Tottenham Hotspur continued their confident start under Ange Postecoglou by dispatching a spirited Bournemouth on the south coast, and the Australian manager will be delighted by his side's collective fluidity and incisiveness.
How did Tottenham get on against Bournemouth?
While the Cherries started the affair with attacking intent, Spurs' control and newfound exuberance under the stewardship of Postecoglou shone through, and the away side emerged as deserved 2-0 victors.
James Maddison bundled in the opener after latching onto Pape Sarr's penetrating through-ball to score his first goal since joining the club from Leicester City in a £40m move this summer.
While Andoni Iraola's side threatened throughout, they could not bypass Guglielmo Vicario's goal, and it was new captain Son Heung-min and young full-back Destiny Udogie who combined to place the full-back into a dangerous position, where his cut-back allowed Dejan Kulusevski to drive home his first of the season.
How did Udogie play against Bournemouth?
Whilst Maddison dazzled with his performance, Udogie's start to life on English soil will have emboldened his manager, with the 20-year-old impressing as the Lilywhites gather steam.
The defender spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Udinese after signing for Spurs in an initial £15m deal the summer before.
As per Sofascore, Maddison recorded a joint match-best rating (alongside Son) of 8.0, complementing his maiden strike for the club with a 91% pass completion rate, making one key pass, winning seven of his 13 ground duels and succeeding with both of his attempted dribbles.
Hailed for his "creativity and zest" by Henry Winter, Maddison looks a real livewire in the Spurs centre and the fulcrum of their attacking efforts, but it is the collective enhancement of this Tottenham team – which last year languished to an eighth-placed finish – that will have the supporters so excited, and Udogie is emblematic of his improvement.
While Udogie was withdrawn at the 82-minute mark with a suspected injury, the 6 foot 2 dynamo was described as "brilliant" for his role in Tottenham's second strike by Charlie Eccleshare.
He would record an impressive match rating of 7.2, and while his assist caught the eye, the eight-cap Italy U21 star made three clearances and completed 89% of his passes, touching the ball 58 times.
Football.london's Rob Guest handed Udogie a match rating of 8/10, with the journalist saying: "Looked to attack at every opportunity and also played his part with some very good defending up against Antoine Semenyo.
"Showcased his best qualities for the second goal with a lovely run and link-up with Son Heung-min before picking out Dejan Kulusevski."
Despite his young age, Udogie boasts a wealth of skills that leave him tailor-made for Postecoglou's system, ranking among the top 17% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for pass completion and the top 7% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
The 2023/24 campaign is still in its embryonic stages, but Udogie and Tottenham are tantalising a successful year, and against Bournemouth, he showcased why he must be a regular name on the teamsheet for his side.
West Ham United could still sign AC Milan and former Liverpool striker Divock Origi before the 11pm cut off, as per talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.
Will West Ham make a deadline day signing?
David Moyes's side, after selling star midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal for around £105 million, have arguably put that cash to good use this summer window overall.
West Ham have sealed deals for Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Konstantinos Mavropanos and, perhaps most notably, Ghana star Mohammed Kudus from Ajax.
Kudus joined in a deal worth £38 million and Moyes, speaking after his club signed the African, heaped praise on West Ham's late-window capture.
“I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring Mohammed to West Ham United,” said the manager.
“He’s a terrific young talent, who has already shone at the very highest level for Ajax in the Champions League and made well over 150 senior appearances at the age of 23 – so it was no surprise to see so many top clubs chasing his signature this summer.
“The fact we’ve been able to attract a player of his undoubted quality to London Stadium shows the pull West Ham have now – the Board and Tim deserve huge credit for getting this one over the line.”
However, despite other areas of the squad now being shored up ahead of a long campaign, the departure of Gianluca Scamacca perhaps suggests another striker is needed.
Michail Antonio has started the new season in fine form – rolling back the years to his arguable best season with the club over 2020/2021.
West Ham's hectic fixture schedule comes as a real danger, though, as serious injuries to key squad members like Antonio are always a possibility with the games rolling thick and fast.
The Irons have been linked with a late for Hugo Ekitike of PSG but face a stern battle for his signature. Another option could be Origi, as explained by talkSPORT's Crook to GiveMeSport.
AC Milan's Divock Origi celebrates after the match.
The journalist says to "keep an eye" on Liverpool's former big-game player potentially making a switch to the London Stadium tonight.
“I've been told to keep an eye on Origi as well for West Ham," explained Crook.
"He turned down Burnley and I think they (West Ham) tried to sign him a year ago as well.”
How good is Divock Origi?
While the 28-year-old hasn't exactly set the world alight in Italy with Milan, Origi's past performances have earned the real admiration of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
The forward dazzled in some very key games under Klopp, especially in the Champions League, and his experience on the biggest stages could be invaluable.
Liverpool's head coach has also praised Origi's speed and physical attributes.
“He’s a positive person. He is talented, he shoots left and right, he is really quick, in the air – he is a monster. He is an interesting package,” Klopp said.
“His skillset is a special thing – he can come in and play brilliantly. The biggest game in our history against Barcelona in 2019, he started and he was incredible.
"In specific moments, Divock is absolutely outstanding and everybody was really happy on Saturday. It’s a nice story.”
Mennie has played one Test and two ODIs for Australia will bolster an attack that lost Kyle Jarvis and Ryan McLaren at the end of the 2017 season
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2018Lancashire have signed Australia pace bowler Joe Mennie as their overseas player for the majority of the 2018 season.Mennie, 29, who has played one Test and two ODIs for Australia, will bolster an attack that lost Kyle Jarvis and Ryan McLaren at the end of the 2017 season and play across all three formats although he won’t be available for the final three Championship matches in September.Mennie’s signature completes Lancashire’s off-season recruitment following the signings of Graham Onions and Keaton Jennings from Durham and Australia allrounder James Faulkner for the T20 Blast.”It was really important that we brought in a high-quality overseas player to the club who has good availability and this is exactly what we’ve got with Joe as he’ll be involved in all three competitions throughout the season,” Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple said.”It was vital that we bolstered our fast bowling ranks within the squad after the departures of Kyle Jarvis and Ryan McLaren at the end of last season. We have now done that with the signing of Joe and Graham who will complement our current group of home-grown fast bowlers.”Joe will add quality to our squad and we believe his bowling style will suit English pitches and conditions. We’ve heard only good things about his character and personality and we’re confident that he will slot straight into the changing room when he arrives.”Mennie’s one-off Test appearance was a tough affair against South Africa at Hobart in November 2016 when Australia were bundled out for 85 on their way to a series defeat. Mennie took one wicket, that of Temba Bavuma, before being one of the players cast aside by the significant changes which followed that heavy loss.However, he has 200 first-class wickets at 26.17 – including 51 at 21.21 in the 2016 season – often operating in the favourable batting conditions of his home ground of the Adelaide Oval.
Agrani Bank Cricket Club also fall short in tense chase against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, while Legends of Rupganj canter to first win of the competition
ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2018Alok Kapali topped the runs and wickets charts as Brothers Union picked up their second win of the 2017-18 Dhaka Premier League, beating Prime Bank Cricket Club by 24 runs at the BKSP-3 ground. Kapali first struck 79 to fire Brothers Union to 294 for 7, before ripping through the core of the opposition’s batting with three wickets.Solid contributions from their top three meant that Brothers Union had already enjoyed a solid start and were 101 for 2 when Kapali arrived. But he lost two partners in quick time as they moved to 149 for 4. He then consolidated in the company of Yasir Ali, the other half-centurion of the innings, by putting on 95 for the fifth wicket, off 84 balls. Kapali pillaged five fours and an equal number of sixes in his 67-ball knock before becoming medium-pacer Delwar Hossain’s first victim. But Yasir ensured the wicket didn’t hurt their end-overs acceleration as Brothers Union punched 50 runs in the remaining 33 balls after Kapali’s dismissal. Yasir stayed not out on 69 off 63 balls that came with the help of four fours and two sixes.Prime Bank put up a tough fight in the chase, with as many as three batsmen notching up half-centuries, but still fell short of their target. That was because outside the three half-centurions, there was hardly any contribution of note, barring Delwar, who struck 36 at No. 9. Zakir Hasan and Kunal Chandela both struck an even fifty each. Chandela was the second of the two to fall, and when he did, the duo had made 100 of their team’s 142 runs, with six wickets lost. That Prime Bank got close was down to Nahidul Islam, who triggered a late surge with his 88 at No. 7, and his ninth-wicket partnership of 107 with Delwar. Both batsmen fell off successive deliveries from the medium pacer Khaled Ahmed with Prime Bank requiring 35 more.It was another close chase at the BKSP-4 Ground, but the team defending their total again prevailed as Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat Agrani Bank Cricket Club by 28 runs.Solid contributions from their middle order laid Dhanmondi’s platform, before Tanbir Hayder kicked them to into overdrive with 71 off 48 balls. Hayder was dismissed off the last ball, having blasted five fours and three sixes, but not before he had powered his team to a match-winning 294 for 9. Shafiul Islam, the national team pacer, who carved up opener Pinak Ghosh off the match’s first ball, took three lower-order wickets in his final two overs to finish with 4 for 68.Agrani Bank’s top five got off to starts, but none of them got a big one, which hampered their chances. Shafiul once again came to the fore for his team, this time with the bat, and struck 44 at No. 9, but could not finish the job, becoming the last man dismissed as his team folded for 266. Dhiman Ghosh’s 48 was their top score as they were bowled out for 266 in 49.1 overs. Left-arm spinners Nazmul Islam and Sunny took three wickets each for Dhanmondi.Legends of Rupganj picked up their first points of the competition with a 62-run win over Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Batting first, Rupganj rode on opener Abdul Mazid’s 70 and contributions from the middle order to put up 231 for 7. Left-arm pace bowler Qazi Onik was responsible for the bulk of the damage, registering his maiden five-wicket haul in List-A cricket. He took 5 for 44 in 10 overs.Mohammedan had many of their batsmen get off to starts, but a top score of 34 didn’t help, as they buckled for 169 in 44.3 overs. The left-arm spinners Mosharraf Hossain (4 for 23) and Asif Hasan (3 for 37) split the majority of wickets between them, while pacer Mohammad Shahid accounted for the rest.
West Ham United insider and reliable club source ExWHUemployee has shared an important update on the club potentially re-signing Jesse Lingard.
Who have West Ham signed?
David Moyes and the Hammers board moved to bring in Mexico international ace Edson Alvarez, former Southampton star James Ward-Prowse, defender Konstatinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus during the 2023 summer transfer window.
Both Alvarez and Ward-Prowse have made particularly bright starts to their careers at the London Stadium. The former has been lavished with praise by sections of the media, while the latter really should have been included in Gareth Southgate's England squad.
David-moyes-transfer-west-ham-united-deadline-day
Going the other way, Declan Rice, Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic, Arthur Masuaku, Manuel Lanzini, Mipo Odebuko and Armstrong Oko-Flex left West Ham, while promising young midfielder Flynn Downes joined Southampton on a season-long loan.
The Irons have enjoyed a sensational start to the 2023/2024 Premier League season, winning three out of their opening four league matches whilst remaining unbeaten prior to the international break.
Despite losing superstars like Rice over the summer, it has been a very promising start to this new campaign, and reports have suggested they could strengthen further by re-signing Lingard on a short-term deal.
Will West Ham sign Jesse Lingard?
The 30-year-old excelled during a 2021 loan spell at West Ham, bagging nine goals and four assists over 16 league appearances under Moyes.
Since being released by Nottingham Forest in the summer, Lingard has been without a club but is currently training with West Ham on a sort of trial basis.
The former Man United ace even featured for them during a behind-closed-doors friendly against Ipswich Town on Thursday, a match which also included the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Danny Ings, Thilo Kehrer.
It finished 1-1 in the end with defender Aaron Cresswell getting on the scoresheet with a free-kick; while Ings apparently had a goal ruled out for offside.
That is according to club insider and behind-scenes source ExWHUemployee, who has shared an update on West Ham and Moyes potentially re-signing Lingard on a Bosman.
He says the midfielder impressed in "flashes" during the draw with Ipswich, but fitness concerns continue to surround Lingard who quite simply needs to build himself back up to match sharpness.
The current feeling is that the player will still be offered a short-term contract, but not until he is fully fit and firing again.
Jesse Lingard starred for West Ham in 2020-21.
“Jesse Lingard played for approximately 75 minutes and was good in flashes but apparently faded towards the end with his fitness still needing work,” stated Ex on The West Ham Way Patreon (via West Ham Way).
“A final decision is still to be made on his future and it is not known whether this game will have any baring. Our source, as we said above, said he was good in parts but didn’t have a huge impact and did get subbed off.
“The feeling is still he will be given a short term contract at the club but this won’t be issued until he is fully fit but this is still waiting confirmation and isn't a done deal.”
It will be very interesting to see if Lingard does indeed finally get a second spell with the club he thrived it two years ago.
Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers are two of the country's oldest professional football teams, with histories dating back to the late 1800s, and they have been facing off against one another ever since their first encounter in January 1932 – an FA Cup tie Wolves won 2-1.
With that in mind, we here at Football FanCast have everything you need to know before the two teams meet in the Premier League for the very first time.
It might still be early on in the season, but with games under their belts – five for Luton and six for Wolves – we can start to assess their form in this early part of the season and just how they might fair in this upcoming clash.
For Luton, the return to top flight football has been a tough one, and to say that their season has started poorly might be a bit of an understatement. They find themselves rock bottom of the Premier League table at the moment, and while they have played one game less than most of the league, we aren't too sure that an extra game would change their fortunes too much, given their performances thus far.
To give them credit, they only lost by a single goal when playing against West Ham United and Fulham. Plus, they are through to the third round of the EFL Cup thanks to their 3-2 win over Gillingham. So, it's not all bad for the Hatters, and maybe this game will be the turning point.
For the visitors, it's been an interesting start to the season, as despite looking brilliant for their entire game against Manchester United and for at least half of their game against Liverpool, they find themselves down in 16th, with just a single win – against Everton – and once again looking down rather than up.
The story of their season so far – as it was last year – is one of missed chances as despite being perilously close to the relegation zone, the Premier League have the Old Gold down as the seventh most frequent creators of 'big chances' so far this season.
With both sides needing to turn their fortunes around, this encounter promises to be an entertaining one.
Luton Town vs Wolves: What's their head-to-head record?
With the first meeting between these two sides coming back in 1932 – 91 years ago – you'd be forgiven for thinking that they must've racked up at least 60-odd meetings by now, but that is not the case. In all, Luton and Wolves have played one another just 33 times in all competitions, which works out to just 0.3 meetings a year since 1932.
The lack of games is due to the sides spending extended periods in different divisions. For example, the 23-year gap between their first and second encounter is due to Luton playing in the lower league while Wolves were in the First Division. This was reversed during the 1980s.
When they have played one another, it has usually been a tightly contested affair, resulting in the overall record being almost perfectly balanced, with Wolves only just coming out on top thanks to their 14 wins compared to Luton's 13.
Will the Hatters be able to balance the books this weekend?
Luton Town Wins
13
Draws
6
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wins
14
Luton Town vs Wolves: What's their First Division record?
While a good chunk of games in this fixture have been played in the top flight, like with every other Luton game this season, this will be the first encounter between the sides in Premier League history.
That said, the Hatters were a regular fixture in the old First Division, and when they went toe-to-toe with the Old Gold, the results broadly mirrored the fixture's overall record – who'd have thought.
This time, however, it's the Bedfordshire side that just about edge it in terms of wins, picking up maximum points seven times to Wolves' six.
Interestingly, there has only ever been one draw between the two teams in the top flight – a 1-1 draw at Molineux in January 1958.
Luton Town Wins
7
Draws
1
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wins
6
Luton Town vs Wolves: What's their Second Division record?
The majority of this fixture's most recent encounters have taken place in the Championship – four out of the previous five, to be exact.
The games may have been taking place at a lower level, but the pattern of closely fought games remained, with Wolves slightly ahead in the second tier.
The Old Gold have emerged victorious six times from the 14 games played in the Championship/Second Division, while Luton would win just four.
Luton Town Wins
4
Draws
4
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wins
6
Luton Town vs Wolves: What's their record at Luton?
You might have thought that with such a balanced fixture, both teams would have had brilliant home form and poor away form – as is the case with most fixtures in football – but, again, that's just not the case.
Instead, the trend continues when Luton are playing host. In the 17 games played at Kenilworth Road, both teams have emerged with seven wins a piece, drawing the remaining three.
Even the number of goals scored is bizarrely close, with the home side finding the back of the net 31 times and the visitors 29 times.
Luton Town Wins
7
Draws
3
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wins
7
Luton Town vs Wolves: What's their record at Wolves?
Wolves have a good record against Palace at Molineux
Unsurprisingly, it's once again a similar story when it's Wolves' turn to play host.
That said, the Old Gold do have a slightly better record at Molineux than their opponents as they have won seven of the 16 games played at the ground, whereas Luton have won just six – once again drawing the remaining three.
Luton Town Wins
6
Draws
3
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wins
7
Luton Town vs Wolves: Which team has the most goals?
Well, with the way everything else has gone in this fixture, it really should come as a massive surprise that, once again, the teams are incredibly close – near enough even – when it comes to the number of goals scored.
It's Wolves that once again have the slight edge here as they have scored 59 goals to Luton's 55, but there really isn't much in it at all.
The 114 goals that have been scored by both teams does mean that, on average, there are 3.45 goals per game in this fixture – so you really don't want to miss it this weekend.
Luton Town Goals
55
Wolverhampton Wanderers Goals
59
Luton Town vs Wolves: What is Luton's biggest win?
For as closely fought as this fixture has been over the years – as you're well aware of by this point – there have been some big scores and drubbings over the years as well.
Luton's biggest win against Wolves came back in November 1955, when they won 5-1 in the old First Divison.
The scoring was opened with a brace from Gordon Turner before Bob Morton followed suit and grabbed a brace of his own, with Michael Cullen rounding off the rout late on. The only goal for the visitors was scored by Johnny Hancocks.
Luton Town vs Wolves: What is Wolves' biggest win?
Former Wolves striker Steven Fletcher.
Wolves have had a few big wins over their Bedfordshire-based opponents over the years. They have put five past Luton Town on four occasions, with their most convincing win coming in April 1959.
Similarly to Luton's biggest win, this game was also in the old First Division, only this time it was at Molineux, and the hosts won 5-0.
A brace from Peter Broadbent opened the scoring before Colin Booth, Eddie Clamp, and Jimmy Murray got in on the act, scoring a goal each.
Luton Town vs Wolves: What are the recent results?
There have only been five games between the two sides since the turn of the millennium, with the most recent game being played over a decade ago, in January 2013.
With that in mind, it's Wolves that have generally got the better of Luton in those five encounters, winning three of them and drawing one.
The Hatters did win the most recent game 1-0, but the aggregate score from all five is 7-5 to the Old Gold.
Ultimately, we can't take too much from these results as the teams are entirely different now, but it could give Wolves a slight psychological advantage going into Saturday.
Luton Town vs Wolves: When is it?
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil
Luton Town host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday 23rd September at 3pm British Summer Time.
The history of this tie and the situations of both teams make this a fixture you don't want to miss, even if it doesn't quite have the glamour attached to it that others might.
For their part, Wolves will be desperate to get another win on the board, for as good as they've looked so far, Gary O'Neil will need his forwards to start finding the back of the net if he is to keep the team away from a relegation scrap come the end of the season.
Luton, on the other hand, will be looking at this game as an opportunity to show to the rest of the league that they are where they belong, and Rob Edwards will be hoping the atmosphere at Kenilworth Road can give his team that little bit extra when the whistle is blown.
The BCCI has asked the Committee of Administrators to take the final call on India playing their inaugural day-night Test in the two-match series at home against West Indies next season
Nagraj Gollapudi17-Mar-2018The BCCI has asked the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to take the final call on India playing their inaugural day-night Test in the two-match series at home against West Indies next season. Rajkot and Hyderabad will host the two Tests, which will be played this October.That is so far the only Test series India are scheduled to play during the 2018-19 home season before they depart for the four-Test series against Australia at the end of the year. Before that, India will play a one-off Test against Afghanistan from June 14-18 in Bengaluru.India’s international home season is scheduled to commence with the Asia Cup, which is likely to begin on September 18, subject to the Indian government giving permission to allow Pakistan to play.Along with the two Tests, West Indies will also play five ODIs and three T20Is in October-November. The BCCI’s tours, programmes and fixtures committee met on Saturday to finalise the venues for the next season and picked Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Indore and Guwahati as the five cities for the ODI series. The three T20s will be held in Kolkata, Chennai and Kanpur/Lucknow.With 2019 being a World Cup year, India are scheduled to play several limited-overs matches as part of their preparations. After their tour of Australia, India will travel to New Zealand to play five ODIs and three T20s (as per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme).On their return, India will wrap up the home season with another limited-overs series, against Australia, comprising five ODIs and two T20s. That series will be played in February-March before the IPL and will be India’s last international series before the World Cup begins in England on May 30. Mohali, Delhi, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Ranchi will host the ODIs against Australia while Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru will host the two T20s.At the meeting held in Mumbai on Saturday, the BCCI’s tours, programmes and fixtures committee was told by the board secretary Amitabh Choudhary that Cricket West Indies (CWI) had agreed to the BCCI’s proposal to play a day-night Test.Recently, Choudhary was pulled up by the CoA chairman Vinod Rai for showing a “cavalier attitude” in taking policy decisions. Rai said the issue of day-night Tests would be placed on hold untill further deliberations took place.Choudhary had tried to douse Rai’s criticism by stating that he was merely trying to find “remedies” to arrest the “diminishing” interest in Test cricket. Also, since India are the only big Test-playing nation to have not played Test cricket under lights, Choudhary said he had consulted the likes of India coach Ravi Shastri, who was open to the idea of being tried on an “experimental” basis against West Indies.In his suggestions to Choudhary, Shastri had pointed out that the Tests against “tier-II” countries like West Indies be held in tier-II cities (smaller centres) and the match start by noon.
Manchester City are set to be without one of their senior first-team players for today’s Premier League game vs West Ham United, according to a fresh update.
What's the latest injury news at Man City?
After picking up an injury during the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal back in August, John Stones has been on the sidelines ever since and is yet to stage his comeback, but he’s not the only member of the team to have been out of action in recent weeks.
During the international break, Jack Grealish had to withdraw from England duty despite initially being named as part of Gareth Southgate’s squad due to a problem arising when being checked for injuries sustained prior to camp, though there was another star that failed to represent his country.
At the Etihad Stadium, Mateo Kovacic arrived over the summer from Chelsea and has played in all four of the opening top-flight games of the season, but he didn’t feature for Croatia over the past fortnight, with a few further details having emerged surrounding his situation.
The Sky Blues’ central midfielder admitted that he had been carrying a small problem and reports from his homeland had claimed that he may need to undergo a scan to discover the true extent, as per the Manchester Evening News, and whilst it doesn’t sound too serious, the 29-year-old won’t be available for this afternoon’s encounter at the London Stadium.
How long is Mateo Kovacic out for?
Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Pep Guardiola confirmed that Kovacic is ruled out against West Ham, though alleviated fears that he won’t be missing for too long. As quoted by the club’s official website, he said:
"It is something muscular, and not a big issue but he’ll be out for tomorrow."
Expanding on the injuries to Stones and Grealish, the boss stated:
“They are both injured. They aren’t able for tomorrow. I don’t know (how long for) – I don't think they will be ready for Red Star, but we will see, step by step. The injury for Jack is not muscular, but he has an incredible knock on his knee. Still the damage is there. John is still a little better, but has a disturbance in his muscles.”
Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
How much did Man City pay for Mateo Kovacic?
When Kovacic put pen to paper at Man City for a reported £30m, he was hailed a “smart signing” for the club by journalist Josh Bunting, and considering how much he’s impressed during his performances so far, the fact that he has to sit out of the fixture vs David Moyes’ side will be a blow to Guardiola.
The VPA Sports client, who earns £150k-per-week, is extremely calm and composed in possession where he’s been recording a 92.7% pass success rate, alongside averaging 1.3 tackles per top-flight game, via WhoScored, highlighting his desire to throw himself into challenges and win the ball back for his team.
The Linz native, however, is also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch having made 13 shot-creating actions so far this season, the highest throughout the squad being 17, so his box-to-box action will be thoroughly missed, albeit and thankfully for the boss not for too long.
Arrested on Friday night for assault and drunk driving, Rambukwella has since had the assault charges dropped, having come to a settlement with the complainant
Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Mar-2018Ramith Rambukwella is back playing domestic cricket after being released on bail on Saturday, with SLC yet to make a decision on what disciplinary measures – if any – will be imposed.Arrested on Friday night for assault and drunk driving, Rambukwella has since had the assault charges dropped, having come to a settlement with the complainants. The drunk driving charge remains however; he is due in court on Tuesday.Although initially an SLC official told ESPNcricinfo that the board had only found out about the incident “through the media” and that it had “not had any official reports of the incident”, Rambukwella’s behaviour is set to be discussed at a manager’s committee meeting on Tuesday. As such his contract with SLC may be under review. His ongoing participation in domestic cricket – he played a one-day match for Tamil Union on Monday – is less likely to be affected, but may also be under scrutiny.Of particular concern to the board will be Rambukwella’s history of disciplinary issues. He was arrested in 2016 under another drunk driving charge after he crashed his car into a wall. In 2013, he had also caused mild panic onboard a flight, when he attempted to open a cabin door at 35,000 feet while returning from a tour with the Sri Lanka A side.A tall offspinning allrounder, Rambukwella played two T20 internationals for Sri Lanka, the most recent of which was in July 2016.
Manchester United needed a win, just to settle proceedings somewhat.
This was a campaign that was meant to see a resurgent United side take on the rest of the Premier League. Erik ten Hag had worked wonders last term, particularly to secure Champions League football, but this term has been a disaster.
Off-field controversies and incidences have led to a fractured squad, playing staff and boardroom but for once, the football was the talking point on Saturday evening.
United far from romped to victory over Burnley, with the Red Devils prevailing 1-0 against Vincent Kompany's men.
A Bruno Fernandes goal was enough to separate the two teams come full time. It was a much-needed three points and indeed a much-required clean sheet. This was a team to have conceded ten goals in their last three games in all competitions so a shutout on this occasion was a huge positive.
That said, it was a game that certainly didn't shy away from negatives. One of those continues to be the form of Marcus Rashford.
How many goals has Rashford scored this season?
Last term was a remarkable one for the forward who took English football by storm. The academy graduate scored a whopping 30 goals and registered 11 assists in all competitions.
However, during 2023/24, the 25-year-old has found life rather more difficult in this sluggish United side.
Just one goal has fallen the way of Rashford, who found the net in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal prior to the international break.
It has been quite some drop off for the England star, who must find his form if United are to rise from their current slump. Sadly, he could not do so against the Clarets this weekend.
How did Rashford play against Burnley?
The answer is poorly. Sadly, the attacker has lost his mojo and that was certainly evident at Turf Moor, even if they did come away from the game with all three points.
MEN's Samuel Luckhurst perhaps put it best in his post-match player ratings, writing: "Erratic again and his decision-making was seldom sound. Switched to the right early in the second half but had little joy."
The England international is usually famed for his ability to take on defenders one-on-one and he tried his utmost to make things happen down the left channel.
However, more often than not, he'd pick the ball up and instead of finding a teammate, run down a blind alley and straight into the Burnley defence.
This happened three or four times down the wide areas, when perhaps he could have found a teammate instead.
Such greed in possession ultimately saw him lose possession of the ball 12 times at Turf Moor, once every four touches.
Speaking of touches, he embarrassingly had fewer (46) than goalkeeper Andre Onana (48), while the man between the sticks also made more passes (25 vs 24). There might not be that much in the statistics, but it speaks volumes to the lack of impact Rashford had on proceedings.
During the clash, the £300k-per-week star also failed to register a single shot on target during what was a toothless display from a player usually so clinical and troublesome in the final third.
With the likes of Jadon Sancho and Antony unavailable for selection at the moment, Rashford really needs to step up as the senior player. Rasmus Hojlund's arrival means he is now unlikely to play through the middle which means he will have both Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri breathing down his neck for a start.
Last term the wide star was very much undroppable. However, this season, he is no longer immune to such treatment.
Rashford will surely come good at some point, but the longer his lack of form persists, a change will surely have to be considered.