we gave to Morne Morkel when he made his decision. Hopefully that can still happen,” Gibson said.Some hopeful supporters may see that as a suggestion de Villiers would have a last hurrah, even if only for his franchise, Titans.De Villiers said in his retirement video that he would still like to make himself available for domestic cricket but Gibson cannot concern himself further with that. “When you retire, you retire, You don’t still say I might still try and play again here and there. It seems to me like the announcement leaves a few things hanging, like he might still change his mind later on but I can’t really focus on that,” Gibson said.Asked whether he tried to talk de Villiers out of retiring, Gibson revealed that he suggested de Villiers continue playing ODIs only until the World Cup, especially as he appeared to be on top of his game, but respected that the decision to walk away had already been taken.”It seemed to me and to everybody watching that he was enjoying his cricket when he came back. When I first came, he was on a break. We saw him in the IPL taking Spiderman catches and looking like he is enjoying his cricket. That’s why I said it was a shock. I did sort of say, ‘What about giving away Test cricket and still playing one-day cricket with the World Cup coming up?’ and he said he spoke about it with all the people he needed to speak to and that is the decision he has come to,” Gibson said. “Once he has made that decision, there is no point in me trying to get him to change his mind. He wouldn’t have made the decision lightly. I don’t think there is anything I could say that would make him change his mind and once that decision is made then I need to try and get the group together and move on. Sport moves on very quickly.”

It's perhaps a testament to Newcastle United's meteoric rise under the management of Eddie Howe that there is disgruntlement after a slow start to the season, with an incisive 5-1 win over Aston Villa followed by a trio of defeats.

Last season, the Magpies blitzed into form and ascended to heights unseen for decades, clinching Champions League qualification with a top-four finish and wiping away the struggles that had plagued the club for so many years before the PIF takeover in 2021.

While the results haven't favoured the Tyneside club in the early phase of the 2023/24 term, Howe will maintain every confidence that his side can forge a successful path for themselves once again.

How have Newcastle performed this season?

Last season, Newcastle were built on fluidity, cohesion and resilience, which very much formed the foundation of a tremendous year – United completed the Premier League campaign with the joint-best defence (alongside champions Manchester City).

And while the opening dismantlement of Unai Emery's Villa tantalised a continuation of the resounding success, away defeats to Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion and a home loss to Liverpool have left the side bogged down in the bottom half of the table.

Falling to Liverpool was particularly bitter, having taken the lead through Anthony Gordon's strike – who capitalised on Trent Alexander-Arnold's mistake – shortly before Virgil van Dijk took Alexander Isak out as he pushed through on goal; Darwin Nunez's late off-the-bench brace quickly turned delight to despair.

It might now be time for Howe to tinker away after making minimal changes across the opening phase of the season…

How good is Sean Longstaff?

Sandro Tonali kicked off the summer spending when completing a £55m move to St. James' Park in July, but so far it does not look like the Italy international and Bruno Guimaraes are working well together in the centre of the park.

Because of this, it might be wise to place Sean Longstaff back into the starting line-up, with the 25-year-old midfielder playing 41 times last year, scoring three goals and providing four assists.

Rated at £18m by Football Transfers, the £50k-per-week ace impressed with his bouncing presence and worked well as a counterweight to Guimaraes' technical, orchestrating presence beside him.

Guimaraes is not quite the specialist six that Newcastle might crave to hold the midfield together, but that does not mean that he is not a "world-class" option – as he has been called by teammate Dan Burn – who will serve as the fulcrum of much of the club's success over the coming years.

He has performed admirably since his £40m transfer to St. James' Park from French side Lyon in January 2022, so much so that the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona have come sniffing, and has been duly rewarded with a looming new lucrative contract.

Part of the reason his role in the deep-lying position worked so well last term was due to Longstaff's energy and industriousness, hailed for his "vital role" as United's "unsung hero" by pundit Jamie Rednapp, who provided an analysis after the Brighton defeat and highlighted the upswing in results when Longstaff receives a starting berth.

This is evidenced through his metrics, with FBref ranking the homegrown talent among the top 9% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 12% for progressive passes received per 90 – perhaps why he has been dubbed an "absolute machine" by some in the media.

In time, perhaps the midfield axis of Guimaraes and Tonali will gel and form the heart of a truly terrifying partnership, but right now, with the emphasis surely on returning to winning ways, it might be prudent to return to the tried-and-tested formula.

Despite paying the big bucks to secure the services of Tonali, who is undoubtedly a first-rate playmaker, the balance of this Newcastle team has been knocked, and with a tough test awaiting against Brentford, reinstating Longstaff to the starting fold might be the apt solution to get the club back on the rise.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellPowered by Kamran Akmal’s 27-ball 77, Peshawar Zalmi waltzed their way to their second consecutive PSL final, after suppressing a steady surge from Karachi Kings. After Peshawar posted 170 for 7 in a rain-shortened 16-overs a side contest, their seamers teamed up in disciplined fashion to ensure Karachi never outpaced them. Despite half-centuries from Joe Denly and Babar Azam, who stitched together a 117-run partnership for the second wicket, Hasan Ali, Sameen Gul and Chris Jordan choked the flow of runs at regular intervals to crush any aspirations Karachi might have had of a home final.Needing 44 off the last two overs, Denly belted out a few big hits to take 16 runs off Hasan in the 15th over. However, 28 runs off the last over proved a little too steep, even though Wahab began with a no-ball. Karachi were left to rue their inability to accelerate. In the end, they had their strongest finisher Colin Ingram walk in a little too late.Much of Karachi’s discomfort was also a product of some inspired seam bowling from Hasan and Gul early on. Hasan thrived on seaming the ball away from the batsmen late and finished with figures of 4-0-41-1, while Gul conceded only 20 runs from his three overs and removed opener Mukhtar Ahmed, who was brought in for his first game this season. There were backed up by an excellent support cast – Jordan, Umaid Asif and Wahab – that made Azam and Denly work hard for their runs. Captain Daren Sammy didn’t even have to employ left-arm spinner Liam Dawson on a wet day where the opposition’s spinners continually struggled to grip the ball.That, however, wasn’t the only reason Karachi struggled after they put Peshawar into bat. Apart from stand-in captain Mohammad Amir, who finished with remarkable figures of 4-0-16-0, their bowlers fluffed their lines in the face of Akmal’s onslaught. Karachi were also undone by some listless fielding in sharp contrast to the smartness that Peshawar displayed later in the evening.Where the match was wonIn taking their time to suss the pitch out, both Peshawar and Karachi began their innings in remarkably similar fashion. Peshawar were on 29 for 0 at the end of four overs while Karachi had scored four runs fewer at the same stage. However, the difference lay in how Akmal and Peshawar took off from there and consistently amped up their scoring rate. The fifth over, bowled by Usman Khan, went for 25 runs and the over after that yielded 15, as Peshawar reached 69 at the end of six overs. They didn’t let the ball drop, as overs six to 10 produced 66 runs.In contrast, Karachi wheezed their way to 37 runs at the end of five overs and never managed the 20-run overs that Peshawar achieved regularly. Karachi did pull it back in the backend as Peshawar only scored 50 off their last six overs, but the belligerent striking at the top had eventually given them enough cover.The men who won itAkmal was a doubtful starter ahead of the match with a bothersome hamstring. It was thanks to some last-minute repair work from the physio and the trainer that he was able to play. Once on the field, Akmal, like so often during this tournament, set the tempo for the rest of the batting group. He remained true to his methods, and merrily collected boundaries by clearing his front leg and giving the ball a resounding whack. Predictably, a large chunk of his runs came on the leg side, and he finished with five fours and eight sixes.What was more impressive was the manner in which he transferred pressure on to the opposition. Sensing that his opening partner Andre Fletcher was struggling, Akmal counterpunched against Karachi’s bowlers, who had started steadily, and broke their resistance. He disoriented Usman in the fifth over with a sequence of 6,4,4,4,6,1 to open the floodgates. From thereon, it was carnage. It was only after his dismissal off the last ball of the 10th over that Karachi found some respite.Where they standThanks to the win, Peshawar travel to Karachi, where they will meet Islamabad United, the champions of the 2016 edition, in the final. Meanwhile, Karachi would be sorely disappointed at blowing both their shots at making the final, after finishing in the top-two at the end of the league phase.

MatériaMais Notícias

Caso seja relacionado e entre em campo nesta quarta-feira pelo Corinthians, diante do Sport, às 21h30, o lateral-direito Michel Macedo vai completar 250 jogos em sua carreira. O jogador se recuperou de pancada no tornozelo e está à disposição de Dyego Coelho, e deve ficar no banco de reservas. Além do Timão, já atuou em clubes como Atlético-MG, Almería-ESP e Las Palmas-ESP.

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O Las Palmas-ESP, inclusive, é a agremiação em que Michel atuou por mais jogos, totalizando 143, com 4 gols marcados no período.

– Muito feliz em completar essa marca na minha carreira. Agradeço a Deus, família, amigos e todos que de alguma forma me ajudaram a chegar até aqui. Consegui atingir essa marca com muito trabalho, empenho e dedicação. Espero poder contribuir ainda mais aqui no Corinthians, meu time atual – comemorou.

Macedo ainda atuou em 56 jogos no Las Palmas e balançou a rede em seis oportunidades, além de 23 partidas no Atlético-MG. No Timão, o camisa 2 atuou em 27 jogos e marcou um gol. Nesse ano, ele jogou sete partidas.

No Brasileirão deste ano, o lateral versátil acertou 56% dos lançamentos que fez, além de acertar 82% dos passes no campo adversário, segundo o Sofascore. De acordo com o site de estatísticas, o atleta ganhou 59% de disputas de bolas e 63% de duelos aéreos nas partidas que disputou.

A Ranji Trophy match will be telecast for the first time this season, a ground will make its Ranji debut, and a team will play its first quarter-final match in history as India’s premier domestic tournament reaches its quarter-final stage on December 7.

Quarter-finals from December 7

• Gujarat (B1) v Bengal (D2) – Jaipur

• Delhi (A2) v Madhya Pradesh (C1) – Vijayawada

• Kerala (B2) v Vidarbha (D1) – Surat

• Karnataka (A1) v Mumbai (C2) – Nagpur

The match between 41-time champions Mumbai and the form team Karnataka, to be played in Nagpur where India beat Sri Lanka earlier this week, will be live on BCCI’s broadcast partners. Although select matches were webcast in the league stages, this will be the first match on TV. Karnataka blitzed through their group with four wins and two draws, and have among their ranks Mayank Agarwal, who has already reached 1064 runs and has sights on VVS Laxman’s record of 1415 runs in a single Ranji season. Mumbai, meanwhile, had to wait until Monday to ensure progress to the next round after having to launch rearguards in the league stages.Vijayawada’s Dr Gokaraju Liala Gangaaraju ACA Cricket Ground will make its Ranji debut as it hosts the match between Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Delhi will likely be without their full-time captain Ishant Sharma, as the third Test starts on December 2, but could well be available should they make it to the semi-final. The ground has already hosted international cricket when the women’s teams from India and West Indies played each other in 2016, and made its first-class debut during a series between India-New Zealand A in September-OctoberThis will be the first time Kerala will play a quarter-final match since the introduction of the tier system in the Ranji Trophy format in 2011. With 31 points, they finished second to the defending champions and the dominant Gujarat side in Group B. With two centuries and an average of 57.70, a rejuvenated Sanju Samson has led their charge. Kerala will face Vidarbha in Surat. Vidarbha led Group D with 31 points.Gujarat, who won five of their six matches outright, will go up against Bengal in Jaipur.Unlike the league matches, which are four-day matches, quarter-finals will be played over five days. The BCCI did not explain how the match-ups was arrived at nor is there any information on how the semi-final match-ups will be decided.

Chelsea have been "in contact" with the agents of United States international and captain Tyler Adams in recent days to learn more about a potential "relegation clause" in his contract at Leeds United, claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Tyler Adams joining Chelsea?

The Blues have spent a large portion of this summer pursuing their primary transfer target, Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, but with four offers already being rebuffed – the latest being worth £80m – they are continuing to look at other players to bolster their midfield.

According to the Daily Mail, Mauricio Pochettino's side are 'keen' to sign American international Adams from the recently relegated Leeds in the coming weeks and are willing to meet the Yorkshire side's £20m release clause to make it happen.

The publication has reported that the west Londoners want to try and secure the players' services before their opening game of the season against Liverpool on Sunday and that despite the player being of interest to Premier League rivals Aston Villa, the former Bundesliga star would favour a move to Stamford Bridge.

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However, whilst it may look like the Pensioners are looking at this deal as a potential backup should they fail to land Caicedo, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has clarified that the two transfers are separate and not contingent on one another.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"Chelsea are also calling agents of other players in that position. For example, they had contact over the weekend with the agents of Tyler Adams to be informed on relegation clause but it's not something linked to Caicedo, it's two separate conversations."

How good is Tyler Adams?

It would be easy for those that haven't watched much of the American international over the last few years to just lump him in with the rest of the Leeds squad as a player simply not good enough for top-flight football, one that was responsible for the downfall of the Yorkshire side, but that would be an unfair assessment of his quality.

In just 24 league appearances for the Peacocks last season, the 24-year-old maintained a passing accuracy of 82.4% – the highest of any regular starter in the squad -, won 1.1 aerial duals a game and averaged a fairly respectable match rating of 6.73, per WhoScored.

His underlying numbers, particularly the defensive ones, are also quite impressive for a player that had to sit at the centre of an incredibly dysfunctional Leeds side, suggesting that were he surrounded with better quality players, he could reach higher levels than he already has.

According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 5 foot 9 "monster" sits in the top 1% for tackles, the top 3% for blocks, and the top 16% for interceptions, all per 90.

One of the tenacious midfielder's best traits cannot be measured or quantified with statistics: his leadership qualities.

Adams was made the captain of the USMNT just before the World Cup last year, and national team coach Greg Berhalter could not be more complimentary of the player's personality, saying:

"He is the general. He is the strategist. He's the guy that goes out there and leads by example. When he talks, people listen."

Ultimately, if Chelsea can get this deal done for as little as is being reported, it seems like a no-brainer and would surely strengthen both their midfield and the general mentality of the side going forward.