All posts by h716a5.icu

It's the 1st of April, 2023, and Liverpool have just sunk to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat against rivals Manchester City – the ninth in the Premier League term – to further exacerbate the woes of Jurgen Klopp's side.

Having taken the helm in 2015, the German had utterly transformed the Merseyside outfit, who had spent years languishing below expectations barring an anomalous, Luis Suarez-fuelled title-challenging season.

While the Reds supporters were quickly emboldened by their manager's eccentric brilliance and creation of a new identity and atmosphere, few could have imagined the cascade of glinted silverware that was to pour into Anfield.

After suffering defeat across three major finals (League Cup vs Manchester City; Europa League vs Sevilla; Champions League vs Real Madrid) he ended his and Liverpool's hoodoo with a triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018/19 Champions League final.

Immense illustrious success ensued, but last season, a harsh and unforgiving winter entombed Liverpool in an icy chill and unravelled the progress made over many hard-fought years, with a stark loss of form and fluidity leaving the Reds chasing shadows in their pursuit of success, instead plummeting down the table and ultimately missing out on Champions League football this season.

What went wrong for Liverpool last season?

After so many years of togetherness, the cohesion that was once so carefully stitched into the squad's DNA came undone, with a backline positively devoid of confidence and protection and a sapped and aging midfield failing to match the intense demands of Klopp's turbo-charged system.

According to Opta, Liverpool faced 330 shots and allowed 103 big chances against them; across the 2020/21 season, 297 shots were faced but just 53 big chances were allowed on their goal, meaning the quality of defensive efforts was far greater, restricting the opposition to pot shots and half chances.

They also won the coveted award for the worst duel success rate in the Premier League, only winning 47.5% of challenges across the campaign.

All in all, not very good. The Athletic's James Pearce criticised the "dismal" displays and, despite a seven-match winning streak at the business end of the term, Manchester United and Newcastle United managed to stay ahead and held onto their positions in the top four.

One of the brighter performers that year, Andy Robertson sought to provide his presence and energy as a "Duracell Bunny" – as once heralded by writer Leanne Prescott – and largely did okay, but as Liverpool rose to form in the late stages courtesy of a tactical tweak that restored the under-fire Trent Alexander-Arnold on the alternate defensive wing, Robertson started to struggle.

He was branded “poor” just before the late-season feats by reporter James Nalton, having suffered an accurately rebuked afternoon against Manchester City, with Sofascore actually recording the Scotland captain as the worst performer of the match.

It was to be the final loss of the campaign, but one that Robertson failed to really recover from, with concerns that the change in system – bringing Alexander-Arnold inwards as an inverted full-back to maximise his creativity – bringing about concerns that the 29-year-old's marauding role as a full-back had been jeopardised.

At present, Darwin Nunez is probably enjoying the biggest resurgence in Liverpool's squad – though a special mention must be handed to Joe Gomez – after signing from Benfica for a club-record £85m.

The Uruguayan scored 15 goals but missed 20 big chances in the Premier League alone, criticised for being "not clinical enough" by talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino.

Robertson might've also struggled, but any worries have dissipated like a cloud of smoke, with the £100k-per-week phenom now flourishing down the left channel once again.

How has Andy Robertson been performing this season?

So far, Robertson has been ever-present for Liverpool in the Premier League and has started all seven matches, captaining the club and scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

While his role as a left-back will never change, he has seen a shift in tactical positioning this season, which might seem slight but has undoubtedly prompted a big boost to his game and the performances of his peers around him.

Statistic (Sofascore):

20/21

21/22

22/23

23/24

Average rating

7.07

7.36

6.95

7.31

Goals

1

3

0

1

Key passes

1.7

1.9

1.6

2.7

Pass completion

84%

85%

84%

87%

Tackles

1.2

1.2

1.1

1.6

Clearances

1.8

1.8

1.3

2.6

Interceptions

0.6

0.8

0.5

1.0

Sofascore also records Robertson's ball recovery rate at an impressive 7.6 per game in the English top flight this season, though this is the first season the metric has been implemented.

However, Pervis Estupinan offers a rate of 6.5 per game; it's 3.0 per game for Ben Chilwell and 7.7 for Tottenham Hotspur's Destiny Udogie, who could get "into every team in the world already", according to footballJOE's Hunter Godson.

What's perhaps the most intriguing is that the dynamo's average heatmap is far more reserved than past seasons, indicating that he is spending the lion's share of his time in a more defensive, less marauding role that in the past.

This has allowed the creative demon to channel his creativity more accurately and incisively, while simultaneously creating a crisper, more refined game – as evidenced by his pass success rate this season.

And of course, it's no coincidence that Robertson's defensive attributes have pleasingly spiked up too, called upon to protect Alisson's goal with greater regularity and doing so to emphatic effect.

Why has Andy Robertson's role changed?

The former role has been tweaked in tandem with the squad's, and one of the chief reasons behind it is the return of Luis Diaz, who spent the lion's share of the 2022/23 campaign sidelined with an injury sustained against Arsenal.

The Colombian's high-energy presence down the left channel has lessened the burden on Robertson, who can instead look to provide openings for Diaz and his offensive peers with his superlative creative skills – indeed, the 5 foot 10 star is the highest-assisting defender in Premier League history.

This is evidenced through FBref's metrics, ranking Robertson among the top 9% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for passes attempted and the top 10% for progressive passes per 90.

Such incredible ball-playing skills really do seem tailor-made for someone of Diaz's ilk, who already has three goals this season and has been hailed as a "livewire" by journalist Peter Hall for his electric aura on the pitch.

The various components are slotting together like a dovetail joint under Klopp's management once again, and with the formula for success seemingly unearthed again, silver-laden days may follow.

Once praised as "sensational" by BBC Sports' Raj Chohan, Robertson is living up to the tag once again, providing the batteries for his teammates and continuing to etch his name deeper into Liverpool's record books.

Rangers’ Jekyll and Hyde season continues.

Domestically, the Light Blues have very little to play for, languishing 13 points adrift run-away Premiership leaders Celtic, despite being unbeaten in nine league matches, most recently battling to a 3-1 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Meanwhile, they’re seemingly set for a trophyless season, having been beaten in December’s League Cup Final on penalties, before ignominiously exiting the Scottish Cup at the hands of Queen’s Park, a monumental and historic shock.

However, in the Europa League, Philippe Clement’s team impressively secured a top eight finish, so will now face one of Bodø/Glimt, Anderlecht, Fenerbahçe or Twente in the round of 16, with the first leg on the road coming up on 6 March.

So, while this has largely been a campaign to forget, a few more memorable European nights at Ibrox could be on the cards and, if Rangers are going to make progress in the Europa League, they’ll need their superstar striker to be on top form.

Rangers' search for a striker

Rangers’ top-scoring attacker of the post-liquidation era, by quite some distance, is Alfredo Morelos, who scored 124 goals in 269 appearances for the club, averaging a goal every 152 minutes.

33 of the Colombian’s goals came in UEFA competitions, becoming the Gers’ record European scorer, smashing the previous record set by Ally McCoist of 21, who didn’t mind too much, saying “I hope he hangs around and continues his goalscoring form… it would be great”.

However, Morelos didn’t hang around for too much longer, departing on a Bosman in May 2023, signing for Brasileirão outfit Santos, currently on loan at Atlético Nacional, and the Gers have found him a difficult figure to replace.

The summer of Morelos’ departure, Rangers spent big to fill his void, signing both Cyriel Dessers for £4.5m, as well as Danilo for a reported fee of £6m.

Fair to say, neither have lived up to the billing, with Mark Walker of the National describing Dessers as a ‘flop’, while Graeme Young of the Daily Record notes that Danilo ‘has been reduced to fleeting appearances’ due to persistent injury setbacks.

So, let’s assess their respective Rangers careers so far.

Statistics

Dessers

Danilo

Appearances

93

38

Minutes

5,534

1,730

Goals

40

12

Minutes per goal

138

144

Assists

15

8

Goals – xG

+0.4

-0.6

Big chances missed

44

15

Shots on target %

46.2%

50%

Matches missed due to injury

Zero

60

As the table outlines, neither Dessers nor Danilo have had catastrophically disastrous Rangers careers, both averaging a goal roughly every 140 minutes on the park.

That though has been exactly the problem for Danilo, sitting out 60 of the 101 matches Rangers have played since the start of last season due to injury, thereby unable to contribute.

Meantime, the most glaring statistic for Dessers is the fact he has missed 44 Opta defined big chances since the start of last season, a remarkably high number.

In this year’s Europa League, of all 670 players who’ve had at least one shot, the Nigerian striker has the second-lowest goals – xG figure of -3, above only his compatriot Victor Osimhen for this metric, with the Galatasaray attacker having attempted a whopping 25 more shots.

Interestingly, the player top of this very same metric is also a Rangers player, so could he be Clement’s saviour in front of goal?

Rangers have struck gold with "jackpot transfer"

After these two not-so-good centre-forward signings the season before, few had high hopes when Rangers acquired Hamza Igamane for a reported fee of £1.7m last summer, arriving from AS FAR of Morocco’s top division.

However, Anthony Evans of the Daily Record notes that the 22-year-old has ‘been in red-hot form this season’, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, four of which have come in the Europa League, as well as a hat-trick against Hibs at Easter Road.

Meantime, Keith Jackson also of the Daily Record, labels him a ‘superstar’, while Matthew Elder of the Scotsman believes he has been the Premiership’s ‘signing of the season’.

Joining for £1.7m as mentioned, CIES Football Observatory believe he is now worth more than £13m, representing a 664% increase in value, while it was reported in January that Rangers had set a £25m price tag on Igamane, amidst interest from Everton.

That valuation is more than justified considering he has shown himself to be a “completely unpredictable” and exciting talent, as per analyst Ben Mattinson, with it certainly looking like a “jackpot transfer” for the Light Blues, in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Market Movers

So, while Danilo and Dessers may be flops, Igamane could represent a huge return on investment, potentially yielding Rangers’ club-record sale, currently held by Calvin Bassey’s £19.6m move to Ajax.

Better than Bajrami: Rangers may rue losing "really important" star for £0

A former Rangers star has been on fire since re-joining his former club in January, so do the Gers rue losing the “really important” star for free?

ByBen Gray Feb 18, 2025

Rohit’s return to form mirrors Mumbai’s rise. Can they sustain the surge?

The Preview by Annesha Ghosh21-Apr-20183:56

Faulkner: Royals’ batting not clicking at all

Form Guide

Rajasthan Royals: lost to Chennai Super Kings by 64 runs, lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets, defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs, defeated Delhi Daredevils by 10 runs (DLS method), lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by nine wickets
Mumbai Indians: defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 runs, lost to Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by one wicket, lost to Chennai Super Kings by one wicket

Big PictureFive matches into IPL 2018, Rajasthan Royals are yet to find their perfect batting line-up. Their big guns Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler haven’t fired like they can while Rahul Tripathi, who had a strike-rate of 158 in the Powerplay last season, continues to be stuck in the middle order. Against Chennai Super Kings on Friday, Royals swapped D’Arcy Short with Heinrich Klaasen at the top, but the South Africa batsman did not fare better either. Will they finally push Tripathi to open?The worries have spread over to the bowling too. While spinners K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal have impressed, Royals’ pace attack continues to look thin.Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, are in much better shape. Having endured three successive losses, their emphatic 46-run win against Royal Challengers Bangalore exhibited their batting depth. That Mumbai’s win coincided with their captain Rohit Sharma hitting form will keep Royals worried.In the news
Mumbai Indians’ wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan took a blow on his right eye while gathering a throw, in their previous match on Tuesday. But he took part in the net session and is expected to play. Jofra Archer is training with the squad and is on recovery mode for a side strain that he picked up during the Pakistan Super League. Will he finally make his IPL debut?The likely XIsRajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Heinrich Klaasen, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler(wk), 6 Rahul Tripathi, 7 Dhawal Kulkarni, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Ben LaughlinMumbai Indians: 1 Suryakumar Yadav, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Mitchell McClenaghan 9 Mayank Markande, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mustafizur RahmanESPNcricinfo LtdStats that matter
Since 2015, chasing teams have won only four out of seven matches under lights at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jasprit Bumrah has the wood over his former team-mate Jos Butter, having dismissed the England batsman twice in two matches, while giving away just one run off seven balls Ben Laughlin needs one wicket to reach 150 wickets in T20sStrategy puntThere is a case for Rohit to save Mitchell McClenaghan for Sanju Samson. The left-arm quick has dismissed Samson four times in four matches, while conceding 14 runs off 10 balls.Fantasy pickDespite his team managing only one win in four matches so far, Krunal Pandya has done little wrong in his individual capacity, and you shouldn’t do any by not picking him in your XI. He’s claimed five wickets at 6.55 an over – the second-best economy rate among the top 15 wicket-takers this season, to go with his 82 runs at a strike rate of 152.85.

Former Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino endured a turbulent time during his little over three years at the club and his work in the transfer market could be questioned.

One sale, in particular, that supporters could question the Italian over was Scottish forward Ross McCormack, who left to join Fulham in 2014 and saw his market value soar over his spell in London.

How much did Leeds sign Ross McCormack for?

The Whites reportedly paid a modest fee of £350k to sign the exciting attacker from Cardiff City to bolster their squad in the summer of 2010.

He had produced 30 goals and five assists in 88 competitive matches for the Welsh side and that prompted Leeds to swoop for his services.

How many goals did McCormack score for Leeds?

The former Bluebirds star went on to plunder 58 goals in 157 games for the Yorkshire-based outfit over the course of four years at Elland Road.

McCormack struggled at the top end of the pitch in his first season at the club as he finished the 2010/11 campaign with two goals and one assist in 20 Championship appearances.

However, the Scotland international found the back of the net a whopping 51 times over the next three league seasons combined, along with 29 assists, for the Whites.

His best year in a Leeds shirt, arguably, came during the 2013/14 term as the former Cardiff ace enjoyed a phenomenal year in front of goal for the club.

McCormack was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for his outstanding performances as he produced a stunning 28 goals and ten assists in 46 league outings. He was directly involved in a goal every 1.21 matches on average, which shows that the talented gem was a constant threat in the final third.

How much was McCormack worth at Leeds?

The prolific forward was valued at €2.6m (£2.2m) by Transfermarkt at the end of that season and Cellino opted to cash in on the attacker as the Italian sold him to Championship rivals Fulham.

Shortly before the deal to sell him to the Cottagers, the ex-Leeds owner put out a club statement that confirmed that he wanted to keep hold of McCormack and that the Whites did not have to accept any offers for his services.

Despite that, the Scottish whiz ended up signing for the London-based outfit for a reported fee within the region of £9m later that summer.

How much was McCormack worth at Fulham?

The "lethal" – as he was dubbed by reporter Andrew Slaven – magician saw his value soar to €8m (£6.9m) via Transfermarkt by the end of his two-year spell with Fulham.

This means that his market value rocketed up by 208% within the space of two years after leaving Elland Road, which also resulted in a staggering £14m transfer to Aston Villa from Craven Cottage in the summer of 2016.

McCormack was a consistent performer for the Cottagers in London as he racked up 42 goals and 22 assists in 100 appearances in all competitions.

The now-37-year-old scored 21 goals and assisted ten in 45 Championship games during his final campaign with the club in the 2015/16 season as he continued to prove himself to be an outstanding forward at that level after his time with Leeds.

Therefore, Cellino and Leeds had a mare with the sale of McCormack in 2014 as they could have cashed in for more money if they stuck to their statement and resisted the temptation to sell him that year.

They could have received a higher fee as his market value continued to soar through his excellent performances on the pitch, which is why the club may look back on this deal with regret.

He left the field 40 minutes before lunch on the third morning in Johannesburg for some treatment. The team management hope he could push on for the rest for the match

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg01-Apr-2018Morne Morkel picked up a left side strain while playing his final Test for South Africa in Johannesburg, He left the field 40 minutes before lunch on the third morning but returned soon after and also spent the break between sessions testing if he could bowl again. The team management later said Morkel would receive treatment overnight but they weren’t sure if he would be able to bowl again in the match*.Morkel suffered a similar injury during the first match of a 10 Test summer in Potchefstroom. He was initially ruled out of action for six weeks but only returned 11 weeks later in the domestic T20 competition. Morkel has since been in fantastic form and took a career-best 9 for 110 against Australia last week, which he called the “highlight of my life.” He was two balls into his 13th over on Saturday, with figures of 1 for 34, when he handed the ball over to Aiden Markram and jogged off the field.Pre-series, Morkel announced he will retire from international cricket and is expected to take up a county deal in the coming weeks.*1630GMT The update was added after stumps on the third day