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Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1 in a breathless, end-to-end Champions League thriller on Wednesday evening. The Bavarians, against the run of play, had the lead after 20 minutes. Michael Olise fronted up Joao Pedro in his own box and beat him with his rapid feet before crossing into the six-yard box, where Trevoh Chalobah inadvertently turned the ball into his own goal.

Just six minutes later, Harry Kane won a penalty from a Moises Caicedo foul and dispatched it into the bottom corner to extend Bayern's lead. To cap a breathless period, Cole Palmer pulled a goal back seconds later, driving from deep, exchanging passes with Malo Gusto, and finishing brilliantly. 

On the hour, a brilliant Bayern move opened Chelsea up and Kane teed up Olise in the area, but his finish was superbly saved by Robert Sanchez in goal. The hosts would not be denied, though, and Kane added Bayern's third with a fine finish from just inside the area after Malo Gusto's attempted slide tackle fell to the England captain.  Palmer thought he had pulled a goal back in the 90th minute, but his clever dinked finish was ruled out for offside.

GOAL rates Bayern's players from the Allianz Arena…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Manuel Neuer (6/10):

Had no chance with Palmer's brilliant finish. Didn't have much else to do, truth be told.

Konrad Laimer (6/10):

Solid defensively and got forward whenever the play allowed him to. Had one major opportunity to score but couldn't take it. Still, a solid night. 

Dayot Upamecano (7/10):

Pressured Chalobah into his own goal; if the Chelsea defender hadn't put it in, Upamecano would have. A rock in defence, too.

Jonathan Tah (5/10):

Struggled with the pace of the game at times, even if he did put his body on the line. Booked and replaced by Kim at half-time.

Josip Stanisic (5/10):

All of Chelsea's most promising attacks came down Stanisic's side. Try as he might, he isn't Alphonso Davies. Took a nasty fall when jumping for a header and injured himself in the process. Replaced by Boey.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Joshua Kimmich (6/10):

Bypassed very easily by Palmer before his goal. Grew into the game, though, and played the role of metronome as well – as he always does. 

Aleksandar Pavlovic (5/10):

Sat in but the game was so end-to-end that he struggled to break up the play. Unsurprisingly, his difficult evening came to an early end when he was subbed. 

Getty Images SportAttack

Michael Olise (8/10):

Superb work to beat Pedro and put in a great cross that led to the own goal. Terrified Chelsea every time he had the ball; his touch is velvet, and he creates things out of nothing. A virtuoso display. 

Serge Gnabry (7/10):

Busy and always buzzing around the most dangerous areas of the pitch. Gusto's tackle on him led to Kane's goal. 

Harry Kane (8/10):

Won and scored Bayern's penalty. Also showed a true striker's interest to finish and complete his brace after intercepting Gusto's tackle. A terrific night against his old Spurs rivals. 

Luis Diaz (6/10):

Always trying to make something happen but was more limited than Olise down his side. Spurned a late chance to make it 4-1 when one-on-one. 

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Kim Min-Jae (7/10):

Replaced Tah at half-time. Transmitted an air of calm to his team-mates, passing out of defence very well. 

Sacha Boey (6/10):

On for the stricken Stanisic. Bombed on whenever he could as he didn't have as much to do as the man he replaced. 

Leon Goretzka (6/10):

On for Pavlovic. Slotted into midfield like the consummate pro he is. 

Nicolas Jackson (N/A):

On against his parent club for injury time. Tried to score from the halfway line but got it wrong. 

Tom Bischof (N/A):

Another injury-time sub. 

Vincent Kompany (7/10):

Got this bang on. Bayern negotiated a tricky opening spell well, and ultimately used their nous and experience to get over the line. Every sub worked, and Bayern already have three points from one of the tougher matches of their league phase. 

Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto, cities with significant South Asian communities, are on the shortlist

Tristan Lavalette20-Jan-2025Major League Cricket (MLC), the fledgling T20 tournament in the USA, is set to expand from six teams to eight by 2027, with a move into Canada being explored in developments that could have wider implications for the sport.Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto, cities with significant South Asian communities, are on the shortlist with final decisions expected this year. Market potential and local government support in helping build stadium infrastructure will be among the determining factors.Expansion officials travelled to Chicago recently and were believed to be encouraged by the local support. Visits to the other cities are expected in the coming months.MLC co-founder Satyan Gajwani will launch one of the franchises, while fellow co-founders Vijay Srinivasan, the league’s chief executive until recently, and Sameer Mehta will helm the other. Investors are likely to partner up with them once the two cities have been selected.Three of the six teams in the MLC are owned by IPL team owners – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings – while Seattle, the only small-market franchise in the league, have ties with Delhi Capitals. San Francisco and Washington don’t have any IPL attachments, but have partnerships with Cricket Victoria and Cricket NSW respectively.

“There are many cities in America that have large populations of people who already love cricket. But the goal is to grow the game and that means expanding beyond that fan base.”MLC co-founder Satyan Gajwani

“We have options ahead of us. I don’t think we’re committed one way or the other right now,” Gajwani told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s realistically a decision we will take closer to launch.”Expansion will likely lead to more games and a longer duration of the competition. MLC power brokers do eventually want a home-and-away season – where the teams play each other twice – to underpin the tournament.Last year’s second season ran for 23 days in July and overlapped with the Hundred in the UK. This season’s scheduling has not been announced, but a lengthier tournament is expected, although it might start earlier in June.The well-heeled MLC’s emergence has become a major talking point in English cricket, heightened when Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to represent LA Knight Riders, who have the same owners as KKR.”There are many cities in America that have large populations of people who already love cricket. But the goal is to grow the game and that means expanding beyond that fan base,” Gajwani said. “America is the largest sports market in the world. It’s also very competitive, and continuing to be relevant will be a challenge.”But I think the economics of sport in America are pretty robust. The NBA and NFL are in 28 cities. We’re in six right now. We still have a lot of headroom for growth in the medium to long term.”The tournament’s first two seasons were entirely played at the 7200 capacity Grand Prairie Stadium, a redeveloped baseball ground, near Dallas and the more modest Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.Existing franchises – other than Dallas-based Texas Super Kings – have faced challenges getting suitable infrastructure off the ground. But there is confidence that San Francisco Unicorns will start playing home games this season at the iconic Oakland Coliseum, which up until recently was the long-time home of the Athletics in the MLB. The new franchises hope to play at home grounds from the start.Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to represent LA Knight Riders at the MLC•MLC”In the ideal case, we firm up on the city, lock up a land deal and then build a stadium – whether retrofitted or building from zero,” Gajwani said. “The ideal outcome is that we play at home for our first game in 2027.”There is this balance of wanting to build something that’s right for where the market is, but have the flexibility to grow with the market. Every city will have its own dynamics.”The cities in the running may be further incentivised by the prospect of potentially hosting cricket matches at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket will end a 128-year Olympic drought but venues have yet to be determined, with the men’s and women’s competitions possibly extending beyond Los Angeles.”There’s the added element that a fully-fledged cricket venue up and running by 2027 could possibly host matches at the Olympics,” Gajwani said. “The IOC or the LA Organising Committees will make that decision. But they openly said they’re looking for infrastructure that can host Olympic matches. It’s definitely a factor that we’re all thinking about.”The league also announced Johnny Grave as its new CEO, replacing Srinivasan. Grave is a prominent figure in cricket administration, having most recently served as CEO at CWI for seven years. He was previously the commercial director at the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) in England.”I am honored to lead the league at this transformative time,” Grave said in a statement. “Cricket is beloved globally and I am thrilled to see its fan base growing rapidly in the United States. I look forward to working with the MLC team to help elevate the league, engage with fans, and build a thriving, sustainable future for cricket in America.”

As it is every year, this summer has been a hectic one for Chelsea.

On top of winning the Club World Cup and making a reasonably good start to their Premier League campaign, the Blues have been very active in the transfer market.

The board has backed Enzo Maresca with several exciting additions, including Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, and Liam Delap.

However, much to the disappointment of some fans, they do appear to have missed out on Xavi Simons, although if reports are to be believed, they’re now targeting someone who’d be an even better signing.

Chelsea target better signing than Simons

Chelsea have been involved in several transfer sagas this summer, and one of the most protracted concerned Simons, who at one point looked destined to join the club.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, after waiting for months and then finding out the Blues weren’t all that sold on him, the RB Leipzig gem decided to move to Tottenham Hotspur and put pen to paper on a seven-year contract.

Now, some sections of the fanbase are understandably upset about seeing such a talented player join their rivals, but it now looks like the West Londoners are eyeing an even better signing.

At least that is according to Ben Jacobs, who has claimed Chelsea are interested in Adam Wharton.

The journalist has revealed that the Crystal Palace gem is now on the club’s list of targets, but that he will be incredibly difficult to sign this summer.

Moreover, reports from earlier this summer claimed that it could cost as much as £100m to get him out of Selhurst Park this year.

With that said, even if Chelsea have to wait a year, Wharton would be an incredible pick up and a better signing than Simons.

Why Wharton would be a better signing than Simons

So, the first reason Wharton would be a better signing than Simons for Chelsea, and a hugely significant one, is that he’s already proven in the Premier League.

Despite still being only 21 years old, the “generational” talent, as dubbed by Matthew Stanger, has already made 38 appearances in the competition and looked like he belonged from the very first one.

Now, it is undoubtedly the case that the Dutchman has more top-flight experience under his belt, but that has come in leagues which are considered to be significantly weaker.

For example, Opta Analyst ranks the English top-flight as the toughest in the world, by quite some margin.

At the same time, the Bundesliga ranks fourth, Ligue 1 fifth, and the Dutch Eredivisie tenth, trailing the Brazilian, Belgian, and Portuguese top flights.

In other words, we know that the former Blackburn Rovers gem is more than capable of becoming a superstar in the Premier League, which cannot be said about the former PSV Eindhoven ace, especially when numerous players have looked outstanding in Germany but flopped in England, such as Timo Werner.

Finally, when you step back and take a look under the hood, the already-capped international’s underlying numbers scream that he’s destined for greatness.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for expected goals and ball recoveries, the top 7% for crosses into the penalty area, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for key passes and more, all per 90.

Not only are these numbers elite, but they paint a picture of an all-action midfielder who’s as brilliant at starting attacks as he is snuffing them out.

GCA (Dead-ball Pass)

0.14

Top 3%

xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals

0.21

Top 5%

Ball Recoveries

6.79

Top 5%

Crosses into Penalty Area

0.34

Top 7%

Shot-Creating Actions

3.94

Top 8%

Key Passes

1.83

Top 9%

SCA (Dead-ball Pass)

0.81

Top 9%

SCA (Live-ball Pass)

2.92

Top 10%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.48

Top 10%

Inswinging Corner Kicks

1.15

Top 11%

Passes into Penalty Area

1.29

Top 12%

GCA (Live-ball Pass)

0.34

Top 12%

Progressive Passes

6.92

Top 13%

Dribbles Challenged

2.65

Top 14%

Through Balls

0.34

Top 15%

Ultimately, Simons appears to be a great player for Spurs, but Wharton seems destined to become a superstar; therefore, he would be the far better signing.

He'll be unreal with Pedro: Big-money star to sign for Chelsea on Friday

The big-money dynamo will be incredible with Joao Pedro at Chelsea.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 29, 2025

Former Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton hailed ex-boss Jurgen Klopp for believing in him, giving him valuable playing time and opportunities to develop at Anfield. While he struggled for minutes under Arne Slot, Morton says appreciated the Dutchman’s honesty, which ultimately led to his move to Lyon in the summer transfer window.

Morton's move to Lyon

Morton joined Lyon in the summer of 2025 for €10 million (£9m/$12m) after he received only 99 minutes of play time in the top flight last season under Slot. The midfielder, who made his senior debut for Liverpool in the Champions League under Klopp in the 2021-22 season, was then loaned out to Blackburn and Hull before he was ultimately sold to Lyon this summer.

AdvertisementAFPKlopp named 'the best' but it got rough under Slot

In an interview with , Morton expressed his admiration for the man who put trust in him, saying: “Jurgen Klopp was the best coach for my development. I think at that moment, I was ready to play. I'm not saying that no one believed it, but I think I was ready, and Klopp thought so too. He gave me the opportunity to play on the biggest stage for a very big club. He believed in me, allowed me to go out on loan to develop.

“Jurgen just wanted the best for me, he made me play great matches in the Champions League and the Premier League. It was a remarkable period, he made me progress at all levels.”

However, Morton admitted things did not work out with Slot, though he respected the manager’s honesty. He recalled their frank conversation: “With Arne Slot, I didn't play as much as I wanted, even though I was ready. It was his decision, and I took it calmly, but I had to find another path. He was very open and very honest with me at the end of last season. We talked a lot, and he let me join OL.

“I will be eternally grateful to Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, in different ways. They are excellent managers, but also great men.”

Morton picks up a red card for Lyon

Morton has played 345 minutes with Lyon under Paulo Fonseca in this season so far but received a red card in the recent match against Rennes after a “very English tackle”. The midfielder has been impressed by the pace and physicality of Ligue 1, saying it matches the Premier League.

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AFPMorton's challenge up ahead

With the necessary game time under his belt, Morton hopes it will aid his development as Lyon look to overcome their off-field troubles to compete in the French top-flight.

Hamstring injury leaves England looking at potential replacements ahead of Australia opener

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2025 • Updated on 10-Feb-20251:19

Buttler: ‘We are making steps in right direction’

England batter Jacob Bethell is set to miss the Champions Trophy after sustaining a left hamstring injury* on the tour of India. Bethell missed Sunday’s second ODI in Cuttack, with England captain Jos Buttler saying afterwards he was unlikely to be fit for the tournament, which starts in 10 days’ time.”I’m pretty sure he’s been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, to be honest,” Buttler said. “That’s really disappointing for him, obviously he played nicely the other day and has been one of the really exciting players so it’s a shame that the injury is going to rule him out.”With Jamie Smith still recovering from a calf issue – the tourists were forced to name assistant coaches Marcus Trescothick and Paul Collingwood as sub-fielders in Cuttack – Somerset’s Tom Banton has been drafted into the squad as cover, and will arrive in India on Monday.The extent of Bethell’s injury will be established in the coming days, with England yet to make an official announcement about his status. England’s Champions Trophy campaign kicks off on February 22, against Australia in Lahore, and there is optimism around Smith’s recovery, with the wicketkeeper-batter taking part in the warm-ups on Sunday. The deadline for announcing replacements to the 15-man Champions Trophy squad is February 12.Bethell impressed with 51 and 1 for 18 with his left-arm spin in the first ODI against India, which the hosts won by four wickets. Having also performed well on his maiden Test tour of New Zealand at the end of 2024, with three half-centuries and an average of 52, he has been earmarked by head coach Brendon McCullum as a vital cog across all formats.Banton, meanwhile, has a chance to reignite his international career, having earned the last of his 20 white-ball caps in 2022. Though he has underwhelmed for England so far, with just three fifty-plus scores across four ODIs and 16 T20Is, he is in a rich vein of form off the back of a stellar ILT20, topping the competition’s batting charts.The 26-year-old struck 493 runs in 11 outings for MI Emirates, including two centuries, as the franchise reached the Eliminator stage where they were defeated by Sharjah Warriors.1900 GMT – This story was updated with Jos Buttler’s post-match quotes

RCB end the season on a high and deny MI a direct finals berth

Vishal Dikshit11-Mar-20255:25

Mel Jones: ‘Phenomenal’ Perry played a different sort of innings

First-season champions Mumbai Indians (MI) finished the league stage second behind Delhi Capitals for the third year in a row, after failing to chase down 200 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Brabourne Stadium. Needing a win to top the table and seal a direct final berth, MI put on a shoddy fielding display that gave RCB a competitive total. In their reply, Nat Sciver-Brunt was the only batter to cross 23 as the hosts fell to their first loss at Brabourne in six games.RCB’s 11-run win was the third victory in a row for the team batting first at WPL 2025 after the early trend was heavily in favour of teams chasing. Their win that helped them off the bottom of the table was set up by a half-century from Smriti Mandhana, free-flowing strokeplay from S Meghana, Ellyse Perry’s anchoring role, and boundary-laden cameos from Richa Ghosh and Georgia Wareham.For MI, Sciver-Brunt did the heavy lifting after the losses of Hayley Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur, but once she fell for a stunning 69 off 35 in the 15th over, MI had too much to score (71 runs) in too little time (31 balls) with no big names to follow.Meghana starts the engine, Mandhana changes gearsWith nothing to lose in this campaign, RCB came out all guns blazing in their last game and they did it audaciously by targeting MI’s best bowlers. Meghana clubbed Sciver-Brunt for two fours in the second over before seeing Mandhana end the third over with a four followed by a glorious straight six against Shabnim Ismail. Meghana then welcomed Matthews with 4, 6 and 4 but Matthews’ riposte came in the form of a 102.8kmh bouncer which she top-edged to short fine leg for 26 off 13.Smriti Mandhana scored a breezy 37-ball 53, with six fours and three sixes•BCCIRCB finished the powerplay on 53 for 1, and Perry made MI pay for gifting her three lives. The next bowler to be carted all around was Amelia Kerr. Once her first ball – a long hop – was pulled for four by Perry, Mandhana swept her for six, flicked for four and swung her down the ground for a 22-run over. Briefly after MI pulled the run rate down from 9.62 to under 8.50 an over, Mandhana collected two consecutive aerial fours to reach her fifty off 35 balls.MI’s greasy fingers allow RCB to speed awayKerr’s second over was even more dramatic. She gave Perry a life on 16 when she failed to hold on to the ball that was smashed back to her. Two balls later, Mandhana, on 52, skied a sweep but Sanskriti Gupta put down a sitter at midwicket. That didn’t cost MI much as Mandhana found long-off on her next ball.What did cost MI was Perry’s life. She gloriously lofted Ismail for a six next over and drilled Parunika Sisodia for four after Ghosh had already collected two fours in the 14th over. Ghosh was also living dangerously. She miscued a couple of swings before tearing Ismail apart. A reverse-scoop edged for four, a mighty straight six and a scoop right over the keeper fetched 15 from the over to give Ismail figures of 0 for 41. Ghosh miscued Matthews for 36 off 22 next over but Perry and Wareham piled on more boundaries.The duo went after Amanjot Kaur – whose tight lines saw her concede just nine off her first three overs – for four fours all around, which included the reliable Sciver-Brunt putting down a dolly at deep midwicket after being distracted by the spidercam. Perry was dropped on the first ball of the last over, bowled by Kerr, that went for four. Wareham swept and reverse-swept Kerr for 4, 2, 4 and 6 to give RCB 199 with her scintillating 31 not out off 10 that helped them collect 65 off the last four.Kerr fails again, Rana lands the blowsMI’s opening woes continued as Kerr again failed to put on a decent score. While Matthews got going with spectacular hits off Perry, Kerr faced just nine balls in the first 30. Sneh Rana snared the two openers in consecutive overs when she had Matthews hole out to deep square leg and Kerr sky one towards cover for 9.Nat Sciver-Brunt struck a 29-ball fifty but received little support from others•BCCIMI needed a big lift from 45 for 2 in the powerplay. Harmanpreet survived an lbw appeal and review from WPL debutant Heather Graham and found the gaps with two confident boundaries. But Mandhana brought back the wily Kim Garth and she foxed the MI captain with a back-of-the-hand legcutter that drew an edge which was pouched nicely by Ghosh. Sciver-Brunt keeps the runs comingDespite the captain’s fall, MI did not slow down, thanks to Sciver-Brunt. She often shuffled to off stump to target the slightly shorter boundary on one side and belted out one boundary after another. Wareham was dispatched straight down, Graham for consecutive fours, Rana was brought back and was given similar treatment in a 12-run over. But soon after Sciver-Brunt smoked Perry for a four and six in the 15th over, she miscued an offcutter which Perry settled under easily.The Sajana scare for RCBNeeding 71 to get from 31 from there was a tall ask for MI but their lower order didn’t give up. The charge was led by the hard-hitting S Sajana mainly at the end after the wickets of Yastika Bhatia, Amanjot and G Kamalini. With 44 to win from 12, Sajana packed some power against Garth’s slower ones and then with 24 to get from five, she hammered Perry in the ‘V’ down the ground for two sixes. She missed the next ball and then miscued one to be dismissed for 23 off 12 and MI fell short.

Glasgow Rangers enjoyed a busy end to the summer transfer window with the signings of Derek Cornelius on loan from Marseille and Youssef Chermiti on a permanent deal from Everton.

The Scottish Premiership giants made plenty of moves, in and out, in an attempt to build a squad that can compete with their Glasgow rivals to win trophies this season.

There were high-profile exits, as Cyriel Dessers, Jefte, and Hamza Igamane moved away from Ibrox, whilst there were some exciting signings brought in to improve the squad, including Bojan Miovski, Djeidi Gassama, and Thelo Aasgaard.

So far, though, the Ibrox giants have not seen any rewards for their work over the summer, as Russell Martin has yet to oversee a victory in the Premiership and his side were knocked out of the Champions League.

The Light Blues head into the first international break of the season off the back of a 0-0 draw with Celtic in the Premiership, their fourth draw in as many games in the division.

It is fair to say that Martin’s start to life at Ibrox has not gone smoothly and that a section of the fanbase is already unhappy with the direction of travel under him.

Why Rangers should part ways with Russell Martin

After the 6-0 loss to Club Brugge, Martin claimed that he was “embarrassed,” and supporters seemingly felt the same way, as a banner left at Ibrox read, “Get him out now before the seats are empty.”

This suggests that some fans feel that the crowd numbers at Ibrox will diminish if the former Scotland international remains in post with the style of play and the nature of the results so far.

This is not to say that Martin cannot turn things around and ultimately become a success at Ibrox, because there has been a big turnover in the squad, and Chermiti and Cornelius have yet to play for the manager.

However, it is seemingly going to take a lot to get the fans back onside and there has not been much to take away from the competitive matches played so far that suggest that things are on the way up.

Celtic

5.7

1.2

8

Hearts

6.4

4.1

7

Hibernian

5.7

1.9

7

Rangers

4.5

3.7

6

Motherwell

5.9

5.5

6

As you can see in the table above, the slow start to the season for Rangers in the Premiership has not been because of unfortunate results, as they have not been particularly impressive with their general performances.

They have the lowest xG tally in the top five in the division after four games, which will not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched the team play, as they have lacked creativity and effective build-up play.

Miovski did not have a single ‘big chance’ created for him in the draw with Celtic, per Sofascore, and Rangers could get him firing by sacking Martin to bring a former manager back to Ibrox.

Before they appointed the ex-Southampton boss, Rangers had reportedly made contact with Steven Gerrard over a possible return to the club.

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Given the woeful start to the campaign, reigniting that interest to bring him back to Glasgow could be a shrewd move and one that could get the best out of their new striker.

Why Gerrard would be perfect for Miovski

Above all else, the former England international is a proven Premiership manager who knows how to earn success in Scotland, having won the 2020/21 league title with Rangers.

Gerrard, whose reputation was described as “amazing” by former England defender Glen Johnson, has won a title in his career as a manager and some supporters, who have already celebrated success with him in charge at Ibrox, may find it easier to back and get behind his style and way of playing.

The way the English head coach got the best out of Alfredo Morelos during his time in Glasgow shows that he has a system, typically a 4-3-3 shape, and a way of playing that can help a striker to thrive.

Appearances

158

111

Goals

83

41

Games per goal

1.90

2.70

Assists

36

21

Games per assist

4.38

5.28

As you can see in the table above, the Colombian marksman was far better off with Gerrard in charge at Rangers, scoring and assisting goals with greater regularity.

These statistics, and the fact that he won a league title with Morelos, show that the currently unattached manager’s style of play helps a striker to succeed and provides them with plenty of chances to score.

This is why bringing Gerrard back to the club could get Miovski firing and scoring enough goals to put Rangers in contention for trophies this season, given his record at Premiership level shown in the graphic above.

The Macedonia international has proven that he can score goals in the Scottish top-flight, as evidenced by his 32-goal haul for Aberdeen, but it is now down to Rangers to get the best out of them.

Albeit it was against Celtic, the lack of service to the left-footed forward was a concern on his debut, and one of the reasons why appointing Gerrard again could be a masterstroke by the Gers.

Bringing in a proven manager who knows how to win the Premiership and how to get the best out of a centre-forward in Scotland could be exactly what Rangers need to turn their season around and take advantage of some unsettlement at Celtic, after they had to move to the free agent market to sign Kelechi Iheanacho after failing to land a striker on deadline day.

49ers block move for Rangers star Martin said is "annoyed and disappointed"

Martin seems to have changed his plans for the player.

ByCallum Kemp Sep 2, 2025

Whilst there is nothing concrete to suggest that Rangers are going to sack Martin any time soon, replacing him with Gerrard is a move that could unite supporters and get the best out of the summer transfer business that was done by Kevin Thelwell.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has claimed that he does not have to defend himself amid rumours of his sacking as Blues boss. The Premier League giants have lost three out of their last five matches across all competitions, including back-to-back defeats in the league against Manchester United and Brighton. Chelsea players were booed at Stamford Bridge after their latest loss against the Seagulls.

Is Maresca at risk of losing his job?

Chelsea saw a major dip in form after going down against three of their last five opponents across all competitions and they have also suffered back-to-back losses against United and Brighton in the Premier League, where they also saw Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah sent off, respectively. The series of poor results has put the manager's position under scrutiny, however, claims that the Blues have no plans to make a mid-season managerial change, with Maresca retaining the full backing of the board.

AdvertisementAFP'No reason to be so negative'

Speaking to reporters, the Blues head coach said: "I think there is no reason to be negative. The club showed me the stats that in the last six months we lost five games, four of them with a red card (against Brighton, Manchester United, Newcastle and Flamengo). The only game that we lost 11-11 was Bayern Munich away. So that’s why I said for me personally there is not any reason that we need to panic knowing that football is a crazy world.

"For sure we like winning games. But also the reality is that there is not any pressure. The pressure we have is the pressure that we know that being at Chelsea as a player, as a manager you need to win games. But at the same moment the reality is that for different reasons, injuries and red cards, we lost five games in almost six months. At the same time I think it’s something not bad."

'It's a learning process to play with 10 players'

Maresca added: "After reviewing the last two games, Manchester United and Brighton with 10 players, for sure I could have done better probably in terms of (my) decisions. For me it’s like a learning process to play with 10 players because I think for any manager it’s not something normal."

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Getty ImagesChelsea could miss key players for Champions League clash

Chelsea will now prepare to face Jose Mourinho's Benfica next in the Champions League, however, Maresca could miss the services of some key players like Joao Pedro, Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos as all three players picked up knocks against the Seagulls.

Seifert scored an unbeaten 97 after Neesham’s five wickets reduced Pakistan to 128

Danyal Rasool26-Mar-2025New Zealand signed off the series as they started it: with an absolute hammering of Pakistan. Tim Seifert, who smashed an unbeaten 97 off 38, ensured New Zealand needed just ten overs to get to Pakistan’s limp 128 after five wickets for James Neesham hobbled Pakistan in the first innings.New Zealand called correctly at the toss and barely put a foot wrong after. Will O’Rourke and Jacob Duffy were both tight and penetrating up front as New Zealand took three wickets in the powerplay. It included Hassan Nawaz for his third duck of the series who sandwiched his century at Eden Park with just one run across the other four games. Neesham’s first wicket of five reduced Pakistan to 52 for 5 around the halfway mark as Pakistan’s top order scattered around their captain Salman Agha.Agha and Shadab Khan provided the only resistance with the bat for Pakistan with a brief, entertaining cameo. Neither are natural power hitters, but both were effective in their manipulation of the bowlers and the field as Pakistan picked up the pace in a 54-run stand in 35 balls.But when Shadab briefly lost his cool after being deprived of a free hit he thought he deserved for a high full toss the previous ball, he nicked the next one to the keeper. He walked away incandescent, and the remainder of Pakistan’s innings folded tamely even as Agha brought up his second half-century in three games. Neesham was ruthless in wrapping the tail up as the final four overs yielded four wickets for 22 runs, and a target of 129.Neesham starred with five wickets•Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s innings began with 18 runs off Jahandad Khan’s first over, and barely looked back. Finn Allen and Seifert were raining boundaries no matter which fast bowler Agha turned to; five of the first six overs produced double-digit runs, and when Pakistan turned back to Jahandad to close out the powerplay, the assault was unforgiving. Three sixes and a four from Seifert saw 25 runs come off it as New Zealand surged to 92 in the powerplay – their highest six-over score in T20I history.Sufiyan Muqeem – in hindsight brought in a touch late, provided some measure of relief for Pakistan, got rid of Allen with his second delivery with a bit of flight and variation of pace. He followed it up by deceiving Mark Chapman with a quicker one that Mohammad Haris was sharp to collect and whip the bails off, his two overs conceding just six runs for their two wickets.However, that did not mean all spin was working for Pakistan, as Shadab’s concluding over made painfully clear. Four sixes in six balls, and three consecutive ones to sign off the game, put Pakistan out of their misery, his 26-run over finishing off a contest so one-sided it had become borderline uncomfortable to watch.New Zealand will take heart from their strength in depth, while Pakistan are left to wonder if there are further depths to sink to.

A Rangers player has dropped a pointed update regarding his Ibrox future during the international break, aiming a message at manager Russell Martin.

Martin says no issues with Rangers players

The Gers did at least manage to come away with a 0-0 draw away to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership before the international break, but it has still been a hugely disappointing start to the season.

One individual who played no part in proceedings at Parkhead was Nicolas Raskin, with former Rangers striker Kris Boyd left bemused by what he sees as chaos at the training ground.

That being said, Martin has played down any issues that may have arisen, saying the relationship he has with his players is healthy currently: “I’d describe my relationship with all the players, all the staff as honest and open.

“I don’t think you can have anything else apart from that. There’s not a breakdown in any relationships here. If it’s honest and open, there can’t be a breakdown in any relationships.”

Rangers ace gives key update on his future

Speaking to the media after representing Belgium on international duty, Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin provided a 12-word update on his Ibrox future, with a short but pointed message to Martin after the manager refuted rumours of a relationship breakdown.

“But it (my future) doesn’t just depend on me, it depends on the coach.”

It is disappointing to see Raskin up in the air about his Rangers future, and clearly not entirely happy at the club, considering what a talented player he is.

The 24-year-old possesses a great combination of quality and fight in the middle of the park, with former striker Rory Loy speaking of his admiration for him earlier this year.

“You’ve seen a side of him, and I’m not saying he never showed it under Philippe Clement, but the consistency he’s shown with it since Ferguson has come in has been quite something. So I do think he deserves credit in terms of the mental side of the game and then we already know he’s got ability. He’s shown that in abundance over the last three months.”

Hopefully, Raskin’s relationship with Martin improves enough for him to remain at Ibrox for the foreseeable future, but the situation doesn’t exactly feel too encouraging currently.

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To leave an international player out of the squad entirely in a huge game against Celtic shows that all is not well, and if things don’t improve, it is hard to see both Raskin and Martin being at Rangers come the end of the season, if not by the time the January transfer window arrives.