Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu among stars eyeing resurgence

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

All you need to know about the 2019-20 edition of the 50-over domestic competition, set to kick off on September 24

Saurabh Somani23-Sep-2019The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 will feature 38 teams – one more than last year’s already jumbo-sized 37 teams with the addition of Chandigarh, the newest member inducted into the BCCI by the Committee of Administrators. Here’s a list of what and whom to watch out for in the domestic 50-over tournament.When does it start?
The league phase starts on September 24. The knockouts begin from October 20 with the final scheduled for October 25.Where is it being played?
Across four cities in India – Bengaluru (Group A), Vadodara (Group B), Jaipur (Group C) and Dehradun (Group D or the Plate Group).And the format?
It remains the same as last year: keeping in mind the volume of teams, each group will be played with a round-robin format. Following that, the top five teams from Groups A and B combined (sorted by points tally), the top two teams from Group C, and the Group D leader will qualify for the quarter-finals.ALSO READ: Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 NewsfileSo why is this tournament important?
It might be a 50-over tournament, but it still attracts a strong presence from scouts at all eight IPL franchises. They look for players who do well at certain stages of the game, as also those who pass the ‘eye test’ and look like they have the potential to interest IPL teams.The tournament is also a means for players to find consistency or come back in the reckoning. Last year, Ajinkya Rahane scored heavily for Mumbai to make his case for World Cup selection (although he didn’t make the cut eventually).While the tournament no longer serves to pitchfork performers directly into national reckoning, the standout players are often earmarked by the selectors for India A teams, from which they can make their cases for the Indian team.Rishabh Pant whips one into the leg side•AFPWho are the India regulars in action?
This might be an important tournament for the likes of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu. Pant is only available for Delhi’s first few matches, after which he will join the Indian Test side, but with the concentration of attention on him kicked off by Ravi Shastri’s comments, this will be an ideal opportunity for the wicketkeeper-batsman to get runs and confidence.Rahul has gone out of favour for the Tests, and even though he was in the limited-overs set-up, he played only one T20I across the tour of West Indies and the home series against South Africa. As Karnataka’s vice-captain and at present available for possibly the full duration of the tournament, Rahul can re-establish his white-ball credentials. He will be deputy to Manish Pandey, another batsman for whom a good season will solidify his national standing, where a bad season can hurt it.Rayudu, meanwhile, has come out of a short retirement and been named the Hyderabad captain. Not being picked for the World Cup had cut up the batsman, but his ‘retirement’ didn’t really cost him anything since he un-retired before the season began. He now has the chance to show the selectors why Virat Kohli anointed him India’s chosen No. 4 last year, before his form tailed off and he lost favour with the selectors.Another player looking to come back in the reckoning is Yuzvendra Chahal. Till not too long back an essential part of India’s limited-overs sides, Chahal – and Kuldeep Yadav – have seen their positions slide in the 20-over format with India seeking greater batting depth. A strong performance for Haryana should help Chahal’s cause.Hanuma Vihari will captain Andhra for the first few games before joining the Test squad, and Krunal Pandya will lead Baroda.Navdeep Saini is in Delhi’s squad and is expected to be available during the tournament, while Shikhar Dhawan is expected to join the team at a later, but as yet unspecified, date.Kedar Jadhav will lead Maharashtra, and Shreyas Iyer will captain Mumbai. Umesh Yadav is in Vidarbha’s squad. The Chahar cousins – Deepak and Rahul – are both in Rajasthan’s squad, as is Khaleel Ahmed.Vijay Shankar carves one through the off side•PTI Tamil Nadu will have Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar as captain and vice-captain respectively, with M Vijay (available after the first week) and Washington Sundar also in the ranks.Who are the defending champions?
A star-studded Mumbai team beat a strong Delhi side in the final last year. During the tournament, Mumbai had Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Rahane and Iyer turning out for them, and of those four, only Rohit wasn’t available for the final. Mumbai bowled Delhi out cheaply in the title clash, but an inspired spell by Saini meant the chase wasn’t as straightforward as they would have thought.Bihar had topped the Plate Group in 2018-19, and will thus be in Group C, with Assam – bottom ranked in Group C – relegated to the Plate Group.

Prophetic Archer predicted the entire World Cup

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

You could have scrolled through Jofra Archer’s Twitter feed from between 2013-2016 and you would have known everything about the tournament from there

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2019If you have lost fingernails worrying about results this World Cup, you needn’t have. You could have just scrolled through Jofra Archer’s Twitter feed from between 2013 and 2016 and you would have known everything about the tournament from there.Archer knew Ben Stokes would start the World Cup with an all-round performance.

He knew Andre Russell would amp up the pace, but that it might cost him his fitness.

He guessed that South Africa would struggle, and that there would be news that AB de Villiers had offered to return.

He knew two big talking points would be the bails not coming off and the rain.

Somehow, he even had early insights into David Warner’s plans to adopt a more steady approach.

He also wanted to let his captain know well in advance that record-breaking six-hitting against Afghanistan was something he dug.

We’re really not sure how he knew Liton Das was going to make a big impact in his first World Cup match all the way back in 2013, when Liton hadn’t even made his List A debut.

Of course he knew Carlos Brathwaite was going to make people remember his name again.

But how did he predict the emergence of Shaheen Afridi when the guy was just 15?

Moeen being left out for a few games, only to get a chance, play a really rash shot and then be sacrificed for a seamer again – a surprise to everyone? Not to Archer, who knew this in February 2014.

He probably should have done more to avoid England’s loss to Sri Lanka, though, since he knew it was going to happen.

And maybe he could have warned Stokes about that Mitchell Starc yorker

Never mind, he knew Jonny Bairstow was going to make everything all right in the last two games.

Did you not know about Nicholas Pooran?

Things started getting really spooky around the semis, as it emerged Archer had pretty much live tweeted these in his youth. Here’s a quick recap of the India-New Zealand game:

And he had the next semi-final all figured out too.

What sets New Zealand apart? Their ability to understand conditions

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

And their captain is a man who specialises in adapting to situations as they arise

Daniel Vettori13-Jul-20192:36

Vettori: Williamson, Taylor can assess conditions better than anyone

There’s real excitement back in New Zealand about the final. Winning the semi-final last time at home meant a lot to everyone and it swept up everyone at the time. But a win away from home to make the final is particularly impressive.In most recent World Cups, Australia have been dominant and gone in as favourites. I think this tournament at the top end has been a lot more even, with England and India being favourites to start. Then Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan – West Indies to some extent. Upsets were expected from Afghanistan and Bangladesh. So I think it feels like a tougher road to have travelled this time, because of the quality of all the teams on show.ALSO READ: The serenity and resilience of being New ZealandI think New Zealand will be feeling pretty good on the eve of the game. You hear the stuff Gary Stead said about trying to treat it as another game, and I think because of the experience of 2015, they possibly can.They will be led by Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill, who are all pretty experienced, and the fact that they have played in a final before will help. They’ve been there, with all the trappings, the build-up, the emotion. Walking into Lord’s and seeing everything that’s going on may change that a little bit, but I think that they will be able to stay relatively calm also because they have come in on the back of some good performances.Back in 2015, no one in the group had that experience, but now the majority of the group have, and those players are the most experienced members of the side. I think they will provide leadership and guidance in how to understand and deal with it. So will some of the coaching staff – Craig McMillan was there and he will play a critical role in the lead-up as well.Five years ago it was a pretty relaxed build-up. We tried to keep it as low-key as possible, as similar to everything that had gone on previously. Brendon [McCullum] and Hess [Mike Hesson] were big proponents of that – looking at it as just another game. We had been in New Zealand through the tournament, so to get on a plane and go to Melbourne was pretty exciting. I remember Derek Jeter was at the ground, and I got a photo with him. That’s what I was most excited about!I can’t remember any nerves. And there was no change of tactics. It was: “We’ve played some good cricket, let’s keep going.”I truly believe that the players are ready to go, and they’re pretty comfortable with the situation, though looking on from the outside, there seems to be so much pressure. I don’t think they think about the semi-finals record. They’ll look at the game in front of them and say, “This is an incredible achievement to get here, but we still have to win it.” I think there will be some conversations around mindset, but I don’t think they’ll get specific about “We have to do this, this, this and this.”In the current team, Taylor, Southee and Guptill are the only ones who have ever lost a semi-final, I think. They’ve won two and lost one – that’s how they’ll see it. New Zealand are a very confident semi-final team. The next step is to take it into that final. If this team can go one step further, it will be amazing.In the semi-final in 2015, Brendon stepped out and smashed Dale Steyn, and that was one of the main reasons we made the final. We all wanted him to do against Mitchell Starc what he did against Steyn, but that didn’t happen, of course. And in any case, there are ten other players who’re all supposed to stand up and get the job done…ALSO READ: Grant Elliott: The 2015 semi-final made me realise that sport can change a nationAfter the game, it was business as usual. I took my son to school the next morning. I think my wife made me! She said, “You’re going away for a few days, make yourself useful before you go.” There were some excited parents at the school.New Zealand is such a small country, so I suppose you’re accessible in a lot of ways. You’re not secluded from everything that happens in daily life. I think the guys really love that as well. You can be – “anonymous” is not the right word, but you can be left to your own devices. I think that’s a New Zealand thing. The rugby players will probably be the only ones who get adulation, but even that is low-key. People are left alone to work and do their own thing, and people’s privacy is respected.When you look at Kane’s captaincy, I think the team has been shaped in his image – pretty low-key and humble. When you’re in a tough situation, he is about understanding and figuring out how they can work through it. I think that’s the main thing that he has brought to this team: having a game plan to get them out of trouble. When they lost three games in a row, they had a game plan to get a victory against India, and that’s testament to Kane. He will remain calm, he will see the big picture rather than panicking in the moment.He has stayed pretty consistent over the years, and I think he has learned to deal with everything that comes with being a top batsman and leading the team. There will have been some new experiences for him; he was just about being a batsman, but now he is a leader, dealing with everything that comes with that.ALSO READ: Boult, Henry, Ferguson: Brutal, hellish, fastThe way Kane goes about things, it’s not about “I’m aggressive today” or “I’m defensive today.” He just sums up the situation: “This is what we’ve got to do to win the game.” And that permeates through the team.The ability to understand conditions is, more than anything else, what sets this New Zealand team apart. They just read situations well. They’re not confined to one style of play. They adapt, and figure things out on the fly. That’s a sign of a good team. I think England are the same: they’ve done similar things in terms of understanding what is going to work in certain situations and working to that.Looking at the players, Guptill hasn’t had a great World Cup, but I think they will be looking to the Guptill who has played 170 games, who is one of New Zealand’s greatest players, been one of the world’s best batsmen over the last four or five years. That’s the confidence they’ll want to build.Not only Guppy but everyone in the group. When you look at Boult and his improvement – it seems funny to talk about one of the best bowlers in the world as having improved, but I think the way he bowls in the middle now, the way he bowls at the death, those things suggest that there’s a general trend of players in the side getting better.”Earlier Kane was just about being a batsman. Now he’s about being a leader and dealing with everything that comes from that”•Getty ImagesIn World Cups, Taylor will perhaps be New Zealand’s most successful player: 2007, semi-final; 2011, semi-final; 2015, final; 2019 final. There’s no other New Zealand cricketer who has that kind of achievement in World Cups. And I have heard him talk about going to another one, so let’s not write him off yet! If this is his last one, hopefully he’ll come out a winner.Tim got injured at a really inopportune time and he missed games, and Matt Henry took his chance, bowled exceptionally well, and has come back even stronger at the back end of the tournament.Mitchell Santner – he’ll far exceed me. I’ve known Mitch since he was about 12 or 13. He used to come to the nets and bowl to us, and he was impressive from day one. He is just a really talented bowler, and over the years he has learned conditions, learned how to deal with coming up against some of the greatest batsmen, and also dealing with how aggressive everyone is now. I think he has managed his game as well as anyone to be successful in this era.He has also always been a good batsman. He was a genuine allrounder who opened the batting for Northern Districts back home, and I think his development over the last few years in the spotlight with New Zealand has been incredible.ALSO READ: Bring on the pressure: dot-ball devil Santner is up for itOccasionally when spinners are given conditions that favour them, they might look to do something different, and not bowl as consistently well as they have in the past, but I can’t remember Mitch bowling a bad ball in that semi-final. It was a wicket that assisted him slightly but he stuck to the plan of trying to take the stumps, mixing his pace up and not giving anything away.I think he, like any good spinner, trusts the bowling partnerships, so if someone is attacking at the other end, he can be defensive and vice versa, and I think he read that really well and just built and built and built. His six overs for five runs, or whatever it was, was almost the winning of the game in a lot of ways, because it just continued on the work from Boult and Henry.In the semi-final, New Zealand were all about understanding the conditions – what was going to work and what wasn’t. If you take any other attitude, it can catch you out. And I think that’s how they’ll go in the final. They’ll look at the Lord’s wicket, they’ll look at the overhead conditions, they’ll see how Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer are bowling first up, if they are; or see how Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy are batting.It will be about gaining information. Once again it comes down to the pragmatic question: How are we going to win the game? It will be about reading conditions. It seems almost boring, but I think that’s the right way to go about it, and probably the way they will go about it.

Don't dismiss the idea of four-day Test cricket

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

As long as the essentials of the contest are preserved, shedding some traditions is a small price to pay

Sidharth Monga15-Jan-2020Since ESPNcricinfo broke the story around the end of 2019 that the ICC is contemplating mandatory four-day Tests in the next rights cycle from 2023 to 2031, the reaction from fans and players has been heartening. From Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli to Ben Stokes to various coaches, to the fans who enjoyed a grandstand finish on the fifth evening of the Newlands Test, the outpouring of love for Test cricket has been unequivocal. People care about the format. Its players more so.There is no reason to doubt that this resistance from the great practitioners and ambassadors of the sport comes from a good place: they don’t want the contest to be diluted, nor do they want to lose the insurance the presence of a fifth day brings, especially in case of bad weather. There is also a not-entirely-undeserved scepticism around the ICC’s motives, which FICA boss Tony Irish has articulated. Four-day Tests in the current rights cycle would have freed up 335 days of international cricket; players need to know what the freed-up days in the calendar will be used for: hopefully not another T20 league or more context-free bilateral ODIs.There is a difference, though, between being sceptical and being neurotic. “Don’t touch my ‘pure’ format” is paranoia. That we are having this conversation, that it doesn’t go away, means the “pure” format needs change. That even the BCCI, which runs cricket in one of the three countries where Test cricket is still commercially successful, felt the need to ask its players to play in the night despite their resistance tells you how much that change is required. It has come to a stage where every tight finish is hailed as evidence Test cricket is not dead yet. It can’t be ideal.To adopt the mindset that “if you don’t get Test cricket the way it is, you won’t ever get Test cricket” is both elitist and dangerous. It is an ever-shrinking sport that follows a leisurely pace and is played at hours when even those who care for it have to be working. It has become a luxury that only the three big boards can afford. For other teams it becomes lucrative only when playing one of those three teams. And those three teams don’t want to host smaller teams. Even in practically rejecting the four-day Test, Andrew Strauss, a former captain himself and now a director of cricket at ECB and member of ICC cricket committee, has told the that in many countries, “Test cricket is not paying the bills”.If a combination of saved operational costs and days means Pakistan and Sri Lanka can play three-Test series instead of two, or if it ensures time for an ICC tournament every year and thus brings more revenue to the smaller boards, or if it allows time to include more teams at T20 World Cups, it is an idea worth debating. However, more than the commercial and scheduling test, it needs to pass cricketing muster.

To do that, you need to retain three essentials of a Test contest: unlimited overs in an innings, two innings for each team, and a critical mass of balls that can be delivered. Everything else – five days, lunch and tea breaks, length of overs – is just as arbitrary and contrived as we are afraid four-day Tests will be. Number of days, number of overs per day, number of balls per over – all of these have changed over time, and reflect the times they’ve existed in. What we have right now – five days of 90 overs of six balls each – is not what Test cricket has always been.A cricketing debate needs to revolve around that critical mass of deliveries, and a few intangibles around it. What that critical mass is, and whether teams can be expected within reason to bowl that within four days, is something that needs to be calmly and intelligently worked out.ESPNcricinfo columnist Kartikeya Date has calculated that the average draw in the 21st century lasts 2161 balls, and an average outright result comes about in 1909 balls. A Test match has 2700 deliveries available over five days. Pitches are becoming more bowler-friendly, DRS has emboldened umpires to give more lbws than ever before, batsmen take more risks than they used to, bowlers are fitter than they ever were, thus reducing easy periods of batting. Runs and wickets are coming about faster than ever before. All this is helping finish Tests sooner than before: 13 of 19 Tests in the first eight months of the last year finished inside four days, rain, bad light, slow over-rates and all.Will it be such a big blow to the fabric of the sport if the number of possible deliveries was to be brought down to 2352 – four days of 98 overs each? This data also tells you of the heavy influence rain needs to have for a Test to be drawn these days: an average draw in the 21st century has lost close to a day’s play to weather or poor light or over-rates. It is in this insurance against poor weather that the fifth day is most beneficial to Test cricket today.Then there are the intangibles. The possibility, the presence of that extra day, that extra time, the extra dimension it adds to the contest in the middle, can’t be quantified by data. At the same time you never know if the absence of that extra time might end up taking away some luxuries and flab, and produce more last-minute thrillers, develop more exciting strategies. One thing is for sure: unlike the fear in the wake of the Newlands finish, only the pace and rhythm of Tests will change, the drama will remain.Were Headingley and Kingsmead Tests last year any less as contests for finishing inside four days? If there were to be only four-day Tests, there is nothing stopping a hugely dramatic finish playing out on day three. Might these two have been even better Tests if draw had been an option too, as it would have been if Tests were still playing out at the pace when five days became a norm?Look at the series between Australia and New Zealand where no Test went into the fifth day despite each featuring a third innings where we sat and waited for a declaration. Those 60-70 overs, of course, help bowlers recuperate, and allow the pitch to deteriorate further before the final innings, but can that job be done in 40 overs? Would it be too much work for the bowlers to do after being asked to bowl 98 overs in a day? Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq have already said bowling two extra overs each will be asking too much of the fast bowlers. Other players must be asked all these questions, and asked to weigh their concerns against the expected benefits of chopping a day off.There are other concerns, but they are not as significant. One argument is that weaker teams will find an easy way out in a shorter Test, and that they will start playing for a draw sooner than they do now. Cricket will overcome that as it has always done, as it did when timeless Tests were dropped, or when the rest day was dropped. Sides playing defensive cricket too soon will find to their peril that four days is a long time. Initially, the curators might err on the side of bowler-friendliness to ensure results, but they will correct themselves. They have enough experience of preparing pitches for four-day matches in domestic cricket. Naturally, with the duration getting shorter, weaker teams will get a chance to be more competitive. It is not such a bad thing.Large crowds are likelier to watch the closing stages of Tests if they are limited to four days•Mike Owen/Getty ImagesThere was a time in 2007 when cricketers were on the verge of mutiny because of their workloads. Those workloads have gone up massively, but you don’t hear anyone complaining. Nor did you hear complaints about the fabric of the game being twisted by the introduction of a format that went against the principles of a cricketing contest much more than shortening Tests by 60 overs will. Players adjust, bowlers adjust, cricket adjusts. It is important to be accessible if you aim to be a spectator sport.This leads us to the question: will four-day Tests be more accessible? Back-to-back Tests mostly start on Thursdays and Fridays. The first two days of the first Test, and the fifth – should there be one – are played on weekdays. Nostalgia for this perfect format is great but we must watch the highlights of some of the great finishes to Tests in Australia in the 1990s played out in front of empty stands because they were played on Monday. The final two days of the next Test of this back-to-back pair will be Monday and Tuesday.If we were to have two four-day Tests as opposed to the two back-to-back Tests as we have right now, we are guaranteed decisive action on both Saturdays and Sundays. The operational difficulties come with weather. Some of it can, and should, be tackled. The ICC can, and should, ensure no overs are ever lost to bad light by using floodlights. The iconic Galle Stadium will have to be an exception because it cannot have floodlights as it is part of a UNESCO heritage site. It is against rain that cricket will be helpless, but was the fifth day originally meant to be just a reserve day should it rain?Having said all that, four-day Tests are not and cannot be the only solution. In an ideal world, we will be playing day-night four-day Tests, thus ensuring at least 100 overs every day over two sessions, especially in Asia where daylight hours during the cricket season are limited. Also, in an ideal world, Asian countries will treat the fans at the ground much better. As of now, we don’t even know where the ICC is headed with this. The players rightly want to know what the big idea is. Nor is mandatory four-day Tests a good idea. Boards should be allowed, and encouraged, to play four-day Tests if they agree with each other, but five-day Tests shouldn’t be dropped altogether. If it is a success, if it brings more people to the grounds and to the broadcast, it will be accepted across the board.The players and fans, though, need to stay open-minded about this. What we need to preserve is the contest and not the arbitrary traditions around it. If the ICC can convince the cricket committee of the tangible benefits of such a move, traditions are a small price to pay.

'The way Harmanpreet performed despite the physical pain she was in was unbelievable'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Jhulan Goswami picks the best performance she’s seen in the 2010s

As told to Annesha Ghosh02-Jan-2020by Jhulan GoswamiHarmanpreet Kaur
171 not out v Australia, semi-final, Women’s World Cup, Derby, 2017
It was an honour for me to be in the dressing room and watch that innings unfold from such close quarters.It was a really thrilling performance, because we did not expect something like that. Perhaps neither did Australia. Yes, Harman is a very good cricketer, a talented cricketer, who can clear the boundary with ease. But the way she performed that day given the kind of physical pain she was in because of the multiple injuries she was carrying was unbelievable.She was struggling with a lot of niggles – finger, shoulder, wrist, this, that – but she came out and turned that match on its head and made it a really significant knock in women’s cricket. What an innings!I remember every match, every moment, of our World Cup campaign vividly. The lead-up to Harman’s knock was equally memorable. The long sessions we had with Tushar [Arothe, former head coach], the entire team going out for meals to this one restaurant in Derby after the matches, hanging around. Then, on the field, each member contributing with vital knocks: Smriti [Mandhana] setting it off with important innings in the first two matches, and while Harman was struggling to get runs, Sushma [Verma], Veda [Krishnamurthy], Punam [Raut] all chipping in. Mithali [Raj] played one of the best innings of her career, a match-winning hundred, in the virtual quarter-final [against New Zealand] and then Harman came up with this innings in the semi-finals.We lost the final, yes, and it still hurts, but these are things you remember – and that 171 is one of them.More in the decade in review, 2010-19

Celtic want to sign dream McGregor replacement who's similar to a £55m star

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

A big summer awaits for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side.

Having not replaced Kyōgo Furuhashi in January, the Hoops will be targeting a new centre-forward, while Kieran Tierney’s return will create much fanfare, replacing the outgoing Greg Taylor at left-back.

In the meantime, ahead of a huge Champions League play-off tie in August, Rodgers will also be looking to bolster his midfield options, so have the club identified their number on target?

Celtic's 'ideal successor to Callum McGregor'

It’s safe to say that Rodgers and Co have been winning plaudits for their recruitment, and it’s clear to see why. The return of a fan favourite in Jota got supporters off their seats and the same will occur when Tierney puts pen to paper in the summer. He was, after all, a bit of a legend during his first stint at Parkhead.

So, what’s next for the Celts?

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Well, as reported by Football Insider, Celtic have ‘identified’ midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj as Callum McGregor’s ‘ideal successor’, adding that current club Augsburg may be willing to sell for as little as £3m, considering he is out of contract in 2026.

A further report from Sky Sports Germany suggests that the Premiership outfit are ‘monitoring’ his situation in Germany, with Besiktas and Hoffenheim also interested in his services.

Rexhbecaj played alongside Celtic’s record-signing Arne Engles 38 times in Bavaria, with the 27-year-old having made 84 appearances for the Fuggerstädter in total, previously spending time at fellow-Bundesliga clubs Wolfsburg, Köln and Bochum.

In an interview with FIFA’s official site, Rexhbecaj stated he is “happy at Augsburg”, adding that “I’ve got the sense that I’m here for the long haul”, but with his contract running down, could the German club decide to sell?

How Elvis Rexhbeçaj would improve Celtic

Rexhbecaj’s performances for Augsburg this season have been described as ‘fantastic’ by local media, deployed in numerous different midfield positions by manager Jess Thorup, but predominantly playing as a defensive anchor.

So, let’s analyse his Bundesliga statistics.

Appearances

21

163rd

Minutes

1,632

117th

Pass completion %

70.1%

210th

Key passes

13

128th

Touches

794

165th

Tackles

25

125th

Tackles won

18

90th

% of dribblers tackled

42.4%

143rd

Blocks

36

26th

Interceptions

16

95th

Ball recoveries

79

83rd

Yellow cards

8

5th

As the table outlines, Rexhbeçaj’s statistics don’t exactly leap off the page, as he is pretty solid, if unspectacular, when it comes to passing as well as all of the defensive metrics, namely ball recoveries, interceptions, blocks and tackles.

Nevertheless, considering that Dominik Schneider of FussballTransfers reports that Parma, Beşiktaş and numerous EFL Championship clubs are all also ‘interested’ in signing him and the fact that FBRef compares him to Newcastle’s £55m man Sandro Tonali, he must be doing something right.

So, could he be the perfect McGregor deputy, perhaps even the captain’s long-term successor?

Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor.

Last month’s Glasgow derby defeat to Rangers at Parkhead hammered home McGregor’s importance to this Celtic team, with Rodgers himself admitting afterwards that there’s “no doubt” his team missed the skipper, struggling to cope without the “tactical balance” he provides.

Kieran Devlin of the Athletic labeled McGregor Celtic’s ‘most important player’, and the Hoops’ lack of midfield control without him highlighted why.

So, let’s see how McGregor and Rexhbeçaj compare.

Appearances

45

25

Minutes

3,850

1,907

Goals

9

2

Assists

2

1

Chances created

25

13

Passing accuracy %

91.69%

77.61%

Through-balls

11

4

Duels Contested

170

163

% of ground duels won

48.32%

50.71%

% of aerials duels won

45.45%

34.78%

Tackles

34

25

Interceptions

24

16

Ball recoveries

210

79

Touches per 90

81.11

47.76

As the table outlines, McGregor comes out on top for pretty much every metric this season, % of ground duels won the sole exception, albeit there are stylistic similarities between the pair.

It’s also worth taking into account that Rexhbeçaj is playing at a considerably higher level; according to Global Football Rankings, the Bundesliga is the third strongest league in the world, while the Scottish Premiership ranks 43rd.

Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor.

What is clear is that Celtic require midfield reinforcements so if Rexhbecaj is available at a cut-price this summer, he could be a useful addition.

Celtic ace left for £600k, now he's similar to a future Ballon d'Or winner

The player Celtic lost for just £600k is now similar to a star who has been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or.

ByDan Emery Apr 1, 2025

Rangers must sell Ibrox star who was "one of the best talents in Europe"

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

Rangers’ bonkers form continues. Last weekend, the Gers fought back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at , with Tom Lawrence’s long-range laser equalising nine minutes from time, before Cyriel Dessers snatched victory right at the death for Barry Ferguson’s side.

So, since Barry Ferguson took over as interim manager, the Gers have lost at home to Motherwell, ousted Fenerbahce on penalties in the Europa League and claimed victories on the road at Kilmarnock, Celtic and now Dundee, these three fixtures producing a whopping 18 goals.

Next up in the Premiership, the Gers face third-placed Hibs and then Aberdeen, who are fourth, at Pittodrie, with the small matter of a Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Club on the agenda too; the Basque side visit Ibrox next Thursday.

Who knows what to expect from these four matches? Well, goals probably.

What are the 49ers' summer plans for Rangers?

2025 is set to be a huge year of change for Rangers, starting with the fact manager Philippe Clement was sacked back in February after 86 matches in charge.

Meantime, the club is also subject to a takeover, with Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises, set to become the club’s majority shareholder, a deal that is reportedly currently still being finalised.

His first task, as alluded to, will be to appoint a new permanent manager, with Steven Gerrard, Sean Dyche, Kevin Muscat, Liam Rosenior, Kjetil Knutsen, Marco Rose and many others reportedly in the fray.

Well, whoever they choose to appoint, they’ll want to do so quickly, given that next season starts early for the Light Blues, kicking off with the first leg of a crucial Champions League qualifying tie on 22 or 23 July.

Meantime, the squad is likely to undergo a major rebuild, and one fans’ favourite in particular appears highly-likely to depart.

Which players could leave Ibrox in the summer

Three permanently contracted players could be on their way out of the Glasgow club this summer, notably Tom Lawrence and Leon Balogun, while it’s unlikely attacking hero Vaclav Cerny will be back next season, largely due to his price tag after some cracking form.

Another who finds himself out of contract in June is Ianis Hagi, set to leave the club as a free agent this summer.

It’s fair to say the Romanian’s Rangers career has had its ups and downs, scoring a spectacular brace shortly after arriving against Braga in the Europa League, on a night the Gers fought back from 2-0 down to win, sparking wild celebrations at Ibrox.

When he signed from Genk in January 2020, then-manager Steven Gerrard labeled him “one of the best talents in Europe” but it hasn’t quite happened for him in Light Blue.

Indeed, despite being at the club for over five years now, Hagi has made just 125 appearances for the club, largely due to the fact that he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Stirling Albion in January 2022, spending the next 372 days on the sidelines.

Then, after not being in Michael Beale’s plans, the Romanian spent last season on loan at Deportivo Alavés in Spain before being reintegrated into the first-team squad this season, albeit he’s lost his regular starting spot since Ferguson took over from Clement.

2019/20*

13

3

2

2020/21

46

8

15

2021/22

27

4

4

2022/23

11

1

Zero

2023/24**

2

Zero

Zero

2024/25

25

3

7

As the table outlines, Hagi has not been a regular in the Rangers side since that aforementioned knee injury in January 2022, until recently, albeit he hasn’t been especially productive in front of goal since the title-winning campaign of 2020/21.

As a result, his Transfermarkt value has plummeted to £1.69m, having been as high as £6m at one stage, significantly lower than the reported £4.5m paid to secure his services in the first place.

Thus, given his injury record, Rangers should sadly release Hagi in the summer as part of their squad rebuild.

49ers must axe Rangers dud who Ferguson said could "become a big player"

Rangers must finally cash in on the lightweight who is worth even less than Tom Lawrence and Ianis Hagi.

2 ByDan Emery Mar 31, 2025

"What?" – Sutton baffled by what he's seeing from £12k-a-week Celtic star

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Chris Sutton admits he is “not sure what has happened” to an “excellent” Celtic player, following the weekend defeat away to St Johnstone.

Celtic suffer disappointing Scottish Premiership loss

Brendan Rodgers’ side produced a strangely below-par display on Sunday afternoon, losing 1-0 away to their bottom-of-the-table counterparts, in a result that few saw coming. The manager himself was livid at what he saw, sharing his unhappy comments after the game and making it clear his players had been read the riot act.

“There’s definitely anger. I’m trying to control it. And listen, I look at my own self first and foremost. I’m proud of my career and how I teach players and how I inspire them and how I motivate them. Am I doing the very best job I possibly can to inspire these and motivate these to get over the line? So that’s my first look.

“But I just think there’s a comfort there I don’t like. And it doesn’t matter if you’re 13 points or three points ahead. It’s not enough. We have to be much better than where we were in our ambition in the game.”

Rodgers sets high standards at Celtic and it is good to see him lambast his players, rather than go easy on them because of the state of the Scottish Premiership title race. The Hoops may be 13 points clear of Rangers, but it is clear that the 52-year-old is taking nothing for granted, not enjoying seeing his players perform with complacency.

Sutton bemused by "excellent" Celtic player's form

Taking to X after Celtic’s loss to St Johnstone, Sutton gave an assessment of the form of winger Nicolas Kuhn, among others, admitting he doesn’t know what has happened to him.

Sutton has every right to question the form of Kuhn, who made such a bright start to life at Parkhead, being lauded by Rodgers upon his arrival: “We believe he is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.”

Worse than Kuhn: Celtic must axe star who lost the ball every 4 touches

Celtic slipped to a shock defeat to bottom side St Johnstone on Sunday afternoon

ByRobbie Walls Apr 6, 2025

The German, thought to be on around £12,000 a week at Parkhead, has only scored twice since early January though, coming in 14 appearances, with a couple of assists also coming his way in that time. A long campaign may simply have caught up with him, but it is clear that he isn’t the force he was.

Arteta's "dream" target wants £250k-per-week to join Arsenal after Berta talks

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with the agents of a “dream” target for manager Mikel Arteta, and the Gunners know exactly what is required to convince the player to make a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Andrea Berta set for "big" first summer at Arsenal

The Italian was officially announced as Arsenal’s new director in late March, with Arteta since tipping Berta to have a “big” first summer transfer window at N5.

£200k-per-week Arsenal star "looking" to quit despite Real Madrid "masterclass"

He produced a truly excellent display against Los Blancos.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 9, 2025

Arteta candidly expressed his excitement over Berta’s appointment, and the 53-year-old could even orchestrate a summer spend of up to £300 million on seven key signings, according to GiveMeSport.

Brentford (home)

April 12th

Ipswich Town (away)

April 20th

Crystal Palace (home)

April 23rd

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

The north Londoners are plotting serious changes to Arteta’s squad across the board, defensively, in midfield and further forward, with Berta expected to target a new back-up keeper, full-back, midfielders, a left-winger, an alternative to Bukayo Saka and, of course, a goalscoring number nine (GMS).

The wide positions will be a key area of improvement, with uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Leandro Trossard as the Belgian begins to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Leandro Trossard scores for Arsenal

Saka was a dear miss when the England star was sidelined through injury, which undoubtedly played a role in Arsenal falling miles behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, and Arsenal could move to bring in a proven back-up.

According to credible recent reports, that man could be Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams, who’s capable of playing both on the right and on the left. Arsenal have also held very recent talks with Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane over signing as a free agent, but as things stand, the German favours remaining under Vincent Kompany.

With a move for Sane looking less likely, and Williams expected to push for a Bilbao exit, it is believed that Berta reached out for talks with the 22-year-old’s representatives last week.

The Spain international’s contract contains a tempting £48 million release clause, but the real issue will lie in his wages.

Nico Williams makes £250k-per-week demand to join Arsenal

Following talks with Berta last week, it has now been revealed by GiveMeSport that Williams will demand a salary of around £250,000-per-week to join Arsenal or any other interested club, which would make him the club’s third-highest earner behind just Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

Arsenal’s wage bill is currently massive, and Berta will be eager to avoid skyrocketing it even further amid PSR and FFP regulations.

That being said, Williams is definitely worth the effort to prise away from Bilbao, if Arsenal can reach a compromise on his pay packet expectations. He bagged 19 assists in all competitions last term and played a starring role in Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024, leaving little surprise that GMS have also reported the winger is a “dream” target for Arteta.

“Nico is unique, wonderful,” said José Mourinho recently.

“During the European Championship, people were focused on Lamine Yamal, who is obviously another wonderful kid, but personally, I prefer Nico. He’s a fantastic player, and you can’t think that a Turkish club could sign him. I hope he ends up with Real Madrid.”

Newcastle now set to listen to offers of £68.5m+ as Man City target Tonali

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Newcastle United are in a brilliant position under Eddie Howe, though could now be willing to facilitate a surprise departure for one of their strongest performers, according to a recent report.

Newcastle United's summer transfer plans

Eddie Howe is a man who has commanded mass respect from supporters at St James’ Park due to their recent EFL Cup win and Premier League standing, but he will have work to do to retain some of his key stars this summer.

Alexander Isak is a central target for Liverpool heading into the window and they appear to be setting the scene for Darwin Nunez to exit the club, paving the way for a blockbuster replacement.

Keeping hold of the Swede will be the main priority for everyone concerned at Newcastle, but there is also potential that they could add to their exciting pool of talent, especially if they secure Champions League qualification.

According to reports, Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo could be set for a move to the Magpies after claims emerged stating he could be set to leave London for £50 million.

The Geordies are said to be in pole position for his signature, potentially creating a deadly triple-axis with Isak and Anthony Gordon as Howe’s men look to compete for further silverware.

Newcastle now eyeing £26m defender who played a full season with Tonali

Newcastle have not given up on signing another rising star from Milan.

ByBrett Worthington Apr 17, 2025

On the same token, Real Sociedad star John Aramburu is being lined up to strengthen Newcastle’s backline, showing that they are covering all bases in the hunt for quality additions.

However, with PSR and other realities to take into account, don’t be surprised if one or two surprise stories emerge across the market this summer that lead to unexpected departures, something the Magpies won’t be immune to going by recent developments.

Newcastle willing to listen to Tonali offers amid Man City interest

According to CaughtOffside, Newcastle could be willing to accept offers upwards of £68.5 million for Sandro Tonali after it has become apparent that he is open to leaving Tyneside this summer.

Pep Guardiola is reportedly on alert as Manchester City retain an interest in the Italy international, while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain remain in pursuit, with the Magpies prepared to accept a large sum after the player indicated he’s open to an exit.

Sandro Tonali key statistics in 2024/25 – Premier League

Pass accuracy

85%

Chances created

13

Tackles won

29

Shots

28

Touches in opposition box

36

Ball recoveries

152

Enjoying a fine campaign, Tonali has registered five goals and three assists in 39 appearances across all competitions as the Toon Army look to edge closer to claiming Champions League qualification.

Manchester City have an obvious void in midfield to fill amid Kevin De Bruyne’s impending departure, though it is hard to believe that Newcastle would be willing to sell one of their star assets directly to a rival.

Nevertheless, his openness to changing projects could throw the cat among the pigeons in that respect, especially given that selling Tonali may negate the need to fund their summer business by cashing in on other first-team players.

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