The cricketing gods have not always been on his side, but on Thursday, his hard work finally met the fortune it deserved

Karthik Krishnaswamy02-Oct-20251:46

Aakash Chopra decodes Siraj’s scrambled seam

Getting squared up isn’t a good look for anyone, but sometimes a batter gets a ball so good there’s little else they can do.Mohammed Siraj bowled a ball like this to Roston Chase on Thursday in Ahmedabad. Pretty much every cue the batter must have picked up in the split-seconds either side of the ball leaving the bowler’s hand must have told him it was coming into him. There was, first of all, Siraj’s beyond-the-perpendicular release, which always creates a natural angle into the right-hand batter. Then it swung in further – 0.7 degrees according to ball-tracking data.Chase must have also seen the seam coming out scrambled. When Siraj releases the ball like this, it invariably behaves like an offcutter, nipping into the right-hander and away from the left-hander.Well, not invariably. Not this ball. This one pitched and straightened, seaming away 0.7 degrees. And suddenly, Chase’s perfectly reasonable idea of looking to work the ball into the on side looked very, very silly. All he managed was a sliver of leading edge to the wicketkeeper, and West Indies were 105 for 6, with four of those wickets falling to Siraj.Related

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Siraj leads the line as India start home season with a bang

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If the first three had made for satisfying watching for Siraj’s growing ranks of fans, this one must have made them jump out of their seats. What had happened here? Was this a moment of pure randomness, the ball deviating in an unexpected way because it had happened to land in a particular way, with the edge of the seam happening to make contact with a grassy, responsive pitch at a particularly opportune angle?Or had Siraj willed this? Was this a new variation, a new addition to his wobble-seam repertoire?”The wobble-seam [ball] is like this, that it sometimes straightens and sometimes cuts [into the right-hand batter],” Siraj said at his press conference at the end of the day’s play. “That ball kind of straightened towards the shiny side. I mostly look to move the wobble-seam [ball] in, but it kept straightening towards the shiny side, and took the edge, caught behind.”2:02

Siraj: Really enjoyed dismissing Brandon King

From this it seems that ball may have been something of a happy accident – one that Siraj knows can happen from time to time, but not one he can will into occurring. He may deliver some of his wobble-seam balls with the shiny side facing into the batter, some with the shiny side facing away, and this may well influence the way the ball behaves before pitching, but what happens after isn’t entirely in his control.It’s a very Siraj kind of delivery, because which cricketer in the world has a better understanding of what’s in their control and what isn’t?This is a man who, from November 2024 to August 2025, bowled tirelessly and with immense skill, control and smarts across ten Tests in Australia and England, who seldom wavered from good lines and lengths, seldom let his intensity drop, almost always gave batters reason to worry about both their edges, and yet ended up averaging 31.15 and 32.43 in those two series. Even as luckless spell followed luckless spell, he never lost his ironclad belief in his processes, and though he found belated reward and recognition by the time he willed India to a series-levelling victory at The Oval with one of the great Test-match displays by an India fast bowler, his career numbers continued to do him no justice.Thursday was a day of redressal. Tagenarine Chanderpaul strangled him down the leg side. Brandon King shouldered arms to a ball that knocked back middle stump without having deviated in an unusual or unpredictable way. Alick Athanaze edged him, rather than playing and missing, when he chased at a wide tempter, and second slip held on to the chance rather than grassing it.And now the gods had given him a bit of a hand, coaxing this wobble-seam ball to Chase to behave the way it did.Mohammed Siraj leaps in celebration after bowling Brandon King•Associated PressSiraj had earned every bit of good fortune, of course. It was reward for all the work he’s put in over all the months and years of his career, and for all the work he had put in on this new day, another day of impeccable lengths, buzzing intensity, and the relentless threat of movement in either direction, in the air and off the pitch.At his press conference, someone suggested to him that it must have been a relief to get his wickets as quickly as he did today, against lower-ranked opposition, after all the toil he’d endured in England. Without ever losing his sweetly polite manner, he made it clear that the question wounded him.”Sir, even here I took four wickets only by working hard,” Siraj said. “You only get wickets by working hard. I got wickets in England by working hard, and I worked hard for them here too. It isn’t as if anyone gave me wickets free of cost. No one gave me that fifth wicket. All four wickets came from hard work.”It was clear how much a fifth wicket – all five of his Test-match five-fors have come away from home – would have meant to Siraj. He nearly got it when he had an lbw appeal against a shuffling Justin Greaves upheld only for DRS to save the batter, with ball-tracking suggesting his inducker would have missed leg stump.It was as if the cricketing gods had spoken again. Even on this day of redressal, not everything would go Siraj’s way.

Bangladesh are expected to go hard with the bat against Hong Kong who lost their opening game by a distance

Mohammad Isam10-Sep-20252:29

Chopra impressed with Bangladesh’s seam attack

Big picture: Hong Kong would want to repeat 2014

Bangladesh come into the Asia Cup riding on the high of winning three consecutive T20I series. Their campaign begins with a Group B encounter in Abu Dhabi against Hong Kong. They will rely on a robust pace attack and a batting unit that has finally started to see the power of hitting sixes.Bangladesh, however, will remain wary of their opponents who defeated them in the T20 World Cup in 2014, when the hosts were taken down by two wickets in Chittagong. Hong Kong have two survivors from that famous victory, but they have also played only 11 international matches against Full Member sides since then.Related

• How Martin Coetzee fell in love with Hong Kong cricket

• Asia Cup 2025: Politics, passion and a stage for new rivalries

• Bangladesh finally see the power of hitting sixes

Hong Kong’s lack of exposure against top sides was stark in their opening outing against Afghanistan on Tuesday. Their medium pacers went for plenty before the spinners Ehsan Khan, Yasim Murtaza and Kinchit Shah pulled things back briefly, but they couldn’t stop Afghanistan from getting to 188.More disappointing was Hong Kong’s reply with the bat, scoring only 94 for 9 in 20 overs. Only one of their top six reached double-figures and wickets falling at the other end meant Babar Hayat had to restrain himself.Bangladesh will be in a rush to take wickets in the first ten overs, a phase in which they have been consistent in recent times. Taskin Ahmed will lead the fast-bowling group, although offspinner Mahedi Hasan has made a name for himself bowling in the powerplay. Mustafizur Rahman will shore up the death overs with Tanzim Hasan Sakib likely accompanying him. They will also be keen on using legspinner Rishad Hossain for a couple of overs up front.Bangladesh will also likely be a little more aggressive on a good batting track. They have raised their big-hitting prowess in the last 18 months, particularly openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon in the powerplay. Shamim Hossain and Jaker Ali are the death-overs hitters the team is banking on.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Hong Kong LLWWL1:27

Can Bangladesh maintain their aggressive batting approach?

In the spotlight: Tanzid Hasan and Babar Hayat

One of the reasons why Bangladesh have become a big-hitting T20I side is the young opener Tanzid Hasan. His shots have been free-flowing, targeting the straight boundaries frequently. Tanzid takes a bold approach, often looking for a big hit in the first over. Bangladesh will hope that his opening stand with Emon can give them a rollicking start.Babar Hayat stood firm while wickets fell regularly at the other end in the Asia Cup opener. He couldn’t quite cut loose as a result, but showed his might with three big sixes in his knock of 39. An attractive batter who is tasked to hold the top order together, Hong Kong will hope that Hayat continues to be their best batter against Full Member sides.

Team news

Bangladesh are likely to go with three pace bowlers and two spinners. They have options in their batting and bowling departments but are likely to stick to a more conventional playing XI to make a strong start in the Asia Cup.Bangladesh XI (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Hong Kong have experienced batters in Martin Coetzee and Anas Khan to step up from their bench, should they choose to.Hong Kong XI (probable): 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshy Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan Khan.

Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi delivered with a pretty high-scoring start, with Afghanistan setting Hong Kong a target of 189. Dew also set in quite early although Afghanistan had the attack to defend their total after opting to bat. The weather will remain warm, almost touching 40 degrees Celsius during the day and won’t drop much once the match starts.

Stats and trivia

• Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan are the only survivors from Hong Kong’s famous two-wicket win against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup in 2014.
• Bangladesh have played only two T20Is so far in Abu Dhabi, and lost both, during the T20 World Cup in 2021.
• Openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon have struck the most sixes for Bangladesh this year – 23 and 22, respectively.

Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh will link up with the squad for the second and third games after the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2025Rajat Patidar will lead India A in their first one-dayer against Australia A, on September 30, and Tilak Varma will take charge for the second and third games of the series after finishing the Asia Cup in the UAE, with Patidar as his deputy, on October 3 and October 5. All the matches will be played in Kanpur.Along with Tilak, other Asia Cup squad members Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh will join the squad for the second and third matches to add muscle to it. Leaving the squad after the first match will be Priyansh Arya and Simarjeet Singh. Meanwhile, Ayush Badoni is the only member of the 17-member squad – KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj are in only for the second game there – selected for the two four-day matches to also be part of the one-day side.Not much attention appears to have been given to the last edition of the List A Vijay Hazare Trophy, where, of the top-ten run-getters, only Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek, both from Punjab, have been picked. Ayush Mhatre, among those heavy scorers, will, of course, be leading the India Under-19s in Australia at the time. Similarly, among the top-ten wicket-takers, only Arshdeep features in the ‘A’ side.ESPNcricinfo LtdApart from the Asia Cuppers and Badoni, the squad has a strong and familiar-looking batting core, with Patidar, whose Central Zone are on the verge of winning the season-opening Duleep Trophy, Riyan Parag and Abishek Porel. Prabhsimran and Porel are also the main wicketkeeping options. Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam and Nishant Sindhu are the allrounders. Frontline bowlers include Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh and Ravi Bishnoi. For the first game, Arya adds a batting option and Simarjeet a medium-pace alternative.The four-day matches will be played from September 16 and September 23 in Lucknow.India A squad for the 1st one-dayerRajat Patidar (capt), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (wk), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet SinghIndia A squad for 2nd and 3rd one-dayersTilak Varma (capt), Rajat Patidar (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh

October was certainly a month to remember for Manchester United, with Ruben Amorim enjoying the best month of his tenure after taking the reins 12 months ago.

His Red Devils side won all three of their Premier League outings, even beating defending champions Liverpool at Anfield for the first time in just under a decade.

As a result, Amorim has been handed the Premier League Manager of the Month award, with the 40-year-old claiming the trophy for the first time at Old Trafford.

Such a record has catapulted the club up England’s top-flight in 2025/26, with the first-team finally heading in the right direction after getting to grips with the 3-4-2-1 system.

The success of the team is certainly credit to the manager and his tactics, but there’s no denying that he has one player to thank for the recent upturn in league form.

Why Mbeumo won October’s Premier League Player of the Month

As part of the £200m summer spending spree, United landed the signature of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford – forking out a staggering £71m for his services.

The Cameroonian arrived with huge expectations after scoring 20 league goals last season, with the attacker already starting to come good after his big-money transfer.

He scored his first top-flight goal in the win against Burnley back in August, but his career at Old Trafford has ignited after his form over the last month.

The 26-year-old played three times in October, scoring three times and registering one assist – subsequently achieving a goal contribution in every game he played – helping him win the division’s Player of the Month award.

He scored within the first two minutes of the victory over Arne Slot’s side on Merseyside, undoubtedly playing a vital role in the triumph and making himself a fan-favourite.

Mbeumo’s goalscoring tally for the month ended with a double against Brighton and Hove Albion, helping Amorim’s side make it three wins in a row for the first time in his tenure.

The United star who should have won Player of the Month

During the last few weeks, numerous United players have managed to catch the eye and are deserving of more credit for their impact in the Premier League.

Senne Lammens made his Red Devils debut in the first triumph over Sunderland at the start of October, with the Belgian since cementing his place as a regular starter between the sticks.

The 23-year-old has already kept a clean sheet in the Premier League, whilst also playing a vital role in the historic victory at Anfield – as he made a total of five saves.

He’s not been alone in impressing, with Amad Diallo also massively thriving despite operating in a somewhat unnatural right-wing-back during the recent run.

However, central midfielder Casemiro has gone somewhat under the radar, especially after his poor form at the start of the campaign, which led to fans questioning his future at the club.

The Brazilian international has since resurrected his career at Old Trafford, with Amorim starting the experienced star in all of the victories during October.

Such a period has allowed the 33-year-old to prove some incredible numbers, many of which should have seen him being named the Player of the Month over Mbeumo.

Casemiro, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by one analyst, has registered two goals and assists in as his three matches – with both of his efforts coming against Brighton.

However, other numbers such as 90 passes completed and 148 touches showcase his ability to dictate the play despite his deep-lying midfield position.

Games played

3

Goals & assists

2

Minutes played

213

Passes completed

90

Touches

148

Defensive contributions

31

Tackles won

9

Recoveries made

13

Duels won

16

Out of possession, he’s been just as impressive, as seen by his tally of 13 recoveries and 16 duels won, with such numbers allowing Bruno Fernandes to operate in a more advanced role.

The revival of Casemiro over recent weeks is nothing short of sensational, with huge credit needing to be directed his way after his recent performances.

Mbeumo has also done superbly well to win the award, but his teammate will no doubt feel aggrieved that he wasn’t able to get his hands on the trophy.

Not Bruno or Mbeumo: Man Utd star is becoming one of the "best in the world"

Manchester United have already unearthed a new world-class under Ruben Amorim.

1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 7, 2025

Manchester United hold “concrete interest” in signing Scott McTominay, with the midfielder also being targeted by Barcelona, and Napoli’s stance on sanctioning a move has now been revealed.

Man United have set out to sign a new central midfielder in 2026, and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has now emerged as a major target, having registered their interest in signing the England international earlier this week.

With Anderson becoming as an important player for both club and country, however, it is likely to take a huge bid to get a deal over the line, and Forest are set to hold out for a fee of around £100m – £120m.

It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils would be willing to smash their existing transfer record to sign the 23-year-old, but if INEOS deem the deal to be too expensive, there could be a much more affordable alternative option.

Man Utd now hold "concrete interest" in Scott McTominay

Indeed, Anderson is not the only British midfielder being targeted by Man United, with a Caught Offside source revealing they hold “concrete interest” in signing Napoli star McTominay, with the Scot really kicking on since leaving Old Trafford.

It could take a bid of at least €50m (£44m) to tempt the Italian club into a sale, although it is also feasible they will be unwilling to sanction a departure at all, having not even set an asking price, given the midfielder’s importance to Antonio Conte’s side.

The 28-year-old is happy at the Italian club, meaning it is unlikely he will agitate for a move, but there is certainly no shortage of top clubs lining up to get a deal done, with Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also being named as potential suitors.

Lauded as “sensational” by broadcaster David Tanner, the Scotland international has taken his career to the next level since making the move to the Serie A, playing a major role in Napoli winning the 2024-25 league title.

The Lancaster-born midfielder had the most prolific season of his career in front of goal, finding the back of the net 12 times in 34 games, while also providing six assists, and the United academy graduate already has two Champions League goals to his name this season.

That said, it could perhaps be viewed as a step backwards to re-sign their former player, given that he never managed to reach similar heights during his time at Old Trafford, regularly receiving criticism for his performances.

As such, Ruben Amorim may be better off focusing on alternative targets, and there is certainly no shortage of exciting options, with the likes of Anderson, Carlos Baleba, Javi Guerra and Alex Scott all on the shortlist.

How much Man Utd are ready to spend on Carlos Baleba with talks now open How much Man Utd are ready to spend on Carlos Baleba with new talks now open

What a signing he could be for the Red Devils.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 4, 2025

There was a lot of news in the world of Major League Baseball on Monday night. This is not exactly a surprise in the lead-up to the trade deadline, but many of the biggest stories from the diamond on Monday were wholly unrelated to real or proposed future deals.

The biggest story in the sport was obviously the death of Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg at the age of 65. Tributes came in from across the sport as fans, players, and Sandbergs peers celebrated his life.

But beyond remembering Sandberg’s incredible career, a whole lot of mesmerizing baseball moments took place on Monday.

Take a look below at some of the strange, fascinating, and strangely fascinating highlights from around the league.

Maikel Garcia Gets Stung by a Bee

It was a big day for Maikel Garcia. The 25-year-old cousin of Ronald Acuna Jr. and his Royals teammates were facing off against the Braves, and Garcia was determine to get the better of the family rivalry.

Garcia was able to slide in under the tag when Acuna fired a bullet from the outfield in an attempt to stop him from scoring, and Garcia celebrated with a playful taunt.

But the real highlight of Garcia’s night came a few innings later, when he shook off getting stung by a bee to drill a single which he legged out to turn into a double.

This Might Be the Worst Ump Call of the Season

Listen, we’ve covered a lot of bad officiating calls through the baseball season so far. While the presence of the human condition in the calling of balls and strikes has long been a part of the DNA of the sport, it’s calls like this one from Brian Walsh in Monday’s game between the Orioles and Blue Jays that have people calling for the robot revolution.

O’s pitcher Zach Eflin delivered a pitch right down the middle… for a ball. The broadcast booth was rightfully stunned and appalled by the call.

The Angels Find New Way to Give Up Two Runs

There’s no good way for an outfielder to miss an easy catch, but there are several degrees of bad, and Angels outfielder Gustavo Campero unlocked a painful level of bad with his error against the Rangers.

With Los Angeles holding a 2–0 lead in the fifth inning and trying to get out of a bases-loaded jam, it appeared that Campero had the out to end the inning right above his glove. It was even in his glove… until it wasn’t.

The Rangers scored two runs on the play, tying the game.

Everyone Was Getting Hit by Pitches and Forced to Leave Their Game

It’s been a scary season to be a baseball this year, with sluggers like Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani all hitting dingers at a ridiculous pace.

But on Monday, the baseballs struck back, as a string of players were hit by pitches. Some of these HBPs were scarier than others, but by the end of the night, it was impossible to ignore the sheer volume of hits.

Eugenio Suarez, who is one of the hottest names on the market ahead of the trade deadline, was caught on the hand in a scary moment for the Arizona Diamondbacks and any contenders hoping to secure his services for the rest of the year.

Thankfully, x-rays were negative and Suarez is considered day-to-day.

George Springer took a pitch to the helmet in another horrifying moment for the Blue Jays. He was down on the ground for an extended period but eventually was able to walk off the field with some help from team staff. Hopefully he’s doing okay.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez was also forced out early after getting tagged with a pitch on the elbow.

Even pitchers weren’t immune from the carnage, with Dylan Cease catching a grounder to the back of the head. Though he stayed in the game after taking the shot, he was clearly (and understandably) rattled.

All four of these plays came across the timeline within just a few hours, and at the time, it felt like it might be best to simply unplug baseball for the night and try again tomorrow. Best wishes to the health of all players involved.

Fernando Tatis Jr. Submits Catch of the Year Contender

Just look at this. It simply does not get better.

Another look:

Anything can happen on any given night during baseball season, but on Monday night, it felt like happened.

India’s continuous shuffle to their batting order came under the scanner after they were restricted to 168 for 6 in their Super Four match against Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2025. After being inserted, India were 72 for 0 in the powerplay, and 112 for 2 after 11, but could score only 56 for 4 in the last nine overs.On ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out, Aakash Chopra called India’s batting order “inexplicable”, while Varun Aaron was left “perplexed” by Sanju Samson not coming out to bat at all. After Rishad Hossain dismissed Shubman Gill in the seventh over, Shivam Dube came in at No. 3 and holed out to long-off in the same over for 2 off three balls.”When Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma were batting, it looked like a very good batting surface – you can play through the line. You could actually hit wherever you wanted. But then a wicket falls, and then the batting order is inexplicable,” Chopra said. “What India were trying to do with the batting order is baffling to say the least. [Bangladesh] bowled alright but we [India] just compounded our problems with a very weird batting line-up. I cannot wrap my head around it.”Related

• Kotak on India's flexible batting line-up

• Abhishek Sharma is on his way to becoming an elite six-hitter

• Sloppy but unbeaten India storm into Asia Cup final

Aaron echoed those thoughts: “They thought they could get Dube on to take down the spinners. But Sanju Samson is another option; he could have been slotted in early today. We know how he enjoys [batting] slightly up top.”At the post-match presentation, Suryakumar explained the logic behind the move. “Looking at their bowling line-up – they had a left-arm spinner [Nasum Ahmed], they had a legspinner [Rishad] – Dube was a perfect match-up at that moment. And his entry point was perfect – seven to 15 overs. So we took that chance. It did not go well, but in the games ahead, we might try doing that [again].”India have been flexible with their batting order throughout the tournament, with their batting coach Sitanshu Kotak saying “everyone is prepared to bat at any number”. A reason behind that is to maintain a left-right combination at the crease. When Samson opened the innings before the Asia Cup, the No. 3 position was taken by Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma, depending on whether Samson or Abhishek fell.Rishad Hossain picked up two wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Since Gill’s return to the top of the order, Samson has batted only once at No. 3 in five games – against Oman. Against Bangladesh, even after Gill got out, a left-hand batter, Dube, came in. Even at the fall of the fifth wicket in the 15th over, India held back Samson and sent in Axar Patel, who made 10 not out off 15 balls.”Axar ahead of Samson? I do not understand it,” Aaron said. “The man [Samson] got three T20I centuries last year, you’ve got to cut him some slack.”There’s not much difference in the strike rates of the Indian batters. It is not like we have four batters who strike above 150 and have a couple who can only play run a ball. Every batter in that top eight can bat at a very high strike rate. I don’t see any motive behind so much chopping and changing in the batting line-up.”Dube’s spin-hitting prowess also has been on the wane, raising questions about the move to send him to take on Rishad. While he averaged 73.4 and struck at 166.1 against spin in T20 cricket from January 2023 to April 2024, since then those numbers read 21.1 and 121.8.”I am also thinking, can you actually take a bowler down and throw him out of the attack in the seventh over?” Chopra said. “You can maintain left-right combination but the game still has 13 overs to go. Dube is the guy [to bat] if Rishad and Nasum are bowling in the 14th-15th over. You can then say, ‘This is the game.’ That will change everything that would unfold, because the options [for a bowling captain] are either exhausted or ones you can’t use. So he would be searching for answers. But in the seventh over, they are not falling behind.”

Are Manchester City starting to build some serious momentum?

On Wednesday night, the Sky Blues demolished Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League, with Phil Foden bagging a brace, Erling Braut Håland scoring his customary goals and then Rayan Cherki getting in on the act late on.

Back in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s team have won five of their last seven, including four in a row at the Etihad, rediscovering their best form ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad on Sunday.

If the serial champions are going to defeat the reigning champions in this weekend’s headliner, which “exceptional” star should Guardiola start in his forward line alongside Foden?

Is Phil Foden getting back to his best?

On Friday morning, Thomas Tuchel’s England squad was announced for next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia at Wembley and Albania in Tirana, with Phil Foden one of the noteworthy names included.

The 25-year-old has not featured in any of England’s last six matches, seeing just 179 minutes of international action, out of a possible 1,260, that is only 14%, since the Three Lions’ defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

His return to the England squad is an indicator of Foden’s return to form at club level, with his double against Dortmund taking his tally to four goals for the season, having bagged only ten throughout the entirety of the previous campaign, not including the Club World Cup.

Following Wednesday night’s Champions League victory, Guardiola asserted that Foden is back, labelling him a “special player”, while Barney Ronay of the Guardian noted that he was the ‘best player on the pitch’, adding that he was ‘perky and precise all night’.

Thus, Foden’s recent performances mean he is a guaranteed starter against Liverpool, but who should come into the team alongside him, thereby forming part of the Citizens’ attacking quartet in support of Håland?

The exceptional star Pep Guardiola must start against Liverpool

In mid-week, it was Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho and Jérémy Doku who all started alongside Foden, but Guardiola surely must tinker with his lineup this weekend.

Chalkboard

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

That’s because, having recovered from a thigh injury, Rayan Cherki is starting to show glimpses of what he is capable of.

The Frenchman came off the bench to score his fourth goal for the Citizens on Wednesday, having previously netted against Al Ain, Wolves and Swansea.

When he arrived from Olympique Lyonnais for £34m in June, big things were expected of the 22-year-old, with Guardiola describing him as “exceptional”, and his statistics in Ligue 1 last season underlining why.

As the table documents, Cherki was one of the outstanding players in France’s top-flight last season, leading Ligue 1 for assists as well as a whole host of other creative metrics, behind only Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.

This season, despite sitting out eight matches due to injury, Cherki has already started to produce in a Man City shirt, registering three goals and three assists as well as creating four big chances in the Premier League; only seven players have more across the entire division, despite the fact he’s featured in only 163 of a possible 900 minutes to date.

Two of his three assists came against Bournemouth last Sunday, both times setting Håland free to burst in behind to slot the ball beyond Đorđe Petrović.

Thus, this forthcoming Sunday, a similar game plan is surely required.

During their sequence of six defeats from seven games, Liverpool were very susceptible to players running in behind, with Virgil van Dijk not at his dominant best and Ibrahima Konaté largely looking all at sea throughout the entire campaign.

With that in mind, Guardiola will want to pick a team that can exploit this weakness, featuring Håland running in behind and Doku giving right-back Conor Bradley nightmares with his dribbling, pace and trickery.

In order to best supply these other attackers, he must find room for Cherki, who demonstrated against Bournemouth last weekend that he possesses the right skillset to unlock Man City’s other attackers.

In the possible absence of Rodri, Reijnders will be in the team to offer support to Nico González while, as already documented, Foden’s flurry of goals makes him undroppable.

This leaves Savinho, who is still yet to score in the Premier League or Champions League this season, meaning the Brazilian is the most likely candidate to make way for Cherki, who simply has to be included in the starting lineup if Man City are going to become the latest team to defeat Arne Slot’s Reds this season?

Man City "monster" is closest thing Pep's had to Messi & it's not Cherki

Pep Guardiola has found his new Lionel Messi at Manchester City in pure “monster” and it is not Rayan Cherki.

By
Ben Gray

Oct 30, 2025