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There has been some understandable concern from some sections of the Leeds United fan base over the club’s recent run of results in the Premier League under Daniel Farke.

The Whites have lost their last three matches in the division, to Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa, despite taking the lead in the last two games.

This run of results has left the West Yorkshire outfit in the relegation zone, albeit only on goal difference, with a daunting run of fixtures on the horizon in the Premier League.

Leeds travel to The Etihad to face Manchester City this weekend before a clash with Chelsea at Elland Road in midweek and a game against reigning champions Liverpool next weekend.

Unless the Whites pull off a surprise result in one of those matches, which is not impossible when you consider that Farke did beat City with Norwich in 2019, they could find themselves adrift in the relegation zone.

If Leeds lose all three of those games, it would be six defeats on the spin and a spot in the bottom three for the club. That is a hard position for any manager to keep their job in.

The case for Leeds to stick with Daniel Farke

Farke’s Premier League record will, naturally, come into question after his dismal time in the top-flight across two seasons with Norwich and the Whites’ form this term.

The German boss has lost 42 of his 61 games in the league, averaging 0.61 points per game, per Transfermarkt, with the Canaries and Leeds combined, which is a concerning statistic for any supporter looking to the manager and hoping that he can keep the team in the division.

However, it is worth adding some context. Norwich spent money on one permanent signing, Sam Byram for £750k, in the 2019/20 campaign and they had to play their last nine games behind closed doors. Before the second season, Farke’s best player, Emi Buendia, was sold to Aston Villa just weeks after they earned promotion from the Championship.

Then, of course, Farke wanted Leeds to strengthen their attacking options in the summer transfer window, but the club were unable to get a deal done for Harry Wilson on deadline day, which has left the manager short of options in the final third.

xG

14.3

13th

Goals

11

19th

xGA

16.1

12th

Goals conceded

22

17th

xGD

-1.8

12th

GD

-11

19th

As you can see in the table above, Leeds should be in midtable based on their performances, but the players have not taken their chances and their goalkeepers have conceded more than expected.

Whilst all of this mitigation is a case to save Farke’s job, a fresh report suggests that the club may be making a change in the dugout in the coming weeks.

The latest on Daniel Farke's future at Leeds

According to Football Insider, the owners are ‘preparing’ to part ways with the German boss if he is unable to oversee an improvement in the team’s results in the next week or so.

The report claims that the club are planning to sack Farke if he does not pick up any points from the matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, as harsh as that may seem given the level of opposition.

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It adds that the Whites are already looking at possible options to come in and replace the German manager in the dugout if they do have a decision to make in the next seven days.

Football Insider reveals that Valencia head coach Carlos Corberan is one of the names in the frame to possibly replace Farke, stating that he has moved ahead in the race to move to the Premier League.

If Leeds are able to convince their former U21s boss to return to Elland Road, the Spaniard could arrive as an upgrade on Farke and the club’s new Marcelo Bielsa.

Why Leeds should appoint Carlos Corberan

Whilst, as aforementioned, there is plenty of mitigation that suggests that Farke would be somewhat unfortunate to lose his job, this latest update clearly shows that Leeds are preparing for a change.

With this in mind, the focus should be on getting the best possible manager in to take the job, and there may not be many better and realistic options than Corberan, due to his history with Leeds and his managerial career to date.

The Spanish boss, who has played a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 in LaLiga this season, was a first-team coach under Bielsa at Elland Road before taking his first senior posting outside of Cyprus with Huddersfield in 2020.

Since then, he has managed Olympiacos, West Bromwich Albion, and Valencia, gaining vital experience, and has had his coaching style compared to that of Bielsa’s, as shown in the post below.

This suggests that the Whites would be signing a more pragmatic manager than Farke, and one who may be able to implement more subtle tactics within matches to secure results.

That is backed up by his record in LaLiga with Valencia since he made the decision to move on from West Brom to make the move to Spain midway through the 2024/25 campaign.

Matches managed

61

34

Wins

9

12

Draws

10

11

Losses

42

11

Points

37

47

Points per game

0.61

1.38

As you can see in the table above, the ex-Leeds U21s manager has a far better record in a major European league than Farke has, with ten more points from almost half as many games.

Of course, there is the aforementioned mitigation to take into account for Farke, but the Valencia boss is now a proven operator at that level of management, whilst the German is still yet to prove that he can successfully keep a team up.

Corberan was once hailed as “elite” by scout Petar Petrov for getting more out of his group of players than expected, which is exactly what the Whites need in the position that they are currently in.

Therefore, the Spaniard could arrive as an upgrade on Farke, due to his proven ability to get the most out of his players at the top level in Europe, whilst also being Bielsa 2.0 with his pragmatism and willingness to adapt, which is why the club should move for him if they sack Farke.

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After a run of poor results, Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League, overcoming Everton 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

It is the first time since 22nd November that Enzo Maresca’s side have tasted victory in the top flight.

It only took the Blues 21 minutes before they went 1-0 up. On his first start at the Bridge since August, it was always going to be Cole Palmer who fired Chelsea into the lead.

It was a well-taken goal, too, with the England star making a well-timed underlapping run between the Everton defence and firing home past Jordan Pickford.

Chelsea had chances to double their lead, which they squandered. However, they did find the back of the net again on the stroke of half-time. It was Malo Gusto who got on the scoresheet this time, capping off an incisive counterattack by slotting home Pedro Neto’s cross.

It was a fantastic performance on the whole from the West Londoners. They shoot up to fourth in the Premier League, although most teams around them have a game in hand. Maresca will be hoping his side can build some momentum ahead of a busy few weeks.

There were a couple of real standouts for the Blues, and not just Palmer and Gusto…

Chelsea's best players vs Everton

It was inevitable, in many ways, that Palmer was going to have his say on this game. His first home start in months did not disappoint, with the Wythenshawe-born attacker proving why he is one of the Premier League’s most dangerous players.

It was a showing worthy of an 8/10 rating from Goal journalist Richie Mills. He said the Chelsea number 10 ‘showed good speed and a smart finish’, describing his performance as ‘a good day at the office’ in front of the home faithful.

The same could certainly be said for Gusto. He set Palmer up with a through ball that threaded the needle superbly, before getting on the score sheet himself for the second time in that famous Blue shirt.

Indeed, his stats from the game are superb. Gusto was constantly involved, having 81 touches, and completed 90% of his passes, as per Sofascore. Not only did the Frenchman create two chances, but he also made four ball recoveries and was impressive off the ball.

However, Palmer and Gusto were not the only two Chelsea players who stood out against Everton.

Chelsea duo look made for Mourinho

It was yet another clean sheet for the centre-back pairing of Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana. As a partnership, they have begun to string together some impressive performances and have become more than reliable for Maresca.

That was no different against the Toffees. They each received a 7/10 rating from Mills for their afternoon’s work. The journalist was full of compliments for the pair and said they are perhaps the ‘best centre-back pairing’ available to the Blues at the moment.

The stats from the game show just how well the pair, who earn a combined £250k per week, performed against the Toffees.

Some of the standouts included Fofana’s impressive 11 clearances and Cobham graduate Chalobah’s five successful duels out of seven.

Fofana & Chalobah’s stats vs. Everton

Stat

Fofana

Chalobah

Pass accuracy

97%

99%

Touches

84

83

Clearances

11

9

Ball recoveries

5

3

Duels won

6/15

5/7

Stats from Sofascore

Looking at the numbers in more detail, the West Londoners are unbeaten in their last seven games when the Frenchman and their academy graduate have started together.

Six of those games have been clean sheets.

Those numbers are superb and would certainly not look out of place in the era of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese manager famously oversaw a team that conceded just 15 league goals in a single season in 2004/05 – still the best-ever record in the division.

With the performances that Chalobah and Fofana have put in this season, it certainly feels very Mourinho-era coded. The ex-Blues boss is a famously pragmatic coach, so he would no doubt appreciate a record like six clean sheets in seven games.

Indeed, it is helping Maesrca’s side, and the current Chelsea gaffer surely has his centre-back pairing locked in for the foreseeable future.

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Manchester United have now reportedly launched a stunning £100m+ offer to sign an England superstar who has already earned the praise of David Beckham.

Man Utd targeting England superstar

INEOS are looking to make a statement in 2026, having already showcased their spending power by revitalising Man United’s frontline last season. Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha all arrived in an attempt to transform Ruben Amorim’s side.

Now, the focus is turning towards the manager’s midfield. With Casemiro edging past the peak of his powers, Manuel Ugarte struggling in possession and Kobbie Mainoo frozen out by Amorim, Man United have already reportedly drawn up a shortlist of options.

So far, two of the biggest names on that shortlist in the Premier League are Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson. Two of United’s biggest targets, both have enjoyed excellent campaigns so far.

There’s plenty of competition for the two England stars, however, and Champions League qualification is likely to be the key to unlocking any potential move for Man United.

The same can be said for another England star. If it’s not Wharton or Anderson, then it could be Jude Bellingham. Sensational reports are now claiming that Man United have made their first move to sign the Real Madrid superstar ahead of 2026.

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Bellingham is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in world football and would instantly become the best signing that INEOS have made.

Man Utd launch £100m+ Bellingham offer

According to reports in Spain, Man United have now launched an offer to sign Bellingham worth as much as €150m (£131m) in what would break their transfer record. Alas, Real Madrid reportedly believe that the Englishman is worth more than that and have turned the Red Devils down.

Whether INEOS return with a second offer remains to be seen. It would simply be a sensational move for a player who’s already got the approval of Beckham.

Praise does not get much better than that from a Man United point of view, but the idea of watching Bellingham follow in Beckham’s footsteps at Old Trafford very much remains a dream for the time being.

He's "like Reijnders": Old Trafford chiefs pushing Man Utd to sign "elite" star

The Los Angeles Dodgers suddenly don't look so invincible.

The reigning World Series champs were dealt their first loss of the MLB season Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, suffering a 3-2 defeat on a dramatic game-ending call.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, usually one to step up in big moments, stepped just a little too late during a risky base-running decision in the eighth inning. Ohtani, who recorded a stunning 93.7% stolen base success rate last year, was looking to steal second with two outs and Mookie Betts at the plate.

Ohtani had so far racked up 30 straight steals without getting caught, but that streak ended against Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, who was on top of his game Friday night.

Not the wisest decision there from the three-time MVP.

It was a 1.81 pop time for Realmuto, who underwent knee surgery last season but clearly still boasts a powerful and accurate arm.

"The Ohtani one surprised me a little bit just because Mookie was hitting," Realmuto told reporters after the win.

Realmuto would help the Phillies clinch the win with another clutch throw to shortstop Trea Turner to gun down Dodgers pinch-runner Chris Taylor trying to steal second base in the ninth.

Thomas Tuchel is ready to pit childhood friends Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers against one another, with the battle on to become England’s playmaking No.10 at the 2026 World Cup. Phil Foden also forms part of that discussion, with the Three Lions’ German coach making it clear that he will not force all of the “best players” into his starting XI.

England rules: Tuchel prepared to make tough decisions

Tuchel has stated on a regular basis across recent international camps that he is prepared to favour collective ambition over individual ability. If that means leaving a few superstar performers on the bench, then those are big decisions that the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich boss is prepared to take.

Those at his disposal are now fully aware of the rules, with Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham returning to the England fold having missed out on selection in October during his ongoing recovery from summer shoulder surgery. Others have staked their claims to starting berths during the enforced absence of rivals once considered to be guaranteed selections.

AdvertisementGettyEngland's No.10: Bellingham & Rogers go head-to-head

The expectation is that Bellingham will remain a go-to option for the Three Lions when another bid for global glory is opened, but Aston Villa star Rogers – who once lined up alongside Bellingham at U15 level and has started England’s last two games – is still very much in the mix.

Tuchel has said of not changing his system to fit everybody in: “Rather than finding a position for the best players to just have them on the field, it is better to have them in their best position and have a competition. At the moment the competition is between the two of them [Bellingham and Rogers].

“They are friends, it can also be a friendly competition – they don’t have to be enemies, they don’t have to hate each other. They are respectful, they are friends and can fight for the position. Can they play together? Yes, but in a different structure. At the moment it is not time to change our structure.”

Friendly competition: Every shirt is up for grabs

Tuchel added on welcoming Bellingham and Foden back into his plans, with the pair having joined training on Wednesday after being granted extra recovery time on the back of their respective outings for Real Madrid and Manchester City on Sunday: “Why should it be awkward for them?

“We were driving the levels and driving the thing without them. Now they are back and it is their responsibility to contribute to all this. This is what they are doing. The standards are clear.”

He went on to say of ensuring that rivalry inside his squad remains friendly, with everyone aware of what an honour it is to represent their country: “What we are trying is to build a strong bond, an energy, a group to build a brotherhood that everyone wants to join.

“We want to create a competition where if I pull out of a 50/50 situation, the door will be closed as someone else will take the shirt. Not as a threat, but that everyone is keen to come, loves to perform for the country as it is an honour and the last step of elite football – to represent England in a World Cup. It is the pinnacle. This is how it should feel .

“We are absolutely on the way, everyone wants to be part of the camps and nobody has given signals that it is time to rest – and we also wouldn’t accept it. So it is an energy that feeds itself. That is the key – everyone loves to be in camp and enjoys it.”

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Getty Images SportEngland fixtures: Next up with World Cup qualification secured

England will be back in action on Thursday when facing Serbia at Wembley Stadium. Tuchel’s side have already booked their place at next summer’s World Cup, meaning that he is in a position to rotate and experiment.

Having made faultless progress through qualification – with six victories and as many clean sheets being picked up so far – the Three Lions will complete their schedule for 2025 when travelling to Albania on Sunday.

The New York Yankees lost Game 5 and the 2024 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night. The loss may weigh most heavily on Aaron Judge, the pinstripes superstar whose intense struggles in the Fall Classic were capped off by a game-changing error in the fifth inning on a routine fly ball. The rally the Dodgers put forth in that inning would change the course of the game and lead to the Yankees' elimination.

It will be a long offseason for Judge and even longer if he (for some reason) tunes into sports talk radio at any point, because Yankees fans are going to be airing their grievances for the next few months. The airwaves received a fine example of that on Thursday morning, when a disgusted caller demanded the Yankees strip Judge of his captaincy and ship him to Queens to play for the New York Mets after his brutal showing.

This is Pat from East Islip:

"All this talk all morning has been about how Gerrit Cole didn't cover first base. This entire World Series comes down to Aaron Judge. He didn't hit, and in the game he did hit, he dropped a fly ball any Little Leaguer would have caught. He's a disgrace to the Yankee uniform, he should be stripped of his captaincy, and as far as I'm concerned, we should trade him to the Mets."

It's about what you'd expect. Sports fans are never more irrational than after a big loss and this was the biggest loss for the Yankees in over a decade. Judge had a majestic season and will likely end up with another MVP award for his efforts, but many New York fans will only remember his regrettable October performances.

The Yankees will not trade him to the Mets, nor will they strip him of his captaincy after he became the first player in pinstripes to earn the honor since Derek Jeter. But, Judge has a long road ahead of him in proving to the fans that his October slump will be a footnote in his venerable career rather than a legacy-defining stretch.

Harry Kane has opened up on family life and revealed the battles with his daughter Vivienne over his phone. Kane moved to Bayern Munich in 2023 and lived in a hotel for the first six months of his time in Germany as he initially struggled being away from his family. However, they have since settled in the country with the striker tearing up the Bundesliga.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Kane is thriving in Munich

  Tottenham were forced into the sale of Kane in 2023 as the England captain entered the final 12 months of his contract in north London. A host of Premier League sides, including Manchester City and Manchester United, were both credited with an interest but it was Bayern who won the race to secure his services.

  And Kane has excelled in the Bundesliga having scored freely in Germany's top tier under Vincent Kompany. Earlier this season, Kane made history as he became the fastest player to score 100 goals for a team in Europe's top five leagues, doing so in 104 appearances, beating the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland, who both reached the milestone in 105 outings.

  And the former Spurs man is leading the race for the 'Kicker-Torjagerkanone' having scored 12 league goals in his opening nine Bundesliga outings this season. Kane has since opened up about his family life in Germany, including his own battles with daughter Vivienne over his phone.

Advertisement

• 'She enjoys taking pictures'

  In a Q&A on his official Instagram page, Kane rattled through the questions about his phone, which offered an insight into life for the striker. The first question was 'Last photo in your camera roll?' to which the Bayern hitman replied: "The last photo? It's actually me trying to get my phone off my daughter, Vivienne. She had my phone and as you can see, she enjoys taking pictures. That's me trying to get it back off her."

  In addition, Kane was asked the last person he called, answering: "The last person I called was my wife Kate. She's get a German number. We was just catching up. Family stuff, kids stuff. Who's picking up who at what time, just the usual stuff really, yeah."

  Finally, Kane was asked 'What is your lock screen photo?', replying: "My lock screen changes all the time cause again the kids get hold of my phone. This is it at the moment (lock screen of emojis). Vivienne again she loves messing about and that's supposed to be me (points to emoji of a man) a grumpy man and she's got the love hearts at least, and she's got the cat because she loves cats. So, there you go."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Slowly but surely it starts to feel like home'

  Kane has previously discussed his family life and the struggles that come with being away from his wife and children, including son Henry who was born the same month the Three Lions star left Spurs for Bayern. The striker resided in a hotel for the first six months of his time in Germany, and felt the pressure to perform on the pitch while being away from his family for so long.

  However, they reunited at the start of 2024, and discussed his family with , stating: "They’re in school now and have been skiing the last couple of weekends. Just having that has been great for them. We’ve met a few of the parents at school and made friends with teammates’ wives and kids. Slowly but surely it starts to feel like home.

  "People ask what are the big differences, but a lot of the routine is pretty much the same. You miss friends you have at home or a golf course, but you soon learn about those things here and it becomes part of your home."

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• Bayern looking to extend remarkable winning run

  After drawing a blank in Bayern's 2-1 win at PSG on Tuesday night, Kane has now failed to score in his last two club outings, and scored in just one of his last four club appearances. The Bavarians return to league duties on Saturday afternoon when they take on Union Berlin as they look to extend their remarkable winning start to the season.

  Kompany has overseen 16 successive victories ahead of Saturday's trip to the capital ahead of the November international break. Bayern will resume domestic duties against Freiburg later this month before a mouth-watering meeting with Arsenal in the Champions League.

Harry Came fell nine runs short of a second century in the match as Derbyshire were forced to settle for a draw in an exciting finish to their Rothesay County Championship Division Two match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.The hosts declared their second innings at lunch, having progressed from an overnight 364 for three to 526 for six. Graeme van Buuren added 70 to his score before being dismissed for 175, while James Bracey hit a brisk 43.That set Derbyshire a victory target of 316 in a minimum of 67 overs. Came and Caleb Jewell put together an opening stand of 177 in just 31.3 overs before Jewell fell for 83, from 80 deliveries, with 12 fours, and Came for 91, off 118 balls, with 7 fours and 3 sixes.But Gloucestershire refused to buckle and left-arm spinner van Buuren claimed four for 64 to give his side a chance before Anuj Dal (36 not out) and Ben Aitchison batted out for a draw at 296 for eight. Derbyshire took 14 points and Gloucestershire 11.Cameron Bancroft began the day undefeated on 170 in Gloucestershire’s second innings. The captain could add only six before being bowled by Zak Chappell, but could still take immense pride in a match-turning innings spanning almost seven-and-three-quarter hours and 366 balls.Van Buuren was obliged to exercise initial caution as he and Bracey guarded against a collapse. But once the pair had brought up 400, they went on the attack. Bracey smacked a straight six off Alex Thomson to stretch the lead to 207 and followed up with two quick boundaries off Jack Morley.On 134, van Buuren edged Morley just short of Wayne Madsen at slip, but it was all the good fortune the South African needed to reach 150 off 261 balls, with 20 fours.A six over long-on off Thomson brought up the century stand with Bracey, who faced just 56 balls in an entertaining cameo before top-edging an attempted slog sweep off Thomson and presenting wicketkeeper Brooke Guest with a simple catch.It was 498 for six when van Buuren’s was caught at wide long-on off Thomson looking to accelerate towards the declaration. Zaman Akhter hit sixes off two of his first three balls, while Ben Charlesworth also cleared the ropes with a powerful reverse sweep off Morley on the stroke of lunch.Gloucestershire gave the new ball to debutant Todd Murphy when the afternoon session began, hoping the Australia Test off-spinner would make early inroads. With David Lloyd unable to open the batting having been off the field injured on day three, Came partnered Caleb Jewell and soon signalled his side’s intentions with a four and a six in Murphy’s second over.That set the tone for an exhilarating century stand, Came reaching a fluent half-century off 61 balls, with 5 fours and 2 sixes, and Jewell following him to the same landmark, having faced 52 deliveries and hit 7 fours.Came hit a straight six off van Buuren as Derbyshire progressed serenely to 169 without loss at tea, needing a further 147 to win. Came was 87 not out and Jewell unbeaten on 75.Jewell hit the first two balls of the final session from Ajeet Singh Dale for boundaries, but fell to the third, caught at mid-off by the diving Miles Hammond, who produced an even better effort to dismiss Came, one-handed at mid-wicket off Murphy to leave Derbyshire 189 for two.Madsen made 17 before edging an attempted pull shot off Akhter to wicketkeeper James Bracey and Martin Andersson registered a third-ball duck, lbw to Murphy with 104 runs still required. That target had been reduced to 81 when Guest was caught behind off van Buuren for 22.Derbyshire entered the final hour of the match on 249 for five, needing a further 67 from a minimum of 16 overs. Their task increased when Thomson, on 10, edged a sweep to Hammond at slip off van Buuren, who followed up by having Zak Chappell caught at mid-wicket. That finally brought in Lloyd to bat with a runner with 45 needed and Anuj Dal unbeaten on 27.Lloyd made only nine before falling lbw to the inspired van Buuren. But Dal stood firm and Aitchison helped clinch the draw as the game ended with Gloucestershire fielders crowded around the bat.

Delhi Capitals’ (DC) stand-in captain Faf du Plessis pointed out that they lost their momentum in the last two overs when Mumbai Indians (MI) were batting after bowling well for 17-18 overs, which eventually led to their 59-run defeat at the Wankhede Stadium. The loss saw DC knocked out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs, while MI booked the last spot.Bowling first, it looked like DC would be chasing an under-par total with MI struggling at 132 for 5 after 18 overs. But Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir hammered 48 runs off the last two overs to take MI to 180 and DC were bowled out for 121 in reply.”I thought we were excellent today in the field. The guys showed great fight. Obviously, not the easiest pitch to bat on, so probably made the bowlers’ job a little bit easier. But still, it’s a very strong batting line-up (of MI), and I thought we were excellent,” du Plessis said after the game. “And then [we] just let it slip there in the last two overs which… momentum is a real thing in cricket. So I thought the way that they counterpunched there to get almost 50 in the last two overs really [cost us]. All that hard work that we did for 17-18 overs, [we] lost that momentum.”Related

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DC were under pressure in a must-win situation as they were one point behind MI before this game, and had lost four of their last five matches before Wednesday. They further lost their regular captain Axar Patel to an illness for this match, someone who could have been useful on the Wanhede track, du Plessis said, where left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner finished with 4-0-11-3.”I’m a big believer that you’ve got to make sure you take [momentum] and you never take it for granted,” he said. “So when you’re playing like that and you’re performing well, then everything falls your way. And we could feel like the last couple of games, there was really a fight to try and get that momentum back and not doing the basics well in both departments.”So it shows you that when you’re on top of that wave, you’ve got to make sure you don’t lose it as quickly.”DC were a depleted side against MI, without Axar and their star bowler Mitchell Starc, who didn’t return to India once the IPL resumed after a brief suspension earlier this month. DC fielded as many as five uncapped players compared to MI’s one.”I think if you look at the two teams before today’s fixture, it was a case of David and Goliath. So I enjoy that because it gives guys the opportunity to really play together as a team,” he said. “So credit to them. [Sameer] Rizvi today showed some signs. He’s got some talent there. But when you’re playing against a powerful team like this, you need to be at your best all the time.1:49

Moody: ‘DC bowlers should have used the surface more’

“And unfortunately, all 17-18 overs we were, and then the last two overs I thought we were pretty average. And then with the bat, you would need a good start on a surface like that, and we didn’t get going at all with the bat. So it sums up pretty much our season. We’ve been cold in either batting or bowling the last six or seven games.”And to be in the top four in the IPL, you can’t afford to do that. So probably a fair reflection not to make that top four.”Compared to the five wickets taken by MI’s spinners combined, DC’s spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam managed just one between them, which made them miss Axar even more.”Yeah, I think especially [missed] Axar on a wicket like that,” du Plessis said. “If you look at the way that Mitch Santner bowled, they’re very similar bowlers. To bowl four overs, I think [Santner] only went for ten runs. Axar is that kind of class bowler, international, proven left-arm spinner that on a wicket like that, he would love to bowl in it. But unfortunately, he was very, very sick the last two days.”Starcy, yes, of course [we missed him]. Starc is a fantastic bowler. But I think especially the spinners on a wicket like this, it’s worth gold.”

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O técnico Abel Ferreira não comandará o Palmeiras nos dois próximos jogos do Verdão. O treinador está suspenso e não poderá estar com o restante da delegação nos jogos contra o Athletico-PR, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, e São Paulo, pelas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. Com isso, Abel só voltará à beira do gramado no duelo diante do Flamengo, no próximo sábado (8), no Allianz Parque, pelo Brasileirão.

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+ Abel Ferreira deixa aberta a possibilidade de poupar titulares do Palmeiras contra o Athletico-PR

Na partida contra o Furacão, neste domingo (2), o técnico irá cumprir a punição de um jogo de suspensão determinada pelo STJD pelo episódio em que Abel tomou o celular da mão de um repórter na zona mista do Mineirão após o empate com o Atlético-MG. O Palmeiras não deve recorrer da decisão.

Diante do Tricolor, na próxima quarta-feira (5), Abel Ferreira terá que cumprir suspensão devido à expulsão no jogo contra o Fortaleza, na Arena Fonte Nova, em Salvador, nas oitavas de final. Na ocasião, o treinador português havia recebido cartão amarelo no primeiro tempo por ter reclamado dos critérios da arbitragem, e na segunda etapa levou vermelho direto. A súmula alegou que Abel teria proferido xingamentos ao árbitro Savio Pereira Sampaio.

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Com as advertências recebidas contra o Leão do Pici, o técnico chegou a50 cartões desde que assumiu o comando do Palestra, em 2020. Ao total, Abel Ferreira soma 44 cartões amarelos e oito vermelhos, o que equivale a aproximadamente um cartão a cada quatro partidas (cerca de 26%) em que comandou a equipe alviverde.

+ Palmeiras ‘sobra’ entre os brasileiros na fase de grupos da Libertadores nos últimos seis anos

O auxiliar João Martins deve comandar o Palmeiras nos dois jogos em que o português cumprirá suspensão. Nas 20 partidas em que substituiu Abel, o Verdão somou 12 vitórias, sete empates e somente uma derrota.

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