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The fast bowler left the IPL early but has since returned to bowling ahead of the WTC final and Ashes

Andrew McGlashan22-May-2023Josh Hazlewood, who has missed substantial Test cricket over the last couple of years through injury, flew home early from the IPL after reporting side soreness although scans in Australia did not show any damage. He has since returned to bowling ahead of the squad’s departure to the UK at the end of the week for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the Ashes.Hazlewood played the last of his three games for Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 9 and bowled a total of nine overs in IPL 2023.”Josh Hazlewood returned home from the IPL last weekend after experiencing minor side soreness after the completion of his most recent IPL match,” a CA spokesperson said.Related

• Neser looms as World Test Championship reinforcement amid Hazlewood's tight turnaround

• Hazlewood on injury layoff: 'It just happens to be at the wrong time of the year'

• Michael Neser's four-wicket haul keeps Ashes selectors interested

• Why Australia could have the advantage in the World Test Championship final

• Renshaw's moment of clarity on way to Ashes tour selection

“After a brief and precautionary rest period, Hazlewood returned to high intensity bowling last week and will continue to increase his bowling workloads in preparation for the WTC and Ashes series. Hazlewood is considered fit and available for the WTC and Ashes Series.”Following a delayed arrival, Hazlewood’s IPL stint had been his return to action after his tour of India ended early due to an Achilles injury he sustained against South Africa at the SCG in January. That, itself, had been a comeback game after he suffered a side strain against West Indies in Perth, having also gone down with one during the 2021-22 Ashes in which he missed four of the Tests.Since the start of that England series, Hazlewood has only been able to play four Tests, although in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, that was due to the balance of Australia’s side where they included the extra spinner.He was excellent on his return against South Africa earlier this year where he was potent with reverse swing and claimed five wickets in the match. When Hazlewood was selected at the SCG in place of Scott Boland as one of two quicks it showed that he remained in a first-choice attack. In England he has taken 36 wickets at 23.58 from eight Tests.Over that same period where his Tests have been limited, Hazlewood’s stature as a T20 bowler has risen enormously and he reached No. 1 in the rankings in June 2022 after helping Australia win the T20 World Cup for the first time.However, before the Sydney Test last summer he spoke about the challenges of preparing for Test cricket as a multi-format bowler”If you have to focus on either a strength period or bowl a few more balls at training when you are playing with the white ball, at the detriment of maybe not being 100 percent for those games, then it puts you in a better place for a Test series that follows,” he said. “Just little things like that we’re talking about with coaches or medical staff. That will be something I’ll look to do in the next little period.”While Australia are confident of having dodged a significant injury concern just days before leaving for the UK, they do have extra resources to call on if needed. Michael Neser and Sean Abbott, who have been playing for Glamorgan and Surrey respectively, will link up with the squad for their training camp ahead of the WTC final against India.Neser rounded off the most recent Championship match against Sussex with a century having previously taken a career-best 7 for 32, including a hat-trick, against Yorkshire.Australia initially named a 17-player squad for the tour but that needs to be trimmed to 15 names for the final by May 28.As has become the norm for them there is no tour match in the lead-up with the squad instead training at Beckenham, south of London, ahead of the final lead-in to facing India on June 7. All six Tests on the tour are played in less than two months.

Mason Greenwood conjured up a moment of magic for Marseille against Toulouse, with the ex-Manchester United forward scoring a 20-yard screamer.

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• Had gone three games without a goal
• Now up to 16 for the season in Ligue 1
• Transfer talk ahead of summer window

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 23-year-old winger has seen his attitude called into question over recent weeks, with Roberto De Zerbi taking to dropping his leading goalscorer from Ligue 1 starting XIs. Greenwood offered the perfect response to those critics in his latest outing.

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  Marseille required inspiration from somewhere against Toulouse having suffered defeat in their last three fixtures, and four of their last five. Greenwood helped to get them over the line in a five-goal thriller, which the hosts won 3-2 at Stade Velodrome.

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Greenwood’s special strike was crashed into the top corner just before the hour mark, as he collected the ball on the right of the box, drifted past one challenge and fired a stunning right-footed effort beyond the reach of Guillaume Restes.

Manchester City are considering signing an £80 million “monster” defender this January, according to a new report.

Man City transfer news

A late 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday will have sent shockwaves through the City dressing room and will also have surprised manager Pep Guardiola, who now could have eyes on certain players he would like to bring in during January to get his side’s campaign back on track.

The midfield department is a key area that needs addressing, as the fact that Rodri has suffered a season-ending injury and İlkay Gündoğan looks to be struggling since his return, means City’s midfield has looked overrun at times.

It has emerged recently that the Blues are interested in signing Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich. The Germany star could be available for as little as £10 million in January, as his contract expires at the end of the season.

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AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is also a player who is on Man City’s transfer radar ahead of next month, and reports have revealed that they are preparing an offer of £40 million+ in a bid to persuade him to swap Milan for Manchester.

Not only is midfield a concern, but City also failed to replace Julian Alvarez in the summer, and that could be addressed this January, as they are weighing up a move to sign Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG. The Blues are showing genuine interest in a deal, and informal contacts have been made through intermediaries to get an understanding of the current situation.

Man City considering £80m Jarrad Branthwaite signing

It looks as though all areas of the team could be strengthened in January, as City also have eyes on a new centre-back. According to TBR Football, Manchester City are considering the signing of Jarrad Branthwaite this January.

The 22-year-old, who has been dubbed a “monster” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been at Goodison Park since January 2020, when he was snapped up by the Premier League side after impressing at Carlisle United as a young defender. Last season, Branthwaite established himself as part of Everton’s starting XI, playing 35 times in the Premier League and scoring three goals in the process, and his performances were recognised, as he won an international cap for England.

Branthwaite has continued to impress this season, despite missing the start of the campaign through injury, and he has now emerged on Man City’s radar. The report states that the Blues could look to make a move for the England defender in January, as they try to turn their fortunes around.

City are taking a “keen interest” in Branthwaite, who is under contract at Everton until 2027 and has rejected the chance of signing a new contract at the club. The prospective new Everton owners, The Friedkin Group, hope their ambitions for the future will persuade the central defender to stay, but have made no progress yet.

Manchester United have been long-term admirers of Branthwaite, while Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in signing the young defender, but City’s plan to make a move in January could see them win the race ahead of their city rivals. It would be a costly transfer, as Everton value the defender in the region of £80 million.

Plays of the day from the fifth ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Hambantota

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jul-2015The first touch
Umpire Ian Gould has worn his share of balls this tour, but he has rarely done so with as much skill as he managed in the 14th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. Kusal Perera’s cut off Imad Wasim was headed for the space between Gould’s legs, but instead of being nutmegged, Gould moved his right leg and stopped the ball in its tracks, just like a Barcelona Football Club forward would control a fast pass from the midfield. Unlike a footballer, though, Gould resisted flopping about on the ground after being hit on the shin.The shy
Anwar Ali was aggressive and demonstrative in his first spell, but he might have had slightly better figures if he had not been so hostile in the 10th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. Fielding a gentle push in his follow-through, Anwar aimed the ball at the batsman, who was well back in his crease, and let fly, missing the stumps by a distance and the wicketkeeper by almost as much. The ball went fine of long leg as well, and wound up costing the bowler and his team four unnecessary runs.The throw
It’s rare enough for Sri Lanka’s infielders to run a batsman out, but when a fast bowler removes a batsman with a throw from the boundary, you know the stars have aligned. Running around from third man, the normally ungainly Suranga Lakmal bent down, picked up and threw in one fluid motion. He found off stump with no interference from the wicketkeeper, to have Sarfraz Ahmed well short.The blows
Having found no reply to Kusal’s controlled aggression on Sunday, Pakistan’s bowlers managed to at least rough him up a little, maybe contributing to his eventual dismissal. In the 26th over, Rahat Ali dug in a short ball that followed an arching Kusal and struck him in the helmet grille. A little shaken up by that, Kusal progressed to a hundred, but wore a yorker flush on the boot a few overs later. He got medical attention in both instances, and the injury to his foot may have prevented him from making his ground when he was run out later in that same over.

All three matches at the venue so far have produced 200-plus first-innings totals, so expect more fireworks

Alagappan Muthu28-Apr-20235:32

Muzumdar: Jason Roy has improved his spin game

Big picture: Will we witness Rinku magic again?

There isn’t a lot to talk about when talking about this game, is there? Just kidding. Where my Rinku fans at?Living up to that epic night three weeks ago is not going to be possible. 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 to win a game feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event.And in any case, both teams will want to focus on making the game as boring as possible. That sounds like a blasphemous way to build up to an IPL match, especially one that pits a side that kept defying the odds all the way to the title last year and one that has produced this year’s most outrageous result.But here’s the thing. Both Gujarat Titans (7 games) and Kolkata Knight Riders (8) have had enough of a go at this to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how to play to them. In other words, their experience will help them manage difficult situations better, instead of letting them go so far that they end up needing a miracle.

Form guide

Gujarat Titans: WWLWL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: WLLLL

Team news

KKR’s Litton Das left the IPL on Friday to attend to a medical emergency in his family in Bangladesh.Shubman Gill batting deep into the innings could enable Titans to mitigate the KKR mystery spin threat•BCCI

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Kolkata has not been kind to fast bowlers, so Titans, who have barely had to use Rahul Tewatia’s legspin, might decide to give him a proper run here. They’re also likely to swap Shubman Gill for Josh Little or Alzarri Joseph when they have to bring in their Impact Player.Gujarat Titans possible XII: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 , 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 KKR will be pleased to see Jason Roy finding form. With Venkatesh Iyer and Suyash Sharma settling into life as Impact Subs, they aren’t short on options. They’ll want their quicks to buck up, though. With just 13 wickets at an average of 55.5 and an economy rate of 11.5, they are the worst-performing seam unit in the competition.Kolkata Knight Riders possible XII: 1 N Jagadeesan (wk), 2 Jason Roy, 3 , 4 Nitish Rana (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Andre Russell, 7 David Wiese, 8 Vaibhav Arora, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12

Stats that matter

• Andre Russell is averaging 18 – his second-lowest in an IPL season – with five single-digit scores in eight innings. Not the best time to come up against Rashid Khan, who has dismissed him five times in 39 balls for 54 runs in T20 cricket.
• 3.6 vs 13.8. Those are Rinku Singh’s balls-per-boundary numbers against pace and spin this season. So if you’re the Titans captain, do the right thing. Don’t give him pace.
• Shubman Gill has an average of 59.2 and a strike rate of 143 against spin since IPL 2022. His batting deep into the innings might enable Titans to mitigate KKR’s mystery spin threat.
• Though right now one of them is not feeling so great. Sunil Narine has an economy rate of 8.9 in IPL 2023. Never in the history of this tournament has he been so expensive. Also, he hasn’t picked up a wicket for five matches straight. That’s another first for him in the IPL.
• Hardik Pandya has a strike rate of 102 against pace this season. This is the second-lowest among all batters who have faced at least 50 balls.

Pitch and conditions

Eden Gardens, after hosting three matches in this year’s IPL, has produced an average first-innings score of 222. It is the highest out of all the grounds on show in the tournament. So expect a few runs. Spin has offered a bit of respite, though – 21 wickets at an economy rate of 8.7 (versus 10.9 for pace) and a strike rate of 15.6, which is another season-topping metric among the grounds this IPL.

Henry's last match was the 4-0 thrashing of Chivas in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Clásico Nacional, played on March 12

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• Martín is suffering from tendonitis in his Achilles tendon.

• He will miss the matches against Tigres, Cruz Azul, and Pachuca.

• The forward is doubtful for the return leg against Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  América captain Henry Martín will be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a lingering Achilles injury. The forward has been dealing with the issue for months and hasn’t been at full strength since the start of the year. His absence means he will miss Liga MX matches against Tigres and Pachuca, as well as the first leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinals against Cruz Azul.

  It is unlikely that Martín will recover in time for the second leg on April 8, and his availability for América’s Liga MX match against Cruz Azul on April 12 (Matchday 15) remains uncertain. Manager André Jardine will have to wait and see if his captain can return in time.

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  A few weeks ago, the forward consulted a specialist in Guadalajara, who recommended that he stop and undergo a month of rehabilitation to return fully recovered.

  Martín currently has his leg immobilized with an orthopedic boot, and although he is receiving daily rehabilitation at Coapa, for now, he cannot engage in any football-related activities.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT VÍCTOR DÁVILA SAID

  "A shame, we hope to have all our teammates available for the end of the tournament, but we're calm because the coach has handled it well. We've had rotations, and we have a wide enough squad to cover every position," Davila said of Martin's injury. "Each player has contributed good things in the attack, and André Jardine has managed the pieces well and distributed each player accordingly. What we expect is that Henry can recover properly, and it will be up to us to do our part and cover for his absence."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Injuries have impacted Martin's performance this season. The forward has only been able to play nine matches this year between Liga MX and the Champions Cup, where he has scored just once and registered three assists. Martín has a total of 115 goals in matches with América and is currently in fourth place on the list of the club's all-time top scorers.

Quinton de Kock has also linked up with Super Giants but who will make way for him?

Hemant Brar06-Apr-20234:47

Moody: Stick with Mayers and bat him at No. 3

Big picture

Kyle Mayers was part of Lucknow Super Giants’ squad in IPL 2022 but didn’t get a game. Had Quinton de Kock not been on national duty, Mayers wouldn’t have started this season either. But now he has two swashbuckling half-centuries in two games to give Super Giants a happy headache.With de Kock available and having smashed a 44-ball 100 against West Indies recently, do Super Giants drop Mayers? That will be sacrilegious. If they play both, who sacrifices the opening slot? Plus, who misses out in that case – Nicholas Pooran or Marcus Stoinis? Pooran made useful contributions in both games, while Stoinis gives them an extra bowling option, even though he is yet to bowl this IPL.After starting their campaign with a win at home, Super Giants went down to Chennai Super Kings in their next match. Now that they are back in Lucknow, can they return to winning ways?Sunrisers Hyderabad too are coming off a defeat; they were thrashed by Rajasthan Royals in their opening game. But there are plenty of reasons for Sunrisers to put that hammering behind them, the biggest being the availability of their South African players.Related

• Kyle Mayers had one shot, and he didn't let it slip

For the Royals game, they were without their captain Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen. Now that the trio has joined the squad, they have all eight overseas players to pick from. And like de Kock, all three carry excellent form with them.

Team news

Both teams get reinforcements with their South African players who were part of the Netherlands series available now. Apart from Super Giants’ Mohsin Khan, there are no known injury concerns.

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
With de Kock a shoo-in, Stoinis may have to miss out. When it comes to Impact Player, Super Giants could start with Ayush Badoni if they are batting first. Jaydev Unadkat or Yash Thakur could replace him in the second innings. Vice versa if they are bowling first.Probable bat-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mark WoodProbable bowl-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Avesh Khan, 9 Jaydev Unadkat/Yash Thakur, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mark WoodAiden Markram will take over the captaincy from Bhuvneshwar Kumar•BCCI

Sunrisers Hyderabad
Given Klaasen’s recent form, and that he is a regular wicketkeeper, he could replace Glenn Phillips in the starting XI. Jansen may have to wait for his turn, though.Abdul Samad and Kartik Tyagi could be Sunrisers’ Impact Player pair.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Harry Brook, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T NatarajanProbable bowl-first XI: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram (capt), 5 Harry Brook, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Adil Rashid, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Umran Malik, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Kartik Tyagi

Stats that matter

• Since the start of the last IPL, Super Giants have won eight out of nine games when batting first. But when it comes to chasing, they have won only two out of eight.
• Mayers’ strike rate against pace is 149.54. But against spin, it drops down to 103.15.
• Pooran has a great strike rate against both pace and spin, but Adil Rashid has been able to keep him quiet. In 36 balls to Pooran, he has conceded just 31 runs while getting him out twice.
• Since the start of 2022, Mark Wood has picked up a wicket every eighth ball.

Pitch and conditions

Teams batting first have fared slightly better at this venue, with 17 wins and 14 defeats from 31 T20s. When it comes to bowling, spinners (6.49) have been more frugal than fast bowlers (7.87).

Amid rumours linking Xabi Alonso with the Real Madrid managerial role, the Bayer Leverkusen boss is set to announce a decision on his future.

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• Alonso to announce decision on future
• Heavily tipped to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid
• Italian's future in Spain remains unclear

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to a report from , Alonso is set to reveal his plans for next season in a press conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon. During the session, he will field questions from the media ahead of Bayer Leverkusen's upcoming clash with VfL Bochum. It is suggested that Alonso will confirm he is staying with the German club for the 2025-26 season amid interest from Real Madrid.

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  Carlo Ancelotti is under contract with Real Madrid until 2026, but his future with the club could be in jeopardy if he fails to secure either La Liga title or the Champions League this season. However, the Los Blancos will hold off on any decisions regarding the final year of his deal until those outcomes are determined. While Alonso is widely considered a potential successor and discussions have reportedly taken place with his representatives, Leverkusen are eager for clarity on Alonso's future to continue their preparations for next season.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  If Alonso decides to leave Bayer Leverkusen, he risks having to wait for Ancelotti's departure. Meanwhile, if Alonso stays at Leverkusen and Ancelotti is sacked this summer, Real Madrid might be forced explore other options, putting Alonso’s future in the hands of the potential new coach’s performance. It’s also not an ideal time for Alonso to take over, as the Club World Cup would likely delay his start until mid-July.

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR XABI ALONSO?

  After being knocked out of the Champions League by domestic rivals Bayern Munich, Alonso's men remain in the hunt for both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles, which they claimed last season. Die Werkself's next fixture is a Bundesliga clash against Bochum on Friday, followed by a cup semi-final clash against Arminia Bielefeld next Tuesday, April 1. Leverkusen are currently in second position in the league table, six points behind Bayern with just eight games to go.

The cricket world reacts to the incidents of bottle-throwing during the second India-South Africa T20 in Cuttack that caused two interruptions in play

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-20151:45

Agarkar: Crowd reaction was disgraceful

The crowds may be upset with the way India played this evening but the way they are behaving is very disappointing. #IndvsSA

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 5, 2015

What a shame ! When we win all is good when we loosing is that how u behave ? Pl show some respect to your players and respect the game

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 5, 2015

Sad to see the reputation of Odisha brought down because of few morons. #INDvSA #disgusting

— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) October 5, 2015

Really sad and disappointing behaviour from fans in cuttack tonight! Scenes that should not be seen at sporting grounds. #SAvsIND

— Graeme Smith (@GraemeSmith49) October 5, 2015

Disgusting scenes in Cuttack…. So many Venues in India…. Easy punishment…Don't let them host internationals for a few years…#SAvIND

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 5, 2015

Disgraceful scenes in Cuttack. Nobody has a right to throw bottles onto the ground. Crowd performance worse than that of the players.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 5, 2015

Fans make heroes out of sportsmen alright, but they can't let the country down with bad behaviour when their heroes let them down #IndvsSA

— wv raman (@wvraman) October 5, 2015

How would you like if people threw bottles at you after a bad day at office? Idiots are everywhere…some have made it to the ground #IndvSA

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 5, 2015

Chelsea continue to go from strength to strength, beating Southampton 5-1, and becoming the top scorers in the Premier League this season with 31 goals. Strikes from Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho secured the points for the Blues.

The visitors to the South Coast held 55% possession, taking 26 shots in the game, and creating 12 big chances. This victory for Chelsea took them to second in the Premier League, ahead of Arsenal now on goal difference, and seven points behind Liverpool, who lead the pack.

interestingly, Enzo Maresca made yet another tactical adjustment for this game to give Chelsea the edge, forming a new shape on the ball.

Maresca's tactical tweak

Chelsea set up in a 4-2-3-1 on paper, making seven changes from the team that beat Aston Villa at the weekend. Rotation is something we have seen regularly from Maresca, often making 11 changes in cup competitions.

Against the Saints, Chelsea set up in a 2-2-5-1 on the ball, looking to overload Southampton’s back five in the last line with six forwards (five behind the striker). This allowed the Blues to still retain a man advantage in their build-up (2-2 base vs Southampton’s three-man front press), whilst also overloading their back line with six against five.

This tactical tweak from Maresca saw Chelsea record the highest xG total by a team away from home in the Premier League since these stats were recorded (2008/09). The Blues generated 5.29 xG, scoring five goals, and creating 12 big chances.

Chelsea managed to get Palmer, Joao Felix and Enzo Fernandez into dangerous areas on the ball, popping up in both wide and central zones, with the freedom to rotate in the half spaces and put their print on the game, which was seen by the performances of all three.

With Felix and Fernandez on either side of him, Palmer had the most freedom to roam into either side of the pitch, link play, and find himself in dangerous areas around the box, which saw him get his goal around the 76th minute, just before he was subbed off.

Chalkboard

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

Cole Palmer's performance in numbers

So far this season, Palmer has made 16 appearances so far this season, with 14 of those appearances coming from this preferred central zone Maresca has found for him, rather than the right-wing, where he often played under Mauricio Pochettino last season. In those 16 games, the 22-year-old has scored nine goals and provided six assists, totalling 1,260 minutes.

Giving your best players the freedom to roam and pick up the ball in different areas of the pitch will always keep the opposition guessing, and when you have an asset like Palmer who isn’t just effective in the final third but is also brilliant at progressing play and helping in the build-up phase, this central role is absolutely perfect for him.

As always, the England international was decisive with his touches, creating chances for his teammates, and then getting his goal by ghosting into the box to finish a chance carved by Nkunku, who chopped inside and looked to slot the ball into the net, for Palmer to come and tap it in, making sure of the goal.

One player he has been linking up with brilliantly on the right side of the field is Noni Madueke, who is showing signs of becoming Chelsea’s answer to Mohamed Salah.

Chelsea's very own Salah

Madueke has taken huge strides to become a key figure for the Blues this season, making 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals, providing two assists, and totalling 1,066 minutes.

Against Southampton, Madueke caught the eye with his goal and assist. He also had 58 touches, made a key pass, completed three crosses, succeeded with two of his four dribble attempts, and took seven shots, five of which were on target.

His overall impact on the game was key, as he was often the outlet in wide areas, finding 1v1 isolations with Ryan Manning and looking to make something happen by being direct.

When comparing the metrics of the players above, the standout difference is the output of Salah, who is scoring 0.79 goals, assisting 0.63 goals, and generating 0.66 xG per 90. His decision-making is at the elite level, compared to Madueke, who is still finding his way in this regard.

The similarities, however, are definitely there, as both are very direct on their right flank, making penetrative runs in behind, driving the ball into the penalty area (something Madueke is actually doing at an even higher rate than Salah this season), and most importantly, having a high shot-volume.

Both Madueke and Salah are often the outlet for their teams, who like to work the ball through the thirds, before finding them in these wide right zones, to isolate them 1v1 with a fullback, and give them the best possible platform to create something for either themselves, or their teammates.

The persistence and direct nature of Madueke is what makes him a nightmare for defenders, and if he continues to add extra G/A to his game, as he has shown signs of so far this season, he could well be Chelsea’s very own Salah.

100% duels won, 97% passing: Chelsea star was even better than Nkunku

Chelsea’s 7/10 ace was even better than Nkunku against Southampton.

By
Connor Holden

Dec 5, 2024