Category Uncategorized

Mikel Arteta has hit back at Arsenal's critics after being send a "handbrake off" message by pundits following their draw against Manchester City last Sunday. Arteta's side dominated possession against City and stole a point after a last-gasp equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli at Emirates Stadium, but the Spaniard's tactics have been called into question.

Carragher & Neville criticise Arteta

Arteta opted for a three-man midfield to start against City, which comprised of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino, while more attack-minded duo Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri were named on the bench. Eze was introduced in the second half and the former Crystal Palace star eventually provided the assist for Martinelli's equaliser.  Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both criticised Arteta's approach to the game. While Carragher labelled Arteta's first-half tactics as "a waste of 45 minutes", Neville said, "they’ve got to take the handbrake off".

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta bites back at critics

Now, responding to the former Premier League stars' criticism, Arteta told reporters: "I don’t read it (what is said), but he (Arsenal’s press officer) does tell me what the narrative is around it. If you tell me that this is the main one, and if I am surprised, I would be extremely surprised with my knowledge and my know-how and how I analyse a football game. Because it was impossible for somebody to predict such a dominance from Arsenal throughout 96 minutes, because it never happened in 17 years of Pep [Guardiola] as a manager.

"So if the narrative goes somewhere else, and we’re talking about dominance, not about something else, how can you be dominant against such a team if you have, what was the word? Handbrake. Dominance and handbrake, they are two different words. But I accept everything. I will learn more to have a different vision."

Eze workload being managed

The Arsenal boss added: "I was just surprised, because when I saw everything and watching it back and all the stats, I was surprised. But I respect everybody’s opinion. And if I can see and learn something that I haven’t seen, I’m more than happy to do so. So that’s never an issue. And, as well, I don’t think that one player makes that. When you see the behaviour of our team, if you want to define that with one player playing one position, I understand a collective sport in a completely different way.

"And then we play Ebz (Eberechi Eze) on the right-hand side. Could he play 90 minutes? That’s a question I put for myself because none of you know the load that he can do. So it’s easy to say he could have played with the start, maybe not, because he already played two games from the start. And he’s never played as a right attacking midfielder, so that’s another one. A new element for him, but all good."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesGuardiola compared to Mourinho

Arteta's City counterpart Guardiola also faced criticism for his tactics in the Premier League clash, with many experts claiming that he copied Jose Mourinho's pragmatic blueprint to grind out a win instead of sticking to his usual fluid philosophy. City will be back in league action against Burnley this weekend, while Arsenal are set to face Newcastle.

أعلن المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، آرني سلوت، التشكيل الأساسي لخوض مباراة اليوم ضد نظيره فريق جالطة سراي، في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26.

ويحل ليفربول ضيفًا على جالطة سراي في خضم منافسات الجولة الثانية من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | كريم أحمد يسجل في فوز ليفربول على جالطة سراي بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا

ويمتلك ليفربول 3 نقاط بعدما فاز على أتلتيكو مدريد في الجولة الأولى بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في حين تعرض جالطة سراي لهزيمة أمام آينتراخت فرانكفورت بخمسة أهداف مقابل هدف.

وحسبما نُشر، يتواجد النجم المصري محمد صلاح على دكة بدلاء فريق ليفربول لخوض مباراة يوم الثلاثاء أمام جالطة سراي. تشكيل ليفربول أمام جالطة سراي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: أليسون بيكر.

خط الدفاع: فيرجيل فان دايك، كوناتي، كيركيز، فريمبونج.

خط الوسط: كورتيس جونز، جرافنبيرخ.

خط الوسط الهجومي: سوبوسلاي، فلوريان فيرتز، جاكبو.

خط الهجوم: هوجو إيكتيكي.

البدلاء: مامارداشفيلي، وودمان، جو جوميز، واتارو إندو، إيزاك، ماك أليستر، محمد صلاح، برادلي، روبرتسون، نجوموها.

يبدأ جافي لاعب خط وسط برشلونة مرحلة تعافي صعبة أخرى، حيث خضع اللاعب لعملية جراحية يوم الثلاثاء على يد الدكتور جوان كارلوس مونلو تحت إشراف الخدمات الطبية للنادي لعلاج ألم في ركبته اليمنى وفقاً لما أصدره النادي في بيان.

وأجرى لاعب خط وسط برشلونة لجراحة تنظير المفصل لإصلاح إصابة الغضروف المفصلي الداخلي ثم خضع لخياطة للحفاظ عليه، وسيخضع جافي الآن لمراقبة تقدم حالته.

ومن المتوقع أن تستغرق مدة تعافيه ما يتراوح بين 4 و5 أشهر، وهذه المدة أطول مما كان متوقعاً في البداية، والتي كانت من المفترض أن تتراوح بين شهر ونصف إلى شهرين.

وقدم جافي موسمًا تحضيريًا جيدًا وبدأ بقوة تحت قيادة هانز فليك، وتلقى اللاعب دعماً من العديد من زملائه والعديد من الشخصيات الكروية على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي.

اقرأ أيضاً. شيرر يوجه رسالة قوية لـ راشفورد بعد قرار فليك: يجب أن تكون محترفًا

ووجه جافي رسالة يوم الأربعاء عبر صفحته الرسمية على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي عبر فيها عن مشاعره بعد أن علم أن فترة تعافيه استغرقت وقتًا أطول بكثير من المتوقع.

ونشر جافي والذي لا يزال يتعافى في المستشفى، صورة مع رونالد أراوخو ولامين يامال وبيدري الذين قاموا بزيارته وأظهروا له كل الود من غرفة الملابس.

وذكر جافي: “من يعرفني منكم يعلم أنني سأعود للدفاع عن برشلونة وفريقي حتى النهاية، البطل الحقيقي لا يصنع في لحظات النجاح بل في لحظات النهوض بعد التعثر، شكراً لكم جميعاً على رسائل التشجيع والمحبة”.

Ryan Mason currently has his West Bromwich Albion troops out at a pre-season camp in Austria ahead of the new Championship campaign getting underway next month.

A behind-closed-doors friendly match will take place between the Baggies and Dynamo Kyiv this coming Friday to officially get the second-tier side’s pre-season up and running, with Mason perhaps selecting brand-new £4.7m buy Aune Heggebo from the get-go to see what he’s made of in attack.

Mikey Johnston will also be linking up with the pre-season camp shortly, although this isn’t the planned-out route the ex-Celtic winger would have envisaged for himself this summer, as a move to Brazilian giants Flamengo, unfortunately, collapsed at the final hour.

The lowdown on Johnston's failed move to Flamengo

It was a deal that suddenly arrived from left field, but it had been reported that Johnston was going to move out to South America for a fee around the £5m region.

It’s stated that a move fell through – according to reports from Brazil – over concerns emerging over the Republic of Ireland international’s long-term availability fitness-wise, with Johnston prone to significant time out of the Baggies side through injury.

This will have come as a devastating blow to Johnston, considering it was rumoured that the 26-year-old was in line to earn a whopping £1.2m a year at his new Rio De Janeiro home, as opposed to banking £650k a year at the Hawthorns.

It remains to be seen whether the 5-foot-9 winger will be content with staying put at the Championship side after such an ordeal, with the potential loss of Johnston obviously hurting Mason and Co. after he fired home a promising three strikes in league action last season, even as West Brom’s promotion push fell to the wayside.

However, not all hope will be lost if Johnston does move on to another suitor down the line, especially if Mason can flex his past Tottenham Hotspur connections to land this rising North London talent to replace the outgoing Irishman.

Mason's dream Johnston replacement

West Brom has been a hotbed for some exciting, young talent from the Premier League in the not-so-distant past, with Romelu Lukaku once calling the Hawthorns his temporary sanctuary on loan away from parent side Chelsea.

Mikey Moore could be the next future star that gets his senior career up and running in style in the West Midlands, with reports last month speculating that the 17-year-old Spurs prodigy is being looked at by the new Baggies boss, having worked with the teenage sensation when coaching at the Premier League side.

He has already made a splash in the senior side at Thomas Frank’s men, with this sublime solo strike in Europa League action kickstarting his men’s career at Spurs, but he will be desperate for more long-standing first-team opportunities if a move to the Hawthorns is finalised.

Moore might well be ready to take over from Johnston down the left wing if given the chance to do so, with the 17-year-old’s main skills resting on his ability to play across a wide array of attacking positions – away from his blistering powers of picking up goals and assists for fun – including down the ex-Celtic man’s trusty left-hand side.

LW

18

4

6

AM

8

6

4

CF

7

11

4

RW

6

1

0

Indeed, when looking at the above table, it’s clear that Moore can shine all across the attacking positions. But, his preferred position does look to be on the left wing, with a stunning four goals and six assists coming his way here from 18 outings in the English capital.

Therefore, any gaping hole left behind by Johnston down the line could be effectively filled in by the “future superstar”, as he’s been referred to by football analyst Ben Mattinson previously.

After all, he has also been donned as “fearless” by Spurs teammate James Maddison recently, meaning he could take to the pressures of being one of West Brom’s main options here in his stride, with the troubling issue of Johnston wanting to move on resolved by this promising loan capture.

The new Brunt: West Brom eyeing EFL star with 119 Championship appearances

West Bromwich Albion could sign their next Chris Brunt by picking up this phenomenal EFL performer.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 7, 2025

From crossing the divide between both Manchester United and Manchester City and starring at Juventus to featuring for Argentina, it’s fair to say that Carlos Tevez’s career isn’t short on moments to remember, or teammates for that matter.

The iconic forward shared a dressing room with some of the best players in football history, but the two that instantly stand out are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Whilst Tevez did become an Olympic Gold Medalist with Lionel Messi for Argentina in 2004, it was with Ronaldo at club level that he enjoyed the most success.

During the two seasons they played together at Old Trafford from 2007 to 2009, the attacking duo won the Premier League twice, the Club World Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League. To say their partnership was a success would be an incredible understatement.

Their best season together came in the 2007/08 campaign as they combined to score a total of 45 Premier League goals and help Manchester United on their way to another title-winning season.

Appearances

34

34

Goals

14

31

Assists

6

6

Of course, it wasn’t long after that when Tevez committed the ultimate sin of swapping Old Trafford for the chance to join arch-rivals Manchester City, whilst Ronaldo also left for Real Madrid at the same time.

The impact Tevez often made when partnering Messi for Argentina and Ronaldo at Manchester United is undeniable and the forward has been full of praise for both over the years, previously telling reporters: “Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while for Leo it comes naturally.

Sir Alex Ferguson named Arsenal star as "perfect" for Man Utd and tried to sign him

The Red Devils and the Gunners have had a fierce Premier League rivalry.

ByCharlie Smith May 22, 2025

“Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport. For him to score three goals [in any given game] is normal.”

As much as Messi and Ronaldo steal the headlines, however, when asked to pick his best ever teammate, Tevez chose to name an England and United legend instead of the men who dominated the Ballon d’Or podium for over a decade.

Carlos Tevez: Rooney was my best ever teammate

Snubbing both Messi and Ronaldo, Tevez revealed that Wayne Rooney was his best ever teammate during an interview relayed by GiveMeSport.

The impact that the England legend made as part of a deadly front three with Ronaldo and Tevez is clearly something that the latter has not forgotten and will not do so anytime soon.

Whilst some are quick to undervalue Rooney’s influence, Tevez went as far as putting the former United forward above two of football’s greatest-ever players when discussing his best teammates.

Celtic have designs on breaking the glass ceiling in the Champions League next term and could now launch a move for a powerful enforcer to help their bid, according to a report.

Celtic's summer window and where they need to strengthen

The Bhoys are currently taking stock before deciding where to prioritise in the market safe in the knowledge that Kieran Tierney and Ross Doohan will arrive on free transfers from Arsenal and Aberdeen, respectively.

While the homecoming of the former will be widely celebrated by supporters, Chris Sutton believes time is ticking for Celtic and indicated three bodies are needed to supplement the reigning Scottish champions’ squad between now and the Champions League qualifiers.

He explained: “In an ideal world you’d have two or three new faces reporting for the first day of pre-season, giving them time to bed in ahead of the new campaign and the crucial Champions League qualifiers.

“The transfer market doesn’t always work that way but they will need to move quickly to bring in at the very least three new players.”

Adding another attacking option appears to be their main priority at the moment, and the notion of a sensational Celtic reunion with Kyogo Furuhashi is alive as he is set to be left out of Rennes’ pre-season plans by Habib Beye.

Celtic braced for lowball £8.5m bid as Spurs could hijack forward deal

The Bhoys are fielding interest for star players…

1

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Jun 7, 2025

Peterborough United’s Harley Mills has been approached by the Bhoys and could add some support behind Tierney at left-back, though the two positions mentioned aren’t the only areas Rodgers may look to bolster during the window.

Taking things up a notch, Celtic have now made contact to sign a midfielder who could add some bite in the engine room if recent developments were to escalate.

Celtic make contact to sign Demir Tiknaz

Per A Bola, Celtic have initiated contact over a potential deal for Turkish defensive midfielder Demir Tiknaz, who spent the campaign gone on loan at Rio Ave from parent club Besiktas.

Intriguingly, the Primeira Liga side are expected to trigger a release clause option to sign the Istanbul-born man for £4.2 million. Then, they will aim to double their money with a quickfire sale at around the £8.4 million mark.

Demir Tiknaz at Rio Ave in 2024/25 – why do Celtic want to sign him? (Fotmob)
Tackles won	37
Pass completion	85.9%
Duels won	121
Chances created	16
Aerial duels won	25

Standing at 6 foot 4 he is currently on duty with the Turkish national team and would add some much-needed steel into an engine room made up primarily of technicians.

Callum McGregor isn’t getting any younger and the lack of a deeper like-for-like alternative to the Bhoys’ club captain could now be resolved if negotiations were to accelerate.

Ligue 1 outfit LOSC Lille are also keen on Tiknaz and will provide stiff competition for his signature, though the carrot of Champions League football at Celtic is something worth dangling for intended targets.

Arsenal may have saved themselves from a potential embarrassment on Sunday afternoon, but that does not change the fact that this summer has to be a monumental one.

Mikel Arteta told us it would be early last month, and while the arrival of Martin Zubimendi is certainly exciting, the area that needs reinforcing more than anywhere else is the attack.

Moreover, while the team’s need for a new striker – or two – is undeniable, a dynamic, direct, and dangerous left-winger is arguably just as crucial to support Bukayo Saka’s efforts on the other flank.

The good news is that the board seem to agree, as recent reports have linked the club with one of the most exciting wingers in world football, someone who’d be a massive upgrade on Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal's winger search

Given Arsenal’s lack of threat off the left this season, the last few weeks have seen several top-quality wingers, such as Rafael Leao and Daizen Maeda, linked with the club.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former could reportedly be available for around £85m, and while that is a considerable sum of money, his tally of 12 goals and 13 assists in 48 games this season suggests he’d be worth it.

Maeda, on the other hand, could be the Gunners for just £25m, which might be a steal considering he’s scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists in just 49 games this season.

However, Andrea Berta and Co might be after someone slightly cheaper than the AC Milan star but with more experience in a top-five league than the Celtic ace, which is where Nico Williams comes into play.

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal is one of several teams incredibly interested in the Spanish superstar.

In fact, he goes a step further, revealing that the North Londoners are ‘at the front of the queue’ for the dynamic winger, and that Berta and Co have already held talks with his camp.

If Arsenal successfully convince the 22-year-old to join them this summer, they’ll have to pay his £48m release clause to get the deal done, but even so, he’d be more than worth it and a significant upgrade on Trossard.

How Williams compares to Trossard

If Arsenal get their way and bring Williams to the Emirates in the coming weeks and months, he’d likely only join with the promise of regular game time, which in turn would put him up against Trossard, but who comes out on top?

Well, when it comes to their raw output, it’s the Spaniard who emerges victorious.

For example, in just 44 appearances, totalling 3050 minutes, the Pamplona-born star has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.44 games, or every 169.44 minutes.

In contrast, the Belgian international has scored ten goals and provided nine assists in 54 appearances this season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.84 games, or every 175.78 minutes.

What about when we take a look under the hood, then? Which winger has the more impressive underlying numbers?

Williams vs Trossard
Statistics	Williams	Trossard
Non-Penalty G+As	0.49	0.49
Progressive Passes	3.14	3.80
Progressive Passes Received	11.3	7.57
Progressive Carries	5.69	2.81
Shots	2.67	2.62
Shots on Target	1.12	0.84
Passing Accuracy	70.2%	74.8%
Key Passes	2.08	1.39
Shot-Creating Actions	5.34	3.28
Goal-Creating Actions	0.63	0.44
Successful Take-Ons	3.36	1.25
Ball Recoveries	4.28	3.45
Aerial Duels Won	0.44	0.29
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Season

Unsurprisingly, this is another comparison in which the “world-class” Bilbao star, as dubbed by journalist Zach Lowy, comes out on top and quite comfortably at that.

For example, he does better in most relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons, key passes, ball recoveries, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Trossard could still be a valuable squad player, Williams is the far superior winger in practically every facet, and he’s eight years younger. Therefore, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the Spaniard this summer.

Shades of Aubameyang: Arsenal lead race to sign "mind-blowing" goal machine

The prolific marksman could be the difference-maker for Arsenal next season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

May 12, 2025

Sheffield United look as if they’ll be narrowly missing out on automatic promotion at the very top of the Championship with their opponents on Easter Monday in Scott Parker’s Burnley perhaps clinching a return to the Premier League at their expense.

Indeed, the Clarets can seal an immediate return to the promised land of the top-flight if they beat the travelling Blades, with Leeds United also only one victory away if Burnley get the job done against Chris Wilder’s men and they win themselves.

The South Yorkshire titans don’t have the most glittering record when it comes to the lottery of the playoffs unfortunately, with the Blades losing out during their last five playoff adventures, away from triumphantly managing to go up via the more drama-free top-two.

Wilder has only ever got his side up via these automatic spots, with other bosses such as the passionate Neil Warnock also clinching a passage up to the top-flight at the end of the 2005/06 season without the agony of the playoffs courtesy of Phil Jagielka’s heroics at the back.

Jagielka's heroics at Sheffield United

Before Jagielka went on to cement himself as a Premier League regular at Everton, the Blades youth product would initially make a name for himself at his boyhood side.

The 40-time England international amassed a whopping 305 appearances for United across two spells, with his efforts at the back during the aforementioned 05/06 campaign more than helping his team leap up to the top-flight, having bagged a sizeable eight goals as a titan defensively.

He went on to help himself to a further four goals the following campaign even whilst Warnock’s men tragically fell straight back down to the EFL, leading to Everton swooping in to land the 5 foot 11 defender to make him a recognised name in the big time.

Amazingly, Wilder might well be brewing United’s next Jagielka now during the dramatic promotion run-in.

Chalkboard

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

Sheffield United's modern-day Jagielka

Wilder has shown this campaign that he’s unafraid to make a team selection that throws the cat amongst the pigeons, with faces such as £10m striker Tom Cannon regularly left out.

Last time out in the second tier, the Blades boss even left out ex-Liverpool defender Jack Robinson to gift Crystal Palace loanee Rob Holding a start, a decision that was immediately vindicated when assessing his top display against Cardiff City.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

70

Accurate passes

58/61 (95%)

Accurate long balls

11/14

Clearances

4

Blocked shots

1

Tackles

1

Total duels won

4/8

The brand-new United number five was calm and controlled on the ball throughout, particularly considering it was just his second league start since a January switch.

That was epitomised by his pass completion rate, with only three of his 61 passes missing their intended target during his time on the field.

Moreover, he also battled well against the relegation-threatened Bluebirds with four clearances tallied up alongside four duels being successfully won, leading to Wilder lauding the ex-Arsenal man as “outstanding” post-match.

As a result, the club may well have unearthed their next version of Jagielka. That’s considering Holding – much like his now retired counterpart – has a wealth of top-flight experience under his belt, having amassed 162 appearances for the Gunners in total away from injury issues.

With discussions centring in on the fact United could try to tie down Holding to a permanent deal, Wilder would love for the 29-year-old – like Jagielka – to continue putting in stern displays when called upon to try and clinch promotion.

Worth more than Ballard: Sheffield United have hit gold on "dominant" star

Sheffield United already have a dominant performer defensively in this standout star.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 16, 2025

There is excessive seam movement and bounce, batters are getting hit by the ball, and conditions have been anything but standard

Sidharth Monga06-Jun-20242:03

Flower on New York pitch – ‘Bordering on dangerous’

On paper, not much is riding on the India vs Pakistan match early morning this Sunday New York time, which is prime time on a Sunday night in India and Pakistan. The losing team should win its other matches comfortably and go on to the next round. The opponents in the next round are allocated on pre-tournament seeding so it is not that important to top this group either.And yet the success of the first half of an ambitious tournament rides on this match. At their best, India vs Pakistan matches subsidise the more predictable parts of a cricket tournament. They generate revenue that partly ensures expansion of the game. It is a fixture that gives ICC the confidence to play 20 teams in the World Cup of a sport that is notoriously snobbish. The contest gives them the confidence to risk moving it into the US, a country whose time zones are not friendly to existing fans elsewhere and where fandom is restricted to expats.After three matches (including a warm-up game) in the makeshift Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, if the ICC is not nervous about Sunday, it is treating India vs Pakistan like a cheat code that can paper over every other crack. If these matches were being played in an established stadium, it would be close to getting serious sanctions from the ICC.Related

• Explainer – what's wrong with the T20 World Cup pitches in New York?

• Pant handed crucial window of opportunity at No. 3

• India preparing for tough batting conditions against Pakistan

• Rohit Sharma retires hurt in India's opening T20 World Cup game

• India quicks lead demolition of Ireland on fizzing pitch

Excessive seam movement and bounce, which is also excessively variable, have left a massive cloud hanging over the weekend. The ICC rightly prefers standard conditions in limited-overs World Cups. It goes further than the simplistic preference for big hits. Standard conditions allow for execution of most skills that make for an even contest.It is also largely the concept behind T20, the biggest expansion tool for the sport. You want the batters to use their skills to score runs but you don’t want to see them fumbling and ducking and weaving and not be able to score more than 96 batting first in both matches so far.These conditions have been anything but standard. After a couple of wides against Ireland on Wednesday, Arshdeep Singh tried to bowl cross-seam but the ball still kept moving too much. Andy Flower is not exaggerating when he says the pitches are bordering on dangerous. Harry Tector, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant were all hit by the ball because it bounced in a way you don’t expect it to.The drop-in pitches have behaved this way because they are both underprepared and haven’t even had the time to bed in. Usually, when a cricket stadium relays its main square, it plays about 10 to 12 matches of junior cricket then senior domestic cricket before playing international cricket on it. Here, pitch No. 1 was used for the first time when Sri Lanka batted on it, were bowled out for 77 and made South Africa sweat in the chase. The pitch that hosted Ireland’s 96 all out against India was being used only for the second time.There are possible contributing circumstances to the pitches being underprepared. When they were brought in from Australia, New York was cold and rainy and snowy. They had to be taken to Florida to provide them the best chance of getting ready, and were then shipped to New York.1:49

Rapid Fire: Are these ideal conditions for a World Cup game?

Even if there had been great weather in New York and the pitches had been ready, it is unlikely the ICC had budgeted for the bedding-in period. It has been given permission to play only nine matches on it, including the warm-up game. So how did the ICC expect to bed the pitches in even if they had been prepared properly?The stadium was handed over to the ICC practically a day before the India vs Bangladesh warm-up match. India had sent half their side early to the US to prepare properly for the tournament, but forget training at the ground, when captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid tried to take a look at the ground and the pitch, they were turned away because the ground had not yet been handed over. Getting the stadium ready in three months for your biggest match of the year is not the flex the ICC thinks it is.Not much can be done now. India showed their bowling prowess on this pitch, and Pakistan only bring quicker bowlers with higher release points, making it an even bigger challenge for batters. They have tried pitches No. 1 and 4 already. The six pitches at the practice facility at Cantiague Park some 20 minutes from the ground were grown at the same time, and have been just as spicy. So spicy that South Africa’s batters refused to bat there against Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada. Local net bowlers have frequently hit batters because of seam movement and variable bounce.What are the odds then that the remaining two pitches, Nos, 2 and 3, will be any different? For what it’s worth, it is likely they will play Netherlands vs South Africa on one of the two middle pitches followed by India vs Pakistan the next day. So it will not be a completely fresh pitch although we saw in India vs Ireland that a used pitch does not mean a settled pitch.The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has seen totals of 77 and 96 so far batting first•ICC via Getty ImagesPerhaps two menacing bowling attacks can even out the toss advantage. Perhaps we might see a low-scoring close match. But even if it does produce a low-scoring thriller, it is unlikely the ICC’s commercial partners will be happy with it.It is not just the on-field action that has been less than ideal. It was strange to see empty stands for an India match even if against Ireland. The two stands on the sides were full, but the hospitality stands with a straight view of the action were sparsely populated. There is a good chance the ICC might have priced people out of coming for some of these matches. With some packages going as high as $10,000 for the India-Pakistan match, who knows if Sunday morning will be full.There used to be a joke that if you name two bulls India and Pakistan, people will still watch a fight between them. There’s probably some truth to it, who knows. A shared bloodied history, some yearning among those who were displaced, continuous threat of war throughout their existence, India and Pakistan find a release when they play cricket, a licence to express feelings and emotions they otherwise just can’t: be it anger, pettiness, love, sporting etiquette.The ICC needs to be commended for involving 20 teams in this World Cup. The idea of taking it to a new venue, the capitalist capital of the world, is also a noble one. The execution of the idea, though, makes you wonder if it took the India-Pakistan emotions for granted.

Wood barrage hints at what might have been after Australia wilt in face of high pace

Alex Malcolm16-Jan-2022Usman Khawaja had a wry smile as he was asked on the third morning whether he had enjoyed moving from No. 5 to opening for the Hobart Test.The night before he nearly had his head ripped off by a 148kph/92mph Mark Wood bumper in the dark, gloving a catch behind, as Australia slumped to 3 for 33 in their second innings.”To be honest the pink ball has made it pretty tough,” Khawaja told Fox Cricket. “The wicket is doing a little bit. The pink ball is just so inconsistent. Some balls swing, some balls seam a load, some don’t, it’s a bit harder to line up [than] the red ball.”It’s certainly more challenging opening the batting and I’ve said it before.Related

• The curious case of Steven Smith

• Mark Wood gets his rewards before England blow their victory shot

• Travis Head and Cameron Green flourish under pressure to show their Test pedigree

“Obviously coming out at four or five is probably a little bit better in Australia, but it changes everywhere.”I think any batter would say, even Marnus [Labuschagne] jokes around about batting five is probably the best spot to bat because you sort of hide from the new ball a little bit. But in all honesty the last wicket we played on was pretty good. The ball really didn’t do too much for the majority of the game. This game, this ball has been very different.”Three hours later Wood had bombed Australia out for 155 and dragged England back into the game with a herculean spell of fast bowling.What Wood proved is that Australia can’t afford to undervalue absorbing pressure against high-quality fast bowling. Australia got away with losing three cheaply once in this match thanks to Travis Head and Cameron Green, but not twice, as Wood’s searing pace and bounce wreaked havoc. Why Wood only bowled six short balls to Head in the first innings remains a mystery after he barely received a ball in his half in the second and was out gloving down the leg side as he jumped on the back foot to fend from his ribs.What would this series have looked like if Jofra Archer was fit? What would this series have looked like if David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne weren’t given a stack of lives each by England’s fielders in Brisbane and Adelaide?Would the result be any different? It would seem unlikely given England’s batting. Their average per wicket of 20.21 was their lowest ever for a five-match series in Australia.But it could have been closer. As good as Australia’s batters usually are in home conditions, they have shown a vulnerability at times against both express pace and short-ball barrages.Their superman, Steven Smith, has exemplified how it has become his and their kryptonite. Smith was bounced out by Wood for 27, his third-highest score of the series in his first Ashes without a century since 2010-11.It was the second time Wood has prized Smith out in the series. He also fell defending on the back foot in the first innings to Ollie Robinson.Since the 2019 Ashes, where he was better than Bradman, he has averaged 36.86 in 14 Tests, all at home, and his Test average has dipped under 60 for the first time since 2017.ESPNcricinfo LtdWood’s bombardment in both innings exposed the decision-making of Australia’s batters as well as their technical play off the back foot, albeit the pitch and the pink ball have made it harder to trust the bounce and seam.But it’s not the first time in recent summers searing pace and bounce has unsettled Australia at home. India’s Jasprit Bumrah dominated in Australia in his last two series down under, taking 32 wickets at 21.25. Neil Wagner, not as quick as Wood or Bumrah, but equally awkward, took 17 wickets at 22.76 in three Tests in 2019-20.The way to beat extended spells of short-pitch bowling in Australia is to absorb them. To ask whichever quick is breathing fire to dig further and further into their reserves as they extend spells beyond their limits and return for second and third efforts.That’s what Warner and Labuschagne were able to do to Wood in Brisbane with a 156-run second-wicket stand. Warner and Marcus Harris were able to do it with half-century stands in Melbourne and Sydney. Smith and Khawaja added to their work with a 115-run stand at the SCG.Australia’s batters didn’t do that in Hobart. Green panicked in the first innings and took on the man in the deep with a pull shot in what would have been Wood’s last over of his spell on the first night.Smith did likewise on day three, hooking straight to fine leg in what would have been Wood’s last over of a five-over burst that had already yielded 2 for 9. His dismissal opened the door and Wood and England waltzed through.The last time Australia had been razed for under 180 it was Jofra Archer who took 6 for 45 with his express pace at Headingley in 2019. England needed a similar miracle which quickly evaporated, but for a little while Australia’s batters had left the door ajar.