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خرج آرني سلوت، مدرب ليفربول في مؤتمر صحفي للحديث عن استعدادات فريقه لمواجهة كريستال بالاس الأحد المقبل، في لقاء الدرع الخيرية.

وينطلق موسم الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز الجديد بلقاء بين ليفربول وكريستال بالاس يوم الأحد، ثم يفتتح الريدز البريميرليج بلقاء ضد بورنموث الجمعة المقبل.

أقرأ أيضاً.. تقارير: محمد صلاح وراء توقيع مانشستر يونايتد مع صفقة هجومية

وقال سلوت في مؤتمر صحفي عن سوق الانتقالات: “غادر عدد قليل من اللاعبين وانضم عدد قليل، بعضهم يمتلكون مهارات جديدة وعليهم أن يتأقلموا معنا ونحن بحاجة للتأقلم معهم، لقد عملنا لأربعة أسابيع ومن دواعي سرورنا عدم المشاركة في أي بطولات هذا الصيف”.

وعن كريستال بالاس أضاف: “يتميزون بالهجمات المرتدة والكرات الثابتة والتمريرات الطويلة لماتيتا والمهارات الفردية المميزة، لعبنا مباريات ودية مهمة قدمت لنا منافسة قوية، استعاد كريستال بالاس قوته، ومازال الفريق كما هو، إنه تحدي كبير لنا في بداية الموسم”.

وواصل عن نجوموها ونيوني: “لا أحد يعلم كيف يتعلم المرء مع الموقف، سجل نيوني هدفًا مع إشبيلية عندما كان 17 عاماً، لديهما فرصة رائعة للعمل مع فان دايك وصلاح يومياً، نسعى لتطويرهما بأفضل طريقة ممكنة وعلينا الاعتناء بهما، اللاعبون الجدد القادمون قد اختبروا بالفعل مستويات اللعب العالية لكنها كانت بداية واعدة لنيوني ونجوموها”.

وعن لقاء الدرع الخيرية أكد سلوت هدفه: “من الجميل أن نبدأ الموسم بالفوز، لدينا فرصة ونواجه فريقًا صعبًا مثل بالاس وأظهروا صعوبة الفوز ضدهم في مباراة واحدة”.

وعن التعاقد مع قلب دفاع جديد رد سلوت: “بالتأكيد لدينا لاعبين ولن ننسى جوميز للأسف يعاني من إصابة طفيفة حالياً لكنه سيعود لنا قريباً، أنا سعيد جداً باللاعبين الحاليين والقادرين على اللعب في هذا المركز”.

وحول نونيز والذي يقترب من الرحيل للهلال السعودي: “لا نتحدث أبداً عن لاعبين ليسوا لدينا، يمكنني التحدث عن إيكتيكي الذي انضم لنا مؤخراً، نحن سعداء جداً بالتشكيل الحالي، هناك لاعبين غادروا لكننا تعاقدنا مع جدد واللاعبون الشباب يقدمون أداء جيد، قد يرحل نونيز لكن لم يتم التعاقد مع لاعبين جدد بعد، علينا الانتظار بضعة أيام قبل إتمام الصفقة”.

وختم عن جوتا ووفاته المأساوية: “لقد أثرت هذه المأساة علينا، لكن أثرها كان أكبر بكثير على زوجته وأولاده ووالديه، كانت التعازي التي تلقاها منذ ذلك الوقت مؤثرة للغاية”.

Two matches after his comeback following a back surgery, Shreyas Iyer has picked up a back spasm during warm-up before the India-Pakistan Super Four match at the Asia Cup, which ruled him out of the contest. KL Rahul, also coming back from an injury, was drafted in at the last minute.At the toss, Rohit Sharma called it a “forced change” for the team, and that was reflected in the team sheet, which had Iyer marked at No. 4, with Rahul as the 13th man. The numbers were crossed out before the sheet was released, with the two swapping places.Rahul’s usual batting position in ODIs, however, has been No. 5. It was also not clear if he would be fit enough to keep wicket, but India have Ishan Kishan in the XI as well.Related

• How Shubman Gill took down Shaheen Shah Afridi to hand round one to India

• Rahul vs Kishan: Who will India's first-choice keeper be?

• Rahul in sharp touch during indoor training session

• Iyer opens up about back injury: I was in excruciating pain

Both Iyer and Rahul are returning from injuries.Iyer hadn’t played since the home ODI series against Australia in early March, and missed the IPL altogether, as he recovered from a back condition that required surgery. He was picked in the Asia Cup squad – as well as in the squad for the ODI World Cup starting next month – after being declared fit by the medical personnel at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and was in the India XI for both their group-stage games at the Asia Cup, scoring 14 against Pakistan. He didn’t need to bat against Nepal as India won by ten wickets.While the extent or seriousness of his latest injury are not known, it could be a cause for concern for the India team management with the World Cup not far away.Rahul hadn’t played for India since March, and was out of action altogether after tearing a tendon in his right thigh during the IPL. He was selected in the Asia Cup squad following extensive rehab at the NCA. He was, however, ruled out of the first two matches after picking up a fresh niggle.In Rahul’s absence, Kishan, playing for the first time at No. 5 in ODIs, rescued India’s innings in the washed-out match against Pakistan.

Details of how Pep Guardiola convinced Pep Lijnders to become Manchester City's new assistant coach have emerged after a previous spell at Liverpool.

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• Lijnders is Guardiola's new assistant
• Previously worked for Klopp at Liverpool
• Had failed spell as Salzburg manager

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A half-hour conversation from City manager Guardiola was enough to convince Lijnders to join his old rivals, according to . Lijnders was Klopp's right-hand man as Liverpool battled the Cityzens for the Premier League title but his past allegiances haven't been an issue for the 42-year-old, even though he only left Anfield a year ago.

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  City confirmed Lijnders' move earlier on Tuesday, with the Dutchman arriving alongside new set-piece coach James French. Both will be in Guardiola's back-room staff for the Club World Cup, with their first match coming next week on Wednesday against Wydad Casablanca.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Lijnders left Liverpool at the same time as Klopp last year after two separate spells in his coaching staff. He has had two stints as a manager with NEC Nijmegen and Salzburg, but neither have been successful. His arrival at City comes after former assistant coaches Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez left the club at the end of their contracts.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

  City face Casablanca in their first Club World Cup game and then take on Al-Ain and Juventus in their remaining Group G matches.

And breathe.

They may have made hard work of it, yet Rangers’ hopes of emulating 2022 live on, with the Premiership side edging into the Europa League quarter-finals after seeing off Fenerbahce on penalties.

Having put in a dominant display away in Istanbul a week ago to earn a 3-1 lead, inspired by the heroics of Cyriels Dessers and Vaclav Cerny, it looked as if the Gers already had one foot in the last eight, heading into Thursday’s meeting at Ibrox.

As it transpired, Jose Mourinho’s side were far more up for the task this time around, with Sebastian Szymanski netting in either half in superb fashion to wrestle the visitors level in the tie.

After an anxious extra half hour, the dreaded shootout was left to settle proceedings, with Jack Butland proving the decisive figure to help steer Barry Ferguson’s men into the next round.

Jack Butland's penalty heroics

It’s fair to say that it hasn’t been a particularly impressive campaign for both Butland and the Light Blues as a whole, with the one-time Stoke City stopper criticised by journalist Josh Bunting for getting in a “rut”, amid the final days of Philippe Clement.

Thankfully, however, the 32-year-old was back to his best when it mattered most for the Glasgow side, having come up trumps in the shootout, after actually only being forced into one save in the entire 120 minutes, as per Sofascore.

The Englishman first denied Dusan Tadic from the spot with an expert save with his feet, before then bailing out teammate Ianis Hagi, after producing a stunning dive to his right to keep out Fred’s attempt.

With substitute Mert Hakan Yandas then proceeding to blaze the decisive spot-kick over the bar, Butland was afforded the chance to lead the Rangers celebrations, having emerged as the heroic matchwinner after channelling his inner Allan McGregor.

The experienced goalkeeper was, of course, not alone in helping to steer the hosts into the last eight of the competition, with teammate Nico Raskin also putting in a statement performance in the centre of the park.

Performance in Numbers

The Rangers star who's playing like a £50m sensation

Unlike a week ago, this wasn’t the Old Firm side at their best, with Ferguson’s men having been made to work for their progression, after putting in a battling 120-minute display.

Central to that hard-working performance was midfield maestro, Raskin, with the 24-year-old once again producing a real all-action showing, alongside the impressive Connor Barron.

Raskin’s quality was typified by the fact that he won ten duels in total from his midfield berth, having also enjoyed an 80% pass accuracy, while providing one key pass as a marker of his forward-thinking prowess.

120 minutes

85 touches

80% pass accuracy

1 key pass

1 shot off target

1 shot blocked

0/1 successful dribbles

10 total duels won

17x possession lost

6 tackles

4 clearances

Indeed, Football Insider’s Harri Burton also noted the Belgian’s brilliant performance, handing him a 7/10 match rating, while writing that the former Standard Liege star is ‘quickly growing into one of the most important players at Ibrox’ and is now ‘a true leader on the pitch’.

That class is also evidenced by the fact that Raskin is deemed to be stylistically similar to Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte, among midfielders in this season’s Europa League, as per FBref, with that some statement considering that the Uruguayan cost the Red Devils a reported fee of around £50m last summer.

Such a likeness between the pair is apparent due to their ball-winning brilliance, with the Rangers man ranking in the top 8% for tackles and the top 18% for interceptions per 90, while Ugarte, meanwhile, has enjoyed a similar record, after ranking in the top 23% and the top 8% for those same two metrics, respectively.

Much like the 23-year-old – who has been hailed as a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – Raskin also possesses that much-needed midfield steel, having previously been described as a “pitbull” by journalist Bob Faesen during his days in Belgium.

While the Light Blues won’t be contemplating losing their 5 foot 10 sensation any time soon, his likeness to the £50m Ugarte, alongside his solid display on Thursday night, has showcased the trajectory that he could well enjoy in the years to come.

Rangers struck gold selling European hero who's now worth less than Raskin

Rangers hit the jackpot on a player sold by Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 11, 2025

Real Madrid legend Luka Modric will be given the chance to link up with USMNT star Christian Pulisic at AC Milan, claims Fabrizio Romano.

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• Croatian icon available as a free agent
• Linked with teams around the world
• Will be offered new challenge in Serie A

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder is, ahead of turning 40 in September, readying himself for a new challenge after reaching the end of his contract at Santiago Bernabeu. Modric is preparing to bid farewell to the Spanish capital as a free agent.

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  He has offered no indication that retirement is in his thoughts, with the classy playmaker eager to find a new club. It has been suggested that he could join Lionel Messi in MLS at Inter Miami.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr – who still have Cristiano Ronaldo on their books for now – have also been credited with interest, while Modric is a minority stakeholder at Welsh side Swansea and may be tempted to help them push towards the Premier League.

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  WHAT FABRIZIO ROMANO SAID

  claims that Milan have also joined the race for Modric’s signature, courtesy of their new director of sport. The transfer expert says: “AC Milan new director Igli Tare dreams of bringing Luka Modric to the club. He’s one of the names mentioned in initial internal talks. Modric received several approaches from clubs all over the world since leaving Real Madrid, not in a rush to pick his next club.”

A 112-run stand between Verreynne and Jansen gave the innings some backbone but there was not much else

Firdose Moonda25-Dec-2022The opening day at MCG suggests this series is in for a repeat of what happened at the Gabba but don’t be fooled: this pitch is nowhere near as spiteful, it’s South Africa’s batting which remains bad. They were bowled for under 200 for a seventh successive Test innings and David Warner, in his 100th Test, had already made some headway into the total.Collapses bookended South Africa’s innings as they slipped to 58 for 4 in before lunch and lost five wickets for 10 runs in the evening session. A 112-run sixth-wicket stand between Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen, who scored half-centuries each, gave the innings some backbone but there was not much else.Pat Cummins will feel vindicated after making the surprising decision to bowl first and put pressure on a vulnerable line-up. Though Australia were disciplined with the ball, they were not outstanding and they put down several catches but still managed to dismiss South Africa for an under-par score. Cameron Green did the bulk of the damage and claimed the wicket of Theunis de Bruyn, which was the first of three for two runs, before lunch and then Verreynne, Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi in 12 balls to complete his first Test five-for.Related

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Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee started off fairly well against tight Australian lines. Elgar was dropped on 7, when he offered Cummins a return catch, and on 19, when he gave Green a tough chance at point. He played and missed several times but dug in and survived and the stage seemed set for him to grind out a good knock.But it wasn’t long before familiar batting problems reared their head. Erwee drove loosely against Scott Boland and was caught at third slip to be dismissed in that fashion for the 10th time in 16 innings. New No. 3 de Bruyn, who replaced Rassie van der Dussen, seemed in good touch and hit Green for two straight drives down the ground but then misjudged Green’s length and top-edged a pull.That brought South Africa’s two most experienced hands, Elgar and Temba Bavuma, together but they were separated 10 minutes before lunch. Elgar pushed Mitchell Starc to the right of mid-off, where Marnus Labuschagne was quick onto the ball. He turned and released in one move and fired in a direct hit to find Elgar short of his ground and run him out for the first time in Test career. The ball after that, Starc found Bavuma’s edge with a ball that tailed away as he prodded at it and had him caught behind.Both Verreynne and Khaya Zondo were scoreless at the lunch interval but resumed the innings with positive intent. Verreynne got off the mark with a confident square drive off a full, wide Starc ball. He did not score a run for the next eight balls he faced as Australia applied pressure and Zondo succumbed to another moment of Marnus magic. He stepped out to drive Starc past mid-off but found Labuschagne, who took an outstanding leaping catch to end Zondo’s innings.Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen revived South Africa’s stumbling innings•Associated PressUndeterred by the severity of the situation, Verreynne and Jansen took the fight to Australia and their approach could well be a blueprint for South Africa to follow in future. Verreynne was particularly severe on the short ball while Jansen drove well and they were both proactive against Nathan Lyon’s offspin.Jansen should have been dismissed for 37 when he pulled Cummins to Usman Khawaja at square leg but the chance was spilled. He went on to his first Test fifty, and sixth first-class half-century, with a lofted drive over long-on. The shot that got him to his milestone just evaded Starc at long-on and caught the tip of his finger, in what initially seemed a serious injury. Starc left the field immediately and later returned with his finger in a dressing. He was not required to bowl again.Verreynne’s fifty followed, with his second milestone of the series after also top-scoring in the first innings in Brisbane and South Africa were set to push past 200 but then Green struck.However, Verreynne was drawn forward and edged Green to Steven Smith at slip and in his next over, Jansen went the same way. Rabada played on, Keshav Maharaj hit Lyon to mid-off and Green took out Lungi Ngidi’s offstump to end South Africa’s inning with 19 overs left in the day.Though their attack had more to work with than they did at the Gabba, South Africa’s bowlers lacked energy and barely threatened. Five of Rabada’s first six balls, all to Warner, went down leg. In Rabada’s next over, Warner did as he promised he would and took Rabada on. He got off the mark when he pulled Rabada behind square for four. He repeated the shot in Rabada’s next over. South Africa’s spearhead had some reward when Khawaja nicked off. It was the fifth time in nine matches that Rabada has dismissed Khawaja.Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen were more disciplined but Warner issued a final warning, when he threw his bat at a wide Anrich Nortje ball that flew over the slips for four more. He was undefeated on 32 overnight, with Labuschagne alongside him.