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It is no secret West Ham United are struggling under Julen Lopetegui. Last week’s 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was their fourth loss in the Premier League this term as they are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table.

A clash against Manchester United awaits them this afternoon. Erik ten Hag’s men may not be in the best form either, but Lopetegui would have preferred a clash against another team surely.

During the second half against Spurs, the wheels fell off and this could see the Spaniard making a few changes.

Is it time to take a gamble with team selection? Several players have struggled of late, including Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez.

Alvarez & Rodriguez's stats vs Spurs

The Argentinian did win five of his seven duels against Spurs, yet he could only complete 75% of his passes during his time on the pitch before being subbed off with 20 minutes remaining.

Alvarez replaced the ineffective Lucas Paqueta with half an hour left during the game, but he failed to really assert any positive influence on the team.

Touches

45

Total passes

22/30

Total duels won

7 (5)

Possession lost

8

Tackles

5

Key passes

0

The midfielder lost possession five times, won just 50% of his total duels and made just 12 passes, hardly the numbers Lopetegui would have hoped for.

The duo are currently earning a staggering £175k-per-week combined, yet they aren’t delivering performances worthy of such riches at the minute.

The Spaniard has several options at his choice for a berth in the heart of the midfield. Instead of an established player, could the former Real Madrid manager turn to a youngster who could offer some much-needed dynamism to his starting XI?

The teenager who should be unleashed by Julen Lopetegui

Still just 18 years old, Lewis Orford has been making waves with the U21 side recently, emerging as a standout player coming through the academy.

Since the 2020/21 season, Orford has made a total of 94 appearances for both the U21 and U18 teams, scoring 19 goals and registering 30 assists, a wonderful haul by the youngster.

The teenager signed his first professional contract with the club in February 2023 and was immediately hailed by Academy Manager Kenny Brown, who said: “Lewis has been with the Academy since he was five-years-old and this news will make many people very happy. His development over this period has been impressive and he is now performing to a high level with the U18s and U21s.”

Over the previous two seasons, Orford has made the matchday squad on no fewer than ten occasions, yet he has still to make his senior debut.

There is no doubting his potential and considering how poor the midfield has looked in recent weeks, perhaps now is the right time to unleash him for his senior debut, with the teenager currently in fine form with four assists to his name in 2024/25.

A baptism of fire, indeed, it would be for the young Englishman, but with the Hammers struggling, a fresh injection of youth could be what is needed.

Rodriguez upgrade: West Ham battling to land star to finally replace Rice

West Ham are already eyeing up reinforcements ahead of January.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 25, 2024

West Ham United’s next fixture could be a decisive one for Julen Lopetegui, as his side take on Everton in the Premier League. The Hammers currently sit 14th in the league on 11 points, winning three times, drawing twice, and losing on five occasions in the opening ten games.

Everton are currently sitting 16th in the Premier League, acquiring nine points from their opening fixtures. The Hammers lost in this fixture last season, with Everton beating them 1-0 at home before West Ham replied with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park.

West Ham take on the Toffees this weekend at the London Stadium, and a loss could be enough to get Lopetegui the sack after his poor start to the new campaign, despite being heavily backed in the transfer market this summer.

Lopetegui's reign so far

The 58-year-old has had an array of jobs around Spain, Portugal and England now, most notably managing Real Madrid, Porto, Sevilla, Wolves, and the Spanish National team, all before his appointment as West Ham boss.

Lopetegui’s longest reign came in his time at Sevilla, taking charge of 170 matches and averaging a points-per-match ratio of 1.85.

In this time, the Spaniard managed to win the UEFA Europa League in the 2019/20 season, beating Inter Milan 3-2 in the final.

Rayo Vallecano

2

0.50

RM Castilla

38

1.66

Spain U20

11

2.45

Spain U19

18

2.44

Spain U21

19

2.89

FC Porto

78

2.24

Spain

20

2.40

Real Madrid

14

1.43

Sevilla

170

1.85

Wolves

27

1.30

The Spanish manager’s biggest failure was his job at Real Madrid, only managing 14 games in charge before he was replaced by Santiago Solari. Real Madrid went on to finish third in La Liga that season (2018/19), never truly recovering from their poor start under Lopetegui.

But the possession-based coach ended up at West Ham after a successful spell with Sevilla, and a good short stint with Wolves, where he managed to average +50% possession with a bottom-half side in the Premier League, which was seemingly a big reason Lopetegui got the job for the Hammers.

Despite improving West Ham’s possession numbers, going from an average of 40.5% last season to an average of 44.9% this season (a rise of 4.4%), the overall level of performance has been poor, and a loss against Everton at the weekend could be enough to tip the scales, and see Lopetegui sacked after just a few months in charge.

Potential replacements are already being linked, and one man who could be on West Ham’s radar, would be following suit with the most recent Premier League appointment, Ruben Amorim of Manchester United, in trading Portugal for England.

Notably linked with the Irons over the summer, he’s now heading in the direction of Old Trafford.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast's Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

West Ham could hire manager from Portugal

According to reports from talkSPORT, West Ham are likely to make contact with Portuguese manager, Sergio Conceicao, if they do decide to sack Lopetegui.

The ex-Porto boss has been described as “fantastic” by journalist Jerry Mancini, who further labelled him a “first-class manager”.

The 49-year-old has managed Olhanense, Coimbra, SC Braga, Vitoria Guimaraes, FC Nantes, and, of course, FC Porto. Conceicao spent seven years in charge of Porto, managing 368 games, and averaging 2.29 points per game.

Conceicao often deploys a 4-2-3-1, with his wingers playing high and wide, his full-backs contributing on both sides of the ball, a more protective double pivot in central midfield, with a creative number ten, who can float and link play between the lines.

In their most recent season (2023/24), Porto averaged 63.6% possession, the highest in Liga Portugal, ahead of Benfica and league winners, Sporting.

This is a great sign for West Ham, as they would still be getting the type of manager they wanted to build towards a more possession-heavy side, who controls the tempo of a game.

This change could be a welcome one for West Ham fans, as not only would it freshen things up, and bring a better overall vibe around the club, but a few existing stars could thrive better in Conceicao’s system, which could see them return to top form.

Which players would benefit from Conceicao's appointment

The first big one who could benefit is attacking midfielder, Lucas Paqueta. The 27-year-old has made 12 appearances for Lopetegui so far this season, scoring two goals, but yet to provide an assist in his 787 minutes played.

The creative passing of Paqueta is one of, if not his best attributes, and getting the best out of him is likely to have a positive correlation with the success of the team.

In Conceicao’s system, Paqueta would play as the floating number ten, able to link play between the lines and find himself in pockets of space where he can affect the game, as opposed to having to come deeper to aid build-up in Lopetegui’s system.

From last season, Paqueta’s progressive carries, progressive passes, key passes, and shot-creating actions are all down, and by unleashing him in a more natural and free role, he could take West Ham’s level back up a notch.

Another player who could benefit from the appointment is 18-year-old midfielder, Lewis Orford, as Conceicao would want to add more mobility in the middle of the park, with a good blend of on-ball qualities in order to release Paqueta further forwards.

Alongside the other defensive midfield options such as Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez, and Tomas Soucek, it is likely Conceicao would want a more mobile duel winner, and the height, mobility, and press resistance of Orford could be a brilliant profile to bring into the fray for the Portuguese coach.

Overall, the 49-year-old would be a very astute appointment for the Hammers, bringing in an experienced manager, who has implemented possession football at previous clubs, and has the character to match.

West Ham could replace Lopetegui with "genius" who played for the Irons

Lopetegui could be replaced at West Ham by “tactical genius” who was in the academy

ByConnor Holden Nov 7, 2024

Chasing 202, Galle Gladiators came undone in the face of Kings’ superb attack after Danushka Gunathilaka’s 54

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Dec-2021Avishka Fernando and Rahmanullah Gurbaz put on a manic opening stand in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2021 final against Galle Gladiators, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik, and Thisara Perera muscled Jaffna Kings to a total of 201 for 3, and then their superb attack closed the match down.On Thursday, Maheesh Theekshana (arguably the best bowler in the tournament) and Jayden Seales (the best quick of the LPL) went for runs, as Danushka Gunathilaka produced a fearsome opening salvo, that set Gladiators’ chase off to a rocket-fueled start. But Kings have a lot of good bowlers, one of whom is Wanindu Hasaranga. He produced a vital double-strike, and an excellent spell overall. Suranga Lakmal and Chaturanga de Silva also delivered tight spells.Related

LPL: Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Imran Tahir, Jayden Seales headline ESPNcricinfo's team of the tournament

Gladiators were tenacious, but Kings defended their total comfortably, winning by 23 runs.There has been a controversial ownership change since the last LPL, but Jaffna have now won the first two LPLs. Thisara Perera has led them to both victories. Theekshana, Hasaranga, and Lakmal have been valuable assets to both campaigns. And for the second year, former Sri Lanka batter Thilina Kandamby has put together an excellent squad, and been at the helm of the best tactical side of the competition.Gurbaz’s opening salvo
Gurbaz had had a mediocre first five matches of the LPL, but caught fire towards the end of the tournament, and was in outstanding striking form in the powerplay again. He got his first boundary thanks to a misfield at point at the end of the first over, but then exploded, hitting three straight sixes and a four off his next seven deliveries, to get the Kings’ innings into a high gear, from which it never really switched down. He eventually holed out against the canny left-arm spin of Samit Patel, but his 35 off 18 was instrumental in Kings reaping 61 in the powerplay.Fernando motors to another fifty
Having hit arguably the tournament’s best innings against Dambulla Giants, in the qualifier on Tuesday, Fernando produced another impressive innings in the final, to keep Kings’ momentum going through the early middle overs. He had not been a slouch in the powerplay, hitting five boundaries, but continued to be effective against Gladiators’ spinners, clearing the boundary against Patel and later the legspin of Pulina Tharanga. When Nuwan Thushara had him caught at deep midwicket for 63 off 41 in the 13th over, Kings were still motoring at around 10 an over.Kohler-Cadmore and Perera finish off
Kings’ top five have been ruthless through the course of the tournament, and they are all the batters they needed to use to get to yet another total of over 200. Kohler-Cadmore’s 57 not out off 41 helped the side push on through the middle overs. And then Thisara, the most explosive batter of the tournament, hit two sixes and a four at the start of the final over, to collect 17 not out off nine balls.Mendis and Gunathilaka give Kings a scare
Kusal Mendis and Gunathilaka, both of whom are currently suspended from national duty, had points to prove in the LPL, and Mendis at least has provided reason for Sri Lanka’s selectors to consider him again once he becomes available, top-scoring in the league, with his 327 runs at a strike rate of 149. Today, though, it was Gunathilaka who was most effective, laying into Theekshana, Seales, and Lakmal in the first four overs of the powerplay, to hit an outstanding 54 off 21 balls. That salvo saw Gladiators plunder 81 from the powerplay overs.Hasaranga changes the game
Such is the depth in Kings’ attack, though, that their third-best bowler this tournament has been Hasaranga, who currently sits atop the world T20I rankings. And it is he who dismissed Gunathilaka, having him caught at cover, before dismissing Ben Dunk the next ball with a googly. His fast thinking, upon receiving a throw at the non-striker’s end, also helped end the innings of Mohammad Hafeez, when he quickly threw the ball to the keeper, to find the batter short.Later in the game, his brother, Chaturanga, contributed as well, taking the wickets of Dhananjaya Lakshan and Tharanga. Wanindu took an excellent catch running back from cover to complete the dismissal for his brother.

Lionel Messi has seen more trophies added to the collection in his household, with all three of the Argentine’s sons claiming titles with Inter Miami.

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Argentine is most decorated player in historyReady to chase down more honours in 2025Sons already have their hands on trophiesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is the most decorated player of all-time, with his record-breaking haul of major honours taken to 46 in 2024 as he landed another Copa America crown with Argentina and the Supporters’ Shield at Inter Miami.

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The evergreen 37-year-old is back for more in 2025, as he enters the final year of his contract in Florida. There is the option for that deal to be extended by a further 12 months, taking Messi through a World Cup defence with his country in 2026.

DID YOU KNOW?

For now, Messi is enjoying watching his sons follow in illustrious footsteps. His wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, has shared images from the Weston Cup tournament in the Sunshine State. Thiago, Mateo and Ciro all emerged victorious in that event with their respective age groups.

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WHAT NEXT?

Messi was able to watch his children in action, giving him plenty to celebrate, and has seen his return to competitive action at Inter Miami pushed back to Wednesday evening as a CONCACAF Champions Cup clash with Sporting KC has been delayed by 24 hours due to freezing weather conditions in Kansas City.

Real Betis have received a huge boost as in-form winger Antony's red card has been rescinded in time for Saturday's clash with Real Madrid.

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Antony sent off against GetafeRed card has been rescinded on appealBrazilian available to play against Real MadridFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Antony has been playing a starring role for Betis since moving from Manchester United on loan in January after a dismal spell with the Red Devils. However, the Brazilian was hit by a blow last time out as he was shown a straight red card for a lunging tackle against Getafe, earning a ban that would have seen him miss Saturday's visit from Carlo Ancelotti's side.

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Betis appealed the red card and have now seen it rescinded, meaning Antony is free from suspension and available for selection. The Brazilian looks certain to feature against the defending Liga champions after bagging three goals and adding two assists in just six outings for Manuel Pellegrini's side since his loan move from Old Trafford.

ANTONY REACTS TO DECISION

There's no doubt that Antony and his team-mates are delighted at the news. Betis forward Isco has already described the Manchester United loanee as a "brutal talent," while the club were quick to show how Antony celebrated with his team-mates after finding out his red card had been rescinded.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REAL BETIS

Real Betis have a free week to prepare for Real Madrid's visit and should be fresh for Saturday's match. However, it's a different story for Los Blancos, who take on Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday before travelling to Seville.

The allrounder took the Belinda Clark award as Australia’s leading female player

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2022Ashleigh Gardner’s increased maturity has paved the way for her to become the first Indigenous player to claim one of Australian cricket’s top honours.Gardner, 24, was on Saturday named winner of the Belinda Clark Award, crowning her as Australia’s best female player for the past 12 months.The offspinning allrounder was told by Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley of her award on Friday night, admitting she asked him more than once if he had the right person. But Gardner’s growth over the past year means she is a more than deserving recipient.She found consistency in 2021, going from a big hitter to solid performer with 281 runs at 35.10 across all formats in the past year. She scored four half-centuries in that time, highlighted by an unbeaten 73 in a successful T20I chase in New Zealand in March.Related

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Gardner also produced her maiden Test half-century, against India, before backing it up against England in the Ashes match in Canberra – although the latter match came outside of the award voting period.Adding to Gardner’s improvement, she was in the team’s top-five run-scorers and top-three wicket-takers in each of the three formats.”I’ve certainly grown up both on and off the field,” Gardner said. “I think maturing off the field probably has an impact on my game on the field. I feel really comfortable within this side.”I’ve known what my role has been and I’ve been really clear in the direction that I need to do with either bat or ball in hand.”Gardner’s maturity has also been most evident in her bounce back in recent months. While her international success has been clear, her underwhelming WBBL with Sydney Sixers – which included a run of four consecutive ducks – left her battling mentally and needing time out after months in bubbles.She made the point to see Australia’s sports psychologist, took a few weeks out and then rebounded with a first-innings 56 and 1 for 27 with the ball in the current Test against England.”You can find yourself in some pretty dark places when you aren’t in the best form. And that was certainly me,” Gardner said. “I can openly admit that my mental health probably wasn’t great.”But I think it’s good for people’s careers to go on that slight decline to then actually find the confidence again and find the rhythm back in your batting.”Being able to go back into the [NSW] Breakers set up around a different bunch of girls was really instrumental to actually feel confident again. As soon as I got back into this [Australian] set-up, it was full faith that I would get back to where I wanted to be.”Gardner picked up 54 votes to finish clear of T20 player-of-the-year Beth Mooney (47) and ODI recipient Alyssa Healy (39).

Arsenal have opened talks with a “dominant” forward and contacted his club ahead of the looming January transfer window, with manager Mikel Arteta and co eyeing up a potential transfer opportunity for the winter.

Arsenal face Nottingham Forest in must-win game for Arteta

The Gunners are without a win in the Premier League since early October – a 3-1 victory over newly-promoted Southampton at the Emirates – and they’ve lost three out of their last four games in all competitions.

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It is a very worrying trend for Arsenal, who had been widely tipped as sure-fire favourites to clinch their first domestic title in over 20 years at the start of the campaign, and Arteta will be desperate to get his side back to winning ways.

Arsenal host Nuno Espirito Santo’s in-form Nottingham Forest this weekend, a team that have surprised everyone with their start to the 2024/2025 campaign, and their excellent form even sees them level on points with Arteta’s side heading into this encounter.

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Everton (home)

December 14

They’re no easy customers, and Arsenal will have to be at their imperious best, minus a few key personnel. Arteta is sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori, while Ben White could be out until 2025 after undergoing surgery on a knee problem.

Arsenal have been dealt consistent issues with injuries during the early stages of this season, which has threatened to derail their title hopes, with summer signing Mikel Merino and club captain Martin Odegaard also forced to sit out for long periods.

The January window represents a solution and potential weapon for Arteta to go out and seize more strength in depth for his squad. One player who has been regularly linked in the past week, via reports in the Spanish press, is Real Madrid playmaker Arda Güler.

The 19-year-old enjoyed a terrific final run of games towards the back end of 2023/2024, scoring five goals over Real’s last six La Liga matches on their run to the title, but Guler is struggling to cement a consistent place in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans this season.

Arsenal open talks with Arda Guler and contact Real Madrid

Sport have now provided an update on Arsenal’s pursuit of the Turkey international starlet. The outlet and journalist Alejandro Alcazar writes that Arsenal have opened talks with Guler via his representatives, and they’ve also contacted Real ahead of a potential loan deal for January.

Other reports have claimed that Arsenal think they can replicate Odegaard’s transfer by signing Guler, and this notion is echoed by Sport, who also state that the Norwegian’s resurrection at N5 is enough for Real’s fringe star to think about joining him.

Guler’s price tag is around £33 million, but taking him on a temporary spell would allow Arsenal to watch him in action before considering whether to spend that on a permanent deal in the summer.

“His IQ is at a high level,” said Montenegro manager Robert Prosinecki.

“He is a very dominant player with the ball. He always thinks about attacking.”

Celtic are back in action once again in the Scottish Premiership this evening as they prepare to welcome their closest rivals Aberdeen to Parkhead.

The Dons, who have played one match more, are four points behind the Hoops in the table, which means that Brendan Rodgers’ side can move seven points clear with a win tonight.

Goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Adam Idah, Callum McGregor, and Paulo Bernardo secured a 5-0 win for Celtic against Ross County on Saturday.

However, the Premiership champions and leaders must be wary of the threat that Aberdeen can pose to them this evening, particularly centre-forward Kevin Nisbet.

Kevin Nisbet's form for Aberdeen

The 27-year-old marksman, who is on loan from Millwall, scored 39 goals in 101 appearances for Hibernian in all competitions during his last spell in Scottish football.

That included a return of 12 goals in 16 outings in the Premiership for Hibs during the 2022/23 campaign, which meant that Aberdeen were bringing in a proven performer in the league.

The Spartans

League Cup

1

0

Dundee

Premiership

1

0

Hearts

Premiership

0

0

Celtic

Premiership

0

0

Dundee

Premiership

1

1

St Mirren

Premiership

0

1

Hibernian

Premiership

0

0

As you can see in the table above, Nisbet has scored three goals and provided two assists in his last seven appearances for the Dons, despite only starting four of those matches and playing just 45 minutes against Celtic.

Based on his recent form for Aberdeen, and his previously impressive goal return with Hibernian, Rodgers will need to find a way to silence the Scottish marksman.

Chalkboard

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

One way to completely silence the Dons centre-forward could be to bring USA international Auston Trusty back into the starting XI, after he was left on the bench for the win over Ross County.

Why Auston Trusty should be unleashed

The £6m summer signing from Sheffield United was selected ahead of Liam Scales for Club Brugge and Hearts games, before the manager made a host of changes to the team for the win over Ross County, including the Irish defender coming back in alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Rodgers must, now, bring Trusty back into the fold alongside his compatriot, as the American colossus could play a big role in keeping Nisbet quiet.

Appearances

7

12

Pass accuracy

95%

92%

Tackles per game

1.6

1.3

Interceptions per game

1.1

1.0

Penalties committed

0

1

Ground duels won

2.6

2.1

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star has made fewer defensive errors than Scales whilst winning more tackles, ground duels, and interceptions per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Arsenal prospect could be better suited to dealing with Aberdeen’s attacking threats, as he makes more defensive interventions to cut out attacks each match.

Trusty, who was described as “phenomenal” in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in Europe by Chris Sutton, also started in the 6-0 win over Aberdeen in the League Cup, although Nisbet did not feature in that match.

Celtic already have a "superb" Kyogo replacement and it's not Adam Idah

Brendan Rodgers may already have Celtic’s long-term replacement for Kyogo at the club.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could silence the Dons frontman, and their attack in general, by unleashing the summer signing over Scales at Parkhead tonight.

England rely on spinners to secure lead as worries persist about Robinson and Wood fitness

Cameron Ponsonby03-Mar-2022Everyday’s a school day and, as England’s interim Managing Director Andrew Strauss was so keen to stress ahead of the squad’s departure to the West Indies, this tour is all about learning.”[It’s] an opportunity to get some good young bowling talent into the environment for the first time,” Strauss said upon the squad’s announcement., “to allow some of the bowlers that have been playing a role in the team to play either a slightly different role or more of a senior leadership role.”And so as England’s bowling innings got underway against the CWI President’s XI, England’s opening bowler Ollie Robinson opened the bowling. England’s 42-Test veteran and known quantity Chris Woakes did some more bowling. Perennial first-change Craig Overton bowled first-change. And England’s spinner Jack Leach bowled some spin.It’s not so much learning as it is revising for the same exam that England failed last year.It was poignant, therefore, that England’s real learnings came when things didn’t go to plan. Mark Wood was absent due to a non-Covid-related illness and is a doubt for the first Test. And so too is Robinson who pulled up twenty minutes into the day’s play with a recurrence of the back spasm he suffered in the last Test match in Hobart.Robinson’s fitness is a real concern for England. Because at this point, what does Robinson being fit actually mean? Robinson being fit to take the field in the morning currently doesn’t mean the same as him being able to complete a day’s play. And with Stokes unable to bowl in the first Test and England therefore relying on a four-man attack, the risk of one-quarter of that breaking down on the morning of day one is substantial.”He got a back spasm, it’s not ideal,” Paul Collingwood said at the close of play. “When someone walks off like that it doesn’t look good but these kind of spasms can heal as quickly as they come. We’ll just have to assess.”Sometimes the optics of a situation are such that nuance isn’t necessary. And the sight of Robinson leaving the field and having his over finished by Saqib Mahmood was one. The right-arm seamer is dead. Long live the right-arm seamer.The absence of Wood and Robinson did, however, allow England to do some learning and have a look at Mahmood and Matt Fisher with the ball.Noticeably sharper than the rest of the attack, Mahmood appeared the most threatening of the seamers from his seven overs, whilst Fisher struggled to find his feet initially before settling in and bowling consecutive maidens. If a spot in England’s bowling attack does become available next week, Mahmood is the obvious man to step up and complete a full house of international debuts.Related

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However, the elephant not in the room was wickets. Between England’s five seamers, only one wicket came in the 54 overs they sent down, with it being left to the spin of Leach, who claimed 4 for 64, as well as Joe Root and Dan Lawrence to take the bulk of the wickets. The seamers’ struggles were best exemplified by CWI President’s XI No.9 Colin Archibald slogging Overton over long-on for a six. Overton, in his quest for revenge, sent down an attempted bouncer which Archibald proceeded to pull even further. As a start to life without Stuart Broad or Jimmy Anderson goes, it was an ominous showing.”We’re not going to panic,” Collingwood said, when asked if there was a temptation to call up any unnamed replacements. “It was a great opportunity for Saqi to come in and bowl some overs today. Even Fish to bowl some. We have got ready replacements in terms of a squad of 16.”In mitigation, this is an extremely docile pitch and, of the five men in the CWI President’s XI top seven to have played international cricket, it was Raymon Reifer who scored an excellent 106 from No.5. Reifer is not currently in the West Indies Test squad, having made his solitary appearance back in 2017, but on this showing it would be no surprise if he were to feature later in the series.Nevertheless, it was a day that served only to reinforce the long-held concern about England’s bowling attack, that they’re a very well polished, but ultimately blunt object. An oak dining table that looks right at home in the stately surroundings of Lord’s, but is an absolute pain in the arse to try and transport anywhere outside NW8.In reply, England were 77 for 3 at the close, a lead of 279.

Hollywood star and club co-owner opens up as to why fans should support the Cherries

Jordan expresses admiration for Andoni Iraola's managerial stylePraises Tyler Adams and young talent Matai Akinmboni's potentialCreed star owns a minority share of the alongside Kosmos founder Nullah Sarker.Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Michael B. Jordan, the Hollywood actor and Bournemouth AFC investor, recently shared his thoughts on the club's progress and why fans from the U.S. and other countries should support . The Creed star went on to praise not just American midfielder Tyler Adams and rising star Matai Akinmboni but also added that Adoni Iraola is the reason why Bournemouth are doing so well this term. Jordan's comments came in an interview with TST as he admitted that the Cherries head coach is “amazing” and that the club has a great team in place which has helped them succeed.

"We have some really really great players, representing by the US, you know Tyler Adams, our midfielder, he’s amazing. He’s consistently making game-changing plays and impact since he’s gotten back from his injury. So it’s been really cool to kind of see him get back into a rhythm and make an impact on the team. And, we got some real promise in some players, I think Matai? I think he hasn’t played in a match just yet but his future is really really bright and we’re really excited about him," Jordan told TST.

“I mean, I don’t think it’s just one thing but I think our leadership, our manager [Andoni Iraola] is just f**king amazing. You know, I think the players respond to him. I think he leads by example. I think being a [former] player himself, he’s been there before so I think there’s a relatability, you know what I’m saying of being like a former player coaching in a way that I think players have been really tapping into.”

AdvertisementWHAT MICHAEL B. JORDAN SAIDTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Soccer Tournament (TST) is a 7v7 championship with a $1M winner-take-all prize and will be played in North Carolina from June 4 to 9 and Bournemouth are set to participate in the tournament. Michael B. Jordan will play a role in the Cherries team while American international Tyler Adams will be the team’s “head of recruitment”.

“This is a great way to watch the Cherries in the U.S. at the biggest 7v7 festival there is,” said Jordan in a statement issued by the team.

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Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

Bournemouth have been in fine stride this season and currently sit seventh on the Premier League table, as they battle it out for a place in Europe next season. The Cherries are only two points behind fifth place Chelsea and four behind fourth-place Manchester City ahead of Matchweek 28. Andoni Iraola’s side face Tottenham in London next before returning to the Vitality Stadium to host Brentford in Matchweek 29.