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After a dismal run of results, Erik ten Hag's side could yet miss out on a top-four finish and the prospect of returning to Europe's top table

Manchester United couldn't miss out on the Champions League again, could they? Oh yes they could! Erik ten Hag's side have been in the Premier League's top four since they won 1-0 at Wolves on December 31, but as they prepare to face Julen Lopetegui's side again on Saturday, they are in serious danger of losing that coveted fourth spot to Liverpool.

United had a seven-point lead over Liverpool less than two weeks ago after beating Aston Villa, but that advantage has been chopped to just one point since. If they fail to beat Wolves, Jurgen Klopp's side would leapfrog them with a win at Leicester City on Monday.

United do have a game in hand on Liverpool. but while the Merseysiders are in unstoppable form, United are in freefall. A large factor in them losing their grip on the top four has been their horrendous away form. The twin defeats at Brighton and West Ham meant they have lost eight away league matches this season, as many as Everton.

In their last 10 games, they have only scored eight goals, fewer than any other team in the league. The Red Devils look exhausted after playing more matches than any team in Europe's top five leagues and their confidence is on the floor, symbolised by David de Gea's howler against West Ham, as well as Marcus Rashford and Antony's wayward shooting.

Finishing in the top four is the most basic requirement for a club like United, who have never failed to qualify for the Champions League for two consecutive seasons. GOAL, though,looks at the possible consequences if they do miss out on Europe's top-tier competition once again…

(C)Getty ImagesFinancial losses

United are fortunate that their revenue will remain high whether they qualify for the Champions League or not. This season they are on course to rake in between £590 million and £610m, although, according to , they would have posted record revenues if they had qualified for Europe's top competition.

However, with the club needing to pay off £206m in credit from transfer spending, they will still be impacted by the financial hit. The difference in earnings between the Europa League and Champions League are colossal.

Just for qualifying for the Champions League group stages, teams earn £13m. Every win in the Champions League group stage earns you a further £2.4m, with draws worth around £800,000. Last season in the Champions League, United won three games while drawing two, pocketing £8.28m. They earned an extra £8.3m for qualifying for the last 16, giving them a total of around £30m on top of matchday revenue. Had they reached the quarter-finals, they would have pocketed an extra £9.2m.

If they were to go on and win the Champions League – admittedly a tall order – they would earn at least £73m. For winning the Europa League, you earn a minimum of £13m. To earn the same amount of money from merely qualifying for the Champions League, United would have to win the Europa League.

United earned around £10m by getting to the Europa League quarter-finals this season. If they had gone as far in the Champions League, their earnings would have been closer to £35m.

Based on current performance levels, a reasonable estimate on the total cost of missing out on the top four is at least £25m, and they would be surrendering the chance to earn a total difference of £60m. That could pay for a top young midfielder, or goalkeeper to challenge David de Gea.

AdvertisementGettyPay cuts & prestige loss

To protect the club from the loss in revenue in the event of not reaching the Champions League, United players' contracts contain a clause related to finishing in the top four. Failure to do so means an effective pay cut of 25 percent.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, United missing out on the Champions League meant a pay cut of almost £120,000 per week. The club's highest-paid players, such as Bruno Fernandes, De Gea and Casemiro, can expect a similar loss in income this time around.

For Fernandes, Rashford and many others, that will be a second successive pay cut. Although United have the second-highest wage bill in the Premier League, trailing only Chelsea, some players might find a second pay cut in a row hard to take. It's not impossible that they would seek to plug the gap in their pay packets by making a lucrative move to a team that is competing in the Champions League.

And lower pay would not be the only loss to players. Casemiro and Raphael Varane won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid and were used to getting to at least the semi-finals. Not being even involved in it would be a huge blow to their morale.

(C)Getty ImagesA more difficult transfer market

United's top priority in this summer's transfer window is finding a prolific striker. Erik ten Hag has made it clear that a proven, 20-goal-per-season hitman is what his team are lacking the most, and recruiting the calibre of striker they need is a lot harder without guaranteeing them the chance to play in Europe's biggest competition.

Victor Osimhen will be one of the most in-demand strikers this summer after firing Napoli to the Serie A title, but would he swap the newly crowned Italian champions for a team who are embarking on their second successive Europa League campaign? It's a hard sell.

The same goes for Harry Kane, who turns 30 and is running out of chances to win a trophy. Would he really risk burning his reputation as a one-club man with Tottenham to go to another team playing in the Europa League?

Without the lure of the Champions League, United would find it far harder to recruit truly elite players and would instead be forced to do their shopping at the level below. Instead of signing Kane, Osimhen, Randal Kolo Muani or Goncalo Ramos, they could be forced to look at options such as Jonathan David, Niclas Fullkrug or Ivan Toney instead.

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Getty ImagesRenewing Rashford becomes tougher

Convincing transfer targets to give up Champions League football to join United is just one concern. They also need to think about players who are already at the club but are itching to hear that music again and shine on the biggest stage of all.

None more than Rashford, who has little more than a year left on his contract and is enjoying the best season of his career. Rashford's camp have spoken to Paris Saint-Germain before, while plenty of other top clubs will have taken note of his resurgent form and his contract situation.

PSG never struggle to get into the Champions League (winning it is another matter), nor do Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. If United miss out once more on the competition, Rashford's head may be turned by clubs who can guarantee him Champions League football.

Chesney Hughes hit an unbeaten 137 as Derbyshire comfortably batted out for a draw on the final day of their match with Gloucestershire in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2016
ScorecardChesney Hughes cashed in on the final day of a bat-dominated match•Getty ImagesChesney Hughes hit an unbeaten 137 as Derbyshire comfortably batted out for a draw on the final day of their match with Gloucestershire in Bristol.With Hamish Rutherford contributing 78 to a second-wicket stand of 174, the visitors wiped out Gloucestershire’s first innings lead of 119 with few alarms under largely cloudless skies.Derbyshire had reached 260 for 2 when the players shook hands at 4.50pm, by which time Hughes, who had fallen four short of a hundred in the first innings, had faced 240 balls and hit 20 fours and a six without giving a chance.It was an impressive display by the powerful left-hander. Gloucestershire took 12 points and Derbyshire eight from a game dominated by the bat on a slow, benign wicket.The final day began with the hosts leading by 119 on first innings. Derbyshire’s first task was to avoid losing early wickets, but Lady Luck soon took a hand.Ben Slater was unfortunate to be run out for 6 when seamer Liam Norwell, operating from the Pavilion End, tipped a straight drive from Hughes onto the stumps at the bowler’s end.Gloucestershire were unable to capitalise on a surface offering little in terms of spin or seam movement and soon the draw was looking inevitable.By lunch Derbyshire were virtually safe on 105 for 1, with Hughes having moved to fifty off 75 balls, with 10 fours, and the less secure Rutherford on 37.The home side had to wait until the 55th over for a second success when Rutherford, who had escaped some airy shots, was caught by the diving Chris Dent at cover off Jack Taylor, having faced 142 balls and hit 10 fours.Rutherford had made an important contribution, while never looking in great form, and by the time he fell his side were 61 ahead.Hughes moved confidently to his eighth first-class century and second against Gloucestershire, bringing it up with his 16th four, forcing offspinner Taylor through the off side.He was unbeaten on 123 at tea, which was taken with Derbyshire 219 for 2, exactly 100 ahead.The shortened final session saw Hughes and Wayne Madsen (27 not out) bat effortlessly as Gloucestershire rested their main seamers.But there was a scare for the hosts near the end as skipper and wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick had to leave the field with a hand injury, sustained standing up to the medium-pace of Kieran Noema-Barnett.It was a match made memorable by the third-day century of Gloucestershire nightwatchman Norwell, but otherwise home supporters will be hoping for more entertaining cricket when Worcestershire provide the opposition on Sunday.

Pakistan posted their second-highest total in the first innings of a Test in the past eight years as the lower middle order weighed in after Younis Khan’s 177

The Report by Abhishek Purohit07-Aug-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYounis Khan stretched his innings to 177•AFPHerath hopes for 100-150 lead

A first-innings total of around 550 runs is Sri Lanka’s best, if slim, chance of winning the match, Rangana Herath said. Sri Lanka trail Pakistan by 352 runs at the end of day two, with nine wickets in hand, and a good first innings total is the hosts’ best insurance against losing two Galle Tests on the trot. Only one team has won the toss, batted, and lost in Galle in the last thirteen years.
“We have to bat all day tomorrow if we want to chase a win. In three sessions tomorrow, we should get around 300 runs. The important thing is to keep wickets in hand. Every run we score past their total is one with which we can put a lot of pressure on them with. That’s how we can bring the spinners into the game. If we can get 100 or 150 runs more than them and put them under pressure. That would be the ideal thing.”
Herath said that total might not be beyond Sri Lanka if they bat well, but did expect the pitch deteriorate substantially, with his side slated to bat last.
“It’s only been two days, so as far as I see it, it’s still good for the batsmen. There have been 550 runs scored so far. In the third, fourth and fifth day, there is a good chance the spinners will come into the game and the pitch will start to turn and bite.”

Pakistan posted their second-highest total in the first innings of a Test in the past eight years as the lower middle order weighed in after Younis Khan’s 177. Sri Lanka toiled for five sessions on a pitch that went placid after the first morning and conceded 450-plus in successive first innings in Galle – South Africa had made 455 last month. The hosts lost Upul Tharanga early, but Kumar Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva’s partnership had steadily grown to 75 by stumps.The overnight batsmen Younis and Asad Shafiq could add only 32 on the day before the latter was taken out by Rangana Herath. But Younis hung around to add 66 with Sarfraz Ahmed, who came in with a Test average of 18.58 and batted positively to make a fifty. So did Abdur Rehman, whose blows at No. 8 tipped Pakistan over 450.There was next to nothing for the fast bowlers on the second morning on a drying pitch under overcast skies in sharp contrast to the first hour on day one. The surface was sedate, and Younis and Shafiq got going with nudges past gully. The only chance Sri Lanka created was an edge produced off Younis by Dhammika Prasad that fell short of first slip.Angelo Mathews turned to Herath after six overs, but Shafiq stepped out and lofted him for six. Mathews brought himself on and tied Shafiq down with a couple of maidens. Shafiq, who had moved to 75 off 130, went scoreless for 15 balls before failing to pick Herath’s arm ball and falling leg-before.Sarfraz arrived and swept his first ball for two. He drove eagerly too, and the increased pace of scoring allowed Younis to continue in his own solid way. His leaving and defence were absolutely safe, like they had been through his innings.He continued to be on the right side of reviews, Sri Lanka finding he had gloved a Herath ball onto pad on 147 as they appealed for leg-before. The 150 came up with a powerful drive off Shaminda Eranga through extra cover for four. Younis gave an opportunity to the same bowler when on 156, but Eranga could not hold onto another sharp drive in his followthrough. As the break neared, Younis jumped out and drove Herath inside-out through extra cover, leaving Sri Lanka staring at another afternoon on the field.They were to strike soon after lunch, though. Younis went after Dilruwan Perera, off whom he took 58 off 61, again. He reverse-swept him from the line of leg stump for two, tried again and missed the second time and jumped out to the third ball but only chipped it to midwicket.Sarfraz showed off his timing now, walking across to Prasad and clipping him four to deep midwicket. Even he was to fall to Perera on the leg side, when he hit one to short mid-on trying to go over the top.Rehman had been targeted persistently with the short ball, but on a slow pitch, had survived without much trouble. He grew in confidence to take three successive fours off Eranga’s short stuff. Two were cut over the cordon, while the third was whipped through square leg.Even as Mathews sent several fielders to the deep, Rehman started stepping out to loft Perera for boundaries. One such attempt failed to clear wide long-off and Perera finished with five wickets, but Pakistan had scored freely off him, taking 137 in 31.5 overs from the offspinner and 190 in 52.5 for the day.Sri Lanka’s reply started in a frenzy of outside edges, none of which carried. Tharanga lasted 15 deliveries, and his innings was a mix of edges and copping it on the pad as he often fell over in his stance. It seemed only a matter of time before he nicked off or went leg-before and Junaid Khan chose the latter mode.Mohammad Talha had Silva edging his first ball short of first slip. Silva’s first three fours were outside edges, but to his credit he was trying to play softly, especially off the back foot. The story continued against the spinners, as an edge off Rehman went just past the keeper and bounced inches in front of Younis at slip. Silva’s struggle to find the middle of the bat extended late into the day, but he also put away some rare wide ones from the spinners.Sangakkara began with an edged boundary through the slips as well, but tightened up later. Pakistan did not refer an lbw appeal against him when he was on 13, and replays showed Saeed Ajmal’s delivery would have hit leg stump. Sangakkara went without a boundary for 57 balls before he pulled and drove Junaid for two in an over just before stumps. Pakistan ended the day still comfortably ahead, but this is one wicket they will want early next morning.

Jammu & Kashmir will play all their Ranji Trophy league stage games away from home due to the major floods in the state earlier this year

Amol Karhadkar25-Nov-2014Home games in Ranji Trophy 2014-15 season

Group A
Karnataka 4; Bengal 5; Mumbai 3; Railways 5; Uttar Pradesh 4; Baroda 4; Tamil Nadu 5; Jammu & Kashmir 0; Madhya Pradesh 5.
Group B
Maharashtra 5; Punjab 3; Gujarat 5; Saurashtra 4; Rajasthan 3; Delhi 4; Vidarbha 3; Haryana 5; Orissa 4.
Group C
Goa 3; Himachal Pradesh 4; Kerala 4; Hyderabad 4; Andhra 5; Assam 5; Tripura 3; Jharkhand 4; Services 4.

Jammu & Kashmir will play all their Ranji Trophy league stage games away from home. The decision was taken since the infrastructure in the state is damaged due to the major floods in September and will not be repaired in time before the Ranji season concludes.”We have informed the BCCI that none of our regular grounds will be in condition to host any of our home games this season, so we will have to play all our matches away from home this season,” Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association secretary ML Nehru told ESPNcricinfo. “It will make things a little difficult for the team, but we just cannot help it since the natural calamity was so severe.”J&K finished second in Group C last season to earn promotion for the 2014-15 season, and have been placed in Group A. Jammu & Kashmir were allotted three home games this season, against Tamil Nadu (December 14-17), Railways (January 21-24) and Madhya Pradesh (January 29-February 1). A BCCI insider confirmed that all three matches will now be played at the home venues of their respective opponents.The decision is contrary to secretary Sanjay Patel’s statement in September. Patel had said that J&K will play all their home games in Mohali, the home of Punjab Cricket Association. However, it is understood that the plan was changed since the BCCI was not willing to tinker with the “home and away” nature of the Ranji Trophy league stage.Meanwhile, the BCCI has also drifted from its system of allocating four home and four away games to every team in the Ranji league stage. Since moving to a three-tier system of nine teams each in 2012-13, the BCCI used to ensured that each team gets equal home and away games in the league stage.However, this season, the number of home games for every team – barring J & K – vary from three to five. According to an insider who was involved in devising the fixtures, the need for tinkering with the last two years’ norm to avoid the same teams facing each other at the same venue for two consecutive years. “With the revisions of groups, if we had to maintain four games’ system, we would have had no choice but to make the same teams play at the same venue in successive seasons. Instead, it was decided to vary the number of matches.”Before 2012-13, there had been occasions when a team would have played all their league games either at home or away. For instance, Rajasthan played all their league games at home on their way to a maiden Ranji triumph in 2010-11. The BCCI had then devised a fresh home-and-away system from 2012-13 when the structure of the tournament was changed.

The 33-year-old striker has made a strong impact at Santiago Bernabeu despite the pressure on him to step into Karim Benzema's shoes

Prior to the second half of Real Madrid's eventual 3-1 loss to Atletico Madrid on Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti surveyed his bench. He peered over an admittedly thin unit, but an elite one nonetheless. He could call on midfielder Aurelian Tchouameni, No.10 Brahmin Díaz, or the dynamic Dani Ceballos.

Instead, with his team trailing, and the need to change the game, Ancelotti introduced a gangly, 6’3, 33-year-old striker: Joselu. He is not the archetype of human, never mind elite footballer, to change a contest of such magnitude. But it wasn’t exactly a poor selection from Ancelotti, either. Madrid were markedly better with the big striker in the second half, creating more chances, registering more shots, and enjoying a larger percentage of possession in the Atletico defensive third. Joselu did little to change the result, but Madrid’s performance undoubtedly improved.

The presence of this anti-Galactico has bolstered Madrid on a number of occasions already this season. Joselu is not a big-money signing who will break any records, or sell many shirts. But he is, undoubtedly, a presence, a player who will at the very least make things awkward for the opposition. And for a Madrid side lacking an attacking focal point, it's an invaluable attribute, as well as a fulfilment of a lifelong dream for a former Madridista whose career threatened to careen off course along the way.

GettyFitting in at the top level

Strikers like Joselu don't exist for big clubs anymore. All centre-forwards — regardless of size — have to bring more to their game than just finishing. Harry Kane, for example, is big, but passes like a No.10. Romelu Lukaku is lethal when rolling his defender. And Erling Haaland is some sort of hyper-athletic, deadly Nordic alien. There isn't usually room for the slow, gangly tall guy who likes to run.

But Madrid have found it for Joselu. Ancelotti's systems are more tactically intricate than he gets credit for, but the legendary Italian manager has won a lot at Madrid because he puts 11 very good players on the pitch, who can all play together. It is, after all, inherently limiting to ask Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Vinicius Jr or Jude Bellingham to modify their role, or curb their footballing instincts.

In the past, this all worked through the feet of Karim Benzema. The Ballon d'Or-winning striker was equal parts roaming forward and deadly finisher. He could both score in bunches and link play for others — sort of floating around as a false nine. His departure has left a hole — one that Bellingham has surprisingly filled this year with goals of his own. But the England midfielder does not offer the striker's presence that Benzema did.

And that is where Joselu comes in. With Vinicius having missed a month of action through injury, the Spaniard has largely played alongside Rodrygo up front for Los Blancos, and generally lived in the box, taking on the opposing defence's biggest centre-back. He battles so Rodrygo can roam and Bellingham can ghost into the box. Joselu is effectively an elite facilitator — all without touching the ball.

AdvertisementGettyPutting the ball in the net

Joselu's signing was met by confusion for a lot of those outside Spain — and for good reason.

But it's a largely unfair criticism. There are many elite footballers — especially Spanish ones — who simply do not make it in England. Iago Aspas, now a modern La Liga stalwart, flopped at Liverpool. Fernando Morientes, considered Spanish goalscoring royalty when he arrived in England in 2005, scored only eight times in 41 appearances. Alvaro Morata is remembered with chagrin by Chelsea fans, but has been a solid centre-forward for Atletico Madrid.

Joselu fell victim to the same issue, and perhaps it was his stint in England that helped revive his career when he returned to Spain. Since arriving at Alaves in 2019, aged 29, he has scored double-digit goals every season, most recently bagging 16 for an Espanyol side that won just four games last campaign. This is a player who was handed his Spain debut at 32, and scored the winner in the Nations League semi-final to mark his second cap.

At Madrid, on his return to his boyhood club, he has found the net on a couple of occasions. Two in six games doesn't jump off the page, but both have been in one-goal wins, and he assisted the winner against Celta Vigo, too. Madrid have won six games from seven in all competitions so far, and Joselu's contributions have been crucial in three of them.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesLove of the club

The smile on Joselu's face after scoring his first Madrid goal was one of those rare heartwarming things in football. It was May 21, 2011, and Madrid were thrashing Almeria. In the 86th minute, Joselu, introduced as a substitute, ghosted off the far shoulder of the last defender and met Cristiano Ronaldo's cross in stride, right as the ball pinged off the turf, striking it on the rise to make a very tricky finish look markedly easy. It was Madrid's eighth goal of the evening, but Joselu celebrated it like he had scored a last-minute winner.

It took 12 years for him to bag his second for club, and that one was met with equal delight. This time, it was a rebound that fell kindly to the big Spaniard, who thrashed it home to equalise against Getafe. He needed a few seconds of an excited sprint towards the fans before realising that his team-mates were all returning to the centre-circle in the hunt for a winner.

And perhaps those reactions are most emblematic of what Joselu brings. There are a lot of Madrid players who want to play for Madrid because of the name, the badge, the status. Bellingham, Madrid's other summer signing, said it himself: "Real Madrid is the greatest club in history and there aren't many players who get to play for such a magnificent and historic club. I'm very grateful to those who brought me here."

Joselu, though, has a real connection. Although he came up through the Celta Vigo youth system, he was bought by Madrid as an 18-year-old, and impressed for Madrid's Castilla side, before being offered a chance at the first team two years later. And the energy of a 20-year-old trying to earn his spot at one of the world's biggest clubs still remains. The statistics tell some of the story — Joselu's numbers on clearances and interceptions are among the best in the world among strikers, per .

But the eye test offers more. Joselu never stops moving. He presses the defensive line when Madrid push up. He drops into a deeper position when they soak up pressure. He makes the runs to the back post that don't matter. He offers himself in space for quick interchanges. These are all things that his predecessor was better at — of course Benzema was. But those gangly legs are always in motion, always for the badge of the club he loves.

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Real MadridKeeping Mbappe's seat warm?

Real Madrid agreed to bring Joselu in on a loan deal with Espanyol, with a potential option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. So far, it has seemed like a surprisingly shrewd signing for a team that didn't sign Kylian Mbappe — as many perhaps expected they would.

But that will likely all change next summer. Mbappe has reportedly agreed on a deal to amicably exit Paris Saint-Germain in 2024. Madrid, by then, will presumably be able to pay whatever fees — to PSG or otherwise — are needed to make the deal happen. It's a presumptive move that will push Joselu further down the pecking order.

For now, the Spaniard is a reliable fill-in for a side that is still growing into a new 4-4-2 formation. When Mbappe arrives, the system will likely change for him. It's hard to see Madrid needing a true No.9 in their squad as anything but an occasional cup option, or late sub to relieve one of their front three.

So, Joselu effectively has his one season to make an impact. And maybe he hasn't picked the year made for the most success. Barcelona appear well poised to challenge Madrid for the title and there are undoubtedly more well-rounded teams in the Champions League. That this is likely Ancelotti's final season in club management won't help, either.

Still, for Madrid's anti-Galactico, a player who has waited for his Bernabeu dream to come true, he might just have the kind of impact necessary to keep Madrid challenging on all fronts.

Lionel Messi will play at the 2026 World Cup if Argentina retain the Copa America next year, according to Nicolas Tagliafico.

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Messi inspired Argentina to 2022 gloryHasn't ruled out one more World Cup hurrahTagliafico says Copa America success is the 'key'

WHAT HAPPENED?

Messi finally added the one piece of silverware that had been missing from his CV when Argentina beat France in the 2022 World Cup final. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner earned the player of the tournament award after recording ten goal contributions in seven appearances, with many fans and pundits claiming he "completed football" following a historic triumph in Qatar.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi insisted he had no plans to feature for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup after joining MLS outfit Inter Miami in June, but has since relaxed his stance. He recently told when quizzed on whether he could still appear at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States: “I don't know if I will reach it. I said that before. I'm not thinking about it yet because it's far away, but I'm thinking about Copa America. The goal is to arrive in good shape for Copa America in the United States. It's going to be great. It will be looked into depending on how I feel at the time.”

WHAT NICOLAS TAGLIAFICO SAID

The 2024 Copa America will kick off in the U.S. on June 20, with Argentina set to defend the crown they won in Brazil two years ago. Argentina full-back Tagliafico believes success at that tournament will convince Messi to target one final World Cup appearance, as he told " "Do you know what the key is for Messi to play in the 2026 World Cup? Win Copa America next year. If we would not have won the World Cup in Qatar, he would have left. But he won it and he wants to enjoy these months. But if we go to the United States and win the Copa America, he will want to continue."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Argentina are already well on their way to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, having won all four of their opening CONMEBOL qualifying games. Messi is set to return to the team for their next set of fixtures against Uruguay and Brazil in the coming days, on the back of completing his first season in MLS.

Kent have encouraged hopes that they can rediscover their one-timw reputation as one of the forces of the county game by announcing profits of £658,000 for 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2015Kent have transformed their financial position, bringing hopes that they can escape years in the doldrums to once again become one of the leading clubs on England’s professional circuit. They have announced a post-tax profit of £658,000 for 2014, a turnaround from the loss of £98,000 a year earlier.The county has reported “dramatic positive progress” since 2009 and net assets of £6.3m.Jamie Clifford, Kent’s chief executive, said: “This is the result of a comprehensive and clear plan. Much effort has gone into improving the commercial base of the club and this has seen a nearly fivefold increase in returns since 2010.”We now all look forward to seeing Kent perform on the field in the next six months. It is very encouraging that 14 of our 23 man squad have come through the Club’s own cricket development programmes.”Kent are ambitious to develop the Old Dover Road side of their Canterbury ground and Clifford said that planning approval later this year “would result in greatly improved financial stability for the club.”A planning application for 60 retirement apartments was rejected by Canterbury Council’s planning committee in December despite a recommendation for approval by planning officers.

Jordan Henderson admits “it’s not nice” to be booed by “your own fans”, but the England international insists jeers “won’t change who I am”.

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Midfielder jeered against AustraliaPlaying club football in Saudi ArabiaTurning a deaf ear to his criticsWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Liverpool captain completed a transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq during the summer window, with the 33-year-old attracting criticism for heading to the Middle East after previously speaking out against controversial laws in the region.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT THEY SAID

Henderson was, after taking the armband for England in their friendly date with Australia, booed by sections of the home support at Wembley as he was substituted in a 1-0 win, but stands by his decision to make a move that has angered some.

He has said: "Everybody has got their own opinion. I love playing for England, I have done for many years, that's why I'm still here. I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country. It's not nice, your own fans, if they were booing. But listen, people have got their own opinions. Whenever I bump into anyone on the street it's always been positive stuff and nice things said. But listen, it won't change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

When pressed further on the reasons for the terrace taunts, experienced midfielder Henderson added: “Yeah, so… if people want to boo if I'm playing in a different country, that's fine. Like I said, everyone is going to have an opinion over when I'm playing over in Saudi. I've spoken in the past about the reasons for that. Whether people believe us or not is up to them. But when I'm here with England, it doesn't change anything. I give absolutely everything. Of course it's disappointing, but it won't change what I do here. I want to keep playing and keep fighting and help the team become successful.”

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

England will be back in action on Tuesday when playing host to Italy, with Gareth Southgate’s side looking to book their place at next summer’s European Championships in Germany.

The Premier League champions closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to five points with a dominant 4-1 win on the south coast

Manchester City warmed-up for their Champions League quarter-final meeting with Bayern Munich by cruising to a 4-1 win over the Premier League's bottom side Southampton as Erling Haaland marked his return to the line up with two goals.

Haaland missed last week's win over Liverpool, but showed few signs of rust against the Saints, netting either side of half-time as City closed the gap on leaders Arsenal back to five points.

Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez were also on the scoresheet and Kevin De Bruyne brought up a century of Premier League assists in a virtuoso display for Pep Guardiola's side, whose only disappointment will have been their failure to keep a clean sheet after Sekou Mara netted for the home side.

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GOAL rates City's players from St. Mary's…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Ederson (6/10):

Mostly a spectator, and had no chance with Mara's consolation goal.

John Stones (6/10):

Might as well be listed as a central midfielder given his positioning, and neat passing suggested he could one day play there permanently. Substituted early in the second half.

Manuel Akanji (5/10):

Struggled with the pace and trickery of Sulemana at times, though Stones' positioning did leave him rather exposed.

Ruben Dias (7/10):

Looks to be getting back to his best after finally earning back his place in Guardiola's preferred line up.

Nathan Ake (7/10):

Turning into an outstanding defender, regardless of which role he is asked to perform.

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Rodri (6/10):

Kept City ticking over in midfield to little fanfare.

Kevin De Bruyne (9/10):

Absolutely sensational. His 100th Premier League assist was sumptuous, and he played a major role in four City goals.

Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):

Busy in midfield again as City dominated possession.

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Riyad Mahrez (5/10):

Struggled to make much impact before being replaced 10 minutes into the second half.

Erling Haaland (9/10):

On the periphery for most of the first half but in the right place to open the scoring. Superb bicycle kick with his final touch before being replaced was his 30th Premier League goal of the season.

Jack Grealish (8/10):

On the scoresheet again and provided the cross for Haaland's second. Beginning to produce the output many expected of him when he signed in 2021.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Kyle Walker (5/10):

After being called out by his manager in the build-up, will be disappointed in the role he played in Mara's goal.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Replaced Mahrez and provided energy and quality off the right-hand side.

Julian Alvarez (6/10):

Netted from the penalty spot after replacing Haaland.

Sergio Gomez (N/A):

On for Ake with 10 minutes to go.

Kalvin Phillips (N/A):

Given a run out late on.

Pep Guardiola (7/10):

Made the right changes at 1-0 to stop Southampton's counter-attacking threat. Interesting to see how much he changes things for the Bayern game.

Goal looks at the form for each team in the knockouts for the last 10 games in all competitions…

Getty/Goal composite16. Roma | 12 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Shakhtar Donetsk

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 40/1

Roma's form has tanked in the last couple of months. They are no longer Serie A contenders and arrested a run of six winless league games only last weekend against Verona. 

Edin Dzeko might have stayed but Roma are a long way away from the team who put six past Chelsea in the group stages. 

AdvertisementGetty/Goal composite15. Chelsea | 15 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Barcelona

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 25/1

Time appears to be running out for Antonio Conte as Chelsea coach and the ties that could bring the axe down on his reign are against runaway Liga leaders Barcelona in the Champions League last 16. 

Failure to finish ahead of Roma in the group stage condemned Chelsea to a knockout tie against a top tier team. They got the worst possible outcome. 

Barca are powerful, fluent and in possession of the great Lionel Messi. Chelsea are in disarray. Consecutive three-goal defeats in the Premier League have left Conte on the brink; key players like David Luiz and Alvaro Morata are underperforming and last summer's transfer failures are haunting them at every turn. 

Getty/Goal composite14. Real Madrid | 18 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Paris Saint-Germain

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 8/1

Anything less than a third Champions League title in succession will cost Zinedine Zidane his job, the equation is that simple. Already out of La Liga's title race and the Copa del Rey, Europe is the only domain in which Real Madrid can salvage this wreck of a season.

They have made a habit of defying expectations in this competition in recent years and along the way proven themselves to be the most consistent side at this level in decades. They need to draw upon all of that experience and know-how though as they have neither collective nor individual form to fall back on.

Zidane simply can't get a tune out of his men while poor domestic form bled into their European campaign with a damaging 3-1 loss to Tottenham at Wembley. Cristiano Ronaldo has maintained his regular European output though and his scoring potential could mean the difference between success and failure against PSG. 

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Getty/Goal composite=12. Shakhtar Donetsk | 19 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Roma

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 100/1

Paulo Fonseca's side have proven their mettle with wins against Manchester City and Napoli in a group stage campaign which saw them pip the Italians to a knockout berth. 

A long, inactive winter won't have helped their cause but there is enough quality – and enough of a plan – for them to edge Roma.