Tasmania offered some late resistance before the home side wrapped up victory in the final hour

AAP31-Oct-2025Test allrounder Beau Webster failed again with the bat in Tasmania’s 144-run loss to Victoria in the Sheffield Shield.Webster made just 6 as Tasmania, chasing 335 runs to win, were bowled out for 210 on day four at Melbourne’s Junction Oval on Friday.Victoria remain unbeaten with three wins from as many games, and paceman Fergus O’Neill enhanced his national call-up prospects with a haul of 4 for 54.Related

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Webster entered the game with heat on his Australian place ahead of national selectors naming their squad for the first Test against England. His meagre returns with the bat followed taking 1 for 26 from 12 overs in Victoria’s first innings, and 0 for 28 from 11 overs in their second.Before Friday’s play, both teams observed a minute’s silence for Victorian teen cricketer Ben Austin, who died after being struck on the head while batting in the nets.Tasmania resumed after losing another Ashes hopeful, Jake Weatherald, for 12 late on Thursday. And his opening partner Caleb Jewell was the first batter dismissed on Friday, bowled by O’Neill for 21.Tim Ward and Brad Hope put on 48 for the third wicket, but their stand ended with the score on 107. Ward, who made a polished 52, was run out in a horrible mix-up – as non-striker, he advanced for a single while Hope stood still after fending a short ball. Ward was almost three-quarters down the pitch when he slipped while trying to turn, and was still on his haunches when run out.Victoria struck again just four runs later when veteran Jordan Silk was bowled for a duck when shouldering arms to a Will Sutherland in-dipper.Webster departed just 14 runs later when caught from the bowling of Mitchell Perry, slashing at a wide ball and being caught at deep backward point.Jake Doran and Nikhil Chaudhary offered some resistance, before Victoria secured victory inside the final hour.

Newcastle United’s topsy-turvy campaign is raging on. When will Eddie Howe strike the balance needed for his team to kick on and reestablish themselves as a force in the Premier League?

Last weekend’s performance over Manchester City offered a glimpse into what United are capable of, dispatching Pep Guardiola’s side at St. James’ Park thanks to Harvey Barnes’ second-half brace.

But that win was built atop a run of three defeats from four in the Premier League, and Newcastle have since been defeated on the road in the Champions League, against Marseille in France.

It wasn’t the Toon’s worst performance of the season, but the emission of anxiety after Nick Pope’s costly mistake emphasises the issue in mentality when away from Tyneside.

Why Howe should drop Nick Pope

Pope has been a strong and convincing goalkeeper for Newcastle since joining the club from relegated Burnley in 2022, but, aged 33, the Three Lions star is allowing errors to creep into his game, the latest of which cost the Magpies dearly in Marseille.

Newcastle knew they needed to take something home with them from the Orange Velodrome, and indeed, Barnes’ finish secured an advantage at the interval.

Cool heads were needed, but Pope rushed out to claim a neat through ball and failed to match the pace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the veteran striker getting there first and then rounding Pope and scoring from an acute angle to restore parity. The one-time Arsenal hero then scored again from close range, smacking home from a few yards out following a fierce cross-box pass.

That frustrating display was hardly an outlier. This season, Pope has left plenty to be desired.

Given that loanee Aaron Ramsdale is waiting in the wings, it’s understandable that some supporters want to see a change between the sticks, and it’s perhaps something Howe should consider if he wishes to revive his team’s fluency and confidence on the road.

It’s not the only change that must be made, though, with another United man’s form this season emphasising the need for a permanent tweak on Howe’s part.

The Newcastle star who's a bigger liability than Pope

A core part of Newcastle’s success over the past four years, Joelinton’s chapter at the club may nearly be written, with the long-time star beginning to become a problem for Howe.

One of the most powerful and imposing midfielders in the Premier League, Joelinton’s form has suffered this season, and he’s noticeably regressed, and that is accentuated by the superstars around him.

Unlike last season, when Joelinton’s intense, pack-a-punch style was so integral in charging up the Newcastle engine, the likes of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are forming something of a partnership

Newcastle’s Italian midfielder, to be sure, is showing off new levels of athleticism and strength to match his natural elegance, and the skipper is as all-encompassing as ever in the middle of the park.

But Joelinton is waning, and this has been picked up by Toon observers. Indeed, journalist Mark Douglas noted earlier in the campaign that the 29-year-old has been “nowhere near his best”.

Sofascore record that Joelinton is winning only 2.9 ground duels per Premier League fixture, which is his lowest average since 2019/20, his debut term, when he principally played as a centre-forward.

Refashioned into an all-action midfielder, Joelinton has proved himself to be an iconic servant for Howe at Newcastle, but after so many rounds of unforgiving action, it may be that it is the right time for him to move on.

Hailed as a “club legend” by content creator Adam Pearson, the Brazil international has had his day, and the fact that PIF are gearing up for an ambitious bid for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson in 2026, the England midfielder having emerged from Newcastle’s academy, suggests that the mainstay is becoming expendable.

The suggestions that Pope should be extricated from his post between the posts are rising in volume, but the emphasis on pushing for a Joelinton upgrade must be just as loud.

For all the Brazilian’s robustness, he is no longer untouchable under Howe’s wing, and is perhaps becoming the weakest link in a team that needs to kick on.

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Kelan Sarson

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Sheffield Wednesday have now reportedly responded to Mike Ashley’s bid to buy the club, with the former Newcastle United man now plotting his next step.

Finance expert reveals extent of interest in Sheffield Wednesday

It’s been a busy month at Hillsborough, with the Owls receiving plenty of takeover interest after entering administration. Setting a soft deadline of December 5, things look destined to accelerate in the coming week in the hope that Sheffield Wednesday finally enter a new era and put Dejphon Chansiri behind them for good.

Football finance expert Stefan Borson recently revealed that there are as many as 11 bidders to buy Sheffield Wednesday, telling talkSPORT: “I’m working with one of the bidders. There are a number of bidders in play, a number of credible players around.

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“Apparently, there’s 11 that have given proof of funds for £50m of liquid assets. That is a serious process, and there is serious interest. The issue is actually that you can’t just look at the headline price here. This is a club that’s not had a lick of paint for quite some time and by the end of this season it will be in League One.

“It will have almost no squad and it will have a stadium that needs significant spending. So anybody that comes in is going to have to have deep pockets. I think the people that are circling do have deep pockets, but it is not going to be a cheap deal for anybody. The challenges are great.

Among those 11 bidders could be John McEvoy, who was one of the first names linked with a move to buy the club, and former Newcastle man Ashley. The 61-year-old is seemingly keen on a return to English football and has already received a response from Wednesday.

Mike Ashley submits bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday

As reported by Sky Sports, Ashley has now submitted a £20m bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday, who have turned that offer down. The former Newcastle owner is now plotting his next step and could yet return with an improved second offer, however.

If he is to return with a second offer, then Ashley will likely have to at least match other bids in the region of £30m to stand a chance of completing a takeover. Whilst it isn’t as simple as accepting the highest bid for the Owls, they won’t sell the club at a cut-price in the face of so much interest.

Of course, if Ashley does match other bids then he could become one of the better options available. He has experience in English football and, financially speaking, he stabilised Newcastle during his time at the club.

Sheffield Wednesday return to Sheffield United takeover merger

Newcastle United are now reportedly eyeing a January move to sign Davide Frattesi from Inter Milan, as the midfielder continues to struggle for a starting place at the San Siro.

The Magpies were interested in the midfielder in the summer and could now return for a missed target in the theme of their January transfer window. Alongside Frattesi, Newcastle have also been linked with James Trafford, who has been forced to play backup to Gianluigi Donnarumma after both joined Manchester City in the summer.

The England international could do nothing but watch as the Citizens came away 2-1 losers at St James’ Park, courtesy of an impressive brace from Harvey Barnes.

Speaking to reporters at full-time, Eddie Howe was full of praise for his side – saying: “I’m well aware of my record against Manchester City, that is something I take no pride in, really. Trying to figure out a way to beat them is very, very difficult.

“Even today’s game, it was so tight. The margins in Premier League games against them are so fine, but we came out on the right side today.

“I thought it was a great performance from the players, full of energy, heart and bravery. I’m delighted with how we played. The mindset was key and the attitude. The energy was back that was missing against Brentford and West Ham. Our running ability and power was there.”

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The Newcastle boss will be desperate for his side to kick on domestically now, before potentially welcoming further additions in the January transfer window.

The Magpies were boosted on the PSR front by the sale of Alexander Isak in the summer and could yet use that to pick up where they left off at the end of the summer window.

Newcastle now eyeing Davide Frattesi

As reported by Tuttomercatoweb and relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle are now eyeing a move to sign Frattesi in January. Those at St James’ Park were denied the opportunity to sign the midfielder by Inter Milan in the summer, but he’s started just once in Serie A ever since.

Now, the door seems to be open for the Magpies to make their move and add further depth to their midfield. What should also make any deal easier is the fact that Frattesi is represented by the same agency as Newcastle star Sandro Tonali.

Frattesi’s current struggles at Inter come as quite the surprise, given that former Italy boss Luciano Spalletti told reporters last year: “With the intensity and quality he has, he can really get at opposition defensive lines.

“He has the sense of curiosity to go out and attack. But he also has to do better to more technically clean with the ball at his feet. If he keeps working hard he can get even better.”

It now looks as though that improvement will have to take place elsewhere and potentially in the Premier League. After missing out in the summer, Newcastle have an ideal opportunity to make up for lost time.

Newcastle have already signed their answer to Haaland and he's not even a CF

A lot has been said in recent weeks about Liverpool offloading Luis Diaz this summer.

With hindsight on side, Arne Slot and Co would now have kept a tighter grip on their Colombian attacker, with the South American winger already up to 11 goals and six assists donning a new shade of red at Bayern Munich.

Back at Anfield, both Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak remain goalless in Premier League action, on the contrary.

Still, he isn’t the only sale this summer that will be plaguing the stuttering reigning champions with Jarell Quansah now in the good books of England manager Thomas Tuchel, after leaving Merseyside behind for his own German challenge.

Why letting go of Quansah was a mistake

The bumper summer transfer window also saw Trent Alexander-Arnold leave Liverpool behind for a major move to Real Madrid, with the Reds suffering in the right-back department ever since.

At the time of writing, Conor Bradley is the only fit and available natural right-back option for Slot, with the Northern Irishman arguably struggling last time out against Manchester City, as Jeremy Doku stole the show with a masterclass down Bradley’s right flank, with a mammoth seven successful dribbles completed.

To further add to the underperforming outfit’s woes, Jeremie Frimpong has failed to settle in properly with injuries galore. If Liverpool could turn back time, therefore, they would surely look to keep Quansah around for longer to boost their depleted numbers, even if he was largely a bit-part player when still situated in England.

He has seized his chance at Bayer Leverkusen, though, despite making just 55 senior appearances for the Reds over several years, with a calm and collected 90% pass accuracy averaged across eight Bundesliga games to date, on top of two goals being put away in all competitions.

This drastic upward trajectory has even resulted in the aforementioned Tuchel stating that he is a “tiny bit ahead” of Trent in the England senior set-up, with a first Three Lions cap coming his way earlier in the month versus Albania.

It remains to be seen what role Quansah has in the upcoming World Cup, but he isn’t the only former Liverpool starlet shining bright away from their once-boyhood club, with Slot and Co very much dropping the ball, again, when ditching a homegrown version of Ryan Gravenberch for just £15m.

Liverpool lost a homegrown Gravenberch for just £15m

While Liverpool has fallen off the horse multiple times this season, the Dutchman has largely been consistent with his classy displays from the middle of the park.

Indeed, the former Ajax boy wonder turned guaranteed Liverpool starter has even been labelled as “one of the best” in the world in his position by Reds-based writer DAVEOCKOP this season, with four goal contributions next to his name in Premier League action, also coupled with an eagerness to get stuck in, as seen in 4.9 duels being won on average.

In stark contrast, a waning Alexis Mac Allister has no goals to shout about, winning just a weak 2.5 duels per game as Gravenberch has often had to do double the work this season to make up for his below-par teammate.

If only the short on confidence side had Tyler Morton to fall back on in the holding midfield positions to partner their star-man, instead of having to rely on the lethargic number ten.

The former Anfield prodigy is now living up to his billing of being a “complete midfielder” on the books of Lyon – as he was once labelled by Como scout Ben Mattinson – to be viewed in the same light as Gravenberch.

Attempted passes

57.02

53.84

Pass completion %

82.7%

88.9%

Progressive passes

4.90

5.10

Progressive carries

1.79

1.92

Shot-creating actions

2.33

2.34

Tackles

1.79

1.97

Interceptions

0.70

1.64

Blocks

0.70

0.75

Clearances

1.56

1.52

FBref even suggests that the midfield pairing are alike, and the numbers above do not lie, with Morton even surpassing his counterpart over the last year in terms of attempted passes made per 90 minutes, as an assured presence centrally.

He isn’t a million miles off the heavily lauded Gravenberch either when looking at the head-to-head defensive numbers, with the 23-year-old managing to stand out in such a way, even as his Ligue 1 employers loiter in seventh spot in the current league standings, to further ramp up their similarities.

Further hailed as a “beautiful” talent to watch with this sublime assist in November by journalist Bence Bocsak, it must be a sickening pill to swallow on Liverpool’s end that they let a Gravenberch-type asset go for only £15m.

At least with Quansah, they managed to drain Leverkusen of £35m, but in the case of Morton, they sold up way too prematurely and way too cheaply, as the 23-year-old now aims to mature into a consistent Gravenberch-style midfielder in France.

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GOAL takes a look at which American players are playing the best heading into the final weeks of 2025.

It’ll be a while before the U.S. men’s national team convene again – a few months, to be exact. With no international breaks until March, everything shifts back to the club level, even as that little thing called the World Cup looms in the distance.

As the U.S. build toward that tournament, most of the heavy lifting now happens with their clubs. From the Champions League to the MLS playoffs, several of the USMNT’s key players are finding form at the right time, putting in meaningful performances as 2025 winds down. Keeping that momentum rolling into the spring will be vital, especially for those hoping to carve out bigger roles by summer.

From established USMNT starters to those pushing for a breakthrough, these are the American stars thriving at the club level. This is not a ranking of the best players, overall, but rather a snapshot of who is showing the best form at the moment. GOAL takes a look at this recurring feature, tracking the pulse of U.S. talent worldwide.

• Imagn
  

  5Sebastian Berhalter

  The only MLS player on this list but, when you look at the quality of his recent performances, you can't leave him off.

  Berhalter has been magnificent for the Vancouver Whitecaps all season long, which is why he's vaulted himself right into World Cup contention. Down the stretch, he's taken his game up a notch, particularly in the games that have mattered most. Just four days after scoring and assisting against Uruguay, Berhalter played 120 minutes in an instant classic against LAFC, finishing the game as a pseudo-fullback after seeing the Whitecaps go down two men. He was really good against San Diego FC, too, to help the Whitecaps book their spot in the MLS Cup final.

  If the Whitecaps do beat Miami in that final, it is easy to assume Berhalter will have played a huge part.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  4Tyler Adams

  If you don't know why he's here, check out his recent goal against Sunderland. That finish was nothing less than world-class. It was surprising, then, that it came from a player like Adams, who is much better known for his defensive prowess than his attacking contributions.

  The Bournemouth midfielder, though, has been contributing more on that attacking end. He provided an assist in a win over Nottingham Forest, although, admittedly, that one was a bit lucky. He scored a goal against Manchester City to open November, netting his first Premier League goal of the season, and then, of course, scored that stunner against Sunderland.

  This season, Adams is proving that he's more than just a midfield bulldog as he continues to show the world that he can make things happen with the ball at his feet, too.

• Getty Images
  

  3Christian Pulisic

  He'd almost certainly be higher on this list of injuries didn't limit him for a while, but Pulisic also seems eager to make up for lost time.

  With his recent game-winning goal agaisnt Inter, Pulisic scored in his first start in six weeks, continuing the good form he showed throughout the early Serie A season. With that goal, he now has five goals and two assists in just 422 minutes played, a fantastic haul for a player that, throughout the campaign, has sure looked like world-class winger for AC Milan.

  The challenge, as it has been, will be keeping Pulisic fit and firing. If he can stay on the field, Milan will be a much, much better team.

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• AFP
  

  2Ricardo Pepi

  It’s kind of crazy to have a player this high on the list when he isn’t even starting for his own team. But you can’t really hold that against Ricardo Pepi – he’s been that good.

  Over the last month and a half, Pepi has scored against Napoli, Fortuna Sittard, Olympiacos, and FC Volendam. He added assists against Napoli and Volendam, and essentially created another when he sparked a goal against Liverpool. And yet, in that span, he’s started just once, with PSV unwilling to change a winning formula despite his consistent impact off the bench.

  So we’re back to the familiar question: just how good could Pepi be if he finally gets a proper run of games as guy for PSV?

India posted their highest-ever World Cup total on their way to a comprehensive win over New Zealand

Shashank Kishore23-Oct-20254:10

Review – India’s stellar batting display

India overturned a sequence of three straight losses to beat New Zealand in style to seal the fourth semi-final spot in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. India qualified for the knockouts by virtue of having more wins than New Zealand. The winner of Saturday’s game between South Africa and Australia will determine their last-four opponents.Harmanpreet Kaur lost the toss, but India bettered their previous World Cup best of 330 – achieved earlier in the tournament against Australia in Visakhapatnam – courtesy centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, and an excellent unbeaten 76 from Jemimah Rodrigues, who returned to the XI, replacing allrounder Amanjot Kaur.India’s 340 for 3 in 49 overs was then DLS-adjusted to a target of 325 in 44 overs for New Zealand, asking them to achieve the highest-ever chase in women’s ODIs, after over two hours were lost due to rain. While there were no weather interruptions for the rest of the evening, New Zealand’s timid approach left them too many to get (168) in the last 15 overs.Brooke Halliday constructed an 81-ball 84, but New Zealand couldn’t flex their muscle at any point. This was partly down to losing wickets at regular intervals, and partly to India’s spinners making it difficult for their batters after Renuka Singh took the early wickets of Georgia Plimmer and Sophie Devine, both bowled off devious in-duckers.Halliday put on 72 for the sixth wicket with Isabella Gaze, who brought up a career best, unbeaten 76, but they merely delayed the inevitable as New Zealand’s innings petered to a predictable close; they eventually finished at 271 for 8.Pratika Rawal hit 13 fours and two sixes•AFP/Getty Images

The good work by Renuka and Kranti Gaud in the first powerplay – they didn’t concede a single boundary in the first six overs of New Zealand’s chase – allowed India a little bit of leeway, considering they were playing with just five specialist bowlers. Rawal, who top-scored with 122, her second ODI century, played the role of sixth bowler, and even picked up a maiden World Cup wicket when she dismissed Maddy Green off a miscue.But all that paled in comparison to what Rawal did with the bat. She and Mandhana overcame a slow start – India only scored 18 in their first six overs – to put together their seventh century stand, the joint-most by an Indian pair in Women’s ODIs. They shifted gears effortlessly to raise the century stand in 17.4 overs, with Mandhana and Rawal bringing up their half-centuries off 49 and 75 balls respectively.Mandhana wasn’t up and running until the seventh over when she brought out the sweep at the first sight of spin, against Eden Carson. Seemingly keen on dominating the slow bowlers, she was quick to step out and deposit Carson over wide long-off in her second over.Rawal was superb square of the wicket with the cut and pull, taking on Lea Tahuhu as the seamer began expensively after coming on after 10 overs. Rawal took her down for two statement fours — a short-arm jab over midwicket followed by a lofted straight hit that she enjoyed so much that she held the pose for the cameras.Mandhana enjoyed a huge slice of luck on 77 when she reluctantly reviewed an lbw, only because Rawal had coaxed her into it. And when the giant screen replayed her missed slog, Mandhana began to walk off, only to see UltraEdge showing the tiniest of spikes as ball passed bat. She soon brought up her 14th ODI century, which put her just one short of Meg Lanning’s all-time record, off just 88 deliveries.Renuka Singh took the early wickets of Georgia Plimmer and Sophie Devine•Getty Images

By then, Mandhana was tiring and cramping, and she was ready to throw her bat at everything. She nailed one such hit, a perfectly-timed slog for six off Amelia Kerr, and fell attempting a similar stroke when she was caught by substitute fielder Hannah Rowe at long-on off Suzie Bates, which ended the opening stand at 212.Rawal brought up her second ODI century, off 122 balls, and was helped along in her quest to accelerate as Rodrigues picked her spots and executed her strokes with precision. Rawal followed suit by hitting her first six soon after raising her century, and was then put down on 108 by Maddy Green coming in from the long-off fence. Rawal eventually perished for 122 when she miscued Bates to Rowe once again at long-off.Rodrigues then dominated her fourth-wicket stand with Harmanpreet, before rain forced the covers to come on at the 48-over mark. The match was initially reduced to 49 overs a side, endured another interruption after India ended their innings, cutting five more overs out of the chase.Rodrigues was at her cheeky best. She swept, reverse-swept, opened up the off side to play pristine inside-out drives, and scythed full deliveries behind square when the bowlers went full. She exhibited her full range in an innings loaded with intent, hitting 11 fours in 55 balls.On a day when most things went right for India, including the decision to play Rodrigues and give her the No. 3 spot, she may have yet given the team management some food for thought ahead of the semi-finals.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo já tem o primeiro reforço da janela de meio do ano. Atuando pelo Al-Wadha, Allan, de 33 anos, confirmou já ter assinado com o Glorioso, em entrevista à Abu Dhabi Sports TV.

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Faça as suas apostas na Libertadores 2024: quem será o campeão? Vem pro Lance! Betting!

Perguntado pelo repórter se ficaria no clube do Qatar por mais um ano, o brasileiro descartou a possibilidade e revolou volta ao Brasil.

– Vemos você na próxima temporada?
– Já assinei com outro clube, mas vou deixar tudo em campo e respeitar sempre.
– Qual clube?
– Botafogo.

O acordo está firmado desde o começo do ano. Allan assinou contrato válido até dezembro de 2026 e começará a valer a partir de 1º de julho, mas ele só poderá entrar em campo a partir do dia 10, data da abertura da segunda janela internacional do Brasil.

Pelo Al-Wadha, o jogador atuou por 20 partidas nesta temporada com três gols e cinco assistências. Confira as estatísticas, de acordo com o SofasCore:

⚔️20 jogos
⚽3 gols
🅰️5 assists
🔑30 passes decisivos (!)
🛠️8 grandes chances criadas (!)
✅85% acerto no passe
💨72% acerto no drible (!)
💪56% duelos ganhos (!)
🦾137 bolas recuperadas (!)
🆚42 desarmes (!)

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كشفت صحيفة “ذا أثلتيك” البريطانية حقيقة رحيل آرني سلوت، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول عن منصبه بسبب سوء النتائج الفترة الأخيرة.

واستضاف ليفربول نظيره آيندهوفن، مساء الأربعاء، في المباراة التي جمعتهما في دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “آنفيلد”.

وخسر ليفربول بقيادة مدربه آرني سلوت برباعية مقابل هدف أمام آيندهوفن في مفاجأة كبيرة للغاية وسط جماهيرهم، والتي تعتبر أول هزيمة أوروبية على آنفيلد هذا الموسم.

وكان ليفربول قد خسر بشكل مُذل أمام نوتينجهام فورست بثلاثية نظيفة ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.

ويحتل ليفربول المركز الـ13 في جدول ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 9 نقاط، إذ أصبح مهددًا بعدم التأهل المباشر إلى دور الـ16 ومن ثم سيخوض الملحق.

اقرأ أيضًا | أسطورة ليفربول: ما فعله محمد صلاح أمام آيندهوفن “مشين”.. وسلوت سيُقال بسببه

كما يتواجد ليفربول في المركز الـ12 بجدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 18 نقطة إذ يبتعد عن آرسنال المتصدر بحوالي 11 نقطة.

وبحسب ما أفادت صحيفة “ذا أثلتيك” أنه وبرغم من أن ليفربول ليس من الأندية التي تقيل المدربين وسط الموسم إلا أن سلوت يقترب شيئًا فشيئًا من منطقة الخطر.

وأفادت أن كلًا من مايكل إدواردز وريتشارد هيوز سيضطران إلى إجراء مناقشات جادة حول مستقبله في حال إذ استمرت النتائج بهذا السوء.

وأشارت إلى أن سلوت يتعرض لضغوط شديدة فهو يحتاج إلى وضع حد لهذا التراجع الذي أصاب الفريق وأي فرصة سانحة له حتى الآن تتلاشى وتختفي بين جماهيره.

واختتمت أن حالة الاستسلام التي ظهر عليها الفريق في آخر مباراتين أمام آيندهوفن ونوتينجهام فورست خاصةً على ملعب “آنفيلد” لا تُغتفر.

Charlotte Edwards, England’s head coach, says that her team’s flawed World Cup campaign has made her all the more hungry to instigate the necessary changes, after stating it is “time to look to the future” following a crushing semi-final defeat to South Africa in Guwahati.Speaking to Sky Sports, just moments after England’s 125-run defeat, Edwards acknowledged the brilliance of South Africa’s matchwinners – Laura Wolvaardt, who was Player of the Match for her 169 from 143 balls, and Marizanne Kapp, whose five-wicket haul included a first-over double-wicket maiden to wreck England’s hopes of achieving a 320 target.However, having stated before the tournament that a semi-final berth was the bare minimum that should be expected of her squad, Edwards did not shy away from the underlying fragility of England’s campaign. Despite qualifying in second place with five wins out of seven in the group stages, their performances against Bangladesh and Pakistan had already exposed the weaknesses in their batting, before the tournament favourites Australia maintained the stranglehold of last winter’s Ashes whitewash with an emphatic six-wicket win in Indore.Edwards took over from her predecessor Jon Lewis back in April, but held back from wholesale changes to her squad for this winter, instead focusing on improvements within the existing set-up. These were arguably on display at times during the campaign just gone, not least in a gritty performance to beat the tournament hosts, and fellow semi-finalists, India by four runs in their group-stage clash in Indore.However, with the World Cup marking the end of this four-year ODI cycle, and with a home T20 World Cup looming next summer, Edwards accepts that it’s time to step up the squad’s overhaul, starting with a series of training camps from December to March, at which the next generation will be given a chance to prove its readiness.”I’m a winner,” Edwards said. “I don’t like losing. When I came into this role, I knew it wasn’t going to change overnight. I’ve seen some really positive things to come out of this trip. I think we’ve performed a little bit better under pressure, but certain moments we haven’t seized, and that’s going to be an ongoing thing.”Overall, we are making progress, and that’s the most important thing. But ultimately, you’re defined on your results. And today we’re going out of a World Cup in the semi-final stage, where we were all hopeful we could really make that final.””I knew it wasn’t going to be a quick fix. We’ve got some areas we need to work on, but that probably makes me more hungry now to go back home and work with these players over over the winter period.”A number of England’s players are due to head to Australia for next month’s WBBL. Thereafter, however, Edwards has earmarked a series of training camps, in Oman and South Africa, at which the players will be pitted against one another in an arrangement similar to the North versus South fixtures that Andrew Strauss, England’s former men’s director of cricket, began in 2018.Nat Sciver-Brunt after the defeat in the semi-final•ICC via Getty Images

“We’ve got a new cycle now of ODI cricket, haven’t we, but first and foremost it’s the T20 World Cup,” Edwards said. “There’ll be a group of players that will be training from December through til March. We’re going to spend time with these players and hopefully upskill them, and hopefully they can deal with these occasions better.”That’s exciting for me. As an international coach, it’s rare to get time with players to actually advance their games. We’ve got an opportunity this winter to hopefully do that with some of our younger players. and I’m looking forward to getting that underway in December.”Edwards namechecked the likes of Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson, who missed this tournament through injury, while other names who will come into consideration for future campaigns include the likes of Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Davina Perrin, the breakout star of this year’s Women’s Hundred.”We’ve targeted 13 to 15 players who we’re going to work really, really hard with,” she said. “[This tournament] was too early. The players that had got this far, we wanted to stick with them, but it’s exciting now. We’ve got a new group of players coming through. We’ll go home and reassess. We won’t make too many rash decisions, but we’ve got to look at the future now. And we’ve got some unbelievable talent coming through.”England’s defeat to South Africa was especially painful given that they had beaten the same opponents at the same venue in their tournament opener, after bowling them out for 69. This time, however, the match was played on a bouncier red-soil surface that was more conducive to the seamers, most notably Kapp with her match-sealing figures of 5 for 20.Asked whether there had been any temptation to tinker with the spin-heavy line-up that had brought them this far, Edwards replied: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We’ve stuck with that combination. It’s done us really well throughout the [competition].”England had seemed competitive, having reduced South Africa to 202 for 6 going into the final ten overs of their innings. But then Wolvaardt cut loose, adding 119 runs in partnership with Chloe Tryon, before Nadine de Klerk helped add the finishing touches.”At times, we just didn’t hit our straps today, certainly that back 10 really cost us,” Edwards said. “If we’d have kept them to 280, which probably was a par score, we may have been able to chase that down, but, yeah, it wasn’t to be.”It’s going to be a sad dressing-room,” she added. “I don’t think I’ll say too much tonight. I don’t think there’s anything you can say tonight that’s going to make things better. As we all know, life moves on very quickly. These girls will be off to Australia soon. But yeah, I’m hurting too.”