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Rodolfo, o ex-goleiro de Athletico e Fluminense, passou os primeiros meses depois do fim da suspensão por doping, no Oeste, time do interior de São Paulo, onde iniciou, na última segunda-feira (3), a pré-temporada em seu segundo ano pela equipe paulista.

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Aos 30 anos de idade, o atleta frequenta sessões de terapia e reuniões dos Alcoólicos Anônimos, duas vezes por semana, além de também encontrar no futebol mais uma ajuda na sua luta contra o vício do álcool e da cocaína.

Proibido de jogar depois testar positivo para cocaína, em 23 de maio de 2019, quando ainda defendia o Tricolor Carioca,Rodolfo, que é reincidente no teste positivo – a primeira vez em 2014, no Athletico – chegou a pensar em abandonar a carreira em busca de uma nova profissão. No entanto, o atleta retornou aos gramados pelo time do Oeste, do Interior de São Paulo, após 20 meses parado. Em termos de resultados, o retorno sem conquistar o acesso para a primeira divisão do Paulista e sem ir longe na Série C do Brasileiro, não foi exatamente como gostaria. Ainda assim, o goleiro encontra motivos para celebrar sua vitória pessoal.

– Jogar futebol favorece bastante a minha luta. Ter a disciplina novamente, viver sob as regras dos clubes, da alimentação, do descanso. Futebol é o que eu amo fazer. Estando longe da profissão, a pessoa, o ser humano, sofre. O futebol é uma das razões para não eu recair – disse, ao jornal O Globo.

O jogador vai disputar o Campeonato Paulista Série A2 e a Série D do Campeonato Brasileiro, em 2022.

Derby County will know that Pride Park needs to continue being a fortress this season if they want to safely secure their Championship status come the end of the gruelling 46-game campaign.

The Rams have picked up an impressive nine points so far from six matches, with three wins and three losses next to their name, as all the victories tallied up to date have come on their own patch.

Paul Warne will be hoping that his team don’t over-rely on their home form to get them out of trouble, however, but will be pleased with his side’s start all the same, with Kayden Jackson, in particular, standing out with his displays up top.

Jackson's form this season

Supporters that pack out Pride Park week in week out will already be heralding Jackson as a top buy, with the former Ipswich Town attacker costing the Rams nothing to get in through the door this summer, after his Tractor Boys contract had expired.

The experienced EFL forward, who has amassed 71 second tier appearances across his varied career to date, has netted three goals already this season in all competitions, which included this powerful strike against Bristol City finding the back of the net to send the Derby home masses into pandemonium.

He has fluffed his lines in Derby’s last two Championship encounters, with Jackson only managing a lacklustre 26 touches last time out versus Sheffield United in a 1-0 defeat, but plenty more will be expected of him as the season goes on and clashes become more meaningful.

Derby would love to have this former striker back on their books to aid Jackson up top, to alleviate some of the pressure on the former Ipswich man’s shoulders, with the ex-star in question now on the books at League One Wrexham who are taking the third tier by storm.

Marriott's form this season

That former hero is Jack Marriott, who is most widely known in Derby quarters to this day as the striker who bagged the Rams’ only strike in the 2019 Championship playoff final, when facing off against Dean Smith’s Aston Villa.

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Villa would, unfortunately, get the better of Derby 2-1 come the end of the entertaining final, as Frank Lampard’s side had to take their Premier League near miss on the chin, with an energetic Marriott then struggling to ever recapture his best form donning a Rams strip after this moment in the Wembley spotlight.

Marriott’s record since leaving Derby
Club played for	Games	Goals	Assists
Sheffield Wednesday	13	0	0
Peterborough United	58	16	2
Fleetwood Town	48	13	2
Wrexham	25	5	0
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Marriott has become a well-travelled presence up and down the EFL since his exit from Pride Park, which saw him leave for nothing in 2021 to move to Peterborough, but it’s his impressive form for Wrexham this campaign so far that has really caught the eye.

The 30-year-old has actually outscored Jackson at the Racecourse Ground, with four goals managed for the Red Dragons from eight games in all competitions, as the experienced attacker even picked up the League One Goal of the Month accolade for this sublime effort versus Wycombe Wanderers last month.

The much-talked-about Welsh outfit will just pray that Marriott can keep up this early electric form as back-to-back promotions begin to be eyed up, with the ex-Derby man even a previous golden boot winner at the level – having been hailed as “top class” by former boss Lampard.

If Marriott does continue to fire in goal after goal, Wrexham and Derby might well even face off against each other next season, if Warne’s men also manage to stave off relegation.

It will be an intriguing race to keep tabs on to see who scores the most goals for their respective outfit, with Derby banking on the fact that their shrewd buy can remain consistent in front of goal away from any talk surrounding Wrexham, to ensure they don’t drop immediately back down to League One.

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1

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An Arsenal exit for one big-name member of the Gunners squad is said to be a real possibility, with manager Mikel Arteta personally eyeing a possible replacement.

Arsenal maintain unbeaten start with victory over Southampton

The Premier League title hopefuls maintained their unbeaten start to the season in all competitions with a 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday, despite a brief scare courtesy of Cameron Archer’s surprise opener for the visitors.

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The Saints forward handed Russell Martin’s men a brief lead just after the second-half restart, but goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka soon after ensured that Arsenal would come away from the Emirates with all three points.

Speaking after the game, Arteta praised his players for their belief, character and discipline to fight back from a goal down and ultimately turn the game around in convincing fashion – despite a sloppy start to the first 45.

Bournemouth (away)

October 19

Liverpool (home)

October 27

Newcastle United (away)

November 2

Chelsea (away)

November 10

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

“First half I thought it was exceptional,” said Arteta after Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Southampton.

“The amount of dominance that we had in the areas that we played, the amount of situations and chances we created in open play and set pieces, our counter-press worked really well there. It’s unbelievable that we didn’t score a goal.

“Then we started the second half, we were a bit sloppy, especially in the first 5-10 minutes with the ball and then the game became a little more open. Then the chance they had, they scored the goal, and then again, we’ve thrown everything away that we did in the first half. It was a completely brand-new game in a really difficult context and the team reacted incredibly well with a lot of composure; big belief, very good clarity in what we had to do. The crowd were exceptional, the subs were exceptional and we managed to win again.”

While Bukayo Saka put in another excellent display against Southampton, striker Gabriel Jesus was a cause for concern. The Brazilian, who played just 19 minutes of football across all competitions before being handed the nod on Saturday, was substituted on the hour mark despite the scores being level – with Jesus dropping a “5/10” performance overall.

Jesus could leave Arsenal with Arteta a real fan of Marmoush

There are doubts over the £265,000-per-week star’s suitability to lead the line, with Havertz the preferred option. According to reports out of Spain, Jesus could leave Arsenal with Palmeiras interested in signing him. They add that Arteta is also a real fan of a potential replacement – Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush.

The Egyptian has been linked with a move to north London very recently, with some reports claiming that Marmoush “dreams” of a switch to Arsenal or Liverpool. The 25-year-old, as per Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, is also stalling on signing a new contract amid his sensational start to the season.

He already boasts nine goals and six assists over just nine games in all competitions, and if Marmoush continues in this form, it is surely only a matter of time before elite English sides like Arsenal come knocking.

The 'Swiss Model' has been lauded by some for generating more excitement, but it completely misses the point

Jamie Carragher is among those sold on the new Champions League format. "It's been brilliant," the former Liverpool defender wrote on social media on Thursday. "Instead of the bore fest we’ve had for years on the last match day, next week will be sensational."

UEFA will be absolutely delighted with themselves. It appears they've already managed to convince a significant number of pundits and supporters that the 'Swiss Model' has been a success; a positive development for the competition and, by consequence, the game itself.

Nothing could be further from the truth, though. The format's flaws have been brutally exposed and the only real beneficiaries of its introduction have been UEFA and Europe's elite – which was the objective all along.

Getty'Not great'

As soon as the longstanding Super League threat finally materialised in April 2021, UEFA knew it needed to act. Europe's richest clubs wanted more games, because more games means more money, so that's exactly what UEFA gave them in May 2022.

The initial idea was to expand the pre-knockout round to 10 games. but even after a bitter backlash from coaches, players and domestic leagues with serious concerns over an already congested international schedule, they still managed to push through a new format featuring eight matchdays – and sneak in an additional play-off round. It was a Super League in everything but name. Everyone knew it too.

"It's very good that the new Super League is off the table," a visibly bewildered Jurgen Klopp told reporters in April 2021,” but the new Champions League is not great. UEFA showed me the idea and I said, 'I don't like it.' I've no idea where [they'll] put the extra games in… But the show must go on."

It was clear that sacrifices would have to be made, but only by the organisers of domestic tournaments, such as the once-prestigious FA Cup, and, more significantly, the players.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesNo concern for player welfare

UEFA justified its expansion by claiming that football fans wanted to see "more top European matches" – and at an earlier stage of the Champions League. However, what's the point in having more heavyweight showdowns if neither participant is in peak physical condition?

As an exasperated Pep Guardiola pointed out four years ago, "Every time we speak about [player welfare] to UEFA, they say 'We take note.' But, after, more games. It's like an actor or actress in a theatre going three times a day: they'd like to put on a good performance, but three times a day is too much."

Guardiola was right to be concerned. His Manchester City side won the treble win 2023, but are toiling this season after being decimated by injuries to key men, including Rodri, who was already threatening a players' union strike over the schedule before being sidelined with an ACL tear.

There has been little sympathy for City, but it merely reinforced the point that players are playing too many games. If one of the most expensively assembled squads in football history can reach breaking point, what hope is there for clubs who are not sponsored by a state?

GettyMoney over meritocracy

City's struggles have highlighted the most glaring problem with the new Champions League format: it's far too forgiving.

Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli pushed so hard for a Super League because he was disgusted by the fact that small, well-run provincial clubs such as Atalanta could earn a seat at Europe's top table at the expense of one of the traditional superpowers.The revenue accrued from regular participation in continental competition has been the biggest distortive force in the competitiveness of European football over the past decade, the reason why the gap between the haves and the have-nots is wider than ever before.

In an ideal, fair and just world, the Champions League would be the sole preserve of actual champions – just like the European Cup used to be. But that was never good enough for the likes of Silvio Berlusconi, who realised that the real money was to be made in regular games between the teams from the biggest TV markets in Europe.

So, Super League threats were made and UEFA replied by including the top four teams from the 'Big Five' leagues and adding group stages (there were two at one point).

However, those amendments still weren't enough to satisfy ESL backers Agnelli and Florentino Perez, who wanted a closed shop to protect their profits – and the 'Swiss Model' is a product of the prioritisation of money over meritocracy, which has been quite clearly implemented to protect the big boys.

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GettyExtra safety net

In any other year, a team that has performed as poorly as City, who have been beaten by Sporting CP, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, and held at home by Inter and Feyenoord, would already be out. But because of the nature of the supposedly "brilliant" revamp, City still only need to beat Club Brugge at home to progress to the play-off round, which is, in itself, an extra safety net introduced to spare the elite from the financial repercussions of an early European exit.

It's all so blatant that it's barely believable that the same people that criticised the Super League are now championing the expanded Champions League – particularly when the argument that it's been more exciting doesn't stand up to scrutiny at all.

Sussex lose last six wickets for 12 runs and three more after being made to follow on

ECB Reporters' Network08-Sep-2021

Luke Hollman claimed his maiden first-class five-wicket haul•Getty Images

An astonishing collapse by Sussex, who lost nine wickets for 97 runs, with their last six crashing down for just 12, allowed Middlesex to glimpse victory in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Hove. Middlesex legspinner Luke Hollman took a career-best 5 for 65 on a flat pitch on which only six wickets had fallen in the opening seven sessions.Sussex, following on 357 runs behind, then lost Ali Orr, Ben Brown and Sean Hunt and closed on 88 for 3.Sussex started the third day on 103 without loss, chasing a mind-boggling 527 just to avoid the follow-on. A more realistic survival target was to get into the final day with first-innings wickets in hand.Fast bowler Blake Cullen broke through with the first ball of the second over of the day when he found the outside edge of Orr’s bat for keeper John Simpson to take the low catch in front of first slip. But after that Sussex had the better of the opening session and reached lunch on 217 for 1 with Tom Haines unbeaten on 109 – the fifth century of his career and the third of the season – and Brown 76 not out.Brown, anxious to use his feet to counter the spin of Hollman, was stumped ten minutes after the break. But the real Sussex implosion started at 250 when George Garton, possibly a little giddy-headed in his No. 4 position, swiped Hollman to deep midwicket. He looked so disappointed with his shot that he held his position at the crease for some moments before ripping off his gloves.It wasn’t going to get any better for the home side. At 272 the very promising Danial Ibrahim skied Sam Robson to midwicket for just 5. It was only legspinner Robson’s seventh first-class wicket, and came having made his highest score of 253 the day before.Then Middlesex took the new ball and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who had hit a few pleasing drives, got one that lifted and left him from Tim Murtagh. At 308 Haines played a weary stroke and was caught behind off Murtagh, but not before he had reached 156, his highest first-class score, beating the 155 he made against Lancashire at Old Trafford at the start of the season.Delray Rawlins was bowled for a duck having a heave and Jack Carson, Oli Carter and Henry Crocombe followed almost immediately. Hollman then struck twice more in the second innings before Robson enjoyed another rare success by removing nightwatchman Hunt.Before play Sussex announced the retirement of seamer Stuart Meaker. Meaker, 32, who previously played for Surrey, was capped by England in two ODIs in 2011 and two IT20s in 2012.

The allrounder could have a vital role to play if Australia’s injury situation doesn’t improve

AAP27-Sep-2021The pink ball won’t prompt Ashleigh Gardner to go back into her shell this week, when Australia’s clean-striking allrounder plays her first Test on home soil.Gardner, 24, made her Test debut on the 2019 Ashes tour but the day-night clash with India, beginning at Metricon Stadium on Thursday, shapes as her first chance to don the baggy green in Australia.She has been regarded as one of the sport’s most damaging batters since 2017, when she belted a then-record WBBL ton in just 47 balls.Gardner, fresh from Sunday’s knock of 67 that was the highest score of her ODI career and featured 10 boundaries, won’t overcomplicate things as she quickly switch formats.Related

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“It’s about still sticking to my strengths. Not going into my shell is the biggest thing,” Gardner told AAP. “That’s what the coaches have said to me the whole time – no matter the format, my game doesn’t really change.”I have that freedom within this side that I can still play naturally and not shy away from my strengths. Putting the bad balls away and respecting the balls between. Build an innings and don’t have that over-restraint … it’s not a huge difference to one-day cricket.”It’ll be a special occasion for everybody. We don’t get to play many Test matches.”Ashleigh Gardner in action during her Test debut•Getty ImagesGardner, whose offspin will also be crucial in the contest that could settle the multi-format series decided via a points system, batted at No. 9 against England in her only Test.But, with 86 international matches to her name and several team-mates in doubt because of injuries, an elevation up the order could soon be on the cards.Australia will train at Metricon Stadium on Tuesday, when legspinner Georgia Wareham (quad) and star batters Rachael Haynes (hamstring) and Beth Mooney (hamstring) will seek to prove their fitness.Hannah Darlington, who last week became the third Indigenous woman to play for Australia, is one of several youngsters in the mix to make Test debuts as the hosts regroup from a defeat that snapped their 26-game ODI winning streak.Gardner, a proud Muruwari woman and Aboriginal role model whose aunt Doris Shillingsworth addressed the squad last year, presented 19-year-old Darlington with her cap prior to the series-opening ODI.”It was an absolute honour and privilege,” Gardner said. She’s shown throughout her short career that she is confident in her abilities. I know if she gets the chance to play Test cricket or in the T20s, she’ll do her best and put in 100 per cent.”

Tottenham legend Ledley King has heaped praise on one member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad who often goes “unrewarded”, whilst also hailing his work ethic at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham 3-1 Brentford – Postecoglou survives early scare

Losing at home to Brentford after narrowly escaping Coventry last week would’ve seriously thrown Postecoglou’s position into question, and supporters were given a brief glimpse of that possibility when Bryan Mbuemo opened the scoring for Thomas Frank’s side just one minute into the game.

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Luckily for the Lilywhites head coach, their lead lasted just seven minutes. £65 million summer signing Dominic Solanke opened his account for Tottenham and equalised with his first-ever Premier League goal for the club, and it wasn’t long before Postecoglou’s side took the lead.

Player

Goals scored

Son Heung-min

17

Richarlison

12

Dejan Kulusevski

8

Brennan Johnson

5

Cristian Romero

5

James Maddison

4

Winger Brennan Johnson, who deactivated all of his social media accounts last week after online abuse, followed up his winner at Coventry with an excellent low finish to gift Spurs a 2-1 advantage – much to the delight of the home crowd.

It took a while before Postecoglou’s side sealed all three points, with James Maddison putting the result beyond doubt on 85 minutes to make it 3-1 and seal a much-needed second win on the trot for Spurs.

“Yeah, it wasn’t an ideal start, obviously, but, to be honest, it was like it never happened,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s win over Brentford.

“The boys just sort of went at it. That’s what we wanted to do today. We knew Brentford were going to be pretty aggressive with and without the ball and we love that part of the game. We thought if we really brought our own energy and intensity that we know we can, with and without the ball, we could cause them a lot of problems and we did. We were relentless the whole game and fully deserved the win.”

A host of senior players impressed against The Bees, while youngster Lucas Bergvall was handed a cameo by Postecoglou and is set for further game time over the next week.

Ledley King praises Dominic Solanke at Tottenham

Speaking to The Spurs Web, King has shared his thoughts on Solanke, and what he makes of the Englishman after he scored his first-ever goal for the club.

“Solanke works really hard. Sometimes that goes unrewarded, the hard work they put in, but I’m glad he got off the mark,” said King on Solanke.

“When you get strikers like that, they don’t stop running and they chase everything down, you never have any time on the ball [as a defender]. They’re a bit of a nuisance strikers like that to play against, but they’re good when they’re on your team, they’re very good.”

Postecoglou admitted that Tottenham looked at signing Ivan Toney before deciding on the £90,000-per-week Solanke to replace Harry Kane, so supporters will be hoping his tap-in against Brentford is the first of many more.

“We looked at him,” the Australian said. “But the reality was that Dom is the one that I wanted. It took the whole summer to get him in but he was the one that fitted the profile that we wanted.”

Sunderland managed to leap up to the top of the Championship standings with a narrow victory away at Hull City on Sunday, with many star performers standing out for Regis Le Bris’ men.

The Black Cats had to be patient and wait an extra day to get back into the thick of it in the second tier, with all other Championship teams playing on the Saturday, but a win was secured all the same courtesy of a second half strike by summer recruit Wilson Isidor.

The new loan signing from Zenit St. Petersburg is proving to be a hit with the Sunderland faithful early on, with this goal continuing his on-fire streak in league action.

Isidor's performance vs Hull

Isidor’s breakaway winner against the Tigers means the 24-year-old attacker has now found the back of the net three times in his last four second tier encounters, as Sunderland begin to uncover a first-team option up top they can rely on.

This strike away at the MKM Stadium is surely the pick of the bunch from his early Black Cats back catalogue, as the confident Frenchman galloped forward with pace to burn before delicately chipping Ivor Pandur in style, with the unbelievable counter-attack move sending the away masses into pandemonium.

Away from the goal, Isidor wasn’t the most involved in the action – with only nine touches of the ball coming his way – but Le Bris will love how deadly the 24-year-old is in decisive moments, with that strike sending his team back to the top of the ever-changing Championship summit.

The three points were also secured due to a valiant defensive effort from Le Bris’ visitors, away from Isidor’s heroics up the other end, with another loan face in Chris Mepham taking all the plaudits at the full-time whistle for his team’s dogged clean sheet.

Mepham's performance in numbers

Mepham has managed to make Daniel Ballard’s absences from recent line-ups feel less notable, with the AFC Bournemouth loanee slotting into the heart of defence seamlessly so far.

Amassing 65 touches of the ball, the experienced Welshman – who has 94 appearances in the second tier under his belt – was calm and controlled under pressure, with only six of his 51 passes going astray to keep an impressive 88% passing accuracy in-tact, alongside also battling well when it came to asserting himself into duels.

Stat

Mepham

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

65

Accurate passes

45/51 (88%)

Clearances

5

Interceptions

1

Total tackles

1

Total duels won

4/4

Stats by Sofascore

It was an all-round superb display by the brand new Black Cats number 26, with Mepham winning every single duel that came his way to continually thwart Hull in attacking areas, which led to Tim Walter’s home side accumulating zero shots on target across the full 90 minutes.

Mepham was rewarded for his efforts in the 1-0 win with a positive 8/10 match rating after the game by Roker Report journalist Andy Tomlinson, who labelled his display as “accomplished” and even further stated that he is beginning to strike up a formidable centre-back partnership with Black Cats captain Luke O’Nien.

He was, therefore, even better than Isidor as he was superb in all of his work throughout the game and helped to provide the platform for the striker to go and win the match.

That is now three clean sheets from five league games for the 6 foot 4 star since making the loan switch to the Stadium of Light happen, with Le Bris presumably confident that more imperious displays will come from the Welshman as the season drags on.

Now, Sunderland will be aiming to make it it two victories from two on the road when travelling to Luton Town this Wednesday night, in order to tighten their grip on top spot even more.

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