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Flocking to Twitter, a number of Manchester City fans have reacted to a squad update arising from this week’s training footage, which suggests some of Pep Guardiola’s stars will not be available for Wednesday night’s game against Brentford.

Man City will head into their next game on a high following their chaotic Boxing day clash against Leicester City, which saw Guardiola’s men emerge victorious with a 6-3 score-line at the Etihad.

The Cityzens sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League table. However, second-place Liverpool have the potential to halve the points gap with a win in their upcoming fixture against the Foxes at the King Power Stadium.

Man City fans react to squad update

City Xtra recently took to Twitter to share the names of those who were not pictured in City’s training footage this week, with many noticeable omissions coming in the form of defenders.

Kyle Walker, John Stones, Rodri, Joao Cancelo, and Oleksandr Zinchenko were all seemingly missing, and while the latter duo are reportedly fit to play, the other absences could still leave the manager a little light of depth at the back.

Here’s what the fans had to say about the news:

“We don’t even have first team fullback anymore”

Credit: @CityJoul

“Brentford and arsenal winning if we have none of these players”

Credit: @TheFloatBros

“well that’s not very fun is it”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

“no fullbacks??? what’s happening”

Credit: @mxnciteh

“Not funny”

Credit: @Keane4K

“WHOOOOO”

Credit: @trevsenpai

Ange Postecoglou has dropped an update on Celtic’s remaining January transfer plans.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the Hoops manager suggested that he is far from done with his dealings in the current transfer window, with the 56-year-old insisting that he still stay alert throughout January.

The Greek-Australian coach went on to state that he will make sure he brings in new additions in every position that he feels is in need of strengthening ahead of the restart of the Premiership season.

Speaking about his transfer business, Postecoglou said: “You’ve got to stay agile through this period. We’ve had a couple of players go out on loan which is also important. So we’re looking at the squad through the whole January window.

“We’ll make sure that what we need – if it’s available – we’ll bring in. I don’t expect it to be too hectic but we’ll stay alert and make sure, if the right thing comes along, both in terms of incomings and outgoings, we’ll be able to move.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering that Celtic have already confirmed the arrivals of Japanese trio Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, as well as reportedly securing a move for Johnny Kenny, the news that Postecoglou is still not done with his January transfer business is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

Indeed, with the Bhoys currently sitting six points behind their Old Firm rivals in the Premiership title race, it is clear that they need to significantly strengthen their squad if they are to have any hope of catching and overtaking Rangers in the second half of the campaign.

Furthermore, with Celtic having suffered an extraordinarily large number of injuries so far this season – something which has often left the manager with no choice but to field players out of position, or to unleash a number of the club’s younger talents – greater strength in depth is clearly required at Parkhead in order for the Hoops to have a successful season.

As such, despite appearing to have already added four players to his squad this month, the news that Postecoglou is not done with his winter business is undoubtedly good news for the club’s title hopes, as well as being hugely exciting for fans of Celtic.

In other news: Big twist emerges in Celtic’s pursuit of “massive” January signing, Postecoglou will be livid

Yorkshire suffered a crushing 65-run defeat in their opening Friends Providentt20 clash with Derbyshire at Headingley

03-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Loots Bosman struck 94 from 50 balls•Getty ImagesYorkshire suffered a crushing 65-run defeat in their opening Friends Providentt20 clash with Derbyshire at Headingley. The visitors, who made it two wins out of two, dashed to 222 for 5 batting first – the biggest score conceded in Twenty20 cricket by Yorkshire – and they were always well in control after a rousing 141 stand in 12 overs between Loots Bosman and Chesney Hughes.Bosman was in a ferocious mood, smashing 94 off only 50 deliveries with ninefours and six sixes, while Hughes plundered 65 from 41 balls with five fours andfour big sixes.Yorkshire’s t20 Aussie signing, Clint McKay, claimed a wicket in his first overwhen Chris Rogers skied a legside catch to Andrew Gale, and he later claimedthree wickets in three legitimate balls, with a wide coming in between his firstand second victims.He finished with 4 for 33 off his four overs, including the wicket ofHughes, but by then the damage had been done with Bosman exacting a heavy tollagainst most of the bowlers, his half-century coming up off 31 balls. He looked set for his century but perished when he went for another big hit off Adil Rashid and sliced a catch to Jacques Rudolph at backward point.The only time that Yorkshire looked like making a realistic challenge was atthe start of their reply when Rudolph set off at a cracking pace, thrashing TimGroenewald for three fours and a six in an opening over which cost 20 runs.The South African then blasted two legside sixes off Steffan Jones to rush himto 30 off eight balls with three fours and three sixes, but four runs later hedrove Wes Durston straight into the hands of Hughes.Captain Gale was bowled by Groenewald for 10, and when Anthony McGrath wascaught on the boundary edge off Garry Park Yorkshire were struggling on 53 for3.Herschelle Gibbs, also making his Yorkshire debut, tried to repair some of thedamage with fellow South African Gerard Brophy and they took the score to 96before Brophy stepped out of his crease to Durston and was stumped.Gibbs reached a careful 36 from 28 balls with four boundaries but when he wasbowled by Greg Smith to make it 124 for 6, Yorkshire had run out of steam.Smith ending with three for 19 off 2.5 overs.

Leeds United managed to secure their fifth Premier League win of the season yesterday with an impressive 3-2 victory over Champions League-chasing West Ham United at The London Stadium.

Three goals from Leeds winger Jack Harrison secured the much-needed three points for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as they aim to move as far away from the relegation zone in the Premier League table as they can.

Despite the win, Leeds had Adam Forshaw and Junior Firpo forced off the pitch with injuries midway through the first half.

What’s the latest?

After the game, Leeds journalist Phil Hay took to Twitter to share what Bielsa had to say about the two injury issues. Sadly, the reporter revealed another two significant blows, saying that both Firpo and Forshaw had suffered muscular strains in the game.

The fact that there is currently no clear indication of the severity of these muscle strains suggests that it could be a worrying time for the two players and Bielsa until they get more details on the matter and how long the pair could be out of action for.

In full, Hay said: “Forshaw and Firpo have muscular strains. Too early to give timescales etc. Bamford isn’t injured but in the end, Bielsa thought it would have been “premature” to use him. Rodrigo was deliberately limited to a short outing after his injury.”

Bielsa will be worried

Given how the duo have made a combined total of 26 appearances in the Premier League so far this season, it’s safe to say that they are important players for Bielsa and will be missed if they have to spend a significant period of time on the sidelines as a result of their individual muscle strains.

In terms of who could replace the duo, with Stuart Dallas having played in the left-back position on six occasions across all competitions so far this season, Bielsa could rely on him to fill in for Firpo should the 25-year-old be ruled out for a while.

However, that then leaves options rather thin on the right-hand side of defence with Luke Ayling unable to slide over due to injuries in the middle of the backline.

Also, with Dallas having played in a central-midfield role four times this season, he could even fill in for Forshaw depending on the severity of his injury, which could make him a very useful figure for Bielsa in the coming weeks. The midfielder, thankfully, doesn’t look like he’ll be out for too long but the Northern Irishman will still prove invaluable while the former Boro maestro sits out.

That said, the fact he’ll have to shuffle the pack even further heading into next weekend is surely of huge concern. After all, it is a huge game for the Whites.

Leeds are set to take on relegation strugglers Newcastle United in their next Premier League clash at Elland Road on Saturday and everyone at the Yorkshire club will have their fingers crossed that Firpo and Forshaw will be fit enough to play in this match to potentially help Leeds secure a third league win in a row.

In other news: Orta could sign his next Samu Saiz in Leeds swoop for “exciting” £10.8m-rated maestro…

Falling crowds at Twenty20 matches will be high on the agenda when county chairmen meet at Edgbaston on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2010Falling crowds at Twenty20 matches will be high on the agenda when county chairmen meet at Edgbaston on Tuesday.Launched in 2003, Twenty20 proved an instant success with the public with huge crowds attending matches. But the competition has been massively expanded and there is now a growing feeling that the format is overexposed and the public is tiring of it. This season there are 151 matches, with each county playing eight home matches.”We do need some kind of change,” Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove told the Daily Telegraph. “This is the crucial time. We have had a couple of opportunities and not got it right. We now have to look at it again and decide what we are going to do to explore the fantastic opportunities Twenty20 provides. We are running out of chances.”The first four or five years of Twenty20 competition witnessed massive crowds, the zenith being when almost 30,000 watched Middlesex play Surrey at Lord’s in 2004. Many other larger grounds also sold out, and buoyed by this success the ECB took the decision to increase the number of matches.It is common knowledge attendances have been down this season. While some counties still attract good crowds, the major grounds have seen a dramatic falling off in interest. Warwickshire, which at one time expected close to capacity at Edgbaston, have averaged 3000 a game this year, and it is a similar story at many other counties.A source at The Oval told Cricinfo the counties had to take their share of the responsibility. “Who do you think asked for more matches?” he said. “The counties saw Twenty20 as the cash cow and they pushed the ECB to give them more games. Now the public are voting with their feet, the same people are moaning it’s all the ECB’s fault.”Another administrator said the timings of matches were a turn-off as well as the cost. “When it all started there were a handful of games, so the scarcity value made them must-see events, and the ticket prices were low. Now prices have rocketed and there are too many games in too short a time. Not many people can afford £20 a night eight or nine times in six weeks. So they come to one or two and miss the rest. It’s the same audience, it’s just been diluted. And when the buzz of a full ground becomes a more stilted atmosphere of a two-thirds-empty one, then the casual fans stop being drawn in as well.”The county chairmen are expected to demand another revamp of the format, with more weekend matches and a competition spread over the season. That is unlikely to find favour, either with the ECB or with Sky, who have broadcast rights and want a product which fills the void between football seasons.The other main area under discussion will be the county championship. The ECB continues to press for reform and earlier this year put forward five alternative proposals for change, but it is expected the chairmen will opt to leave things as they are.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has called on the ICC to make sure the Umpire Decision Review System is used in every series, after the Pakistan board did not put the system in place for the neutral series in England

Brydon Coverdale20-Jul-2010Australia captain Ricky Ponting has called on the ICC to make sure the Umpire Decision Review System is used in every series, after the Pakistan board did not put the system in place for the neutral series in England. As the “home” board, the PCB is in charge of such matters, and the UDRS will be used for the upcoming Pakistan-England series.However, it is also not being implemented in the Sri Lanka-India Test series, which prompted the Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to express his disappointment. Ponting has also become used to the UDRS and although the on-field umpires had a reasonably good match at Lord’s, he would have preferred consistency across series.”I got my point across at the referee’s meeting before the series. I think that even the ICC could have stepped in on this occasion,” Ponting said. “It’s a financial thing at the end of the day, that’s the reason we are not using it. I thought the ICC could have come in and done something about it. It hasn’t eventuated so we’ve just got to get on with it now.”You do get used to playing a certain way and having some decisions sent back for a referral. But that’s all we’ve got so we just have to get on with it and let the umpires do their job out in the middle. I think Pakistan just didn’t get around to getting it organised quick enough or something. That was the way it was explained to us at the referee’s meeting.”The cost of the UDRS is one of the major stumbling blocks, and there are also issues around the availability of the equipment. However, given that the system was rolled out properly after a lengthy trial process, Ponting believed the ICC should have stepped in to ensure it was used.”I don’t know the ins and outs of the whole thing and the way it’s being run,” Ponting said. “In a series like this one which is a neutral one there is always going to be that dispute about who’s paying for it and should we use it. It was brought in as compulsory in Test cricket 12 months ago now. I felt if it was ever left up in the air that someone should have stepped in and made sure that it actually happened.”Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, defended the current process. Speaking on Test Match Special last week, he said there were several issues that determined whether the UDRS was to be used in the Pakistan-Australia series.”I understood there were some technical difficulties in getting it up and running before the first Test got going,” Lorgat said. “The way we fashion the current scenario is for the home team in consultation with the visitors to determine if they want DRS or not. That’s part of the process that we’re walking to introduce it on a permanent basis.”

Having brought in the likes of Hayao Kawabe and Chiquinho during the January transfer window, Wolves have been more focused on signing new players rather than letting their current ones leave.

However, it seems as though Bruno Lage could have a challenge on his hands to keep one of the key figures at Wolves this month.

What’s the news?

According to La Repubblica (via Sport Witness) Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho has been identified as a potential January transfer target for Italian club AS Roma.

Moutinho joined Wolves from AS Monaco back in the 2018 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £5m.

Since then, the midfielder has racked up a total of 160 appearances for the Midlands club across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing 22 assists in the process, highlighting how much of an important player Moutinho has been for them and how much of a bargain signing he has been as well.

Lage would be furious

So far this season, Max Kilman and Conor Coady are the only outfield players with more minutes on the pitch in the Premier League than Moutinho, suggesting that Lage would not be happy to see such a critical figure in his team leave this month.

In terms of a potential move to Jose Mourinho’s side away from Wolves, it would be nothing short of a disaster for Jeff Shi and Lage to have one of the key figures at Molineux such as the £100k-per-week Moutinho depart halfway through a season when they’re aiming to secure European football once again.

This term for instance, no other midfielder has averaged more key passes per game (1.2) than the Portuguese dynamo which suggests they’d be losing one of the pillars of their side. Furthermore, no one in his position at Molineux has made more successful tackles per outing than his 2.1.

His current contract at Wolves is set to expire in the summer but considering the minimal fee they signed him for, letting him leave on a free transfer in the summer when they have more time to find a replacement would surely be a better idea. After all, losing him midway through the campaign with little time in the window remaining is not covering their backs well.

Furthermore, it could even be worth the Old Gold making an approach to Moutinho to see if he’d be willing to sign a new deal at Molineux, convincing him to stay for a bit longer.

In other news: Forget Trincao: Wolves plotting swoop for “the new Iniesta,” he’d be a big upgrade…

An update has emerged on Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope and Simon Jones, the Magpies are discussing a potential deal to sign the forward before the end of the current window.

His contract at the Camp Nou expires in the summer and the Toon could snap him up now to hand Barcelona the chance to cash in on him before it is too late.

Shades of Ben Arfa & Ronaldo

Newcastle could find Hatem Ben Arfa 2.0 in Dembele as they are both players who love to dribble with the ball and take defenders out of the game with their fancy footwork and tricks.

The ex-Magpies attacker, who currently plays for Lille, has a career average of 4.1 key passes and dribbles per game and this shows his willingness to cause chaos in the final third with his dribbling and passing.

Dembele, meanwhile, has a career average of 4.0 in the same statistics. This shows that they have a similar play style and both produce moments of magic in matches for the fans to enjoy. Thus, the Newcastle supporters would surely love to see another left-footed Frenchman dribbling past players in the Premier League, even if they already have the right-footed Allan Saint-Maximin to enjoy.

Rennes sporting director Mikael Silvestre once compared him to a young version of a current Premier League attacker. He said: “I saw Cristiano Ronaldo arrive at the same age at Manchester United, and Ousmane has the same characteristics, which remind me of a young Cristiano.”

Barcelona legend and current PSG forward Lionel Messi also previously praised the winger, saying:

“On the pitch (Dembele) is a phenomenon and it depends on him (how good he becomes). He has all the opportunity in the world to do what he wants. He can be one of the best.

“On the other hand, he’s a young guy who is adapting to the city and the club. The less you speak about it, the better. It’s necessary to leave him so he can be calm.”

The £27m-rated gem has 31 goals and 23 assists in 129 matches for Barcelona, showing that he is capable of delivering in the final third at the top level. Couple this with his Ben Arfa and Ronaldo-like ability to create chances and beat opposition defenders with trickery and you have the makings of what could be an excellent signing for Newcastle.

AND in other news, Howe could find his own “Vidic” as NUFC plot move for £32m “extraordinary” colossus…

Sri Lanka won’t be able to displace India from the No. 1 position in the Test rankings in this series

Sidharth Monga at the SSC30-Jul-2010Sri Lanka won’t be able to displace India from the No. 1 position in the Test rankings in this series. It was earlier believed that a 2-0 series win would be enough to take Sri Lanka to the top spot.However, the system had been misunderstood. From August 1, 2010, the rankings will cease to consider all Tests played between August 2006 and July 2007. During that period, Sri Lanka won five Tests and lost just one. Losing out on that good year takes Sri Lanka’s rating points down from 115 to 111, and their current ranking from No. 4 to No. 5.Over the same period, India won two Tests and lost two. Since their recent results have been better, they jumped from 124 rating points to 130. The best Sri Lanka can now achieve from this series is a jump to No. 2 if they win the P. Sara Test, starting Tuesday.The ICC Test rankings run over a period ranging from three to four years. The Test table released today includes all the Test series that have been completed since August 2007, making it a three year period (for the purpose of the rankings, a year runs from August 1 to July 31).Over the next year, all series played until July 31, 2011 will be added to this table, meaning the ratings will be based on four years of results, with series completed within the last two years carrying greater weight. However, on July 31, 2011, the oldest of the four years of results i.e. the matches played between August 2007 and July 2008, will be dropped, basing the rankings into a three-year period again.Last week Kumar Sangakkara questioned the rankings system. “If rankings can’t be understood by the public, the players, or the administrators, what’s the use of having rankings?” he said. His main objection with the rankings is a lopsided FTP, which doesn’t give all sides equal opportunities.However, the prospect of becoming No. 1 excited him. He told the : “It’s a great opportunity for us. The No. 1 ranking is something that we haven’t got in the past and lot of pride is involved in the whole process of trying to achieve it.”

Imran Tahir is still on course to sign off his time with Warwickshire in a Lord’s showpiece after securing a spot in the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals in a Group C decider with under-strength Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston

04-Sep-2010
Scorecard
Imran Tahir is still on course to sign off his time with Warwickshire in a Lord’s showpiece after securing a spot in the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals in a Group C decider with under-strength Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston.The Lahore-born wrist spinner, soon to be qualified for South Africa, took 4 for 27 in eight overs as Warwickshire held on to the top spot with a seven-wicket victory in his last home appearance for the county. Tahir, who is set to rejoin Hampshire next summer, broke the back of Nottinghamshire’s batting, dismissing Adam Voges and Chris Read after the only half-century partnership in their sketchy progress to 192.This was nowhere enough to test Warwickshire as Jonathan Trott returned from Test duty and wrapped up his team’s ninth group win in 12 games by batting through the innings for an undefeated 84. As usual, Neil Carter set the pace. Dropped twice in the same over by Samit Patel, the left hander made a brisk 30 until holing out at long off.The ever-efficient Trott kept things ticking over and saw Warwickshire home with 19 balls to spare after a stand of 87 in 16 overs with Ian Bell. In a successful comeback from injury, Bell put his time in the middle to good use. Only six runs were needed for victory when he was caught at mid on after making a run-a-ball 50 to put the seal on a new career milestone.Eight weeks after breaking a toe in a one-day international against Bangladesh in Bristol, the England batsman captained Warwickshire for the first time, although he has led England Lions and Under-19 teams. There was a positive touch to his leadership with an early move to get two spinners working in tandem.With opener Akhil Patel already gone for 21, Ant Botha, the slow left-armer, had Alex Hales caught at long on for 34 with his 11th delivery and Tahir captured two wickets in his second over. Samit Patel clipped the first ball back to the bowler, diving low to his left, and 20-year-old Scott Elstone drove a boundary through the covers before he was bowled by a googly.The industrious Read kept the scoreboard moving with 35 in 32 balls until Tahir zipped one through to take the off stump. Tahir’s final success in his best one-day performance for Warwickshire was the big prize. Voges stretched well forward but missed a leg-break and Richard Johnson completed a slick stumping to dismiss the Australian for 54.There was not much else to trouble Warwickshire as their seamers polished off the lower order. Carter’s two wickets came in an elongated over which also included three wides.