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The allrounder starred with both bat and ball to help Lucknow Super Giants move to the top of the table

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2023

Krunal Pandya says he has put a lot of work into his bowling action in the last four to five months, trying to get taller at the crease and bowl with a higher arm.The Lucknow Super Giants allrounder, who primarily plays the white-ball formats for Baroda, last played competitive cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in November 2022. And the work he put into his bowling during the break bore fruit on Friday, on a slowish Lucknow surface where he put in an excellent shift of 3 for 18 off his four overs, stifling the Sunrisers Hyderabad batters and restricting them to 121 for 8.”In the last four-five months, I took a break from cricket, where I was not playing. I just wanted to work on my skills, especially bowling,” Krunal said at the post-match presentation. “I was just playing the white-ball format and what happened in the last two-three years, I just went wider and wider [with my release]. So I just wanted to work on my action, wanted to get tall so that I can get that turn and get that arm ball going as well.”Krunal was introduced into the attack in the third over, and he immediately struck, drawing Mayank Agarwal into an uppish drive. His next two wickets may have given even more satisfaction. He first sent back Anmolpreet Singh with a trademark quicker one that skidded through and pinned the batter in front of the stumps.Related

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The very next ball, he lured Aiden Markram forward with one that was a touch slow in the air. The Sunrisers captain prodded half-forward but failed to reach the pitch of the ball that spun just a touch to beat his outstretched defences and cannon into the off stump.”Very good day at the office,” Krunal said. “Having more right-handers [to bowl at], I knew I will be bowling four overs today and I was prepared for it. Overall, this year I am in a good headspace, I have much more clarity about how I want to go about my game, whether it’s bat and ball.”Everything, I guess, once you have clarity up there, things automatically fall in place. I am someone who is very process-driven, doesn’t think that much about result, and it is coming out really well.”Krunal wasn’t done after his three-wicket haul. Coming out to bat at No.4, the left-hander scored a crucial 23-ball 34, adding 55 with his captain KL Rahul to help Lucknow Super Giants get closer to their target.It was the third time in three matches this season that Super Giants had slotted Krunal at No. 4. He was pleased to be batting in that position. In 72 innings with his previous franchise, Mumbai Indians, he had batted 27 times in the top five.”I am trying to recollect how I played my first four-five years of IPL where I was batting at No.4 consistently for Mumbai [Indians],” Krunal said. “In the last three years, for MI when I batted, my role was completely changed, I was batting at No.7.”So again, I am trying to find my rhythm and trying to find that consistency in how I would play at that number. Having clarity just helps you to go out there and execute your skills.”

Dawid Malan played the best innings of his ODI career to steer England to a tense three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Mirpur and further his case for inclusion in their World Cup defence in India later this year.England made tough work of a target of 210, slipping to 65 for 4 and 161 for 7 as Bangladesh’s spinners squeezed the life out of their chase. But Malan, batting at No. 3, saw them home with eight balls to spare, adding an unbroken 51 for the eighth wicket with Adil Rashid to seal the win.Malan has been a peripheral member of England’s 50-over set-up for most of his career but has taken every opportunity that has come his way in the past nine months. He has now hit hundreds in each of the last four bilateral ODI series he has featured in; given the circumstances, this innings was the pick of them.This fixture started barely 24 hours after the remarkable climax of England’s Test against New Zealand in Wellington, some 7,000 miles away from Dhaka. They fielded completely separate sides – though Will Jacks, an unused squad member at the Basin Reserve, flew to Bangladesh on the second day of the Test, and won his first ODI cap.Joe Root, England’s leading scorer at the 2019 World Cup, was among those unavailable due to the fixture clash and is nailed on to bat at No. 3 when the schedule allows him to return to the ODI side. Yet Malan is also an experienced opener and, at this stage, looks as strong a candidate as any to fulfil that role alongside Jonny Bairstow.It was not easy-going for Malan, who battled his way to 50 off 92 at the second drinks break as England desperately looked to survive, in particular against the threatening Mehidy Hasan Miraz. But he relieved the scoring pressure after the interval, crashing Mehidy over cover and then lofting him for a straight six, eventually guiding them across the line by working Najmul Hassan Shanto through midwicket.Shanto had top-scored for Bangladesh with a gritty, 82-ball 58 from No. 3 – an innings that was not dissimilar to Malan’s. He extended his recent Bangladesh Premier League form – he was the league’s top-scorer – with his maiden ODI half-century, an overdue landmark in his 16th innings.Bangladesh struggled to build partnerships throughout their innings, with Shanto and Mahmadullah combining for Bangladesh’s only 50-run stand. England shared wickets around, with their three seamers and three spinners both accounting for five batters between them.Tamim Iqbal opted to bat first and made a bright start, hitting four early boundaries after surviving a chance when Chris Woakes put down a caught-and-bowled opportunity in the first over. Litton Das, his opening partner, pulled Woakes for six over square leg as Bangladesh raced to 33 for 0 in 4.4 overs, but was trapped lbw by the next ball he faced.Mark Wood and Jofra Archer were back in action•Getty Images

Shanto was also reprieved early, dropped by a sprawling Jason Roy at backward point, but hit his next two balls for four and settled into a rhythm on a slow, low pitch.Mark Wood, playing his first ODI since July 2021, bowled the final over of the initial powerplay and struck with his third ball to remove Tamim. He breached the 90mph/145kph mark with his second ball, then rushed Tamim with his third, a back-of-a-length ball which bounced appreciably; Bangladesh’s captain could only fend onto his own stumps, via his elbow.Adil Rashid had Mushfiqur Rahim caught at deep midwicket on the slog-sweep, and Bangladesh were 106 for 4 when Shakib Al Hasan was cleaned up by Moeen Ali. Shanto continued to accumulate, but after reverse-sweeping Rashid for four, he pulled Rashid’s googly straight to Roy at short midwicket to fall for 58.When Mahmudullah strangled Wood down the leg side, Bangladesh were in danger of being bowled out. Jacks took his maiden ODI wicket when Afif Hossain pulled tamely to mid-on, and Mehidy Hasan edged Archer behind cheaply. Taskin Ahmed hit Rashid for six and then four to ensure Bangladesh would post something competitive before he strangled Archer down the leg side, with Taijul skying a return catch to Moeen to end the innings with 16 balls unused.England struggled for fluency in the chase, and lost Roy in the first over as he chipped to mid-off while looking to hit Shakib over his head. Phil Salt’s scratchy innings came to an end when Taijul’s arm ball skidded into his leg stump via his pad and when James Vince was stumped charging the same bowler, England were in trouble at 45 for 3. Soon after, Malan survived a tight lbw shout on review, with ball-tracking predicting Taijul’s offbreak would have clipped leg stump rather than hitting it flush.Tamim attacked just before the first drinks break, bringing Taskin back into the attack and posting Shanto at slip in the 17th over. He was rewarded immediately, as Jos Buttler steered a back-of-a-length ball straight to the close catcher, bringing Jacks in at No. 6 on debut. Jacks, playing his first List A game since 2019, struggled early on but a flurry of boundaries took scoring pressure off Malan, who was battling hard against Mehidy’s offbreaks.But Jacks holed out to midwicket for a flashy 26, and when Mehidy’s final ball skidded into Moeen’s stumps after a 38-run stand with Malan, England were wobbling. Woakes chipped Taijul to mid-on with 49 runs required and three wickets left, but Rashid proved the perfect foil for Malan. He calmly rotated the strike as Malan opted to attack; with Mustafizur Rahman proving expensive, Tamim eventually ran out of options as England snuck home.

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O afastamento do meio-campista Lucas Crispim do elenco do Fortaleza durou apenas dois dias. Após conversa com a comissão técnica do Leão, o jogador foi reintegrado ao plantel do técnico Juan Pablo Vojvoda.

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Crispim tinha sido afastado do grupo do Fortaleza por terfeito uma festa de aniversário na última sexta-feira. A decisão, porém, gerou polêmica. O astro Neymar saiu em defesa do jogador do Leão do Pici e ironizou a postura do clube cearense.

Segundo informação do jornal “O Povo”, o fato de que familiares de Lucas estarem envolvidos na festa que gerou seu afastamento acabaram “atenuando” a imagem negativa do fato. Isso porque, diante desse cenário, a ideia de que o jogador estava menosprezando o momento ruim da equipe na temporada acabou se modificando para uma atitude impensada.

Outro ponto que teria pesado favoravelmente para a reintegração do meio-campista foi a boa relação que o jogador tem tanto perante ao grupo.Em pronunciamento sobre o tema, o presidente do clube, Marcelo Paz, reforçou a ideia:

-O Crispim sempre foi um atleta exemplar dentro das instalações e atividades do Fortaleza, como nas concentrações e viagens para os jogos. O jogador reconheceu os erros e viramos a página do assunto, visto que ambas as partes superaram essa situação adversa. O grupo e a comissão técnica acolheram o profissional, o que mostra a sua dedicação com o time.

Diante do fato, Lucas Crispim se tornou peça válida a ser relacionada no Leão do Pici visando o Clássico Rei da próxima quarta-feira (22), que abre a série de oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil.

With seven points separating themselves and the Championship relegation zone, Portsmouth have just been dealt a frustrating blow at a crucial time on the injury front.

Portsmouth injury news

With just 13 games remaining in the Championship, Pompey are currently on course to survive at the first time of asking. However, as always, anything can still change and John Mousinho will be keen to see his side make it three wins on the bounce when they face Queens Park Rangers this weekend, having just defeated both Cardiff City and Oxford United.

Finding their form at a crucial stage, those at Fratton Park could look back on their recent wins as a defining moment for their campaign. With all three of Derby County, Plymouth Argyle and bottom side Luton Town all deciding to sack their respective managers recently, Portsmouth are enjoying their reward for sticking by Mousinho.

The next 13 games could still be full of twists and turns though, especially following recent injury news. As confirmed by Portsmouth, Callum Lang is now set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn hamstring.

Sharing the news, Mousinho told reports at his latest press conference: “Not great news on Callum. The scan has come back, as we suspected, with a hamstring tear.

“We’re going to re-scan it in about 10 days just to see how it’s settled down. There’s a lot of fluid there at the moment. Most likely, we’re not going to see Callum in a Portsmouth shirt until next season.

“It’s a bit of a strange one because after the game, he was okay. He was up and about. He’s still actually up and about now. It’s not really affecting him a huge amount, but just the nature of it and the location of the injury means it’s going to be a long one.”

Portsmouth must replace "superb" Lang's goals

It’s the worst possible news for Portsmouth, who must now finish their battle for survival without their main man who has scored as many as 10 goals in 29 Championship games this season. Just how Mousinho attempts to replace those goals remains to be seen. For the next 13 games, it may well be a case of defence is the best form of attack at Fratton Park.

The Pompey boss needs no reminder of Lang’s quality, having been full of praise for his forward earlier this season. Mousinho told BBC Sport: “Since Callum has come to the football club he has scored some big goals and he has been our outstanding player this season.

“The energy he puts in, the amount of running he does, his physical presence and it is about adding quality for him – today he added the quality and was superb. My only disappointment is that he didn’t score more. It was really pleasing and he should be pushing for more and more.”

Rashid Khan has overtaken Josh Hazlewood to become No. 1 among the bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2022Virat Kohli is back in the top ten for T20I batters in the ICC rankings after guiding India to a thrilling win in the Super 12 match against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.Kohli’s unbeaten 53-ball 82 at the MCG has taken him five places up to No. 9. He stemmed the wicket flow with a 113-run stand with Hardik Pandya before helping take 48 off the last three overs to seal the game. Hardik, who contributed by scoring 40 with the bat and took three wickets, maintained his spot at No. 3 in the allrounders’ list.While Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan continues to top the batting charts, he faces stiff competition now from New Zealand opener Devon Conway, whose unbeaten 92 off 58 against Australia in the first Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup catapulted him up three places to second. Rizwan currently has 849 rating points, 18 more than Conway.Suryakumar Yadav and Babar Azam follow Conway at three and four respectively in the list. Aiden Markram, meanwhile, has dropped to No. 5.Full rankings tables

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Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has overtaken Australia’s Josh Hazlewood to become No. 1 among the bowlers. Rashid removed Harry Brook and went for only 17 in his four-over spell but could not stop Afghanistan losing to England.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga has dropped three places down to No. 6 following his returns of 0 for 53 against Australia.England’s Sam Curran has moved up eight places to claim the No. 8 spot following his five-wicket haul against Afghanistan.

علق محمود الونش، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بناي الزمالك، عن كواليس التجديد مع القلعة البيضاء خلال الأسابيع الأخيرة.

وقال الونش في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر” ردًا على سؤال هل قال لك أحد مسؤولي الزمالك “سنك كبر والمفروض تجدد بأي رقم”؟: “لم يقل لي أحد هذا الكلام، وأنا أحد قادة الفريق، تردّد أن ميدو هو من قال ذلك، لكن هذا لم يحدث، ميدو قال لي نحن في فترة جيدة ونرغب في التفاوض، فقلت له أتشرّف بذلك فرد، سنُنهي المباراتين ثم نتحدث، وتوقّف الموضوع عند هذا الحد، لم يحدث أي شيء كما تردّد”.

وواصل: ” بخصوص قيمة العقد 80 أو 60 مليون جنيه في 3 مواسم، لا هذا ولا ذاك، المبلغ أقل بكثير وضحيت من أجل الزمالك، النادي وقف بجانبي لمدة عامين وأنا مصاب، ولعبت للزمالك لمدة 9 سنوات، وقوف الجماهير والنادي بجانبي أثناء الإصابة لا يُقدّر بثمن، العروض التي تلقيتها كانت أكبر، لكني مشهور وركبت سيارات بفضل الزمالك”.

طالع.. الزمالك يحيل محمد عواد للتحقيق ويوجه لفت نظر للاعب آخر

وتابع عن انتقال زيزو إلى الأهلي: “كل شخص يفكر ويختار الأنسب له ولحياته وأسرته، لا أستطيع الجزم إن كان ما فعله صحيحًا أم خطأ، وتردّد أن زيزو يحاول إقناعي بالانضمام إلى الأهلي، وهذا غير صحيح تمامًا هو رأى الأصلح له، وأنا أيضًا، ولم نكن نعلم بتوقيعه للأهلي، كنا نسمع شائعات، ثم تأكدنا بعد صورته في السفارة”.

وأكمل: “علاقتي جيدة مع زيزو، وأتمنى له التوفيق في أي مكان ينتقل إليه، الموضوع بسيط، وكل شخص يتحمل تبعات قراره، من الطبيعي أن تغضب الجماهير منه، لكن في النهاية الجمهور يُشجع النادي، وليس اللاعب مهما كان يُنظر إليه كأيقونة، فالجماهير تشجع الكيان وهو ليس أول ولا آخر لاعب ينتقل من الزمالك إلى الأهلي أو العكس، زيزو عشرة عُمر، وسيظل صديقي وأخي والجمهور له ردود فعل، لكن ما يحدث بين اللاعبين يظل مختلفًا، وقد أراه في المنتخب، وبالطبع إذا رأيته هناك (مش هضربه مثلًا)”. 

واستطرد: “زيزو لاعب كبير ومؤثر، وأي فريق يتمناه، لكن الزمالك يمتلك لاعبين كبار، والنادي لا يقف على أحد، كثير من النجوم رحلوا مثل طارق حامد، ومن قبله حسن شحاتة وفاروق جعفر، ومع ذلك لم يتوقف النادي”.

وأردف: “المسؤول عن رحيل زيزو من الزمالك؟ لست طرفًا في هذا الموضوع، نحن كلاعبين نؤدي في الملعب، عندما كان زيزو يتدرب معنا، لم نتحدث معه في موضوع التجديد، فالأمر يخص اللاعب والإدارة فقط”.

وأضاف: “عدد من لاعبي الأهلي مقربون مني مثل محمد الشناوي ومحمد مجدي أفشة وعمرو السولية، ومحمد هاني، كما أشكر مصطفى شوبير، فرغم أنني لم أتعامل معه شخصيًا، إلا أنه كان دائمًا يسأل عني ويطمئن على حالتي أثناء فترة إصابتي، وجميعهم لاعبون كبار، لكني لا أختار أحدًا بعينه للانضمام للزمالك، نحن في الزمالك لدينا لاعبين مميزون أيضًا، وإذا توافرت لنا الظروف المادية والمعنوية المناسبة، نستطيع الفوز على أي فريق، بل أن أي لاعب ينضم إلينا في نفس الظروف التي نمر بها، سيُصبح مثلنا تمامًا”.

واسترسل: “هناك عوامل كثيرة قد تُسقِط ناديًا كبيرًا مثل الزمالك، بإذن الله، سنتكاتف جميعًا، كلاعبين وإدارة وجمهور، ولو وقفنا خلف بعضنا البعض، سيعود النادي قويًا، ولن يقف أحد في طريقه، أحيانًا تحدث أمور خارجة عن إرادتنا، لكنها تكون فوق طاقتنا، ومن الطبيعي أن يكون العامل المادي أساس الاستقرار في أي نادٍ، أما العامل الثاني فهو النظام، إذا كان النظام يسري على الجميع، سينجح أي كيان، من غير المنطقي أن يلعب لاعب دون أن يحصل على مكافآته ومستحقاته، ومع ذلك يُطلب منه أن يُقدم أفضل ما لديه في كل مباراة”.

وبخصوص انضمام أكثر من لاعب للأهلي: “جميعهم لاعبون كبار، وبغضّ النظر عن طريقة انضمامهم، فهم مؤثرون داخل الملعب، ليست صدمة بالمعنى الحرفي، لكن الشعور بالحزن طبيعي، لأنك لم تكن تتوقع حدوث ذلك، ومع ذلك حدث بالفعل وبالنسبة لـ مصطفى محمد فهو لاعب كبير جدًا، وكل لاعب له تفكيره الخاص وظروفه المختلفة”.

وأتم: “دائمًا أؤمن بالإصرار على النجاح، عندما جئت إلى الزمالك في البداية، كانت هناك انتقادات كبيرة ضدي، لكني أصريت على العمل، وتطورت، والناس بدأت تُحبني، لم أصل إلى درجة الإحباط أبدًا، حتى بعد إصابتي مرتين أنا أواصل العمل، لا أيأس، وعدت بقوة، والآن أنا بخير ولا أعاني من أي شيء”.

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Nesta sexta-feira, o Carlos Renaux, time que disputa a Série B do Campeonato Catarinense, anunciou a contratação do técnico Reinaldo.

Hoje no cargo de comandante, Reinaldo brilhou nos anos 2000 com as camisas do Flamengo, PSG e São Paulo.

‘É um desafio muito bom. Para mim, é um orgulho ser treinador do Carlos Renaux. Estou preparado e motivado. O objetivo e expectativa é um só, conseguir o título. É um campeonato difícil, mas nós vamos brigar na parte de cima da tabela’, afirmou.

Este será o terceiro trabalho de Reinaldo como treinador. Antes do Carlos Renaux, ele dirigiu o Inter de Lages-SC e Perilima-PB.

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England bowled out for 271 chasing 334 as home hero bows out on low note

Firdose Moonda19-Jul-2022South Africa 333 for 5 (van der Dussen 133, Livingstone 2-29) beat England 271 (Root 86, Nortje 4-53) by 62 runs England farewelled Ben Stokes from ODI cricket with defeat in the first of their three-match series against South Africa on the hottest day in the country since records began. Temperatures topped 40 degrees and there were serious concerns around player and fan safety but the match was completed without major incidents, though there were reports of supporters struggling in the heat.Rassie van der Dussen was the coolest man on the park and scored his third ODI century, a career-best 134, as South Africa posted their highest ODI score in England and the second-highest at Chester-le-Street. That asked England to complete their sixth-highest successful run-chase but South Africa’s spinners, in particular, combined discipline and attack to seal a statement win. Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Aiden Markram bowled 15 overs and took five for 120 between them.Though this series does not count for World Cup Super League points, it is the start of an important eight months for South Africa which includes tours to England and Australia and the T20 World Cup. They began it without regular white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, who injured his elbow ahead of this trip, but Maharaj’s decision-making was flawless from the moment he won the toss and chose to shield his fielders from the afternoon sun.South Africa made England’s attack toil on a benign pitch, and without the services of debutant Matthew Potts for the bulk of their innings. Potts bowled four overs upfront but left the field after feeling adverse effects from the heat but returned to bat at No.11. The rest of the quicks delivered mostly short spells – aside from Sam Curran’s five-over spell at the start – with the spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid doing the longer slogs.None of them were entirely threatening against South Africa’s line-up, who seemed to labour at times, but ended up with more than enough. South Africa did not hit a single six but relied on the accumulating skills of Janneman Malan, who scored his fourth fifty in the format and shared in a 109-run second-wicket stand with van der Dussen, a paragon of patience. Being no master-blaster, van der Dussen ran 57 singles, 15 twos and two threes and batted for three minutes short of three hours to put together a masterful hundred and set up a big win. Van der Dussen also shared in a record third-wicket stand of 151 for South Africa against England with Markram, who scored his fifth 50.While there did not seem to be many fireworks in the South African innings, they took on the spinners, used the reverse-sweep to good effect, and rode out the periods of pressure. When Malan was dismissed, England put the brakes on and South Africa only scored 31 runs in the next six overs, but that allowed Markram to settle. Once he did, he targeted the sixth bowling option and scored 21 runs off 15 balls he faced from Liam Livingstone.A dejected Ben Stokes walks back after his final ODI innings•AFP/Getty ImagesVan der Dussen’s century came off 90 balls and is his third hundred in 14 innings since April last year, a period in which he has averaged 84.77. He is only the third South African batter to score an ODI century against England in England. He took South Africa into the last five overs and they may have had their eyes on 350-plus but England took three wickets in that period to leave South Africa on 333 for 5.In response, England made their way through a relatively sedate Powerplay – though Jason Roy hit the first six of the match when he slog-swept Maharaj into the stands – which finished on 47 without loss. South Africa would have been satisfied with the opening phase of their defence if Jonny Bairstow was not dropped at the end of the 10th over. He was on 18 and chipped Lungi Ngidi to Miller at mid-off, who jumped but could not hold on.The drop proved reasonably costly as Bairstow and Roy went on to post their 14th century stand and Bairstow scored his 15th ODI half-century, but not before South Africa also suffered a loss of personnel. When Bairstow punched Anrich Nortje down the ground, Andile Phehlukwayo and Maharaj tried to cut it off from mid-off and mid-on respectively and collided into each other. Replays showed Maharaj’s shoulder hit Phehlukwayo on the chin. He left the field nursing a cut and was ruled out of the match with a suspected concussion eight overs later.By the time Dwaine Pretorius was confirmed as his replacement eight overs later, the match situation had changed considerably. Bairstow reached fifty, Roy lofted Maharaj to long-on and was caught by Miller, Ngidi dropped Bairstow on 51 o and Markram ensured the drop was not too expensive when he hit Bairstow flush on the knee roll to have him out lbw.Bairstow’s dismissal brought Stokes to the middle in his last ODI innings to a standing ovation from his Riverside home crowd. He faced 11 balls, scored five singles and then tried to reverse-sweep a Markram delivery and was struck on the front pad in line with middle stump. Stokes thought about reviewing but decided not to and as he turned to leave, Markram paused his celebrations to say goodbye. England still needed 192 runs off 22 overs.With the long line-up, England would not have considered themselves out of it until Buttler inside-edged onto his pad to give Shamsi a return catch and Livingstone dragged Ngidi onto his stumps. Joe Root stood batter alone for most of the rest of the innings and his 53-run seventh-wicket stand with Curran just about kept things interesting before he deflected a Nortje back-of-a-length delivery onto his stumps to all but end the contest. Nortje took two more in the over and one at the end to finish with a four-for and bowl England out inside 47 overs.

Thomas Tuchel pointed out key areas where England need to improve despite win over Albania in his debut game in charge.

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Article continues below

• Tuchel analysed England's performance after win over Albania
• Pointed out key areas of improvement for his team
• England beat Albania 2-0 at Wembley

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Tuchel era got off to a flying start as England comfortably edged out Albania 2-0 in a World Cup qualifying game on Friday at Wembley. Arsenal sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly scored on his Three Lions debut and captain Harry Kane doubled the team's lead in the second half to seal an important win.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite a dream start to his journey with England, Tuchel pointed out some key areas where his team still need to improve. The German coach did face some criticism from fans on social media, who claimed that the Three Lions played more entertaining football under former manager Gareth Southgate.

• WHAT THOMAS TUCHEL SAID

  Speaking to reporters after the game, the German said: "We wanted to increase the rhythm and the risk a little bit in the second half. [We] had even one player more in the offensive line, but I felt us not disciplined enough in the structure anymore and we tried a little bit too much alone and we tried a little bit too much out of position and slowed our game down. We were not so well organised to control the counterattacks. Later with the second goal, the game was over and we could see it out."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Tuchel's side will be back in action on Monday again as they host Latvia in their second World Cup qualifying game.

Tottenham Hotspur were a hard team to predict last season, as in one game, they could be sensational and blow their opponents away, whereas, in the next, they could be blown away themselves.

Unfortunately for Ange Postecoglou, that seems to be just as true for this season, as his side has beaten the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Aston Villa but lost to Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Galatasaray.

However, while there are certainly issues with the North Londoners this season, they’re scoring goals, as their 23 in 11 games is the most out of anyone in the Premier League.

Even Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min have chipped in, although both are being outscored by a former academy gem who left just before Ange started.

Kulusevski & Son's season so far

It’s been a particularly interesting campaign for Kulsevski this season, as after a somewhat underwhelming one out on the wing last year, Postecoglou opted to move him into a midfield role on a more permanent basis, where he’s thrived.

In his 17 appearances so far, the “world-class” Swede, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored twice and provided five assists, and of those seven goal involvements, six of them have come with him in the middle of the park.

On the other hand, it’s been a slightly more frustrating campaign for Son so far, as injury and fitness issues have limited him to just 11 appearances.

However, when he’s been on the pitch, he has been deceivingly effective, and by this, we mean that while some of the sharpness and quick movements he was known for in the past have somewhat disappeared, he’s still scored three goals and provided three assists.

This means that despite declining all-round play, the South Korean superstar is still averaging a goal involvement every 1.83 games, which is remarkable.

With that said, both stars are being outscored by a former academy gem who left the club last year.

Spurs' former Academy gem enjoying a stellar campaign

So, the former academy gem in question is 21-year-old Romaine Mundle.

The Edmonton-born winger came up through Spurs’ youth system and was even named in the first-team squad a few times between 2021 and 2023.

However, upon refusing to sign a new deal in 2023, he left the club to join Belgian outfit Standard Liège a few days before Postecoglou officially took charge of the club.

Unfortunately for the talented winger, he did not get many chances with the first team in Belgium, so he joined Sunderland on a four-and-a-half-year deal in February of this year.

His first half-season with the Black Cats wasn’t ideal either, as in 11 games he scored just a single goal and failed to provide any assists, which left some feeling like he might not be of the level required to play in the Championship.

However, with half a year under his belt, this season has been a different story entirely as, in 16 appearances, the 21-year-old winger, whom journalist Josh Bunting described as having “bags of talent,” has scored four goals and provided two assists, meaning he’s averaging a goal involvement every 2.66 games.

Moreover, according to Transfermarkt, his value has also skyrocketed from €300k – £250k – just before he left Tottenham to €2m – £1.6m – today, which is not bad at all.

Ultimately, leaving Spurs when he did was probably the best thing Mundle could have done, as he’s now finally showing just what he can do at a big club and in a challenging league, although it would have been interesting to see how he’d have got on under Postecoglou.

Tottenham have an unseen teenage sensation who's "just like" Mikey Moore

He’s yet to make a first team appearance.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 21, 2024