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Chris Gayle is 25 short of 10,000 T20 runs ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s meeting with Kings XI Punjab in Indore

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy09-Apr-2017

Match facts

Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Indore, April 10, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:45

Can Gayle hit top gear?

Form guide

RCB: beat Daredevils by 15 runs, lost to Sunrisers by 35 runs
Kings XI: beat Rising Pune by six wickets

Head to head

Last season: Royal Challengers won both matches, by a whopping 82 runs (D/L method) in a rain-shortened game in Bengaluru, and by one run in a nailbiter in Mohali.Overall: The teams have met in 18 matches, of which Kings XI have won ten and lost eight.

In the news

Most times, the use of the word “history” while talking about Twenty20 can be dismissed as hyperbole. On Monday, though, the Holkar Stadium could see a genuinely historic moment – if he scores 25, Chris Gayle will become the first batsman to reach 10,000 runs in T20s.Will he play, though? Royal Challengers were without both Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in their first two matches, and while it might take a while longer for Kohli to return from his shoulder injury, de Villiers indicated he is “very close to 100%” fitness. If de Villiers does return, Royal Challengers might have to debate leaving out Gayle.Kings XI don’t have too many selection headaches after positive displays from most of their players in a six-wicket win against Rising Pune Supergiant. They might, however, ponder the inclusion of new recruit Eoin Morgan, who is perhaps a more natural T20 fit than Hashim Amla, though that swap will necessitate a shuffle in the opening positions.

The likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab: 1 Hashim Amla/Eoin Morgan, 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Swapnil Singh, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 T Natarajan.Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shane Watson (capt), 3 AB de Villiers/Travis Head/Billy Stanlake, 4 Mandeep Singh, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Vishnu Vinod (wk), 8 Pawan Negi/S Aravind, 9 Iqbal Abdulla, 10 Tymal Mills, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Stats that matter

• Royal Challengers (8.82) and Kings XI (8.56) ended up with the worst economy rates among all teams in the 2016 season.
• Of all the Indian venues that have hosted the IPL, Holkar Stadium in Indore has been among the lowest-scoring, with teams managing an average first-innings run rate of 6.94 in three matches. The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai has been the only lower-scoring venue, with a first-innings run rate of 6.89 in 17 matches.
• It would be fitting if Chris Gayle brought up his 10,000th T20 run in a match against Kings XI Punjab. He has scored 797 runs against them, the most by any batsman against a single IPL opponent, has scored two of his five IPL hundreds against them. He has a better strike rate against them – 175.55 – than against any other IPL team.
• Gayle, though, doesn’t have a great record against two of Kings XI’s bowlers. Sandeep Sharma is one of only five IPL bowlers to dismiss him three times or more, and has limited him to 55 runs off 46 balls. Mohit Sharma, meanwhile, has never dismissed Gayle, but has only conceded 18 runs off 21 balls.
• Overall, Sandeep has 12 wickets against Royal Challengers at 17.91. He hasn’t taken more than nine wickets against any other IPL opponent.
• Yuzvendra Chahal, meanwhile, has 12 wickets against Kings XI at an average of 12.50, while conceding 7.62 per over. He doesn’t have more than eight wickets against any other IPL team.
• Last season, Kings XI had the worst middle overs (7-15) in the IPL, with the poorest batting run rate (7.46) and bowling economy rate (8.35) among all teams.
• Axar Patel has dismissed Shane Watson every time the two have faced off. In three innings, Axar has conceded 22 runs off 20 balls to Watson.
• Of all the bowlers who have bowled 100 or more balls in the last four overs of IPL matches since the start of the 2015 season, Watson has the worst economy rate – 11.49.
• Iqbal Abdulla has taken 14 wickets in the Powerplay overs of the IPL – only R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh have more, among spinners – while conceding 6.28 runs per over.

On a dry surface in a dusty Ranchi ground, India’s top order moved into customary home form, and their bowlers exposed a fragile Sri Lanka top order to win by 69 runs

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:49

By the numbers – Yuvraj’s maiden T20I duck

On a dry surface in a dusty Ranchi ground, India’s top order moved into customary home form, and their bowlers exposed a fragile Sri Lanka top order. Shikhar Dhawan was bruiser-in-prime, unleashing an early shellacking that brought him 51, and set the team on course to a big total. They reached 196 for 6, thanks to helpful hands from the top five, which today included a pinch-hitting Hardik Pandya. That total was 69 too many for Sri Lanka.Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and Pandya all got to at least 25 – Pandya the quickest of the lot, striking two sixes and a four in his 12-ball 27. On a pitch with little pace and minimal seam movement, the pacers that had delivered Sri Lanka’s Pune win, were expensive. Even Sri Lanka’s first T20 international hat-trick – to Thisara Perera – barely made a difference, coming as it did in the penultimate over. Dinesh Chandimal will perhaps rue having chosen to bowl first. The track looked a good one for batting, and Sri Lanka have lately been a modest chasing side.R Ashwin had troubled Sri Lanka’s batsmen even on the Pune green top, and MS Dhoni savvily had him open the bowling here. Ashwin removed a returning Tillakaratne Dilshan second ball, and the chase never really recovered from that. Soon they were 3 for 16, Ashish Nehra claiming two early scalps. Chandimal and Chamara Kapugedara then embarked on a recovery that was far too slow to give the visitors any real chance of victory, and wickets tumbled late in the middle overs, as the required rate crept up through the teens. Ashwin finished with 3 for 14 from his four overs.Rajitha had begun his second T20 much worse than his first, spraying the first ball wide for Rohit Sharma to crash behind point, and the bowler’s evening did not improve much from there. Dhawan cracked four offside fours off his next over – the fourth of the match – to send the innings into overdrive, having already picked up legside sixes off Thisara and Sachithra Senanayake. Dhawan hit four more boundaries before the end of the Powerplay, as he clobbered spin and seam square of the wicket, largely on the legside. After six overs, India had sped to 70 – Dhawan’s share of that score 48 off 21.He got to 50 off his 22nd delivery, but departed soon after, nicking a throat-high Dushmantha Chameera ball to the keeper. That wicket bought Sri Lanka brief respite. They bowled five overs for 30, before the runs began to flow again.Chameera claimed Rohit’s scalp in the 14th over, with an athletic return catch, and Senanayake removed Rahane soon after, but India’s final push began when Pandya arrived at the crease a few places higher than he would normally bat. After two sighters he began his assault. Rajitha was struck to the midwicket boundary, before consecutive Senanayake deliveries were lifted high over deep midwicket.Raina added his own finishing blows to the closing surge, taking particular liking to Chameera, whose figures he ruined. Having sent down his first two overs for 10 runs, Chameera saw his third disappear for 18. His last also went for 10. In between Perera took a low-key hat-trick, having Pandya, Raina and Yuvraj Singh hole out to low full tosses. His figures were dramatically improved as a result. He finished with 3 for 33 from three overs.Dilshan was stumped over-reaching off the first ball he faced. Seekkuge Prasanna was sent up the order to provide some early impetus, but lacked the technique to deal with the new ball, and chewed up four balls for one run. Danushka Gunathilaka amplified Sri Lanka’s problems at the top of the order with another poor score.Kapugedara and Chandimal’s 49-ball fourth-wicket partnership yielded only 52 runs. By the time they had departed, off successive Jadeja deliveries in the 12th over, the required rate had climbed to more than 14.5, and the chase was kaput. Dasun Shanaka and Milinda Siriwardana struck some late sixes, doing good to at least their own batting confidence, if nothing much for the team cause.

Hampshire demolished Scotland by nine wickets with almost 25 overs to spare in a remarkably one-sided game in Glasgow.

13-Aug-2013
ScorecardJames Vince saw Hampshire canter to their target•Getty Images

Hampshire demolished Scotland by nine wickets with almost 25 overs to spare in a remarkably one-sided game in Glasgow.Scotland were put in and crumbled to 136 all out, with only Gordon Goudie’s late run-a-ball 26 providing a trace of respectability. James Vince then cracked an unbeaten 75 from 52 as Hampshire reached their target from the first ball of the 16th over for the loss of only Michael Carberry, who made 45 from 27.Scotland struggled from the outset, losing Freddie Coleman in the second over when he was trapped lbw by Dimitri Mascarenhas. Richie Berrington fell for a duck and Calum MacLeod made just 3 as the hosts slipped to 23 for 3 before Hamish Gardiner and captain Preston Mommsen put on 37 for the fourth wicket, albeit in almost 14 overs.Gardiner’s top score of 29 occupied 61 balls before he was dismissed by Danny Briggs, who removed Moneeb Iqbal in his next over for figures of 2 for 35. Mommsen was run out for 21, off 50 deliveries, and it was left to Goudie and wicketkeeper Matthew Cross to try and salvage the innings. Mascarenhas, Chris Wood and Sohail Tanvir all took two wickets apiece.Both Vince and Carberry found the boundary as 14 runs came from the first over of Hampshire’s reply, and their opening stand reached 50 inside seven overs. Goudie’s third over yielded three boundaries and Vice’s half-century but Carberry was stumped five short of the same landmark after a stand of 98.But Vince found the ropes twice more off Majid Haq in the next over and won the match with his 12th four as he and Jimmy Adams wrapped up victory.

Worcestershire’s hopes in the Friends Life t20 have taken a blow with the news that Sohail Tanvir has been delayed in arriving in the UK

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2012Worcestershire’s hopes in the Friends Life t20 have taken a blow with the news that Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan bowler, has been delayed in arriving in the UK due to complications in obtaining a visa.Tanvir had hoped to arrive early next week to join the Worcestershire squad as their second overseas player alongside Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, in time for their match against Glamorgan on June 20 but his unexpected call up to the Pakistan ODI squad meant he is unable to complete the visa application in Sri Lanka.He was called up to the Pakistan T20 squad but then was then asked to stay on for the ODI series. He has taken five wickets in two T20s and three ODIs, one abandoned, with two more matches to come.”It was hoped that the final part of Sohail’s visa application could be completed while in Sri Lanka,” David Leatherdale, Worcestershire’s chief executive, said. “Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Sohail will now be travelling back to Pakistan on conclusion of the ODI series on Tuesday to complete the process.”It is expected that Sohail will then be able to join us early in the week commencing June 25 for our last five important group matches. We hope that he will make the same impact as he did in the two match series against Sri Lanka, which saw him win the man of the series.”Worcestershire begin their campaign away to Warwickshire on June 15 and hope Tanvir’s T20 record – 87 wickets at 23.14, including 17 wickets in 21 international T20s for Pakistan – can help improve their poor recent record in the Flt20; they have not qualified for a quarter-final since 2007 and have never been to finals day.

Kevin O’Brien is focused on helping Ireland rise up the ODI rankings starting with the Pakistan series

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2011Almost three months since he blasted his way to the fastest-ever World Cup hundred, Kevin O’Brien returns to international action as Ireland take on Pakistan in a two-match ODI series. Though looking back at Ireland’s impressive World Cup campaign, during which they upset England, still puts a smile on his face, his focus now is helping Ireland rise up the ODI rankings starting with the Pakistan series.”These games are massive; with the one-day international status comes the ranking points,” O’Brien said on Irish radio show . “If we get a couple of wins here, we hopefully can climb up that table, and get as close as we can to ninth place.”Ireland are still some way off ninth-placed Bangladesh in the rankings, and even two wins would still leave them several points behind. But it would put some distance between them and Zimbabwe.O’Brien said the World Cup had been wonderful for the Ireland team, but they now had to start again against a strong Pakistan outfit. “The World Cup was a fantastic experience for all the players and the management. But we’ve got to put that to the back of our mind and start again on Saturday with a big game against Pakistan.”They’ve got some experienced players and they’ve got some young guys who are coming in looking to show what they can do at international level. So it’s going to be two very tight games, and hopefully we can perform well, to our abilities, and get a win or two.”Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said a big change in the mentality of the Ireland side was that they now thought about winning rather than just survival or putting up a fight. O’Brien said he doesn’t think about the result of a game and concentrates on the basics. “We’ve got to go in with a positive mentality and hopefully we can hit our areas with the ball and bat well. We can’t really look too much at the result before the game; we’ve just got to go in and do our basics well.”Ireland will be missing two key players for the series: O’Brien’s brother Niall O’Brien and left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who are both injured. Kevin O’Brien said his brother would be a big miss because of his form in the English domestic season for Northamptonshire, but it would give someone else a chance to perform on a big stage.”Niall has started the season over in England fantastically well. He has scored a couple of hundreds and five fifties, so he is in great nick. I suppose it gives another guy a chance to come in and show what they can do, and hopefully we can all pull together, the 14 guys out here, and hopefully play well.”Kevin O’Brien has also been playing in England, in limited overs-matches for Gloucestershire.

Australia’s Test vice-captain Michael Clarke believes Pakistan’s fast bowlers will be a handful during the upcoming Test series, on the evidence of their strong performances in the two Twenty20s at Edgbaston

Brydon Coverdale07-Jul-2010Australia’s Test vice-captain Michael Clarke believes Pakistan’s fast bowlers will be a handful during the upcoming Test series, on the evidence of their strong performances in the two Twenty20s at Edgbaston. The Australians found Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul difficult prospects during the Twenty20s and both men are in the Test squad, where they will be joined by Mohammad Asif.Add the coaching expertise of Waqar Younis and the swing of the red Duke ball, and the attack could cause problems in English conditions. Australia found the curving ball hard to counter during their 2005 Ashes defeat and they again failed to win last year, which means they haven’t triumphed in a Test series in England since 2001.”They’re going to be tough opposition in the Test match,” Clarke said of Shahid Afridi’s men. “They’re going to have a very good attack, so our batters have to be at our best with the Duke ball that I’ll imagine they’ll get to swing, in conditions where, if it’s overcast, it’s going to be quite tough. I think we’re in for a really good Test series.”If it’s overcast here, I think they’ll swing the ball nicely and they’ve got some pace as well. I think the Duke will help them. Conditions play a big part in England as to how much swing there is. If it’s overcast there’s generally a bit of swing the whole day. Hopefully the sun’s out.”On Thursday, Australia will play with the red Duke for the first time on the tour when they begin a two-day warm-up match against Derbyshire. It will be a good opportunity for the selectors to see Ben Hilfenhaus, Australia’s best exponent of swing, in action after his seven-month lay-off due to knee tendonitis.At the same time, Pakistan will be honing their skills with a tour game against Leicestershire. The first Test begins at Lord’s next Tuesday, before the teams move on to Headingley for the second Test beginning on July 21.

Getafe have admitted Mason Greenwood "would suit" Barcelona after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments on the Manchester United loanee's future.

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• Greenwood impressing on loan at Getafe
• Ratcliffe has opened door for his return to Old Trafford
• Barcelona also interested in English forward

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  United sent Greenwood out on loan to Getafe on September 1 after concluding a six-month investigation into his conduct away from the pitch. He saw charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control against him dropped in February last year, but the club ultimately decided against reintegrating him into the first team. Moving to La Liga has allowed Greenwood to rebuild his career, though, and after recording 13 goal contributions in his first 24 appearances for Getafe, it has been suggested that Barcelona could make a formal offer for the forward this summer.

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• WHAT GETAFE'S PRESIDENT SAID

  Getafe president Angel Torres is still hopeful that Greenwood will stay at Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez beyond the end of the season, but admits that Barcelona would be the ideal fit for the 22-year-old if he were to move on to a new challenge. "He is very comfortable and crazy about staying another year," Torres said to Spanish radio station . "It's a matter that they [United] have to decide. There is new ownership. They have to decide. In Spain, he has a market. Barca's way of playing would suit him well but it depends on Manchester United. If it's true, he'll tell me."

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Torres' comments came in response to news from Old Trafford earlier in the week, with United's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe opening the door for Greenwood's potential return to the club. The INEOS chairman confirmed that a fresh decision over Greenwood's future will be taken when his loan deal at Getafe expires. "He’s a Manchester United footballer so we are in charge of football,” Ratcliffe said. "So the answer is yes, we have to make decisions. There is no decision that’s been made. The process will be: understand the facts not the hype and then try and come to fair decision on the basis of values which is basically is he a good guy or not, and answer could he play sincerely for Manchester United well and would we be comfortable with it and would the fans be comfortable with it."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?

  Greenwood is still under contract at Old Trafford until 2025, but has not played a competitive game for United since January 2022, and it remains to be seen whether he will be given another chance under the INEOS regime. For now, the one-cap England international's focus remains locked on matters at Getafe, who are set to come up against his potential suitors Barcelona in their next La Liga game on Saturday.

Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho was nowhere to be seen as the Red Devils squad posed for their official 2023-24 team photo.

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Winger's last appearance at end of AugustTraining away from first-team squadExpected to be on the move in JanuaryWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international has been frozen out of the first-team picture at Old Trafford by Erik ten Hag after seeing his commitment to training called into question – with his last appearance coming in a 30-minute came off the bench against Nottingham Forest on August 26.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Sancho responded on social media to being called out by his manager – a situation that did not go down well with Dutch tactician Ten Hag. The 23-year-old has been made to train separately since then, as he uses United’s academy facilities, while his manager refuses to refer to the winger by name when asked for updates on an unfortunate saga.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sancho has now fallen so far out of favour that he was absent from United’s official squad photo – with clips from that shoot being shared on the club’s TikTok account. Injured stars such as Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo were in attendance, alongside forgotten midfielder Donny van de Beek, but Sancho was a notable absentee.

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Say cheese 📸 #MUFC #ManUtd

♬ original sound – Dose of RX | A dose of life ✨️ – RX

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

United were reportedly prepared to part with Sancho in the final days of the summer transfer window, as he attracted interest from the Saudi Pro League, and there is every chance that he will be on the move in January amid talk of interest from the likes of Barcelona and Juventus.

Although the forward has insisted he isn't bigger than the Ligue 1 leaders, his brand and influence are now too inflated for PSG to contend with.

On Thursday, Paris Saint-Germain unveiled their promotional campaign to encourage fans to buy season tickets for next year. The video was suitably cliche, with Kylian Mbappe reading a curated script about what PSG is and means to him. It was all accompanied by shots of children playing football, and the occasional highlight from a tepid 2022-23 campaign for the French giants.

However, notably, neither Lionel Messi nor Neymar appeared in the video, with Mbappe taking centre stage as he talked up PSG's new era.

The player was outraged by the video — despite presumably knowing what it would look like — and took to social media to express his displeasure. Spitting blood, he wrote: "I just took part in the viewing of the club’s re-subscription campaign for the 23-24 season. At no time was I informed of the content of the interview. It looked like a basic interview during a club marketing day… PSG is a big club and a big family but it is especially not Kylian Saint-Germain.”

PSG, PR experts that they are, swiftly scrubbed it from their social channels. Mbappe's complaint, it seems, had a real impact.

By making the statement and forcing his club to delete the content, the star striker inadvertently contradicted his own statement. He insisted he isn't bigger than the club, but as soon as he spoke out against a decision, they swiftly walked it back. Whether he realised it or not, Mbappe paradoxically wielded the power that he claimed he doesn't have.

This isn't the first time that Mbappe's individual influence has outweighed the PSG brand. Indeed, his unnecessary statement was inadvertently the latest in a string of petulant outbursts that prove he is bigger than PSG.

Whether Mbappe will admit it or not, accidentally or intentionally, harmlessly or maliciously, he has turned the club into the 'Kylian Saint-Germain' he insists it isn't.

GettyMbappe the marketing behemoth

It is difficult to outright blame Mbappe for all of this; the PSG striker is a product of the system of stardom. At this point Mbappe is a brand – as much a walking marketing tool as a world-class footballer. The power simply comes with the territory.

In that sense, Mbappe's indignation at PSG is misdirected; the club would be foolish not to milk every last 'like' out of their talisman on social media.

Much of this is of his own making — Mbappe and his entourage have clearly picked the right sponsors to make him a behemoth of a brand. But his argument in his social media post from Thursday — that he knew nothing about the campaign and does not want to be bigger than the club — could hold true.

It is plausible that Mbappe the footballer just wants to express himself on the pitch without the off-field noise. Indeed, although humility in elite sport is hard to find, there is always the possibility that he doesn't care much for fame, and wants to focus solely on the game.

However, a series of off-field actions over the last year suggest that Mbappe knows exactly what he's doing.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesA huge contract and huge influence

This all started in October 2021, when Mbappe released a very carefully curated graphic novel. Entitled "Je m’appelle Kylian”, the 223-page read chronicles Mbappe's rise to fame and, in visual form, made clear his desire to move to Real Madrid. It was the ultimate way of taking control of his own narrative, and effectively requesting a transfer without uttering the words himself.

It also proved to be a move of marketing genius. The comic strip made Mbappe desirable, turned him into a powerful brand, and effectively set up the bidding war that would conclude in him penning what was at the time the most lucrative contract in football history with PSG.

That deal, paying him a base salary of €72 million (£63m/$77m), plus a loyalty bonus of €70m ($75m/£60m) for every year he stayed at the club, allegedly gave Mbappe unprecedented influence over the club. PSG reportedly granted Mbappe input over signings and managerial decisions, handing a 22-year-old — who wanted to leave a few months beforehand — the power to influence every single footballing decision.

The player has denied that such an agreement was in his contract, and whether he helped to pick Christophe Galtier to lead the side is impossible to know. But his influence over the team and willingness to speak out – often to the detriment of his team-mates – suggest that Mbappe feels untouchable.

GettyMbappe fires shots on and off the pitch

Since penning the deal, Mbappe has sent a series of not-so-subtle messages that demonstrate he runs everything at PSG.

He took a shot at Galtier in an Instagram story in October 2022, including the hashtag "pivot gang" after a 0-0 draw with Reims.

The comments came a few days after Mbappe expressed his displeasure that PSG refused to pair him with a natural No.9 — the very system that he thrives in for the France national team. Mbappe swiftly deleted the post, but not before Galtier publicly admitted that the club should have signed a central striker to keep Mbappe happy.

There have been further incidents since. Mbappe wore the captain's armband for PSG in their Coupe de France clash with lowly Pays de Cassel in late January — a decision that made sense in the absence of Presnel Kimpembe and Marquinhos. After the game, Galtier swiftly announced, without warning, that Mbappe was PSG's new vice-captain, making a point of the player's decision to stay at PSG when pressed to explain the choice.

"He stayed at PSG and deserves to have this armband in the absence of Marquinhos," Galtier explained.

That all came as a surprise to the injured Kimpembe, who held the role at the time: "I was not made aware of this decision, this is completely false…That said, I will always respect the decisions of the club."

Chances are, Kimpembe knew who really made the decision.

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Getty ImagesGrowing dissent as PSG flail

But handing Mbappe the armband for his supposed love of the team is perhaps unfair — especially given some of his actions in recent months. Indeed, Mbappe, for his own part, hasn't shown the unwavering commitment to the badge that his statement, and the vice-captaincy, suggests.

Just hours before a crucial Champions League clash last year, it emerged that Mbappe wanted to leave the club in January. Football advisor Luis Campos commented on the rumours, thereby validating them. Galtier, for his part, was miffed that Campos had put weight behind what had been considered to be hearsay.

Then, six days later, well after the transfer rumour mill had spun into overdrive, Mbappe denied that he had ever requested such a thing.

The whole saga drew the ire of prominent figures in the France football world. Even Thierry Henry, one of Mbappe's most loyal supporters, told the player to put his head down. PSG, meanwhile, simply allowed him to play. Mbappe followed it all by scoring six goals in his next five games — his best run of the season. In the weeks after, Galtier simply praised his star for his goalscoring ability.

He was at it again after PSG's loss against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Mbappe captained the side as they were handily beaten 3-0 on aggregate, by a team that would soon sack their manager.

After a toothless performance, Mbappe stood in front of the cameras and asserted that PSG simply were not built to win a Champions League. He quite clearly was not too wide of the mark in his claim, but his observations were perhaps not so innocent following PSG's refusal to sign the striker that Mbappe requested six months prior.

It was almost as though Mbappe was trying to have the last laugh — even in a PSG defeat.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo só empatou em casa com um Novorizontino cheio de reservas – a equipe do interior vai enfrentar o Figueirense, quinta-feira, pela Copa do Brasil -, mas deixou o torcedor menos apegado ao resultado satisfeito: o time jogou muito bem, finalizou mais de 20 vezes e merecia até uma goleada. A desastrosa atuação do árbitro Flávio Roberto Mineiro Ribeiro e a grande quantidade de chances perdidas impediram que o resultado fosse condizente com o rendimento.

Com um minuto de jogo, Alexandre Pato, posicionado novamente como centroavante, já havia marcado um gol após trama rápida do ataque são-paulino – o auxiliar Vitor Carmona Metestaine marcou impedimento inexistente. Antes da metade do primeiro tempo, o camisa 7 fez mais um, este com direito a drible no goleiro Oliveira, mas a arbitragem voltou a errar, dessa vez de maneira crassa, assinalando um impedimento que passou longe de existir.

Foram ainda dois pênaltis não marcados e um cartão amarelo que deveria ser vermelho para Léo Baiano, já nos acréscimos do segundo tempo, por uma entrada que fez Bruno Alves chegar ao vestiário carregado e sem conseguir apoiar o pé no chão.

Em termos de criação, talvez tenha sido a melhor partida do São Paulo desde a chegada de Fernando Diniz. Vitor Bueno e Pablo, os “pontas”, se juntavam constantemente a Pato para completar as jogadas que vinham dos dois lados, com Juanfran e Reinaldo bem avançados. Hernanes também chegava bastante à área e só não fez o gol dele porque Felipe Rodrigues salvou em cima da linha.

Daniel Alves e Tchê Tchê ditavam o ritmo, correndo por todo o gramado e fazendo o time andar, e os zagueiros iam bem na saída de bola. Mas ela teimava em não entrar…

Instantes antes do gol de Higor Leite, Fernando Diniz havia trocado Pato – que já jogava em intensidade menor – por Brenner, no que parece ter sido uma aposta na capacidade de finalização que o garoto mostra nos treinos. Depois, trocou Juanfran e Hernanes pela velocidade de Toró e Everton.

O São Paulo terminou com Daniel Alves pela lateral (mas procurando muito as jogadas pelo meio), Toró aberto pela direita, Vitor Bueno pela esquerda e Everton por dentro, com Pablo e Brenner juntos no comando do ataque. O time continuava com volume de jogo, mas já falhava demais na tomada de decisão. Na melhor jogada que o Tricolor construiu depois que o Novorizontino tomou a frente, Daniel Alves chegou ao fundo e cruzou para trás, de onde não vinha ninguém.

Quando o faro de gol de Brenner apareceu, aos 41 minutos do segundo, foi em um lance marcado mais pela raça do que pela técnica. O garoto empurrou a bola para a rede meio de qualquer jeito após um cruzamento meio mascado de Vitor Bueno. Irônico que o Tricolor tenha conseguido o gol dessa forma em uma partida em que criou tanto, e também que Pablo tenha tido as duas últimas oportunidades do jogo após uma falta não marcada de Arboleda, no único erro a favor do São Paulo na noite.

Os pouco mais de 14 mil torcedores que enfrentaram a chuva e foram ao Morumbi acabaram o jogo entusiasmados com a raça demonstrada pela equipe. Pode ser que esse empate, do jeito que foi, seja mais proveitoso para o futuro desse time que está ganhando cara do que uma goleada teria sido.