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The miracle at Edgbaston or the second-highest chase in history. Pick between the two as we begin to identify The Greatest Test of the 21st century

Himanshu Agrawal06-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The SA-AUS 2008 Perth Test moves to the round of 16.South Africa bend Australia to their will – WACA 2008Australia were in transition ahead of the home summer in 2008-09, but showed that none of their powers were lost in beating New Zealand 2-0. They kept finding a hero to lead the rescue mission.But the script was flipped in the first Test against South Africa in Perth. Despite a familiar lower-order resolve in the first innings, despite typical macho fast-bowling from Mitchell Johnson, who bagged a career-best 8 for 61, and despite setting South Africa a huge 414 to win, Ricky Ponting’s side was left aghast. Centuries from AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith, and half-centuries from Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and debutant JP Duminy, led South Africa to the second-highest successful chase in Test history.That was Australia’s second successive loss at the WACA after India beat them there in 2007-08. And who knew at the time that it would lay the foundation for the first of three back-to-back Test series wins by South Africa in the country? Australia’s aura had started to fade.The two runs that brought the Ashes alive – Edgbaston 2005The drama had begun before the toss. Glenn McGrath had hurt his ankle on the first morning of the match, and the man who replaced him nearly did it for Australia… with the bat. On the fourth day, Australia were 137 for 7 in their pursuit of 282. Michael Clarke was their only hope, and it took an ahead-of-the-time slower ball from Steve Harmison to dismiss him and make it 175 for 8. With Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz, who took McGrath’s place in the side, remaining, England were favourites.But run by run, and minute by minute, Warne hurt England with the bat after bagging ten wickets with the ball. His stoic stand with Lee, who also looked unmoved, was fanning belief. But then, with Australia 62 runs away and the pair having added 45, a little flicker of a sound broke the silence of the stadium. Everyone searched for it. Warne found it. He had trod back onto his stumps. He was hit-wicket.Most of us would have forgotten by then that it was the Australia of their pomp. On their day, even a No. 11 could raise the ceiling with the bat. Kasprowicz did exactly that. Michael Vaughan looked frustrated with every run Lee and Kasprowicz scored. Until, with three to get, Harmison’s short ball saw Kasprowicz fending, and nudging behind to a diving Geraint Jones. Billy Bowden’s crooked finger was up, Edgbaston erupted, and Andrew Flintoff consoling Lee became an iconic image.

This is the first time in four seasons that the final of the Women’s Premier League will not be played on a weekend

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2025The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will have its final on a weekday (Thursday, February 5), and not over the weekend, for the first time, and feature two double-headers, both on Saturdays, after kicking off on January 9.The 28-day-long tournament will be played across two venues: Navi Mumbai, where India won the ODI World Cup in early November beating South Africa in the final, and Vadodara. The first 11 matches, including the two double-headers, will be played at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, and the remaining 11 matches, including the eliminator on February 3 and the final will be played at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium.The dates and venues were confirmed by the WPL’s chairman, Jayesh George, on Thursday, the day of the WPL auction. All games bar the earlier fixture on the double-header days will be evening affairs.The week of the final is a busy one for multi-team competitions, with the men’s Under-19 World Cup finishing the day after the WPL final, on February 6, and the men’s T20 World Cup starting the following day, on February 7.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Apart from having a weekday final, this is the first time the WPL will be played in the January-February window. The first three seasons were played in February-March just before the start of the IPL. This will also be the first time the WPL will not clash with major international fixtures.Mumbai Indians (MI) are the defending champions of the WPL and have won two titles in three editions so far, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) the other past winners. Delhi Capitals (DC) have been runners-up in all three seasons. The other two teams, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, have never made the title round.Ten days after the WPL ends, India will start an all-format tour of Australia, playing three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test from February 15 to March 9.

WPL 2026 schedule

Jan 9: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 10: UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 10: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 11: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz
Jan 13: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 14: UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 15: Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz
Jan 16: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Giants
Jan 17: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 17: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Jan 19: Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 20: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 22: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz
Jan 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 26: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians
Jan 27: Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals
Jan 29: UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jan 30: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians
Feb 1: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz
Feb 3: Eliminator
Feb 5: Final

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl made it four wins from four in the Scottish Premiership since his move to Ibrox to replace Russell Martin in the dugout with a 2-1 win over Livingston on Saturday.

Goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mohamed Diomande scored the goals for the Light Blues at Ibrox to secure all three points for the German manager.

It was a game that was packed with controversial incidents, though, as Livingston’s equaliser and Diomande’s winner were both tight offside calls that were ultimately deemed to be legal.

The most contentious moment of the game came when Fernandez appeared to block a goal-bound shot with his arm, but his arm was in a natural position and VAR opted not to intervene.

That caused the official Livingston account to post on X that the officials did not get “a penalty for a blatant handball to the Lions” in their full-time post after the match.

Rohl, however, will be more concerned with the performances of some of his players, rather than the officials, and Thelo Aasgaard was one of the players who failed to deliver on Saturday.

Why Thelo Aasgaard must be dropped

The Norway international was given the nod to start the match in the number ten position, with Nico Raskin and Diomande behind him in midfield, but he was unable to justify his inclusion in the side with a strong performance.

Instead, the summer signing from Luton Town produced a dismal first-half display that caused Rohl to withdraw him from the match at half-time to bring Bojan Miovski into the game.

Per Sofascore, Aasgaard did not register a single shot on goal and created one chance, which was not a ‘big chance’, in 45 minutes on the pitch before being placed on the bench.

Livingston

Danny Rohl

0 + 1

Dundee

Danny Rohl

0 + 1

Hibernian

Danny Rohl

0 + 1

Kilmarnock

Danny Rohl

0 + 0

Dundee United

Stevie Smith

1 + 4

Falkirk

Russell Martin

0 + 0

Livingston

Russell Martin

0 + 0

Hearts

Russell Martin

0 + 1

Celtic

Russell Martin

0 + 0

St Mirren

Russell Martin

0 + 0

As you can see in the table above, the English-born midfield flop is yet to score a goal or create more than one chance in a game for any permanent Rangers head coach in the Premiership this season.

He has provided one assist in the league under Rohl, against Dundee, but that was a fairly simple pass from the halfway line that Djeidi Gassama turned into a wonderful goal, as shown in the clip below.

These statistics, including his poor display against Livingston, show why Rohl should ruthlessly drop the attacking midfielder from the starting line-up for the Europa League clash with Braga at Ibrox on Thursday night.

Unfortunately, the 23-year-old summer signing has not done enough with his opportunities on the pitch to prove to the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach that he deserves to keep his place in the starting XI moving forward.

Aasgaard was far from the only Rangers player who failed to deliver a good enough performance against Livingston, though, and is not the only flop who should drop out of the side for the upcoming clash with Braga.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Rohl must also ruthlessly ditch right-sided attacker Oliver Antman from the starting line-up for that meeting with the Portuguese outfit after his struggles in a Gers shirt of late.

Why Rangers should drop Oliver Antman against Braga

The German head coach may have hoped that the winger’s international performances for Finland during the international would provide him with confidence and positive momentum for the game against Livingston.

Antman scored, as shown in the clip above, and provided an assist for former Celtic striker Teemu Pukki in a 4-0 win for his country against Andorra on Monday.

Unfortunately, though, the summer signing from Go Ahead Eagles was unable to transfer his form for Finland over to his time on the pitch with Rangers on Saturday, as he failed to deliver an impressive display.

Minutes

45

64

Shots

0

0

Key passes

1

1

Big chances created

0

0

Crosses completed

0/0

0/5

Duels won

2/4

5/13

Possession lost

4x

14x

As you can see in the table above, Antman was just as bad as Aasgaard against Livingston. They both failed to register a shot on goal and only created one chance for the team, without creating any ‘big chances’.

Rangers signed the Finland international to provide creativity on the right flank after he produced an eye-catching return of 17 assists in all competitions at club level during the 2024/25 campaign, to go along with seven goals.

Antman, though, has no goals and one assist in nine Premiership outings for the Scottish giants so far this season, and that assist came in the away clash with Livingston back in September.

Since he provided two assists against Viktoria Plzen in a 3-0 win on his debut for the club, the forward has no goals and one assist in 17 appearances in all competitions for the Gers, per Transfermarkt, and writer Kai Watson noted that Rangers “need more from” him.

Antman has not been able to carry his form for Go Ahead Eagles from last season over to Scottish football, yet, and his performance against Livingston on Saturday was another ineffective outing for the Light Blues.

On top of that, the 24-year-old flop has no goals and no assists in three matches in the league phase of the Europa League this term, which does not suggest that he is likely to have much of a positive impact against Braga on Thursday.

Philippe Clement tried to sign Scotland's World Cup hero for Rangers

Rangers missed out…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 22, 2025

Therefore, Rohl must ruthlessly ditch both Antman and Aasgaard from the starting line-up for the clash with the Liga Portugal outfit after their underwhelming performances against Livingston.

Leeds United are struggling to string together a run of form, and they may now have identified a successor to replace Daniel Farke at Elland Road.

The Whites came back off the back of the international break keen to find an upturn in form. However, a Morgan Rogers double condemned them to a damaging defeat at home to Aston Villa despite taking the lead early on in West Yorkshire.

If it wasn’t already tough to make a case, pressure has now cranked up on Farke as Leeds sit inside the Premier League relegation zone before the daunting reality of a trip to face Manchester City this weekend.

However, the former Norwich City coach doubled down on frustration from supporters when opting to take off substitute Ao Tanaka against Aston Villa, claiming that despite discontent in the stands, he had to withdraw the midfielder as he was on a final warning before being red carded.

He told BBC Sport: “It is totally OK for fans to chant for subs – everyone has views on changes and game management. But I will not do a round table or poll before each match. I can’t be driven by emotions, I can’t make subs on 55, 60 minutes just because someone is singing.”

While Farke could be backed with the arrival of Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia, it is becoming more likely that he could be about to part ways with the club after a series of frustrating results.

Making changes in mid-season can have varied results, but there is definitely an appetite for change at the club, and this isn’t the first time the 49-year-old has come under scrutiny. Who could replace him at Elland Road? Fans could be about to find out.

Leeds identify Brendan Rodgers to replace Daniel Farke

According to TEAMtalk, former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is in line to replace Farke at Leeds, with the Whites’ current boss now at increasing risk of being sacked following his side’s poor form.

Intriguingly, the Irishman would be open to taking charge at Elland Road, with his ability to galvanize struggling sides making him a fit that is hard to ignore.

Stiliyan Petrov praised Rodgers’ player development skills during his time in Glasgow, something which is sure to endear him to a Leeds support who are used to seeing local and academy talents emerging from Thorp Arch.

Brendan Rodgers’ second spell at Celtic

Matches

123

Wins

83

Draws

20

Losses

20

Trophies

Scottish Premiership x2, Scottish Cup x1, Premier Sports Cup x1

Only last season, he saw off the likes of RB Leipzig and guided Celtic through to the knockout playoff round of the Champions League before a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich across two legs, albeit his side were unlucky not to progress.

Nevertheless, a public fallout with Dermot Desmond means he is a free agent, something that Leeds could now take advantage of as they look to his previous Premier League experience at Swansea City, Liverpool and Leicester City to guide them out of trouble.

Everton are now preparing a club-record bid for Napoli star Scott McTominay, amid doubts over the future of a first-team star.

The Toffees’ interest in signing a new midfielder perhaps also stems from the fact Idrissa Gueye is now in the twilight years of his career at 36-years-old, with the 120-time Senegal international’s contract set to expire in the summer, although there is an option to extend it by an extra year.

Based on recent performances, it may be worth triggering the extension, with the central midfielder scoring the opening goal in the 2-0 victory against Fulham last time out, while also winning three duels and making three clearances.

Not only is Gueye’s future up in the air, but there is also doubt over whether James Garner will remain at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest making contact over a deal for the 24-year-old, who has impressed at times this season.

Everton preparing club-record bid for Scott McTominay

According to a report from Spain, McTominay could be a game-changing signing for Everton in midfield, should Garner leave or lose his place in the starting XI, and the Merseyside club are now preparing a club-record bid in the region of €70m (£62m).

David Moyes is an admirer of the Napoli star, who could be the manager’s new Marouane Fellaini, given his physicality and ability to arrive into the opposition penalty box from deeper areas, and the former Manchester United man may be tempted by an enticing offer to return to the Premier League.

With the Toffees looking to bring in an experienced, versatile midfielder, the Scotland international fits the bill, and there are signs he could be a fantastic addition to Moyes’ squad, having been lauded as “sensational” by broadcaster David Tanner in the past.

Not only that, but the 28-year-old is also vastly experienced in the Premier League, having made 255 appearances for Man United, and he has since really kicked on since moving to the Serie A, chipping in with 12 goals and six assists during Napoli’s title-winning 2024-25 campaign.

Everton should look to secure the futures of Gueye and Garner regardless, but McTominay could be a real statement signing, as they look to start competing for the European places again, rather than looking over their shoulders at the wrong end of the Premier League table.

Everton now battling Newcastle for South American midfielder

Everton enter race to sign £88m South American "machine" with Newcastle

The Toffees need a creative spark.

1

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 16, 2025

Former England spinner to take charge at Chelmsford after spells with Lancashire and Manchester Originals

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2025Essex have appointed former England spinner Stephen Parry as their new women’s team head coach.Having retired in 2020, Parry was part of the coaching structures at both Lancashire Women and Manchester Originals. He took charge of Originals in the 2023 and 2024 seasons of the women’s Hundred before being replaced by Michael Klinger.Parry, 39, will aim to oversee an upturn in fortunes for Essex after a difficult first season in the Tier 1 women’s structure that saw Andy Tennant depart as head coach after less than 12 months in the role.”I am really excited for this next journey of my cricket career,” Parry said. “I have seen the squad and I feel like I can bring my experience here to move them forward, become more competitive and work towards winning some trophies.”The squad we have here is really exciting and there is a lot of room for growth. There are some great people here, plenty to work with and the club has a real family-orientated feel to it. I am still young, thirsty to learn and want to improve myself whilst helping everybody around me and look to build something special.”The long-term goal is to build a squad where we are competitive across all formats, the first team, Academy and pathway – enhancing Essex Women’s cricket as a whole.”Parry spent his entire 13-year playing career with Lancashire and remains the club’s leading T20 wicket-taker. He was capped five times in the format by England, playing at the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh, as well as twice in ODIs.Essex’s director of cricket, Chris Silverwood, said: “We are really excited to appoint Stephen as the new Essex Women’s head coach. Stephen brings a wealth of experience from his playing and coaching career, and we are delighted to welcome him to the club.”His recent appointments with Lancashire and the Manchester Originals have shown that he can lead teams in high-pressure environments, and develop, nurture, and bring through talent, which makes him the ideal person to guide our women’s squad.”We are confident that Stephen will have a major impact in shaping the current group of Essex Women, contributing to success both on and off the field.”

As the fourth evening drew to a close, the setting sun caused a glare off the sightscreen that made the ball difficult to pick out of Carse’s hand

Sidharth Monga22-Jul-2025

Brydon Carse picked up two key wickets on the fourth evening at Lord’s•AFP/Getty Images

It was twilight but the visibility was fine. There was no problem from the other end. It was the fourth evening of the Lord’s Test, and India were looking solid in their chase of 193. The partnership between KL Rahul and Karun Nair was going at a control percentage of 88.Then Nair padded up to a straight delivery, seemingly misjudging both line and length. Shubman Gill, who hardly ever plays a false shot and had 601 runs to his name already in the series, came out and began missing or misconnecting full-tosses and half-volleys. His feet hardly moved, and his reactions seemed off. In his nine-ball stay, he was in control of four balls and not in control of five.Test batters don’t bat the way Nair and Gill did that day. It turns out there was a byplay going on here – a struggle to sight the ball out of Brydon Carse’s hand. This phenomenon can be best described as: when you are seeing the ball well, you see a definite point of origin out of the hand, but in this final half-hour or so, the ball was coming out of somewhere in the general area of the bowler’s hand. It was because of a glare from the sightscreen just at that time, and just at that end, with the sun setting on the off side of the right-hand batter. Carse’s height of release made things trickier.Related

Manchester brings up old ghosts as India battle to stay alive

Carse: Attritional Lord's win proves England can adapt

'England openers came out 90 seconds late' – Gill on Lord's sledging

Facing fast bowling is an extreme sport at the best of times. Carse’s average pace of 139kph in that spell converts to 42 yards per second, which means you have half-a-second to play the ball. The extra millisecond spent in picking the ball can be the difference between the normal, silken Gill and the uncertain Gill with cement feet and fumbling hands.England had likely picked on something. In that four-over spell that evening, Carse landed 62.5% of his balls fuller than a good length. Fast bowlers don’t usually do that unless it is reversing, and Carse began that spell with a ten-over-old ball. It was just that end, and just that height that was causing problems.In India’s first innings, Rahul had dug out a yorker from Carse in his last over of the second evening. Whether or not it was something that Ben Stokes and England filed away and worked on, England showed great situational awareness on the fourth evening to take two huge wickets with the new ball.In a way, this was quite similar to the over that Andrew Flintoff bowled to Jacques Kallis at Edgbaston in 2008, although not remotely as egregious. Back then, the dark windows above the sightscreen were an issue. The windows were at just the right place for Flintoff to be able to take advantage of, but not for Morne Morkel, who was too tall.Shubman Gill struggled to put bat on ball in the fourth innings•Getty ImagesAt Lord’s, there was no such obvious flaw. Everything is pristine at Lord’s. But the sight boards are a little thin, almost like a mesh. They are made of polycarbonate with contravision film, which allows vision through one side and makes it look opaque from the other. This had replaced the traditional wooden sightscreen, which had blocked the views of the members.That in itself is not a problem. It has never been a problem for batters except during that half-hour when the sun is just at the right angle to create a glare just behind Carse’s release point. Bowling full at such times is clever, because full balls give batters less time to react, and inflict maximum damage.Had it been a regular feature, the batters might have brought it up with the umpires. India’s reaction has been to shrug and move on. Not that Kallis was able to do anything about a much more obvious glitch 17 years ago. He didn’t seem to try to stop play while batting, and only pointed out the windows later. That didn’t have any impact, as Kallis ducked into a Flintoff full-toss that he didn’t pick.The period of glare at Lord’s didn’t last long enough for it to be noticed at the time. These are the challenges and quirks of playing Test cricket at different venues that nothing other than experience can prepare you for. It has been that kind of series for India, where they have found ways to fall behind despite playing better cricket for longer periods. A brief window of play when the ball would be difficult to pick out of the hand of a specific bowler from a specific end at a specific time was the least expected way for this to happen.

On Thanksgiving Thursday in the United States, Celtic supporters across the world are thankful that their side has finally won an away European match.

In the Europa League’s early kick off, despite falling behind inside 11 minutes, Martin O’Neill’s side fought back to beat Feyenoord 3-1; Yang Hyun-jun and then Reo Hatate on target in double-quick time, before substitute Benjamin Nygren lashed home a clinching third late on

Before this, the Hoops had failed to win any of their previous 16 European away matches, dating back to a 3-2 victory over Ferencváros in Budapest in November 2021; Kyōgo Furuhashi, Jota and Liel Abada the scorers for Ange Postecoglou’s side back then.

In the context of this campaign, it takes Celts’ points tally up to seven from five Europa League games, boosting their knockout phase hopes, with fixtures against Roma, Bologna and Utrecht still to come on their schedule.

By the time the current Serie A leaders visit Glasgow in a fortnight, there could well be a new face in the home dugout, so which forgotten figure staked a claim in Rotterdam to be a key figure under Wilfried Nancy?

Reo Hatate's magical night

Plenty of Celtic players deserve praise following a famous win in Rotterdam, but Hatate was the star of the show.

The Japanese midfield maestro spectacularly set up the equaliser, before cooly slotted home the vital go-ahead goal, gently passing the ball into the net having been gifted possession by goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther, after some excellent, trademark closing down by Daizen Maeda.

Since arriving in January 2022, Hatate has been one of Celtic’s best and most beloved players throughout; scoring twice in a thumping Old Firm victory mere weeks after joining helps!

However, his position in the starting lineup has come under scrutiny, given the Celts’ do have other good central midfield options, namely Nygren, Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo.

However, Hatate’s mercurial talent and exquisite ability makes him a dream for any manager and, based on how his Columbus Crew team like to play, Nancy will surely make the Japanese international a central figure in his team, once he does arrive.

Meanwhile, which usually less heralded figure will also surely have impressed the incoming manager with his display at De Kuip?

Celtic's "world class" talent stars vs Feyenoord

There were many heroes bedecked in green and white hoops during Thursday’s victory over Feyenoord.

Teenaged full-back Colby Donovan was immense, Luke McCowan was excellent out of position, despite his inexplicable early miss, while Daizen Maeda worked his socks off as always.

Meantime, one of the surprise starters when the team sheets dropped was Yang, chosen over Sebastian Tounekti, Nygren and Michel-Ange Balikwisha by O’Neill, but the Korea Republic international certainly repaid the manager’s

Yang lashed home Celtic’s equaliser on the half-hour mark, connecting with Hatate’s looping cross, the ball squirming in between Wellenreuther and the post.

This was only Yang’s second goal of the season, also on target against Partick Thistle in the League Cup in September beforehand, but this one was rather more important.

Overall, he was a constant threat at De Kuip.

Yang Hyun-jun’s stats vs Feyenoord

Stats

Yang

Match rank

Goals

1

1st

Attempted dribbles

3

2nd

Completed passes

25

16th

Duels contested

6

15th

Touches

43

15th

SofaScore rating

7.3

4th

Stats via SofaScore

Since arriving from Gangwon FC in July 2023 under Brendan Rodgers, Yang has flattered to deceive, showing glimpses of quality but only doing so on a very irregular basis.

Upon making the move, Gangwon’s then-club president Kim Byung-ji stated that he had “world class” potential, backing him to become as good as the national team’s all-time leading scorer Son Heung-min.

Speaking during commentary for TNT Sports, Joe Hart, a former teammate of Yang, said that “there’s an excellent player in there”, but that he just has to show it on a regular basis, while manager O’Neill stated that he needs to now replicate his form in training in matches.

Thus, with Nancy seemingly poised to arrive, every member of the Celtic squad will have a clean slate, which will surely be good news for Yang, looking to become a key figure under the new manager, hoping to force his way into Hong Myung-bo’s South Korea squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

Related Celtic's number 1 target: Nancy could sign £7m "finisher" to replace Maeda

With Daizen Maeda potentially set to leave Celtic in January, could possible new manager Wilfried Nancy sign a “really good finisher” to replace him?

Posts ByBen Gray Nov 21, 2025

Nico Schlotterbeck’s future at Borussia Dortmund is up in the air. With Bayern Munich and Liverpool both pushing to sign the defender and contract talks at Dortmund stalling, his Germany teammate Jonathan Tah has stepped in, offering advice and support as the 25-year-old weighs a crucial decision about his next move.

• Contract tension building at Dortmund

  According to a report from , the German centre-back has turned down Dortmund’s latest contract offer and is growing frustrated with the team’s playing style under coach Niko Kovac. His current deal runs until 2027, but reports suggest he is unlikely to sign an extension, increasing speculation about a possible move next summer. The 25-year-old joined Dortmund from Freiburg in 2022 and has since become one of the club’s key players, making 134 appearances in all competitions. Despite his importance, uncertainty around his future continues to grow.

  Dortmund are reportedly preparing a new contract proposal that would keep him at the club until 2030 and are even ready to triple his salary. However, the German international has shown no intention of committing to an extension for now, preferring to keep his options open amid growing interest from top European clubs, including Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Tah’s advice to Schlotterbeck amid transfer rumours

  Speaking during a press conference ahead of Germany's World Cup qualifying match against Luxembourg, Tah had nothing but praise for his national teammate and domestic rival. The Munich defender urged the Dortmund centre-back to think carefully before making his next move.

  "This is an exciting situation for Nico," said Tah. "He's an outstanding player who always works on himself, who always wants to improve. It's a crucial point in his career right now, and I simply hope he can make the right decision for himself. Many doors are open to him. I wish him all the best in making his decision."

  The German also made it clear that he is there to support his teammate if needed. "If he needs advice or wants to talk to me, he's welcome to do so. I'm here," he added.

  Recently, Schlotterbeck himself spoke highly of Tah, calling him 'a better defender' and explaining why the pair work so well together for the national team.

  "Jona is very communicative on the pitch and simply important to me. Defensively, he has been a very strong defender for years now and has done extremely well. For me, the ball-playing aspect is perhaps a bit more interesting than for him. He's perhaps a better defender, though. That's why it's a good fit."

• Bayern and Liverpool monitoring closely

  Dortmund's rival Munich are reportedly keeping a close eye on German's situation as they look to strengthen their backline ahead of next season. With Dayot Upamecano’s contract set to expire next year, Bayern could turn to Schlotterbeck as a younger replacement. Meanwhile, the reigning Premier League champions are also in the race. The Reds are preparing for defensive changes, with Virgil van Dijk reaching the twilight of his career and uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate’s future, whose contract expires this summer amid interest from Los Blancos. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  What’s next for Schlotterbeck?

  With both Bayern and Liverpool circling, Schlotterbeck faces a career-defining choice. Dortmund want to keep him. Last month, Sporting director Lars Ricken publicly addressed the situation, making it clear that while the club respects Schlotterbeck’s hesitation, they won’t let talks drag on.

  “We will not rush into anything. But of course, we don't want to drag it out indefinitely, everyone is aware of that," Ricken told .

  For now, the German won’t feature in the national team's upcoming match after withdrawing from the squad due to injury. The defender’s priority would be to recover quickly and help Dortmund get back into the title race. The club currently sits third in the table, behind Bayern and RB Leipzig, with six wins from ten games.

Arsenal’s 18-game unbeaten run is over. In that time, they have defeated their arch-rivals 4-1, defeated one of the most in-form sides in Europe in the shape of Bayern Munich 3-1. They have also been to St James’ Park and to Stamford Bridge without losing.

It’s typical, therefore, that the man who Mikel Arteta succeeded, Unai Emery, brought it to an unsavoury end.

This game will always be Emery’s cup final and that showed on Saturday. The Gunners were far from their best. They looked tired, shaky at the back. A 2-1 loss occurred and after Manchester City won later in the day, the gap at the top of the table was narrowed to just two points.

How Emery got the better of Mikel Arteta

A week ago, Arsenal looked like the runaway leaders in the Premier League. They’ll definitely win the title, some cried. Well, how quickly things can change.

While Arteta’s side are still in the driver’s seat to win it next May, they will need to improve on their last two away games with Chelsea and Villa.

This match was classic Emery. He loves facing his former employers and despite amassing plenty of possession in the Midlands, Arsenal seemed powerless to stop the Villans.

While Arsenal were missing Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba due to injury, Villa’s swift transitions, counter-attacking football and their willingness to get runners in behind really made life difficult for Arteta’s side.

Ollie Watkins – who was once the subject of a bid from the Gunners – didn’t score but several times he was able to get in behind. Jurrien Timber, who was playing at centre-back, was made to look rather silly.

Watkins could well have scored the opening goal of the game when he got in behind Timber and Piero Hincapie, turning them inside out before forcing a strong save from David Raya.

The combination play between him and Morgan Rogers, as well as Youri Tielemans, posed a colossal threat. Between them, they made three key passes.

Usually an offensive line would be met with a brick wall in the shape of Saliba and Gabriel but Arsenal’s centre-backs were a shadow of what we’ve come to expect with Arteta’s usual centre-back pairing on the sidelines with injury again.

That said, it was a moment of pinball that led to the winning goal. Arsenal failed to clear their lines and despite throwing several bodies in the way, Emilio Buendia was the calmest man in the Midlands, firing the ball past Raya. Bedlam erupted inside the stadium.

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The defensive line of Arsenal has undoubtedly been the best in the country this season. Before their clash with the Villans, the Gunners had shipped just seven goals in the top-flight. Make that nine now.

Any team in world football would miss players of the calibre of Saliba and Gabriel but the league leaders have found out in recent matches just how tricky life is when both of them are unavailable.

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Cristian Mosquera was forced off with injury in the 2-0 win against Brentford in midweek which meant Arteta was forced to select Timber at centre-half at Villa Park. Smaller, not as physical, and keen to go to ground, he was no match for Watkins and Co.

Equally, Hincapie – who could sign permanently in a £45m deal – endured a topsy-turvy afternoon in what was just his fourth start in the Premier League. The Ecuador international is a physical beast but arguably lacks the same level of composure we’ve so often seen from Gabriel and Saliba in recent years.

He is, of course, new to the English game but his performance levels in the last two away fixtures have left something to be desired.

Against Chelsea last week, he and Mosquera looked rather unsettled and nervous. Fair enough, really, particularly when you consider they had only played together as a pairing once before.

Hincapie improved against Brentford and for the most part against Villa, he looked strong. Against a robust offensive unit, he won all three of his aerial duels, made a whopping seven clearances, six recoveries and won 50% of his ground duels.

This was not a bad performance until one mistake cost Arsenal the game. It was a moment you’d typically associate with the later days of Arsene Wenger’s reign, or even the Unai Emery era.

During those years, you’d associate Arsenal’s defenders with lapses in concentration and mistakes. Hincapie wasn’t riddled with errors on Saturday but his blunder deep into injury time cost Arsenal.

In the words of The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, he has been “pretty poor since Spurs” and while that may well feel harsh, the inability to clear his lines late on was certainly poor.

Timber & Hincapie vs Villa
Stat	Timber	Hincapie
Mins played	90	90
Touches	66	68
Pass accuracy	94%	82%
Tackles won	3/3	1/3
Interceptions	2	1
Clearances	3	7
Recoveries	4	6
Duels won	4/8	6/9
Stats via Sofascore.

GOAL’s Charles Watts handed the defender a 6/10 rating at full-time and called out his lack of awareness at the end. He had a chance to clear his lines, but instead ran the ball out of play. It was from the Villa throw-in that they ultimately scored the winner.

It felt insignificant when it happened but there was a lack of game awareness. It was like something out of the Emery era. Saliba and Gabriel wouldn’t do that. The dogged defence Arteta has created wouldn’t do that. It could subsequently cost him his place in the team against Brugge in midweek.

Perhaps it’s time to see what Riccardo Calafiori can do at centre-half with Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back?

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