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The Athletic’s Phil Hay has dropped an update from behind-the-scenes about the current state of affairs at Leeds United.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side picked up only their second win of the Premier League season when they beat fellow strugglers Norwich City at the weekend, and Hay has now suggested that there remains an internal belief that the Whites will turn the corner sooner rather than later.

He said: “The attitude of the club is very much that the team will play better when key players return from injury (for a sustained period) and individual form picks up. One of the main messages from yesterday and Wolves is that the players are fighting for this – in comparison to Norwich who really looked like they threw the towel in at 2-1.”

Looking forward with Bielsa

While the start to this Premier League campaign has been nothing short of disastrous – whether that’s been through a lack of results or a number of injuries to key players – the momentum that the win over Norwich could bring could be seismic.

Leeds face a home clash against Leicester City this Sunday, with the Foxes of course coming off the back of a disappointing defeat at home to Arsenal last weekend, and with the added obstacle of having to navigate a Europa League encounter against Spartak Moscow tomorrow.

Once that game is done, the Whites will have the international break to get through, and arguably, it has come at a very good time. The extra time Bielsa will get to work with the players on the training ground could prove to be invaluable, while perhaps more importantly, it gives an extra two weeks or so for some of his injured players to close in on a return to fitness.

The likes of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips have been in and out of the side in recent weeks due to injury, so if they don’t get called up for the international break, the extra rest could prove to be vital. The same can also be said of Patrick Bamford, and getting the club’s starting striker back could ensure the Whites come into that game against Spurs with a bit more spring in their step.

It’s exactly why Hay’s update from what people are thinking at Thorp Arch is sure to excite Leeds fans going forward.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed an encouraging transfer update on this star…

يريد ريال مدريد من التخلص من أحد مدافعيه في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية، حيث تواصل مع نادي إسبانيول من أجل ذلك.

وكانت تقارير صحفية قد ذكرت أن الإسباني ألفارو أودريوزولا، يستعد للرحيل عن صفوف النادي الملكي، حيث خرج من حسابات كارلو أنشيلوتي المدير الفني للنادي للملكي.

وحسب صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية، فإن ريال مدريد يريد بيع خيسوس فاييخو، رغم رغبة الإسباني في البقاء مع الفريق الأبيض، للقتال من أجل الحصول على فرصة.

وكان الإسباني خيسوس فاييخو، قد انضم إلى صفوف ريال مدريد في 2015 قادمًا من ريال سرقسطة، ولكن لم يلعب وخرج مُعارًا لأكثر من نادٍ، فرانكفورت، ولفرهامبتون، وغرناطة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رودريجو: مودريتش مثل أبي ولم أصدق أنني فزت بدوري أبطال أوروبا

وبعد إعارته إلى غرناطة عاد فاييخو للريال، وقضى موسم 2021/2022، ولكن بالكاد لعب مع الملكي.

وقالت الصحيفة في تقريرها إن أودريوزولا يجد له مكان في تشكيل الفريق في الفترة المقبلة، خاصة بعد التعاقد مع المدافع الألماني أنطونيو روديجير خلال الميركاتو الصيف الحالي.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن ريال مدريد تواصل مع مسؤولي إسبانيول من أجل الحصول على خدمات المدافع الإسباني.

يُذكر أن فاييخو بالموسم الماضي شارك في 7 مباريات بالدوري الإسباني ودوري أبطال أوروبا، وبلغ مجموع دقائقه 349 دقيقة. خيسوس فاييخو

Tatenda Taibu has been acquitted of charges of assault on Zimbabwe Cricket’s general finance manager by the Harare Magistrates’ Courts

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2009Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu has been acquitted of assaulting Esther Lupepe, Zimbabwe Cricket’s general finance manager, after Harare Magistrates’ Court found “glaring inconsistencies” in the prosecution’s evidence, describing it as discredited and unreliable.Taibu had been charged with assaulting Lupepe in an incident at a travel agents in Harare after he claimed that he was owed money by the board. He strenuously denied the accusations. But Tapiwa Godzi, the magistrate, said the court was still in doubt as to how the assault was alleged to have been perpetrated.”It’s either this case was fabricated or the testimony of the witnesses is grossly exaggerated to the extent of making it unbelievable,” Godzi said. “In the premises, the application for discharge at the close of the state’s case is hereby granted. The accused is accordingly found not guilty and acquitted. It would be futile to put the accused person to his defence.”The collapse of the case will be yet another embarrassment for Zimbabwe Cricket. Taibu had always maintained that Lupepe’s actions were part of a wider conspiracy by the board aimed at preventing him going public over its finances and treatment of players.Only last week an ICC report, referring to the poor relationship between board and players, mentioned the ongoing case.While the board has sought to distance itself from the trial, several sources close to it have told Cricinfo that there were glaring inconsistencies in the allegations and rumours have continued to do the rounds that Taibu’s counter-claims had merit.Taibu has had a fractious relationship with senior board officials since he walked out in 2005 after claims that senior officials had made open threats against his family. He subsequently returned, but following the accusations by Lupepe he has been openly at odds with ZC. He was only persuaded at the last minute to join the national squad when it headed to Canada for a quadrangular Twenty20 tournament last October, and missed recent matches after his kit was mislaid.

Manchester United survived a dramatic late scare to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, seeing off West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium.

David Moyes made the controversial decision to bring on club captain Mark Noble to take a 95th-minute penalty with his first touch, but the skipper was denied by David de Gea.

The Spanish shot-stopper saved his first spot-kick in the top-flight since October 2014 on his 22nd attempt, sealing all three points for the Red Devils.

It rounded off an exciting comeback victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges after they initially fell behind thanks to a deflected Said Benrahma strike.

But Cristiano Ronaldo’s fourth goal in just three games leveled things up in the first half before substitute Jesse Lingard curled in a fabulous effort in the 89th minute to put United ahead.

However, it was a largely underwhelming display for the visitors, and one player in particular was below his best, adding to United’s struggles during their time in the capital.

As per SofaScore, Fred received a match rating of just 6.7 out of 10, the joint-lowest tally awarded to any player amongst his teammates.

The Brazilian international won just five of his 12 duels during his time on the pitch, lost possession 12 times and was dribbled past on a whopping five occasions by an opposition player, showing that he did not do the job that he’s in the team to do.

Fred’s role in the side is to provide defensive stability, allowing United’s attackers more freedom to flourish, but he was not able to do that at the London Stadium as his performance let his manager, and his fellow teammates, down.

Solskjaer decided to bring off the 28-year-old late on as his side searched for a winning goal, and the United boss may be tempted to start with an alternative midfield pairing next time out after the South American’s sub-par performance over the weekend.

And, in other news…Forget Lingard: Man Utd gem who won 100% of his duels was Ole’s real star against WHU 

MatériaMais Notícias

Atual vice-campeão brasileiro sub-20, o Corinthians estreará na edição deste ano diante do Grêmio, nesta quarta-feira, às 15h, fora de casa, pelo grupo C. Remanescente do elenco de 2016, o meia Fabrício Oya é uma das apostas da equipe paulista na competição nacional.

O camisa 10, que tem sido chamado constantemente pelo técnico Fábio Carille para treinar no time profissional, acredita que o grupo tirará grandes lições do ano passado para que desta vez possa chegar ao título. Na final de 2016, o Corinthians foi derrotado pelo Botafogo.

– Nosso grupo está muito preparado para essa competição, uma das principais da nossa categoria. Conseguimos chegar na final no ano passado, mas queremos mais. Podemos ser campeões. Tiramos muitas lições, absorvemos o que fizemos de errado e vamos tentar melhorar o que deu certo – disse Oya.

Além do Grêmio, o Corinthians enfrentará nesta primeira fase o Coritiba, Goiás e Flamengo. Após a estreia no Sul, a equipe alvinegra receberá o Coritiba, na Arena Barueri, no próximo dia 12 de julho.

– São times de muita tradição no cenário nacional. Respeitamos todos eles, mas sabemos do nosso potencial e onde podemos chegar. A camisa do Corinthians é muito pesada e temos de fazer valer isso. Contamos com o apoio da torcida em todos os jogos, pois isso poderá fazer a diferença também – analisou o meia.

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Tudo sobre

CorinthiansFabricio Oya

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has suggested that Shoaib Malik will stay on as captain of Pakistan in 2009 despite calls for him to be replaced

Cricinfo staff02-Jan-2009
Shoaib Malik could continue to lead Pakistan through 2009 if he delivers © AFP
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has suggested that Shoaib Malik will stay on as captain of Pakistan in 2009 despite calls for him to be replaced. Malik’s performance was due to be reviewed on December 31, 2008 – when his tenure was originally supposed to end – but it’s highly likely he will be retained, especially after gaining Butt’s vote of confidence.”Shoaib Malik will remain as the Pakistan captain till the time he continues to deliver,” Butt was quoted as saying in the . “I believe that he has done a good job in recent times.”Malik was appointed after Pakistan were eliminated from the group stages of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. His achievements include reaching the finals of the ICC World Twenty20 the same year, beating India in the Kitply Cup final in Bangladesh the following year and a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi in November. He led Pakistan to a country record 12 successive ODI wins though the bulk of them came against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh earlier this year.However, he’s had limited opportunities to lead Pakistan in Tests as they’ve been deprived of Test action in 2008 due to security concerns. His skills as a leader were questioned when his former team-mate Mohammad Yousuf and, other senior players, criticised him for being a poor communicator.But Malik found support from his coach Intikhab Alam who believed he should be retained for another year. A final decision on his tenure is expected soon.

Middlesex batsman Ed Joyce has admitted he is finding it difficult preparing to represent the club in the Champions League after securing his move to Sussex for next season

Andrew McGlashan21-Nov-2008
Ed Joyce is hoping for a better showing than in the Stanford Super Series as he plays his final games for Middlesex in India © AFP
Middlesex batsman Ed Joyce has admitted he is finding it difficult preparing to represent the club in the Champions League after securing his move to Sussex for next season.Joyce captained Middlesex to the domestic Twenty20 title in July while he was standing in for Ed Smith, but was replaced before the end of the season by Shaun Udal. It had been rumoured for much of the summer that Joyce was unsettled at Middlesex and keen for a move, and it was confirmed earlier this month that he would be joining Sussex.Middlesex, though, are facing a shortage of top-order batsmen for the Champions League which starts on December 3 – Andrew Strauss and Owais Shah could be away with England and Smith is leaving the club – and have persuaded Joyce to stay around a little longer.It could be a lucrative bonus for Joyce, with a significant pay-day looming if Middlesex are successful during the eight-team tournament. Even if they don’t reach the final, Joyce’s participation fee – along with the same from the Stanford Super Series – means he’ll have enjoyed a nice little earner in his final few months with the club.”It has been a bit strange hanging around the guys and some are my best friends as well,” he said at a chilly, blustery Lord’s, far removed from the heat of India. “Knowing that I’m leaving is not ideal really, you want a clean break, but hopefully we do well and it will be a good way to send me off.”He added that even when his move to Sussex was signed and sealed, Middlesex were fairly desperate to retain his services for a while longer. “They said that no matter what you do, we want you to go [to India]. Obviously we knew we would be struggling to get Andrew and Owais and Ed Smith isn’t going either so it was looking like a team of 19-20 year-olds. They wanted me to go and I was happy to do that.”However, while Joyce knows he is on the plane to India next week he doesn’t quite know what to expect when he gets there. “We know where we are staying, but not where we are training,” he said. “We haven’t got any practice games lined up. Hopefully we can get that sorted because we didn’t have them in Antigua [for the Stanford Super Series] and really needed them. But it seems to be pretty well organised.”They will certainly need to hit the ground running, with their opening match against Victoria who will boast the big-hitting talents of David Hussey, Brad Hodge and Cameron White. Joyce said that the team have picked the brain of Dirk Nannes, who helped Middlesex to the Twenty20 but will play for Victoria, and hopes their strong spin attack will be crucial.”We’ve had Dirk with us and he’s told us about them. They have a simple game plan with four quick bowlers and some strong batting. But hopefully we can outdo them in the spin department which will be key on the wickets in India.”Joyce also sees the tournament as a chance to put the record straight after Middlesex disappointed during the Stanford Super Series. They had a chance to beat England and win their big-money match against Trinidad and Tobago, but in the end came away with three defeats.”That was the annoying thing about Antigua,” he said. “Our memories from it aren’t particularly good in terms of the cricket. But it will have helped the younger guys to play in big matches and Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan played pretty well. It sounds ridiculous to say two 20-year-olds are our best Twenty20 players, but they probably are.”High expectations are something Morgan and Malan will have to get used to. Joyce’s departure will leave a big hole at the top of the order. First, though, he has one last duty for his old county.

Manchester City were handed a huge boost recently as it was confirmed that Ruben Dias has committed to a new six-year deal at the Etihad Stadium, which will surely delight Pep Guardiola.

What’s the word?

City confirmed on Monday that the Portugal international had signed a new deal with the club, which should keep him at the Etihad until 2027, with reports suggesting that his wage has been doubled from £80k per week to £160k per week.

Considering that the 24-year-old won the Premier League Player of the Year award last season for his superb performances in his debut campaign with the club, it is no surprise that the Citizens were keen to tie him down to a new long-term deal.

A huge boost for Guardiola?

If Manchester City are to win the Premier League again this season, Dias’ performances at the back will surely play a huge factor.

Guardiola’s side kept 19 clean sheets last season en route to regaining the title, and considering that Dias arrived after they produced a defensive horror show in a 5-2 home defeat against Leicester City, it is clear to see how important he was in improving their backline.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

The Portuguese defender formed a superb partnership with John Stones at the heart of City’s defence and made 32 appearances in the top flight, contributing one goal and averaging an impressive 6.91 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He also produced a memorable display in the 2-0 win against PSG in the Champions League, which secured City’s place in the final, with his commanding presence at the back and willingness to put his body on the line to block shots reminiscent of City legend and former captain Vincent Kompany.

Guardiola was full of praise for the centre-back’s influence last season, saying: “He is a guy that can play every three days. He recovers immediately and his ability is incredible, as is his understanding of the game.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, the Spaniard will no doubt be delighted that City have been able to tie down Dias for the long-term future, as he will likely be an important player for the Citizens for the rest of Guardiola’s tenure.

In other news… Guardiola may already have his next Foden at City in “amazing” rarely-seen 19 y/o

Alan Nixon has dropped an update on Wigan Athletic’s pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Jaroslaw Jach.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Wigan are interested in landing Crystal Palace centre-back Jaroslaw Jach on loan this month.

Nixon claims that Wigan and Ipswich are both exploring the possibility of signing the defender on a temporary deal before the window closes.

Worrying

Wigan fans will surely be worried by this rumour as Jach does not appear to be a shrewd signing by the club, on paper at least. The defender has struggled to adapt to life in England since joining Palace and has had a number of loan spells away from the club with little success.

Jach has not made more than 24 league appearances in a season in his entire career and has made just one senior appearance for Palace in three years. He joined Fortuna Sittard on loan in the 2020/21 campaign and was limited to just three games in the Eredivisie, suggesting that he was not able to cut it in The Netherlands.

The player, himself, admitted that he was not ready for the physicality of English football following his move to Palace from Lubin in Poland.

He told Sport.pl:

“I do not feel regret, only aggression and stubbornness. I want to prove to everyone that I can play in the Premier League.

“Yes, (the Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson) was a supporter of the transfer (from Lubin). But when I came to England, I was not ready for such a jump. It was hard for me to compete with the boys who have been playing in the Premier League for years.

“Today I have to gain experience and … grow. I devote a lot of attention to working out at the gym, because – to put it bluntly – in England, the physicality can kill you.”

This shows that the £10k-per-week dud is not prepared for the constant slog that is League One football. If he struggled with the physicality of training with Palace, how will he handle being bombarded with long balls and crosses into the box against towering third-tier centre-forwards week-in-week-out for Wigan?

Jach is a player Leam Richardson should avoid bringing to the club for these reasons, as the evidence available about him suggests that the move would not work out.

Unless he has seriously bulked up and improved his strength this summer, then he would – by his own admission – struggle in English football again, which is why Wigan fans will be worried by this transfer rumour.

Ricky Ponting’s recovery from wrist surgery will prevent him from appearing in the one-day series against Bangladesh at the end of the month while Matthew Hayden must prove he is ready after a long-standing heel problem. Ponting’s absence makes him an unlikely starter for the Champions Trophy – if Australia go to Pakistan – while Hayden will be monitored over the next two weeks.Both players left the tour of West Indies early, with Ponting heading home during the one-day series, and Hayden departing without playing a Test. “I’m feeling pretty good but if you’d asked me this time last week I would have said I was no chance,” Hayden told the . “I saw my local physio [on Friday] and he said it was a completely different tendon to the one he treated last week. He was really worried.”It’s a race against the clock. Given its rapid improvement from last week I’m certainly a chance but I can’t give a definite answer whether I’m in or out. I’ve got to be careful I don’t take any risks over the next month or so given what we have ahead of us. I’ll certainly be conservative with it.”Michael Clarke, who was in Melbourne for a meeting with ICC officials over the Pakistan situation, will take charge of the 14-man squad. Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said the three games against Bangladesh in Darwin would be ideal preparation for a busy time over the next 18 months. “While it is disappointing not to have Ricky Ponting available,” Hilditch said, “we are confident that continuing his recovery and missing this series will assure Ricky is ready for the demanding cricket schedule ahead.”Australia’s previous engagement was the 5-0 win over West Indies and players such as Shaun Marsh, Cameron White and David Hussey have held their spots. “This series provides us with an exciting opportunity to see our senior players and youth combine in what will be a very important series for us,” the coach Tim Nielsen said. “We are very hopeful of Matthew Hayden being able to rejoin the team and our medical staff will continue to monitor him over the next two weeks.”The Australians go into camp next week in Queensland before the first match of the series on August 30. Originally Bangladesh were supposed to appear in two Tests, but they were postponed to 2010 when it was realised they clashed with the Olympics. Both teams will use the contests to fine-tune for the Champions Trophy, which is currently due to start in Pakistan on September 12.Australia Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Brad Haddin (wk), Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, James Hopes, Cameron White, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken.