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Australia’s captain suffers “acute right foot injury” after seeing Tayla Vlaeminck go down with dislocated shoulder

Valkerie Baynes11-Oct-20243:56

Takeaways: Australia win big, but at what cost?

Alyssa Healy looked shaken and an air of concern descended on her Australia side as Tayla Vlaeminck lay in a crumpled heap on the boundary’s edge, clutching her shoulder. Surely this wasn’t happening.Right-arm quick Vlaeminck had just come into the side to add “impact” to the bowling attack for their first outing in Dubai, Australia having begun their T20 World Cup campaign with two wins on a spin-friendly Sharjah pitch that swing bowler Megan Schutt had managed to master. Now, just four balls into the game, Vlaeminck was out with a right-shoulder dislocation to add to a long list of serious injuries.They clearly felt for her. Two ACL injuries, a twice-dislocated left shoulder and stress fractures to her foot had severely curtailed Vlaeminck’s career and still she’d kept fighting back. But as she received treatment, Australia entered a huddle, Ellyse Perry gave them a pep talk and they picked themselves up – then picked Pakistan apart.Bowled out for 82, the lowest total at this tournament, Pakistan – without captain Fatima Sana, who had flown home to Karachi following the death of her father on Thursday – could mount no resistance agaisnt a side whose depth is the envy of the world and would be tested further…

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Alyssa Healy grimaced and pulled up sharply as she came back for a second run and an air of concern descended on her Australian side. Surely this wasn’t happening.She and Perry were cruising through Australia’s pursuit of 83 after Beth Mooney fell for a run-a-ball 15 and now the captain was hobbling from the field.Healy had to hop up a set of stairs leading to the changeroom and Cricket Australia later confirmed that she had suffered “an acute right foot injury”. She was set to undergo scans on Saturday after which her availability for the rest of the tournament was expected to become clearer.What is clear is Australia’s ability to overcome such setbacks.Schutt, Australia’s standout performer with the ball so far, took 1 for 7 from three miserly overs to overtake Pakistan’s Nida Dar as the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with 144.Then Ashleigh Gardner claimed 4 for 21 – including three in the penultimate over – with her offspin to record her best T20I figures since taking 5 for 12 at the previous edition of the tournament last year in Paarl.

“There were people that were obviously emotional. I think that just shows the care that we have for our team-mates. Tay has worked so hard to get back here and she’s earned it. To see her go down like that, we had to regroup really quickly”Ashleigh Gardner on Tayla Vlaeminck’s injury

Vlaeminck’s injury had hit the team particularly hard given that this was her first World Cup match since 2018 and just the second of her career.”It’s obviously horrible seeing one of your mates go down and knowing Tay’s road to get back to here,” Gardner said. “She’s someone that probably works harder than anyone else I know so to see someone like that go down with another injury, we all really felt for her.”There were people that were obviously emotional and things like that and I think that just shows the care that we have for our team-mates and especially Tay. She’s worked so hard to get back here and she’s earned it, so to see her go down like that, we had to regroup really quickly.”Pez [Perry] just brought us all in and she reverted back to the Mackay incident, where that kind of erupted pretty quickly and just to make sure that everyone was okay and to get on with it. That’s the nature of sport, unlucky things happen and then you’ve just got to get on with it and then wait until after the game to make sure that Tay was okay. She’s in good spirits which is nice to see.”The “Mackay incident” refers to when Gardner herself was withdrawn from Australia’s starting XI right before the toss in last month’s first T20I against New Zealand in Mackay when she collided with team-mate Georgia Wareham during the warm-up and suffered a knock to the jaw.Megan Schutt became the leading wicket-taker in T20Is•ICC/Getty ImagesOn Friday, Gardner conceded seven runs in the second over of the match but in the 19th, she had Tuba Hassan stumped by Healy, then took two wickets in as many deliveries when Syeda Aroob Shah spooned a catch straight to Mooney at midwicket and she pinned Nashra Sandhu lbw with one that spun back in and ripped past the outside edge.It was also Gardner who came in to bat when Healy retired hurt, scoring an unbeaten 7 off five balls while Perry remained not out 22. In mowing down their 83-run target in just 11 overs, Australia’s net run rate now sits at a healthy 2.786. But Gardner expects to face a sterner test in their final group game against India on Sunday.”I wasn’t overly happy with how I bowled that over in the powerplay,” she said. “But then to come back and change that, the bowlers that bowled before me laid a fantastic platform for me to take wickets at the back end and mop up the tail, as some would say, but it was nice to be able to get some wickets.”Certainly going to the next game I know I’m going to be challenged. I’m going to have to bowl two overs probably in the powerplay against someone like Smriti Mandana so the challenge is always there and I relish those environments. Hopefully I’m on the upper end against her.”

He often leaks runs in T20 cricket, but when conditions are even slightly in his favour – like in Napier on Tuesday – he can make things happen

Alagappan Muthu22-Nov-20221:46

Taylor: Siraj, Arshdeep and Bumrah could form a potent attack by 2024

Mohammed Siraj is a hard bowler to figure out.Go through his numbers and you’ll see a guy who leaks runs. He’s played six seasons of the IPL, and in three of them, he’s gone for at least nine an over.Check out some of his wickets though, and you’ll see a guy who keeps doing the one thing batters around the world absolutely hate. He surprises them.Related

• India clinch series after rain-hit tie in Napier

In 2021, he Test-cricketed Steven Smith in a T20 match. Squared him up. Got the edge. Waved him bye-bye. In 2018, bowling in the death to Andre Russell, perhaps the most fearsome power hitter of the modern era, he bounced him out. Too quick. Too good. Birthday boy gone for a golden duck. In 2020, he became the first bowler to bowl two maidens in an IPL game. Two weeks later, he recreated Dale Steyn vs Brad Haddin with a ball that Prithvi Shaw thought he had covered only for his off stump to scream at him otherwise.Labels are a big thing in sport. And the one that seems to fit Siraj is the guy in that meme that goes noooo, I don’t want that. I want whatever’s weirder than that.Seriously, there was a game last year, against Rajasthan Royals, where Siraj’s figures read 4-0-27-3. He bowled 16 dot balls in that spell. On a pitch where Royal Challengers Bangalore did not lose a single wicket while chasing down 178.He did, however, concede four fours and a six. That’s 22 out of 27 runs in boundaries. A bowler capable of making the opposition look completely unprepared for him has no business looking so deliciously hittable.On Tuesday, against New Zealand, Siraj produced a wicket with the second ball he bowled. Then another with his 17th. A couple more with his 19th and 23rd. And a pattern began to emerge.Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner – decent haul that•AFP via Getty ImagesA lot of Siraj’s success comes from hitting the deck hard. (He’s got other tricks, but let’s focus on this for now.) In India, where there’s not always a lot of sideways movement, it means you’re setting the batter up to get under the ball and hit you over the top. That’s why even though he gets all these cool wickets, he still keeps going for runs.Out here in Napier, on a pitch that was juiced up by a fair bit of rain, every time Siraj banged the ball in, it did unexpected things. Mark Chapman was looking to launch him over the short square boundary on the leg side, but instead the ball seamed away and took the leading edge.Siraj understood that he’d been given conditions that were right up his alley. He even said so in the interview between innings. All he wanted to do was bowl hard lengths, because that was what the batters were struggling to deal with. It’s probably the reason why he was so successful in Australia a couple of years ago. He was on his first tour of the country. A horde of his team-mates were out injured. And he emerged as their highest wicket-taker in a famous series win.Remember his five-for at the Gabba? He took out players who are bred on pace and bounce with pace and bounce. Smith practically recoiled from the ball that he ended up fending to gully. There’s the other thing about Siraj. He seems to lose very little pace after the ball bounces. Again, that in India means you come on to the bat nicely. In other places, Napier for example, you become the last thing a batter sees before he ends up in the pavilion.At the Gabba in early 2021, Siraj took out players bred on pace and bounce with pace and bounce•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaGlenn Phillips had hit three sixes and two fours off the last 13 balls. He’d also brought up his third fifty-plus score in six innings. In short, he was in the zone. About three seconds later, he was kicked clean out of it.He took strike in the 16th over expecting a full delivery, because at McLean Park, which has 60m boundaries square of the wicket, that’s the least damaging length to bowl. Phillips was actually preparing to make light of that, his front-foot trigger movement taking him across off stump and rendering him in the perfect stance to sweep/scoop/slog everything to that short side of the ground.Siraj didn’t give him the fuller length. He went bouncer. And he could go that way because he’s quick. Not in the traditional 150kph way. But more in the Andrew Flintoff heavy ball kind of way. Phillips was very, very late on the hook and, as a result, none of his power went into the shot. Bhuvneshwar Kumar barely got to the ball running in from long leg.That wicket triggered New Zealand’s collapse. At one point, they lost six in the space of 12 balls for three runs, 130 for 2 became 160 all out.Siraj made that happen. He just makes things happen.

The first day showed that the batsmen might need to do the heavy lifting if India are to win the SCG Test

Sidharth Monga07-Jan-20211:16

Chopra: Pant’s first miss was a ‘regulation’ catch

Two Tests in a row, R Ashwin has been introduced into the attack ahead of a third seamer in a country that helps fast bowlers more. Before this series, it had happened outside Asia and the West Indies only twice before in the first innings. Back in 2011-12, it was more a case of a youngster being sent to the gallows in Adelaide, and in 2018 at Edgbaston, India wanted to utilise the early moisture against a left-hand opening pair.Here in Australia, the story is different. India are fielding an inexperienced bowling attack – both at MCG and SCG, India have had a debutant fast bowler – because of injuries. Ashwin has stepped up as a leader of the attack, and has bowled exceptionally well, and for long hours. How Ashwin has gone has also been indicative of how well India have gone.In Melbourne, Ashwin came on to bowl in 11th over of the innings, with Australia at 25 for 1. In Sydney, he was held back with till the 14th over – because the rain break allowed the opening fast bowlers a longer first spell – with the score 36 for 1.It really was that sort of day for R Ashwin, and for India•AFP via Getty ImagesAt MCG, Ashwin’s first spell broke the back of Australia’s batting, getting a wicket early, exposing Steven Smith to a newish ball with the scoreboard pressure on and getting him out. At SCG, Ashwin started off just as well as he did in Melbourne, but things took a different route for him and for India pretty soon.For seven overs, Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah, the two leaders of the attack, the likeliest men to take a wicket, put debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne under pressure. Mohammed Siraj, in only his second Test, then took over well from Bumrah. Only 13 runs came in the ten overs since Ashwin came on to bowl, Labuschagne faced 18 straight dots, and there was anticipation in the India camp.Related

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Pucovski: 'Probably my favourite day of cricket to date'

Australia on strong footing after Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuschagne fifties

Ashwin’s success this series has relied on shutting down right-hand batsmen by making them play to a heavily populated leg-side field. Which is what he kept doing in his first five overs, mixing it with the drifting delivery that challenges the outside edge. In his fifth over, he tried it once but pitched it too full, allowing Pucovski a cover-drive. Later, in the over, he corrected himself, drifting the ball away while staying short of a driving length, drawing a forward defensive, taking the outside edge… only for Rishabh Pant to drop it.Now dropped catches are as much a part of Test cricket as chances created are, but when it happens at a specialist position – wicketkeeper and slips, for example – the technique comes under the scanner. Former wicketkeepers immediately talked about Pant’s hands pointing at the ball, his fingers almost parallel to the ground and grabbing at the ball as opposed to hands pointing down and letting the ball come to him. ESPNcricinfo’s logs revealed that Pant has dropped nine of the 20 catches that have come his way off spin bowling in Test cricket.The one that got away – Rishabh Pant drops Will Pucovski off R Ashwin•Getty ImagesWhether Pant should play over Wriddhiman Saha is a debate for another day, but the fact that Australia got away after this drop and another half-chance spilled not long after tells you how much needs to go your way when you have a thin attack. Saha probably would have been playing had India not played Ravindra Jadeja as the fifth bowler and the sixth batsman. They had to provide some batting cover. Jadeja probably would not have been playing had Mohammed Shami not been injured.In Melbourne, everything went India’s way. That is what has to happen if you pull off an away win despite being so outmatched. Here things started to going against India. Ashwin was already into his 91st over of the series, this was a day-one pitch, the flattest of the three, and the margin of error kept diminishing. In the next four overs, Ashwin bowled perhaps more bad balls than he had done all series.A big part of Ashwin’s success has been in not allowing the batsmen to hit him against the spin into the off side. For that to happen, he either has to go too wide or too short. He began erring on the short side. In just one spell, he conceded 24 off-side runs to right-hand batsmen. In the whole Adelaide Test, he gave 28, in Melbourne 51.This was not the ideal time for debutant Navdeep Saini to be introduced either, and Pucovski laid into him. Fifty runs came in eight overs leading into tea. Steven Smith now got to start out against a 35-over-old ball. He didn’t have to face the first spell of any of India’s strike bowlers. The pitch was easier too. He got into his work like great batsmen do. Marnus Labuschagne went past 50 after two 40s. Despite more than a session lost to rain, Australia were near their highest score of the series. They batted with a control rate of 92%, well higher than the series rate, which is a comment both on the pitch and the not-surprisingly reduced accuracy of bowling.While it looked ominous for India, the day only put in perspective the immenseness of the effort their bowlers put in in Melbourne. They might just need the same from their batsmen to get out of this one.

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Former Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle has tipped a ‘world-class’ member of Thomas Frank’s squad to snub new contract talks amid interest from world football’s elite sides.

Tottenham enjoy mini Thomas Frank revival after two consecutive wins

Frank’s Tottenham tenure was heading towards crisis territory just days ago, but consecutive victories over Brentford and Slavia Prague have injected fresh optimism into a campaign that threatened to derail completely.

Saturday’s 2-0 triumph against Brentford represented far more than three precious points — it also went a long way to vindicating Frank’s approach after mounting pressure following a dismal five-match winless streak.

The victory, sealed through first-half strikes from Richarlison and Xavi Simons, ended Tottenham’s agonizing wait for a home Premier League win since their opening-day demolition of Burnley.

Frank described the performance as “very complete,” highlighting his side’s dynamism, unpredictability and defensive discipline that restricted Brentford to just four attempts throughout the match.

Owen Hargreaves says "exceptional" Tottenham star outshone Simons against Prague

It was a great night for Spurs in Europe.

ByEmilio Galantini 5 days ago

Simons, who has attracted criticism since his £52 million arrival from RB Leipzig, put in a Player of the Match display.

The Netherlands international orchestrated both goals, curving his run brilliantly to deliver Richarlison’s tap-in before producing a sensational solo effort, driving from halfway into Brentford’s penalty area to slide past Caoimhin Kelleher.

Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague continued the momentum, extending Tottenham’s remarkable home European record to 23 consecutive matches without defeat.

An own goal from David Zima, and penalties from Mohammed Kudus and Simons, elevated Spurs into the top eight of the Champions League standings with 11 points from six games.

Kudus was Tottenham’s ‘best player by far’ on the night as he continues to justify his £55 million transfer from West Ham in the summer, but Micky van de Ven once again proved himself indispensable too.

According to recent reports, Spurs are ready to offer van de Ven a ‘double your money’ contract in an attempt to ward off the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea, who’ve shown interest in the Dutchman.

Van de Ven is an indispensable member of the Lilywhites backline and scored what was perhaps their goal of the season against FC Copenhagen recently, mimicking Son Heung-min’s famous Puskas winner with a mazy run from deep inside his own half.

Interest in the 24-year-old is inevitable, with Hoddle now commenting on the defender’s long-term future.

Glenn Hoddle tips van de Ven to snub Tottenham contract offer

Amid claims that Spurs are eager to tie down their superstar centre-back, Hoddle has now told Capital Football that he expects van de Ven to snub Tottenham’s advances over a new deal.

Hoddle adds that he is the club’s ‘only’ world-class player, and could ply his trade at basically any team in the world.

The former Wolfsburg star was also a vital member of Ange Postecoglou’s team and key to the Australian’s high line. Whenever van de Ven was absent through injury, you noticed, and he’d be an equally hard player to replace for Frank.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is the only Spurs star to play more Premier League minutes this season than van de Ven, highlighting just how pivotal he is for Tottenham’s new boss.

Replacing him would be a near-impossible task, but luckily for the club, he’s already contracted until 2029.

A New York Yankees fan who made their way out to the ballpark on Tuesday night experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in a matter of a few seconds. The lucky fan was able to snag an Aaron Judge home run from their perch in the front row of the right field seats, making a nice grab in the air. Since it simply does not get any better than that, the fan immediately celebrated with other Yankees fans amped up by the souvenir and the fact that Judge continues to put together a historic offense season.

And in times like these, one does not simply exchange a light handshake or moderate any joy, meaning that the glove that caught the ball got jostled around and the original possessor lost possession. At this point, another fan noticed the ball rolling in their direction and slyly pocketed it among the chaos.

That scene is below.

The YES broadcast cameras kept eyes on the situation, and the party of the person who carrolled the ball did end up returning it to the fan who initially caught it.

Trinity Rodman has spoken out about her NWSL future as the Washington Spirit look to retain the forward's services. USWNT star Rodman's current deal in the capital expires next month and the Spirit are keen to keep 23-year-old after another strong season. DC Power have reportedly lodged an offer, which exceeds the Spirit's offer owing to the NWSL wage cap structure, while there is also interest from England's WSL.

Getty Images SportInjured Rodman struggled in defeat to Gotham

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has stressed that the league will do everything in their power to retain Rodman's services. "We want Trinity in the NWSL, and we will fight for her," Berman said in the NWSL Final presser earlier in the week as the league strives to retain their star player.

The Spirit were in action against Gotham FC, but fell to a 1-0 loss on Saturday as Rose Lavelle's 80th minute winner proved the difference at PayPal Park in San Jose. Rodman didn't start the match owing to an MCL injury to her right knee, yet featured from the bench with a little over half hour to go. When asked about her knee, the Spirit forward admitted it "felt great" but later commented that she wasn't at full strength.

And it showed as Rodman struggled to make an impact as she failed to get a shot off during his second half cameo. It was a performance eerily similar to last season's NWSL showpiece event as the Spirit fell to a 1-0 defeat to Orlando Pride, as Rodman struggled with a back problem in the narrow loss.

Speaking after the NWSL final defeat, Rodman admitted that she "definitely underperformed" as attention turns to her future with the Spirit.

AdvertisementRodman was not 'feeling herself' in the lead up to the final

Referring to the amount of playing time she had in the lead up to Saturday's defeat to Gotham FC, Rodman said: "I think naturally only having nine minutes going into a final is not ideal. As much as I don't want to admit it, I still don't feel like I was my full self tonight, which sucks.

"I feel like this is the second year I've gone to a final not I feeling myself. So it just makes me sad. But yeah, for me, I was just trying to go out there and do what I could. I definitely underperformed."

After the match, Rodman walked over to the far side of PayPal Park, where she and her boyfriend, tennis sensation Ben Shelton, held each other in a long embrace. "It was sad, and I feel like you obviously have your team the entire year, but sometimes you just need your outside supporters and Ben is that for me.

"So I was just crying. I'm sad. It sucks and it's not just we lost a soccer game. It's all the work we put into it and it's nice to get that reward at the end, but at the end of the day we can still celebrate because we did so much."

Getty Images EntertainmentRodman's DC Power offer highlights NWSL's wage cap

With attention now on Rodman's future with the Spirit, the forward was asked whether loss to Gotham FC would influence her decision, to which she replied: "No, every team loses."

DC Power, who play in the USL, does not use a salary cap or player draft, which gives clubs full power over squad building and allows all players to become free agents when their contracts expire. By comparison, the NWSL's hard cap means wages are restricted to $3.3m per team for 2026, and not expected to reach $5m until 2030, which limits how many teams can offer players in negotiations.

Commissioner Berman has defended the cap, however, and highlighted the NWSL's growth in recent years, stating: "The NWSL has raised the salary cap tremendously in the last four seasons, almost quadrupled in the last four years."

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Potential DC Power switch puts Rodman in unique situation

The outcome of Rodman's contract decision could influence contract negotiations for American players in the future. US stars Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma both moved to WSL champions Chelsea from Angel City and San Diego Wave, respectively, earlier this year, while Lindsey Heaps transferred to French side Lyon from the Portland Thorns back in 2022.

And with lucrative offers available elsewhere, Rodman's offer of a move to DC Power will again bring the NWSL's salary cap under the spotlight amidst the possibility that one of the league's star performers could depart for a bigger contract elsewhere.

The Power and the Spirit both share training facilities owned by MLS giants DC United, and a move to the former from the latter would see Rodman remain in the same market but move to a different league entirely.

Former Manchester United scout Piotr Sadowski has blasted the Red Devils for letting some top talents leave the club in recent years. The Red Devils have a proud history when it comes to developing young players and bringing them into the first team at Old Trafford, but Sadowski says some bad mistakes have been made and highlighted one player in particular who has been allowed to leave for a small fee.

The one that got away?

Manchester United waved goodbye to Alvaro Carreras in 2024, allowing the talented young left-back to join Benfica on a permanent deal after he seemingly failed to make the grade at Old Trafford. Fast forward a year, and Carreras has just been snapped up by La Liga giants Real Madrid for €50m (£43m/$58m) on a six-year deal. Manchester United have pocketed a significant chunk of the transfer fee but have been told they have made a "huge mistake" by selling the defender.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCarreras departure a 'huge mistake' by Man Utd

Former United scout Sadowski told "He came to Manchester United when he was probably 16 (in 2020). A very hard-working and ambitious boy, he learned the language quickly – I know because I met him personally. Initially, his career path was quite good. He was loaned to Preston, received good reviews, and (then) United gave up on him, selling him to Benfica for a small fee.

"Carreras is a truly top-class player. There's a good chance he'll become the best, or one of the best, left-backs in the world. He scored a beautiful goal recently against Valencia in La Liga. It was a huge mistake for United to let him go. Something is missing here and I think that something is United's lack of courage in investing in young players."

Amorim prefers 'ready-made players'

Kobbie Mainoo could be the next academy player to depart, with the midfielder out of favour under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford and linked with an exit. Amorim has already brought in a host of players, such as Patrick Dorgu, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and Sadowski feels the United boss is not willing to trust in youth yet.

"Honestly, having recently worked at Blackburn Rovers and operating on a much lower transfer budget, I would have had no problem finding a few players of Dorgu's level for United, but for £25m, you could get four," he added.

"Now, United are wary of bringing in youngsters. Amorim was supposed to be the one to do this, but the results haven't been right, so he prefers to buy ready-made players."

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Getty ImagesMan Utd's unbeaten run to continue?

Amorim has endured a difficult time at Manchester United so far but is currently on a five-match unbeaten run with the Red Devils. He'll be aiming to continue that form after the international break when domestic action resumes. The Red Devils return to action on Monday, November 24 at home to Everton.

Leeds United play host to West Ham United at Elland Road in the Premier League this evening as they look to bounce back from their defeat to Burnley last weekend.

Daniel Farke’s side created four ‘big chances’ against the Clarets at Turf Moor last Saturday, but were unable to score any of them in a drab defeat.

It is safe to say that the German tactician needs more from his players at the top end of the pitch to pick up enough points to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Whites only made three attacking signings in the summer, Noah Okafor, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Lukas Nmecha, and they are the only attackers in the squad who have directly contributed to goals.

Noah Okafor

2

0

Lukas Nmecha

1

0

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

0

Brenden Aaronson

0

0

Dan James

0

0

Wilfried Gnonto

0

0

Jack Harrison

0

0

Joel Piroe

0

0

As you can see in the table above, not a single attacker in the squad has registered an assist in the league, and none of the players who were already at the club before the window have scored any goals in the top-flight.

Jack Harrison started on the left flank, in a 4-3-3 system, in the loss to Burnley last time out, and Farke should drop him from the team for this clash with the Hammers.

Why Jack Harrison should be dropped

The German head coach should drop the left-footed forward from the starting XI because his current form and his form from his two seasons with Everton suggest that he is not the answer to their problems.

Leeds, as aforementioned, are lacking goals from their attacking players. That was an issue against Burnley as the Whites missed all four of their ‘big chances’, one of which was spurned by Harrison.

Minutes

66

Shots

2

Shots on target

0

Big chances missed

1

Key passes

1

Big chances created

1

Successful crosses

0/7

Possession lost

14x

Harrison, as shown in the table above, did create a ‘big chance’, for Brenden Aaronson, in his defence, but that was one positive in an otherwise dismal showing.

The 28-year-old dud has now failed to provide a goal or an assist for the team in seven Premier League matches, per Sofascore, whilst creating just one chance in that time.

Harrison also managed just four goals in 63 Premier League outings for Everton during his time on loan at Goodison Park, per Sofascore, which included one goal in 34 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign for the Toffees.

This suggests that Farke cannot rely on the left-sided attacker to turn things around and prove himself to be a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch for his side in their battle against relegation this season.

Chalkboard

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

It is also why Farke should take Harrison out of the starting line-up for this clash with West Ham United, because it seems unlikely that he will provide the ruthlessness they need in front of goal.

The manager, as shown in the post above, suggested in his pre-match press conference that Noah Okafor may return from his adductor injury to be involved this evening.

Why Noah Okafor is a difference maker for Leeds

AllLeedsTV present Oscar Marrio described the Switzerland international as a “class difference maker” for the West Yorkshire outfit earlier this month, but why is that the case?

The simple answer is that it is down to quality. Okafor’s technical ability, on this season’s showing, is on another level compared to the other attackers in the first-team squad.

Per Sofascore, the Swiss star has completed 2.2 dribbles per game on average in the Premier League. No other player in the team has completed more than 1.3 per game and no one other than Gabriel Gudmundsson has completed more than 0.9 dribbles per game.

The statistic in the post above shows that his dribbling skills have been impressive by Premier League standards, not just Leeds United standards, which further speaks to the ability that he can provide on the ball.

Okafor is not just a flashy dribbler who can take players on and get fans off their seats, though, as he has also shown that he has end product to his performances.

Starts

4

xG

1.16

Goals

2

Conversion rate

33%

Big chances missed

0

Big chances created

1

Assists

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As you can see in the table above, the £18m signing from AC Milan has provided genuine quality at the top end of the pitch with two goals from 1.16 xG, without missing a single ‘big chance’.

Okafor’s goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the club’s 3-1 win back in September was a great example of him combining his pace, composure, and quality all into one piece of play.

The 25-year-old dynamo is a difference maker because he has attributes that allow him to make an impact in the final third, whilst Harrison’s statistics suggest that he does not share many of those attributes.

Okafor, given his start to life at Elland Road, seems far more likely to produce a moment of magic to win Leeds points against West Ham this evening in the Premier League, which is why Farke should drop Harrison to bring him into the starting line-up.

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Prior to the news that Okafor was in contention to feature, Football FanCast, in the article above, suggested that U21 starlet Connor Douglas could be an alternative to Harrison. If the Swiss star does end up not being fit enough to start, the 20-year-old gem could still be an option.

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici is now personally driving a move for an “absolute powerhouse” with the same agent as Mohammed Kudus.

Spurs looking to sign new striker amid Tel struggles

After being left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad, Mathys Tel has now admitted he was left fuming with the decision, saying: “To be honest, I was very, very mad for a lot of weeks. But I was like, ‘use this and show him you need to be on the squad list’.

“Bad things help me more than good things to be better. So I will face a lot of bad things, but I’m going to be OK with that. I’m not in the squad list right now, but I will do everything to be in the squad list in January.”

However, Thomas Frank’s decision to omit Tel is starting to look more justified, with the striker putting in a very poor performance in the 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday, before being replaced by Richarlison due to a calf issue.

The Frenchman failed to have any real impact on the match, touching the ball just 15 times, while also squandering one big chance before his withdrawal on the hour mark.

As such, it may come as no surprise to learn that Tottenham are looking to sign a new striker, according to a report from The Boot Room, with Paratici personally driving a deal for FC Porto striker Samu Omorodion, but it could be very expensive.

Omorodion has a £87m release clause included in his Porto contract, although there is a feeling he may be available for a lower fee, given the Portuguese club’s current financial situation.

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With Dominic Solanke struggling on the injury front, and Tel yet to make a real impact, it could make sense to bring in a new striker, but the Porto star is not the only option on the shortlist, with Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović still of interest.

"Powerhouse" Omorodion could take Spurs' attack to next level

Unlike Tel, the Porto star has made a fantastic start to the campaign, having already chipped in with eight goals in nine matches in all competitions, most recently bagging a hat-trick against CD Celoricense in the Taca de Portugal.

Ben Mattinson has also suggested the 21-yeasr-old is destined to play at the very highest level, with the scout being left particularly impressed by his physical attributes.

Tottenham could certainly do with bringing in a new striker, given that Tel has struggled, while Richarlison and Solanke have suffered various injury setbacks, and Omorodion, who has the same agent as Kudus, has proven he could take their attack to the next level.