A determined last-wicket partnership of 45 runs between Brydon Carse and Ben Raine ensured that Durham would earn a draw from their Bob Willis Trophy match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.When the pair came together Durham had a lead of 156 over their hosts, with around 30 overs still remaining in the contest. Carse’s eventual dismissal, for 31, meant that the target had jumped to 202 from 17 overs.Notts, through the powerful hitting of Peter Trego and the deftness of Ben Duckett, gave it a go before agreeing to call off the chase on 82 for 1, with only 7.4 overs left. Trego twice cleared the ropes in hitting 34 from 22 balls and Duckett was unbeaten on 36 from 28.Earlier, the visitors were eventually bowled out for 329 in their second innings, with Michael Jones top-scoring with 82. Samit Patel claimed 4 for 80 for Notts, with Trego taking 3 for 34.The home county were held up for more than an hour by Chris Rushworth at the start of the day, with the nightwatchman eventually falling for 25 to a catch at short leg off Matt Carter.Jones, a 22-year old Scottish international playing in only his fifth first-class fixture, defied Notts for 248 minutes in making his highest first-class score.Following a duck in the first innings Jones played a chanceless knock, hitting eight fours in his 224-ball stay before nicking Jake Ball behind soon after the second new ball had been taken.Trego struck twice after lunch, getting David Bedingham lbw for 29 and then forcing Stuart Poynter to misjudge a leave that ricocheted back onto his stumps.Carter had Gareth Harte caught at short leg by Haseeb Hameed for 34 before Coughlin nicked Patel behind.Ned Eckersley only made eight but took 75 minutes out of the game, eventually falling to Patel after facing 73 deliveries.Carse and Raine then played their punchy cameos to put any thoughts of a victory charge for Notts back on ice.Requiring around 12 runs an over from the outset, Trego started as if it could be achieved, slog-sweeping Rushworth over the ropes before launching Raine even further.The first six overs produced 66 runs, with Duckett helping himself to four boundaries but the fall of Trego’s wicket and the sight of nine Durham fielders hugging the boundary prompted the early finish.Nottinghamshire take 16 points from the contest, propelling them up to fourth in the final North Group standings but their wait for a first red-ball victory since June 2018 goes on.Durham, with 13 points, sit at the foot of the table, having also finished with two defeats and three draws from their Bob Willis Trophy campaign.

The towering centre-back cruised through the 90 minutes, although the Reds are now likely to be without their No.1 goalkeeper for a while

The mark of champions? Liverpool eased to a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace courtesy of an early strike from Diogo Jota as an assured defensive display guaranteed they would head into the international break top of the Premier League table.

The hosts couldn't get to grips with Arne Slot's side in the first half, with the dominant Reds breaking the deadlock after just nine minutes – Jota sneaking in to divert the ball past Dean Henderson after tidy work by Cody Gakpo on the left wing.

Palace came into the game more in the second period, with Alisson forced into making a couple of decent stops before he was frustratingly forced off with what looked to be a hamstring injury.

Virgil van Dijk, who strolled through the game and comfortably dealt with whatever Palace had to throw at him, rightly survived a penalty appeal midway through the second half and although Oliver Glasner's side will rue not taking their chances, it never felt like the Merseysiders were going to drop points here.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Selhurst Park…

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Alisson (7/10):

More injury woe for the Brazilian. Had absolutely nothing to do until stoppage time in the first half, when he made a smart stop to keep out Sarr's driven shot. Also kept out efforts from Nketiah, Eze and Chalobah before frustratingly being forced off with what looked like a hamstring issue.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (6/10):

Wasn't able to link up with Salah as effectively as he usually does and didn't quite carry the usual threat going forward in that inverted full-back area.

Ibrahima Konate (7/10):

A commanding presence in the box and won the vast majority of his duels, both in the air and on the ground.

Virgil van Dijk (8/10):

Breezed through the game and dealt effectively and efficiently with the little threat Palace posed on the break. The big talking point will be the penalty incident involving Guehi but he would've been outraged had his slight pull on the England defender's arm been given against him.

Kostas Tsimikas (7/10):

Ably deputised for Robertson and it was his incisive through ball that set Gakpo through to get the assist for the opening goal. Taken off with a little over 10 minutes to go.

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Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):

Didn't quite seem himself as he uncharacteristically gave the ball away at times and was withdrawn at half-time. Hopefully nothing serious on the injury front.

Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):

The Dutchman oozes class. Controlled the midfield throughout, not only getting out of tight situations with neat touches and assured passing, but he also got forward and joined in attacks when he could.

Curtis Jones (6/10):

Got his opportunity in the starting XI ahead of Szoboszlai and although he was neat and tidy with his passing, he didn't quite make enough of an impact in attacking areas.

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Mohamed Salah (5/10):

After a quiet first half his big chance finally arrived in the 56th minute but he could only shoot straight at Henderson. In fairness to Salah, most of the Reds' attacks were coming from the opposite flank and he was eventually hooked with 20 minutes to go.

Diogo Jota (7/10):

Showed his predatory instincts as he arrived on the scene to poke home the opener early on. Snatched at a shot soon after as he failed to make it two and then wasted a glorious chance as he headed wide from Alexander-Arnold's delightful clipped free-kick.

Cody Gakpo (7/10):

Made the most of a rare start as he looked bright and inventive throughout the first half. Provided the cutback for Jota's goal after a clever darting run in-behind and although he faded in the second half he played a significant role in the win.

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Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

Replaced Mac Allister at the half-time interval and although he had a couple of strikes from distance, didn't make too much impact.

Luis Diaz (6/10):

On for Salah with about 20 minutes left and didn't manage to stamp his mark on the game.

Vítezslav Jaros (7/10):

The 23-year-old back-up goalkeeper replaced the injured Alisson for his Liverpool debut and made one decent save from a one-on-one situation with Eze to help preserve the clean sheet and three points.

Andrew Robertson (N/A):

Replaced a tiring Tsimikas late on.

Wataru Endo (N/A):

On for Jones for the final knockings.

Arne Slot (7/10):

Very much a case of job done. Selhurst Park is never an easy place to go but Liverpool got their early goal and despite not being at their devastating best they held on to stay top of the pile. Fair to say some of Slot's changes didn't quite pay off but having match-winner Jota in from the off – played in by Gakpo, who himself was making a rare start – ultimately worked a treat and secured the points.

A matter of days ago Arsenal confirmed their fan voted Player of the Season award. Who took home the gong? Well, for a second year running it was the skipper, Martin Odegaard.

For a player who was the subject of uncertainty when he arrived on a permanent deal from Real Madrid in 2021, he has defied the doubters and become an elite midfield player, one of the best in the Premier League.

Only two players in the division – Bruno Fernandes and Pasca Gross – completed more key passes than the Norwegian's 102 last season. He is a striker's dream, even if he did only exit the campaign with 11 assists from 48 outings.

Odegaard also scored 11 times during a term where he simply captivated audiences with his gorgeous skill and jaw-dropping vision.

So, if Arsenal repeated that signing it would be pretty special, right?

Arsenal in the hunt to sign Odegaard 2.0

Signed initially on loan during the pandemic season, Odegaard impressed Arteta enough to earn a permanent move to the Emirates Stadium, trading Madrid for London in a deal worth £30m.

That now looks to be a bargain but Arsenal are not stopping there in pursuit of signing players on the fringes in Madrid.

Indeed, according to reports in Spain, Arteta wants to bring Brahim Diaz to the Premier League this summer.

It's stated that 'Arteta is said to be seriously considering signing him for next season' and would 'be willing to offer him a starting role in his project'.

Combine the fact Diaz only started 18 of his 31 outings in LaLiga last season with Kylian Mbappe's arrival and it's likely that the chance for more game time will appeal to the 24-year-old.

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ByCharlie Smith Jun 3, 2024 How Brahim Diaz compares to Martin Odegaard

For starters, Diaz has already enjoyed a far more vibrant time of it in Spain's capital than Odegaard ever did.

A genuine wonderkid, Arsenal's current skipper never got a fair shot at it with Madrid, ultimately leaving after just 11 first-team games.

So, Diaz has him trumped in that regard, enjoying a rather prolific time of it during 2023/24. The Spanish-born maestro scored 12 goals and assisted nine strikes, almost identical numbers to Odegaard.

Having played all across the front line, from the left wing, behind the striker and on the right, it's hardly a surprise that analyst Ben Mattinson once said that he "fits Arteta’s profile of a midfielder/winger he likes to work with".

Second striker

14

1 + 2

Attacking midfield

10

4

Right wing

9

3 + 1

Left wing

6

4 + 5

Centre forward

2

0

So, he's versatile. That's the first box ticked. He can score goals; second box ticked. He can also assist; third box ticked. This is shaping up rather well, isn't it?

Where do the other similarities lie? Well, Diaz possesses that intricate ball-playing ability. He can glide past players with ease, ghost into the opposition penalty area and devastate defences.

Having watched him during a loan spell with Milan, Italian football expert Mina Rzouki once said: "He breaks the lines insanely well and his work in tight spaces." That sounds rather like Odegaard, doesn't it?

Also hailed as an "astonishing" talent by Rzouki, naturally, there's also comparisons to similar players in Phil Foden and David Silva. Diaz was at Manchester City but decided to leave in search of more regular football elsewhere.

Speaking on that, Joleon Lescott previously stated: "What I'm seeing hasn't surprised me because I've seen it in the academy [at Man City] but his technical ability was far superior to some of the players they had at their disposal.

"If it wasn't for a young Phil Foden he's probably doing this in a City shirt. They're of a similar mould, they like to get the ball in half spaces and can turn on a sixpence."

So, he's like Foden, he's like Odegaard, is there anything this young 24-year-old cannot do?

Well, evidently not. The statistics paint him in a very vibrant light too. Here's how he stacks up compared to Arsenal's number 8.

Goals

0.47

0.23

Assists

0.35

0.29

Progressive carries

4.42

2.65

Progressive passes

4.36

10

Pass success

84.3%

84.3%

Key passes

1.74

2.97

Shot-creating actions

4.36

6.41

Successful take-ons

3.20

1.08

So, there are obviously some differences when you consider their play styles. Diaz is far more likely to take on a man and beat them, much like Foden, but Odegaard is more likely to create and progress the play via his passing.

That said, that isn't an area the Madrid star particularly struggles in. The Norwegian's progressive passing levels are just simply on a different planet to many players in Europe, so much so that he ranks within the top 2% of positionally similar players on the continent for that metric.

Well, we've hyped the Morocco international up enough now; it's over to you Arteta.

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Coach reveals allrounder only began ‘return-to-bowling’ programme upon arrival in England

Valkerie Baynes24-Sep-2020

West Indies are taking a cautious approach to Deandra Dottin’s bowling return as she continues her comeback from a serious shoulder injury.Andre Coley, West Indies women’s interim head coach, has revealed that Dottin, who is yet to bowl in the T20I series against England and sent down just two overs in the tourists’ two intra-squad warm-up matches, only began a “back-to-bowling” training programme after arriving in England on August 31.”She’s recovered from injury,” Coley said. “It’s no secret that our players haven’t been able to do much for a very long time and Deandra is on a back-to-bowling programme, she started that while she was here so she’s still on that. We need to make sure that she’s 100 percent to be able to go on competitively.”She has been doing bowling work behind the scenes, during training, and we are comfortable in terms of where she’s at, but we want to make sure that long-term she’s okay and she can actually bowl at the intensity that she wants consistently and not just for a game or two games.”We are we are happy that healing is there, it is really now just getting her back into bowling, making sure that her lines are good and she’s actually 100 percent to bowl.”ALSO READ: ‘I want to be a genuine allrounder’ – GlennWest Indies’ hastily arranged tour of England came after India and South Africa cancelled their planned series in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time West Indies’ players had undergone limited preparation compared to England, who returned to individual training in June in the expectation of hosting some international cricket during their summer.Dottin missed a year of international cricket from February 2019 and underwent surgery on her right, bowling, shoulder in June of that year. She made her top-level return at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where she did not bowl.She could be seen with her shoulder wrapped in ice packs in the dugout after batting in West Indies’ 47-run loss to England on Wednesday evening, the second time in their five-match series that the tourists have been defeated by that margin. But Coley said icing the shoulder was about preventing any further injury.”She’s fine as far as I’m aware,” he said. “She’s returning from an injury which had her off from competitive cricket for a while so anything that you would have seen around shoulder stuff would have been just pre-habbing, making sure that we’re managing. There’s no injuries around the shoulder at the moment.”It could be argued that West Indies have missed Dottin’s bowling so far this series when they struggled to contain England opener Tammy Beaumont in the first match and failed to clean up the England tail in the second.But Dottin has done her part with the bat – her 69 in the first match was the best by any batter from either side, albeit in a losing cause, and she was the pick of the West Indies line-up again with her 38 in the second.Dottin’s performances with the bat have highlighted a key problem for West Indies though, an over-reliance on Dottin and captain Stafanie Taylor at the top of the order. It means that if neither them nor Hayley Matthews, who has had a lean series so far with twin scores of just 3, are able to bat deep, their chances fall away rapidly.”Contributions, we have discussed it, since we have been here we have done work around it,” Coley said. “We have to be realistic about our resources. Our main batters basically are at the top. We have young players who have potential but obviously still need to continue to grow and improve. It’s really about how they can actually support the top-order batters. It’s got to be key in our side.”If a couple of players from the top five actually bat very deep, and in the event that we need the lower-order batting then they’ll have to support, but because of the lack of depth in the lower order, unfortunately our reality is that the bulk of the scoring is really left with about three or four players.”England can clinch an unassailable 3-0 series lead with victory in the next match on Saturday.

Monaco manager Adi Hutter revealed that Balogun has suffered a painful shoulder injury, leaving his spot in the U.S. squad uncertain

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Folarin Balogun exited Rennes win with injury
• Scored in the first half in 2-1 victory
• Was named in Mauricio Pochettino's first U.S. roster

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Balogun's game ended early on Saturday when the striker exited the contest in the second half with an apparent shoulder injury. He was pictured with his arm in a sling after the game.

  The setback comes after a strong run of form for the USMNT striker in which he had found the net in three straight Ligue 1 games – while also offering key contributions in the Champions League.

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• WHAT HUTTER SAID

  In a postgame press conference, Monaco manager Adi Hutter said Balogun may be facing a spell on the sidelines: "He has injured his shoulder and it was very painful. We will await the verdict of the tests."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Balogun's injury would seem to shake up the USMNT picture for the upcoming window. It could present opportunities for either Josh Sargent or Ricardo Pepi to get a look at the wide-open central striking role for Pochettino.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BALOGUN AND THE USMNT?

  The extent of the forward's injury remains unclear. For Pochettino and the USMNT, though, the issues are mounting. Gio Reyna has suffered a setback in a muscle problem, while Tyler Adams will also miss the upcoming fixtures with Panama and Mexico.

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot found out his side’s fate after the Premier League fixtures were announced on Tuesday morning. Slot will take over from Jurgen Klopp ahead of the 2024/25 season after the legendary German manager decided to step down from his position at Liverpool following the conclusion of the last campaign.

Liverpool kick things off with a potentially tough fixture against newly-promoted Ipswich. They travel to Portman Road at 12.30pm on the first Saturday of the season, looking to kick off the new era in the best possible fashion.

Their first home game of the season sees the Reds host Brentford, with their new manager no doubt determined to get three points in front of the Anfield faithful at the first time of asking.

Liverpool’s first crunch match sees them travel to Old Trafford to face off against Manchester United. This is an exact repeat of the fixture from game week three in 2022/23, where United beat their rivals 2-1 thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

That takes Liverpool into the international break before they host Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth in back-to-back home games straight after.

Opponent

Venue

Date

Ipswich

Portman Road

Aug 17

Brentford

Anfield

Aug 24

Man Utd

Old Trafford

Aug 31

Nottingham Forest

Anfield

Sep 14

Bournemouth

Anfield

Sep 21

To help give his side the best chance of three points, Slot will no doubt want to dip into the transfer market.

In fact, they have already been linked with one player who could bolster his side ahead of a tough first few games.

Liverpool target Premier League centre-back

The player in question here is Crystal Palace and England international centre-back Marc Guehi.

The 23-year-old started England’s first game at Euro 2024 against Serbia and put in a superb performance. Now, he has been linked with a whole host of Premier League sides, including Liverpool.

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At least, that is according to The Telegraph. It explains that the young defender “caught the attention” of the Anfield club prior to the tournament, and he is still a viable option for Liverpool.

The Reds have been “alerted” to the fact that Guehi has just two years left on his current contract at Selhurst Park, which could see them make a move for the England defender this summer. However, although they are unnamed at this stage, they would likely face competition from other Premier League clubs.

Palace would not “entertain bids of less than” £65m for the 23-year-old, citing Everton’s valuation of Jarrad Branthwaite as a reason why they do not want to accept anything below that value.

How Guehi compares to Liverpool's other targets

23-year-old Guehi was a key player for the Eagles last season. He played 25 times in the Premier League for Palace, captaining the side on ten occasions in the top flight and in the FA Cup.

However, he did struggle with injuries struggling with a knee injury which led him to miss 13 games. This might not be too much of a concern for Liverpool, given Guehi has only missed three matches previously in his career, in 2020/21.

Guehi is not the only centre-back Liverpool have been linked with recently. Lille youngster Leny Yoro is reportedly a target, whilst impressive Italian centre-back Riccardo Calafiori is also under consideration by the Reds. Both stories have been reported by The Athletic.

When comparing the three players’ stats from Fbref, it is important to take in three main areas; passing, ball carrying and defending.

Starting with their passing, Calafiori certainly is superior to Guehi and Yoro. The Italian averages 3.69 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to 2.98 for Guehi and 2.29 for Yoro. Neither of the latter two would consider it their weakness, however, and both are still more than adept at progressing play forward.

In fact, this is shown by Guehi’s impressive final-third passing stats. He averages four per 90, compared to Calafirori’s 3.62 and the 18-year-old Lille defender who averages just 1.75. Given Lille have less of the ball than Bologna, and more recently, Oliver Glasner’s Palace side, it is somewhat understandable that Yoro’s numbers are lower.

When considering ball-carrying, it is once again an area where Calafiori is superior to the other two defenders. The Italian, who was superb in Italy’s first Euro 2024 game against Albania, averages 1.08 progressive carries per 90. In comparison, Guehi averages 0.67 and Yoro far less, with just 0.27 per 90.

Defensively, it is far closer between the three players. Whilst it is not always ideal to compare centre-backs based on defensive numbers, especially when considering Liverpool’s style of play, you can still read into it somewhat. Firstly, Calafiori wins 2.31 aerial duels per 90, more than the other two players. Yoro averages 1.48 per 90, whilst this is one of Guehi’s biggest weaknesses, although Virgil van Dijk would mask it. The Palace man wins just 1.29 with a 50% win rate.

In terms of ball recoveries, Calafiori is once again far superior to his defensive counterparts. The Bologna man averages 7.46 per 90 minutes, with Guehi showing his impressive ability to defend in wide areas with 5.33 ball recoveries, and Yoro slightly less, on 4.18 per 90.

The numbers suggest that Calafiori should be Liverpool’s overwhelming choice, but it is perhaps not as simple at this. Guehi – who is a "monster" in the eyes of Palace reporter Bobby Manzi – is already experienced in the Premier League, and would not have to bed into the league. Yoro has age on his side; whilst Guehi is 23 and Calafiori is 22, Yoro is just 18 and is only going to get better, and he will be around longer.

However, aside from being a fantastic player, as his stats suggest, what works in Guehi’s favour is his versatility. As football analyst Ben Mattinson explained, he is a player “who can play both sides equally as comfortably”, something that could be attractive for Liverpool. He can play with Van Dijk next season, and then when the Dutchman leaves Anfield, can slot in at right centre-back and replace the legendary defender.

Whilst his numbers perhaps are not as impressive as Calafiori’s, or he does not have age on his side like Yoro, there is no doubting Guehi’s quality and versatility.

It could be an excellent opportunity for Liverpool this summer to add quality at centre-back, who most important of all is Premier League proven and able to play with or without Van Dijk. Guehi could turn out to be one of the best signings of the summer at Anfield.

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