England play one intriguing Test against Smith and another rather different one against the rest of Australia

Daniel Brettig at Edgbaston03-Aug-20190:41

Pattinson happy with Australia’s day 3

“Bradman versus England” was a famous newspaper banner at the height of The Don’s hegemony. Fifty or so years later, Graham Gooch described batting against New Zealand when Sir Richard Hadlee was at his peak as “World XI at one end and Ilford 2nd XI at the other”.Both statements came to mind over the first three days of the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston, as England played one intriguing Test match against Steven Smith and another rather different one against the rest of Australia. Thus far, Smith has 190 runs for once out, while the remainder of his team have 224 for 13.Steve Smith drives through the leg side•Getty ImagesThere was a reminder, too, of how Smith’s runs project his authority, as he took an evermore visible role in marshalling Australia’s fielders over the formal authority of Tim Paine and his deputies Travis Head and Pat Cummins. This was not an entirely successful exercise, as England wriggled from 300 for 8 to 374 all out and a potentially match-winning advantage, as the leadership coalition hesitated to do the perennially obvious thing to remove Stuart Broad and bounce him until he had survived near enough to 60 balls. James Pattinson later explained that this episode had been a combination of the pitch’s vagaries and team management’s instructions not to over-attack.”It was just how short we went. I think Patty Cummins was saying he felt like the ball was almost hitting him on the toe, that’s how short he had to bowl to get it up,” Pattinson said. “So I think we were trying to do it earlier, the ball wasn’t getting up, and then once we figured out we had to bowl a little bit shorter and almost hit you in the toe, it probably paid off. That’s something we can look at doing earlier in his innings when he comes out.”Before that we had a message to try and bowl to the tail as we would to the top order, I think over here sometimes we’ve attacked too much. Broad and those type of people have scored quite quickly and taken the game away from us a little bit. They put on a good partnership but they batted quite a while as well, so we managed to stem the flow of runs but they did put on a good partnership, but I think that was the key thing for our innings.”Save for that, and the crowd-pleasing boundary exchanges between David Warner and the abundantly costumed gathering in the Hollies Stand that included the opener turning out his pockets to prove he had no sandpaper on him, the day’s most critical passages did not take place until Australia went in to bat a second time. In conditions still comfortable but under plenty of pressure from the scoreboard, the crowd and England’s admittedly weakened bowling attack.Broad, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes all showed an ability to drop swiftly onto the ideal lengths to pose questions, of a nature that were swiftly proven to be too much for Warner or Cameron Bancroft for the second time in the match. Warner, having made a conscious effort to slow his tempo, has seldom been dismissed in the manner he was – edging through to Jonny Bairstow when trying to leave Broad – and was left with some thinking to do about how he might best have an impact on the series.

“We’ve got to find a way to get him out”Chris Woakes on Steve Smith

Something that Warner has generally been able to be relied upon over his Test career is to make a score of some sort in at least one of every two Test innings, and this match was among his top three least productive against all comers, and his quietest ever against England. Whether the taunts of the crowd had an effect on Warner only he can say, but the passivity of his approach over the first two innings of the series helped allow England a toehold.At the other end, Bancroft has offered a handful of shots that show how he has honed his game for Durham, but at the same time he has still demonstrated technical foibles that make him a reasonably susceptible target for England’s seamers. On day one he showed good judgment of his off stump but only up to the point he fenced and edged to slip, and on day three, Bancroft was left in limbo on the crease by Moeen, very nearly bowled by an off break that turned and then bunting to short leg another that did not. Having won such a tight race to partner Warner, Bancroft finds himself under immediate pressure for his place.That wicket brought Smith to the middle, and it was a familiar sensation from many of his innings in recent Australian summers that it felt less like a new start than a continuation of his day-one masterpiece, albeit in conditions that had now eased. Confronted by leg slips or gullies, and also a very short mid on to Moeen, Smith used the depth and width of his crease with precision, finding gaps repeatedly on the leg side and then stretching out to cover drive if anyone drifted wide. A blow to the helmet by Stokes late in the day forced a visit by the team doctor Richard Saw and an extremely GIF-able reaction from Smith, but it was just about the only time he looked ill-at-ease. Woakes was happy to concede the problem he presented to England.Steve Smith reacts after being struck on the helmet by a Ben Stokes delivery•Getty Images”We’ve got to find a way to get him out,” Woakes said. “On this surface in particular it’s hard to force the issue as a bowler, a lot of the pace has gone out of the pitch so you almost have to build pressure, find ways to build pressure and attack at one end and hold at the other, and almost try to build pressure to make sure the batsman makes a mistake. But Steve doesn’t make too many mistakes so we’ve got to find a way.”The thought behind that is he hits the ball there quite a bit. He’s very strong off his legs, we’ve set a leg side field a few times and obviously had catchers in the areas [leg slip and leg gully]. He’s a good player at manipulating the field as well, it’s a credit to him but it didn’t affect my length in any way. I actually thought the first innings I was reasonably pleased with how I bowled at him, obviously I didn’t get him out, but he didn’t hurt me too much.”Steve’s a very good player, and don’t get me wrong, we’re trying to get him out as well, but whenever you get a new player at the crease you try to attack them as much as possible. That’s when you’re most vulnerable as a player, when you first get to the crease. In the first innings was saw a lot of pressure at the other end and put pressure on the other batters. We’ll try to do that again, but at the same time we’ll certainly be looking to get Steve out if we can, because we saw how destructive he was at the back end of the first innings.”Perhaps the most promising element of the day for Australia, aside from Smith’s continuing genius, was how Usman Khawaja and Travis Head eased their ways into the series. Neither had looked completely at sea on day one before being removed by balls that seamed, and Khawaja in particular played with rare fluency belying the slowness of the pitch. His drives and flicks meant that Australia set a strong pace in the third innings to ensure they would be in the lead by the close, even if he was to be defeated by a perfectly pitched effort ball in Stokes’ first over.Head, meanwhile, showed both tightness in defence and busyness in attack, turning the strike over and finding the boundary with a pair of cut shots at Joe Root that helped prevent England from building up too dry a sequence in the final half an hour of play. Smith’s domination should, in theory, allow others to prosper in his slipstream, but there will need to be more runs found among the rest of Australia’s top six if full advantage is to be taken of an England side now lacking James Anderson.Either way, the growing influence of Smith could be seen both with the bat and in the field, though Pattinson was eager to argue that there had been plenty of other players offering advice to Paine. “We’ve got a lot of experienced players in the team now, not just Steve,” he said. “There’s obviously Pat Cummins, who has played a lot of cricket. Sidds has played over 60 Test matches, so obviously with Painey he likes to get feedback off a lot of different people. That’s the way we’re going, we like to talk as a group and stuff like that. So I think everyone – with the experience in our team – we can talk about tactics and fields out on the ground. He’s really accepting of that.”What was completely clear by the end of day three was that Smith can be the difference in this series, just as he was in Australia two years ago, provided there is enough support available from the rest of the batting order. Neither Bradman for Australia, nor Hadlee for New Zealand, could have prospered fully without the assistance of others. For the 2019 tourists to end their Ashes drought in England, Smith will have to be the focal point of a combined operation.

The West Indies captain was particularly pleased with how youngsters had challenged a strong India side

Deivarayan Muthu in Mumbai12-Dec-20193:58

Pollard: ‘We have taken steps in the right direction’

After Rohit Sharma pulled left-arm fingerspinner Khary Pierre against the turn, the ball seemed destined to soar over the midwicket boundary. Until Evin Lewis’ athletic intervention. Lewis literally plucked out the ball out of thin air with his right hand, but lost his balance and tumbled over the boundary. But, before that, he had the presence of mind to toss the ball back into play. His captain Kieron Pollard was so impressed that he sprinted all the way from the infield to deep midwicket to congratulate Lewis for his outstanding piece of fielding.Soon after, though, Lewis injured his right knee and was stretchered off the field. He was later sent to the hospital for scans and didn’t bat in West Indies’ chase of 241. Pollard, though, led West Indies’ fight with a 39-ball 68, which included some trademark, towering sixes, while Shimron Hetmyer pitched in with 41 off 24 balls.West Indies eventually lost by 67 runs, after which headline-hungry reporters questioned Pollard on what went wrong for them at the post-match press conference. While Pollard put the defeat in the decider down to the execution – or the lack of it – he was particularly pleased with how West Indies’ youngsters had dug deep into their reserves and challenged a strong India side at various points during the T20I series.Pollard was even asked if a revamped West Indies ODI side might find it difficult to pick themselves up after conceding the T20I series. He swatted all of those questions – and doubts – aside and urged the youngsters to learn the lessons from the T20Is and perform better in the ODIs.”Not difficult [to pick ourselves up]. Again, there is [are] a lot of positives coming out of this series,” Pollard said. “You’re talking about it being difficult and I’m talking about positivity. But, no, it’s a different format altogether and a couple of different guys – six guys I think – coming in who have been here since the start of November, I think. So, they’ve been working hard to get an opportunity to see how the Indian team goes about things and hopefully we can plan and execute it better.”It’s not going to be difficult at all – we’ve brought the series into a final game here, which I’m sure a lot of you guys didn’t think it wouldn’t happen, if I’m being honest. But, it has happened for us, which means guys are doing the right thing and we’re going to continue our way how we prepare.”Kesrick Williams appeals•AFPAmong the major positives for West Indies has been Kesrick Williams, who has carried his CPL 2019 form into the T20Is against India. On Wednesday evening, even as the rest of the West Indies bowlers travelled for runs, Williams held his own with his deceptive cutters and variations in length.Williams was the only bowler to pin down Virat Kohli, giving up just nine runs off seven balls to the India captain. All of this, after he had leaked 14 runs off his first three balls. Williams ended with 1 for 37 in his four overs, the most economical figures by a West Indies bowler in the decider.Pollard, who has also captained Williams at St Lucia in the CPL, was happy with how the seamer hit back after opener KL Rahul had taken him on. Legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr. also did well in patches, returning 0 for 38 in his four overs on a flat track.ALSO READ: A wrong’un and an identity of his own for Walsh Jr.“You see his stats in T20 cricket, it’s up there in terms of being able to do well,” Pollard said of Williams. “Again, it’s a positive for us. And him bouncing back after that first game as well and coming and showing his mettle I think that was well done. There’s still room for improvement for him and each and every one of us. But again, yes, that’s a positive he can take out of this series.”Even young Walshy. He bowled very well in the last couple of games. I think it was a very good track here and a couple of bad balls and you are going to get that. He’s finding his feet now in international cricket. All in all, yes we lost 2-1, but I thought the guys stood up for themselves this series and that was very, very well done in that aspect.”Pollard also said the IPL auction, which will be held next week, hasn’t been a distraction for West Indies’ stars from the CPL. Walsh Jr., the top wicket-taker in CPL 2019, had echoed Pollard’s comments after playing his part in West Indies’ series-levelling triumph in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.”To be honest you guys will be thinking more about the IPL more than our guys would have in the dressing room,” Pollard said. “You can’t control whether you are selected or not. I have seen a guy score a hundred against India and not get picked in the IPL either. So, again, one score gets you in and one doesn’t get you in.”One of the conversations was control what you can control: that is, go out and learn this series and the rest takes care of itself. How many franchises are there, eight? The owners will decide what they want to do at the end of the day.”

The team is filled with potent bowling options as they head towards next year’s T20 World Cup

Deivarayan Muthu in Hyderabad05-Dec-20194:18

KL Rahul’s best chance to cement opening spot?

India have shaken up their bowling attack for the three-match T20I series against West Indies. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is fit again while Mohammed Shami is looking to return to T20I cricket after more than two years. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, the wristspinners, will reunite for the first time since the 50-over World Cup earlier this year. Plus, there are a couple of fingerspinners – Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – in the mix as well. Who among them will make the XI in Hyderabad?A toss-up between Bhuvneshwar and Shami?
Back in September, India captain Virat Kohli had said that Bhuvneshwar along with Jasprit Bumrah would be the first-choice seam-bowling options for the T20 World Cup next year in Australia.”It will be interesting to see who along with them [Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah] makes the composition of the team,” Kohli said. Since then, Deepak Chahar has moved up the pecking order so swiftly that he may well have locked in his spot for the trip to Australia.With Bhuvneshwar back after injury and Shami forcing his way into white-ball contention, India seem well stocked to deal with even the most explosive batting line-ups.ALSO READ: Who will make the cut for India’s T20 World Cup squad?Over the last three IPLs, Bhuvneshwar has been the second-most economical (9.45 rpo) Indian bowler – behind Bumrah – in the final four overs of an innings. And this is across 53.5 overs in which he has also taken 29 wickets.India became a far more attacking bowling side in ODIs after they replaced their fingerspinners with wristspinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav two years ago•Associated PressSince IPL 2018, Shami has bowled 15 yorkers at the death, conceding just 16 runs while taking three wickets. Only Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer has dismissed more batsmen (five) hitting that length in the final stages of a game.”It’s not that big an issue for us,” Kohli said of the possible toss-up between Shami and Bhuvneshwar. “Shami is coming back in. He’s bowling really really well. So we feel that if he gets into a rhythm and he specifically works on what’s required in T20 cricket, then he will be very, very useful in a place like Australia as well, especially with his ability to pick wickets with the new ball. And he has enough pace to execute yorkers.””So yeah, it’s a good position to be in because everyone is bowling really well and the fight honestly is for one spot. I think more or less three guys have made a place for themselves already. It’s going to be healthy competition and interesting to see how it pans out.”A tale of two fingerspinners and two wristspinners
Since his T20 debut in April 2017, Washington has been among the most economical spinners in the Powerplay, conceding just 6.77 runs while taking 14 wickets in the first six overs.Then, there’s the other fingerspinner Jadeja, who has slotted back in place of Krunal Pandya. While Jadeja has raised his batting to a new plane, he hasn’t been a T20 regular for India, having played just five matches since the start of 2017.ALSO READ: ‘Powerplay bowling is tough but it has excited me,’ says Washington SundarHello again, Chahal and Kuldeep. They haven’t played a game together since they were thrashed by Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow at Edgbaston. Chahal, though, made an excellent comeback against Bangladesh – without ever going away – and even showed the skill and tact to bowl at the death. Given the bowling riches India now possess, there might be a lot of pressure on Kuldeep as he tries to break into the XI again. The 24-year old endured a torrid IPL in April, where he managed only four wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 8.66 before being dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders XI.Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a bit in the indoor nets•AFPStill there remains an argument for #KulCha to stay in the XI. West Indies’ batsmen tend to struggle against wristspin and Kohli also reasoned that, at the World Cup in Australia, they could toss it up as much as they like because the grounds are larger and hitting them for sixes would be tougher.”Having two wristspinners is a big advantage when you will playing in Australia on big fields,” he said. “There might be some games where both might play together but in T20 cricket, as I mentioned, it’s all about balance.”Predominantly we see one guy [wristspinner] playing with Jadeja and Washi [Washington] because it gives us all kinds of variety in the bowling attack – along with the two seamers and the allrounder, the seaming allrounder.”You need to have six bowling options in T20 cricket, that’s the basic rule. You can’t go in with five expecting everyone to bowl four good overs. It gets very difficult as a team after a while. I think that is the balance that we need to create.”India have bowlers of every variety in their squad – barring a left-arm quick – and that is priceless as the team gets ready for the main event down under in October.”T20 cricket is all about being flexible,” Kohli said. “In where people bowl, where people bat. There won’t be a set pattern. The combination or the XI might be similar but there won’t be a set pattern as to ‘this is how we’re going to go’. We have to be unpredictable.”

A look back at the big talking points from the series gone by

Deivarayan Muthu in Cuttack23-Dec-2019Kieron Pollard’s West Indies dug deep into their reserves to stretch India, but were unable to win both the T20I and ODI deciders. That the young West Indian hopefuls gave a good account of themselves bodes well for the side’s immediate future.India too were encouraged by contributions from their younger players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur. These in addition to the performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli completed what Kohli termed “one of the most successful years”. Here’s a look back at the major talking points from the tour.Jadeja + one wristspinner > two wristspinners?
India picked both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in their squad for the first time since the 2019 World Cup. However, they didn’t field the ‘KulCha’ combination for the want of batting depth. And so, Ravindra Jadeja got the nod ahead of Chahal in all three ODIs. On his part, Jadeja repaid the faith with an unflappable unbeaten 31-ball 39 to help tip a tense ODI decider in India’s favour.In all, Jadeja featured in five of the six games against West Indies, pitching in with bat, ball, and the field. Even when he wasn’t in the XI – like in the T20I decider in Mumbai – he still left his mark by plucking two catches, including that of Pollard.BCCIWest Indies provide a glimpse into their batting future
At the World Cup, West Indies went on a boundary-hitting spree. But the madness resulted in collapses leading to defeats. In India, they found two anchormen in Shai Hope and Roston Chase who lent a method to the madness. They batted around their big-hitters to take the innings deep.Pollard even spoke about this in Visakhapatnam. “You’ve got to build a foundation first. You can’t build the top part of the house and then look to build the bottom. We’ve identified Shai [Hope] as the guy to lay the foundation for us.”In Cuttack, West Indies bumped up Chase to No.3 to join Hope at the top, and although they both couldn’t convert starts, they set the scene for a late assault from Pollard and Nicholas Pooran. With Shimron Hetmyer returning to form, Pooran extending his rich form, and Pollard sussing out conditions and situations smartly, West Indies’ batting is in the pink of health.Should West Indies re-think their bowling combination?
Their bowling was patchy at best. Sheldon Cottrell impressed with his variations, as did Keemo Paul, but the rest of the attack didn’t quite have a Plan B, especially on flat tracks.Jason Holder wasn’t accurate enough and on a placid Mumbai surface in the T20I decider, he conceded 54 in four overs. In hindsight, you have to wonder if West Indies may have been better off playing Paul because of his variations.The spinners Hayden Walsh Jr. and Khary Pierre bowled some tidy spells in the shortest format, but couldn’t make much of an impact in the ODIs. Chase too proved ineffective with his offspin in the 50-over format. These are still early days yet for the CPL stars – Pierre and Walsh Jr. – but they need to do more to show they can be a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs.BCCIIndia need to step up in the field
India dropped as many as 21 catches in the six games across formats. KL Rahul felt the low floodlights in Hyderabad made catching tricky, but the lapses weren’t restricted to Uppal alone. Kohli was critical of the multiple reprieves after India slid to defeat in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram, with Lendl Simmons, who had been dropped on 6, making a bruising match-winning unbeaten 67.Iyer settles into the middle order
After making two fifties from No. 5 in the Caribbean, Shreyas Iyer enhanced his reputation as a middle-order bat with with back-to-back half-centuries in the ODIs. While the one in Chennai was built on a sluggish track, he hit the high notes quickly in a must-win game in Visakhapatnam. After being on a run-a-ball 20 at one point, he clobbered 33 off his next 12 balls.”I think it [the No.4 slot] was more of an issue that it was,” Kohli told . “If the No. 4 doesn’t get to bat consistently for you, there’s no real reason behind someone not doing well. I think Shreyas [Iyer] got an opportunity in the last four-five games, and he’s got four fifties in a row. So, he has grabbed his chances and has performed well.”

Celtic’s pursuit of a sixth treble in just nine seasons continues under Brendan Rodgers.

Last Saturday, the Hoops swatted aside Hearts 3-0 at Parkhead; Daizen Maeda scoring a brace, with Jota on target in-between.

This leaves Rodgers’ side 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership, looking to move three points closer to the title when they visit McDiarmid Park on Sunday.

Having also reached the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in 12 years, they’ve certainly had an excellent season, but would this team be even stronger had they been able to keep hold of their “exciting” homegrown talent, a player now similar to Arne Engels?

How Arne Engels' first season at Celtic has played out

A few eyebrows were raised when Celtic broke their club-record transfer fee to sign Arne Engels from Augsburg on deadline day last summer, paying a reported £11m.

So far this season, the 21-year-old has scored ten goals and provided 12 assists across all competitions, becoming a full Belgian international too, debuting for the Red Devils against Israel in the UEFA Nations League back in September.

Graeme McGarry of the Herland believes the midfielder has ‘huge potential’, while Rodgers hails him as a “young player of real quality”, even if he has, at times struggled to live up to his hefty price tag.

So, could Celtic have saved themselves that £11m by keeping hold of a homegrown talent?

What happened to Celtic's academy superstar

Rocco Vata, son of former Celtic defender Rudi Vata, joined the club’s academy at the age of seven, impressing at youth level, featuring in the Lowland League, SPFL Trust Trophy and UEFA Youth League.

He made his senior debut for the club at Easter Road against Hibernian in December 2022, before scoring his one and only goal for the club during a 5-0 demolition of Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup in January last year.

However, a few months later, following the expiration of his contract, Vata did not renew, instead signing for Watford, with the Hornets paying a £237k compensation fee.

Well, still only 19-years-old, his performances in the EFL Championship have certainly garnered some attention, including from Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, who believes he has ‘an exciting future ahead’.

Meantime, Conor McEvoy of the Irish Times describes him as ‘electric’, adding that he has been Watford’s ‘most threatening attacking player’ for much of this season, with Tom Cleverley’s team currently ninth in England’s second-tier.

According to Transfermarkt, his value has skyrocketed up to £1m, almost five times what the Hornets paid for him.

This form actually saw Vata earn his first-ever senior cap for the Republic of Ireland last week.

He was introduced by Heimir Hallgrímsson as a second-half substitute against Bulgaria in Plovdiv, choosing to represent the Boys in Green, despite also being eligible for Scotland, Montenegro and Albania; his father won 58 caps for the latter.

So, let’s see how Engels and Vata compare?

Appearances

44

26

Minutes

2,734

1,192

Goals

10

4

Assists

12

3

Chances created

45

10

% of shots on target

44.74%

42.11%

Passing accuracy %

84.79%

72.41

Ball recoveries

73

30

Touches in opposition area

81

58

Touches per 90

48.98

44.25

The table outlines that, right now, Engles is a better midfielder, considering he comes out on top for all the attacking and passing metrics included.

Nevertheless, Vata has only played a little over 1,000 Championship minutes since making the move down south, and is still only a teenager, two years younger than the Belgian.

Also, the table emphasises that, stylistically, the two players are very similar. That can be seen more closely when you study Vata’s record in the Lowland League last season, scoring 12 times in 15 games, proving they both have a knack for finding the back of the net.

Indeed, the youngster found the net 12 times in 15 games during the 2023/24 Lowland League season.

That underlines the point that Celtic would have been better off, certainly in the long run, had they been able to convince the young Irishman to stay.

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

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

ByDan Emery Apr 1, 2025

The last five years at Tottenham Hotspur have been characterised by one thing: change.

The North Londoners have fired three permanent managers since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked, and with how things have gone this season, Ange Postecoglou could be the next.

On top of that, the team has undergone a massive overhaul, with all-time top goalscorer and England captain Harry Kane sold to Bayern Munich in 2023.

Mauricio Pochettino

July 2014

November 2019

Jose Mourinho

November 2019

April 2021

Nuno Espiriot Santo

July 2021

November 2021

Antonio Conte

November 2021

March 2023

Ange Postecoglou

July 2023

TBC

In fact, one of the last remaining stars from Pochettino’s team is Son Heung-min, and even then, it feels like just a matter of time before he is moved on as well, so it’s a good thing Hotspur Way might just be about to produce the perfect replacement.

Son's recent form

So, it’s important to first recognise that, with a total haul of 173 goals and 93 assists in 450 games for the North Londoners, Son is both a legend of the club and, arguably, the Premier League as well.

However, he’s going to be 33 years old at the start of next season, and while he’s still a useful player, he’s not as devastatingly effective as he once was, which is hardly surprising, as according to research from The Athletic, wingers hit their peak at 26 and become significantly less effective in 1-on-1 situations when they hit 30.

It sounds harsh, but when looking at this season compared to the campaign in which he turned 30, the 21/22 season, it’s clear that he’s taken a step back.

For example, in that campaign, he scored 24 goals and provided eight assists in 45 games, totalling 3526 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.40 games, or every 110.18 minutes.

In contrast, he has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists in 42 appearances, totalling 2981 minutes this year, which works out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.82 games, or every 129.60 minutes.

Appearances

45

42

Minutes

3526′

2981′

Goals

24

11

Assists

8

12

G+A per Match

0.71

0.54

Minutes per G+As

110.18′

129.60′

On top of that, according to FBref, he has fallen from the top 1% of attacking midfielders in the Premier League for non-penalty goals in the 21/22 season to just the top 32% this season.

In short, Son remains a player who could undoubtedly contribute for the next couple of years, but he is someone who will need to be replaced, and luckily, Hotspur Way may be in the process of brewing the perfect player.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Spurs' future Son replacement

So, while a number of you may be thinking of Mikey Moore, and understandably so, we are talking about an academy gem who’s yet to even make a first-team appearance: Lucá Williams-Barnett.

Now, for those who are aware of the superstar in the making, you might be confused about how an attacking midfielder could be the answer to Son’s eventual departure, but therein lies one of the 17-year-old’s big strengths: his versatility.

During his time at Hotspur Way, the tremendously exciting prospect has played in a number of positions, including central and attacking midfield, left midfield, centre-forward and, of course, on both wings, leading academy expert John Wenham to describe him as a “cheat-code.”

However, it’s not just his positional versatility that should excite fans and see him included in first-team games next season, but his sensational output.

For example, in 17 appearances this season, totalling 1375 minutes, the teenage phenomenon, whom analyst Ben Mattinson described as someone “to keep an eye on”, has already amassed a frankly absurd haul of 18 goals and nine assists.

Appearances

17

Starts

16

Minutes

1375′

Goals

18

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

1.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

50.92′

Incredibly, that means the Luton-born dynamo is averaging 1.58 goal involvements every game, or one every 50.92 minutes.

Ultimately, it’s too soon to expect Williams-Barnett to come into the first team and replicate his sensational youth form right away, but in the coming years, as Son is increasingly phased out of the team, we do not doubt that the teenager will get his chance and prove his worth.

Ange could soon unleash a "freak" Romero replacement at Spurs

The sensational teenager could be a game-changer for Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 8, 2025

Celtic are currently 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with six matches left to play before the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Brendan Rodgers’s side are on course to win the top-flight title for the fourth successive year, since the old enemy won it in the 2020/21 season, but it has not been a perfect season by any stretch at Parkhead.

The Hoops have already lost more games (four) than they did in the entirety of the 2023/24 Premiership term, with their most recent defeat coming against St. Johnstone last weekend.

Celtic have lost two of their last three matches, having lost 3-2 to Rangers before the international break, and that is something Rodgers will be concerned about heading into the summer.

The Hoops boss will not want it to become a habit heading into next season and, so, will be looking at what has gone wrong in recent games to make adjustments and improve the team.

What went wrong in Celtic's loss to St. Johnstone

There were several reasons why the Premiership leaders ended up on the wrong side of a result against the team rooted to the bottom of the table last weekend.

One of them was that Auston Trusty, who came in to replace Maik Nawrocki, gave away a cheap free-kick that presented the home side with a chance to put pressure on the goal, resulting in a header that made it 1-0.

That gave the Saints something to hold on to and they did exactly that for the rest of the match as they sat deep and defended the box for their lives, needing their goalkeeper to make nine saves in total.

Celtic were unable to break them down to get the equaliser, and a subsequent winner, because they did not offer enough quality in the final third, due to their top performers failing to step up.

Celtic’s starting front three vs St. Johnstone

Stats

Jota

Daizen Maeda

Nicolas Kuhn

Minutes

76

61

45

Goals + assists

0

0

0

Shots on target

1

2

0

Key passes

2

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

0

Pass accuracy

76%

73%

72%

Duels won

7/11

2/6

3/10

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the front three that Rodgers selected to the start did not do enough at the top end of the pitch, with zero ‘big chances’ created combined.

Nicolas Kuhn, in particular, struggled as the German forward delivered zero shots on target, one key pass, and lost 70% of his duels in the first half before being withdrawn from the action at the break.

It has been a frustrating time for the 25-year-old attacker, whose form has dipped from his early season heroics, and Rodgers may be thinking of ways to get the left-footed whiz back to his best.

Nicolas Kuhn's recent struggles for Celtic

After the defeat to St. Johnstone, Kuhn has now been substituted at half-time in two of the last three matches, having also been hooked at the break in the loss to Rangers.

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The German winger has only scored one goal in his last ten appearances in the Premiership and has been substituted by the 72nd minute in all five of his most recent starts in the division, which suggests that Rodgers has not been overly pleased with what the forward has produced on the pitch.

Kuhn had scored nine goals in his first 17 outings in the Scottish top-flight, which shows that there has been a clear drop-off in his output in the final third from the right wing.

The former Bayern Munich and Ajax youngster was the star of the show for the Hoops in the first half of the season, as evidenced by his exceptional goal return, but he now needs to find a way to reignite that flame.

Whilst there are things Kuhn could do to get back to his best, like delivering more quality in his actions at the top end of the pitch from the right flank, there is also something that Rodgers could do to put the forward on the right track.

Why Celtic must play Nicolas Kuhn in a new role

36 of the 25-year-old star’s 37 starts in all competitions this season have been on the right flank and the Hoops manager could brilliantly revive the winger’s form by unleashing him in a brand new role for the club.

The ex-Rapid Vienna star has never played in a central position for Celtic but he has played as a centre-forward at previous clubs, scoring an eye-catching 29 goals in 43 matches in his career in that role.

Kuhn is currently struggling for goals, making little impact at the top end of the pitch, and a spell in the team as a striker could help him to rebuild his confidence, before going back out to the wing.

With the league all-but-secured – 13 points clear with six games to go – Rodgers can afford to experiment and try new things with the team, which is why unleashing the German in a brand new role could be worth trying.

Nicolas Kuhn (24/25)

Premiership

Champions League

Appearances

27

10

xG

9.59

2.09

xG per 90

0.53

0.24

Goals

10

3

Big chances created

10

5

Assists

8

1

Stats via WhoScored & Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic star has outperformed his xG in both the Premiership and the Champions League this season, which speaks to his ability to efficiently finish chances that come his way.

This suggests that the potential may be there for him to be an effective centre-forward with the team creating chances for him in central positions, rather than him needing to create openings for himself by coming in off the right flank.

The Celtic star, as shown in the clip above, is capable of providing exceptional finishes and Rodgers must, now, offer him the chance to showcase his finishing quality as a centre-forward in one of the team’s upcoming matches, in an attempt to help him get back to his goalscoring best for the Scottish giants.

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Leeds United dropped out of the automatic promotion places in the Championship after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

The Whites found themselves 1-0 down early on in the game when Isaiah Jones was left completely unmarked to volley into the back of the net from close range.

Dan James equalised for the away side with a sublime left-footed strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box before half-time, but the West Yorkshire outfit were unable to push on for a winning goal.

There were several players who let head coach Daniel Farke down with their performances on the pitch, and Wilfried Gnonto was one of those flops.

Why Wilfried Gnonto was ineffectual against Luton Town

The Italy U21 international was selected to play in the number ten position ahead of Brenden Aaronson, who scored against Swansea last time out, and failed to justify the manager’s call.

Gnonto played the opening 63 minutes of the match before Farke decided to withdraw him from the pitch to bring Patrick Bamford on, and failed to register a single shot on goal.

The 21-year-old attacker also failed to create a single chance for his teammates to find the back of the net, whilst completing just 13 passes in his 63 minutes.

He was ineffectual in the number ten role because Gnonto was unable to find pockets of space to cause damage in the final third, hence why he ended the game without a shot or a chance created.

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

There was a Leeds attacker, however, who was even worse than the Italian flop against Luton, as Joel Piroe put in a disappointing showing up front.

Why Leeds should drop Joel Piroe

Farke must ruthlessly ditch the Dutch centre-forward from the starting line-up when the Whites return to action against Middlesbrough in the Championship on Tuesday night.

Piroe started the game as the lone number nine ahead of Gnonto and let his team down with a weak display against the Luton centre-backs, who dominated him with ease throughout the game.

Whilst Gnonto, at least, won four of his eight duels, the former Swansea striker lost a whopping seven of his eight ground duels and all eight of his aerial contests during his 79 minutes on the pitch, which shows that it was far too easy for the Hatters to bully him out of the match.

Minutes

79

Shots

0

Key passes

0

Dribbles completed

0/3

Ground duels won

1/8

Aerial duels won

0/8

As you can see in the table above, like the Italian attacking midfield, Piroe also failed to register a single shot or key pass to trouble the Luton goal, to go along with his woeful play out of possession.

He was tackled in all three of his dribble attempts, further illustrating how ineffectual the forward was in the final third, and it was an easy afternoon for the Hatters centre-backs up against him.

The Dutch lightweight, who lost 94% of his physical duels, was as bad as Gnonto in possession, but even worse than him off the ball with his weak play.

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That is why Farke must, now, ruthlessly ditch him from the starting line-up for the clash with Middlesbrough next time out, because his performance against Luton was simply not good enough in any context.

Looking to put Edu Gaspar’s South American links to good use right away, Nottingham Forest have reportedly joined the race to sign the latest Brazilian wonderkid who’s been compared to Adriano.

Edu eyeing first Nottingham Forest targets

Joining Evangelos Marinakis at his portfolio of clubs which includes Nottingham Forest, former Arsenal sporting director Edu is seemingly looking to make his mark from the off. With Champions League qualification on the horizon too, the Brazilian is likely to be arriving at a time when those at the City Ground have more pull power than ever in the Premier League.

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Marinakis previously spoke about Edu’s qualities after he left Arsenal, telling reporters: “Edu was a very good player and also a very good sporting and technical director. I have a lot of respect for him. The results we saw over the years at Arsenal were very good and he has done an excellent job at Arsenal.

“What I can say is that I would like to cooperate with him on a much bigger project, a global project. I’m optimistic that in case all this goes ahead, it will be another successful venture for both of us. I’m very optimistic about it, but we need to see how this will be developed and will be finalised, if and when time allows.”

The Brazilian’s first reported targets at the club certainly reflect Forest’s current ambitions too, with the likes of Victor Osimhen and Darwin Nunez threatening to steal the headlines in recent weeks.

Osimhen would be a particularly impressive arrival, given his experience on Europe’s top stage and how he has dominated on loan at Galatasaray this season. Such a player deserves to be playing Champions League football and Forest could be in a position to offer exactly that this summer. Meanwhile, the same can be said for one particular future star.

Nottingham Forest join race to sign Rayan

What Edu can instantly put to good use is his South American links to help those in the Midlands win the race to sign a rising star. According to The Boot Room, Nottingham Forest are now racing to sign Rayan from Vasco da Gama this summer in what would see the 18-year-old complete his first transfer outside of Brazil.

The young winger is certainly one to watch, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Forest all forming a hectic Premier League race to secure his signature.

That interest should come as no surprise after football talent scout Jacek Kulig compared him to the legendary Adriano and South American football expert Nathan Joyes dubbed the teenager “gifted”.

Whether the rising star is a gift that Edu will be able to hand Nuno Espirito Santo this summer remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Rayan will be spoilt for choice when selecting his next move.