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By making a difference on the cricket field this allrounder has already ticked off a dream, but her journey is only just starting

S Sudarshanan20-Jan-2023India were 69 for 5 in the 12th over. Four out of the top five batters had fallen for single-digit scores. On a sluggish surface, in hot and humid conditions, runs were hard to come by. And in walked allrounder Amanjot Kaur, on debut, joining the seasoned Deepti Sharma in the middle.Amanjot takes fondly to challenges. Having started playing domestic cricket for Punjab in 2017-18, she switched to Chandigarh for a couple of seasons from 2019-20 in search of more game time. In each of her two seasons there, she was among the runs even while captaining Chandigarh and chipping in with the ball. She was assured of a spot in the XI and was showing off her wares.Related

Amanjot, Deepti star as India begin tri-series with a win

But she wanted more. And so, in a bid to play more competitive cricket, she switched back to Punjab in 2022-23 where she picked the brains of India wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia. She scored 192 runs in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, the most for Punjab, at a strike rate in excess of 100 and then picked up eight wickets – only behind Harleen Deol’s nine – for North Zone in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20 competition.A young seam-bowling allrounder, performing consistently, is hard to ignore in the Indian circuit and Amanjot received a maiden India call-up for this tri-series in South Africa ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup. It was significant given Pooja Vastrakar, India’s preferred allrounder, was still returning to full fitness following an injury that kept her out of the home series against Australia last month.And so, in her first international game, Amanjot was tasked with preventing India from getting bowled out cheaply. Understandably, she took her time to get the measure of it all and was on 7 off 13 balls at one stage. She had missed taking toll on a free hit, but she seemed unfazed. She bided her time, and then cashed in.Seamer Ayabonga Khaka was greeted in her third over with two marvelously timed cover drives. On both occasions, Khaka fed Amanjot full balls in her favoured area – outside off – for her to find the gap through the ring there. She then chipped one over fast bowler Marizanne Kapp’s head and such was the timing that it raced down the ground. She gave Khaka more special treatment in the penultimate over of the innings, hitting her for three fours.In all, Amanjot scored 22 off the ten balls she faced off Khaka and took ten of five off Kapp. She finished unbeaten on 41 off 30 balls, the second highest score in women’s cricket for India by a T20I debutant.Interacting with keeper Taniya Bhatia in the Punjab set-up helped Amanjot Kaur’s development•Getty Images”[Moving to Chandigarh] was a turning point as I gained knowledge and maturity as a batter and got the limelight,” Amanjot said after becoming only the third India women’s player to win a Player of the Match award on T20I debut. “Then I moved back to Punjab again and I wanted to take that step because I wanted to play more competitive cricket, play under seniors. There was Taniya and from her I learnt about how it is to be at the higher level and how the competition at the highest level is.”Amanjot added 76 runs for the sixth wicket with Deepti – the fourth-best in women’s T20Is – and helped India amass 44 off the last four overs. That meant India inched close to 150 and that was beyond South Africa on a surface that aided spin.”[Deepti] said I should not try to hit the ball too hard,” Amanjot said. “[The conversation was about] first to try for singles and then the boundaries will keep coming once we are set. She asked me to rein in my excitement since it was my debut and told me to stay calm and build a partnership so that the team can reach a respectable position.”Amanjot started training as a 17-year-old under coach Nagesh Gupta, primarily as a bowler. Her father enrolled her in the academy but thought her craze for cricket would fizzle out. She was set on doing something noteworthy for India in cricket though, and, seeing her dedication, her father, who was a woodwork contractor and carpenter, made some changes of his own to help her along. He quit his woodwork job and stuck to carpentry work in locations near their home so that he could drop Amanjot at training and pick her up again.”The travelling [between home and academy] was three and a half to four hours and he played a big role in managing that in 2016-17 when I had started,” Amanjot explained. “Earlier he used to undertake longer work, and used to stay at the [client’s] place and be away from home sometimes. But to pick and drop me from the academy, he left that.”Having made a stellar first impression in India’s blue, Amanjot knows her journey has only just started. But, as always, she’s up for the challenge.

Bairstow and Williamson could both feature in their playing XI, but the lower middle order remains a concern

Hemant Brar07-Apr-20213:28

Are Sunrisers Hyderabad stronger than last season?

Where they finished in 2020

After just three wins in their first nine games, the Sunrisers Hyderabad bounced back to finish third on the points table. In the Eliminator, they beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore but lost to the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2.

Potential XI

1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 T Natarajan

Batting

For the last couple of years, the dilemma for the Sunrisers has been which of Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson to leave out from their playing XI. In the second half of the previous season, they found their best combination with Wriddhiman Saha replacing Bairstow at the top, Williamson slotting in at No. 4 and Jason Holder shoring up both batting and bowling.This time, the presence of a fit Bhuvneshwar Kumar and new recruit Kedar Jadhav means the Sunrisers may no longer need Holder’s all-round skills. That opens up an overseas slot, allowing them to play both Williamson and Bairstow.While Saha has exceptional numbers in the powerplay, Bairstow is simply much better across different phases of the innings. Moreover, Warner and Bairstow’s opening pair is among the best in the IPL. On average, they give a start of around 60 in 6.3 overs.Mitchell Marsh’s late decision to pull out of the tournament shouldn’t hurt the Sunrisers much. In fact, it has allowed them to rope in Jason Roy, a perfect replacement for Warner should his groin injury worsen. The lower middle order, though, can still give them some headaches despite Jadhav’s inclusion.Sunrisers Hyderabad’s squad for IPL 2021•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bowling

Bowling has always been the Sunrisers’ stronger suit. Last season, they were hampered by Kumar’s injury, but his return – not only on the field but also to form – should please them. In the recently concluded T20I and ODI series against England, Kumar was by far India’s most economical bowler apart from picking up crucial wickets.Kumar should bowl in tandem with Sandeep Sharma in the powerplay and with T Natarajan at the death. Rashid Khan, meanwhile, showed in IPL 2020 that his wicket-taking powers haven’t waned. But if the Sunrisers want to include both Bairstow and Williamson in the XI, Vijay Shankar, Jadhav and Abdul Samad will have to bowl at least four overs between them. Else, they might have to consider playing Mohammad Nabi or Holder in place of either Bairstow or Williamson.The Sunrisers also recruited Mujeeb Ur Rahman at the last auction. And while they are scheduled to play five games on the slow Chepauk pitches, Mujeeb more like a backup for Khan as squeezing both of them in the first XI would weaken the batting.

Young player to watch out for

Eyes will once again be on Abdul Samad. Samad, 19, was picked by the Sunrisers at the 2019 auction for his six-hitting skills. In the last IPL, his strike rate of 170.76 was the fifth-highest among those with at least 100 runs in the tournament. He was also the top scorer for Jammu and Kashmir in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, tallying 140 runs in four innings at an average of 46.66 and a strike rate of 148.93. If he can nail his role of a finisher, the Sunrises will have all their bases covered.

Coaching staff

Tom Moody (director of cricket), Trevor Bayliss (head coach), Brad Haddin (assistant coach), Muttiah Muralitharan (bowling coach), Biju George (fielding coach) and VVS Laxman (mentor)

Poll

Nottingham Forest have now made an approach to sign a “fast” £22m defender, with Sean Dyche replacing Ange Postecoglou in the City Ground hotseat.

Forest make contact to sign centre-back as Dyche joins

Postecoglou’s awful stint as manager came to an end on Saturday, following a 3-0 home defeat against Chelsea, in which Forest once again struggled defensively, having also shipped three goals at home against FC Midtjylland at the beginning of the month.

Evangelos Marinakis perhaps has one eye on the January transfer window, given that the Tricky Trees are at risk of being drawn into a relegation battle, having taken just five points from their opening eight Premier League games.

With the City Ground outfit currently in the bottom three, it would perhaps make sense to bring in a manager with a proven track record of guiding teams to safety, and Dyche has just that from his time at Everton and Burnley.

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Dyche has agreed to join Forest on the condition they give him a long-term deal. He is of course well-known for a more defensive style of play than Ange, which means the 54-year-old may be keen to bolster his options at the back in January, and a new centre-back has now emerged as the first target.

That is according to a report from Spain, which reveals Nottingham Forest have now accelerated contact over a move for CA Osasuna defender Enzo Boyomo, who has caught the eye with his spectacular performances for the La Liga side.

Boyomo has a €25m (£22m) release clause included in his contract with the Spanish club, and Osasuna would not consider a sale for any less, given his importance to the side, but there is certainly no shortage of interest from England.

Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion are also in the race, alongside the Tricky Trees, with the three Premier League clubs said to be in pole position for his signature.

"Fast" Boyomo could be solid addition to Forest's backline

Forest are likely to be happy with their current centre-back options, given that Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo formed a formidable partnership in the Premier League last season, with the duo missing just three games between them and helping secure European qualification.

However, should the new manager be keen to bring in more depth, there are signs the 24-year-old could be a solid signing. When asked to describe his own game after arriving at Osasuna, the Cameroonian said: “I think I’m a calm center-back, with good ball control, and I think I’m also fast.”

Not only that, but the France-born defender is also strong at winning back possession, placing in the 88th percentile for tackles per 90 over the past year, when compared to other centre-backs.

At £22m, Boyomo would be an affordable signing for Forest, who are clearly in need of a fresh injection of quality after a very poor start to the campaign.

Newcastle United could be boosted by the unexpected return of a sidelined star sooner than first thought, according to reports.

Howe: "individual errors" hurt Newcastle

It’s not often that Eddie Howe is publicly critical of his Newcastle side, but even he couldn’t hide his frustration after the Magpies saw their lead wiped away by Tottenham Hotspur at the death. It was yet another late goal and yet more points dropped from a winning position for those in Tyneside, who rarely do things the easy way these days.

Howe admitted that “individual errors” hurt Newcastle against Spurs just when they thought they did enough to secure all three points against Thomas Frank’s side.

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Newcastle United were denied another Premier League win by Tottenham Hotspur last night.

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The former Bournemouth boss told reporters: “I think it’s definitely a failing, you can’t sit here and go, I can’t sit here and go, everything’s okay in that respect, it’s happened too many times this season, that doesn’t mean we can’t figure it out and put it right very quickly.

“Today’s really a set piece, it’s a moment and those moments happen in football, they’ve been on the other end of it at times and individual errors usually from set plays hurt you and that’s what happened.”

Tottenham will feel as though their late winner was justified, however, after Newcastle were controversially awarded a penalty, which Anthony Gordon converted in the second-half.

Jamie Redknapp demanded “consistency” from the referees at full-time and Howe has every right to demand the same from his players. In a packed December full of fixtures, the Newcastle boss will be relieved to hear the latest update on Yoane Wissa’s long-awaited return from injury.

Craig Hope shares unexpected Yoane Wissa return date

According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Wissa could now make a shock return for Newcastle this weekend and take a place on Howe’s bench against Burnley. The forward recently took part in a training ground game, but it remained uncertain when he would finally make his debut for the club.

The summer signing endured a disastrous start to life at St James’ Park when he was injured not long after arriving. Now, he could get the chance to finally make his mark just when Newcastle need him most.

Dubbed “remarkable” by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank last season, it will certainly be interesting to see how Wissa is used in Tyneside.

Record signing Nick Woltemade has enjoyed such an excellent start, but will undoubtedly have a fight to keep hold of his place now that his competition is nearing a return. Whether Howe sticks or twists, there’s no denying that Wissa’s return will be a major boost.

Howe must finally bin 5/10 Newcastle dud who was "very sloppy" vs Spurs

Arsenal’s title aspirations suffered a crushing blow at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime as Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time strike completed a dramatic 2-1 turnaround for Aston Villa.

The Gunners’ remarkable 18-match unbeaten streak across all competitions has now come to an end, with Mikel Arteta’s side sent crashing back down to Earth.

Arsenal dominated possession throughout lengthy spells but ultimately paid the price for failing to convert superiority into goals, succumbing to Unai Emery’s tactical masterclass at a venue where Arsenal ironically boast their best away record in Premier League history.

The defeat allows Man City the opportunity to reduce the gap at the summit to just two points, piling pressure on Arteta’s men as they navigate a mounting defensive injury crisis.

Villa deservedly seized the initiative in the 36th minute when Matty Cash powered home from the back post, meeting a deflected cross with a thunderous half-volley that caught David Raya flat-footed.

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The right-back’s spectacular finish rewarded Villa’s aggressive pressing and energetic start, with Arsenal struggling to establish their usual rhythm against Emery’s well-drilled side.

Arteta responded decisively at the interval, introducing Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres for the ineffective Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino. The Belgian substitute needed just seven second-half minutes to justify his manager’s faith, pouncing on a loose ball after Emiliano Martínez could only parry Bukayo Saka’s initial effort.

Trossard’s predatory instincts breathed life into Arsenal’s challenge and appeared to shift momentum decisively towards the visitors.

Emiliano Martínez

7.8

Declan Rice

7.7

Matty Cash

7.5

Boubacar Kamara

7.5

Martin Odegaard

7.2

via WhoScored

Arsenal dominated proceedings thereafter, pinning Villa deep inside their own territory while creating numerous opportunities to snatch victory.

Declan Rice orchestrated attacks from deep despite struggling with the calf complaint that nearly ruled him out, while Saka tormented Villa’s left flank repeatedly. Noni Madueke came agonizingly close late on, firing into the side netting when well-positioned at the back post.

However, Emery’s inspired tactical substitution proved decisive.

Buendia’s introduction for Cash in the 85th minute pushed Villa into a more aggressive attacking configuration, with Lamare Bogarde dropping to right-back. The Argentinian playmaker delivered the killer blow deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to a scramble inside Arsenal’s penalty area and firing home emphatically to send Villa Park into raptures.

The defeat represents a significant setback for Arsenal’s title ambitions, particularly given the circumstances surrounding their performance.

Arteta’s side controlled vast stretches of play, registered more shots and dominated possession statistics, yet left the Midlands empty-handed.

Villa’s victory extends their remarkable home form to just one defeat in their last 25 league matches at Villa Park, underlining the fortress mentality Emery has built there.

The result lifts Villa within three points of Arsenal while maintaining their challenge for Champions League qualification, perhaps even the title itself.

Mikel Arteta confirms Cristhian Mosquera blow after Aston Villa defeat

With William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes already sidelined, the loss of Cristhian Mosquera to injury against Brentford forced Jurrien Timber into an unfamiliar centre-back role alongside Piero Hincapie.

Reports have suggested that Mosquera faces several weeks out through injury, and that’s now been confirmed by Arsenal’s manager.

Speaking after the match, Arteta said that the 21-year-old faces a significant spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury against Brentford, stating the layoff is ‘much more’ than they initially expected.

The Spanish defender underwent tests on Friday, with initial assessments already suggesting a potential absence of six to eight weeks.

Arteta described Mosquera’s situation as “more complicated” when addressing the media ahead of kickoff, acknowledging the injury represents another substantial blow to Arsenal’s already weakended defence heading into the congested festive schedule.

For the north Londoners, it is yet more bad news after what was a gutting defeat in the Midlands.

Just 16 games into his career with the New York Mets, Juan Soto has yet to find his power stroke.

Soto, in his first season in Queens after signing a record, $765 million contract with the Mets this offseason, is sporting a career-low .829 OPS and went 13 games without homering until he left the yard in Monday's 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.

But Soto is apparently already reflecting on the lack of damage he's done thus far in the Mets' lineup, so much so that he admitted to a difference in how he's being pitched without the protection of two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge batting behind him in an interview with .

"It’s definitely different," Soto told . "I had the best hitter in baseball [Judge] hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year."

The numbers certainly seem to back up Soto's assertion that he's not seeing as many hittable pitches. According to Fangraphs, Soto is seeing a career-low 44.6% of his pitches in the strike zone, compared to the 47.2% he saw last season in a career year with the New York Yankees. Soto, MLB's active career leader in on-base percentage, has always been content to take his walks.

But the change in how pitchers have approached him this season has made the ever-patient Soto even more so. He has swung at just 32.7% of the pitches he's seen this season, also a career low.

So, what does it all mean?

So far, it seems like pitchers are intent to let anyone but Soto in the Mets lineup beat them. And it's resulted in a strong start to the season for slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who, entering play Tuesday, leads the National League with a 1.136 OPS.

Plus, despite his limited power output, Soto has remained a key cog in the Mets lineup. He ranks among baseball's top-10 hitters in walks and runs scored.

The Mets haven't been any worse for the wear because of Soto's power outage either, as they currently sit at 11-5, good for first place in the NL East.

Soto was always going to be under the microscope this season on the heels of signing the biggest contract in North American sports history. And while pitchers are clearly approaching him differently sans Judge, there's reason to believe that this 16-game stretch is more a blip in the radar than a concerning trend.

Australia batter gets the better of her sister en route to 154-run chase at Kia Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2025

Grace Harris poses with the Women’s T20 Blast trophy•ECB via Getty Images

Grace Harris, Surrey’s matchwinner in the Women’s Vitality Blast final, was proud of her team’s aggressive approach to their five-wicket victory at the Kia Oval on Sunday, but admitted to mixed feelings about getting the better of her sister, Laura, who finished on the losing side for Warwickshire Bears.Grace Harris, the Australia international, top-scored with a typically hard-hitting 63 not out, as Surrey lived up to their favourites tag by cruising to a victory target of 154 with 20 balls to spare. She struck seven fours and two sixes in her 33-ball knock, and found key partners in Sophia Dunkley (23 from 13) and Kira Chathli, whose 16 not out from nine balls included the winning boundary off Issy Wong.That target, however, could have been significantly higher had her sister completed the job that she had threatened during the Bears innings. Laura Harris’ riotous knock of 25 from 11 balls included three fours and two sixes, and it took an exceptionally cool catch from Phoebe Franklin at deep midwicket to dislodge her at the start of the 14th over.”I was a little bit nervous,” Grace told the ECB Reporters Network. “I was thinking at long-off, ‘just hit it down someone else’s throat!’ You want her to do well and it’s not like I would have hashed the job, but if I’d caught it, I would have been a little bit disappointed.”I’m happy she got out when she did because it could have been a 180-chase if she’d hung on.”Surrey’s task looked stiff enough, however, when they lost their third wicket for 42 at the start of the seventh over, with Amu Surenkumar and Hannah Baker settling into a threatening rhythm. Grace, however, struck her third ball for four straight back over Baker’s head to set the tempo for the rest of the chase.”I probably get more nervous on the side-lines than I do out in the middle,” she said. “When I am in the centre, I’m like, ‘this is good fun! How good is it to get a chance to bat!’ Sitting on the side-lines, I say to our group, ‘alright introverts, you are going to have to leave, because I’ve got to chat or I’m going to find this day tough!’Related

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Grace Harris overpowers Bears as Surrey claim Women's Blast

“Sometimes it is harder to chase 140 than 160,” she added, “because you think if you just knock it around, you’ll just get the runs, whereas with 160 you have to go to pick up a boundary an over. Teams can get too complacent with 140.”She cited the 2023 Women’s Big Bash final as an example. “I’ve been involved in a team which has done that before, chasing 120 in a final with [Brisbane] Heat and we lost to Adelaide Strikers because we just knocked it about and didn’t really take the game on.”So it was fantastic to make sure we stayed with that run-chase. Fair play to the girls on what was a very good squad effort.”Harris added that the credit also belonged to Surrey’s bowlers for the manner in which they restricted the Bears after choosing to field first. Franklin was front and centre of their efforts, and not simply with her crucial catch. Her figures of 2 for 16 included wickets in her second and third overs and a well-completed run-out of Georgia Davis in her fourth.”I think Phoebe has genuinely been our player of the season,” Harris said. “Each game she’s either taken a crucial wicket or hit 20 off 10 at the back end and given us a bit of momentum in lower-scoring games. In any other team she would bat a lot higher and get a lot more opportunity than what she does, but when given the opportunity, she is definitely a player that’s taken it.”She has done so well in this T20 tournament and I have been rather impressed with her skill set. It’s not just the fact she can hit a line and a length, it is the fact she can bowl slower balls as well or come up with a yorker when required. Then at the back end with the bat she fully owns her scoring shots.”For the Bears, the final proved a bridge too far after an impressive win over The Blaze in the semi-final. However, for Wong – who was the player of that match with figures of 4 for 14 and a hard-hitting half-century – there was pleasure to be had in the progress of a young team, and in her own performances in the course of what is turning into a resurgent summer.”I’m really proud of our girls,” Wong said. “We knew it was going to be tough to play two games of cricket against the two best sides in the country and win them both. We have such a young squad. I’m in the oldies when we play football at 23, so we have got so much learning we have taken from this season.”Wong’s displays on Finals Day came after a successful return to the England set-up this year. After some high-profile hiccups in recent seasons, including a torrid spell with Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, she was happy to have rediscovered her love of the game once again.”Outwardly it hasn’t always been like that,” she said. “The last couple of years have been pretty challenging, but it has been nice to come back to what is my best personality for playing cricket. That comes from being in a good place with my skills and tactically as well I feel I’m in a really good place. It’s the best job in the world, isn’t it?”

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has warned Arsenal that the title race is far from over even with his side trailing the Gunners by six points after 10 games. City could fall even further behind Mikel Arteta's side as they face a daunting game on Sunday against Liverpool in what will be Guardiola's 1,000th match since moving into coaching back in 2007.

Arsenal enjoying best start for three years

Arsenal have only dropped four points in their first 10 matches of the season in their best start to a campaign since the 2022-23 season. City eventually overhauled the Gunners that year although after 10 games they were just one point back, compared to six at the moment. City's 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in April proved crucial to them winning the crown at the Gunners expense and Guardiola pointed out that his side will be hosting their rivals again at the height of the title run-in on April 18.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesGuardiola: No one wins the title in November

Guardiola told a press conference on Friday: "All we can do is win our games and be close. They (Arsenal) have to come here. In the last two or three years in terms of rebuilding a club and a team, then they are there [at the top]. It is exceptional what they are doing and did already for two or three seasons. But we are in early November and in early November no-one wins the title."

Guardiola: My numbers are insane

The prospect of his 1000th game as a coach led Guardiola to reflect on his incredible career in the dugouts, in which he has won 12 league titles in Spain, Germany and England as well as three Champions Leagues among a total haul of 40 trophies. He has won 715 of his 999 games in charge of Barcelona B, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City. And his City team achieved a Premier League record total of 100 points when they won the title in 2018.

"I never thought for one second about reaching 1,000 games," Guardiola said. "You just want to do a good job, play football the right way and see what happens. After that it's a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, passion, love. In that, nobody beats me. When I started, I didn't expect this. But it is a joy. I didn't enjoy every single moment but I enjoyed the journey a lot. I have been blessed."

He also allowed himself a moment of hubris when he said: "The numbers are insane, I'm sorry to tell you. When you have this milestone and you read what you have done … if I start again, I will not reach it."

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Getty Images SportLiverpool fitting opponents for 1000th game

Although Guardiola has had numerous intensely passionate games against Real Madrid while in charge of boyhood club Barcelona and some memorable matches against Borussia Dortmund while coaching Bayern Munich, he picked out Liverpool as his favourite opponent of all. And he said it was fitting that he should be facing the Reds in his 1000th game.

"If I could choose one rival for his personal milestone that I want to share with many, many people – that would be the best," he said. "I have been a long time in this country. Of course, Barcelona and the impact it had on my life as a ball boy, football player and manager. Of course, Bayern was an incredible step. But Liverpool, especially with Jurgen [Klopp], have been the biggest rival in this country and it could not be better. It was the destiny of the universe."

Liverpool lost six out of seven games between late September and the end of October but have turned a corner with two impressive wins in the last week against Aston Villa and Real Madrid. Guardiola poked fun at the English media for writing Arne Slot's side off during their difficult spell of results.

"I know how quickly things change. One week ago it was Liverpool 'disaster, disaster' and now they win two and it's 'Are they back to their best?' I'm sure the managers take a little bit more perspective of the situation. There are always ups and downs in a season."