Over the last few days, they have done away with their philosophy, dropped their best players, and found a short-term, unsustainable way to get ahead

Danyal Rasool16-Oct-2024In the heady days of early 2021, Pakistan had a strut in their step. Test cricket had returned to Pakistan. Shaheen Shah Afridi was hitting his stride, and a young Naseem Shah had taken Test cricket by storm. Even Hasan Ali, derailed for years with form and fitness concerns, had marked his Test return by finishing as the top wicket-taker in a hard-fought home series against South Africa. A series which – on two cracking surfaces in Karachi and Rawalpindi – Pakistan had won 2-0.But that strut also betrayed an air of moral superiority. Pakistan, it was felt, were now different to the rest of South Asia, a land where the ball seamed and swung, where fast bowlers took nine of the 10 wickets in the fourth innings on the fifth day. Their Asian neighbours may have produced dustbowls, turning tracks, and quick-finishing Test matches, but was that really fun? Veteran spinner Yasir Shah – perhaps Pakistan’s most important player during the second half of their UAE exile – was gently making way to these young quicks, with Azhar Ali speaking of his “changing role” in the team. He would never play another home Test match.In the years since, Pakistan have not won another home Test match. The reputation for spicy wickets Pakistan had attempted to cultivate lies in tatters. Afridi’s pace has dropped to a level that no longer places him among the elite in Test cricket, while the workload on Naseem’s fragile young body has seen him pick up injuries and require extended periods of rest.Related

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It all culminated in an embarrassing innings defeat last week, sending Pakistan down the desperate path they now trod in Multan. The pace bowlers had had a good run, so much so they played four of them three Tests ago against Bangladesh. In all three Tests, they looked as likely to take 20 wickets as to sprout wings and fly. So what was that other thing South Asian sides did against non-Asian opposition?Who knew? Pakistan had made no plans for this. Until the weekend, there was a wicket two strips across being prepared for this Test. Akin to a student realising they’d prepped for the wrong exam all term, Pakistan spent the weekend ripping up their notes and glancing sneakily across to their neighbours. They recycled the same surface, dropped (sorry, rested) their seamers, lined up with three specialist spinners to go with the three-part-time spinners already in their XI. They even won the toss, batted first, and posted a decent first-innings score.But, as an American political argument almost goes: spinning tracks don’t take wickets, good spinners take wickets. And all the evidence suggested Pakistan did not rate these three spinners especially highly. Zahid Mahmood and Noman Ali had been released from the squad for the first Test; Sajid Khan never a part of it. They were all so unlikely to feature this series none of them had played a first-class match since January. When Bangladesh A played a pair of warm-ups against their Pakistani counterparts, Sajid, Nauman and Zahid played no part.What followed was about as predictable as it gets. Spinners need rhythm, or their lines and lengths waver. England are adept at putting rubbish deliveries away. Pakistan’s trio were bowling plenty of those, partly because they were rusty, and partly, as their records suggest, they’re not quite world-class. England didn’t need a second invitation putting them away.

“I’m always the first one to be kicked out. From domestic and club cricket to international cricket, if anyone was going to be left out, it would be me. So I have learned to fight for my place all the time.”Sajid Khan

Ben Duckett alone had the opportunity to sweep 29 times through his innings, a combination of Sajid and Nauman pitching it up and bowling a shade too quick. Pakistan were finding out may be able to replicate a template post-haste, but cricketers cannot be conjured out of thin air. Their dearth of spin-bowling quality in the country was on full display for the best part of the final two sessions. Duckett had swept – quite literally – his way to three figures, and with an hour to play, England had raced to 211 for two. With the shadows lengthening and the floodlights flickering on, the door looked to be closing on Pakistan and the spinners on their last chance saloon.It’s a feeling Sajid doesn’t like, but one he’s experienced a lot. “I’m always the first one to be kicked out,” he said after the game. “From domestic and club cricket to international cricket, if anyone was going to be left out, it would be me. So I have learned to fight for my place all the time.”In that last hour, Sajid put all his experience of keeping that closing door ajar to good use. A miscued smear from Joe Root gave him a wicket slightly against the run of play, but Sajid has sensed the pitch was beginning to come to life; he just needed to be smart about how to use it.”There’s a patch slightly wider outside the off stump that was producing turn, and at a particular pace. We were bowling a little too quickly, but if you slow it down to 67, 68 kph, that’s when you got purchase. If you bowl at particular spots at 90+ you’ll only get the odd break. But there’s nothing in it for the spinner if you’re bowling within the stumps. If you bowl wider outside the stumps, and slow, that’s where the cracks are, and that’s what we seek to exploit.”It is surprising insight to give out midway through a Test, but out there, England seemed to be none the wiser. Tossing it up and landing it into the rough, he took the sweep out of Duckett’s arsenal. The cover drive he attempted to play wasn’t nearly as assured, and Agha Salman at first slip was poised.It was Harry Brook’s dismissal, though, that is likelier to be a harbinger for both sides’ batters. Sajid merely followed his new-found plan, landing it around sixth stump. Brook was slow to close the gap between bat and pad as he stepped back, perhaps understandably believing he had time to readjust for spin. The rocking back of his middle stump suggested otherwise.Noman, too, capitalised on Pakistan’s new-found momentum to find Ben Stokes’ inside edge to short leg, and to send his side in at stumps on the ascendancy. The concept of overnight advantage carries psychological heft in cricket; stumps an hour earlier would have seen the day end with England utterly dominant.The purists might wonder if this style of cricket is genuinely Pakistani. But over the last few days, they have done away with their philosophy, dropped their best players, cobbled together a bowling attack from change they found down the back of the sofa, and found a short-term, unsustainable way to manufacture a position of advantage. What could be more authentically Pakistani than that?

Kyle Schwarber is the new National League home run leader, and he jumped in front emphatically.

On Monday night, the Philadelphia Phillies were hosting the Baltimore Orioles when Schwarber turned around a 93 mph fastball from Cade Povich and sent it soaring into the night. The ball left Schwarber's bat at 110.9 mph and traveled 427 feet into the third deck at Citizens Bank Park.

Video is below.

That was Schwarber's 39th home run, breaking a tie with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani for first place in the National League. That competition thinned out a bit after the Arizona Diamondbacks traded Eugenio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners, removing him from the race.

Schwarber's home run tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third inning as the new-look Phillies look to put a stranglehold on first place in the NL East.

Erling Haaland reportedly has an “escape route” out of Manchester City to Real Madrid, in a hugely concerning development for Pep Guardiola.

On current form, Haaland is arguably best player in the world, with the Norwegian in genuine unstoppable form so far this season, scoring 11 goals in just nine Premier League appearances.

He is a priceless figure for City, holding the key to Guardiola’s side’s title challenge, and at just 25, he is still such a young player, despite already achieving so much in his career.

Incredibly, Haaland is contracted at City until the summer of 2034, having committed his long-term future to the club, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a threat of losing him at some point.

Madrid have been linked with a move for the City superstar, with the Spanish giants so often eyeing up the best footballers on the planet, and now a worrying update has dropped regarding their pursuit of him.

Haaland has "escape route" out of Man City

According to journalist Jorge Picon [via Sport Witness], Haaland has an “escape route” to Madrid in a release clause at Manchester City, and is keen on making a move there.

It goes without saying that City losing Haaland would be the biggest blow imaginable, with the striker an irreplaceable figure who has been lauded as a “phenomenon” by Pat Nevin, with Guardiola saying he is in the form of his life back in September.

“Erling has been incredible. This season, he is better than ever. I would say it’s better than the treble season. Very dynamic. We want him to score goals and to help us.”

The lure of Madrid is great for so many players, and it is only natural that Haaland may like the idea of playing alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he appears to be loving life at City, and has committed his future to the club.

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Players in the modern game often don’t see out their contracts, so there will always be a risk of Haaland moving on, but it would be a shock if he suddenly stressed a desire to leave for Madrid so soon after signing such a long contract extension at the Etihad.

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Crystal Palace midfield star Adam Wharton dismissively downplayed Manchester United transfer links as the Eagles prepare to offer a new contract to the England international. United have been closely linked with a move for Wharton, alongside five other midfield options from across Europe, as Ruben Amorim is looking to further bolster his squad in the January transfer window.

Amorim wants to strengthen his midfield

United spent heavily in the summer transfer window to rebuild their squad after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign, which saw the Red Devils go trophyless and finish 15th in the Premier League. They brought in big names like Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, but the summer squad overhaul was primarily aimed at bolstering the team's attack. 

Amorim wanted to sign Brighton midfield sensation Carlos Baleba towards the end of the window, but a move eventually did not materialise. Since then, multiple reports have linked United with a move for Palace's Wharton, with Amorim reportedly an admirer of the Englishman. The Portuguese coach is now determined to strengthen his midfield in the January transfer window and has prepared a six-man midfield shortlist, which includes Wharton's name. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWharton downplays Man Utd transfer links

Despite being strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford, Wharton has now dismissively downplayed his transfer links to the Premier League giants as he recently told The Athletic: "I don't really look into it or think too much about it. There are always rumours floating about on social media. Is it true? Is it not? You tell me. My friends, my family, my brothers, everyone will message me and be like, 'Is it true this club's interested?' I'm like, 'Thanks for telling me because I didn't know.' I don't know who's spreading it or who at United is looking at it. 

"I see it and I'm like, 'OK', and then I carry on with my day. United, the big teams, they're all linked to 10, 20 different players. If I'm one of 20, then it's nothing special, so it doesn't really mean too much. I speak with my agent about planning ahead and possibilities. But at the end of the day, it is who's interested and who's willing to try and get you and if that becomes the case? You can speak about it, but you've got to represent that on the pitch and prove that you deserve it."

Palace preparing new deal for Wharton

Amid Wharton being linked with a move away from the club, the officials at Selhurst Park are reportedly planning a new contract offer for their star performer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, who told : "They want to extend this contract. So Palace are on it. They've spoken already to his representative several times about this intention they have to give him a new contract. At the same time, let's see what's going to happen there, because the boy has been super professional already last summer, when he already had some kind of opportunity if he wanted to go. But for Palace, he was untouchable. 

"Also, in recent months, we had many rumours, and the boy, again, is behaving in a fantastic way. So Palace are super happy with Adam, and Adam is quite happy with Palace. He understands that he's probably at the best club to develop at this moment for him. But then in the summer, you never know, in case there is a big opportunity, a big financial proposal, we have to see what happens. So at the moment, there is this intention from Palace to give him a new contract, but we are not yet at the stage where we say, okay, it's guaranteed, because it's still early stages of the conversation."

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(C)Getty ImagesWharton's team-mate's comments fuelled Madrid rumours

Real Madrid's interest in Wharton emerged during the summer transfer window, having not directly replaced either Toni Kroos, who retired in 2024, or Luka Modric at the centre of the pitch. While Los Blancos did not make a formal approach for the England international, Wharton's Palace team-mate Yeremy Pino's recent comments further fuelled the rumours of his move to the Spanish capital. Speaking to The Athletic, the Spaniard said: "Adam can do everything. Defensively, he is a fighter. He goes in very strong, wins a lot of balls. Technically, you just have to watch him and enjoy him. He has the quality to play in the Spain national team, no doubt."

Maiden List A fifties for Joe Pocklington, Rob Lord put Notts in contention after centuries for Jake Libby, Kashif Ali

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 07-Aug-2025Notts Outlaws conjured up an astonishing comeback to grab a share of the points in a tie with Worcestershire Rapids in a dramatic Metro Bank One-Day Cup encounter at Welbeck Cricket Club.Chasing a target of 327 from 47 overs after centuries from Jake Libby and Kashif Ali, who shared a 180-run fourth-wicket partnership, had put Worcestershire Rapids in the ascendancy, the Outlaws looked out of contention as they slipped to 145 for 7 in reply.But then Joe Pocklington (54) and Rob Lord, who hit four sixes in a brilliant 83, responded with maiden List A half-centuries, Lord putting on 71 with the former for the eighth wicket and 92 with Brett Hutton for the ninth, taking the home side within sight of an unlikely win.Lord was out with 19 needed from 20 balls, which came down to four off the final six deliveries. But Worcestershire’s Pakistan international Khurram Shahzad kept his nerve and with Hutton on strike and two required off the last ball, the Outlaws man could only scramble a bye, leaving the scores level. Ethan Brookes finished with 3 for 51.Rapids had totalled an impressive 312 for 7 before rain curtailed their innings after 47.1 overs, skipper Libby finishing on 112 not out after Kashif had made 101 after being dropped on 51, James Hayes taking a career-best four for 63 for the Outlaws.The Rapids slipped to 44 for 3 after being asked to bat first at the John Fretwell Sporting Complex at Sookholme, near Mansfield.But Kashif and Libby turned the innings on its head, the former hitting eight fours and a six, his escape on 51 coming when Haseeb Hameed, battling a swirling wind, failed to make a catch at long-on. The 27-year-old batter, registering his second List A hundred in only his 14th match, was eventually caught behind down the leg side off Daniel Sams.Libby, who began his career at Trent Bridge before moving to New Road in 2020, reached his hundred from 86 deliveries in an innings that contained nine fours and a couple of wind-assisted sixes off Sams and Lord.Hayes had been instrumental in giving Notts the start they wanted with the ball. He had Isaac Mohammed, the 17-year-old opener making his List A debut, caught behind down the leg side before holding on to a leading edge to remove Brett D’Oliveira. Hutton had Rob Jones leg before.After Kashif and Libby were parted, Lyndon James produced a fine delivery to remove the dangerous Brookes, who edged behind for just a single. Wicketkeeper Henry Cullen (27 from 20 balls) looked sharp but he and Matthew Waite were both caught at midwicket off Hayes.In reply, Outlaws lost skipper Hameed cheaply when he was bowled swinging vigorously at Waite. Ben Slater (41) and Haynes put on 45 before Slater’s mistimed pull saw him caught at midwicket.Haynes completed a 49-ball half-century but, from 121 for 2, Notts lost three wickets for eight runs in the space of six balls. Haynes cut straight to backward point, before Brookes took two in two, bowling 18-year-old Sam Seecharan and then Tom Moores, who followed his 148 in the win over Essex here on Tuesday with a first-ball duck.James survived the hat-trick ball but was caught behind by Cullen, standing up, as Brookes claimed his third wicket, by which time Sams was also back in the pavilion, holing out to wide long off, leaving the Outlaws 145 for seven.The impressive Pocklington, a 24-year-old all-rounder who joined Notts last week after playing for National Counties side Lincolnshire and took three wickets with his left-arm spin on his debut against Essex responded by making 54 from 41 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes, before finding long-on off former Notts spinner Fateh Singh.He added 71 with Lord, who completed his maiden List A fifty from 44 balls, also with two sixes as he led Hutton in a 92-run ninth-wicket stand, but Lord dragged on to Waite with 19 still needed and Hutton and Hayes couldn’t quite do enough to clinch the win.

Ed Barnard rewarded for saving follow-on with unbeaten century

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay01-Aug-2025

Warwickshire 485 (Barnard 108*, Bamber 107, Mousley 75, Davies 52, Critchley 5-171) drew with Essex 602 for 6 dec (Westley 134, Allison 133, Pepper 107*, Walter 86) and 96 for 1 Tom Westley passed fifty for the fifth time in eight Rothesay County Championship innings before rain arrived at Chelmsford to confirm the inevitable draw between Essex and Warwickshire.The rejuvenated Essex captain was 51 not out, with seven fours in his 103-ball innings, to follow his 148 first time round. He had put on 86 in 28 overs with Paul Walter for the second wicket before umbrellas went up and the players scampered for shelter. Walter had contributed 35 to a stand that took Essex’s lead to a nominal 213.The match was effectively over as a contest late on the third evening when Ed Barnard struck the boundary that took Warwickshire past their follow-on target of 453, despite having just one wicket in hand. What had become a damp squib was officially called off at 3.25pm.The 14 points Essex gained kept them just ahead of the relegation places in Division One, while Warwickshire’s dozen points mean they are safely in mid-table.Barnard, meanwhile, gained reward for his overnight effort the morning after when he was left unbeaten on 108 in Warwickshire’s first-innings 485, 117 behind Essex’s 602-6 declared. The remarkably consistent all-rounder’s 123-ball knock took his season’s tally to 815 runs with three centuries. Matt Critchley’s marathon spell of 40 overs for Essex returned figures of 5 for 171.With Dean Elgar absent from the field since day one with a calf injury, Essex promoted Noah Thain to open their second innings. But Essex’s faith in the up-and-coming all-rounder was not fulfilled as Ethan Bamber got one to lift off the pitch and take the outside edge with only two against his name.Westley drove his first ball for four, but was fortunate when he reached 19 that a diving Kai Smith could not cling on to a catch in Beau Webster’s first over.Westley reached his fifty from 103 balls, clipping Hannon-Dalby past an unusual legside field comprising six fielders in a semi-circle between short mid-on and square leg. It turned out to be the last meaningful action before rain set in a 2.24pm.Walter had been comparatively subdued at the other end, though he did strike two boundaries in the last over before lunch that brought up the fifty partnership from a leisurely 18 overs.Barnard, 90 not out overnight, had become the game’s fifth century-maker when he swept Critchley for four from the 114th ball he faced. He had already launched the leg-spinner over midwicket for six during the 23 minutes that Warwickshire’s first innings extended into the fourth morning.Oliver Hannon-Dalby had kept Barnard company the previous evening when the ninth-wicket pair ensured Warwickshire moved safely beyond the follow-on mark. He remained unfazed for 27 balls in total, 15 in the morning, before Westley introduced his occasional off-breaks and had the No11 lbw with his fourth delivery.

MatériaMais Notícias

O duelo entre Nova Iguaçu e Vasco, pelo jogo de volta da semifinal do Campeonato Carioca, já tem local definido. A Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Ferj) oficializou, na tarde desta quarta-feira (13), o Estádio Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda, como palco da partida de domingo, às 16h (de Brasília).

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Mandante, o Nova Iguaçu havia solicitado ao consórcio administrado por Flamengo e Fluminense para levar a partida para o Maracanã. No entanto, não houve resposta por parte dos administradores do estádio, e a Ferj aguardou “até o limite máximo operacional” para dar um veredito.

No jogo de ida, disputada no Maracanã, Nova Iguaçu e Vasco empataram em 1 a 1. Xandinho abriu o placar para o Laranjão, e Lucas Pitón deixou tudo igual para o Cruz-Maltino. Para o duelo decisivo, a equipe da Baixada Fluminense tem a vantagem do empate para alcançar a grande final, por ter se classificado à frente do Gigante na Taça Ganabara.

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➡️ Autor de gol sobre o Vasco, Xandinho comenta momento do Nova Iguaçu: ‘Coragem sempre’

Confira a nota da Ferj sobre o local de Nova Iguaçu x Vasco:

A Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro aguardou até o limite máximo operacional a indicação do estádio para a realização da semifinal Nova Iguaçu x Vasco.
O Laranjão da Baixada, clube mandante, indicou o Estádio Raulino de Oliveira.

Tudo sobre

Campeonato CariocaNova IguaçuVasco

All the gains from a year of positivity came crashing down in 13.5 overs of witheringly poor judgement

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Nov-2024When Sri Lanka’s men were about to begin their first innings in Durban, there was a sense that something unusual was happening. It was happening in many little ways. It was happening in some difficult big ones.On the smaller end of the scale, Sri Lanka had sent the Test specialists to Durban two weeks early. Someone in the coaching staff, or perhaps at the High Performance Centre, had noticed this golden chance to get the guys acclimatised and facing hundreds of balls on bouncy South African pitches ahead of schedule. Emails were sent. Meetings were called. Managers were looped in. Operational staff booked flights, hotels, transport.Yet more stones were being turned, and bright ideas had. Neil McKenzie, a dour South Africa batter who could stroke his metaphorical beard and call upon timeless South Africa batting wisdom, was hired as consultant. When the ODI team took an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka immediately released four Test players from that squad to give these players an extra day to recover from white-ball labours.Related

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In the medium term, they’d won five Tests this year. Three of those wins had come away from home. One of those victories had featured a four-man seam attack, and only four overs of spin – remarkable for a Sri Lanka side of any era.Their broader achievements are even more impressive. Since 2018, a National Super League domestic competition had significantly improved the standard of cricket at the first-class level. To raise that tournament up, a group of Sri Lanka’s former players, and administrators, had had to wrangle the support of a fractious club system, solve substantial facilities-related dilemmas, and work out quibbles such as player transfers.Improvements such as this have led to 2024’s advances, and why Sri Lanka now have a pace battery, for example, that can deck an opposition in two sessions. It is improvements such as this that have inspired in fans the sense that for once Sri Lankan cricket is doing that thing it almost never does: systematically building to something.When South Africa were all out for 191, you could almost see the path to the World Test Championship final. A decent lead. A good second innings. Sri Lanka being regarded as one of the best teams in the world again.But not if Sri Lanka’s batters were to have anything to do with it. In 13.5 overs of witheringly poor judgement, they crashed like they’ve never crashed before. They hit the snooze button on destiny.Dimuth Karunaratne was out in single digits for the fourth time in his last six Test innings•Associated PressSo much of this innings was an affront. It was an affront to all wisdom of batting on spicy pitches – wisdom accrued over hundreds of years. “Play close to the body when the ball is moving off the surface”, say the batting manuals. “Wait till the ball gets older before venturing the big shots.” Here, instead, Sri Lanka were pushing out to feel ball on bat, driving at deliveries that were both seaming and bouncing, and poking like a drunk camper at a bear.From among the top seven Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, and Dhananjaya de Silva all got out to balls they could have left. Angelo Mathews steered a ball well outside off stump beautifully to second slip. It’s not as if they had been pinned. It’s not as if they’d hunkered down, defended, shown fight, and only then run out of patience and fight. The longest of these innings lasted 20 balls.The tail, taking cues from the top order, went down in a hail of big shots themselves. At one point in the innings, it felt as if Sri Lanka had decided they were only going to play shots that sent the ball in the general direction of the slip cordon.This 42 not out was not just record-making in its incompetence, but looks like it will define this match, and has the potential to define the series. It’s like Sri Lanka had built the rocket that would take them to the moon, and on morning of the launch, the chief astronaut got his arm permanently stuck in a vending machine. It’s like they’d just finished replanting an entire forest, then lit up a cigar and set the whole thing ablaze. They’d studied all term and prepared meticulously, and on the day of the exam, got drunk and fell down some stairs.If this 42 all out was the result of Sri Lanka’s batters getting a little ahead of themselves, then it was a reminder to fans that they shouldn’t either. There is a sense that although so many things in Sri Lanka have changed over the last three years, Sri Lanka batters can still unite the nation in bringing palms to faces.In 78 minutes of madness, Sri Lanka’s batters went some way to undoing so much of what they had worked towards.

Continuing their search for their next manager, Celtic have already been hit with a problem in pursuit of Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen, who has impressed the Bhoys during his time in Belgium.

The last thing Celtic need is a managerial saga, but they may have no choice. The Scottish Premiership champions must get their next appointment right and silencing the noise to do exactly that will be key.

That is, of course, easier said than done with several candidates already shortlisted and the likes of Chris Sutton already having their say on the vacant position.

The former Celtic star believes that Ange Postecoglou is the “obvious” choice and it’s easy to see why. The Australian won five trophies out of a possible six during his last spell at the club and is currently a free agent after lasting just 39 days at Nottingham Forest.

There will be some concerns about his recent performances in the dugout, but the Bhoys know more than anyone just how quickly Postecoglou can create success.

Another name on the reported shortlist is Kieran McKenna. The Ipswich manager took the Tractor Boys from League one all the way to the Premier League in back-to-back promotions, before suffering relegation from England’s top flight last season.

Although he has endured a tough year at Portman Road, his reputation remains intact and managerial ability clear for all to see. Whether Celtic would be able to lure him away from Ipswich remains to be seen, however, and that’s a problem they face with another candidate.

Celtic already facing Nicky Hayen problem

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are now tracking Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen, who held Brendan Rodgers’ side to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League last November.

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The 45-year-old has impressed in Belgium and would have no trouble convincing those at Celtic Park that he’s the right man for the job after smashing Rangers 9-1 on aggregate in the Champions League qualifiers back in August. Alas, there still lies one problem.

Luring Hayen away from Brugge could yet prove to be a difficult task and that instantly hands Celtic an obstacle that they’ll have to overcome if he emerges as their top choice.

Celtic already watched on as Rangers endured managerial chaos and may choose to avoid taking a similar path. If that does prove to be the case, then Hayen could become an unlikely candidate.

It’s clear why Brugge will be so desperate to keep their young manager, too. Speaking to The Guardian in January, the owner of Haverfordwest, Rob Edwards, who worked with Hayen at the Welsh club before he set off for Belgium said: “He’s a workaholic and that rubs off on players, it rubs off on staff and it gets everyone behind you if you lead from the front.

“I always knew he was going to go off somewhere else. We didn’t have him that long, but to see what he’s achieved since then makes us all really proud.”

Celtic readying first move for Ange Postecoglou

Chelsea got back to winning ways against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t the perfect performance from the Blues, far from it, but they were certainly the better team and scored some wonderful goals.

Moreover, had Liam Delap not got himself sent off, Enzo Maresca’s side would likely have had a far easier time of things.

The former Ipswich Town star hasn’t had an easy start to life at Chelsea, and now it looks like he could soon have more competition coming from Cobham.

Liam Delap's Premier League record

Chelsea paid Ipswich Town around £30m for Delap in the summer, and while his stock isn’t exactly high at the moment, that was still a brilliant deal.

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After all, during his time at Manchester City, he was regarded as one of the next big things, scoring 35 goals and providing nine assists in 36 appearances for their Under-23 side.

Moreover, once he got his first move to the Tractor Boys last summer, he quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in the Premier League.

For example, despite playing for a team destined for relegation, the Winchester-born poacher was still able to rack up an impressive tally of 12 goals and two assists in 37 appearances, totalling 2616 minutes.

In other words, the Englishman was able to average a goal involvement every 2.64 games, or every 186.85 minutes for the Suffolk side, which is not bad going considering he’d made just ten appearances in the competition for City in the years before.

Appearances

10

37

3

Minutes

47′

2616′

93′

Goals

0

12

0

Assists

0

2

0

However, he has not been so lucky this season.

Prior to his hamstring injury, the summer signing made just three appearances in the competition for the Blues, two of which came off the bench, in which he failed to score or assist a goal.

He won’t even have the chance to open his account this weekend either, as his second yellow against Wolves means he’s suspended for the game against Tottenham Hotspur.

In all, Delap is a player with plenty of promise, but at a club like Chelsea, forwards aren’t always allowed a great deal of time, especially when there is a particularly exciting forward making his way through the academy at the moment.

The Cobham star who could replace Delap

As is the case every season, Chelsea have an abundance of incredibly exciting players at Cobham this season, with Chizaram Ezenwata being one of the most notable.

The 17-year-old phenom, whom U23 scout Antonio Mango claims fans should “get excited for”, joined the Blues from Charlton Athletic and has already become one of the star players for the club’s U18 side.

For example, in 20 appearances last season, totalling just 1279 minutes, the dynamic gem managed to score 12 goals and provide three assists, which works out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, or every 91.93 minutes.

Impressively, the youngster has become even more of an attacking threat this season.

In just six appearances for the U18s, totalling 534 minutes, he has scored seven goals and provided one assist, which comes out to an average of 1.33 goal involvements per game, or one every 66.75 minutes.

Appearances

26

Minutes

1913′

Goals

19

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.88

Minutes per Goal Involvement

83.17′

In fact, the teenage goal machine has done such an incredible job in the U18s, that he has now made six appearances for the U21s.

It’s not just the output that should excite fans, though, as he looks to be a complete package.

According to one analyst, he “has a strong physique that allows him to shield and hold up the ball effectively”, and his “off-ball movement is outstanding.”

Ultimately, it is still very early in his career, but Ezenwata appears to be a seriously impressive prospect and someone who could rival Delap for gametime in the coming years.

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