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تحدث الهولندي آرني سلوت، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول عن مباراة فريقه أمام سندرلاند، ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويواجه ليفربول نظيره سندرلاند مساء غدٍ، الأربعاء، في تمام الساعة العاشرة والربع بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشرة والربع بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

ويستضيف ملعب آنفيلد المباراة بين ليفربول وسندرلاند والتي تجمعهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشرة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.

وقال سلوت في المؤتمر الصحفي الذي نقلته صحيفة “ليفربول إيكو” عن تدوير التشكيل: “لم أشعر بالكثير حيال ذلك، حيث كانت لدينا فترة تعافي بالأمس، ثم سنتدرب اليوم، لذلك دعونا نرى كيف يشعر اللاعبون”.

وأضاف: “لقد غاب فلوريان عن التدريب لمدة أسبوع ونصف أو أسبوعين، إن لعبه لعدة دقائق كان بالفعل أمرًا جيدًا، من المشجع لنا أن نراه يلعب بهذه الجودة على الرغم من أنها ليست المرة الأولى بالنسبة لنا، ربما المرة الأولى التي يلاحظ عدد كبير من الناس تلك الجودة”.

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وأكمل: “كما أن تسجيل أليكس (إيزاك) لهدفه الأول أمر إيجابي، فهو لم يتمكن من اللعب لمدة 5 إلى 10 دقائق أخرى لأنه كان يشعر بالفعل ببعض التقلصات العضلية، إنه لاعب آخر علينا أن نرى كيف سيتصرف”.

وعن غضب محمد صلاح بسبب عدم لعبه مباراة وست هام الماضية: “افتراض عادل ورد فعل طبيعي لشخص يمكنه اللعب معنا، بالطبع، اللاعب ليس سعيدًا لأنه لا يلعب وهو ليس الوحيد الذي أستطيع أن أخبرك بذلك”.

وأردف: “لقد كان سلوكه كما تتوقع من المحترف الذي هو عليه، لقد كان داعمًا جدًا لزملائه في الفريق وتعامل مع نفسه بشكل جيد حقًا”.

واستطرد: “لا يمكنك اللعب بهذه الجودة كل ثلاثة أيام إذا ذهبت وراء عواطفك لكن مو منضبط للغاية، سيظل دائمًا ذلك اللاعب المحترف المتميز كما كان في الأيام القليلة الماضية، إنه لاعب من الطراز الرفيع”.

وعن موعد مغادرة محمد صلاح لمعسكر منتخب مصر استعدادًا لكأس أمم إفريقيا أوضح سلوت: “سيغادر يوم 15 ديسمبر، الطريقة التي عملنا بها هي أن يكون هناك تواصل بين الأطراف الثلاثة، اللاعب والنادي والمنتخب، هذا ليس جديدًا لكن فيفا أعلنت أن 15 ديسمبر هو آخر يوم لترك اللاعبين”.

وحول كيفية اللعب بدون صلاح خلال فترة تواجده في كأس أمم إفريقيا تابع: “علينا التكيف وإيجاد طريقة لعب بدونه”.

وأتم: “لحسن الحظ، خلال الفترة التي قضيتها هنا، كان شخصًا خارقًا ولكن بالنسبة لجميع اللاعبين حول العالم، هناك أوقات في النادي يكون فيها المرء بشرًا، لقد سجل العديد من الأهداف لنا وأنا متأكد من أنه سيفعل ذلك في المستقبل”

After sacking Will Still, Southampton have now reportedly set their sights on hiring Stoke City manager Mark Robins, who scores well in their data-driven recruitment model.

The Saints have had a nightmare 18 months. Following relegation from the Premier League, which very nearly saw them break Derby County’s record-low points total, they turned to Still in an attempt to bounce straight back. Things didn’t quite go as planned, however, and the former Reims boss has now been relieved of his duties.

Releasing a statement after sacking Still, who won just two Championship games, technical director Johannes Spors said: “Will is a great person who gave everything to try and improve performances and results.

“Ultimately that process has taken longer than any of us would have liked. By making a change now we believe it gives us the best chance of turning things around this season and climbing back up the league table.”

Sitting as low as 21st in the Championship, the Saints can’t afford to get their next appointment wrong. Already, names like Russell Martin have been mentioned in a return that is likely to spark mixed reactions.

The former Saints boss was sacked by Rangers earlier this season following a dire spell in charge, but could yet get the chance to restore his damaged reputation at St Mary’s.

Frank Lampard has also been mentioned as a potential candidate following the work that he’s done at Coventry City. Alas, the Sky Blues currently sit top of the Championship and luring Lampard away at such a promising stage of his project would be no easy task.

Instead, another manager that Coventry fans know all too well could yet arrive to steer the Saints in the right direction.

Southampton now eyeing Mark Robins

According to talkSPORT, Southampton have also set their sights on Mark Robins. The Stoke City boss has scored well on their data-driven recruitment model as they look to hire the perfect next manager. Whether they can lure him away from Stoke is another question, however.

Having taken Coventry to the play-off final in the past, Robins has more than proved his ability to compete at the top of the second tier. And that has only continued at Stoke, who sit as high as third in the league after playing 13 games.

The fact that the 55-year-old turned Coventry into a side capable of reaching Wembley across a long-term project should make him a standout candidate for Southampton, who need a transformation themselves.

Unsurprisingly, Robins earned plenty of praise during his time at his former club. Former Coventry player Garry Thompson told reporters when the club sacked the veteran manager: “He got on with his job nice and quietly, he did a fantastic job.

“I’d be very surprised if he’s out of a job for another three or four months because he did such a good job at Coventry, a lot of clubs when they are looking for a manager will look towards Mark Robins.”

Southampton set sights on Russell Martin return

While the defeat to Aston Villa has taken the wind out of their sails somewhat, Arsenal are still having an excellent season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the Champions League table, having won five of five, and still sit two points clear atop the Premier League table.

However, while most of the team are playing at the level expected, a few stars aren’t quite where the manager would want them to be.

This latter camp includes one of Arteta’s most significant signings, who, if he doesn’t start improving, could become Arsenal’s new Nicolas Pepe.

What went wrong for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal

In the summer of 2019, after Unai Emery’s first season in the dugout, Arsenal decided to go big in the transfer market, spending what was then a club record fee of around £72m to sign Pepe.

While the figure did raise a few eyebrows at the time, it wasn’t considered too outlandish as, in 41 appearances in the 17/18 season, the winger racked up a sensational haul of 23 goals and 12 assists.

Unfortunately, the Emirates faithful would never see the talented international reach that level during his time in North London.

In his first campaign in England, the former LOSC Lille star managed a reasonable, if a little underwhelming tally of eight goals and ten assists in 42 appearances.

However, as it was his first season in a new league, and he produced a goal involvement in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the FA Cup, fans gave him some leeway.

Unfortunately, he also failed to hit the heady height of his Lille numbers the following season, ending it with a tally of 16 goals and five assists in 47 games, with ten of those goal involvements coming in the Europa League.

The 21/22 campaign would prove to be his last in red and white as Bukayo Saka was now well and truly Arteta’s first-choice right winger.

The 30-year-old spent the next two years on loan, first with Nice in France, and then with Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.

Arsenal finally agreed to terminate Pepe’s contract in the summer of 2024, and the player who was supposed to be the club’s superstar attacker left with a middling tally of 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances.

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Since then, the Gunners have been a bit better at spending money, but there is one of Arteta’s signings who could end up following the Ivorian’s path, lest he improve, and quickly.

Arsenal's new Nicolas Pepe

Now, it’s still early in the season, so making any concrete predictions about Arsenal’s summer signings would be unwise.

However, as things stand, the attacker who has somewhat underwhelmed since his big-money move, and could go down a similar route to Pepe, is Viktor Gyokeres.

Like the Ivorian, the Swedish international joined the Gunners for a fairly sizable fee off the back of a truly sensational season in a weaker league.

For example, the “absolute steam train,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 54 goals and provided 13 assists in just 52 appearances.

Moreover, while nobody expected him to recreate those numbers in England, fans would have expected more than what he has delivered thus far.

For example, even though he hasn’t been a total flop like some other striker signings this season, the 27-year-old’s return of just six goals in 17 appearances is underwhelming.

Furthermore, all four of his Premier League goals have come against relegation candidates, and in games against the big sides earlier in the season, he looked somewhat out of his depth. As Gary Neville said earlier this term, he’s a bit of a “misfit.”

Appearances

52

17

Minutes

4248′

1130′

Goals

54

6

Assists

13

0

Finally, with Mikel Merino contributing up top, Gabriel Jesus back in matchday squads and reports that Kai Havertz is set to come right back in as Arteta’s first choice before Christmas, it’s not difficult to see a world in which the Stockholm-born powerhouse becomes a rotation option.

That was evident against Aston Villa. Arteta relied on the Swede to make a difference, bring him on at half-time for Merino. Yet, in his 45 minutes on the field, the centre-forward only had 11 touches of the ball and completed just four passes. He didn’t even have a single shot.

With all that said, there is still plenty of time for the former Coventry City star to come good, especially if he starts the next two games against Club Brugge and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ultimately, the next six months will be vital in determining whether Gyokeres becomes Arsenal’s next superstar striker or their next Nicolas Pepe.

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Arsenal midfield star Martin Zubimendi is blown away by a Gunners team-mate who has 'surprised' him the most. Zubimendi joined Arsenal this summer, 12 months after he rejected a move to the reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. The Spain international has had an immediate impact on Mikel Arteta's side, who are leading the title race this year and have been in exceptional form thus far.

Zubimendi-Rice midfield pairing key to Arsenal's success

Arsenal have endured a tremendous run of form since the start of the season as they have lost just one game in the Premier League and are sitting comfortably at the top of the table with a four-point gap over second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. After heartbreaks in the past couple of seasons, where the Gunners missed out on the league title towards the end of the season, the 2025-26 campaign finally looks like they will finally cross the line, going by the current run of form. 

A lot of credit goes to Arteta for rebuilding the squad in the summer and making some valuable additions to the squad. One such key signing would of Zubimendi, who joined the Gunners from Real Sociedad. Zubimendi has impressed in his maiden campaign in England and has formed a formidable midfield partnership with England international Declan Rice. Rice's performance has also been elevated since the Spaniard's arrival at the club. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportZubimendi labels Rice 'a complete player'

Speaking about Rice, the Spain international told : "Once I came here one of the things that motivated me the most was playing with a player like Declan. I think he’s been a good player until this year, but I think this year, from what I see and how happy I see him, I think he’s taking a leap forward so I’m very happy to be able to help him in that regard. And he helps me too. We all know how Declan is. A very complete player, physically, technically, set pieces. And his personality is something that has surprised me. He wants to be a protagonist in the dressing room. And on the pitch for a teammate like me in midfield, I think it’s vital having someone who wants to be the protagonist who wants the ball, who helps you. It’s the perfect complement."

'The impact he has on the team, it’s huge'

Arteta also spoke about Rice's influence on the team, as he added: "Probably a year or two ago, yes, but now being with him every single day, understanding and connecting with him in the way I have done, we are going to get more. Because he wants more, the team knows him better, his role is growing around the team. The impact he has on the team it’s huge. I knew him for a long time (before signing) and I knew how he could evolve and change the team. He has certainly done it and probably improved on those expectations.

"I would have to think about it but most of the time, if you have the option to see a player live and sense him, get that energy, presence and charisma, on top of his qualities, it’s something else. Probably when he was around I said, 'Hmm, that’s a special player.' To be fair I had this one, I had another position that was a little bit further back to do something else and he can adapt to anything you throw at him. At the moment, that is what we were thinking, in front is probably much more positive for the team."

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Getty/GoalZubimendi compared to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri

Former Spain star Gaizka Mendieta drew comparisons between Manchester City star Rodri and Zubimendi as he told : "When I think of Martin Zubimendi at Arsenal, I think of Rodri at Manchester City. City can have other players that can play in that role like Nico Gonzalez but it's not the same. That's why Rodri has been one of the best players in the Premier League since he arrived. He's the kind of player that you might not see much because they're not always on the ball or not allowed on the ball. But his position, how they give freedom to teammates, how he allows other players around him to do things is not always visible, but it's very important. You can't put your finger on why it's not happening when Rodri isn’t there, but it makes a difference whether they are on the pitch or not. They allow other players to do things that they can't do when they're not there, it’s a very similar situation for both."

Guardians designated hitter David Fry left Tuesday night's critical AL Central clash with the Tigers after fouling a 99-mile-per-hour Tarik Skubal fastball off his face.

With Cleveland trailing 2–1 in the bottom of the sixth, Fry squared up to bunt with runners on first and third when the ball ricocheted off his bat into his nose.

Fry immediately went to the ground and everybody in attendance held their breath.

Skubal couldn't believe what transpired, throwing his glove and hat to the turf as he watched Fry lay on the field in pain.

Fry would be carted off the field sitting up, holding a towel to his face.

It was an unfortunate moment in a series that could decide the AL Central. Both the Guardians and Tigers entered Tuesday night tied atop the division at 85–72 on the season.

Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has had a brilliant start to his return to Parkhead with two wins in his first two matches in the dugout.

He masterminded a 4-0 win over Falkirk in his first game back, despite the Hoops having lost their last two matches in the Scottish Premiership prior to that outing.

The experienced manager then led his team to the final of the League Cup with a 3-1 win over Rangers, after extra time, at Hampden Park on Sunday.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not O’Neill will still be in the dugout when that final rolls around, as the Hoops are still looking for their permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers.

The former Celtic manager tendered his resignation at the start of last week, after a 3-1 loss to Hearts, but the club do not seem particularly close to making an appointment at this moment in time.

As part of their process to find their next manager, the Scottish giants should be looking for someone who has a better record of competing in Europe.

Why Celtic need an upgrade on Brendan Rodgers in Europe

There is no doubt that Rodgers was excellent for the Hoops on the whole when it came to competing domestically, as he won four trophies in his two full seasons back at Parkhead.

The former Liverpool and Leicester City head coach won the Premiership title in both of those campaigns, although he did leave the club eight points adrift of Hearts last week.

However, Rodgers struggled in Europe throughout both of his spells in charge of Celtic, in both the Champions League and the Europa League.

The Hoops reached the play-off round, just before the last 16, in the Champions League last season, only to lose to Bayern Munich, after the change in format to a league phase.

That is the furthest that any of Rodgers’ Celtic teams managed to go in any European competition across six seasons at the club, though, as they never reached as much as a quarter-final.

The Northern Irish manager has won six and lost 18 of his 36 matches in the Champions League as a manager, which includes one win in six games at Liverpool, per Transfermarkt.

These statistics show that Rodgers has struggled in European competitions throughout his career, which is why he may not have been the right man to push Celtic forward in the Champions League or the Europa League.

It is also why the Hoops board should be looking for a head coach who has the potential to help the club to kick on in Europe, in order to compete for trophies on the continent as well as in Scotland.

Plenty of managers have already been linked with replacing Rodgers in the dugout at Parkhead, but there is one in particular who could be a key upgrade on Rodgers.

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It was recently reported that the Scottish giants have approached Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen as they look to establish a shortlist of options for the role.

The report claimed that the Hoops will look to use the lure of big wages to tempt him to make the move from the Belgian club, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be a successful approach.

Why Celtic should appoint Nicky Hayen

Celtic should push to bring Hayen to Parkhead to be the long-term replacement for Rodgers because his success at Club Brugge, domestically and in Europe, has been very impressive.

The Belgian boss, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, won the Pro League as an interim manager at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, before finishing second to USG by three points last term, per Transfermarkt.

Hayen won the Belgian Cup last season, though, and the Belgian Super Cup at the start of the current campaign, which means that he has won three trophies in roughly 18 months as the interim and permanent manager.

The Celtic target’s biggest selling point as a manager, however, should be his side’s impressive performance in Europe, as he reached the last 16 of the Champions League in the 2024/25 campaign, which is further than Rodgers after took the club.

As you can see in the table above, Hayen also reached the semi-finals of the Conference League in the 2023/24 campaign, winning in the quarter-finals before losing the semi to Fiorentina.

The Club Brugge boss, who was hailed as a “workaholic” by his former chairman Rob Edwards, has won as many Champions League games in 15 matches and 18 months as their manager as Rodgers has in his entire career, with 36 games under his belt.

This suggests that he would arrive at Parkhead as an upgrade on the Northern Irish head coach when it comes to competing on the European stage with the Hoops, as he has achieved more in less than two seasons than Rodgers managed in over four seasons with the Bhoys.

Hayen, who was described as “tactically unbeatable” by one scout on X, has shown that he can compete domestically, with trophies in Belgium with Brugge, as well as on the European stage.

That is why the 4-2-3-1 manager could be a perfect fit for Celtic as an upgrade on Rodgers to help them kick on in Europe this season and in the future.

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On top of his success in the Conference League and Champions League, Hayen has also won all four of his Champions League qualifiers, which is noteworthy after Celtic lost to Kairat in the play-off round this season.

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