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ESPN pundit Steve Nicol believes that Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho is a better player than his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Christian Eriksen.

Both players tend to position themselves in the number 10 role for their respective clubs, but one certainly had a better season.

Eriksen scored 13 goals and provided 23 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, and in doing that helped his team finish second in the Premier League.

As for Coutinho, he had a spell on the sidelines with injury during the winter months, which restricted him to 36 appearances in total, and in that time scored 14 goals and made nine others.

It is clear that the Brazilian is a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team, and his quality attracted rumours of a possible move to Barcelona.

Nicol, who played for the Reds between 1981 and 1994, knows who he would rather have in his team out of Coutinho and Eriksen.

He told ESPN:

“The last time I heard I didn’t hear Christian Eriksen being mentioned in the same breath as Barcelona. As good as Christian Eriksen is you’re taking Coutinho over Eriksen every day of the week.”

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has claimed that he is the victim of “immediate criticism” whenever he has an off day.

The German World Cup winner started the season strongly, scoring nine goals and producing six assists, but he has faded into the background in the last few weeks.

Ozil missed two games during the hectic festive schedule due to illness and he was also targeted by critics following defeats to Everton and Manchester City.

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The 28-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Real Madrid in 2013, has insisted that he can handle the negative aspects of football.

In the interview with Kicker, Ozil said:

“Other than the fact I score more goals, the only thing that has changed is the expectations for me are raised each year. People always expect good games from me. If I have one bad game after 10 good ones, there’s immediate criticism.

I have been in the business for many years. If I believed and accepted everything written about me I would be crazy. But through my experience and self-confidence I can handle my critics. They just make me stronger.”

It took a while for Ozil to find his feet at Arsenal following the £42.5m switch, and he is often accused of going missing in big games.

The midfielder’s future remains a big talking point as he is yet to sign a new deal, despite lengthy negotiations with the North London outfit.

Ozil, like teammate Alexis Sanchez, has 18 months remaining on his current terms at the Emirates.

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It’s never nice to single out players for personal attacks but with Brendan Rodgers facing the chop his methods and signings have to come under the microscope.

Against Aston Villa there was one player in particular that stood out for all the wrong reasons. The young German defender Emre Can looked unsure and out of place. He perfectly summed up his manager’s predicament.

It feels particularly harsh to criticise Can when his age is taken in consideration. At only 21 he has a long future ahead of him. This isn’t an exposé saying he’s a complete fraud, it’s pointing out he’s not the man Liverpool require right now.

Being seen as a utility player can be a burden. Emre only need ask his new teammate James Milner the problems that come when a manager thinks you can play anywhere. It makes a player an invaluable member of the squad without ever becoming a must-have in the team.

The young German can play at full back, defensive midfielder or as we saw on Saturday, a centre back. It’s usually best practise to allow a youngster to become an expert in one role before developing secondary and tertiary positions. Having stared out as a defensive midfielder this still looks to be his most natural role. Unfortunately it isn’t one he’s made his own for Liverpool.

He’s had over 30 games for the Anfield club and he finds himself in development purgatory. Fans of the Merseyside team can’t defend his age when they’ve written off Raheem Sterling, who is a year younger. In this time he could have been a figurehead in phase two of Brendan’s plans. After reaching the Champions League but requiring subtle reshaping with the loss of star man Luis Suarez, the opportunity was available to many to become necessities.

The Aston Villa performance underlined that Can is going to come up short. As a player familiar with deep midfield roles distribution should be the strongest element to his game, however, on Saturday he made erratic clearances and poor judgements in this area. If he isn’t a natural centre back certain deficiencies for the role can be forgiven, but if his bread and butter attributes are failing then his long term role in the team has to be questioned.

Lucas Leiva, even with Sturridge bagging two goals, was Liverpool’s best player on Saturday. He is a player most were ready to see the back of and playing in a position the promising young German international should have laid claim to by now.

Instead he still requires nurturing and development in a team that is desperate at the moment. Rodgers doesn’t have the luxury to have pet projects during this time. He needs instant results. It’s feasible Emre can’t be accommodated.

And if Brendan does go, a new manager may see no reason to tolerate a utility man that lacks a strong area.

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On Monday morning's episode of 'Morning Footy' With the CBS Sports GOLAZO show, USWNT legend Ali Krieger spoke on Gotham FC's historic NWSL title win.

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Ali Krieger opens on 'dream' ending to careerGotham FC won NWSL titleDefeated Megan Rapinoe & OL Reign 2-1WHAT HAPPENED?

The USWNT legend – and now retired NWSL champion – joined the CBS Sports GOLAZO show to talk about her recent victory with Gotham FC.

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Krieger played all 90 minutes in the final, and at 39-years-old in her final season, made the NWSL Best XI for her incredible campaign. It was her final career games prior to retirement, and her storied career – which included two World Cup wins – came to an end in historic fashion.

WHAT KRIEGER SAID

On 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Esther Gonzalez's game-winning header…

"So she's doing it in training. And then we're like, alright, let's just apply this to the game and we're good. And it actually we executed it perfectly. And so that was my run. I turned around. And she's she's always been there and so I couldn't believe it that it actually works. I mean, I couldn't believe it, but it worked. And we were so we were so happy in that moment. And it we needed that goal and that exact moment and it was amazing."

For Krieger, though, it was about ending her storied career on the best note possible – and everyone, from teammates to her head coach Juan Carlos Amoros, were in onit.

"I mean, incredible I can't even put into words right? A player dreams of this ending to their career and not many get it this way. So I know I have to be super grateful and I feel super lucky that this is the way it's turned out because it's not every day that you gets to enjoy this moment exactly the way that you envision it. And so, obviously, the playoffs we knew were going to be very difficult. We squeaked in, you know, in that last game at my retirement game, that's when we found out and so I was so ecstatic to be able to have the opportunity to play at least three more games. And so my coach was saying this, at the end of every huddle, he was saying, 'this is not Ali Krieger’s last game.'

"That was like the whole theme of the playoffs. And so I think the team really rallied behind me they wanted to not only win for themselves and for our team, but for me, and I thought that that was so incredible, and I was just so motivated that much more to want to give everything because they were given everything for me. And that was such a good feeling as the leader and the captain to really carry this this team and this organization to the top."

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USA Today Sports WHAT NEXT FOR KRIEGER?

The USWNT legend is now set to enjoy retirement after ending her career with an NWSL title with Gotham FC, where the Bats knocked off OL Reign 2-1 in stunning fashion.

MatériaMais Notícias

Recuperado de uma fratura no pé esquerdo, que o deixou fora dos gramados cerca de seis meses, o atacante Marinho iniciou a volta do Santos no Campeonato Paulista, após a paralisação por conta da pandemia do novo coronavírus, no banco de reservas.

O jogador entrou em campo aos 13 minutos do segundo tempo no empate santista por 1 a 1 contra o Santo André, na Vila Belmiro, pela 11ª rodada do Paulistão, no lugar de Kaio Jorge.

Embora tenha entrado aceso, sofrendo uma falta perigosa em sua primeira participação no jogo, o camisa 11, que atuou aberto pelo lado direito do ataque durante o tempo em que esteve em campo, teve atuação discreta.

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Após a partida, o técnico Jesualdo Ferreira demonstrou cautela por não inserir Marinho no time titular. Em entrevista coletiva virtual concedida pelo treinador após o empate contra o Ramalhão, ele falou sobre os cuidados físicos e psicológicos necessários com o profissional que está voltando de lesão.

– Marinho veio de uma lesão grave teve seis meses, praticamente sete meses, sem jogar e, portanto, tem que ir progressivamente para o jogo, para garantir, primeiro a sua segurança física e, segundo, a sua estabilidade emocional – pontuou Jesualdo.

O camisa 11 havia entrado em campo pela única vez no ano no dia 23 de janeiro, no empate em 0 a 0 do Alvinegro Praiano contra o Red Bull Bragatnino, pela primeira rodada do Paulistão e abertura da temporada 2020. Na ocasião, o jogador deixou o campo contundido aos 30 minutos do segundo tempo.

Após cerca de três meses de recuperação, o atacante já estava em transição quando foi confirmada a pausa do futebol nacional, devido ao surto mundial de Covid-19. A situação fez com que ele ficasse mais quatro meses sem entrar em campo.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

Stars from Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all grace Goal's list of flops thus far this season

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  Joe Hart | West Ham United

  The sheer ineptitude of Joe Hart's entire season cannot truly be explained. Once Manchester City and England's undisputed No.1, a loan move to West Ham has led to him being dropped, and placed into doubt his participation at next summer's World Cup. Hart has conceded 30 goals in just 14 games; Gareth Southgate would do well to steer well clear.

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  Cedric Soares | Southampton

  No player in the Premier League has committed more errors leading to goals than Cedric. The Southampton defence has not been as leaky as others in the division, but the whole cannot function as effectively when carrying a passenger at right-back.

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  Victor Lindelof | Manchester United

  Buying defenders appears to be something of a kryptonite for Jose Mourinho, with Lindelof a player who is seemingly unable to do even the simplest defensive tasks without needing to be covered by a team-mate. In his first start of the season, United lost to Huddersfield Town, with Lindelof culpable for both goals. He was hooked in the 67th minute.

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  Ashley Williams | Everton

  One would struggle to find a more uncomfortable looking defender in the Premier League than Williams. A major part of Everton's malaise under Ronald Koeman, Williams may well be moulded into an effective blockade by Sam Allardyce, but it must be said that he has been something of a comedy figure in recent months.

Match facts

Thursday, March 31, 2016
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)2:43

Match Day: Who should replace Yuvraj in India’s XI?

Big picture

Chris Gayle. Virat Kohli. Dwayne Bravo. MS Dhoni. The Wankhede stadium will be screening an ensemble-driven action movie as much it hosts a cricket match on Thursday night. Those individuals and their styles of play contribute to a lot of the interest surrounding this game, and also typify there are various ways to establish T20 batting dominance.India’s has been to simply extend their Test and one-day game into the Twenty20s arena, and when all goes well, they get the bulk of their runs through orthodox cricket. West Indies, ideally, wouldn’t want their long-format form anywhere near them right now. Helpfully, this format has a tight cap on the number of overs so the big-hitters can keep hitting big without worrying about consequences.Case in point are the methods that their marquee players use. Gayle likes to “beat” the ball. No wonder it rockets as far away from him as it can, hoping to be lost somewhere in the rings of Saturn. Kohli is kinder in assisting with the ball’s travels, and even throws in a few surprises – patrons waiting in the off stump line could end up at midwicket almost as often as they do in the covers.Both teams clearly have lots of cream at the top, but the middle looks a bit squishy. It’s been over two years since Denesh Ramdin or Suresh Raina have hit a T20 fifty. Dwayne Bravo, at No. 5, has looked unsure whether he needs to be the aggressor or the anchor. Yuvraj Singh has been similarly jittery, but an ankle injury ruled him out of the World T20. That leads West Indies to the prospect of bowling at a player – one of Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey or Pawan Negi – who hasn’t faced a ball in this tournament. But Mumbai is just about the perfect venue for the out-of-form and brand new batsmen to get into the swing of things – the lowest total in the tournament here has been Afghanistan’s 172 against South Africa.Quite apart from tactics and strategy, there are players from both sides who may be playing their last World Cup, so the incentive to make it to Eden Gardens – for the final – for one more match will be very strong.

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWWWW

In the spotlight

The last time India were in Mumbai, they missed the hell out of R Ashwin. It was an ODI, three of the opposition batsmen scored centuries and they were left chasing a 400-plus total. He did not have his best game against Australia, but his presence in the XI still goes a long way to adding confidence to the team.Samuel Badree seems to take the mickey out of the Powerplay overs every time he bowls. He doesn’t rely on turn, doesn’t often believe in flight, but faithfully follows a wicket-to-wicket line. The batsmen are tied down, and when they try to escape, they tend to fall. Hard.

Team news

India haven’t made any changes to their XI since the start of the tournament. But now, with Yuvraj ruled out, they will be forced to do so ahead of the semi-final of the tournament.India 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Manish Pandey/Ajinkya Rahane/Pawan Negi, 6 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Ashish NehraWest Indies will be without Andre Fletcher, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury. His replacement Lendl Simmons has a chance at getting a game straight away.West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Carlos Brathwaite, 10 Suliemann Benn, 11 Samuel Badree

Pitch and conditions

Mumbai has been an oasis this World T20. Tough pitches have left batsmen parched for runs, but at the Wankhede they can come and go wheee. In terms of the weather, a clear night is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Virat Kohli, the No. 1-ranked T20I batsman, averages 91.80 batting second but 35.22 batting first.
• Chris Gayle is two sixes short of being the first player ever to hit 100 sixes in T20I cricket

Quotes

“We’ve played to 70% of our abilities in this tournament. So there’s still 30% in areas we need to improve, so lets hope it happens tomorrow”
“No not really, have you ever heard of Chris Gayle?”

Ed Joyce’s 231 starred in Ireland’s convincing innings and 26-run win over UAE in their ICC Intercontinental Cup clash in Dublin

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2015
ScorecardFile Photo – Ed Joyce’s 231 was Ireland’s highest individual first class score•PA Photos

Ireland needed just four balls to wrap up a convincing innings and 26-run win over UAE in their ICC Intercontinental Cup clash in Dublin. UAE resumed play at an over night score of 251 for 9 and managed to add just two runs before Mohammed Naveed was dismissed by Craig Young, who ended with match figures of 1 for 110.Ed Joyce was adjudged the player of the match for his 232-ball 231, Ireland’s highest individual first class score.Ireland collect the 20 maximum points available to join Namibia at the top of the table. Ireland will face Namibia in the next round of the competition later in the year.

قرر الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك بقيادة معتمد جمال المدير الفني، خوض مباراتين وديتين خلال فترة التوقف الدولي الحالي، استعداداً لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الزمالك مع أبو سليم الليبي في إطار لقاءات الجولة الأولى من مرحلة المجموعات بالبطولة الإفريقية.

وسيخوض الزمالك مباراته الودية الأولى يوم الأربعاء المقبل الموافق 15 نوفمبر الجاري أمام فريق توت عنخ أمون.

طالع | كاف يعلن حكم مباراة الزمالك وأبو سليم الليبي في كأس الكونفدرالية

فيما سيلعب مباراته الودية الثانية أمام فريق الهلال الليبي يوم الأحد المقبل الموافق 19 من نوفمبر الجاري.

ويسعى الجهاز الفني لاستغلال المباراتين من أجل تجهيز اللاعبين لمباريات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، والاطمئنان على اللاعبين العائدين من الإصابة. 

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك سيواجه نظيره فريق أبو سليم الليبي في السادسة من مساء يوم الأحد الموافق 26 نوفمبر الجاري باستاد برج العرب بالإسكندرية.

There is much that is momentous about any 50-over meeting between Australia and India, especially so close to the start of another World Cup

The Preview by Daniel Brettig17-Jan-2015Match factsJanuary 18, Melbourne
Start time 1420 local (0320 GMT)Mitchell Starc’s early overs will be a major threat to India, as they were to England•Getty ImagesBig PictureThe last two World Cup winners. The top two ranked ODI teams. Two of cricket’s three financial giants. There is much that is momentous about any 50-over meeting between Australia and India, especially so close to the start of another World Cup.But there is also plenty that is uncertain. India are being led by a captain who has just retired from Test matches and is hanging on for another tilt at the limited-overs crown he lifted in 2011. Australia’s captain has been ruled out of this tournament entirely, and is no certainty to take any part in the Cup itself, leaving leadership in the hands of George Bailey.Then there is the shadow of the recent Border-Gavaskar series, in which Steven Smith and Virat Kohli each showed themselves to be their country’s pre-eminent Test batsmen by a distance, but their team-mates provided reasons for pause. Australia’s batting did not always look certain despite a succession of exceedingly friendly pitches, while Mitchell Johnson’s pace ebbed away a touch from the peak he hit last season. India’s bowlers proved too inconsistent to maintain pressure on Australia’s vast grounds, raising the question about whether a decidedly similar ODI combination can manage to do so in this series.Bailey and MS Dhoni opposed each other in the last one-day series between these sides, an encounter of thrilling conclusions and astronomical run scoring. Australia led the series early before fading, and lost the final match when Johnson had been sent home to prepare him for the Ashes. Johnson will be missing again on Sunday, but this time the goal for both sides will be clear – bed down their combinations, build confidence, and perhaps dent a little of their opponents’ ahead of the Cup proper. They may well meet again at the MCG come March 29.Form guideAustralia WWWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWWIn the spotlightFor at least his first two overs of any ODI, Mitchell Starc has claims to being the world’s most dangerous paceman. The fast, late swing he can generate with the new ball proved all too much for England at the SCG on Friday, more or less deciding the contest in the face of its first three deliveries. Starc has a confidence and role clarity about him in ODIs that he is yet to find consistently in Tests, but that development issue will be of little concern to Australia on Sunday, or for the next 10 weeks.Off the back of a poor Test series, Rohit Sharma can be expected to relocate the cape he seems to wear whenever India’s ODI team convenes. His feats against Sri Lanka were just the most recent of a string of notables, with the only query for this series being his ability to maintain them on pitches offering a little more bounce. He showed signs of regaining touch and confidence in the final Test at the SCG, and the return to India’s blue limited-overs strip should energise him further.Team newsDavid Warner is under something of a cloud after complaining of hamstring soreness but may well play because neither of the other batting options in the squad, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Marsh, are fit to replace him. Gurinder Sandhu and Kane Richardson may be considered in place of Xavier Doherty.Australia 1 Aaron Finch, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Steven Smith, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Xavier Doherty.India are waiting until match day to confirm who will open with Shikhar Dhawan – both Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane have their hands up. Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, both recovering from injury, will not play. The selection of five specialist bowlers is considered essential by Dhoni.India (possible) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Akshar Patel, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Umesh YadavPitch and conditionsWhile the MCG’s Test pitch was slow and unchanging, there is some chance of the ODI surface offering a little more in the way of pace and bounce as it has occasionally done so in the past. A fine, temperate Melbourne day is forecast.Stats and trivia India’s only triangular ODI series victory in Australia was in 2008, at the tail end of the “Monkeygate” summer Five of the 10 highest ever innings totals in matches between Australia and India were achieved during their most recent series, in October and November 2013Quotes”The last series [against them] was one of the most remarkable series I’ve been involved in, and probably in history, with the amount of runs scored in 50 overs. I’m sure there’s going to be another big score tomorrow for whoever bats first.”

“Getting used to the conditions is very important. The wickets will be quite similar to what we may get in the World Cup, but at the same time we have to stay in the present. We are playing against two very good teams.”