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That was certainly an entertaining game, but not for the reason Chelsea would’ve been hoping for.

Enzo Maresca’s side travelled to Baku to take on Qarabağ in the Champions League, but instead of building on their derby win at the weekend, they drew 2-2.

While there were a few players who looked good on the night, such as Estevao, most of the team played seriously poorly.

In fact, some of the team, like Jorrel Hato, have almost certainly played themselves out of the team for the Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Hato's dire display vs Qarabağ

When Chelsea signed Hato from Ajax in the summer, there was considerable excitement from the fanbase, as the 19-year-old is regarded as one of the best young defenders in world football.

After all, before the move, he had already made over 100 appearances for the Amsterdam side and won six senior caps for the Netherlands.

However, even with this experience, he’s years away from being in his prime years, and so there was an expectation that he would make mistakes for the Blues, and unfortunately, that is what happened on Wednesday night.

Hato’s senior Ajax record

Appearances

111

Starts

102

Minutes

9121′

Goals

4

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

701.61′

Points per Game

1.86

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For Qarabağ’s first goal, the Dutchman was outmuscled and left on the floor for the first shot and then out of the way entirely for the rebound.

Now, one mistake in a game can be down to bad luck and happen to anyone.

Unfortunately, it was the teenager who, via a handball, gave away the penalty for the hosts’ second goal just ten minutes later.

In all, it was, as one content creator put it, a “horror” showing from Hato on Wednesday and one that should see him dropped for Saturday.

Unfortunately for Maresca, other starters also played themselves out of the team.

The Cheslea star who played himself out of the team

There really are a few players you could name here, such as Hato’s defensive partner, Tosin Adarabioyo, who looked just as inexperienced at the back.

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However, in this instance, the starter who has to be on the bench for Wolves on the weekend is Tyrique George.

The Cobham graduate was preferred to Marc Guiu and Liam Delap from the start on Wednesday night, and unfortunately, he did not repay the manager’s faith in him.

In his defence, he did not make a mistake that cost the side a goal, but he also did nothing to help them score one, which, given his position and the opposition, is just as bad.

In fact, the youngster was so anonymous that Maresca decided to hook him at halftime, and while Liam Delap didn’t set the world alight either, he was at least noticeable when the Blues had the ball.

That might sound overly harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by football.london’s Bobby Vincent, who gave the Englishman a 5/10 match rating and generously described it as ‘a fairly quiet evening’ for the striker.

Unfortunately, his statistics don’t make for pleasant reading either, as in 45 minutes of inaction, he produced a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.22, took a single shot which was blocked, took just 13 touches – 26 fewer than Robert Sanchez – lost the ball four times and completed just six passes.

George’s game vs Qarabağ

Minutes

45′

Expected Goals

0.05

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.17

Assists

0

Shots on Target

0

Touches

13

Lost Possession

4

Passes Completed

6/7

Dribbles

0

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (0)

All Stats via Sofascore

Ultimately, George isn’t a bad player, but he was utterly anonymous against Qarabağ and, therefore, must be dropped for the Wolves game.

Related Enzo Maresca makes January claim with Chelsea star "out for a while" through injury

The west Londoners could be without him until 2026.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Nov 5, 2025

Two heavy defeats in the group stages have exposed flaws that the players are keen to work on ahead of bigger tests that lie in wait

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-20253:06

Review: South Africa undone by the ‘King’ of Indore

If South Africa hoped they could move on from 69 all out against England in Guwahati, their Indore implosion against Australia has ensured that they can’t. Especially not now that they will play England in Guwahati again.The two blowouts that have bookended South Africa’s World Cup group stage essentially ask the same question: how will this team perform on a big occasion?Within that are smaller, and perhaps more significant questions: do South Africa have the technique and the patience to play different kinds of spin, is their batting line-up organised correctly and are they championship material? So far, the jury’s out on whether they are those things consistently enough.Related

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Against England, South Africa were flummoxed by Linsey Smith’s left-arm spin where they failed to pick up the deliveries that held their line and were done by drift. Against Australia, they were bamboozled by Alana King’s legspin but again, it was less about the turn and more about the bounce and line. The difference between the two is that while South Africa hung back a touch against England in what appeared a more conservative approach, they showed intent against Australia albeit that it caused their downfall.South Africa were 32 for 0 in the seventh over, and 28 of Laura Wolvaardt’s 31 runs had come in boundaries. Then they lost their way. Of course, that makes it worse. It means all ten wickets fell for 65 runs, but look at the shots South Africa played and there was something of a (perhaps misguided?) plan. Sune Luus slog swept, Marizanne Kapp tried to slice one over point, Annerie Dercksen wanted to hit down the ground, Chloe Tryon attempted a flick off her pads and Sinalo Jafta swiped across one and missed.South Africa’s aggressive intent against Australia did not pan out well•Getty ImagesEssentially South Africa seemed to have decided this was a free hit for several reasons. Their place in the semi-finals was already confirmed, and it was also certain they would not have to play Australia – the team everyone wants to avoid in a knockout. Though topping the table would have meant they also avoided England, maybe South Africa don’t mind facing Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side, who are unbeaten but have shown weaknesses in the middle order again.Perhaps it was more important to experiment various game plans in case they come up against Australia again. It didn’t work but it may still have been important for them to have tried. “Coach Mandla (Mashimbyi) has given me a task to go 100% or nothing. That actually makes me just watch the ball and hit the ball regardless of what happens,” Sinalo Jafta, who top-scored with 29, said at the post-match press conference.

“To lose like that, it does hurt. If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t mean anything.”Sinalo Jafta

She, and the rest of the line-up, seemed to adopt the same approach. Instead of doing what England did, which was to survive and stonewall against Australia, before reaching a total that wasn’t enough anyway, South Africa tried to attack. It’s admirable in intent but the execution needs work and Jafta conceded that. “If we just go forward, play straight, I think we should be good. A lot of times we play with a cross bat, and we’ve seen it in these conditions, it doesn’t work.”That’s what South Africa will remember going into the knockouts. Everything else, including the humiliation of being bowled out inside 20.4 against England and 24 overs against Australia, they will forget. “It’s disappointing to lose the way we did but coach Mandla always says to have the chicken brain,” Jafta said. “Obviously, we will assess where we went wrong and then by the time we get on the plane tomorrow to go to Guwahati, we will know what’s at stake. It gives us a great opportunity to search, reflect and just see where we went wrong. So it’s literally just going out there, forgetting what happened and just focusing on what works for us. I mean, we’ve proved right before. So what’s stopping us from doing it again?”That’s where the personnel question comes in and Jafta’s spot is one of those under scrutiny. Batting at No. 6 seems a place too high for her, though she has demonstrated a vastly improved technique since being pushed up the order. Dercksen’s place is the other under the scanner, with only one score in double-figures at this World Cup. The more experienced Anneke Bosch, who also only has one double-figure score at this event, could come into the mix instead. Chiefly what South Africa have lacked so far is reliability from their batters and they also carry far too long a tail. Can a title-winning team only bat to No. 8? They’ll test that this week, in the semi-final for sure and then again if they get further and apart from the obvious outcome of winning, they’ll also want to show that they’ve learnt something from their two big defeats in the group stage.”To lose like that, it does hurt. If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t mean anything,” Jafta said. “But these are great opportunities to actually get better. We obviously played England in the first game and it didn’t go out the way we wanted. But I think going into that match, we knew exactly what to do, we prepped and one game doesn’t makes us a bad squad. Our culture has been brilliant and we’ve got that bounce back ability.”Wednesday will tell.

Pakistan are eight wickets away from ending South Africa’s ten-match winning streak in Test cricket after asking them to complete the highest successful chase in Lahore and second-highest in Pakistan. A target of 277 looks far away with the visitors 51 for 2 at stumps on the third day.In a match that has played to script, Pakistan won the toss, batted first, took a 109-run innings lead and scored quickly in their second go to leave South Africa in a battle for survival. Spinners have been the key protagonists, led by Senuran Muthusamy who finished with career-best match figures of 11 for 174, including a second five-for. Muthusamy’s haul is the fourth-best by a South African spinner but that is unlikely to be enough to help them win the game.Instead, it is Noman Ali who will take the headlines after picking up his fifth successive Test five-for earlier in the day and, adding to that haul, two second-innings wickets as well to set Pakistan on their way.The day began with South Africa’s first innings still standing. There were four wickets left and Sajid Khan took one of them when Muthusamy edged him to slip, where Salman Agha claimed a sharp catch.With the score 228 for 7, Tony de Zorzi had a decision to make. He was 81 overnight. A swing across the line for four against Sajid and a strike over long-off for six against Noman made it clear what his plans were going to be. De Zorzi reverse-swept Noman for a single to bring up a hard-fought hundred, which was the second of his Test career and second in the subcontinent.Tony de Zorzi brought up his second Test century•Getty Images

With the second new ball looming, de Zorzi sought to be as aggressive as possible but it was his undoing. He advanced on Noman and swung hard but only got the ball as far as Shaheen Shah Afridi on the long-on boundary to give Noman a five-for. South Africa made it to the second new ball, Pakistan took it and gave it to their spinners, and it took Noman eight balls to strike. Prenalen Subrayen tried to defend but got an edge and Agha was in action again to take another good catch at slip. Noman finished with 6 for 112.With a first innings lead of 109, Pakistan could afford early losses and risky strokeplay. Imam-ul-Haq was the first to fall when he shimmied down the pitch to drive Simon Harmer through the offside but he missed the ball as it turned away from him and was stumped for 0.Kagiso Rabada caused significant problems in a superb new-ball spell. He found Abdullah Shafique’s edge three times but the ball went for four on each occasion and also beat Shan Masood with a peach that just missed off stump. The pressure Rabada created brought rewards at the other end. Harmer got a second when Masood was stuck on the back foot trying to cut a delivery that angled in and hit on the pad. Babar Azam survived an lbw review before lunch off Rabada when he was hit high on the back leg and Markram was convinced to send it upstairs. The ball would have bounced over the stumps.Babar continued to live dangerously after the break. He top-edged a sweep off Harmer but it went over leg slip. Shafique hit Muthusamy high over mid-off but Wiaan Mulder couldn’t take the catch over his left shoulder. Eventually, Babar settled down and was willing to show a little more patience than his peers.He scored just nine runs off the first 26 balls he faced and was getting his eye in when he watched Shafique hand Muthusamy a thigh-high caught and bowled dismissal. In Muthusamy’s next over, Babar came down the pitch to hit him through mid-on and assert his authority.Senuran Muthusamy finished with the fourth-best match figures by a South African spinner•Getty Images

Saud Shakeel, on a pair, survived a South African review for lbw off Muthusamy as UltraEdge picked up an under-edge but had to wait seven balls before he scored. He swept Muthusamy behind square for his first runs of the match. Pakistan grew more aggressive as Babar hit Muthusamy over his head, past midwicket and through third for a trio of boundaries in the same over to enter the forties.The adoring home crowd were denied a Babar fifty when Rabada got one to nip back into him and hit his back pad. He was given out lbw and reviewed, unsuccessfully. Then, just before tea, Shakeel tried to clear midwicket but hit the ball to Tristan Stubbs at deep square leg to leave Pakistan 150 for 5.Things happened quickly after the break as Pakistan lost their next five wickets for 17 runs in an overall collapse of 7 for 48 from Babar’s dismissal. Mohammad Rizwan was bowled by Harmer, who ripped one in between the bat-pad gap. Afridi was promoted to No. 8 and reverse-swept Muthusamy to backward point and then Muthusamy picked up his tenth when he bowled Agha with a tossed-up delivery that beat his swipe.Any delight South Africa took from a strong bowling performance was soon eclipsed by the dread of how their own line-up would fare in the second innings. Noman soon provided the answer. Markram, frustrated with his 3 off 10, cleared his front leg to try and hoick Noman leg side but missed and was bowled. Then, Mulder, for the second time in the game, played a poor stroke, albeit that this was more of a non-shot. He shaped to cut, backed out and edged Noman to slip and Agha’s safe hands made no mistake.Ryan Rickelton and de Zorzi saw out the day but not without some nervy moments. Rickelton was on 26 when he jabbed Noman to Shafique at short leg but the ball was hit quickly and Shafique could not hold on. De Zorzi survived an lbw shout in the penultimate over after he moved well outside off stump and Pakistan considered reviewing against Rickelton off the last ball but he too had made sure to get outside the line of the stumps.

كشف مدرب نادي سندرلاند عن الخطة التي اتبعها فريقه خلال مواجهة ليفربول بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وذلك لايقاف نجم الريدز، محمد صلاح.

سندرلاند واجه ليفربول يوم أمس الأربعاء بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، ونجح الفريق الضيف في فرض التعادل على الريدز بهدف لكل فريق على ملعب أنفيلد.

وكان سندرلاند متقدمًا بهدف دون رد قبل أن ينقذ فلوريان فيرتز ويسجل هدف التعادل لصالح ليفربول في الدقائق العشر الأخيرة من اللقاء.

وشهد تشكيل ليفربول استمرار تواجد محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء، حيث نزل الدولي المصري في شوط اللقاء الثاني.

وتحدث مدرب سندرلاند، ريجيس لو بريس، عن تواجد محمد صلاح على دكة بدلاء ليفربول ، وذلك في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة ليفربول إيكو.

أقرأ أيضًا.. أسطورة ليفربول ينتقد أداء فان دايك: أخطأ في كل شيء أمام سندرلاند

وقال لو بريس بعد نهاية المباراة: “أعتقد أنني أشعر بالتفاؤل، لأكون منصفًا، أتيحت لنا فرصة تسجيل الهدف الثاني، لكنني أعتقد أنها نتيجة جيدة لكلا الفريقين”.

وأضاف: ”بدأنا المباراة بشكل جيد، ربما لم نكن واثقين بما يكفي من إمكانية التسجيل وقد فعلنا ذلك في بداية الشوط الثاني”.

وأوضح: ”تحدثنا عن الثلث الأخير من الملعب وكيف كان من الممكن إزعاج خط دفاعهم، كنا نتوقع دخول محمد صلاح إلى الملعب وتغيير إيقاع اللعب، كنا مستعدين لذلك”.

وأردف لو بريس عن عدم تمكن سندرلاند من الفوز أمس على ليفربول وما إذا كان غير سعيد بالتعادل: ”لا أعتقد ذلك، لم يشعر لاعبو فريقي بخيبة أمل في غرفة الملابس”.

واختتم: ”ربما كان ذلك بسبب إمكانية حصول اللاعبين على فرصة تسجيل الهدف الثاني، لكنهم كانوا فخورين بأسلوب لعبهم”.

Kathryn Bryce spearheads bowling as Freeborn-Wraith stand falls short of rescuing Warwickshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025

Marie Kelly produced a List A career-best•Getty Images

A rain-hit 50-overs match on a club ground might bear little resemblance to a T20 at the Kia Oval but The Blaze will draw some confidence from a 47-run victory over Warwickshire Women in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup as a dress rehearsal of sorts for Sunday’s Vitality Blast semi-final.After Marie Kelly’s List A career-best 66 and opening partner Georgia Boyce’s 46 had laid the foundations for a total of 218 for 6 after opting to bat first in a match reduced to 39 overs-a-side, The Blaze dismissed Warwickshire for 171, despite a determined effort by Abbey Freeborn (56 off 73 balls) and Nat Wraith (75 off 71) to give the visitors a chance after being reduced to 13 for 4.Kathryn Bryce (3-18), Georgia Elwiss (3-26) and Grace Ballinger (3-26) shared the bowling honours for The Blaze, for whom Sarah Bryce had made an unbeaten 32, with two wickets each for Warwickshire’s Georgia Davis and Amu Surenkumar.Winning the toss and electing to bat in a match reduced to 39 overs per side after morning rain at the Lindum Sports Club Ground in Lincoln, The Blaze established a strong foundation as Kelly and Boyce shared an opening stand of 106, Kelly hitting eight fours and a six.Kelly, making her first List A appearance of the season, pulled Surenkumar for her maximum early in the innings, generally driving and pulling strongly. She found the boundary three times in the same over off Davis, completing a 47-ball half-century against her former county when she swept Millie Taylor for her seventh four.Taylor, making her List A debut for Warwickshire and unique in the English county women’s game as a left-arm wrist spinner, broke the stand when she turned one past Kelly’s bat for a stumping. Boyce, back with The Blaze after playing for Yorkshire in the Women’s Vitality Blast, was in sight of a fifty of her own when she miscued to mid-off.Kathryn Bryce – reprieved when given out leg before on 13 on the grounds of being distracted by bowler Hannah Baker’s cap dropping out of her pocket – added another 10 before she was stumped.Elwiss, Heather Graham and Ella Claridge all fell cheaply, but Sarah Bryce (32 off 19) and Sarah Glenn added 37 off the last 18 balls of the innings – 26 at the expense of England seamer Issy Wong.Needing to chase at 5.6 an over, Warwickshire suffered a disastrous start, slumping to 13 for four inside five overs.After Bethan Ellis had been caught at square leg off the next, Ballinger took wickets with the last ball of her second over and the first of her third as Lucy Higham took a fine catch at backward point to remove Davina Perrin and Sarah Bryce an easy one as Sterre Kalis skied a top edge, Kathryn Bryce holding a return catch as Surenkumar departed.An inswinging delivery from Bryce accounted for Katie George, leaving Warwickshire 28 for 5 after 10 overs.Freeborn and Wraith rebuilt well, the former clocking up her third half-century off 60 balls, Wraith her second of the campaign off 50, with three boundaries each and some enterprising running between the stumps, their partnership passing 100 in the 28th over.Yet once the breakthrough came, breaking the stand at 112, the home side made it count. Freeborn, who had survived a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Kirstie Gordon on 52, fell shortly afterwards, leg before attempting to ramp Elwiss. Wong then came and went quickly, top edging Elwiss into the off side, before catcher Glenn combined with Elwiss again to run out Taylor off the next ball.Ballinger returned to have Davis caught on the legside boundary before Wraith departed as the last wicket to fall, caught at wide mid-off off Elwiss.

Legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has been added to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the T20I tri-series in Pakistan as cover for allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who has a hamstring injury.Hasaranga has not been ruled out of the series yet. He picked up the hamstring niggle during the second game of the ODI series against Pakistan and subsequently missed the third ODI as Sri Lanka suffered a 3-0 defeat.Related

• Injured Muzarabani out of Pakistan tri-series, Nyamhuri named replacement

• Rawalpindi takes centre stage as Pakistan, SL and Zimbabwe scramble for World Cup spark

Viyaskanth will join the team directly from Qatar, where he was playing for Sri Lanka A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. He has represented Sri Lanka just once in senior cricket, making his debut in the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023.Viyaskanth first rose to prominence in December 2020, when he became the youngest player at 18 years and 364 days to feature in the Lanka Premier League for Jaffna Stallions. In that tournament, he also became the first born-and-bred player from Jaffna to appear in an internationally televised game. Viyaskanth was also the second highest wicket-taker in the SLC T20 League in August 2025. Overall, in 59 T20 games, he has taken 67 wickets at 20.98 with an economy of 7.18.Sri Lanka are also missing their regular T20I captain Charith Asalanka for the tri-series. He flew home with an illness and Dasun Shanaka will fill in as captain. Sri Lanka play their first game of the tri-series on November 20 against Zimbabwe. The series starts on November 18 with each team playing the other twice before the final on November 29.

تعادل منتخب قطر، مع نظيره منتخب سوريا، في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس العرب. 

وواجه منتخب قطر نظيره منتخب سوريا، في السابعة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، في الجولة الثانية من المجموعة الأولى من بطولة كأس العرب.

ويقع منتخب قطر في الجموعة الاولى رفقة منتخبات سوريا وفلسطين وتونس.  

طالع.. ترتيب مجموعة تونس في كأس العرب بعد التعادل مع فلسطين

وتعادل منتخب قطر الفوز مع نظيره منتخب سوريا، بهدف لكل فريق، حيث تقدم لقطر اللاعب أحمد علاء في الدقيقة 80 من عمر الشوط الثاني والمباراة بعد ضربة رأسية قوية من عرضية للاعب إدميلسون، بينما في الدقيقة 90 عادل عمر خربين النتيجة لصالح منتخب سوريا.

وبهذا الفوز رفع منتخب قطر رصيده إلى نقطة وحيدة، في المركز الأخير في جدول ترتيب المجموعة، بينما رفع منتخب سوريا رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب المجموعة خلف فلسطين المتصدر. اهداف مباراة قطر وسوريا في كأس العرب 

 

 

After the October international break, Arne Slot conceded that there could be no more excuses as far as Alexander Isak was concerned. "Fitness-wise, he is close to the level he should be," the Dutch coach acknowledged ahead of Liverpool's meeting with Manchester United at Anfield, "and we can judge him in a fair way from now on." Just three weeks later, though, Slot was back pleading for patience with the most expensive player in British football history.

"I know that I said that his pre-season had ended, and that it was time for us to see where he is, but I have to go back on those words," the Reds boss told reporters on November 7. "Because if you are only doing rehab for three weeks, that doesn't bring you back to the level you were at."

Isak should be there now, though. And he really needs to be, too, because nearly three months after his arrival at Anfield, the Sweden striker is still looking like a player that Liverpool didn't necessarily need to sign – and certainly not for £125 million ($163m).

Getty Images SportThe striking striker

Isak leaving Newcastle for Liverpool was the story of the summer, a transfer that was as acrimonious as it was protracted. Everyone had an opinion on it – but not everyone had "the whole picture", according to the Swede.

"I can't control everything that is said or written," Isak said of the bitter backlash to his successful strike. "There is a lot to discuss, and it can be discussed for a long time. But it has been educational, and I'm happy with the final result. I'm proud to be a Liverpool player. I don't want to go into details or talk about that situation too much. It is a closed chapter, but I have never had any problems."

Unfortunately for Isak, Liverpool and indeed Sweden, he's had plenty of problems since forcing through his move to Merseyside.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFitness issues

During his first interview with his new club, Isak admitted that he wasn't entirely sure when he would be physically capable of making his Liverpool debut. "I've had a tricky summer," he said – which was obviously putting it mildly. 

Because of his refusal to even participate in Newcastle's pre-season friendlies, let alone their opening three Premier League fixtures (one of which was against the reigning champions), Isak joined Liverpool without having played a single second of football for more than three months. Their shared "ambition" was for the forward to feature in the first Premier League game after the September international break, against Burnley, but even though he saw 18 minutes of action in Sweden's World Cup qualifier in Kosovo, Slot decided against risking Isak at Turf Moor.

"We got him from Newcastle in a state where you could say his pre-season was only going to start then," the Dutchman told reporters after Liverpool's 1-0 win on September 14. "He needs proper minutes of training before he has a certain base, let alone for him to play twice in three days. So, that's what we do, we try to prepare players for the beginning of the season once a week, and then we try to do more and more and more before we go into the rhythm of two games a week, so that they are ready for that schedule."

Getty ImagesSurprisingly positive debut

Despite adopting a wisely cautious approach with Isak, Slot threw him straight into the starting line-up for Liverpool's Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid four days later and even the manager was taken aback by how well it went.

"I wasn't surprised by his quality, as we know all about that, but I was positively surprised by how fit Alexander was during his 60 minutes," Slot told . "But that maybe tells you that it might be different to sign a 20-year-old from a different league than a 25-year-old used to playing in the Premier League.

"Although he only trained for two weeks, he has so many games under his belt [at the highest level]. One of the things you need if you want to compete for the Premier League and the cups is mentality, fitness and quality and, today, we saw all of that."

However, if Slot thought that Isak was going to get back up to speed quicker than expected, he would be sorely mistaken.

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Getty Images Sport'Unprofessional' and 'naive'

Isak may have opened his Liverpool account with a characteristically neat finish in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton on September 23, but that remains his only goal of the season so far, and that's in spite of the fact that he started three consecutive Premier League games between September 27 and October 19 – all of which were lost.

The 26-year-old may have registered an assist in the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on October 4, but it was an attempt to control the ball for himself rather than an intentional lay-off for goal-scorer Cody Gakpo. The sad fact of the matter was that in complete contrast to fellow forward Hugo Ekitike, who had hit the ground running after his summer switch from Eintracht Frankfurt, Isak still looked miles off the pace of the Premier League. Unsurprisingly, sympathy was in short supply – and not just on Tyneside.

"It was unprofessional and naive not just to down tools, but to sacrifice his match fitness for whoever he was going to play for," former Liverpool attacker Don Hutchison told . "I think he’s been managed and advised really badly by his agent all summer, but it comes down to the player, ultimately. He’s under contract with Newcastle, he owes them fitness and professionalism.

"Bigger picture, if you end up at Liverpool, you have to [be ready to] hit the ground running. Now he's playing catch-up and it's because of how he behaved."

Archer dismissed Jadeja early on the second day before Washington and Thakur resisted

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2025

Rishabh Pant walks out to bat despite his injured foot•Getty Images

Lunch Rishabh Pant batted with a broken foot as India put a premium on first-innings runs, pushing their total up to 321 for 6 at lunch on the second day in Manchester.England were upbeat when their captain Ben Stokes struck in the 102nd over to remove Shardul Thakur, who played a good hand, making 41 off 88. They would have thought they had a way into the tail. But it was Pant who came down the stairs, grabbing onto the railing, every step taken with extreme care. He had arrived at the ground in a moonboot. His courage was celebrated with applause ringing around Old Trafford.Jofra Archer had provided the perfect start to the day’s play for England when he dismissed Ravindra Jadeja in his first over. With the second new ball in hand, he and Chris Woakes created 12 wicket-taking opportunities in 12 overs but the ball would either just zip past the edge or take it and fall short of the cordon.Thakur and Washington Sundar did well to weather those close calls, putting the one that caused them trouble out of their mind to focus on the next. They built a 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket as India continued to show lower-order resilience, having bulked up that part of their game since the first Test at Headingley.A largely uneventful session was heading to a close until Pant decided to liven things up a bit. He looked in obvious discomfort, merely walking, and when he was hurried, hopping, through for his singles. A few minutes after he made the long walk out there, he had to make the long walk back as well with rain forcing an early lunch.

It would be fair to say that, so far, this season has been a topsy-turvy one for Newcastle United.

For example, Eddie Howe’s side had a really disappointing start to the campaign, winning just two of their first six Premier League games.

However, in recent weeks, they’ve also had some seriously impressive results, like beating Manchester City, Athletic Bilbao, and, most recently, destroying Everton.

One of the players who has had a real uptick in form recently has been Harvey Barnes, who looks like a player reborn, although, if reports are to be believed, Newcastle are looking at someone who’d be a huge upgrade.

Newcastle target Barnes upgrade

With the transfer window just over a month away now, Newcastle are starting to be linked with a host of exciting and potentially game-changing signings who could bolster Howe’s side.

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AS Roma’s promising Manu Kone, for example, has been touted for a £44m move, as has Inter Milan’s Italian international Davide Frattesi.

However, while both players would be fine additions to the Magpies’ squad, neither could be described as an upgrade on Barnes, unlike Raphinha.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Newcastle are now one of the clubs interested in signing the Brazilian superstar.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Toon view the Barcelona star as someone who could be the cornerstone of their attack moving forward and are determined to fight hard to secure his services.

However, the former Leeds United star has shown no desire to leave the Spanish giants, and even though he’ll have just a year left on his deal in the summer, other reports have claimed that it could cost up to £88m to get him out of Catalonia.

Even so, given Raphinha’s immense ability and experience, this is a transfer Newcastle should fight tooth and nail to get over the line, even if his arrival could spell trouble for Barnes.

How Raphinha compares to Barnes

Now, one of Raphinha’s many qualities is that he can play on either wing, which would allow Howe some extra flexibility were this transfer to happen.

However, during his time with Barcelona, he has primarily played on the left, which is also where he has been most effective.

Therefore, it would make sense for Newcastle to keep him there, which in turn would put him in direct competition with Barnes, which, based on several reasons, he would win, and comfortably at that.

The first reason is the simple fact that he is far more productive than the former Leicester City star.

For example, in his 40 appearances last season, totalling 2121 minutes, the Burnley-born ace scored nine goals and provided five assists, which came out to a reasonably impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.85 games, or every 151.5 minutes.

In contrast, the Barca star scored 34 goals and provided 26 assists in 57 appearances, totalling 4661 minutes, which came out to a world-class average of 1.05 goal involvements every game, or one every 77.68 minutes.

This season, the former Leeds star has scored three goals and provided three assists in ten appearances, totalling 571 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.66 games, or more importantly, every 95.16 minutes.

Raphinha vs Barnes
24/25	Raphinha	Barnes
Games	57	40
Minutes	4661′	2121′
Goals	34	9
Assists	26	5
Goal Involvements per Match	1.05	0.35
Minutes per Goal Involvement	77.68′	151.5′
25/26	Raphinha	Barnes
Games	10	20
Minutes	571′	996′
Goals	3	7
Assists	3	2
Goal Involvements per Match	0.6	0.45
Minutes per Goal Involvement	95.16′	110.66′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

The Englishman, on the other hand, has produced nine goal involvements, but has done so in 20 appearances, totalling 996 minutes, which comes out to one every 2.22 games, or every 110.66 minutes.

Now, on top of putting up numbers that are frankly absurd, the Porto Alegre-born superstar is also a proven winner, having played a crucial role in the Blaugrana’s last two La Liga triumphs, as well as last year’s Copa del Rey.

Ultimately, Barnes is a great player, but thanks to his output, experience and trophy haul, it’s hard to disagree with Romario’s assertion that Raphinha is “one of the best players in the world.”

Therefore, Newcastle should do what they can to sign him next year, as he could be the star who takes them to the next level.

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