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Liverpool have been handed a big injury blow ahead of their top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Manchester City.

What’s the latest?

On Thursday, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be available to play in the match at Anfield against Pep Guardiola’s side after missing their midweek 5-1 victory over FC Porto in the Champions League due to a muscle issue.

Even though Liverpool managed to cruise past their Portuguese opponents in midweek thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane without the right-back’s presence, everyone at Anfield would undoubtedly have preferred to have him available for the visit of the champions this weekend.

Klopp will not be happy

The 22-year-old, who is currently valued at £67.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made 185 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions in which he has managed to score 10 goals and provide an impressive 47 assists in the process.

Given how Alexander-Arnold has already chipped in with three assists in just six appearances across all competitions so far this term, this shows just how much of an attacking threat he has been even as a defender.

Also, with SofaScore currently listing him as the joint-third highest rated player in the Premier League so far this season alongside Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, this proves just how impressive his overall performances have been and why he will be such a big loss for Liverpool this weekend as someone who could have helped unlocked City’s strong defence, which has only conceded one league goal so far.

Looking ahead to the match against Guardiola’s men, with Klopp saying in his recent press conference that he has a number of options to compensate for the loss of Alexander-Arnold by playing the likes of Neco Williams, James Milner or Joe Gomez there or changing the system altogether, this says to us that the German has a big decision on his hands to try and manage the situation as best he can.

In other news: Forget Thiago: Liverpool must unleash “talented” gem vs City, he’s game-changing

What Ireland miss in experience, they more than make up for with determination heading into the ICC World Twenty20

Will Luke04-Jun-2009Ireland have stretched the gap between themselves and the other Associate and Affiliate nations over the past two years, and their presence for the first time in the ICC World Twenty20 is just reward for their perseverance and talent. With a strong development programme from Under-13s, through the age groups, they are beginning to produce cricketers whose aspirations stretch beyond Ireland itself.Eoin Morgan is the latest to hot-foot it over the water to England, and for all Ireland’s genuine and impressive improvement in the last couple of years, they remain handicapped in losing their best talent to England. In addition, Ireland and Associates simply don’t play enough international cricket against the leading nations to warrant too much optimism heading into this particular event. More prosaically, they have only played four Twenty20s, each of which were against Associate nations, three of which they won comfortably.Their involvement in the Friends Provident Trophy in England is, on paper, very worth their while. But along with Morgan, who plays for Middlesex, Ireland also lose their best bowler (Boyd Rankin, to Warwickshire), their captain (William Porterfield, to Gloucestershire) and the O’Brien brothers (Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire). A side shorn of experience and talent inevitably struggles against county sides, though they did stun Worcestershire who were rolled for a pathetic 58 last month.The shorter the format, the greater the chance: that is often the misguided call for hope by Associate followers, and in one sense it is true. There is certainly a greater chance of Ireland causing an upset, and they possess plenty of accurate and nibbly seamers to keep things tight. Trent Johnston, their allrounder with an Australian lilt, is fiercely competitive and not to be underestimated, while Porterfield and the O’Briens can fight tooth and nail to the bitter end. But it is every bit as likely their richer opponents will speed to 50 in three overs or have Ireland chasing scores in excess of 200. As ever, this tournament is as much an exposure to the higher level (and intensity) of cricket for Associates, rather than a chance for glory, though Ireland remain bullishly confident and have Bangladesh in their sights. Whatever happens, they will not be overawed.StrengthsAccurate and (for the most part) tidy seam-bowling. They’re a fit side and all fear and admire their coach, Phil Simmons, who remains as gym-fit as any coach in the game. They should hold their own as fielders, and while they have a number of attractive strokemakers, they will miss Morgan’s inventiveness. Kevin O’Brien can hit the ball miles, though.WeaknessesThey simply lack experience. They will believe they can beat a Full Member nation, and even before the ICC World Cup Qualifiers were underway two months ago, they spoke confidently about felling Bangladesh. But as they showed against Australia, Bangladesh might be a weak bowling unit, but they will test Ireland to the limit and should still win.X-FactorThey might keep losing some of their best players to the old enemy across the water but perhaps, for once, their experience in English conditions will give them a slight advantage over the tourists. Porterfield, the O’Brien brothers and Rankin all play county cricket and, as their determined display in South Africa showed, not to mention their defeat of Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, Ireland will never be overawed by the occasion.Key player(s)Boyd Rankin, their sky-scraping fast bowler, is a genuine talent and many in Ireland believe he’ll be the next Irishman to don an England shirt. Whether Twenty20 will suit him is another matter, however. Porterfield has steel and maturity beyond his 24 years and offers stability and class, while Kevin and Niall O’Brien can both tonk the ball miles if it’s in the slot.T20 form guideIreland have played just four Twenty20 matches, winning three, though all four were against Associate nations.Squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, Kyle McCallan, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Regan West, Andrew White, Gary Wilson

Liam Kennedy has revealed what he has now heard from Newcastle United’s takeover regime involving the futures of both Steve Bruce and Lee Charnley.

The Lowdown: Announcement soon

According to Sky Sports, an announcement confirming the proposed takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium could be made as early as today.

It is not yet clear how and whether this would affect the scheduled arbitration case between the North East club and the Premier League on the 3rd January, but the deal with Mike Ashley does look to be imminent now.

The Latest: Bruce and Charnley out?

As per Kennedy’s latest tweet, he’s now ‘hearing’ that both Bruce and Charnley are set to be casualties of the new takeover regime.

Jason Wilcox, who is the current academy director at Manchester City, is under consideration for a similar role at the Tyneside outfit after the bid goes through.

The Verdict: New start needed

Given the problems that the Magpies and Bruce have encountered so far in the 2021/22 campaign, in which they currently sit in 19th spot in the table in the Premier League with no wins and a mere three points from their first seven games (Premier League), a new start is certainly needed.

In a recent survey made by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) of over 5,000 members of the Toon Army, a whopping 94.3% wanted Bruce to leave (The Daily Mail), while they have also not been particularly fond of Charnley either for how he seems to defend Ashley (The Mag).

As such, both of them should leave once the takeover is complete, so a new era can finally begin at NUFC.

In other news, find out which team Newcastle scouts have been watching recently here!

A round-up from the latest County Championship matches

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2009Division OneStephen Moore continued his fine form with his first Championship hundred of the summer, as Worcestershire set Lancashire a testing 264 to win on the second day at Old Trafford. Lancashire were rolled for 145 at the start of the day, with Matt Mason recording 7 for 39, but thereafter Moore took control on a pitch offering less swing and seam than on the first day. He and Ben Smith added 79 for the third wicket, before Gary Keedy sparked Lancashire into life with two quick wickets, later prompting a brilliant run-out from Steven Croft to remove Steven Davies. By then, however, Moore had posted his fine century, and Mal Loye and Paul Horton negotiated the 13 overs to guide Lancashire to 40 without loss, still needing a further 224 to win.Alfonso Thomas lifted Somerset to 510 at Taunton with a county-best 70 before the rain arrived to halt a positive Hampshire response at 83 without loss. Thomas and James Hildreth carried their overnight stand to 87 before Hildreth’s fine innings was ended for 155 when he chipped to mid-on, but Hampshire struggled to wrap up the innings. David Stiff, who was promoted up the order in Somerset’s memorable chase against Yorkshire, made a useful 25 in a 53-run stand with Thomas. However, the Hampshire openers emphasised how good the pitch is for batting as they raced along with a flurry of boundaries – 15 coming in the 14 overs before the rain wiped out the final session.Click here for John Ward’s report on the first day’s play between Yorkshire v Durham at Headingley.Division TwoLeicestershire are within sight of their first win of their Championship season after another Middlesex batting collapse, on the second day at Grace Road. Resuming on 137 for 6 the home side reached the lofty heights of 244, an overall lead of 85, thanks to an innings of great maturity from the much admired 18-year-old Josh Cobb, who was ninth man out for a season’s-best 95. In reply, it was a familiar story for Middlesex as Iain O’Brien, who took six in the first innings, bowled Nick Compton with a fine yorker, before Billy Godleman, Owais Shah and Eoin Morgan followed in quick succession. Middlesex were in a hole at 50 for 40, a pit that became even deeper when Jim Allenby removed Dawid Malan and David Nash, leaving the tourists in the hopeless position of 76 for 6, still trailing by nine runs.Joe Denly and Robert Key gave Kent an ideal platform to their first innings at The Oval as they added an unbroken 152 in reply to Surrey’s 386. Denly, who impressed for England Lions against the Australians last week, hit seven boundaries and two sixes – off Murtaza Hussain and Chris Schofield – while Key hit his first Championship half-century of the season in a timely return to form. Key survived a strong shout for a catch at the wicket, while Denly was also let off a very close lbw decision, but the pair cracked 80 runs in boundaries alone to speed Kent’s reply. Surrey were given a lower-order boost by Schofield and Hussain who added 56 for the ninth wicket.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said that West Ham United would be one of the first teams to use the £1bn lending facility which could be available to Premier League clubs in the future.

The Lowdown: Pandemic hits hard

The global pandemic has hit hard across the world, and football is no exception.

Clubs across the world have lost millions due to loss of matchday revenue. David Sullivan has confirmed that the pandemic has cost West Ham £70m and the club are now £150m in debt (Hammers News). Given the problems that many clubs have faced, there have reports that a £1bn credit line could be available to ease cash flow issues (Financial Times).

The Latest: Maguire makes claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire has made a claim with regard to GSB and the lending facility. He said:

“This would be appropriate for West Ham.

“There is reluctance from the owners to put money in. They are pursuing a different model to some other owners.

“If you contrast them to, say, Everton, the owners have extracted millions of pounds in interest charges.

“They are currently charging about 4.25 per cent interest. If the club could borrow at a cheaper rate from the Premier League fund, they would use it.

“Some owners in the Premier League have lent at zero per cent interest, but Gold and Sullivan are not among them.

“For those owners, utilisation of the fund would cost the club more, whereas for West Ham it would cost the club less.”

The Verdict: New owners on the card?

GSB are far from popular with many West Ham supporters (via The Evening Standard), and this news is unlikely to improve their relationship with the Irons’ fanbase. Many fans believe that the club should be run in a better way, and reports that the Hammers would be eager to take advantage of more loans are hardly indicative of them being run efficiently.

In recent weeks and months, it has emerged that PAI Capital are eager to buy the club from the current owners (via The Times), but so far their offers have been rejected. Many supporters will undoubtedly be eager to get rid of those now in charge, and if that comes to fruition, maybe this line of credit will not be needed for West Ham.

In other news, West Ham fans love this Declan Rice news.

The Indian board has agreed to draft in the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to monitor the IPL next March and the Champions League this October

Nagraj Gollapudi31-Jul-2009The Indian board has agreed to draft in the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to monitor the IPL next March and the Champions League this October. The BCCI made the ICC aware of its decision at the ICC board’s annual conference in London last month, Lalit Modi, the IPL and Champions League commissioner, said.”They (ACSU) have expanded their services and going ahead, all the tournaments, including Champions League and the IPL would have the presence of ICC’s anti-corruption unit,” Modi told Cricinfo.The IPL’s commitment to fighting corruption in cricket was criticised after it kept the ACSU away from the Twenty20 league’s second season in South Africa this year. The Indian board had felt that the US$ 1.2 million that the ICC would charge of its unit’s services was too high. During the league’s inaugural season in India last year, the IPL had its own anti-corruption unit in place, which was guided by the ACSU.”In the past no one had thought about the large volume of games in a tournament like the IPL where you needed a dedicated wing, which we now have,” Modi said.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, welcomed the development and said the main reason behind the BCCI joining hands with the ACSU could be the knowledge that dealing with corruption is a complex job and the unit could not be ignored any more.”The penny might have dropped as I have been making informative presentations to the board and chief executive committee on the risks and how the ACSU operates to counter these.,” Lorgat told Cricinfo. “So, there may have been a better appreciation of the complex workings of the ACSU and not the previous misconception of simply an ACSU official preventing unauthorised people from gaining access to player areas.”One of ICC’s main concerns is that since all international players in the IPL represent various nations otherwise, any relationships they develop in the IPL can get carried forward. ICC sources said that the ACSU would make sure such a situation never arises. Going forward, the ACSU would build a similar infrastructure for even bilateral series and monitor all games closely, the sources said.

A number of Aston Villa supporters have laid into Tyrone Mings’ erratic performance in the first half away to Arsenal.

Dean Smith’s side have had a week to reflect on their shock 3-2 defeat at home to Wolves last Saturday, on a day when it looked as though three points were in the bag.

Instead, Villa suffered one of their most disappointing Premier League losses in recent memory.

Smith’s men are back in league action this evening, making the trip to north London to face an Arsenal side still flattering to deceive under Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners were the better team from the off however, and one player who struggled to impress in the opening 45 minutes at the Emirates was Mings.

The England international was diving into tackles, completed a poor 71 per cent of his passes and was eventually booked for a mistimed challenge on Alexandre Lacazette.

Aston Villa fans react to Mings’ first half

These Villa supporters gave their thoughts on Mings’ display on Twitter.

“Mings carries on just like he finished last week”

Credit: @brian_seadon

“Mings try not to hoof the ball challenge!”

Credit: @YoungArevalo

“Mings is struggling”

Credit: @jimmydoris1986

“I love Tyrone Mings but he is TRASH in a back 3”

Credit: @avfcPJR

“Omg Mings no”

Credit: @JamieeAVFC

“Mings is so reckless. Incredibly naive at times “

Credit: @SandbrookNick

In other news, some Villa fans have slammed a piece of Premier League news that has emerged. Read more here.

Mishra attributed his inclusion to the performances in this year’s IPL and his role in India’s victory at the recent Emerging Players’ tournament

Cricinfo staff17-Aug-2009While all the headlines about India’s one-day team have focused on Rahul Dravid’s recall after nearly two years, another squad member is making a return after an even longer absence. Amit Mishra, the 26-year-old legspinner, comes back to the limited-overs side after six years, edging out left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for the second slow bowler’s spot.Mishra attributed his inclusion to his performance in this year’s IPL, where he took 14 wickets in 11 games at an economy rate of 7, and his role in India’s victory at the recent Emerging Players’ tournament in Brisbane.”My performance in IPL in South Africa, besides the recent Emerging Players tournament in Australia, has prompted the selectors to include me in the team and I promise I will live up to their faith if I get a chance,” he told PTI.”I bowled well in South Africa [during the IPL] in conditions that are more suitable for fast bowlers,” he said. “I adjusted to the conditions early there and I think the selectors have picked me keeping in mind that.”Mishra has cemented his place as the second spinner in the Test team, but several younger spinners including Ojha and Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja have been tried in the shorter formats before the selectors picked Mishra again. “The selection in the ODI team is a reward for the hard work I have put in over the last few years,” he said. “I am really very happy because at last my struggle paid off. It came late but it eventually came.”

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma will miss the inaugural Corporate Cup due to a shoulder injury he picked up during the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai

Cricinfo staff24-Aug-2009Indian batsman Rohit Sharma will miss the inaugural Corporate Cup due to a shoulder injury he picked up during the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. Playing for Mumbai Cricket Association XI against Vidharbha, Rohit hurt his left shoulder while attempting a catch off his own bowling.Aijaz Asahi, the Mumbai physio confirmed to Cricinfo that there was an inflammation in Rohit’s left shoulder which will take at least a couple of weeks to heal. Rohit also reported to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for a check-up.The injury is the latest setback for Rohit, who was dropped from India’s one-day squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa. He was in indifferent form during the one-day series in the West Indies in June-July, scoring just 15 runs in four matches. He will not be able to turn out for Indian Oil in the Corporate Cup which runs from September 1 to 8.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a potentially huge blow regarding the fitness of Alex Mowatt ahead of their upcoming Championship clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, Valerien Ismael revealed that the 26-year-old will undergo a late fitness test to determine whether or not he will be able to take part in the visit of Bristol City on Saturday afternoon, after the midfielder missed out on the 2-1 defeat against Swansea City in midweek due to a recurrence of a toe injury.

Speaking about the current condition of Mowatt, the West Brom manager said: “We’ll see; we’re assessing him every day. If he has the chance to play, he will do, but we’ll see in this [Friday’s] training session.

“We don’t want to take any risks, for sure we want to have Alex, but my focus is always to get players 100 per cent fitness without any issues. This is what we’re working on with Alex.”

Meanwhile, in better news for the Baggies, the Frenchman confirmed that Grady Diangana, who has been unavailable for Albion’s last two fixtures due to a hamstring injury, looks set to make a return to the matchday squad this weekend.

On the 23-year-old’s fitness, Ismael said: “Grady is fine. If nothing happens [on Friday] he will be back in the squad.”

Huge blow

While the news of Diangana’s likely reintroduction to the West Brom side is good for the Baggies, the potential absence of Mowatt will undoubtedly have left Ismael gutted.

Indeed, the £6.3m-rated man has been one of Albion’s best players so far this season, having scored three goals, registered one assist and created two big chances over his 12 Championship appearances, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.19 in the league – the second-highest in the Albion squad.

Furthermore, with fellow midfielder and club captain Jake Livermore suspended for the Bristol City clash, the unavailability of Mowatt would leave Ismael without his two first-choice options in the middle of the park, something which could seriously dent West Brom’s chances of a positive result today.

With Ismael having seen his side fall to their second league defeat of the season in midweek, the Frenchman will certainly be hoping they can bounce back with a win against the Robins at The Hawthorns this afternoon. It’s a task which would be made tougher if the former Barnsley midfielder isn’t fit enough to feature.

In other news: West Brom’s “fantastic” £10k-p/w dynamo could have played his last game for the club