Tag Futebol

Celtic lost for the fifth time in seven matches under Wilfried Nancy with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday night.

After successive wins for the French manager, when it looked like a corner had been turned after four straight losses, the Hoops have come crashing back down with another loss.

They remain three points behind Hearts in the Premiership table, but they are now only three points ahead of Rangers before their clash with their rivals on Saturday.

Whilst the focus will naturally be on the manager, given his poor start, players should also take responsibility for their poor performances on the pitch, including Kasper Schmeichel.

Why Kasper Schmeichel must be dropped

The experienced Dane missed out on the 4-2 win over Livingston through injury, which provided Viljami Sinisalo with his first appearance of the season between the sticks.

Schmeichel came straight back as the number one against Motherwell, though, and had produced a blunder with a wayward pass for Motherwell’s second goal.

Per FotMob, the veteran goalkeeper has now conceded 1.69 goals more than expected based on the xG against him in the Premiership, which places him 10th out of the 12 eligible goalkeepers in the division.

Last season, Sinisalo prevented 2.52 more goals than expected in six Premiership appearances for Celtic, per FotMob, which suggests that he has the potential to come in as an upgrade on the experienced stopper, whose powers appear to be waning.

Whilst Schmeichel should be dropped from the side for now, there is a Celtic player who should never start for the club again ahead of the January transfer window opening on Thursday.

The Celtic flop who must never start again

The Hoops have a couple of days to potentially bring a new signing in before their clash with Rangers, and they must push to do exactly that in order to drop one of their flops.

Chalkboard

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

Expand Collapse

Anthony Ralston started for the fifth successive match as the right-sided centre-back in Nancy’s back three system, and once again failed to impress. 67HailHail handed him a 2/10 player rating for his performance and stated that he is ‘out of his depth’, as he was caught out for the opening goal, with the forward between him and Auston Trusty.

That follows his 4/10 player rating against Livingston, 5/10 rating against Aberdeen, 4/10 rating against Dundee United, and 5/10 rating against St Mirren in the League Cup final from the same website.

This speaks to how consistently poor he has been across the five matches that Nancy has handed him starts in, and is backed up by former ESPN writer Andrew Miller describing him as a “Kilmarnock-level” player at the end of last month.

The team’s record in the Premiership with and without Ralston in the starting line-up further backs up the idea that he should not start for the club again.

25/26 Premiership

Without Ralston starting

With Ralston starting

Games

8

11

Wins

6

6

Draws

0

2

Losses

2

3

Goals conceded

6

11

Clean sheets

5

5

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Celtic have a much better win rate and defensive record when they do not start with the Scottish dud in their defence.

Subscribe to the newsletter for sharper Celtic analysis Looking for clearer context on Celtic’s managerial choices, player form, and January transfer targets? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of tactics, squad debates and potential signings to keep you informed.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

What makes their record without Ralston all the more impressive is that he did not feature in either of the two losses against league leaders Hearts, which accounts for both losses and five of the six goals conceded in those eight games.

These statistics and his dismal performances in recent weeks under Nancy suggest that he should not be starting matches for Celtic, simply because they appear to be a worse team when he does.

It was reported earlier this week that the Hoops are eyeing a move to sign Julian Araujo, a right-back, on loan from Bournemouth in the January transfer window, and the club must push to get a deal over the line in the next couple of days.

Related Celtic could land Nancy's own Giakoumakis by signing "physical" £3m ST

Celtic could find their next version of Giorgos Giakoumakis by signing this reported transfer target.

Posts ByDan Emery

Signing Araujo would allow Nancy to instantly bench Ralston before Alistair Johnston returns from injury later in 2026, which would then leave at least two players ahead of the Scottish dud, preventing him from starting another game and possibly ending his Celtic career.

It’s not been a happy few months for the Asian Cricket Council.In December its Under-15 Elite Cup in Nepal was reduced to near farce after eight of the ten participants were thrown out for fielding over-age players – as many as eight in a 15-man squad. Last week the ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup took place in Thailand, but with only four of the original ten countries taking part. There has been no official explanation for the withdrawals, the last of which, Iran’s, came two days before the tournament started on January 12.The organisers were left with four teams – China, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia and Maldives – who played each other in a round-robin format and then, rather embarrassingly, all four then progressed into semi-finals.Saudi Arabia dominated the round-robin stage, winning all three of their matches and only being run remotely close by Maldives in their opening game. China, however, lost by large margins, underlining how far their cricket has to come despite bullish noises from those running world cricket.In the semi-finals, Saudi Arabia followed their ten-wicket drubbing of China earlier on with an equally impressive 191-run rout, while Bhutan beat Maldives by six runs in the game of the tournament. Maldives appeared set for victory but lost their last five wickets for five runs in 11 balls.In the final, Saudi Arabia easily beat Bhutan by 59 runs. Saudi Arabia, who won the toss, rattled up 247, a good score considering with 16 overs to go they were 131 for 5. Man of the Match Hussain Anwar triggered the late onslaught with a 68-ball 62, including two sixes. Bhutan were never up with the asking rate and only one of their top six passed 12.

Ryan ten Doeschate: a star in the making © AFP

The Essex allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, holds the key to Holland’s World Cup campaign, according to his coach at both international and county level, Ian Pont. ten Doeschate, who made four consecutive centuries in the 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup including a career-best 259 not out, gives his side their best hope of a major upset, in a World Cup group that includes both Australia and South Africa.”Ryan is a world-class performer when he’s playing well,” said Pont. “He won games with his batting and fielding for Essex last year, and now his bowling is back on track he’s a real contender as one of the stars of the tournament.”We are targeting South Africa first,” added Pont, “not least since we have three players with SA connections. There’s a determination to get amongst them and make things difficult. Pressure is on them as new world No.1s and also after failing to get out of their group at the last World Cup, on home soil. I’ll be giving Essex signing Andre Nel some friendly stick too.”Apart from ten Doeschate, the Dutch also have Billy Stelling (Leicestershire) and Baz Zuiderent (Sussex) with county experience, plus new kid on the block, 17-year-old Alexei Kervezee who has signed a two-year deal at Worcestershire.Pont, one of the ECB National Skill Sets Coaches at Loughborough, said: “It will be a great experience for everyone associated with Netherlands cricket. But Ryan has the chance to show what he can do at the highest level of all. He’s one of those characters that thrives on challenges. And I wouldn’t put it past him to show his best against the best.”The squad fly out on Friday, March 2 from Gatwick for Kingston, where they meet India and Kenya in ODI warm-ups ahead of the group stages in St Kitts. Scotland completes the group.

The Champions Trophy: at the heart of another row © International Cricket Council

Having already threatened to pull out of the ICC Champions Trophy from 2008 onwards, the Indian cricket board is on a collision course with the ICC over the 2006 event, which they are scheduled to be hosting in October.At the heart of the matter, as ever, is the thorny issue of advertising revenue. Under a multi-million dollar agreement between the ICC and the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), all ICC-owned events – such as the Champions Trophy and the World Cup – have to be contested at “clean” venues where no trace of unofficial sponsorship can be permitted.However, two of the three proposed venues – Mumbai and Delhi – have their own agreements with various corporates. “The grounds must be free of any ad signages so that we can maximise the revenue for our sponsors,” said Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive during a meeting with Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI in New Delhi.The two boards are putting up a united front at present, with both sides showing willingness to resolve the impasse well in advance of the event. “The BCCI and the ICC now have a clear understanding of each other’s point of view,” said Pawar. “We hope to solve the issues as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on the preparation for the 2006 Champions Trophy.”Delhi has had a long-standing contract with ITC, a cigarette and manufacturing company who have been supporting Indian cricket for several years. Similarly, Mumbai has a lucrative agreement with the Tata Group, although Speed said such problems had been overcome during past events.”We had similar problems in 2002 [Champions Trophy] in Sri Lankaand the 2003 World Cup [in South Africa] as well. If we cannotresolve the issues, we look at a different venue. That is why lasttime in England [in 2004 Champions Trophy] there were no matches atLord’s. We had it at The Oval.”He, however, refused to speculate on whether the matches could be moved out of Mumbai and Delhi. Asked how the ICC had decided on the three venues, Kolkata being the third, Speed said: “we made a decision based on the recommendations of the previous [BCCI] administration. Obviously, new issues have cropped up.”Speed said the ICC was open to the option of using more than three venues “without increasing the production cost”, but Pawar distanced himself from comments by IS Bindra, the BCCI’s former president, that the event had become a burden on the host nation. “That is his personal view,” said the BCCI chief. “Our whole approach has been to find a way as to how organise the event efficiently.”Ian Fiykverg, director of GCC, said his company was happy with the association with the ICC. “There have been issues. Obviously it would be fine if there was none, but life is life, we hope to sort it out.”

Scorecard
New South Wales won a close game against Tasmania at the Bellerive Oval due to a damaging spell by Stuart MacGill, who took 6 for 85 in 25 overs. Set 259 to win, Tasmania fell short by 25 runs, managing only 233 in 62 overs MacGill struck the middle order and ran through the tail after Tasmania recovered from a precarious position and appeared set to overhaul the target.A little after lunch, New South Wales declared their innings for the second time in the game. Phil Jaques led the way with a solid 79 at the top of the order with crucial contributions from Greg Mail, Brad Haddin, Jason Krejza and Nathan Bracken. Apart from Mail’s knock of 40, the rest were hammered at faster than a run-a-ball as NSW tried to force a victory.Tasmania’s reply began badly, with Travis Birt out early, but Jamie Cox’s 84 held the innings together. He found allies in Michael Bevan (26), Daniel Marsh (20), Sean Clingeleffer (39) and Michael Di Venuto (35). But five wickets fell for only 12 runs, as they slipped from 5 for 221 to 233 all out.

Shane Bond’s injury worries may not be over. He is to have another MRI scan after he suffered back pain during a club match in Christchurch at the weekend.Bond returned home from New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka in May with a problem that was found to be a stress fracture that forced him out of cricket until he began bowling again two weeks ago. He was hoping to be fit in time for Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand which starts next month.Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand team manager, said Dr Rob Campbell, the New Zealand Cricket doctor had examined Bond yesterday.”Dr Campbell has advised that the discomfort Shane is experiencing is in the same vicinity as the stress fracture he suffered in May, so the New Zealand Cricket medical team is going through the necessary procedures to try to arrange an MRI scan as soon as possible,” Crocker said. No date has been confirmed for the scan.

Augustine ‘Gus’ Logie has had a very distinguished career as a player and as a coach. He is a proven winner and a true gentleman, a reflection of the true spirit of cricket and the glory days of West Indies cricket. We wish him, the WICB, and players continued successes on and off the field.His CV is attached for reference purposes.Curriculum VitaeName: Augustine Lawrence LogieDate-of-Birth: 28th September 1960Marital Status: Married with 3 ChildrenEducation and Training:

1993 – Certificate in Small Business Management, Adelaide College of TAFE.

1994 – NCA Coaching Award

1995 – NCA Senior Coaching Award

2000- ECB Level III Cricket Coaching Course

1999 -World Cricket Coaches Conference

2001 – World Cricket Coaches ConferenceEmployment:

1978- 1992- Professional Cricketer, Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board

1981- 1993- Professional Cricketer, West Indies Cricket Board, St. John’s, Antigua.

Summer 1982- Professional Cricketer, Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club, Adelaide. Australia.

Summer 1986- Professional Cricketer, Kirkcaldy Cricket Club, Fife, Scotland.

Summer 1987, 1989, 1994,1995- Professional Cricketer, Norden Cricket Club, Central Lancashire Cricket League, United Kingdom

Summer 1993- Professional Cricketer, Prospect Cricket Club, South Australia.

Summer 1994- Professional Cricketer, South Melbourne Cricket Club, Victoria, Australia

Summer 1996- Professional Cricketer, Unsworth Cricket Club, Central Lancashire Cricket League, United Kingdom

1995-present- Cricket Coach, West Indies Cricket Board.Cricketing Experience:

52 Test Matches

158 One Day Internationals

157 First Class MatchesCoaching Experience:

Summer 1987, 1989, 1994-1996: Schools and Clubs in Central Lancashire

Summer 1993/1994: South Australian Cricket Association, Adelaide

Summer 1994/1995: Tony Miles Sports Camp, Melbourne, Australia

WI Windward Islands Coaching Project (1997-1999)

West Indies Under 15 Tour- Youth World Cup, England (2000)

West Indies Under 19 Tours- Pakistan/Bangladesh (1995), Pakistan to WI (1996), Namibia (1998), Youth World Cup, South Africa (1998), Youth World Cup, Sri Lanka (2000), England (2001), Youth World Cup, New Zealand (2002)

West Indies A Team – Sri Lanka (1996), Ireland/ England/ Canada (2002)

West Indies B Team- Busta Cup, West Indies (2001/2002)

West Indies Senior Team – WI vs. Sri Lanka (1997)

Facilitator: WI Training Camps/Courses (1995- present)

Committee Member: WI Cricket Development Committee (1997-2001)

Youth Selector: WICB (1996-present)Achievements:

1991:National Award Humming Bird Medal Silver

1988:Trinidad and Tobago Sportsman of the Year Award

1998: Ministry Of Sport and Youth Affairs Award in recognition ofcontributions as WI Cricket Coach.

1990: Captain, Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Team

1992: Vice-Captain West Indies Senior Team

2000: Coach WI U- 15- Winners of the Costcotter Youth World Cup

1983, 1987, 1991: Played at three World Cup Tournaments

1997: UWI Award in recognition of contributions to WI Cricket

1981-1993: Never played in a losing Test Series

1995-present: Unbeaten record as Coach of all WI Under19 and WI A Team Test Match Tournaments

Mudassar Nazar Photo © CricInfo

Old Trafford was packed with cricket fans today, and why not? This test match has been a wonderful advertisement for test cricket. It’s been full of drama and free scoring. People love to watch positive cricket and that’s why most people cherish one-day cricket!Inzamam and Youhana were sedate for the first twenty minutes. I liked their approach. Pakistan could ill afford a mini collapse at the start of play, as all three results were possible at that time.

Inzamam top edges Hoggard, much to the bowlers disgust Photo © CricInfo

It was not long before Inzamam was in full stride. If Pakistan wins, this test match will certainly be recorded as Inzi’s match in history. He looked a special player when he first started playing for Pakistan but I never realized one day he’d leave behind the likes of Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan. He is a much better all round player than the former illustrious players. He butchers the spinners and is in a class of his own against pace bowlers. After hitting an all time low during the last tour of Australia he has recovered well and is in the process of rewriting Pakistan cricket history. He is certain to score over 7000 runs in test cricket and even Pakistan’s greatest batsman (Javed Miandad) must be looking over his shoulder as his record might be overhauled too.They say fortune favours the brave. Nick Knight is easily the best all round fielder in the England team. I have seen him take some stunning catches. He dropped three catches in this test match. Maybe Waqar’s luck is changing.Players like Inzamam do not need a second chance. Memories of this game will surely haunt Nick Knight. In the first innings Inzy scored 82% of his runs on leg side but today some of his strokes on the off side were simply regal. At times he just stood tall and delivered. After lunch, he disdainfully dispatched Caddick over square leg for six. But, it was a tired looking shot that brought his downfall. Favouring his right hand he tried to smash Hoggard only to mishit it to Trescothick at mid-wicket.Soon after, unfortunate Youhana was given out caught in the slips when the ball had clearly hit only the tip of his helmet. Nevertheless, it was a gritty innings and perfect for the occasion. He’d made sure Pakistan did not lose early wickets and did not deter him to play second fiddle to Inzamam. Considering his form on the tour it was the best he could do for his team.England is considered the headquarters of cricket. There is an instant recognition by cricket fans all over the world if you have performed well in England. Well, Younis Khan has certainly done well enough in two innings in England to convince cricket pundits that he will be a force to be reckoned with in future. It could have been better. He has been an unfortunate victim of two rank bad decisions in this series. Both times he had gotten an inside edge when he was adjudged lbw and incidentally, these were the only times he’s failed in the two test matches.England was very defensive today. The ball they used for most the day was soft and in tatters which distinctly meant they were trying to restrict Pakistan batsmen scoring quickly rather than bowling them out. Azhar missed a straight ball from Caddick. Instead of hitting it down the ground he played all around it.

Wasim Akram belts a ball from Caddick for 4 Photo © CricInfo

Rashid and Wasim were involved in a fruitful partnership. Wasim was belligerent from the start. He was aided by Caddick who had a change of heart and instead of bowling short at him kept presenting him with wide half volleys at a pace which at best was military medium. I must confess, both Caddick and Gough were below par today. Rashid, after a useful knock, was taken at slip. Wasim continued to apply the long handle but Pakistan should have declared once Rashid was out. It was sheer time wasting. Perhaps Pakistan camp conveniently forgot they were trailing in this series?Gough brought one back to clean bowl Wasim and after some more time wastage and savage hitting, Hoggard finally had Saqlain caught by Stewart while trying to slog him out of Old Trafford.Anyone who has read my preview about this test match would recall how much I wanted Shoaib Akhtar to play in this test match. Without him I thought Pakistan would struggle to bowl England out twice in the game.Now, England may very well win this test match. They are without loss with all wickets intact, yet I think Pakistan should have declared as soon as Rashid was out. Why are we so scared of losing a test match? I would rather take a chance of coming home with rubber drawn, rather than a one nil defeat.

Saqlain appeals for a catch at silly point but the umpire says Atherton is not out Photo © CricInfo

Azhar once again, did not bowl in the evening. Why can’t we take hard decision and play specialists in their respective position rather than filling in the void. Players should be accountable and it is only possible if we give them a fair chance. Pakistan can still win or draw the game tomorrow. Atherton and Trescothick have given England a solid base but an early wicket can make all the difference.Remember 1992 and 1996, only problem is people who won those games for Pakistan are now a little long in the tooth.

Ed:Mudassar Nazar is a veteran of 76 tests and 122 ODIs. He is currently the chief coach of Pakistan’s National and Regional Cricket Academies. In view of the overwhelming interest of users in CricInfo’s articles, we have invited him to write for us.

The last few weeks haven’t all been smooth sailing, but Arsenal are now going to be top of the Premier League table for Christmas.

Mikel Arteta’s side had the challenging task of playing Everton at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night, a task made all the more difficult by Manchester City’s comfortable win over West Ham United earlier in the day.

However, while it wasn’t necessarily easy, the Gunners did come away with all three points, and deservedly so.

Moreover, while it wasn’t a vintage performance, there were a few starters who made their mark on the game, including one who was even better than Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal's standout stars vs Everton

Starting at the back, it was a good night for David Raya.

Now, the Spaniard only had to make one save in the game, but his performance was so impressive for two other reasons.

Firstly, he commanded his area masterfully, making five high claims in the match and coming out on top both times he ran out of the penalty area.

Second, the former Brentford star completed seven long balls throughout the game, and had the forwards been a little more on their game, those could have led to more chances.

Moving into the defence, and once again, Jurrien Timber is coming away from a game looking like one of the best signings Arteta has ever made.

The Dutchman was solid as a rock at the back, and combined with Saka on more than one occasion, ending the game having completed 44 passes and 100% of his dribbles.

Speaking of Saka, the Hale End star was, as he usually is, undoubtedly the Gunners’ best attacker.

He might not have scored, but the 24-year-old was a constant threat on the right-hand side and on more than one occasion moved over to the left to help out there.

By the end of the game, the winger had taken four shots, completed four of six dribbles, played one key pass, won seven of 11 ground duels, and generally looked every bit the attacking talisman he is.

However, as sensational as Saka was, one of his teammates did just about outperform him.

The Arsenal star who outshone Saka vs Everton

The good news for Arteta and Arsenal fans is that at least a few other starters put in reasonable performances.

Chalkboard

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

Expand Collapse

Viktor Gyokeres, for example, might still not be offering as much as some would like, but he did get his goal, and aside from the potential penalty shout, William Saliba had another stellar game at the back.

However, there was only one player in red and white who managed to just about outperform Saka on Tuesday night: Declan Rice.

Yes, the all-action midfield monster was just that on Merseyside, playing a role in all phases of play and looking every bit the £105m man he is.

Subscribe for in-depth Arsenal and Rice analysis Want more expert Arsenal and Premier League coverage? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear match breakdowns, player metrics, and tactical insights that turn key performances into meaningful analysis you can rely on. Subscribe Subscribe for in-depth Arsenal and Rice analysis Want more expert Arsenal and Premier League coverage? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear match breakdowns, player metrics, and tactical insights that turn key performances into meaningful analysis you can rely on.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

One moment, the “world-class” machine, as dubbed by journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey, was helping Martin Zubimendi protect that backline by winning the ball, and the next, he was marauding with it up the pitch and creating a chance for the team.

It was a brilliant display from the Englishman and one that more than justified David Moyes’ post-match claim that he’s “probably the best midfield player in the world” and the 8/10 match rating he received from the Standard’s Matt Verri.

Unsurprisingly, the former West Ham United captain’s statistics more than back up the praise.

Rice vs Everton

Minutes

96′

Touches

116

Accurate Passes

87/97

Key Passes

2

Big Chances Created

1

Shots

1

Tackles (Won)

3 (2)

Interceptions

3

Clearances

4

Recoveries

10

Ground Duels (Won)

6 (4)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (3)

Dribbled Past

0

All Stats via Sofascore

In his 96 minutes of action, he created one big chance, played two key passes, completed 87 of 97 passes, made three interceptions and four clearances, took one shot and 116 touches and won seven of nine duels.

Ultimately, the scoreline might have been a little close for comfort, but Arsenal were most certainly the better team against Everton, and Rice was their best player.

Related Bad news for Nwaneri: Arsenal have already agreed to sign their next Dowman

Nwaneri could have some serious competition for game time at Arsenal in the future.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

Romesh Kaluwitharana, who was in the Sri Lankan side which won the 1996 World Cup, has been appointed coach of the Malaysian squad on a short-term contract.Five applicants are on the short-list for the permanent position as national coach of Malaysia but none are able to join before July.”All the players are looking forward to Mr. Kaluwitharana’s arrival and it is a tremendous honour for all of us to have a coach of his experience,” Vishnu Suppiah, Malaysia’s vice-captain, said. “It was he along with Sanath Jayasuriya who changed the face of one-day batting and I am hoping he will be able to provide us with some good batting tips as Malaysia’s downfall in the past has been its batting.”