Outclassed by Gibbs-White: Pep must now finally axe 5/10 Man City star

Manchester City fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, in a crucial game in the race for Champions League qualification.

Pep Guardiola’s side were made to work hard against a well-drilled Forest side, who eventually managed to break the deadlock and earn all three points.

Manchester City manager PepGuardiola

City had their chances throughout the game, and actually managed 14 shots, according to Sofascore. However, there were just three on target for the visitors, and the highest expected goals shot came from Phil Foden, a total of 0.16xG.

Forest came close to scoring just past the hour mark. Callum Hudson-Odoi lashed a shot at the City goal, cutting inside onto his right foot. However, Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson pulled out a brilliant save, diving low to his left and tipping the ball onto the post to keep City on level terms.

However, with seven minutes of normal time remaining, it was Hudson-Odoi who did break the deadlock. The former Chelsea attacker got on the end of a lovely ball from Morgan Gibbs-White, before driving at Josko Gvardiol and letting fly. This time, Ederson could not make the save, letting the ball in at the near post.

There was one player on the pitch, Gibbs-White, who was a standout, and City struggled to deal with him.

Gibbs-White’s performance vs. City

When a player like Gibbs-White is on song, it is hard to stop him. Well, City certainly found that out today. He was everywhere, orchestrating attacks for his side and of course, created the chance from which Hudson-Odoi scored from.

Talking of the pass, what a ball it was from the Forest captain. He picked up the ball inside his own half, and, under little pressure, was able to pick a perfectly weighted pass that was cushioned and brought down with ease from Hudson-Odoi, who did the rest.

City struggled to keep him quiet for much of the game. Allowing a player of that quality so much time on the ball to pick a pass like that was far from ideal for Guardiola’s side, and arguably cost them the three points.

It was a brilliant performance from Gibbs-White against the reigning Premier League champions. Frustratingly, one of their midfielders struggled to have the same kind of impact on the game.

The City star who struggled vs. Forest

It was a disappointing day for City as a whole, given the result, and one of their players did struggle in the centre of the park. It was a tough day at the office for one of the more experienced City players, Bernardo Silva.

Chalkboard

The Portugal international was given a 5/10 post-match rating from Simon Bajkowski, the chief Manchester City writer for The Manchester Evening News. He said the midfielder looked ‘like he could use a rest’, and criticised him for the fact ‘City attacks broke down at his feet too many times’, which is unlike him.

When comparing the stats of Gibbs-White and Bernardo, there are actually not too many differences. The City number 20 had 56 touches and completed 84% of his passes, whereas the Forest man had 52 touches and completed 90% of his passes. Bernardo created two chances, and the England international one.

Bernardo vs. Gibbs-White key stats

Stat

Bernardo

Gibbs-White

Touches

56

52

Pass accuracy

84%

90%

Passes completed

36/43

27/30

Key passes

2

1

Assists

0

1

Stats from Sofascore

However, stats do not always paint the full picture, and ultimately it was Gibbs-White who got the crucial assist. It was certainly a day where Bernardo, who lost the ball nine times, was outclassed by his opposite number.

With a game against Brighton and Hove Albion next up for City next Saturday, perhaps it is a game where Guardiola decides to rotate Bernardo out of the side. He put in a disappointing performance against Forest, and, as Bajkowski suggested, he looked tired.

Bernardo Silva for Manchester City.

It will certainly be a big call for the legendary City manager, who has relied on Bernardo so often over the years. However, perhaps some rest and rotation is what is needed to help him find his best form.

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Outscoring Trossard & Martinelli: Arsenal may rue selling Hale Ender for £2m

Things have just not gone Arsenal’s way this season.

Mikel Arteta has had to deal with poor decisions, a mountain of injuries, and a frontline that, when fit, has underwhelmed.

While Bukayo Saka was on a tear prior to his injury, and even Kai Havertz looked on course for a 20-goal season, the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have been disappointing.

However, with the German now out for the season, the Belgian and Brazilian – when back from his own injury – will need to seriously up their game, especially as they’re being outscored by a former academy star who was sold for just £2m.

Martinelli & Trossard's season in numbers

Following a stellar campaign in which he scored 17 goals and provided two assists in 46 appearances for Arsenal, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.42 games, there was an expectation among fans that Trossard would be just as effective this year.

Unfortunately, that has simply not been the case, as while he’s looked a little better in recent weeks, the Waterschei-born ace hasn’t been anywhere near as dangerous as he was.

For example, in his 36 appearances thus far, totalling 2190 minutes, the 30-year-old has scored five goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.08 games, or every 183 minutes, which really isn’t good enough for a winger in a title-chasing team.

Likewise, before his injury, Martinelli was having a rather underwhelming campaign in terms of his output.

He’s scored just seven goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances, totalling 2378 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or every 216 minutes.

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli

In short, neither winger has been playing to the standard required this season, and now that Havertz has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign, they’ll have to seriously step up their game, especially as a former youth player deemed surplus to requirements has been outscoring them.

The Hale End star outscoring Trossard and Martinelli

There are several Hale End graduates having great campaigns across England and Europe this season, from Emile Smith Rowe with Fulham to Donyell Malen, who just joined Aston Villa.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

However, in this instance, the player in question is not just a former academy player; he is the club’s second all-time top goalscorer for the U21s: Chuba Akpom.

Yes, before he went out on a myriad of loan moves that ultimately saw him move to Greek side PAOK Salonika for £2m in August 2018, the Canning Town-born poacher racked up an impressive tally of 33 goals for the U21s, which remains second only to Folarin Balogun’s 37.

Since leaving the Gunners, the Englishman has enjoyed fruitful spells with PAOK, Middlesbrough, and Dutch giants Ajax, and then on February 2nd, he joined French side LOSC Lille on a short-term loan with an option to buy.

Moreover, while the “terrific” striker, as dubbed by former manager Michael Carrick , has swapped teams halfway through the campaign, he’s enjoyed a relatively successful season in front of goal.

Appearances

35

37

35

Minutes

1698′

2190′

2378′

Goals

10

5

7

Assists

1

7

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.31

0.32

0.31

Minutes per Goal Involvement

154.36′

183′

216′

For example, in 35 appearances, totalling 1698 minutes, the 29-year-old sharpshooter has scored ten goals and provided one assist, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or more crucially, every 154.36 minutes.

Ultimately, at the start of the season, the idea of Akpom possibly getting any game time at Arsenal would have been laughable.

Chuba Akpom.

Still, with the number of injuries the team now have, combined with the poor form of Trossard and Martinelli, we can’t help but think he’d be a useful squad player at the very least.

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Ash Gardner turns criticism to positives after January 26 backlash

Allrounder claims career-best five-for after speaking out over Pakistan T20I scheduling

Valkerie Baynes11-Feb-2023Ashleigh Gardner has revealed the backlash directed at her stance on Cricket Australia’s decision to schedule a match on January 26 had taken a toll, but she was determined to turn that into positives on and off the field.Gardner, the Indigenous Australian allrounder, took a career-best 5 for 12 from three overs – her maiden international five-for – to help bowl New Zealand out for just 76 as her side won their opening T20 World Cup match by a massive 97 runs in Paarl on Saturday.ESPNcricinfo LtdA Muruwari woman, Gardner had last month criticised Cricket Australia for scheduling a T20I against Pakistan on January 26, saying it was not appropriate for the national side to be playing on what is known as Australia Day – the day the First Fleet arrived in 1788 – and that it is a day of “hurt and a day of mourning” for Indigenous people. She made herself available for selection and played in the match, during which her team wore an Indigenous jersey, socks and wristbands, but she was subjected to abuse on social media.Reflecting on that period after her team’s latest victory, Gardner said: “Social media has a lot of good things and I knew when posting that statement that there was going to be backlash. I think I underestimated how much I copped and I guess I tried my best not to look at all that stuff, but I feel like it’s only human nature to read comments and things like that.Related

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“It was a moment where I stuck to my guns and I put that statement out there because that’s what I believed in, and I just have to stick true to what I said. I guess I’ve just tried to flip that and turn into a positive and it’s sparked conversations. Not everyone’s going to agree with everything that people say, and that’s totally fine, as long as I change some people’s minds about certain things, whether it’s social issues or not.”In response to Gardner’s tweet at the time, Cricket Australia released a statement saying scheduling the match on that day was an opportunity to continue an “ongoing education journey” with the Indigenous community.Following her Player-of-the-Match performance in South Africa, Gardner said she had tried to take confidence from the fact that she had been unwavering in her stance.”The support that I had from my team-mates and support staff was huge, because it was a couple of dark days there where I was like, ‘Why did I do that?'” Gardner said. “But knowing that it was for a good cause and then just trying to take that confidence with that going into my cricket as well, sticking to my guns with how I play cricket, and then I guess how I act off the field as well, trying to keep them pretty close together.”

Lamine Yamal to Real Madrid?! Deco lifts lid on offers for Barcelona wonderkid and hits back at claims teenager wants to be 'highest-paid player'

Barcelona insist that Lamine Yamal has never been the subject of an offer from Real Madrid and has not demanded to be the club’s highest-paid player.

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  • New deal already lined up for youngster
  • Can be signed when turning 18
  • Tipped to become Ballon d'Or winner
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    At 17 years of age, history-making youngster Yamal is preparing to sign a lucrative senior deal. He will be able to put pen to paper when turning 18 in July, and Barca already have terms pieced together for their exciting Golden Boy winner.

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    WHAT DECO SAID

    Yamal’s standing in Catalunya will be recognised, as he becomes a talismanic presence for one of the biggest clubs on the planet, but he has not made any outlandish demands. Blaugrana director Deco has told : “He didn't ask to be the highest-paid player on the team. That's not true. He just wants to be happy here. He has to live up to his age a little, no matter how hard it is, and he has to be happy. A player at this level has to be happy.

    “For me, it's not a matter of whether he's 17, 26, or whatever; for me, football has to be fair and he has to have a contract that suits him. It's not a matter of being the highest-paid player; the important thing is that he's happy. For me, there's no better club for him than Barca. Contracts are four, five, or six years, somewhere in the region.”

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Barcelona are understandably keen to get Yamal tied down on a deal that fends off any unwelcome interest from afar. Asked if offers have been received for the teenage wonderkid, Deco added: “Yes, last season, not this one yet, but what we want is for him to stay. We don't want to listen to offers, but PSG asked, but Real Madrid didn't.”

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    DID YOU KNOW?

    Yamal is already considered to form part of the global elite, and Deco expects him to land a Golden Ball at some stage. The former Barca playmaker – who played alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho – said: “I want him to win the Ballon d'Or. We have some players who can reach this, and Lamine is one of them. Raphinha, for the season he's had, is spectacular, but we'll see. Of course I would like a Barca player to win the Ballon d'Or.”

Talismã? Árbitro de Atlético-MG e Corinthians nunca apitou uma derrota do Timão

MatériaMais Notícias

O árbitro catarinense Ramon Abatti Abel será o encarregado em comandar o duelo entre Atlético-MG e Corinthians, neste domingo (24), às 18h, pela 19ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, no Mineirão. Ele será auxiliado porKleber Lucio Gil e Thiaggo Americano Labes.

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Formado em direito desde 2015, com pós-graduação na área desportiva, Abatti vem sendo escalado com frequência para apitar jogos do Timão. Será o quarto jogo dele em uma partida do clube do Parque São Jorge desde maio.

Ele trabalhou nas vitórias corintianas sobre a Portuguesa-RJ, pela terceira fase da Copa do Brasil, e Juventude e Flamengo, pelo Brasileirão.

Ao todo, o profissional já apitou seis partidas do Corinthians, e em nenhuma delas a equipe paulista saiu derrotada. Foram cinco vitórias e um empate.

+ TABELA – Veja datas e simule os jogos do Corinthians no Brasileirão

Abatti tem conquistado prestígio no quadro de árbitros da CBF desde o ano passado, e a organização confia que ele irá dar conta da pressão no Mineirão.

Na sexta-feira, o Atlético-MG encaminhou ao Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD), uma “Notícia de Infração”, relatando irregularidades na condução arbitral do jogo contra o São Paulo, pela16ª rodada do Brasileirão.

A petição alvinegra está relacionado a uma possível ameaça de Anderson Daronco, direcionada ao atacante Hulk. Após o jogo, o camisa 7 do Galo revelou o que o árbitro teria falado: “Cuidado com o que você vai falar lá fora. Não é o último jogo que eu vou apitar de vocês”.

Curiosamente, Abatti estreou no Brasileirão apitando uma partida do Galo. Ele foi o encarregado de apitar a vitória por 2 a 1 da equipe mineirasobre o Red Bull Bragantino, no Mineirão, no dia 13 de setembro de 2020, pela 10ª rodada da competição.

Wolves hit the jackpot by selling a player who Gary O'Neil "really liked"

Wolverhampton Wanderers are on track to remain in the Premier League next season, currently six points clear of 17th-place Ipswich Town.

Vitor Pereira’s arrival was a timely one and, with another few positive results, he can start planning ahead for next season.

He will be desperate to keep Matheus Cunha, however, as the Brazilian has played a key role in trying to maintain the Old Gold’s top flight status this season.

Mathues Cunha's impressive season in numbers

Cunha impressed during his first full season at Molineux during 2023/24, scoring 14 goals for the club as they avoided the drop and hopes were high ahead of the current campaign.

During 2024/25, he’s been nothing short of mesmeric in the final third with the 25-year-old having found the back of the net 15 times in 29 games, recording four assists in the process.

He has scored against Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, proving he is a man for the big occasion.

Furthermore, Cunha averages 3.3 shots per game in the top flight, along with creating 12 big chances and averaging 1.7 key passes per game for Wolves.

These statistics prove that not only can the Brazilian score regularly, but he loves creating chances for his teammates.

So, it was a pitty when he got himself sent off against Bournemouth in the FA Cup for an altercation with left-back Milos Kerkez.

Still, despite that incident, he’s been a fair bit better than a player Gary O’Neil cashed in on last summer.

Wolves struck gold selling Pedro Neto

Pedro Neto’s final season in the Midlands was a positive one to say the least. A tally of 14 goal involvements was enough for Chelsea to swoop in the summer, securing his signature for a fee in the region of £54m, a remarkable 260% increase on the £15m price-tag they initially snapped him up for.

This gave O’Neil some flexibility in the transfer market, but losing someone of Neto’s quality was always going to be a major blow to their hopes of surviving, particularly as the former boss rated him so highly.

So, how does the Portuguese compare with a man who could be Wolves’ next big sale?

Goals

13

3

Assists

4

4

Big chances created

12

6

Shots per game

3.3

1.4

Key passes per game

1.7

1.2

Successful dribbles per game

1.9

1

Well, a return of five goals and seven assists in 32 matches certainly isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but the former Lazio man has started just 22 games all season.

In the Premier League, Neto has created six big chances, averaging 1.2 key passes per game while averaging only 1.4 shots per game. These numbers are worse than what Cunha is registering in the top flight this season.

Elsewhere, Neto ranks only in the top 42% for successful take-ons (1.5), in the top 35% for touches in the opposition penalty area (5.06) and in the top 41% for shot-creating actions (3.68) when compared to his peers in the Premier League this season.

Based on these statistics, it is evident that Cunha is enjoying a more productive season, while Wolves have certainly struck gold by selling the Portuguese talent for such a lavish fee last year.

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'Seven special years' – Harry Kane celebrates England captain anniversary while setting cap record target

Harry Kane has celebrated “seven special years” as England captain and has his sights set on an all-time appearance record.

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Passed the armband in 2018Has won 80 caps as skipperShilton's record in his sightsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific frontman inherited the Three Lions’ armband in 2018. He went on to skipper them to the semi-finals of that summer’s World Cup, while also reaching back-to-back European Championship finals.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane is his country’s leading scorer, with the target being found on 71 occasions through 105 appearances. It has been suggested that he could emulate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by becoming an international goal-getting centurion.

DID YOU KNOW?

The 31-year-old certainly has plenty of football left in him and is currently brimming with confidence after breaking his much-publicised trophy curse with a Bundesliga title triumph at Bayern Munich.

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WHAT HARRY KANE SAID

Kane is already an England legend, but could go on to become their GOAT. He has said of reaching another milestone as leader of the Three Lions: “Seven special years as England captain. Always so proud to represent my country, looking forward to making many more memories in this shirt.”

He pocketed Isak: Newcastle now racing to sign "intelligent" ace worth £21m

Looking to keep their momentum going after winning the Carabao Cup and ending their long wait for silverware, Newcastle United are now reportedly racing to sign a Serie A winner this summer.

Newcastle eyeing key defensive addition

After 70 long years, Newcastle finally got their hands on a major trophy last weekend – defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to carve their names into the history books once and for all. It was the perfect day for those in Tyneside, who saw one of their own head home the opening goal when Dan Burn rose highest before Alexander Isak wheeled away in celebration soon after.

It’s a victory that the Magpies will be desperate to build on in the Premier League as they set their sights on qualifying for the Champions League this season. It’s with that place among Europe’s elite that they could attract the fresh faces Eddie Howe has been crying out for at times, too.

Names such as Semih Kilicsoy have already threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks, but before the young Besiktas star, it could be a defensive reinforcement that arrives.

According to MilanLive, Newcastle are now racing to sign Fikayo Tomori this summer in a deal that would be worth just €25m (£21m). After losing his place at the San Siro throughout the current campaign, the defender looks destined to depart and could find himself on his way back to the Premier League for the first time since leaving Chelsea in 2021.

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Amid competition from Nottingham Forest in the race to sign the former Chelsea man, Champions League qualification is likely to be all-important for Newcastle this summer.

Given how they’ve been forced to form makeshift backlines in the last two seasons, welcoming Tomori should be among Newcastle’s priorities when the summer transfer window swings open.

"Intelligent" Tomori would solve Newcastle problem

On paper, Fabian Schar and Sven Botman form one of the most impressive centre-back partnerships in the Premier League. They were near-perfect together when Newcastle last qualified for the Champions League in the 2022/23 campaign. However, the reality is that neither have been able to avoid injury issues to rediscover their form of two seasons ago and Newcastle must sign a solution.

That’s where Tomori should come in. The Milan man may have lost his starting place this season but it wasn’t so long ago that he was helping his side to Serie A glory and pocketing Isak in the Champions League.

AC Milan's FikayoTomoriand Slovan Bratislava's Idjessi Metoko react

Keeping the Swede quiet at the San Siro in a 0-0 draw last season, Tomori made 11 defensive actions and was not dribbled past once against the Magpies. Isak, meanwhile, failed to have a touch in Milan’s box and lost half of his duels.

Previously dubbed “intelligent” by Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, the Premier League is calling Tomori’s name once again in what could see him complete a summer return.

Greg Shipperd handed task of lifting New South Wales off the bottom

He will combine the state job with his Sydney Sixers role which he has held for eight years

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2023

Greg Shipperd took charge of New South Wales midway through last season•Getty Images

Greg Shipperd, one of the most renowned coaches in Australian cricket, has been named new head coach of the New South Wales men’s team with the task of reviving the state’s fortunes after their first winless Sheffield Shield campaign in 84 years.Shipperd, who has previously coached Tasmania and Victoria, guiding the latter to four Shield titles, has been in charge of Sydney Sixers for the last eight seasons, which brought back-to-back titles in 2019-2020 and 2020-21. He will now combine both roles.It had been a highly expected appointment after Shipperd stepped into the role in an interim capacity following Phil Jaques’ sacking midway through last season.Related

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NSW captain Kurtis Patterson dropped from Shield team

NSW finished bottom of the Sheffield Shield, and are currently on a record run of 12 matches without a win, and fifth in the Marsh Cup with two wins in seven matches.”I have enjoyed immensely my involvement with NSW cricket over the past eight seasons,” Shipperd said. “I feel I can make a contribution to this current playing group as they embark on an exciting future out of our new home, Cricket Central.”The NSW cricket system remains strong and enjoys a storied history of excellence. I am drawn to providing my experiences to meet the expectations of that history.”NSW managed just four centuries in the Shield season although there were some encouraging signs from youngsters Ryan Hackney and Jack Edwards who contributed one each. However, of the more senior batters only Daniel Hughes averaged over 40. Allrounder Chris Green, who was not contracted, was their Shield Player of the Season.One of the key decisions that will need to be made early on by Shipperd will be the NSW captaincy with Kurtis Patterson having been dropped at the end of the Shield season. Moises Henriques stood in for the final match and would be a contender if the job changed hands permanently.There has also been a change behind the scenes with Greg Mail, NSW’s chief of cricket performance, now taking overall charge of the men’s program with Michael Klinger, currently the head of male elite cricket, focusing on T20 cricket across Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder as well as NSW’s links with Major League Cricket in the USA with Washington Freedom.”While Greg’s record as a senior coach speaks for itself, his passion for delivering success for NSW is evident,” Mail said. “We discussed the role with a number of highly credentialed domestic and international coaches, and it quickly became apparent Greg was the right person to lead us forward.”I’m looking forward to building the coaching team around Greg and working closely with him. No one here is happy with our recent performances, and we are determined to do what it takes to improve.”NSW are due to announce their men’s and women’s contracts list for the 2023-24 season in the next few days. Jackson Bird and Sarah Coyte have already been announced as signings from Tasmania.

Rohit Sharma: 'Young batters coming through the biggest positive for us this season'

Mumbai Indians’ IPL campaign in 2023 came to an end with a 62-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in the second Qualifier in Ahmedabad. Their captain Rohit Sharma said that their batting and especially the performance of some of the younger players was the biggest positive for them from this season.Mumbai adopted an ultra-aggressive approach to compensate for the loss of several of their first-choice bowlers to injury, including Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. It saw them post totals of more than 200 six times this season, the most by any team in one edition of the IPL.”I mean playing this game, qualifying as third in the tournament, you know, it gives us a lot of confidence,” Rohit told the host broadcaster after the game.Related

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  • Reactions to Shubman Gill's 129 – 'The kind of stuff big players do'

Mumbai had a slow start to the season, before coming out on top of a mid-table jam to make it to the playoffs. They then beat Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator to reach the second Qualifier.Players like Tilak Varma, who smashed 43 off 14 deliveries in their defeat on Friday, and Nehal Wadhera played a role in their run to the third-place finish.”Our batting actually was the biggest positive,” Rohit said. “Some of the younger players who have come through this tournament really well is a big positive for us, something that we can take into the next season and see what we can do with the squad.”On Friday, a glorious century from Shubman Gill powered Titans to 233. While Tilak, Suryakumar Yadav (61 off 38) and Cameron Green (30 off 20) played handy knocks, Mumbai were bowled out for 171.”Yeah, look, it was a great total. Shubman batted really well. The wicket was really good. We thought, you know they got 20-25 runs extra. But you know with the batting line-up we had, we were quite positive once we went inside after the first half,” Rohit said. “Couldn’t stitch long partnerships. Greeny and Surya batted well in the middle, but we just lost our way there a little bit.”Suryakumar Yadav made 61 off 38 against Gujarat Titans•AFP/Getty Images

Rohit felt that because they lost three wickets, Mumbai didn’t make the most of the powerplay, even as they raced to 72 after the first six overs.”We thought about giving it a good crack. We wanted to be positive. And you know, you’ve got to make full use of the powerplay as well, which didn’t go well for us. We lost a couple of wickets there and then, yeah, couldn’t get that momentum which you actually want when you’re chasing a target like that.”But I thought Surya and Greeny batted well in the middle, got something for us there. But yeah, you know what? We wanted one batter just like what Gujarat did, Shubman batted till the end. We wanted someone to go and bat and take the game till deep and you never know, anything can happen.”Mumbai had to improvise plans after Ishan Kishan suffered a concussion while fielding. He collided with Chris Jordan by accident and went off the field and was replaced by Vishnu Vinod, who became the IPL’s first concussion substitute. Wadhera opened with Rohit in Kishan’s absence.”Yeah, I mean, it’s something that we didn’t expect. He had a bit of a concussion there. I dont know how that happened, but yeah, it was a last-minute change,” Rohit said. “But you know as a team you’ve got to adapt. That is something that we’ve been talking about since the start of the tournament.”You’ve got to adapt to different conditions, different situations of the game. But yeah, I’m not going to look at that. We just didn’t play well to win the game.”Vinod came out to bat in the 12th over, ahead of Tim David, and made 5 off 7 deliveries. Rohit said that decision was so that David could get a later point of entry, which seems more suited to his game.”Tim through the season, we’ve given him a role, given him a certain situation of the game where he where he is going to bat. But yeah, I mean, look, we wanted Vishnu to come and play his game,” Rohit said. “He is a good player. We have seen that. I have seen that personally. I mean, like I said, it didn’t come off today. So I’m not going to look at any judgment that we made today went wrong. Its just that, you know, Gujarat came on top today.”

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