The U.S. midfielder, deployed as a wingback, helped steer them to three points as their top four hopes grow closer
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Juventus defeat Lecce 2-1
McKennie deployed as wingback
inch closer to top-four
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WHAT HAPPENED?
U.S. international Weston McKennie helped lead Juventus to an important 2-1 victory over Lecce in Serie A action on Saturday. The American midfielder, deployed as a right wingback, logged 67 minutes before being replaced by fellow international teammate Tim Weah – who closed out the match on the flank.
A pair of assists from Dusan Vlahovic, with goals from both Kenan Yildiz and Teun Koopmeiners helped Juve to the win – though a great performance from McKennie helped secure the victory itself.
Lecce made Juve sweat late, as Federico Baschirotto found the back of the net in the 87th minute, but it was too little too late for the guests.
With the result, the rest third in Serie A with 59 points, though fifth-place Bologna only trail them by two points and have a game in-hand.
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McKennie completed 92 percent of his matches on the day while creating two attacking chances. He recorded four touches in the opposition box as well, creating a combined xG+xA of .21.
More impressively, he completed 3/3 long balls, operating precisely in the wide role.
Weah, meanwhile, logged 23 minutes to help close out the contest.
DID YOU KNOW?
Juve's last match against Lecce in December resulted in a 1-1 draw, with Koopmeiners managing to land on the scoresheet again that day – only with an assist, as Andrea Cambiaso scored.
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WHAT NEXT FOR JUVE?
The meet Parma on Monday, April 21 in their next Serie A match – with a healthy break between now and their next regular season match.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are reportedly vying to acquire the services of Austria manager Ralf Rangnick in an organisational role.
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Bayern and BVB eyeing Rangnick
German currently in charge of Austria
Could take on similar role to Klopp
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WHAT HAPPENED?
According to reports from Austrian magazine andGerman newspaper , Ralf Rangnick could make a shock return to the Bundesliga as German heavyweights Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are keenly interested in acquiring the Austria manager.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Bayern Munich supervisory board member Uli Hoeness is reportedly keen on appointing Rangnick as the clubâs "mastermind," similar to Jurgen Kloppâs role as Red Bullâs Global Head of Soccer, according to . Rangnickâs expertise in scouting and youth development could benefit Bayern, while he remains a backup option for a coaching or sporting director role. Though Bayern previously considered him in February, no direct contact has been made. Despite rejecting the Bavarians last year, Rangnick maintains strong ties with key club figures.
"Ralf is the head coach in Austria. He is doing a very, very good job there," said Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund at a press conference on Friday. "I don't know if his name is floating around Sabener Strasse, in Dortmund, or at other clubs. He is very happy in Austria with the team. Fundamentally, I believe he enjoys the job a lot and feels comfortable in Austria."
DID YOU KNOW?
Bayern Munich could find themselves competing with arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund for Rangnick, with reporting BVBâs interest. In January, he was considered a successor to head coach Nuri Sahin, even meeting Dortmund officials in Salzburg. Niko Kovac was ultimately appointed but he has struggled to make a positive impact, with the club's Bundesliga performance, where they sit 11th, threatening their European qualification for next season. Rangnick, meanwhile, is being linked to the sporting director role at the club.
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WHAT NEXT?
A year ago, Rangnick was fully committed to his role as Austriaâs head coach, but reports have suggested his relationship with the Austrian Football Federation (OFB) has since deteriorated. Last autumn, there were even rumors of his resignation, and OFB President Wolfgang Bartosch recently ruled out an early contract extension, stating itâs "not an issue at the moment". Despite a strong Euro 2024 campaign, Austria failed to secure Nations League promotion, suffering a play-off defeat to Serbia in the last international break.
Presente na vitĂłria de virada do SĂŁo Paulopor 3 a 2, nesta quinta-feira (7), no jogo de estreia da equipe contra o Ayacucho, pela Copa Sul-Americana, o jovem atacante Juan apresentou um bom rendimento quando entrou no segundo tempo e aproveitou bem a chance dada por RogĂŠrio Ceni.
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O jogador sofreu o pĂŞnalti que deu origem ao terceiro gol da partida, marcado por Luciano, e que garantiu a vitĂłria do Tricolor paulista no primeiro jogo disputado pela Sula. O jovem, de apenas vinte anos, foi derrubado por Salazar, atleta da equipe adversĂĄria, na pequena ĂĄrea.
PorĂŠm, o que chamou atenção foi o seu bom desempenho durante o perĂodo em que esteve em campo. Juan substituiu Patrick no inĂcio do segundo tempo.
Logo nos primeiros minutos em campo, Juan se apresentou e se mostrou bastante participativo nas jogadas. A cria de Cotia foi bem nas trocas de passes e nas tentativas de drible. Contra o Ayacucho, tocou 18 vezes na bola, com uma precisĂŁo de 70%, isto ĂŠ, um taxa de acerto de dez passes. AlĂŠm disso, concluiu com sucesso sua Ăşnica tentativa de drible.
TABELA > Veja tabela da Copa Sul-Americana e simule os prĂłximos jogos
Sem jogar desde o dia 19 de março, na partida contra o Botafogo-SP, que terminou tambÊm em vitória para o Tricolor paulista, Juan aproveitou a chance desta última quinta-feira (7) e mostrou que pode ser uma boa opção para o tÊcnico RogÊrio Ceni nas próximas partidas. Conseguiu superar, inclusive, o rendimento de Patrick, que se manifestou abaixo da mÊdia esperada.
Ao todo, o atacante jĂĄ disputou doze partidas vestindo a camisa da equipe profissional do SĂŁo Paulo.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has heaped praise upon Mason Mount after the English midfielder's stunning effort earned all three points for the Red Devils at Crystal Palace. The former Chelsea player has struggled since moving to Old Trafford, but will be hopeful that Sunday's performance can be the start of a turnaround in form at United.
United recover to earn precious victory
The writing looked on the wall for United when they fell behind in south London courtesy of a Jean-Phillipe Mateta penalty. The Eagles have an impressive record against the Red Devils and would have assumed that they were on for another victory when they opened the scoring. The flat performance of the visitors in the first half did little to suggest much to the contrary either, with another disappointing trip back up to the northwest of England beckoning for Ruben Amorim and his players.
Yet, after the half-time interval, the United midfield helped turn around the display and the result. Fernandes was integral to the victory, registering two assists for Joshua Zirkzee and Mount and earning the Player of the Match award. United fans will have been worried when their skipper appeared to fall down injured late in the game, but Amorim has insisted the Portuguese maestro is not too badly hurt.
After the game, Fernandes was highly complimentary of Mount. The pair had combined for the winner â Fernandes nudging the ball to Mount from a free-kick before the midfielder struck low into the net â and demonstrated signs of a partnership developing.
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Mount centre of praise for Fernandes and Amorim
Speaking to , Fernandes described Mount as a "great player" and was delighted to see his team-mate back amongst the goals.
"Mason is a great player," Fernandes said. "His quality was never in doubt with his team-mates. Sometimes he struggled a bit for goals and assists and also with injuries, but when he gets his fitness, he is important."
The words of Fernandes echoed those of his coach. Before the game, Amorim had said the 26-year-old is "really smart" and offers a goal threat that not many others in his squad possess.
The ex-Sporting CP manager was proven right by his number seven.
Milestone for Mount
It was not only an important goal for Mount against Crystal Palace, but the midfielder also reached a long-awaited milestone. He played the full 90 minutes of a Premier League game for the first time in almost three years, with his last completed fixture coming in a Chelsea shirt, also against Crystal Palace in January 2023.
It represents a huge step in the right direction for the United man, who has been plagued by a series of injuries throughout his time at Old Trafford. Mountâs time at Chelsea faltered and ended in a disappointing exit out the back door after a number of setbacks reduced him to a mere squad player.
Mount exploded onto the scene as a youngster and quickly established himself as a key player in the Chelsea midfield. The Cobham graduate would go on to provide the match-winning assist for Kai Havertz in the Champions League final in his career highlight, but has not reached those heights again since.
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Up next for United: West Ham at home
With Mount seemingly beginning to put his injury woes behind him, Amorim can look forward to using the immensely talented player more often. Capable of playing as one of the two central midfielders or anywhere across the front-line of Amorimâs 3-4-3 formation, Mount can offer something slightly different to any of Unitedâs other options.
Should Amorim be able to revitalise Mount and restore him to the player he was when he first took the Premier League by storm, United will start to think they struck gold with a player shunted out of Stamford Bridge.
There is still a long way to go before Mount eclipses the levels he reached at the Blues, but his goal and 90 minutes at Selhurst Park is a start. He has a chance to build on Sundayâs performance with a game against West Ham at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, went unsold at the IPL mega-auction in Bengaluru but there were a couple of multi-millionaires among the English contingent, plus deals for Alex Hales and Benny Howell, two players currently outside the international set-up.The big-money signings of Liam Livingstone, for GBP 1.125 million (USD 1.53 million) by Punjab Kings, and Jofra Archer, for GBP 783,000 (USD 1.06 million) by Mumbai Indians – the latter despite not being able to play this season – took the headlines on day two of the auction, following successful bids for Mark Wood (GBP 734,000 to Lucknow Super Giants), Jonny Bairstow (GBP 660,000 to Punjab Kings) and Jason Roy (GBP 197,000 to Gujarat Titans) on Saturday.Overall, there were contracts for 11 England-qualified players across the two-day event, bringing the tally at the 2022 IPL to 13, with Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali already having been retained by their franchises.Related
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Among those to miss out, Morgan and Dawid Malan, currently the ICC’s No. 5-ranked batter in T20Is, were the most high-profile. Morgan captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the final of last year’s competition but has averaged 18.13 with a strike rate of 118.13 in T20 since the start of last year.In a somewhat ironic twist, Hales, the prolific top-order batter whose England career has been on hold since 2019 because of what Morgan has called “trust issues”, was picked up by KKR for GBP 147,000.Elsewhere, Tymal Mills won a return to the IPL five years after being bought for GBP 1.4 million at auction, taken this time around by Mumbai Indians at his base price of GBP 147,000. He could end up playing alongside Archer, although that is unlikely to happen this year, with Mumbai signing the injured quick as a long-term investment. The involvement of Mahela Jayawardene, Mumbai’s head coach who also works with both players at Southern Brave in the Hundred, was revealed to be key.”Jofra is a player Mahela gave his first professional debut to. So happy to have gotten them together,” Akash Ambani, the Mumbai owner, said. “Although it is going to be in next year, but very happy to have a lethal combination. Tymal has been a lethal death bowler. Mahela coaches him in the Hundred and he has managed to stay injury-free.”There were also deals late in the day for Sam Billings, who will make KKR his third IPL franchise, Chris Jordan, joining his fourth team in Chennai Super Kings, and David Willey, who went to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final accelerated round. Howell, the Gloucestershire slower-ball specialist who is currently enjoying a productive season at the Bangladesh Premier League, won a GBP 39,000 payday with Punjab Kings.A number of high-profile English players – including Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes – had decided not to enter the mega-action, but there were still 24 potentially on the block. Adil Rashid, Reece Topley and Laurie Evans were among those unable to attract bids, while several other names didn’t make it out of the hat.England-qualified players at IPL 2022: Moeen Ali* (Chennai Super Kings), Jofra Archer (Mumbai Indians), Jonny Bairstow (Punjab Kings), Jos Buttler* (Rajasthan Royals), Sam Billings (Kolkata Knight Riders), Alex Hales (Kolkata Knight Riders), Benny Howell (Punjab Kings), Chris Jordan (Chennai Super Kings) Liam Livingstone (Punjab Kings), Tymal Mills (Mumbai Indians), Jason Roy (Gujarat Titans) David Willey (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Mark Wood (Lucknow Super Giants)*Retained previously
Hosts recover from 3 for 12 as Head and Cameron Green continue impressive series
Valkerie Baynes14-Jan-2022An accomplished century from Travis Head wrested back control for Australia on an entertaining first day of the fifth and final Ashes Test, which was ultimately curtailed by rain.It must have felt like three steps forward, 224 back for England as Australia slumped to 3 for 12 inside the first 10 overs then recovered to 6 for 236 by the time Cameron Green fell shortly before steady drizzle halted play in the third session of the day-night fixture in Hobart.After a particularly fruitless day for Mark Wood, he employed short-ball tactics to finally prise out a dangerous-looking Green and offer some hope for the tourists. Green had played an excellent innings, unfurling some breath-taking cover drives en route to his 74, but it was Head – with whom he shared a 121-stand for the fifth wicket – who stole the show.Related
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Labuschagne, Head heed Championship lessons to tame England
Returning to the side after his Covid-enforced absence in Sydney, Head scored his second century of the series – this one off just 112 balls – before falling to the very next delivery, chipping Chris Woakes to Ollie Robinson at mid-on to fall for 101.Head screamed “No!” as the ball looped up off the bat for a soft dismissal to give England a much-needed breakthrough shortly before the tea break and, had he managed to stick around, Australia’s claims to have won the day would have been reinforced. As it happened, the hosts finished the day in a far better position than had seemed likely in the first 90 minutes or so.With England having won the toss on a green pitch providing movement off the seam early, Robinson returned after missing the drawn fourth Test at the SCG and cashed in. He had David Warner out for a 22-ball duck with a delivery that was just back of a length and just outside off to find a decent edge, taken by Zak Crawley at second slip.He could have had Marnus Labuschagne out a short time later, but Crawley spilled the chance diving across Joe Root from second slip. But Robinson struck again to dismiss Steven Smith for a rare Ashes duck, taken this time by Crawley to bookend the dismissal of Usman Khawaja, caught in the slips by Root off Stuart Broad for 6.But then Head and Labuschagne restored order for Australia as Wood came on for a brief but expensive spell, conceding 11 runs off one of this three overs and 15 off another. Head was particularly aggressive, moving from 4 off five deliveries at the drinks break to 26 off 20. Labuschagne chimed in with a belligerent clip off Woakes over midwicket for a one-bounce four to move into the 40s.Stuart Broad bowled Marnus Labuschagne around his legsâ˘Getty Images
The pair put on 71 runs together before Labuschagne fell in comical fashion, tangled up by a full, straight Broad delivery round his legs and toppling face-first to the ground as the ball clattered into his stumps to be out for 44. That made it 4 for 83 for Australia and provided endless amusing memes, even for the hosts, who also saw the funny side if the smiles and giggles from the dressing room was anything to go by.Labuschagne’s dismissal spurred Head to press on with their counterattack. He was already travelling at a good clip and brought up his fifty from 53 balls, punishing a Woakes short ball outside leg stump with a deft flick to the fine leg boundary. Two balls later, Head pummelled Woakes wide of mid-off for another four.With the Bellerive Oval pitch known to flatten out quite quickly, England’s bowlers were always going to have to nail their lines and lengths after a relatively brief period of assistance. Instead, they struggled.Wood and Woakes conceded 112 runs in 20 overs between them up to the tea break for just one wicket – that of Head, who had looked slightly nervous on 99 when he lofted the ball over a leaping Woakes’ outstretched hand to safe ground just in front of Robinson two balls before bringing up his century on the next ball, working into the off side for two.Compounding the tourists’ decision to rest swing-bowling maestro James Anderson, Root was forced to bowl 10 overs in the first two sessions on a green top when Robinson had to leave the field with stiffness in his lower back. Robinson bowled just one over in the middle session in which Australia scored 130 runs for the loss of one wicket from 28 overs and he remained out of the attack.Green was fantastic, making it back-to-back fifties after matching his score in the second innings in Sydney. But when he fell, it came down to Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc to dig in before what started as faint drizzle set in.
Celtic are back in action in the Champions League this evening as they travel to Bergamo to take on Atalanta in their third match of the League Phase.
The Hoops are on show in the teatime kick-off later today and have a chance to bounce back from their bitterly disappointing trip to Germany in their last game in the competition.
Brendan Rodgers’ side had beaten Slovakian side Slovan 5-1 at Parkhead in their first outing in the Champions League, thanks to goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Liam Scales, Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda, and Arne Engels.
However, they were then humbled in their next clash as they were hammered 7-1 by Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in Germany, going 5-1 down by half-time.
The Northern Irish head coach must ensure that his team give a better account of themselves in this match against Atalanta and he could look to make some changes to his starting XI in order to do so.
Celtic were held to a 2-2 draw by Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership last time out, after going in 2-0 ahead at the break, and one player who should be in danger of losing their place is Daizen Maeda.
Daizen Maeda's performance against Aberdeen
The Japan international lined up on the left flank and did not do enough to justify his selection, with a poor performance against the joint-league-leaders.
He was handed a dismal player rating of 4/10 by The Scotsman, who wrote that the attacker was ‘off the pace’ in attack and partially culpable for Aberdeen’s equaliser, by giving the ball away in the build-up to the goal.
Celtic's Daizen Maeda.
Maeda was involved in the second goal for Celtic, scored by Kyogo Furuhashi, but it was far from a high-quality involvement. The winger was sent away down the left channel and scuffed a poor left-footed cross straight at the Aberdeen centre-back, who then produced a dreadful clearance straight to Reo Hatate, whose effort then deflected for the striker to score.
Outside of that, the 26-year-old dud endured a frustrating afternoon at Parkhead on Saturday and may have given Rodgers a decision to make ahead of tonight’s game.
Minutes played
65
Shots on target
0
Big chances created
0
Duels won
2/8
Successful crosses
0/2
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese dud did not make a big impact in the final third, with zero shots on target and zero ‘big chances’ created, and struggled out of possession.
He was dominated by opposition defenders, who came out on top against him in six of eight duels, and his performance against Aberdeen is one of the reasons why the winger should be brutally binned against Atalanta.
Why Daizen Maeda should be dropped
His dismal showing against the Dons was just the latest of a run of three poor performances in succession from the experienced Celtic forward.
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Before the international break, Maeda started in the 2-1 win over Ross County in Dingwall but was substituted in the 68th minute, with the Hoops 1-0 down, and that was one of the catalysts for the team’s comeback.
In that match, the attacker had three shots on goal and missed one ‘big chance’ to get his team level, as they were 1-0 down at the time, and failed with both of his attempted crosses.
The lightweight also lost five of his six duels throughout the game and this shows that, once again, opposition players found it too easy to get the better of him.
Maeda did score in the 7-1 defeat to Dortmund in the match before the trip to Ross County, but his all-round display in Germany was less than impressive.
Minutes played
90
Goals
1
Big chances created
0
Duels won
2/7
Dribbled past
3x
Error led to goal
1
As you can see in the table above, the Hoops dud was dominated physically by the Bundesliga giants and struggled defensively, making an error that directly led to a goal and being dribbled past three times.
Therefore, Rodgers must brutally ditch Maeda from the starting XI after three underwhelming performances in succession, which would open the door for James Forrest to be unleashed from the start.
What James Forrest could bring for Celtic
The veteran attacker has mainly been utilised as an impact substitute for the Scottish giants so far this season, but Maeda’s poor form could present him with a chance to come into the line-up.
He was an unused substitute in the 7-1 defeat to Dortmund, as the game was already gone at half-time at 5-1 down, but did come on to make an impact in the first Champions League game against Slovan.
Celtic winger James Forrest.
The Scotland international came off the bench against the Slovakian outfit and produced a superb through ball to split open the defence and assist Adam Idah for the fifth goal on the night.
That was his fourth assist in six appearances in all competitions at the time but he has gone four matches without a goal contribution, only starting one of those.
Forrest has shown promise in his last two appearances as a substitute for Celtic, though, with strong cameos against Ross County and Aberdeen after coming on to replace Maeda in both of those Premiership games.
Minutes played
22
27
Pass accuracy
100%
87%
Shots
4
5
Key passes
0
1
Dribbles completed
2/4
0/1
As you can see in the table above, the Scottish ace made himself a constant threat at the top end of the pitch with nine shots taken and one chance created in just 49 minutes of action.
In short, Forrest – who was hailed as “brilliant” by Rodgers – makes an impact in the final third and causes constant problems for opposition defenders with his graceful play.
Given Maeda’s poor form in recent weeks, domestically and in Europe, the manager must unleash the experienced star from the start and brutally ditch the Japan international from the starting XI.
Celtic thought they had dream Scott Brown heir, then he left for nothing
The former Celtic defensive midfielder made a strong start to life at Parkhead.
Glasgow Rangers decided to lower the average age of their playing squad over the summer transfer window by making moves in and out of Ibrox.
The Light Blues immediately cut a host of experienced stars at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, as Jon McLaughlin, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, and Kemar Roofe were allowed to depart at the end of their respective contracts.
Philippe Clement and head of recruitment Nils Koppen also allowed the likes of Connor Goldson, Todd Cantwell, Scott Wright, and Ben Davies to move on from Glasgow, albeit Davies has only left on loan to join Birmingham City for the season.
Those exits allowed the Gers to dip into the market to sign the likes of Nedim Bajrami, Hamza Igamane, Connor Barron, Jefte, and Oscar Cortes, among others.
The average age of the squad in the 2023/24 campaign was 26.2 and the work done over the course of the summer transfer window has lowered it by almost an entire year to 25.3 this term.
Their work may not be done yet, though, as the Scottish giants have been urged to part ways with another player in the January window – Rabbi Matondo.
Rangers told they should have sold Rabbi Matondo
Speaking to IbroxNews, Derek Ferguson has claimed that the Light Blues should have cashed in on the Wales international ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The former Gers man believes that the winger, who is one of the higher earners in the squad, should have been moved on from Ibrox as part of the summer exodus at Ibrox.
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He told IbroxNews: “Ah! Matondo, heâs one of the highest paid players. He gave one of his best performances against a team thatâd been beat by one of the lower-league teams, thats Spartans beating Ross County, then he had a good game against them at Hampden.
“That, plus the other moment that heâs given us was the goal against Celtic. No, Matondo should have been out the door.”
Interestingly, Rangers did have an opportunity to part ways with the former Manchester City man during the last transfer window, as Championship side Norwich City came in for him.
It was reported that the Canaries attempted to sign the forward on loan from the Scottish giants towards the end of the window, and that they saw their enquiry knocked back by the Gers.
Whilst it would only have been a temporary deal to send him to Carrow Road, that move would have given him a chance to go and play regular football.
That could, then, have attracted interest from other clubs to facilitate a permanent exit from Ibrox, either in January or next summer, whether that would have been to Norwich or another team.
Rangers must now rectify their mistake in the summer by finally ditching him in the next transfer window, as he currently earns even more than Tom Lawrence – who has enjoyed a strong start to the season.
Tom Lawrence's form this season
Another Wales international, the former Derby County playmaker has emerged as a key performer for Clement in the number ten role so far this term.
Tom Lawrence
=He has showcased his quality in the Europa League and the Scottish Premiership and has made it clear that he is ready to fight for his future at Ibrox, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.
Lawrence recently scored in the 4-1 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League and created one ‘big chance’ for his teammates before being withdrawn with an injury at half-time.
As you can see in the clip above, his razor-sharp reactions allowed him to find the back of the net to draw his side level in the game at the time.
The 30-year-old dynamo, who turns 31 in January, has also caught the eye with his impressive displays in the top-flight so far this term for Rangers.
Appearances
6
Starts
5
Goals
3
Big chances created
3
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, the former Championship star has produced six goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in five appearances in the division.
His teammates have let him down at times with their wasteful finishing as they have only scored once from the three ‘big chances’ that he has provided.
Lawrence appears to be on his way to earning an extension on his current ÂŁ22k-per-week contract, which expires next summer, as he is consistently proving his usefulness to Clement and Rangers with his strong performances in the Premiership and the Europa League.
Why Rangers should ditch Rabbi Matondo
Matondo, meanwhile, is reportedly on ÂŁ23k-per-week and the Gers must take Ferguson’s advice and move him out of the door in the January window.
As the ex-Rangers man stated, the winger enjoyed one good game against a struggling Ross County – providing two goals and two assists – but has struggled aside from that.
The Light Blues forward has not been able to enjoy a consistent run of form throughout his career at Ibrox so far, as he has endured a string of injury issues. He has missed at least 17 games, including the current campaign, in all three of his seasons in Glasgow.
Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo.
Matondo has already missed 17 matches in all competitions with a hamstring injury this term and is not expected to return to action until December, after he was absent for 19 games for club and country in the 2023/24 campaign.
Last season, the 24-year-old attacker only made 19 appearances in the Premiership for the Light Blues, which shows that he was only available for half of the league season – due to injuries.
Appearances
19
Goals
5
Assists
3
Key passes per game
0.6
Duel success rate
46%
As you can see in the table above, he did contribute with eight direct goal involvements in that time, which is a respectable return from 19 games.
However, Matondo has become a liability at Ibrox because Clement cannot rely on him to perform week-in-week-out, or to be fit for a consistent period of time during a season – as illustrated by his current injury absence.
Therefore, the Belgian boss must now brutally ditch the winger from the club in the January transfer window, if they can take advantage of potential interest from south of the border from the summer.
Rangers could make Cerny unplayable by starting Ibrox ace in new role
The Light Blues could experiment by unleashing the “outstanding” ace in a different position.
England allrounder Sam Curran has been ruled out of the ongoing IPL and the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup with a lower-back injury. His brother Tom Curran has been drafted into the England squad as his replacement and Reece Topley has also been added as travelling reserve.The Currans are currently in the UAE for IPL 2021. Sam, playing for Chennai Super Kings, complained of back pain after the match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. He did not bat and leaked 55 runs in his four overs in the game. It was only his second outing in the past three weeks.”Results of the scan revealed the injury,” an ECB release said. “He will fly back to the UK in the next couple of days and will have further scans and a full review later this week from the ECB’s medical team.”Sam has conceded 111 runs in eight wicketless overs combined in the two outings in the UAE, with the team management preferring the experience of Dwayne Bravo as a bowling allrounder.”Extremely gutted. Absolutely loved my time with Chennai this season,” Sam said in a video posted by the Super Kings. “The boys are doing extremely well. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m leaving the team in a fantastic space. The boys are playing really good cricket. I want to be supporting them from where I am the next few days. Once it’s all sunk in, I’ll definitely be supporting the team, and I’m sure they can go all the way and lift the trophy”Tom, meanwhile, is yet to feature in the second leg of the IPL for Royals. He is coming off a decent outing in the Hundred, though, picking up 10 wickets in eight matches for Oval Invincibles.Members of the England team that are currently participating in the IPL will link-up with the World Cup squad in the UAE. The non-IPL members and support staff arrived in Muscat earlier on Tuesday for a short camp. They will train for 10 days before moving to Dubai ahead of their tournament warm-up fixtures against India on September 18.Squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood Travelling reserves: Liam Dawson, Reece Topley, James Vince