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Openers Lizelle Lee (99) and Laura Wolvaardt (91*) helped South Africa women pull off a chase of 260 – their second highest in ODI cricket – in the series opener against New Zealand women in Auckland. While Lee was dismissed for a run-a-ball 99, Wolvaardt made a more sedate 91 not out off 124 balls and sealed victory along with Mignon du Preez.It was Lee who made the early running in the chase, and she brought up her half-century off 51 balls in the 16th over. By then, South Africa were 83 for 0. Lee and Wolvaardt stretched their opening stand to 163 before Lee fell to medium-pacer Hayley Jensen in the 32nd over. Three overs later, Suzie Bates had Luus caught behind for 15 and when Dane van Niekerk departed for 37 in the 47th over, South Africa were all but home. Wolvaardt and du Preez completed the formalities with seven wickets and nine balls to spare.Lee had struck 13 fours while Wolvaardt hit nine. In all, the entire New Zealand side managed only 20 fours and a six. Fresh off winning the Super Smash title with Wellington Blaze, Sophie Devine had a good start – hitting 27 off 31 balls – but couldn’t convert it into a substantial score. It was Katie Perkins who had top-scored for the hosts, with 78 off 83 balls, including six fours. No.3 Suzie Bates produced the next best score for New Zealand, making 53 off 75 balls.At 146 for 3 in the 34th over, New Zealand seemed to have the upper hand, but Bates’ dismissal triggered a meltdown as they lost their last six wickets for 113 runs. After Masabata Klaas had taken down the first two wickets, Ayabonga Khaka picked up three wickets in the middle to peg New Zealand back.Wicketkeeper Rachel Priest (21) and Jensen (20) made late cameos to help push the total beyond 250, but it was not enough on the day for New Zealand.

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Para comemorar mais um aniversário da conquista do Paulistão em 1993, no dia 12 de junho, o Allianz Parque promoverá um tour especial, que conta com a presença do jornalista Mauro Beting como anfitrião.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras avançou ou foi campeão nos últimos dez mata-matas que decidiu no Allianz ParquePalmeiras08/06/2021PalmeirasPalmeiras x CRB: onde assistir ao duelo de volta da Copa do Brasil, arbitragem e prováveis escalaçõesPalmeiras08/06/2021PalmeirasBoletim: Palmeiras renova com a Puma até 2024 e anuncia sala de troféusPalmeiras08/06/2021

Neste, os palmeirenses presentes, além do tour, ouvirão histórias especiais contadas por Mauro sobre a campanha alviverde no Campeonato Paulista há 28 anos, quando o Verdão bateu o Corinthians ma final da competição e findou um jejum de títulos de 17 anos.

A atração, com duração de 90 minutos, terá início no dia 12 de junho, às 10h30 (horário de Brasília) e custará R$70 aos participantes. Os ingressos podem ser obtidos através da plataforma Sympla.

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Com jogadores convocados para as seleções de Brasil, Uruguai, Chile e Paraguai para a disputa da Copa América, que começa no próximo domingo, o Flamengo deseja a paralisação do Campeonato Brasileiro durante a competição. Vice-presidente jurídico do clube, Rodrigo Dunshee de Abranches disse que o Rubro-Negro foi até o STJD para tentar a interrupção do torneio.

+ Veja a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

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Após a vitória sobre o Coritiba, na quinta-feira, o dirigente usou sua conta no Twitter para dizer que o clube está entrando com um pedido na Justiça Desportiva. Com cinco jogadores convocados ao todo, o Flamengo entende que o Campeonato Brasileiro deva ser paralisado como ocorreu em 2019, na última edição da Copa América.

-A CBF precisa promover o equilíbrio das competições. A base da competição é a isonomia entre os concorrentes e isso está no artigo primeiro do regulamento. Somos a favor da Seleção, mas com paralisação do campeonato. O mundo civilizado funciona assim – disse.

– Não podemos prosseguir sacrificando as competições nacionais e os clubes para fazer frente às seleções. Não dá para retroceder. Por conta desse desequilíbrio, o Flamengo se socorreu ao STJD, para que, como em 2019, seja paralisado o campeonato durante a Copa América – completou.

Fla venceu apertado hoje o "jogo de ida" da Copa do Brasil com o time desfalcado pela ausência de 4 jogadores brasileiros e 2 estrangeiros. Palmeiras foi desclassificado e estava sem jogadores cedidos. Vem a Copa América e, ao contrário de 2019, não querem suspender o campeonato.

— Rodrigo Dunshee de Abranches (@roddunshee) June 11, 2021

Caso a competição não seja paralisada, o Flamengo só terá jogadores de volta a partir do dia 28 de junho, quando se encerra a primeira fase da Copa América. A final, entretanto, está marcada para o dia 10 de julho. Os jogadores que desfalcarão o Flamengo no período são: Gabigol e Everton Ribeiro (Brasil), Isla (Chile), Piris da Motta (Paraguai) e Arrascaeta (Uruguai).

De Kock will “grab it with both hands” if given the chance to lead the T20I squad

Firdose Moonda04-Nov-2019

Quinton de Kock speaks on his arrival in India•Associated Press

Quinton de Kock expects Faf du Plessis to lead South Africa in next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia but said he would probably not turn down the opportunity if asked to captain in the format.The wicketkeeper-batsman, who captained South Africa in their recent T20I series in India, has been appointed skipper of Cape Town Blitz for the second edition of the Mzansi Super League and is being seen as a successor to du Plessis in the shortest format.With back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021, it may not be long before de Kock is at the helm, and it’s a role he would welcome.”The way I see it is that I was just a replacement,” de Kock told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s the way I took it. For now, it’s still Faf’s baby. But maybe if things change and they do want me to do it, then I will do it.”For the moment, I am not looking too far ahead. I am just trying to look at how I can help out with the youngsters, with the new guys in the T20 team, and by myself, just getting better and getting ready for the T20 World Cup next year. But if that does come upon me, then I will try and grab it with both hands.”He did exactly that when Blitz coach Ashwell Prince approached him at the MSL draft on September 3. “Ash came to me at the draft and asked me if I want to do it and I said, ‘, no problem.’ It was pretty quick and easy. I don’t think there was much discussion around it. He just asked me right there and then and I said yes,” de Kock said, speaking at the Cape Town Blitz media day.Prince had good reason to ask de Kock – his team needed the stability of a leader who would be around for the full five-and-half weeks of the tournament. Last season, Blitz were led by Dawid Malan for the first two matches before Farhaan Behardien took over on his return from international duty in Australia. With Malan not involved in this year’s event and Behardien playing forNelson Mandela Bay Giants, Prince had to find someone else, someone who would also bring form and the ability to think on his feet. De Kock, fresh off two half-centuries in his first two matches as South Africa’s T20I captain, and known for his no-frills approach to playing, seemed to be the perfect fit.”He leads from the front as a player but he is also street-wise,” Prince said. “I like people who can see what’s required on the ground and can make calls and be brave and I think he does all of those things.”De Kock will need to do a bit more. His new role means he will open the batting, keep wickets and lead the side, a trio of tasks that became too much for even the likes of AB de Villiers, who did not open but had a similarly important role of setting the tone in white-ball innings.But de Kock isn’t fussed about the workload. “It’s nothing too difficult – keeping and batting, and the keeping will help out my captaincy anyway,” he said. “Rather than being out in the field, I seem to read things better, how the pitch plays, which bowlers to bowl when, the angles and all that kind of stuff when I am keeping. I feel like the keeping helps my batting and also my captaincy.”This season of the MSL could confirm if de Kock is indeed equipped to perform all three tasks and may also tell us whether he is seriously considered for the national job in the near future. Asked if that’s where he sees de Kock’s career going, Prince said: “Why not? He is still quite young. He hasn’t captained a lot but everyone has to start somewhere. He has had a bit of a taste of it and I think he can grow in the role.”De Kock’s only stint with captaincy before the India series was in an ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2018 after du Plessis suffered a shoulder injury. South Africa had already clinched the series, winning the first three ODIs, but went on to lose the last two matches, which de Kock led in. That instance was considered nothing more than an emergency replacement but it marked the start of a downward spiral for South Africa, which saw them lose five Tests in a row in Asia, and three out of their last four Test series. Their white-ball form also dipped and a poor World Cup followed, which has left South African cricket on the brink of a crisis.Quinton de Kock is mobbed by teammates after pulling off a stunning run-out•Getty Images

But de Kock is one of very few players to have weathered the storm. He has been in prolific run-scoring form across formats for South Africa this year and also finished as the third-highest run-scorer at the IPL this season, and his form could give South Africa some hope that a revival is not far off.”We are not the first team that has gone through a transition,” de Kock said. “England did it after their last World Cup and look at them. Four years later, they end up winning the thing.”With England the visitors this summer, there’s motivation in the camp for South Africa to start putting things right. But de Kock also pointed to the national team’s triumph at the rugby World Cup as a rallying point for cricket to get itself back on track.”It’s all right if the whole country and guys are a bit down and out but when we all gather together, especially after winning this rugby World Cup, a lot of people are pumped up and want to get this transition going so the time we get to our next World Cup, we can really put ourselves in a good stead, just like England did.”

South Australia duo Tom Cooper and Alex Carey made barnstorming centuries against some very generous Victorian bowling as the game descended into a farcical stalemate on a concrete-like pitch at the Junction Oval.The match almost seemed like it had turned into a village game following Carey’s dismissal early in the last session when it became clear South Australia would not declare to try and set up a result. Victoria skipper Peter Handscomb brought both himself and Marcus Harris into the attack to bowl a mix of dubious offspin and medium pace unchanged for most of last session until James Pattinson came on to bowl offspin. Handscomb exchanged words regularly with Cooper as the game ground to a halt late in the day. The Redbacks reverted to conventional batting against the declaration-style bowling as both sides became frustrated at the inability to create a result on a surface that has yielded 1143 runs for just 11 wickets.”We were trying to get a game going,” Handscomb said after the day’s play. “We thought 350 off 80 overs was going to be a fair target to chase and they weren’t having it. That was it we couldn’t come to an agreement on a pretty flat wicket.””I’m just annoyed the game is dead. I’ve got to put my bowlers back out there for time on feet for a pointless game. We as we could have been competing for something tomorrow.”It appears the two teams were about 50 runs apart on what was a reasonable target. Cooper was unsure what took place behind the scenes and spent most of the last session as a conduit between Handscomb and the Redbacks hierarchy.”I guess I was caught in the middle of it as the messenger,” Cooper said. “They obviously couldn’t come to a compromise. Unfortunately that’s how it panned out. Going into the day we were under a lot of pressure to keep ourselves in it and not fold under the pressure of a massive first innings total.’The Redbacks were under pressure just after lunch on day three having crawled to 4 for 185 in the 76th over after Travis Head fell to Glenn Maxwell for 51 off 184 balls, his slowest half-century in first-class cricket.Carey immediately showed his intent trying to reverse-sweep Maxwell. Victoria took the second new ball but both Carey and Cooper started finding the boundary with increasing regularity. Handscomb turned back to spin from both ends but kept the field up.Carey and Cooper made 172 runs in 28.5 overs before tea. Cooper hit Jon Holland twice into the windows of the second storey of the pavilion. Carey slog-swept and reverse-swept with impunity as there were no men out deep on either side of the field. Holland switched ends to bowl down breeze and Cooper hit him for three more sixes, including one to bring up his 13th first-class century.Having been 439 runs behind at lunch, South Australia went to tea only 259 runs behind. It had been a deliberate ploy from Victoria to try and accelerate the game to possibly set up a fourth-innings chase on a surface that simply won’t break up in the cool conditions. But the partnership moved much quicker than Victoria expected and they reset at tea.Carey reached his third Shield century just after tea off 99 balls. He has two hundred and two fifties in his last five first-class innings but they have come in a span of 11 months, as he had spent majority of that time playing limited-overs cricket.He finally fell driving in the air straight to cover off Chris Tremain. The partnership yielded 207 runs in just 35.5 overs. Tom Andrews made his third first-class half-century, and undoubtedly his easiest given he faced Handscomb and Harris throughout. Cooper cruised to 188 not out and Andrews reached his highest Shield score of 75 not out. South Australia finished the day only 89 runs behind.Victoria also had two sub fielders throughout the day. Nic Maddinson was hit on the middle finger on his left hand while fielding at short leg when Cooper whipped a low full toss straight from Pattinson at him as he ducked for safety. He left the field in the middle session and didn’t return. Aaron Finch did not field at all after hurting his back while batting on day two. Victoria medical staff are confident it is nothing more than spasms and he did not field as a precaution.Earlier in the first session, Henry Hunt fell for 75 on debut. He advanced at Holland but was beaten in flight by a beautiful piece of bowling and was stumped by a mile.

West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee has shared a contract update out of the London Stadium.

West Ham winless in 2024 amid Moyes concerns

Before the turn of 2024, the Irons seemed in pretty great stead, having beaten the likes of Man United and title-contending Arsenal over the Christmas period.

West Ham reject move for "underrated" star after Sullivan intervention

The Hammers received an under-the-radar proposal.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 8, 2024

Fast-forward to now, and it appears a New Year hoodoo has struck manager David Moyes' squad. The east Londoners are yet to win a single game in all competitions since leaving 2023, and pressure is growing on West Ham's manager to turn the tide.

Moyes recently confirmed that talks are set to resume over a new deal for him to remain at the London Stadium, and he says they are "well down the line" already, yet some reports after his statement suggest otherwise.

West Ham's worst-performing players per 90 with over 10 league appearances this season	Match Rating (via WhoScored)
Danny Ings	6.16
Nayef Aguerd	6.50
Kurt Zouma	6.54
Vladimir Coufal	6.70
Michail Antonio	6.74

West Ham are said to be exploring Moyes alternatives, in case they opt against extending his stay, so these next few months could well be crucial in determining what the future holds next season.

If Moyes wishes to remain in charge, West Ham's form will have to pick up and very quickly. There have been few standouts in terms of player form, but one man who's really turned a corner is right-back Ben Johnson.

The Englishman has thrived in a more advanced role, and West Ham are attempting to tie Johnson down with a new deal, potentially as a result. His contract expires at the end of this season, alongside youngster Divin Mubama, with Ex sharing an update on both their situations.

West Ham set to fresh Mubama and Johnson contract talks

Speaking on The West Ham Way, Ex says that West Ham are set for fresh talks on new deals for Mubama and Johnson. He adds that these next few weeks will be "very important", as the Hammers attempt to keep both at Rush Green.

“West Ham are set to re-start talks with both Johnson and Mubuma,” stated Ex.

“Johnson has shown recently how important he is to the side, and we understand the talks will resume in the next couple of weeks. Mubuma is the same, he’s a player the club want to retain, so there is hope both deals can be agreed and signed. The club will work to get these done, with the next few weeks very important."

Johnson in particular is a player they should look to tie down as soon as possible, as the 23-year-old has plenty of interest in his services, recently from Leeds United. Former Moyes assistant Stuart Pearce, commenting on the defender a few seasons ago, tipped him for the very top.

"He's a wonderful professional to deal with and work with," said Pearce.

"We're very proud to have him out of our academy system as well, which is a real plus for us, especially with the connection to this club with the academy. I think he's just developing and getting better and better, and like with all young players, the more game time they have, the better they'll get, so I am delighted for the boy."

The last month or so has been an emotional rollercoaster for Chelsea fans, as they watched their team dismantle Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening after watching them get battered in the two Premier League games prior.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been incredibly inconsistent so far this season, and while their defence certainly needs a lot of work, their inability to put away chances is more of a pressing issue.

As things stand, only summer signing Cole Palmer has reached double figures for the Blues across all competitions this year, which is a pretty woeful state of affairs for one of the biggest teams in the country.

However, the fact that a player they sold for just £1m a couple of years ago has been having an even better season than the former Manchester City gem typifies the problems at the club.

Chelsea's sale of Giroud

The player in question is none other than France’s all-time top goalscorer and World Cup winner, Olivier Giroud.

The Blues signed the lethal frontman from cross-city rivals Arsenal in January 2018 for the relatively modest fee – at least by today’s standards – of around £18m, after his game time in N5 had been seriously reduced with the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette the summer prior.

During his stint in west London, Giroud made 119 appearances for the Pensioners, scoring 39 goals and providing 14 assists, meaning he was averaging 0.44 goal involvements per match – a respectable return for the price tag.

While he was never the most popular or most impressive player at the club, his time with Chelsea did coincide with their second Champions League triumph, and though he didn’t play in the final, his six goals on the way there certainly meant he played his part.

However, shortly in that same summer, it was announced that he had been sold to AC Milan for the paltry fee of £1m, and while it was probably seen as reasonable at the time given his age, his performances since suggest there should have been at least a zero after that one.

Giroud's Milan record

The former Arsenal man wasted no time settling in when he arrived at the San Siro and enjoyed a tremendous first season in Italy, where he played a crucial role in the Rossoneri winning their first Scudetto for 11 years.

The Italian giants needed a point from their final-day game against Sassuolo after Inter Milan won theirs, and the Frenchman scored a brace to help them collect all three.

In all, the “top-level” forward, as former manager Arsène Wenger described him, has scored 44 goals and provided 20 assists for Milan in the 112 games he’s played for them, meaning that he averages a goal involvement once every 1.75 games, a frankly remarkable statistic for a 37-year-old striker in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

What’s even more remarkable is that he isn’t slowing down and has been more productive than Chelsea’s best player this season, Palmer.

For example, the “exceptional” striker, as described by Gary Lineker, has scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 27 appearances, meaning he’s averaging 0.77 goal involvements this season.

Giroud

Palmer

27

30

12

14

9

7

0.77

0.70

In contrast, Palmer’s 14 goals and seven assists in 30 appearances mean he is averaging slightly less, around 0.70 goal involvements per match.

Poch's next Dele Alli was as good as Palmer in Chelsea's win vs Villa

The 24-year-old has the ability to explode under Pochettino.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 8, 2024

Ultimately, the Blues have an extremely talented player on their hands in the Wythenshawe-born gem, but how much better off would they be this season with Giroud in the team?

Nottinghamshire have set their sights on securing wins from three of their remaining seven matches in the hope that the points accrued will be enough to save their place in Division One. The chances of this contest providing one of them did not look good at the end of the opening day and things have not improved 24 hours later.Essex, fancying they can pull off a second Championship title in three years after a run of four victories in their last five and hugely encouraged by last week’s downing of leaders Somerset at Chelmsford, are well in control. They have built handsomely on Nick Browne’s unbeaten 163 with half-centuries from Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara and Nottinghamshire supporters, mindful of their side’s fragility, are already gloomily predicting another notch in the losses column.Nottinghamshire are not down yet, of course. They travel next week to Taunton, where they have not won in 11 visits since 2004, yet they have straws to clutch at in that three of their last five fixtures are at home, against the other sides in the bottom half of the table. Maybe those are the three on which they are pinning their hopes.Who can be blamed for this sorry state? Four of the five most obvious candidates – the chairman, the chief executive, the director of cricket and the head coach – put themselves up to be shot at in a members’ forum during the lunch interval. Nottinghamshire do not habitually shy away from criticism but it says something, perhaps, about the level of displeasure they expected to face that the invitation often extended to the local paper to attend these private gatherings was not made.Another who might have been asked some difficult questions had he been available to attend was the captain, Steven Mullaney, but he can hardly be blamed for the form of his players. A raft of new signings promised much but since the opening fixture of the season against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge, when Joe Clarke was close to a hundred in both innings and there were half-centuries for two of the other newcomers, Ben Duckett and Ben Slater, no batsman has delivered other than fleetingly.Among those, Clarke has been the biggest worry. Head coach Peter Moores admitted last week that the focus of the former Worcestershire batsman has been skewed for the last two months since his friend and ex-team-mate Alex Hepburn was jailed for five years after being found guilty of rape. Clarke had to give evidence in Hepburn’s trial and subsequent re-trial and himself faces an ECB charge of bringing cricket into disrepute over the sordid WhatsApp messaging group to which he, Hepburn and others were contributors.Dropping good players does not come easily to the loyal Moores and Nottinghamshire make a priority of safeguarding the welfare of those in their charge but there is equally an argument for taking Clarke out of the spotlight if his form does not recover. At this time, they can ill-afford to carry a batsman who has scored 122 in his last 10 innings, particularly given that none of his fellow batters is exactly covering for him..One of them may have to produce something exceptional if Nottinghamshire are to deny Essex here after a day in which 273 runs were scored and only two wickets fell.Browne, whose resilience at the top of the order was a key factor in Essex winning the title in 2017, was less effective last season, yet this innings brought a reaffirmation of his value to this team. The pitch in use here has played benignly for the most part but he had Stuart Broad and R Ashwin to contend with, a combination to test any batsman.His marathon effort, spanning almost seven and a half hours so far, has brought him to 163 not out, his best Championship score – his first in three figures, for that matter – since his 221 against Middlesex at Chelmsford in the June of that title-winning year.With the support in the early part of the day of Tom Westley and latterly Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara, Browne’s solid application to the all-too-rarely seen virtue of occupying the crease has put Essex 132 ahead and in a position to dictate the course of this match, assured by the knowledge that if any attack can exploit an opponent’s frailties, it is theirs.They did not rush things, preferring to build steadily rather than be drawn into the usual rush for batting points and that suited Browne in particular, who allowed himself to negotiate 28 balls without scoring at one stage. Watchfulness was always advisable anyway, against Ashwin, who had the stamina to bowl 40 overs on the day on his Nottinghamshire debut, but for all his variety could produce only one wicket-taking delivery as Westley nicked to slip in the first hour.Not until the second new ball did Nottinghamshire claim a second wicket, Lawrence playing down the wrong line to one from Luke Fletcher, who deserved some success from a fine spell.Browne was not flawless. He was allowed a life on 81 when the unfortunate Clarke put down a fairly routine chance at square leg off Jake Ball. Otherwise he was mightily impressive.

Glasgow Rangers are back in Scottish Premiership action this afternoon as they travel away from Ibrox to take on Motherwell on Christmas Eve.

Philippe Clement's side will head into Christmas just two points off the top of the table if they can secure all three points with a victory this afternoon.

They will be looking to build on the 2-0 win against St. Johnstone in midweek, with goals from Cyriel Dessers and James Tavernier sealing the result.

The Belgian head coach could look to make some changes to the starting XI from that match, though, as the Gers look to navigate the festive period.

With this in mind, Clement must now unleash Todd Cantwell from the start ahead of Sam Lammers, who has struggled since his move from Atalanta.

Sam Lammers' season in numbers

The Dutch forward, who started in the number ten position last time out, has produced two goals and one assist in 16 Premiership outings this season.

Lammers has missed six 'big chances' and only created one for his teammates in ten league starts so far throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

He has also managed just 0.3 key passes per match and his lack of threat at the top end of the pitch was evident against the Saints during the week.

The 26-year-old attacker played 68 minutes at Ibrox and failed to create a single chance. He also had a 0% (0/2) dribble success rate and did not score from any of his three shots.

These statistics suggest that the Dutchman did not have much of an influence on the result as the Gers lightweight did not directly contribute to either goal.

Clement must ditch Lammers from the starting line-up to bring Cantwell back into the XI as the English whiz could provide more quality in the final third.

The statistics that show why Cantwell should start

The former Norwich City magician has been a terrific addition to the Gers squad since his move from England at the start of the calendar year.

He caught the eye during the second half of last season under Michael Beale with six goals, four assists, and five 'big chances' created in 15 league starts.

Journalist Josh Bunting once claimed that Cantwell "makes things happen" and that has been the case throughout 2023 for the Rangers star.

Statistic	Cantwell at Norwich (via Transfermarkt)
Appearances	129
Goals	14
Assists	12
Trophies won	Two

This season, the talented wizard has only started eight games but has produced three assists and made 1.5 key passes per game in that time.

Cantwell has, therefore, racked up six goals and seven assists in 23 Premiership starts for the Scottish giants throughout the year so far.

The 5 foot 10 dynamo has showcased his ability to make an impact in the final third with impressive regularity at this level in a Rangers shirt.

Whereas, Lammers has left a lot to be desired throughout the campaign and has not done enough to suggest that he deserves to be a regular starter.

Therefore, Clement must bring Cantwell back into the starting line-up as the number ten in his 4-2-3-1 system ahead of the former Atalanta flop this afternoon against Motherwell.

When it comes to recruitment, not many did better than Liverpool in the Premier League over the summer. The Reds initially looked set to face a midfield crisis following the exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to add to the departures of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner. However, the arrivals of Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch quickly put an end to any of their concerns. And since then, Jurgen Klopp's side have been back to their best.

Now, with January approaching, the Reds could move to complete their midfield rebuild in the form of a defensive midfielder. However, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth believes that they may face a stumbling block for one particular player.

Liverpool transfer news

Sitting provisionally top of the Premier League, before Arsenal potentially regain their place by winning their game in hand, Liverpool have bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on the top four last season in style, but they are still after another midfielder.

Kalvin Phillips

19th December

Khephren Thuram

15th December

Joao Palhinha

10th December

Piotr Zielinski

2nd December

Joao Neves

29th November

At the halfway mark, Klopp's men have a serious claim that this could be their year once again, especially with Manchester City uncharacteristically faltering at times. Given their place in the title race, the January transfer window could make all the difference.

Klopp could land Endo upgrade in Liverpool swoop for £51k-p/w "colossus"

The Reds were touted with a possible move for the midfielder over the summer.

ByDan Emery Dec 28, 2023

Sheth addressed the "noises" surrounding the Reds and Kalvin Phillips. He told GiveMeSport that Manchester City may not facilitate a move to Liverpool for Phillips.

"Maybe it's best for everyone, especially Kalvin Phillips if a move can happen. But he would probably want to go to one of the big six clubs, and I just wonder whether Manchester City would want to do business with what is perceived to be a rival.

"We saw in the summer before last that they were more than happy to allow Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to go to Arsenal, but they ended up being the main rivals to Manchester City for the title. We've been hearing noises about teams like Liverpool and other clubs being interested in Kalvin Phillips. I wonder whether they would really facilitate a move to a rival. I think, at this moment in time, Kalvin Phillips will probably just want to play football."

"Excellent" Phillips in desperate need of City exit

Liverpool have proved in the form of Endo this season how they can turn a player into a vital cog in Klopp's machine. And Phillips could have a similar impact if City sanctioned the move. Unlikely to allow the England international to choose Anfield, however, the former Leeds United man may need to look elsewhere for minutes next month.

At his best, Phillips is a player who has earned plenty of praise, including from Gareth Southgate. The England boss said:

“He’s been excellent. The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team. We felt he could play an important role with us. To play in the enormity of the matches he did in the summer and play as well as he did is massive credit to him. He’s a very, very good player and he’s been a really important part of this – we’re 16 games unbeaten [in regulation time] now and he’s been a huge part of that.”