All posts by h716a5.icu

The BCCI also approved associate membership for Chandigarh’s Union Territory Cricket Association

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2019The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has appointed the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) as the representative body to run cricket in the state, ending a long-standing dispute in which four different associations (later three, with two of them merging) had pushed their claims to be in charge.The CoA order on August 13 came after it constituted an Affiliation Committee, consisting of Saba Karim, the BCCI general manger, and Anshuman Gaekwad. On the basis of their report, the CoA determined that CAU was the best placed to take charge of cricket affairs. The CAU will have to comply with the Supreme Court judgment of August 9, 2018, and file a compliance certificate with the CoA, appoint an electoral officer, and conduct elections in accordance with the approved constitution on or before September 14.With the infighting among associations, the BCCI had constituted a Uttarakhand Cricket Consensus Committee headed by Ratnakar Shetty to run cricket affairs in the state last year, when Uttarakhand made its debut in domestic cricket. The players did exceptionally well on the field, not losing a single game in the Plate Group and qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Vidarbha. Their showing earned them a promotion, and they will be in Group C this year.The four associations who each staked claim for BCCI recognition were United Cricket Association (UTCA), Uttaranchal Cricket Association (UCA) and Uttarakhand Cricket Association (UKCA), apart from the CAU. In September 2017, UTCA merged with CAU, making it a three-horse race. That was narrowed to two associations – UCA and CAU – with the CoA stating that the documents provided by UKCA to the Affiliate Committee proved “grossly inadequate” to make a fair assessment of the association’s ability to run cricket in the state. The CoA also said the infighting within UKCA showed that promoting cricket appeared to be a “secondary objective” for UKCA.While the Affiliation Committee did not make any recommendation between the two remaining associations (UCA and CAU), the CoA leaned towards CAU due to their superior revenue generation. The CAU’s aggregate revenue from the financial years 2005-06 to 2017-18 was INR 25,980,456, while that of UCA was only INR 1,084,028. The CoA found this to be a significant difference in the ability of both associations to carry out cricketing activities in the state, and awarded membership to CAU.However, the CoA also noted that as per the report prepared by Karim and Gaekwad, UCA had much better administrative infrastructure, more professional management, better connect with former cricketers, and had their documents in order – all of which were lacking in CAU.The Affiliation Committee also granted associate membership of the BCCI to the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA), which allows teams from Chandigarh to participate in the 2019-20 domestic season across age groups. Former India bowler VRV Singh will coach the senior men’s team.The BCCI had approved UTCA’s affiliation on August 1, after scrutinising affiliation claims from three organisations: the UTCA, the Chandigarh Cricket Association (affiliated to Punjab Cricket Association) and the Chandigarh Cricket Association (affiliated to Haryana Cricket Association).VRV Singh, who represented Punjab during his playing career, welcomed the move, saying it would be “immensely helpful” for young cricketers based in the union territory, and was excited about his role as coach.”It is a great feeling that Chandigarh will be featuring in the Ranji Trophy for the first time and it will also be my first coaching assignment. I am really looking forward to it,” he told .

Celtic have been blessed in the striker department in recent years as they have enjoyed a number of impressively prolific goalscorers at Parkhead.

From Gary Hooper through to Kyogo Furuhashi, and hopefully Adam Idah, the Hoops have not been short of number nines with a penchant for finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

Current Hoops head coach Brendan Rodgers played a big role in the signing of one such talent back in 2017 as Odsonne Edouard joined from Paris Saint-Germain, initially on loan.

That move turned out to be a masterstroke from the club as the French marksman's value soared throughout his time with the Scottish giants.

Odsonne Edouard's market value when Celtic signed him

The 19-year-old dynamo was valued at €1.5m (£1.3m) by Transfermarkt at the time of his initial loan move to Parkhead ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

He hit the ground running in his debut season in Scotland with a return of 11 goals and four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions for the club. This included nine goals in 22 Scottish Premiership matches for Rodgers.

That €1.5m (£1.3m) valuation on Transfermarkt remained the same during the summer of 2018 as Celtic decided to secure his services on a permanent basis.

They were richly rewarded for that decision, on and off the pitch, as Edouard went on to be a lethal scorer for the Hoops before making a big move to the Premier League in 2021.

How much Edouard was worth when he left Celtic in 2021

English side Crystal Palace swooped to secure his signature in the summer of 2021 and Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping €17m (£14.5m) at the time of that deal.

This means that his market value on Transfermarkt soared by a staggering 1,033% in three years from the €1.5m they valued him at in 2018 upon signing for Celtic on a permanent basis.

That soaring value also allowed the Hoops to make a big profit on the striker as Ange Postecoglou – who arrived as the manager that summer – sold him to the Eagles for a reported £18.5m, which was significantly more than the £9m Rodgers paid to sign him from PSG.

Edouard, who was once hailed as "prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, earned that big move to Palace and helped his market value to skyrocket by performing on the pitch for Celtic.

17/18

19

Six

18/19

28

14

19/20

27

22

20/21

26

16

21/22

Four

Two

Stats via Transfermarkt

The former France youth international, as you can see in the table above, the impressive marksman was a reliable goalscorer for the Scottish giants over a significant period of time.

He averaged a goal every other match, or better, across his three-and-a-bit seasons in the top-flight after joining on a permanent deal in the summer of 2018.

This shows that Rodgers hit the jackpot by snapping him up from PSG, both on loan initially and then permanently the following year, as Edouard was a huge player for the club on the pitch, with his outstanding goalscoring, and his market value soared ahead of a big-money switch to Palace.

The latest snippets from the county circuit, including a record-breaking Blast season and the next Banton in the queue

David Hopps and Matt Roller27-Aug-2019The loudest roar in Nottinghamshire’s game at Trent Bridge on Sunday came as Joe Clarke knocked two off Jordan Thompson – there was nothing remarkable in the shot, but 70 miles up the M1, Ben Stokes was completing an outrageous heist at Headingley.While reports of Stokes’ antics causing Sunday’s Blast games to stop are largely exaggerated, the stands emptied at the Ageas Bowl and Edgbaston as fans crowed around the big screens in the concourse, and in the Kia Super League game at Guildford, a cheer went up between balls, and Sarah Taylor and Nat Sciver punched the air to celebrate England’s success.It is remarkable that if Stokes had managed to hit Trent Boult’s last-ball full toss in the World Cup final for two rather than one, a number of county cricketers would have missed both of the dramatic moments of the summer.In addition to the Blast games yesterday, there was a full round of Championship matches starting on the same day as the World Cup final, and play was still going on as Stokes tied the game. There were exuberant scenes in dressing rooms across the country following the Super Over victory, but in an alternative timeline, the next best hundred or so players in England would have missed England’s moment of triumph.***As the ECB gathers evidence on the hybrid pitches being tried out in the Blast this season, the most disturbing findings will be coming from Chester-le-Street where Durham have used the same pitch three times and suffered a couple of embarrassing collapses.On both occasions, their openers D’Arcy Short and Scott Steel gave them a vigorous start against the new ball only for their innings to grind to a halt as the innings wore on.Against Worcestershire, Durham were 79 for 1 off 11.4 overs, but failed to chase down Worcestershire’s 117 for 7 by three runs. Little more than a week later, their target against Yorkshire was 147 and again the openers excelled, this time with 70 off 7, only for Durham’s last seven wickets to fall for 16 in five overs against the unlikely Yorkshire spin duo of Jack Shutt and Adam Lyth.All of which is a reminder that a five percent plastic weave in a surface might help hold it together for an extra match or so, but it is not about to work miracles. Hybrid pitches can’t be blamed for bad shots or a lack of tactical acumen. And if the square is slow and low to start with then slow and low is doubtlessly what you’ll get.County traditionalists would be better hoping that conclusions about hybrid pitches are favourable. If not, it won’t be too long before a marketing bod with an unhealthy regard for artificial pitches proposes that it is time for the ultimate solution.***Ollie Robinson celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesSussex retain strong hopes of a home quarter-final in the Blast even if their bowling attack is under a little strain with Tymal Mills out for the season and Jofra Archer only playing two matches thus far as his England career takes over.One player Sussex will hope will makes an impact in their remaining games is Ollie Robinson who made good use of the random round of Championship matches in mid-August by taking 14 wickets against Middlesex – the best Sussex match aggregate for 55 years.Jason Gillespie, Sussex’s coach, says he cannot speak too highly of Robinson. “I think being away with the England Lions has made him realise that he’s a little bit closer to international recognition than he thought he was – and seeing how that professional environment works helps,” he said.”He’s as competitive a cricketer as I’ve seen. He researches the opposition. He spends hours poring over the footage, looking for ways to impact. He has also improved his general professionalism, the work-rate, in the gym, the recovery protocols. He’s stepped up and now he’s getting the rewards.”I see a big tall bloke of 6′ 5″ who runs in and hits the ball hard, nibbles it both ways, can swing it both ways at a brisk pace. His height is a real weapon. He wouldn’t be out of place at the next level.”***Colin Ackermann appeals for a leg-before shout•Getty ImagesHaving put himself in the history books by becoming the first bowler in world cricket to take seven wickets in a T20 innings with his astonishing 7 for 18 against Birmingham Bears on August 7, Leicestershire’s Colin Ackermann might have anticipated he’d be basking in the glory of it for some time. He had, after all, claimed a best-figures-in-an-innings record that had stood for eight years.Imagine how he must have felt, then, last Friday night, when news came through that the India A offspinner Krishnappa Gowtham, who for the last two seasons has been part of the Rajasthan Royals team in the IPL, had taken an unbelievable 8 for 15.South African offspinner Ackermann had, in his own words, “struggled to get my head round” being a being a world-record holder and now it seemed he wasn’t one even before it had properly sunk in.But if the Foxes captain was feeling a little bit miffed at being knocked off his perch after just 16 days, it turned out he need not have.Gowtham’s eight-for, playing for Bellary Tuskers against Shivamogga Lions, came in the Karnataka Premier League, which has eight franchises and big-money sponsorship deals and creates a substantial income stream for the Karnataka Cricket Association – yet is classed as a state competition.Only national tournaments and international cricket count towards the official records, even though Karnataka, a region in the south-west of India, has a population of 61 million – more than Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka combined.So Ackermann can continue to bask and Gowtham must content himself with a tournament record only.Amazingly, it was not the only tournament record Gowtham set in that one match, having earlier smashed the fastest KPL hundred (39 balls), achieved the highest individual score (134 not out) and blasted the most sixes in a single innings (13). A decent night at the office.***Plenty of counties are sick of the sight of Tom Banton after seeing him pile on the runs against them this year, but it might just be that the worst is yet to come.While domestic players will soon be spared playing against Banton as his inevitable rise to international honours continues, Tom’s younger brother Jacques might well be on his own route to stardom by then: after piling on the runs for Worcestershire’s academy sides this summer, he has broken into the second team, and hit 107 off 99 balls for Barnt Green in the Birmingham Premier League on Saturday, all at the ripe old age of 18.It was a good day for Tom all things considered – his own club side, Taunton St Andrews, got a win, and his cameo against Glamorgan took Somerset to a much-needed victory.***Adam Zampa’s last-ball run-out of Sam Northeast in Essex’s game against Hampshire confirmed that this season’s Blast will be a record-breaking one.The competition has had more ties than your local Marks and Spencer’s, currently sharing the honours with the 2011 FLt20 as the season with the most such results (4).Those results, along with a vast number of no-results and abandonments, have combined to make both groups very bunched: going into the final week of games, Gloucestershire were second in the South Group having won five games, while Surrey were down in eighth with only one victory fewer.

New Juventus boss Thiago Motta has reportedly told United States international Weston McKennie that he isn't part of his plans for next season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

McKennie out of contract at Juve in 2025Premier League and MLS sides interestedUSMNT ace 'told' he is not in Motta's plansWHAT HAPPENED?

McKennie has been in contract talks with Juventus but is said to have knocked back previous proposals, with his current deal expiring in 2025. While the 25-year-old was a regular under former manager Massimiliano Allegri, his successor Motta told him he 'doesn't plan to rely on his services' for the 2024-25 campaign, reports

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

McKennie managed to break back into Juventus' first-team this season – where they won the Copa Italia – after falling out of favour the previous campaign and having an unsuccessful loan stint at Leeds United. But ex-Bologna boss Motta reportedly wants to take the team in a new direction, and not rely on the American's energy, versatility, and running ability.

DID YOU KNOW?

McKennie joined Juventus in the summer of 2020 from Schalke, before the Italian side turned his loan spell into a permanent deal in March 2021. During his time with the Old Lady, he has made 134 appearances in all competitions and scored eight goals. He has also won the Coppa Italia twice and the Supercoppa Italiana once.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT?

McKennie, who has previously been linked with Aston Villa, is said to be attracting interest from north London giants Arsenal and Tottenham – but Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati are also keeping tabs on him.

England's Jude Bellingham reportedly plans to stick by his claim that his Slovakia goal celebration was an in-joke when UEFA quiz him on the matter.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Bellingham scores against SlovakiaMakes lewd gesture in celebrationUEFA to quiz England man on matterWHAT HAPPENED?

Bellingham scored a stunning overhead kick to take England's last-16 Euro 2024 tie with Slovakia into extra-time – a game they eventually won 2-1. In his celebration, the 21-year-old appeared to make a lewd gesture towards Slovakia's bench, but the Real Madrid star said it was an "inside joke" directed at his friends attending the match. UEFA decided to pursue this matter further, with the governing body looking into whether Bellingham violated the rules of "decent conduct". Now, The Telegraph states the Three Lions ace will not deviate from his stance when questioned by UEFA.

AdvertisementWHAT JUDE BELLINGHAM SAID

After the match, Bellingham tweeted: "🥱❌- An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight (Sunday).🤝🏽"

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Crucially for England, the report adds Bellingham is 'not expected' to receive a suspension – if indeed he is punished at all. Slovakia have reportedly not complained to UEFA about the gesture and have not commented on the matter. That means the ex-Borussia Dortmund player may be free to play against Switzerland in England's quarter-final Euro 2024 tie on Saturday.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Bellingham's England side take on Switzerland at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf on Saturday evening. The Swiss eased past Italy in a 2-0 victory at the weekend to reach the last eight of the competition.

Young offspinner joins on a three-year deal to fill the void left by Adam Riley’s departure

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2019Kent have announced the signing of Hamidullah Qadri, the 18-year-old offspinner, on a three-year deal.Qadri, who moved to Derby from Afghanistan at the age of 10, became the first first-class cricketer born in the 21st century in June 2017, and has been an England Under-19 regular over the past two years.He has only played two Championship games for Derbyshire this season, taking five wickets at 28.00, but he has been earmarked as one of the best younger spinners in the English game.”I’m really excited to have the opportunity to play Division One first-class cricket here at Kent,” Qadri said. “I have only heard good things about the set-up here and when Kent asked about my availability, it was a very attractive offer and one that I couldn’t turn down.”Qadri fills the gap left in Kent’s spin stocks by the departure of Adam Riley earlier this year.Riley was briefly considered to be the natural successor to Graeme Swann as England’s best offspinner after a brilliant 2014 season, but lost his action after being encouraged to try and bowl quicker by the England set-up. He never really recovered, and was released in June.Kent signed Ollie Rayner on loan from Middlesex as cover for the rest of this Championship season, but Qadri will be their primary spinner from next season. Imran Qayyum is likely to continue as the club’s main white-ball spinner.Paul Downton, the club’s director of cricket, said: “Hamid is an excellent prospect and we’re delighted to secure his services. He’s a self-taught natural spinner of the ball who has impressed at all levels.”Working with the England Young Lions spin coach and our new Head of Talent Pathway, Min Patel, he is the Young Lions’ leading spinner. With the chance to continue working with Min, and also with James Tredwell in the winter, we believe he will continue to develop into a really exciting cricketer.”We have a number of talented young players here at Kent and Hamid adds to that talent pool.”

A piece of interesting speculation has come to light at Tottenham, with one pundit now believing that manager Ange Postecoglou could sacrifice a star who's had his "best time" in Lilywhite.

Spurs players tipped to leave this summer

The likes of Bryan Gil, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon and other usual suspects like Tanguy Ndombele remain candidates to leave Spurs in the summer, but as technical director Johan Lange attempts to reshape the squad, it isn't unreasonable to think more names could be mentioned.

BBC pundit thinks Spurs will be in constant contact over signing for 24/25

The north Londoners have a few decisions to make behind-the-scenes.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 8, 2024

Indeed, it is believed that some of Europe's biggest sides have their eyes on key Spurs stars, with Real Madrid and Barcelona thought to be admirers of Cristian Romero.

While the north Londoners are thought to be attempting new Son Heung-min deal talks also, reported interest from Saudi Arabia has given the South Korea star plenty to think about as his contract expires next year.

James Maddison

7.46

Son Heung-min

7.35

Pedro Porro

7.18

Cristian Romero

7.07

Dejan Kulusevski

7.06

Surprisingly, speaking to Tottenham News this week, Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson now thinks fan favourite defender Emerson Royal could be a candidate to leave.

Robinson thinks Spurs could sell Emerson Royal

Indeed, he believes that Postecoglou could look to sell Emerson despite the defender having his "best time in a Spurs shirt"

“I think if you’d have asked me that question about Emerson Royal this time last year, I’d have said they’ll probably take the first bid and they’ll drive him there their selves,” he said.

“I think he was susceptible for too many goals conceded, too many chances down his side and I think when he played down the right as right back and Eric Dier played there as well, I think that’s what teams targeted down that right-hand side

“I think this year he’s done extremely well, I think he’s had his best time in a Spurs shirt. Whether it be at right back, where I don’t know if it’s his best position, I think at centre-half he’s filled in excellently well.

“There are times this season when Spurs have played four full-backs across the back four. I think his attitude has improved more than anything under the new manager and I think you can praise the manager for that because there’s a lot of players at times last season you would have questioned attitudes and application and he was maybe one of them with his body language on the pitch.

“But I think this year under the new manager he looks a different player. He’s not Pedro Porro, he’s not at that level and I think you do notice when Pedro Porro doesn’t play. They’d have to get someone else in if they were going to let him go. I think he’s done well this season but can you rely on him consistently? If we lost Pedro Porro for six to eight weeks would you be comfortable with him playing that amount of time?

“Attacking wise absolutely with what he gives you going forward but the defensive susceptibility is still there. I think he may be a player they look to, when Ange looks to rejuvenate his squad, and there’s no point in changing your squad if you’re not bettering your squad so if there’s better out there that might be something they look at.”

Rassie van der Dussen keeps his form going with a patient 75 for the Lions

Firdose Moonda24-Oct-2019All three of this week’s fixtures were drawn which means that the Titans have a slender 1.7 point lead at the top of the table and less than 10 points separate the top-four teams after three rounds of the competition. Here are the highlights of a closely contested round.Big runs
There were seven centuries across the three fixtures, fairly evenly spread out among all the matches. Notably, Reeza Hendricks – who has played in 18 ODIs and 22 T20s for South Africa but missed out on selection for the 2019 World Cup – notched up a career-best 168* for the Lions against the Knights. He also shared in a 200-run fifth-wicket stand with Nicky van den Bergh, who scored a hundred of his own, to allow the Lions to declare on 468 for 4. The Knights were the only team not to record a hundred in this round.Warriors’ No. 3 Yaseen Vallie scored 137 for them in a first-innings total of 364 for 9 declared, before Titans’ Grant Thomson responded with 101 as they conceded a deficit of 21 runs in Port Elizabeth. In Pietermaritzburg, Grant Roelofson’s 133 took the Dolphins to 325 for 9 declared while Janneman Malan’s 118 and Matthew Kleinveldt’s 175 meant the Cobras first-innings lead of 166 could have been enough to push for a win. The Dolphins were 198 for 6 when stumps was called.Ntini debuts Thando Ntini, son of Makhaya, made his franchise debut this week and claimed two important second-innings wickets as the Cobras pushed for a win. He had Khaya Zondo caught behind and Andile Phehlukwayo trapped lbw to leave the Dolphins at 81 for 5, still 85 runs behind, and the Cobras in sight of an innings win. Cody Chetty and Robbie Frylinck kept the bowlers at bay and were both not out at the end.Van der Dussen scores another fifty He didn’t go quite as big as some of his counterparts but Rassie van der Dussen, whose name keeps cropping up when the Test squad is mentioned, scored a second successive half-century. After his 68 last week, he scored a patient 75 this week, off 206 balls, to ensure the Lions secured the draw after they stumbled to 45 for 3 in their second innings.Shamsi in the wickets The position of South Africa’s Test spinner is also up for debate and Tabraiz Shamsi, won the vote on an ESPNcricinfo poll during the Live Report on the Ranchi Test as the spinner most likely to be Keshav Maharaj’s second in command, made a case for consideration. He took 5 for 65 for the Titans in the Warriors’ second innings, to help bowl them out for 260. The Titans were set a target of 282 but ran out of time.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has officially become the latest big name to join the Saudi Pro League as he signs for Al-Qadsiah.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Aubameyang makes the move to Saudi Pro LeagueJoins newly promoted Al-Qadsiah on a two-year dealLeaves Marseille after just one season with the clubWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Premier League striker had a wonderful season with Marseille as his 30-goal campaign led the club to the Europa League semi-final. However, the rest of the side struggled and the club missed out on European football as they finished 8th in Ligue 1 despite the Gabonese striker's 17 goals in the league.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Aubameyang has now secured a move to Al-Qadsiah on a two-year deal and will join former Real Madrid defender Nacho and Koen Casteels from Wolfsburg as the club's third signing of the season from Europe's top five leagues.

(C)GettyImagesWHAT AUBAMEYANG SAID

On Instagram, Aubameyang wrote an emotional message as he said: "THANK YOU MARSEILLE!

"It’s been an emotional year and I’d like to thank the whole club, the staff, my team-mates and our supporters.

"You’ve made me stronger and these memories with you will stay with me forever.

"As you know, I’ve always followed my father’s advice, which has helped me to become the player I am, so we’ve made this decision for the rest of my career. It’s time for me to start a new chapter."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR AUBAMEYANG?

The former Barcelona striker will now make the move to the Saudi club as he will look to begin pre-season training with the newly promoted side.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is expected to receive an injury boost as news emerges on their "unbelievable" attacking star.

Spurs battle Aston Villa for top four finish

Spurs are currently locked in a fierce battle with Unai Emery's Aston Villa for the last coveted Champions League qualification place.

Strong chance In-form player will now leave Tottenham for good this summer

He’s really thinking about leaving.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 12, 2024

Postecoglou's men also hold all the cards after a sensational 4-0 win in Villa's backyard last weekend, with goals from James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min and Timo Werner rounding off one of Tottenham's most impressive displays of the season.

Spurs are now just two points behind Villa, who still occupy fourth, but the north Londoners could soon usurp them as they hold a game in hand over Emery.

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Luton Town (home)

March 30th

West Ham (away)

April 2nd

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 8th

Newcastle United (away)

April 13th

Sealing a place in next season's Champions League group stage pot will go a long way in determining the success of Postecoglou's debut campaign in the Spurs dugout, though the Australian has still proved very popular with his exciting, high-press brand of football.

"It was a big game with plenty of significance," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's win over Villa. "For us to perform like that was a big credit to everyone.

"Get excited? Why not. The supporters, if they don't get excited by a performance and result like that, in what was a significant game…you've got to enjoy that. It means we're one game closer, with just 11 games to go. Everyone was billing this as a do-or-die for us. I assume we're not dead yet."

What Spurs will desperately want to avoid, though, is injuries and absences for key players. Indeed, since the beginning of 2023/2024, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Brennan Johnson, Giovani Lo Celso, Ashley Phillips, Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Bentancur have all spent a month or more on the sidelines (Dan Kilpatrick).

Long-term injuries to van de Ven and Maddison mid-way through the season were particularly detrimental, with Postecoglou also forced to play a makeshift centre-back pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies around the winter time when Romero was out as well.

The signing of Radu Dragusin has reinforced Spurs' backline, but supporters are anxiously awaiting the results of van de Ven's hamstring assessment after he was forced off against Villa. Luckily, though, there's been a positive update on star striker Richarlison.

Richarlison expected back for Tottenham after international break

Indeed, according to reliable journalist Matt Law of The Telegraph, Richarlison is expected to return for Spurs after the international break.

The Brazilian has bagged nine goals in his last 10 league appearances for Spurs, with Dejan Kulusevski calling Richarlison "unbelievable". His comeback from a knee injury will be an undoubted boost for the club in their race for a top four finish, especially with some tough games ahead.