Tag Futebol

When Antoine Semenyo put Bournemouth 1-0 up at Anfield in the first few minutes – for the second season running – Liverpool supporters might have felt a sinking dread that last weekend’s dour defeat was not just a blip.

But it was rightly ruled out, and after a shaky start, the Redmen were rampant. Luis Diaz scored twice and Darwin Nunez opened his account under Arne Slot with a sumptuous finish, with Liverpool finishing matchweek five in second place with four victories and one loss, behind Manchester City by a single point.

He wasn’t in amongst the goals for the third game running, but Mohamed Salah continues to prove his glittering worth as Liverpool’s prized forward of the modern era.

Mohamed Salah's performance in numbers under Slot

Salah might have blanked across the past several matches but he’s still scored three goals and claimed four assists across five Premier League fixtures – indeed, it was his swivelled forward pass to Nunez that led to the 25-year-old’s wonderful goal.

Liverpool have had truck with that pesky low block over the past however many years, and though the managerial wheel has been spun, such residual issues linger.

But Bournemouth played an aggressive and expansive game and were put to the sword by a magnificent attacking display from their hosts on Saturday. They didn’t play badly, really, but Caoimhin Kelleher was imperious between the sticks, the backline stood strong and the midfield made things tick.

Salah was more combative and energetic than usual. As per Sofascore, he complemented his assist by winning eight duels and completing five dribbles. He also made six key passes and hit the target four times. He should have scored but impressed nonetheless.

However, the way things after going, Diaz is starting to emerge as Slot’s best player. The Dutchman has inherited a team of high station on the European scene, but Liverpool’s left winger wasn’t exactly brilliant last term and is now going from strength to strength.

Why Luis Diaz is becoming Liverpool's best forward

Chance. Diaz collects on the left, Andy Robertson has threaded it through. Skip. Shift. He’s central, into space. The Colombian fires on goal. It’s a fierce strike, a seat raiser. But Kepa Arrizabalaga is his equal, turns it over the bar.

Chance. It’s now over 22 minutes into the contest. It’s Robertson again, placing it to Diaz’s feet. Why not? He’s crackling with energy. This time, fleet feet send the Cherries into a spin. He’s weaving his way into the danger area. Philippe Coutinho vs Manchester United, is that you? But no, Kepa stands strong again. It’s an acute angle. Thwarted.

Goal. Moments later. Now it’s showtime. Ibrahima Konate takes a leaf from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s book and carves Bournemouth open with a ranged pass from deep. Who meets it? Diaz. Spatial awareness and close control of the highest distinction. Expert touch. Balletic swivel. Kepa’s in no man’s land. Diaz is free to score. It’s 1-0 Liverpool.

Goal. He’s done it again, two minutes later. 30 minutes not yet on the clock. Bournemouth commit, they need to restore parity. But Anfield can be a vicious beast and the visitors are swallowed up. Alexander-Arnold drives forward and alarms are blaring. Diaz is hungry, he wants more. He’s in space. It’s a fine delivery – of course – and it’s a sharp finish to match. Merseyside erupts in a fountain of red rapture.

Matches (starts)

37 (32)

5 (5)

Goals

8

5

Assists

5

1

Touches*

43.8

42.4

Shots (on target)

2.5 (0.9)

2.6 (1.6)

Pass completion

85%

90%

Key passes*

1.8

1.6

Ball recoveries*

3.4

3.6

Dribbles (completed)*

1.8

2.0

Tackles + interceptions*

1.0

1.6

Total Duels won*

4.6

4.6

Nunez would score the pick of the bunch several minutes later with a much-needed goal, ending faint South Coast hopes of a comeback. The relief on the Uruguayan’s face was palpable, and it was his Colombian friend who skipped over to celebrate with him, leaping onto his back.

The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle was effusive of Diaz’s display in his post-match praise, handing the 27-year-old a 9/10 score and writing: ‘Had already caused Bournemouth serious problems before great composure to finish for first and then slotting second. Outstanding.’

If he manages to keep a hold of this newfound potency, Diaz might just find himself emerging as Slot’s most important player. He’s probably the first name on the team sheet in the Premier League right now, and saying that he’s undroppable following the game that Cody Gakpo had against AC Milan is quite something, but there it is in any case.

Erling Haaland notwithstanding, Diaz is the Premier League’s top scorer this season. Speaking strictly about the human race, he kind of does boast the most goals, for the Norwegian is surely a factory-built machine.

1.

Erling Haaland

5 (5)

10

2.

Luis Diaz

5 (5)

5

3.

Jhon Duran

5 (0)

4

3.

Nicolas Jackson

5 (5)

4

3.

Bryan Mbeumo

5 (5)

4

Diaz needs to find four goals from 33 Premier League games to surpass his personal best in England’s top flight. Last term, his eight-goal return from 37 matches left something wanting, especially as he only posted 13 strikes over 53 matches in all competitions.

His 90% pass success rate against Bournemouth further bespeaks a technical capacity that aligns with Slot’s ball-retaining, control-centric system.

Of course, this is a player who’s been known to ebb and flow from form at Liverpool, undulating like a wave. Let’s be real, though, he’s clearly enjoying his football at the moment and is being aided by a unit of creative masters – Liverpool’s 18 big chances created this season are behind only Aston Villa’s 19 after five fixtures.

If Slot wishes to continue to impress in the Premier League, Diaz must not move from his left-flanking position. He’s causing so much chaos at the moment and could be the standout star this year.

Liverpool flop who left for £5m is now outperforming Jota & emulating Messi

Liverpool never got the best out of this dud.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 23, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

O sinal de alerta está mais do que ligado dentro do Bahia. Na noite desta quinta-feira, o Tricolor abriu 2 a 0 contra o Atlético-MG, mas conseguiu tomar a virada de uma forma assustadora.

Nos vestiários, Guto Ferreira culpou o lado emocional para explicar um revés doído no elenco e torcida.

‘Não vejo como falta de concentração. Vejo o lado emocional agindo. Tem hora que o subconsciente, o emocional, pesa’, afirmou na coletiva.

Com 40 pontos, o Bahia está na 17ª colocação e precisa vencer seus dois jogos para escapar do rebaixamento no Brasileirão.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo inicia a semana com esperança de poder resolver a situação contratual de Arboleda, que vem negociando uma renovação. O atual vínculo do zagueiro equatoriano se encerra na metade do ano que vem.

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Conforme publicado pelo ‘GE’ e confirmado no LANCE!, o Tricolor enviou uma oferta para uma renovação de três anos na última semana. Agora, a oferta está com os representantes do zagueiro, que consideraram os números bons. A renovação já está encaminhada e pode ser resolvida nos próximos dias.

O camisa cinco foi elogiado pela torcida pelo seu comprometimento. Convocado pela seleção equatoriana, que disputa as Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2022, Arboleda voltou ao Brasil e pediu para jogar o clássico contra o Palmeiras, no mesmo dia.

> Veja e simule a tabela do Brasileirão

Escalado como titular, o defensor foi um dos melhores em campo na vitória por 2 a 0 contra o Sport. A sua atuação fez com que a ‘pressão’ na diretoria são-paulina para a renovação do seu vínculo aumentasse. Nas redes sociais, torcedores começaram a campanha #RenovaArboleda.

Contratado pelo São Paulo em 2017, Arboleda já disputou 184 jogos com a camisa do clube do Morumbi, conquistando o Campeonato Paulista dessa temporada. São 13 gols marcados desde a sua chegada. Nesse ano, o defensor disputou 37 jogos e marcou quatro gols.

شهدت المواجهة التي تجمع بين ناديي الزمالك والجونة على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الجولة العاشرة من الدوري المصري الممتاز لموسم 2024-2025، أحداثًا مثيرة تجاوزت حدود المستطيل الأخضر لتشمل مدرجات الملعب وهتافات جماهير القلعة البيضاء.

دخل الزمالك المباراة وهو يطمح في استعادة توازنه بعد سلسلة من النتائج المتذبذبة التي لم ترضِ طموحات جماهيره، ويُعد الفوز ضروريًا للفريق الأبيض من أجل تعزيز موقعه في جدول الترتيب والمنافسة على المراكز المتقدمة.

على الجانب الآخر، الجونة يخوض المباراة تحت ضغط كبير، حيث يتذيل جدول الترتيب ويسعى جاهدًا للهروب من شبح الهبوط.

قبل انطلاق المباراة، كان الزمالك يحتل المركز الرابع في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 17 نقطة، حصيلة 5 انتصارات وتعادلين وهزيمتين، بينما الجونة، فكان يقبع في المركز الأخير برصيد 6 نقاط فقط، جمعها من فوز وحيد و3 تعادلات و5 هزائم.

طالع أيضًا | خاص.. سبب استبعاد شيكابالا من قائمة الزمالك لمباراة الجونة في الدوري

لم تقتصر الإثارة على مجريات اللعب داخل الملعب، بل امتدت إلى المدرجات حيث عبّرت جماهير الزمالك عن غضبها واستيائها من مجلس إدارة النادي برئاسة حسين لبيب.

تركّز الغضب الجماهيري على ملف الصفقات الجديدة وعدم حسم موقف بعض اللاعبين من تجديد عقودهم، وتحوّلت المدرجات إلى منبر للتعبير عن هذه المشاعر من خلال هتافات قوية ومباشرة. هتافات جماهير الزمالك ضد مجلس الإدارة خلال مباراة الجونة

“كابتن حسين سمعنا حسك.. المركب غرقت ولا لسه”.

“دوري مشبوه عال العال.. كابتن حسين ازاي الحال”.

“هشام يا نصر فين الصفقات فرقة الكورة أحسن بطولات”.

“بينام من العشاء لحد العصر.. حد يصحي لنا هشام نصر”.

علق وليد صلاح الدين، لاعب النادي الأهلي سابقاً ومدير الكرة بنادي زد حاليًا، على مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز، التي جمعت بينهما اليوم ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

الأهلي تعادل مع بيراميدز بنتيجة 2-2، على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار مواجهات الجولة العاشرة من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري.

وقال وليد صلاح الدين في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “مباراة قوية ومثيرة وأعطتنا ما نريده، على أرضية الملعب مجموعة من اللاعبين الدوليين في الفريقين”.

طالع أيضاً.. رجل مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز في الدوري المصري

وتابع: “كنا متأكدين أن الأهلي سيعود وهو متأخر في النتيجة، لأن صعب أن تواجه الأهلي وأنت منقوص العدد في استاد القاهرة، (ممكن يحدث في ملعب آخر مخنوق شوية)”.

وأضاف: “كلنا اتفقنا على عودة الأهلي في المباراة، لكن ما يؤخذ على الأهلي إن هدفي الفريق من كرتين عرضيتين، لماذا لم يستمر على ذلك؟، اللاعبون عندهم عصبية، كثيرًا ما كانوا يسددون من خارج المنطقة ويهدرون الفرصة ويعتذرون لبعض، بدلًا من لعب عرضيات”.

وأوضح: “صراحة تعادل عادل، لاعبو بيراميدز كانوا متفوقين في الشوط الأول، والأهلي عاد في الشوط الثاني، إمام عاشور لعب ركلة الجزاء بشكل جيد جدًا لكن كان بها عصبية، لو كان هادئًا لوضعها في المرمى”.

وأفاد: “المباراة كانت تحتاج أفشة منذ وقت مُبكر، لكن أن يشارك في آخر ربع ساعة هذا وقت قليل جدًا أن يلعب ربع ساعة فقط، لاعب يجيد صناعة التمريرات”.

وأكمل: “إمام كان أحد نجوم المباراة لا يؤخذ عليه إلا ضياع ركلة الجزاء فقط وهي مسألة توفيق”.

واستكمل: “لو سألت أي أهلاوي قبل المباراة سيقول التعادل مُرضيًا بالنسبة لنا، لكن بعد طرد أحمد توفيق سيقول (لا أكسب)”.

وواصل: “مكاسب الأهلي اليوم أنه لم يخسر، كان مهم أن يخرج بنتيجة إيجابية، ثانيًا مشاركة الصفقات الجديدة، عودة محمد هاني وعمر كمال”.

واختتم: “رامي ربيعة لاعب كبير والدليل الثبات الانفعالي، وشاهدنا أمس مباراة مانشستر سيتي وما حدث لـ للاعب الأوزبكستاني بعد دخول هدف في مرمى فريقه بخطأ منه”.

Manchester United are looking to hijack a deal Manchester City were seemingly in pole position to complete this summer, according to a new report.

United splashing the cash

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first summer transfer window at Old Trafford has got underway with a bang. The Red Devils have already spent close to £100m, signing Joshua Zirkzee in a deal worth £36.5m to add firepower to Erik ten Hag's ranks following the departure of Anthony Martial on a free transfer.

They have also added promising defender Leny Yoro to their side in a deal which saw them beat off competition from both Real Madrid and Premier League rivals Liverpool, in a move that saw them shell out £52m for his services.

More additions are expected at Old Trafford too. The Red Devils have held serious talks with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt and have also seen two bids knocked back for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, while the Manchester Evening News claim that the club "have refused to rule out moves" for either player despite Yoro's arrival.

For now though, attention is thought to be on midfield, with one of Scott McTominay and Casemiro likely to depart this summer to make room for a fresh face in the Old Trafford engine room.

They have been strongly linked with PSG's Manuel Ugarte, who has even reportedly agreed personal terms with the Old Trafford side ahead of a potential switch, but PSG are not budging from their 70m euro (£59m) valuation of the Urugauyan. Now, their attention has been drawn elsewhere, according to one sensational report.

United ready to hijack City move

That is according to Spanish outlet AS, who claim that Manchester United are making a late move for EURO 2024 star Dani Olmo. The Spaniard finished as the top goalscorer at the tournament as he helped Spain to EURO success in Germany, beating England 2-1 in the final. But his qualities have been well known before that, with Pep Guardiola dubbing him a "top" player during his time at Dinamo Zagreb.

"He's a top player – he has a bright future, of course. His performance today shows it. About the transfer and the money he deserves, that is not the point," the City boss explained.

Man Utd have potential deal in place to sign £42m star compared to Ronaldo

That’s according to The Telegraph.

ByCharlie Smith Jul 19, 2024

Though he still has three years left to run on his £168,000 per week deal with RB Leipzig, his deal has a release clause valued at 60m euros, which expires next week, and he has strongly been linked with a move away.

Speaking to Spanish media, he did little to play down those links: "My advisors, who are dealing with this, already know what I want to do. I don't know if I will stay in Germany, we will see. I want to be in a place where I am appreciated and loved and what I want to do is win. There are several options, we will see what happens", he explained.

And previous reports have claimed that Manchester City is his most likely destination, with Football Insider claiming that "advanced talks" took place over a deal earlier this week, with City in pole position.

Now though, Spanish outlet AS report that Manchester United have "entered the scene with force" to try and poach Olmo's signature from their Manchester rivals. For their part, Leipzig are happy to let him leave should the clause be met.

A move for Olmo would look strange given the options already available at Old Trafford. The Spaniard is able to play on either flank, as a striker or as a no.10, all of which are well covered within Ten Hag's ranks.

Options in attack for Erik ten Hag

Player

Position

Joshua Zirkzee

Striker

Marcus Rashford

Left Wing

Rasmus Hojlund

Striker

Alejandro Garnacho

Left Wing

Jadon Sancho

Right Wing

Amad Diallo

Right Wing

Antony

Right Wing

Bruno Fernandes

Attacking midfield

Mason Mount

Attacking midfield

With Jadon Sancho having reconciled with Erik ten Hag and Mason Mount now back from injury, there are even more options available to the Red Devils than there were last season, and a move for Olmo would be altogether bizarre despite the excitement of potentially beating their noisy neighbours to his signing.

MatériaMais Notícias

Todos os holofotes se voltam para Flamengo e Palmeiras. E não é para menos. Uma final brasileira de Libertadores, entre os dois últimos campeões continentais, os clubes de maior investimento e que têm polarizado o futebol nacional. Um duelo fantástico, de fazer o país parar. Mas há algo não menos interessante quando se olha para outro confronto, outra final brasileiríssima, a de Athletico e Red Bull Bragantino na Copa Sul-Americana.

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Para muitos, trata-se de uma final improvável. Surpreendente. Mas será isso mesmo? Os números e os fatos mostram que não.

Athletico e Bragantino, exatamente como o Palmeiras e o Flamengo, colhem os frutos do trabalho que têm sido realizado fora do campo. O rubro-negro paranaense desde 2012 quando disputou pela última vez a Série B, apostou em um trabalho de reestruturação de longo prazo que, o colocou nos últimos quatro anos entre os principais ganhadores de títulos no país: foram três estaduais, uma Copa do Brasil e uma Copa Sul-Americana conquistados com todos os méritos.

->Governo uruguaio se mostra otimista por 100% de público nas finais da Libertadores e Sul-Americana

O clube apostou em infraestrutura, construiu um dos CTs mais modernos e bem equipados do país, concluiu as obras da Arena da Baixada numa engenharia financeira que não comprometeu suas finanças, reformulou seus estatutos e apostou no marketing para conquistar espaços, sendo a mudança do nome e do escudo o passo mais ousado nessa área. E o mais importante, está pronto para seguir em frente sem a dependência de Mario Cesar Petraglia, seu polêmico presidente e, justiça seja feita, o principal fiador desse processo de transformação, com todos seus erros, acertos e idiossincrasias.

O RB Bragantino tem uma trajetória diferente, mas não menos promissora. A parceria com a Red Bull é recente, foi firmada em 2019 mas tem tudo para repetir aqui o sucesso do modelo de gestão que a multinacional de energéticos construiu em países como a Alemanha, a Áustria e os Estados Unidos, onde muito além de patrocinadora é a dona dos clubes em que investe. Vale lembrar que a companhia mantém ainda um outro clube por aqui, o RB Brasil, que foi fundado em Campinas em 2007 e hoje divide as mesmas instalações do irmão mais rico, em Bragança Paulista.

->Veja como estão as regras no Uruguai para entrada de brasileiros

As metas do Red Bull são ambiciosas: depois de subir para a Série A do Brasileirão, já no primeiro ano de parceria, o clube quer chegar à Libertadores até 2024. A campanha bem-sucedida na Sul-Americana é, portanto, apenas um aperitivo, uma amostra do que a empresa está disposta a fazer. Com dinheiro para investir e uma política de apostar em jogadores jovens, revelados por outros clubes, o Bragantino montou uma equipe competitiva, que se valoriza a cada dia, ao mesmo tempo em que mantém olheiros espalhados pelo Brasil para garantir a continuidade do projeto, mesmo com saídas inevitáveis, como a de Claudinho para o Zenit.

Uma velha máxima do futebol é o peso da camisa, aquela história de que camisa ganha jogo. Se um dia foi assim, cada vez menos no futuro será. O sofrimento de Vasco, Cruzeiro e Botafogo na Segundona, por exemplo, é a comprovação de que tradição já não assusta ninguém. Ao mesmo tempo, a ascensão de clubes como o Fortaleza, o Ceará, o Atlético-GO, o Cuiabá mostra que trabalho sério, uma gestão empresarial, a busca pela estabilidade financeira e a aposta na continuidade são o caminho para a transformação.

Flamengo e Palmeiras, Bragantino e Athletico não estão onde estão por acaso. É simples assim. Outros estão vindo atrás. E quem não entender isso vai perder o bonde da história.

The seamer kept Adelaide Strikers in check with 3 for 19, before good hands by Roy, Inglis and Marsh steered the chase

Peter Della Penna31-Dec-2020A sharp bowling spell from Jhye Richardson was backed up by a trio of brisk knocks from Jason Roy, Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh as the Perth Strikers secured their first win of the season, beating the Adelaide Strikers by seven wickets.The Strikers never got any momentum with the bat or in the field after losing the toss and being sent in. Richardson struck in the first over to remove Phil Salt, and wickets fell regularly thereafter. Alex Carey top-scored with 82, but the inability of anyone to stay with him resulted in a cautious approach for the majority of his innings. Carey’s strike rate never went past 150 at any stage before Richardson returned at the death to claim him at deep midwicket, snuffing out any hopes of a needed flourish for the Strikers.The Scorchers proceeded to chase the target in ruthless fashion, first with Roy at the top of the order and then as Inglis and Marsh helped the side recover from a brief hiccup to secure the bonus point and the full result.No help for Carey
The Strikers captain looked in good touch early in his knock after arriving in the third over following the dismissals of Salt and Jake Weatherald. After a slightly slow start reaching 10 off 11 balls, he found his rhythm against Andrew Tye in the seventh over, driving him through extra cover off consecutive balls to start the over before a cut shot brought his third boundary in a five-ball sequence. Another lofted drive off Marsh to end the eighth over kept the runs flowing for Carey, and Strikers looked solid at 64 for 2.But when Matt Renshaw fell to start the ninth over on a leading each to mid-on for Aaron Hardie’s second wicket, Carey started to go into a shell. The indecisive approach played a part in the run-out of Jonathan Wells in the 10th, as a drive from Carey was cut off by Roy at extra cover, who relayed to the striker’s end where Wells had sacrificed himself to allow Carey to keep going.However, Strikers went through a 25-ball sequence without a boundary from the 11th to the 15th over. Three balls after Carey brought up his half-century off 42 balls, he broke the streak by driving Fawad Ahmed through cover for four. But the hope of getting back into his early free-flowing mode was dented by the dismissals of Rashid Khan – uppercutting to third man – and Danial Worrall – a skier to mid-on – in subsequent overs. Running out of partners, Carey finally called for the Power Surge to start the 18th. After being dropped by Fawad on a straightforward chance at short third man on 69, he cracked Tye for four and six but perished next over to Richardson as Scorchers kept the momentum heading into the break. Richardson’s key breakthroughs earned him Man of the Match honours.Roy Rolls
The England opener was a battering ram at the top of the order for Scorchers, scoring 27 of the first 28 runs in the chase. He continued to dominate an eventual 57-run opening stand with Liam Livingstone, ending with seven fours and one six.Roy’s confidence was best displayed immediately after the Powerplay in the fifth over against Rashid. Without hesitation, Roy reverse swept Rashid’s first ball for four, not allowing the star leggie a chance to get settled. Roy cracked a short ball for a front-foot six next over off Worrall, and looked set to bring up a half-century before he was undone by a slightly back of a length ball from Wes Agar in the eighth over. Trying to flick to midwicket, a leading edge popped up to Rashid at cover to end his knock. Agar claimed Livingstone two balls later, getting some extra bounce once again to induce a prod away from the body and an edge behind.Inglis and Marsh seal the deal
Strikers were trying to rally back into the game first by denying the Scorchers the Bash Boost Point. Worrall had bowled a tidy over in the 10th, conceding five off the first five balls. Needing a boundary off the last delivery to get the bonus point, Inglis pulled Worrall off his hips past deep fine leg for four. The moment seemed to give the Scorchers an added lift heading into the second half of the chase.Though Rashid claimed Colin Munro lbw on a mistimed sweep in the 11th, Marsh and Inglis showed they were not content to play conservatively for singles to coast across the line. Marsh heaved Agar for six in the 14th over midwicket, then punched him over mid-off for four to bring the required run rate under a run a ball.In a somewhat surprising move, they then took the Power Surge to start the 16th, signalling their positive intent. Inglis then cut Agar’s first ball in the sequence for four before Marsh flicked two misdirected yorkers through fine leg for another pair of boundaries. Inglis then iced the game with consecutive drives off Danny Briggs over cover and back down the pitch in the 18th to end the match with 14 balls to spare.

Under-pressure Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag had a long conversation with Wrexham coach Phil Parkinson as they collected awards on Sunday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Managers exchange views at awards ceremony
• Ten Hag eased pressure with Brenford win
• Parkinson chasing third-successive promotion

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ten Hag picked up a prize at the Football Writers Association (FWA) Northern Managers Awards for leading United to win the FA Cup over arch rivals Manchester City last season. Parkinson was also honoured at the dinner for inspiring Wrexham to League One, the Red Dragons' second-successive promotion.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ten Hag, who enjoyed a much-needed win over Brentford the day before the awards ceremony, was seated next to Parkinson, who was also celebrating after Paul Mullin had fired his side to a 1-0 win at Rotherham. And the two managers were seen deep in conversation throughout the dinner.

• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  "I can say as I have some experience, it's not so easy to win titles, all the levels in English football are very competitive, to win a title demands huge sacrifice, sacrifice with your family but also sacrifice to get the team doing what you want," Ten Hag said in his speech. "You don't do this alone. You need good players, without good players, any manager is poor. Players can't do it without coaching so thanks also to my coaches, we did an incredible job to win this FA Cup."

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Pep Guardiola also won a prize for retaining the Premier League title with Manchester City although the Catalan was unable to attend the ceremony, as his side were in action against Wolves. Guardiola gave an acceptance speech via video. Jurgen Klopp was honoured for leading Liverpool to win the Carabao Cup in his final season, but he was also not in attendance.

Birmingham City won't want to become even more of a laughing stock next season if they struggle in League One, with the expectation being that the Blues will make promotion back up to the third tier look straightforward, instead of a gruelling ordeal.

Yet, Bolton Wanderers – another sleeping giant finding themselves in the lowly division – failed to win promotion out of the league in 2023/24, whilst Portsmouth winning promotion last campaign was a welcome relief from the South Coast outfit's perspective, having been marooned at the level since 2017.

The West Midlands club will just need to take the gutting pain of being relegated and use that agony as fuel to instantly bounce back, with Chris Davies now occupying the managerial hot seat after walking out of Tottenham Hotspur where he was assistant manager.

Davies will hope he can rely on the exploits of Koji Miyoshi in the league below, with the former Royal Antwerp attacker a revelation for the Blues in the Championship, despite their eventual relegation fate.

Koji Miyoshi's numbers for Birmingham

The Japanese attacking midfielder, who can play down the right wing or through the centre as a number ten, is a glowing example of a transfer gamble paying off, having arrived in England as an unknown entity last summer on a free transfer from Belgium.

Miyoshi would go on to amass seven goals and six assists from 48 appearances, with the nimble 27-year-old even netting on the final day to try and pull off a great escape for his unfortunate employers in a narrow 1-0 win over Norwich City.

There could be a slight worry now that Miyoshi might well be targeted by clubs higher up than League One – with the exciting attacker capped by Japan in the past – but Davies will have his fingers crossed he stays put to lead his team back up to the second-tier.

With only the departing Jay Stansfield and midfield teammate Juninho Bacunu picking more goal contributions last season, the "intelligent" Miyoshi – as he was described by former Blues boss Tony Mowbray – could be a real handful for third-tier defences to contain, having shown he can tear up the league above on his day.

Miyoshi standing out for his relegated side next campaign will only make the capture of the Japanese gem for nothing look more and more like a steal, especially if he is gifted hero status in guiding Birmingham back up to the Championship, which will see his transfer value increase.

Miyoshi's transfer value in 2024

According to Football Transfers, Davies' men would already be making a pretty profit on the 27-year-old if they did elect to sell him on this off-season if a suitor was interested, with his valuation now standing at £1.5m.

Birmingham will be thanking their lucky stars that they took a punt on the ex-Antwerp man, therefore, who is now worth more than experienced goalkeeper John Ruddy – who is worth a lesser £1.1m – despite the ex-Norwich shot-stopper accumulating an eye-watering 352 EFL games across his long-lasting career to date.

Miyoshi's transfer value over the years

Date

Valuation

June 2024

£1.5m

July 2023

£0

October 2022

£846k

January 2021

£1m

July 2020

£1m

Sourced by Football Transfers

On the contrary, when glancing at the table above, his former employers back in Belgium must feel enraged that they allowed Miyoshi to walk away for nothing, as Antwerp's loss becomes Birmingham's major gain.

Of course, there's no guarantees that Miyoshi will excel in League One – with the division an unforgiving beast for a sleeping giant – but he should be able to make the transition comfortably, after taking to the cut and thrust of the Championship smoothly.

Davies will hope he doesn't start life in the dug-out at St. Andrew's nervously, wanting the likes of Miyoshi and Co to shine all season long, with promotion then ultimately achieved.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Jun 11, 2024