Simon Katich has warned his team-mates to prepare for some Adam Gilchrist-style treatment if Kevin Pietersen fulfils his potential during Australia’s tour of England. Pietersen is still waiting for his Test debut, but Katich said he was capable of turning a game in a couple of hours.Australia will get their first look at Pietersen in the Twenty20 international at Southampton on June 13, but Katich has spent time with him as a batting partner at Hampshire. Katich, who is involved in a pre-Ashes training camp in Brisbane, said Pietersen was a formidable stroke-maker whose shots when firing were too big for any ground.”It’s hard to put someone in Gilly’s category because he’s got the record that speaks for itself,” Katich told AAP. “KP’s only 24 and he’s a lot younger and more inexperienced. But he’s got something about him that says this guy’s going to be a dangerous cricketer.”Ian Bell was preferred to Pietersen in the Tests against Bangladesh, but after averaging 139.5 in 11 ODIs Pietersen is a certainty to play in the two one-day tournaments before the Ashes series. Katich said if Pietersen performed well he would expect him to be involved in the five Tests.”It wouldn’t surprise me if he plays, just knowing the type of character he is and how crucial he could be in that he can turn a game in the space of a couple of hours,” Katich said. “He’s done that in the one-day game, and someone who plays like that in Test cricket can try and dominate our bowling.”Katich said England were a more balanced outfit than when he played one Test on the 2001 tour, but he predicted Shane Warne, the Hampshire captain, would again cause a lot of problems. “Shane’s been bowling very well and as the game wears on in England – on day three, day four, day five – the wicket will certainly turn,” he said. “The fact we’re playing later in the summer is an advantage to him because generally the weather improves.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its decision to send a three-man team to Pakistan in the first week of February to assess the security arrangements for India’s tour in March. Jagmohan Dalmiya, talking about this delegation, said, “we have to rely on specialists.”The only security specialist among the three people named, though, is Yasovardhan Azad, an inspector general of police for VIP security, who has been nominated by the ministry of home affairs. The other two members of the delegation are Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s joint secretary, and Amrit Mathur, the director, communications.
The young cricketers who are part of the Academy at the County Ground in Taunton may have been away for a few days over the Christmas period, but during their time away will most certainly have kept in touch with coaches Mark Garaway and Kevin Shine.Thanks to the generosity of the Somerset Wyverns each of the eleven young players now has the use of a hand held computer.For sometime now the Wyverns have donated funds to the club to help with the development of young players, but this year their money has been used specifically to fund the Personal Data Assistants that each of the Academy members have been given to use.Academy Director Mark Garaway told: "We are very grateful to the Somerset Wyverns for their generosity. Both Kevin Shine and myself have worked with these hand help computers for a while now and they do make a difference and they will most certainly help the young players."He continued: "We can put all the information that we want the players to have into the computers and it’s there for them as and when they need to use it, as well as us being able to keep in touch easily."Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "These computers have an infra-red capability. Each session that we have with the players we can put the information onto their computers rather than just tell them and it’s there for them to use."The coach continued: "We can also monitor their progress and keep in regular touch so that we can all be clear about what we are doing."
Mumbai failed to deliver the knock out punch to Baroda, as Baroda managed tohold out Mumbai to a Draw in the West Zone Ranji match at MIG, Bandra onTuesday. Baroda ended the day at 360 for nine off 112 overs chasing a target of464. The hosts took away five points and the visitors fought hard for theirthree.Mumbai began the day needing nine wickets for an outright victory and Barodaneeded to survive 90 overs. The latter doing the same on a match saving inningsby stumper Mongia. Nayan Mongia proved the hero of the day battling for 203minutes for his unbeaten 41 runs. He played 117 balls with seven hits to thefence. Mongia and Valmik Buch added 48 runs off 12.3 overs for a crucial eighthwicket partnership. Buch lost his nerve in the 107th over and called for a nonexisting single, Mongia sent him back but it was too late as an accurate throwfrom Paras Mhambrey caught him short of his ground.Zaheer Khan joined Mongia at the fall of Buch’s wicket. He hung around for 3.4overs and looked to save the game. Mumbai bowlers toiled the whole day but wereunable top get the break throughs. The turning point of the match was providedby Sachin Tendulkar who bowled the second last over of the day. He cleaned outZaheer on the first ball, turning the tables around for Mumbai. It became aquestion of getting one wicket for Mumbai and surviving eleven balls for Baroda.Last man Sukhbir Singh held his nerve and Mongia saw the last over through toguide Baroda to a draw.Earlier in the day, Baroda resuming on 75 for one at the start on play on thelast day were comfortably placed at 249 for five off 79 overs at the teainterval. Opener Connor Williams played a patient and sensible innings. Hescored 81 off 193 balls. One drop Himanshu Jadhav was the other steadycontributor to the Baroda score card.Jadhav’s 41 came off 110 balls. Tushar Arothe chipped in with 59 off 100 balls.Ajit Agarkar had figures of three for 66, Robin Morris was the pick of thebowlers bagging four for 64 in the second innings. Morris ended with matchfigures of eight for 91.Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the Man of the Match award by MCA president ManoharJoshi at the prize distribution ceremony.
Quite how England respond to their Lord’s thrashing remains to be seen, but for Michael Clarke there was no screaming and shouting after Australia’s opening defeat in Cardiff as he instead trusted his players to answer their own questions: he could not have hoped for a more emphatic outcome.When Josh Hazlewood bowled James Anderson well before the Lord’s clock had struck 5pm on Sunday afternoon, Australia completed an overwhelming 405-run victory to level the Investec Ashes at 1-1. Given the way Australia themselves were out-performed in Cardiff it was a remarkable turnaround – not just a victory but an evisceration.”We didn’t talk too much about Cardiff, once we left that changing room our focus was turning up here and making sure we played some of our best cricket,” Clarke told . “We knew we didn’t play our best, but today the boys up there can look themselves in the mirror and know they played some pretty good cricket”Couldn’t have asked for a better performance from every single player, the way the boys batted – Smith, Rogers, Davey Warner – and the intent through the second innings was outstanding then the execution from the bowlers.”Australia made two changes for this Test. They were forced to hand Peter Nevill a debut after Brad Haddin withdrew for personal reasons and the gloveman responded with seven catches and a jaunty maiden innings. The selectors also decided to ditch Shane Watson for Mitchell Marsh and the allrounder claimed three top-order wickets to help the frontline bowlers dismantle England.”Marshy played really well, his intent shows how much of a team player he is,” Clarke said. “He got two crucial wickets in the first innings, didn’t get a long bowl in the second dig but did a great job as well. Credit to the selectors for going with their gut, it was hard on Watto who has been a fantastic player for us but that’s the advantage we’ve got with the squad.”The eye-catching bowling on the fourth day came from Mitchell Johnson who rattled England with his pace – reviving memories of what happened in Australia – but Clarke devolved questions about any reopening of scars.”That’s probably a question for Mitchell Johnson or the England batsmen. He’s such a great athlete that he can bowl long spells or I can ask him to bowl short spells – it’s about assessing the wicket and the game. Credit to the rest of the attack, too, because the way they operated allowed Mitch to do that.”
It was difficult not to be heartened by the courage and resilience shown by Ruben Amorim’s makeshift Manchester United side on Friday evening, with the hosts clinging on to secure a vital 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
Wave after wave of Magpies attacks were repelled even amid a carousel of changes in the Red Devils’ backline, with 19-year-old Ayden Heaven scooping the man of the match gong following his standout display as the only ever-present in that defensive unit.
The teenager’s task was no doubt made all the more difficult considering the woes of those ahead of him, with United’s string of attack-minded absences leaving them with little in the way of an out ball in that battling second-half.
How Amorim’s side could have done with the pace and power of a figure like Antoine Semenyo to drag them back up the pitch, with the Ghanaian’s blistering ball-carrying speed having been so evident in the 4-4 thriller with Bournemouth not too long ago.
Unfortunately, it looks increasingly likely that the 25-year-old will be heading elsewhere next month, with INEOS and United perhaps turning their attention to a suitable alternative instead.
Man Utd hold talks over Semenyo alternative
A summer that saw both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo snapped up from Premier League rivals might also have seen Semenyo follow suit, albeit with United believed to have been put off by the ex-Bristol City man’s £70m plus price tag.
Heading into the looming January window, those at Old Trafford seemingly revived that interest following suggestions that calls were being made last week, with the in-form forward available for a fee of £65m, owing to his upcoming release clause.
Frustratingly for United and other top-flight rivals, it looks to be Manchester City who will ultimately win the race for his signature, with Semenyo reportedly choosing the Etihad as his preferred destination for 2026, as per David Ornstein.
With that in mind, Amorim and co might well be shifting their focus, with TEAMtalk reporting that the club have ‘joined the chase’ for RB Leipzig sensation, Yan Diomande.
As per the report, United are the final member of the traditional ‘big six’ to have registered their interest in the 19-year-old, with INEOS having already held talks with the teenager’s camp in recent weeks.
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The piece does note that any potential move would likely have to be a summer one, however, with prior speculation suggesting he could be available for a fee of around £87m.
Why Diomande is so "similar" to Semenyo
It was evident again on Friday evening that a handful of absentees can leave United looking so desperately short at the top end of the pitch, with the hosts ending the game with Patrick Dorgu on one flank and Diogo Dalot on the other as the two most advanced wide options.
With no Amad and Mbeumo to call upon, and having allowed the likes of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to depart, Amorim appears in real need of an extra spark – something to ignite his side in the final third.
Semenyo, with nine goals to his name already this season in the Premier League, would surely have done just that, although young Diomande might just be the next best thing, even if the Red Devils have to wait until next summer.
Indeed, in the view of The Athletic’s Seb Stafford-Bloor, the pair are “physically similar”, with Diomande possessing “all the same skill and touch” as his senior counterpart.
That likeness can no doubt be seen in their recent goalscoring hot streaks in 2025/26 to date, with the Leipzig starlet – who is currently on AFCON duty – scoring six goals in the Bundesliga thus far, alongside providing two assists.
Like Semenyo too, there is a real two-footed quality to the £87m youngster, with Diomande having scored four of those with his right and two with his left, as per Sofascore.
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The most notable attribute that the Ivorian possesses is his fleet-footed dribbling prowess, ranking in the top 1% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, as well as in the top 3% for progressive carries per 90.
Diomande – 25/26 Bundesliga stats
Stat (per 90)
Diomande
Non-penalty goals
0.61
Assists
0.20
Shot-creating actions
4.66
Pass completion
81.3%
Progressive passes
4.05
Progressive carries
6.28
Successful take-ons
4.26
Prog passes received
7.91
Tackles
1.32
Interceptions
0.71
Stats via FBref
Not only an outlet in attack, Diomande also chips in defensively from his wide berth, ranking in the top 3% for interceptions and the top 11% for tackles per 90, with it no surprise that journalist Bence Bocsak hailed him as a “generational talent”.
Semenyo, for comparison, has his own strengths in a defensive sense too, ranking in the top 3% for both blocks and aerial duels won per 90, across the last 365 days.
Of course, it is the latter man who is hot property in the Premier League right now, yet if United are keen to seek out a more long-term, high-potential alternative, then Diomande could well be the man.
Worse than Sesko: £105k-per-week dud should never play for Man Utd again
Manchester United’s flaws were exposed even amid Boxing Day’s battling win over Newcastle United.
Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Japan; Premier League clubs are touring the Far East with an increasing regularity. Arsenal are currently in the middle of a tour that has seen them play against a Malaysia 11, and will pit them against Kitchee FC in Hong Kong and Manchester City in an exhibition match in Beijing. Both Manchester clubs are also on tours to the surrounding area.
The benefits of these tours are obvious, but they’re also obviously financial. Every club recognises that if they want to compete on the field they also need to compete off it. Basically, that means doing whatever your competitors do. So, if Man Utd build up a following in the Far East then Arsenal, City and the rest have to do so too.
In terms of merchandise, the markets in the UK are already saturated. Every football fan in this country is already spending vast sums of money on their club through shirt sales and ever-increasing ticket prices, but we only make up a fraction of the fan base of our clubs.
The potential for the growth of supporters abroad is almost limitless. It is an opportunity that cannot be missed. But is it actually beneficial at all in footballing terms?
Teams currently on tours to the US face a similar problem in terms of the quality of opposition their facing, although it could be possible to play another European team out there like Chelsea and PSG did. Can mangers really claim that these matches are preparing their team well for the current season? Is facing a Malaysia 11 or a Hong Kong 11or a Shanghai Shenhua side with no Drogba or Anelka really productive preparation for a season of football in the Premier and Champions League?
At least the teams in America have the luxury of being largely anonymous. They might receive a small amount of attention but they won’t be hounded everywhere they go as they would in parts of Asia.
Chelsea’s team were photographed training in Central Park, it would be near enough impossible to do that in Beijing or Kuala Lumpur. That too is an issue. A pre-season tour should be a relaxing affair where the players are free from the press and the distractions in England, free to focus on the season ahead and how they will perform as a team. How are these teams supposed to focus when they are constantly being paraded in public, singing shirts and photos from the moment they step off the plane to the moment they leave.
Rather than being a relaxing but concentrated training programme for the season ahead it seems like an exhausting PR exercise with some matches thrown in as an afterthought. Yes, these tours do not make up the entirety of the clubs’ pre-seasons but it is an unwelcome distraction nonetheless.
The players say they enjoy it, and I’m sure they do. Who wouldn’t want a holiday abroad with your friends? But that’s not the point. Pre season shouldn’t be enjoyable. It should be a gruelling physical challenge as players force themselves back in to fitness and the mentality needed for 10 months of solid competition.
Until last year teams like Arsenal had never ever been on such tours. The furthest Wenger ever took them was Austria, he always slated the prospect of travelling so far. There must have been a reason for that.
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Like I said, once one English team starts to go on these tours, everyone has to. It is not just the Champions League clubs that do these tours either; as well as Chelsea teams like Spurs, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Stoke are also on tours in America too. As productive as it was for Stoke getting beaten 2-1 by Columbus Crew on their tour you can’t help but wonder what they’re hoping to get out of all this?
Building these relationships abroad is important, but fans aren’t going to decide to support your club just because you came on a tour. It might sound shallow but by-and-large foreign fans will support the teams that are successful. Therefore, wouldn’t everyone be far better off by ensuring that a meticulous, strenuous pre-season was carried out elsewhere – free from media hassle and against good opposition.
After watching Rob Earnshaw squander an absolute sitter for Wales against England, I want to discuss the psychology of missing an open goal. I don’t want to pile any more misery on Earnshaw. You can only feel a horrible gut-wrenching sympathy with the Cardiff City lad. Whatever has occupied him since that miss – shopping, driving or trying to drown his sorrows in a bar – he’ll have been reliving that moment approximately once every 10 seconds.
I missed a couple of shockers myself, all forwards do, so I know it’s the worst feeling in the world. But to understand what it is that makes a professional striker miss one of the most high-profile and glaring opportunities of his career, you have to know what it is that makes a goal-scorer tick. Goal-scoring is a gift given by whichever God you believe in. It cannot be taught, which is what tends to make managers so distrustful of my breed. They know there is nothing they can do to influence us. No, it is all about instinct and nerve.
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Personally, I spent every moment of my football career riddled with self-doubt – except for the 90 minutes a week when I was out on the pitch. I know plenty of footballers who have been exactly the opposite. Cocky as hell when they’re not playing, always talking a good game and never playing one. Off the pitch, I was a typical young bloke who didn’t want to take any responsibility for anything. On the field of play, I was a different person entirely.
I knew it was my responsibility to score goals and I made damned sure I scored them. When they talk about a sportsman being ‘in the zone’ I understand what they mean. It’s not quite as extreme as being a sniper, who’s able to get his target into a viewfinder and pull the trigger in the knowledge that he’ll be taking his victim out. But you need the same sort of mindset, the same coldness. You must have no feeling, you must pick your spot and, more often than not, pass the ball into the net.
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There are many strikers who have all the talent in the world, who are outstanding in training, but could not hit a barn door in front of 100,000 people. Missing an open goal is usually caused by a moment of fear or panic. It’s about flinching under pressure, rather than holding your nerve. I can watch certain players go clear on goal, one-on-one with the keeper as the crowd rise to their feet, and I just know they are going to miss. There are a few, such as Wayne Rooney, who have simply ‘got it’ – that coldness, that nervelessness that I remember in myself and you know more often than not, they’ll snap up a chance.
Missing an open goal is not the worst offence a striker can be guilty of. Every time you arrive in the box and sniff out those chances you are taking a risk – you are gambling on being a hero or looking an absolute prat. There are a hell of a lot of so-called goalscorers who simply aren’t brave enough to take those gambles often enough. And while he’ll never be the greatest striker in the world, Earnshaw cannot be accused of being one of those.
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish blamed a draining week of international friendlies for the Reds’ 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles put the hosts ahead in the 24th minute with his fifth goal from the past six league games, but the Reds tired at Anfield and conceded an equaliser to Wigan defender Steve Gohouri after the hour.
Dalglish said his side were robbed of their finishing touch by the residual effects of the midweek friendlies, which saw Liverpool’s four-match winning streak come to an end.
“We started well enough, we pushed forward and scored a goal,” Dalglish said.
“(But) you could tell that Wednesday night took a lot out of them. There was just that little bit of an edge missing.”
“If that edge had been there I think the final pass would have been there, and there were three or four occasions in the first half when we would have been in.”
“The sharpness was just missing a wee bit, which is understandable.”
“We are disappointed not to have taken three points, and with a bit of luck we might have done. I think Wigan, though, might have felt a wee bit aggrieved if they had left here without a point.”
“Luis (Suarez) hit the post twice, their goal is offside, but these things happen. We have to dust ourselves down and get on with it. It’s not been that damaging.”
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez praised his side for responding so emphatically following Meireles’ opener, and said the Latics left Merseyside with a deserved point.
“You come to Anfield and you go 1-0 down after playing well, that’s difficult,” Martinez said.
“The performance was really pleasing first half and the goal probably came against the run of play, and it’s a fantastic strike.”
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“But I felt we had long spells of possession in the first half and grew into the game.”
“We didn’t show that belief that you need to show to hurt a team like Liverpool. I just felt that at half-time with that score-line and that feeling, I felt we could have done a little bit better, but we didn’t play badly.”
“I thought the reaction (in the second half) was great. We had good composure, we are a young group.”
“I felt we deserved a point. Coming to Anfield at this time, if you’re not at your best you’re not going to get anything, so the players deserve huge credit.”
I understand that Olympic football technically classifies itself as amateur. In order to facilitate this, the rule of only having three players over the age of 23 is enforced. However, although these players may not be getting paid for their troubles it is impossible to deny that they are professional footballers.
So, why not go the extra step and allow players of all ages. Yes, FIFA and UEFA might have something to say about that but frankly having the three over age players rule reduces the standard of football that isn’t quite amateur but it certainly far worse than we’d all like to watch.
The GB squad is like a ‘who’s who’ of players that rarely play for their clubs. It’s embarrassing.
Then, teams like Brazil, who just happen to have most of their best players within the age limit, are allowed to play almost the exact same team that they will put forward for the World Cup in 2014. It’s a farce.
Can the winners really claim any kind of success when each nation is suffering from vastly different handicaps depending on whether or not their players are under or over a certain age?
Moreover, whilst some domestic leagues are conducive to the timing of the Olympics, others are not.
I know that even if we had all of our players we would still be unlikely to win but the fact that we have to take Marvin Sordell and Scott Sinclair when Brazil can take Neymar and Lucas Moura is thoroughly depressing.
For Spain too the rules are slightly ridiculous. They have a team easily capable of winning the tournament except for the fact that most of their players are in the prime of their careers, which somehow acts as a disadvantage as they’re not allowed to play.
I wholly support the idea of football in the Olympics. If the ‘women’s ten metre air rifle’ competition is worth a gold medal then football definitely is, but they shouldn’t be doing things in half measure.
Its understandable that the Olympic committee will probably be worried that many countries won’t enter a proper team due to club commitments but that is the choice of those players and those countries.
Just because a competition might not end up being even, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t at least allow it the potential to be even. By enforcing rules like they have at the moment it is almost as though they are admitting that nobody will ever take football at the Olympics seriously so why should they bother to try and make it as important as the World Cup or other international tournaments.
They don’t have this age restricting rule with any of the other team sports so why do it with football. It makes no sense.
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The winner of the 100m final at the Olympics this summer will be the best sprinter in the world, likewise the winner of the swimming and rowing and long jump and many other events will also be the best in their field. The winners of the football will not. They will be the best collection-of-players-under-23-accompanied-by-3-players-over-23 in the world. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it? That’s because it’s a joke of an event, and it will remain so until something is done about these rules.