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Leeds United’s latest Premier League outing against Brentford was filled with positives and negatives, the positives being the return of Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford, who scored their late equalising goal to rescue a 2-2 draw, after the duo had been out with injuries.

The negatives, however, were that Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips had to go off with injuries. With this in mind, this could be a perfect time for Marcelo Bielsa to put his faith in one of Leeds’ young talents.

Opportunity knocks

Even though 22-year-old Jamie Shackleton has made nine appearances in the Premier League this season, predominantly playing in the right-back position while Ayling was out injured, he has spent their previous two fixtures on the substitutes bench.

Now that Phillips and Cooper have picked up these unfortunate blows against Brentford, this could pave the way for Shackleton to get back into the team either in a midfield or defensive capacity depending on how serious the injuries are, giving Bielsa the opportunity to tinker with his team again and give the youngster a chance to prove his worth and quality again.

As one of the Yorkshire club’s youth academy prodigies, during his time on the pitch for Leeds in the Premier League this season, Shackleton, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £17k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has shown his quality on the ball with an average passing accuracy percentage of 88% as well as proving his defensive capabilities by racking up an average of 2.4 tackles per game.

Labelled as a “superb” player by Darren Bent, Shackleton’s overall performances have earned the Englishman a season rating of 6.71/10, making him Leeds’ joint-fourth highest rated outfield player according to WhoScored.

Should Phillips’ injury keep him out of the team for a significant period of time, Bielsa should definitely consider playing Shackleton in midfield and allow him to unleash his defensive qualities once again, especially since Leeds only have Mateusz Klich and Adam Forshaw to rely on as other options in central midfield.

With Leeds having games against Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool next up in the league, it seems as though Bielsa’s side could do with all the defensive reinforcements that they can muster with three of those teams scoring more than double the number of league goals Leeds have scored so far this term.

In other news: Orta may condemn LUFC to relegation with disastrous call on “powerful” £36m-rated star – opinion

Axel Witsel is set to leave Borussia Dortmund in 2022 and Newcastle United could be his destination, according to SPORT1. 

The lowdown

The £8.1-m rated 32-year-old will be out of contract come the end of the season (via Transfermarkt).

The defensive midfielder has made 123 appearances for Dortmund across two spells at the Westfalenstadion, winning one DFB-Pokal and one German Super Cup.

He’s also racked up 120 caps for Belgium and featured prominently at four major tournaments – two World Cups and two European Championships.

Prior to Euro 2020, international team-mate Jan Vertonghen confessed himself ‘amazed’ by Witsel’s ‘unbelievable’ recovery from a serious injury to make it in time for the tournament, am indicator of the 32-year-old’s determination and resilience to come through for his nation.

The latest

The report from SPORT1 stated that ‘there have not been any talks’ between Witsel’s camp and Dortmund over a new deal for the Bundesliga giants, which means that he is ‘all set to say goodbye’ as things stand. That could be in January if Dortmund want to take their last opportunity to cash in on him, or at the end of the season.

Witsel is said to be ‘open to a change’, with Newcastle and Juventus named as two clubs battling it out for his signature.

The verdict

Witsel remains a key player at Dortmund, featuring in all 12 of their Bundesliga matches so far this season, so there’s no sign of him being phased out.

He is a defensive midfielder in the mould of Liverpool’s Fabinho and Paris Saint-Germain’s Danilo Pereira, and that could be precisely what Newcastle need right now. They’ve leaked 27 Premier League goals this season, the joint-worst record in the division.

They desperately need some security in front of their leaky defence, and with the Belgian winning 1.6 tackles per game over the course of his career, he could be just the man to provide it.

In other news, this goalkeeper is apparently likely to join Newcastle.

Everton have received a selection boost ahead of the Merseyside Derby with Liverpool at Goodison Park after Rafa Benitez revealed he has no fresh injury concerns, while Andre Gomes has started training with the first team again.

What’s the word?

The Toffees will be aiming to end a seven-game winless run when they host their local rivals in this midweek clash, and their chances of doing just that have been increased by Benitez’s latest update.

In Tuesday’s press conference, the 61-year-old revealed that he’s only set to be without three players for the visit of the Reds due to fitness concerns, with Richarlison also back from suspension.

“We have three players injured. Davies, Yerry Mina and Calvert-Lewin. Andre Gomes has started training with the team,” confirmed Benitez.

Everton will also be boosted by the fact that key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure came through his first 90 minutes in several weeks unscathed over the weekend, providing hope that the hosts can cause an unlikely upset.

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Everton have no new injury concerns to contend with, combined with the fact that Doucoure is available for selection and Richarlison is back from suspension will surely have Benitez absolutely buzzing.

The Blues have slipped to 14th in the top-flight table after picking up just two points from a possible 21 in recent weeks, piling the pressure on the Spanish tactician. However, with key men now returning, it’s a huge boost when you consider they have a Merseyside derby on their plate this evening.

With Richarlison and Doucoure racking up a combined four goals and five assists in the Premier League between them this term, Benitez will be delighted to welcome both players back into his struggling setup, especially in a campaign where unavailability has plagued the Toffees squad.

It remains to be seen if the deadly duo can fire Everton to a positive result against Liverpool, but their return to action will certainly be warmly welcomed by everyone associated with Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Everton line up “leader of the year” to succeed Benitez, Toffees fans will be ecstatic

Doug Bollinger was responsible for a sudden swing from flooding runs to raining wickets before West Indies surged back to remain in contention

The Bulletin by Peter English18-Dec-2009Australia 7 for 520 dec & 8 for 137 lead West Indies 312 (Gayle 102, Dowlin 55, Bollinger 5-70) by 345 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outExcitement machine: Doug Bollinger can’t contain himself after gaining his first five-wicket haul•Getty ImagesDoug Bollinger was responsible for a sudden swing from flooding runs to raining wickets before West Indies surged back to remain in contention in the deciding third Test. Despite falling to a worrying 8 for 137 in their second innings, Australia still managed an enviable position and will enter the fourth day with a 345-run lead following the scare.Bollinger grabbed 5 for 70 and ensured an advantage of 208 for the hosts before Ricky Ponting did not enforce the follow-on and ordered his team to provide a match-winning total. That assignment became a severe struggle when West Indies were inspired by Dwayne Bravo and Sulieman Benn on a cracking surface that is becoming less predictable. The turnaround was a shock just 24 hours after Chris Gayle blazed a 70-ball century, with the highest score of the day a gritty 44 from Brendan Nash as 16 wickets fell for 235 runs.Australia were surprised by the ferocity of the fightback and Ponting, who retired hurt on 23 in the first innings, decided to walk out an hour after saying he wouldn’t bat unless it was absolutely necessary. He is not used to such dramatic changes. Ponting suffered tendon damage in his left elbow when hit by Kemar Roach on Wednesday and until his batsmen started disappearing he would have been more worried about being in doubt for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.At 7 for 125, following Mitchell Johnson’s dismissal, Ponting arrived and lasted six balls for 2 before his discomfort forced a pushed catch to short leg off his new nemesis Roach. There was some consolation in him leaving knowing Australia’s lead is still significant and that only South Africa have scored more to win in Perth. Although the voices of the West Indians grew happier with each breakthrough, the pitch will deteriorate further and the tourists will need a Gayle-inspired masterpiece to level the three-game series.In Brisbane Ponting followed-on and soon lost Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle to injury, so even without the influence of the conditions he was not going to ask Gayle to bat again straight away. The target-setting didn’t go to plan, but the run of low scores showed how difficult run-making had become.Australia lost Simon Katich (10) when he shuffled across too far to Ravi Rampaul and then gained a glimpse of the future when Clarke walked out in Ponting’s place at No. 3. However, Clarke edged behind on 25 to Bravo, who came back to remove Marcus North with a one-handed take from Denesh Ramdin and knocked over Johnson. Bravo’s 3 for 34 came from 15 straight overs and he was responsible, along with Benn’s 2 for 26, for keeping his side in with a chance.The opener Watson looked in good touch again, got a start again, and was lbw again. He over-balanced a touch trying to whip Gavin Tonge through midwicket and gave the bowler his first Test wicket. During his innings Watson had continued his series-long arguing with Benn, who popped up to claim Michael Hussey at short leg in his first over.West Indies were excited and the hosts were starting to shudder, with North taking 27 balls for his single. Benn lost his exchange with Haddin yesterday when he was suspended for two one-day games, but he succeeded in dismissing the wicketkeeper for 23 with an edge to Bravo at first slip. The emotional afternoon concluded with Nathan Hauritz on 11 and the debutant Clint McKay on 1.The only man to come was Bollinger, who gained his first five-for in his third Test as he stamped himself as a long-term option during an energetic display. He began with the wicket of Ramnaresh Sarwan (42) from the day’s second ball and came back after lunch to spark a game-changing collapse of 6 for 27. Don’t start worrying yet about a relapse in the West Indian batting because the challenging bowling was responsible for the majority of wickets.Nash and Bravo had fought through most of the first session for a 46-run partnership, but then both pillars fell in three overs and the air was taken from the visitors’ pursuit. Bravo touched a ball angling across him from Bollinger to Haddin while Hauritz had Nash dropped at first slip by Clarke at first slip before the fielder corrected the mistake in the offspinner’s following over. Hauritz (3 for 66), who had been targeted by Gayle on day two, was suddenly a huge threat for the tail and he removed Benn and Rampaul to catches behind in the same over.Bollinger followed up by bowling Ramdin behind his legs and gained his fifth breakthrough to end the innings. After the third wicket Bollinger kissed the badge on his shirt and when he closed out the innings – Tonge gave Haddin his fourth catch – he lifted the ball self-consciously to the crowd.During the first session Johnson was more imposing than the previous day, forcing the batsmen on to the back foot to hop and jump, and his prize was the dismissal of Narsingh Deonarine, who drove to Watson at cover on 18. Johnson’s overnight figures of 1 for 68 off 11 turned into 2 for 92 off 18 in a boost for the second innings, when he will be as important as Bollinger and Gayle.

Scotland are planning to introduce a ‘first-class structure’ to their domestic competitions in a bid to improve their cricketing infrastructure and boost their chances of gaining Test status

Cricinfo staff07-Dec-2009Scotland are planning a ‘first-class structure’ to their domestic competitions in a bid to improve their cricketing infrastructure and boost their chances of gaining Test status. Last week, Cricket Scotland officials announced their plans to organize a new regional tournament, featuring the country’s elite players, with three teams from the three main geographical centres playing regular three-day matches.”In effect what we are planning is a first class tier of competition although it would not have that status,” Andy Tennant, Cricket Scotland’s head of performance, was quoted as saying in the . “The ICC are keen to ensure that their associate members have a solid infrastructure in place on and off the park and we are always trying to improve.”Tennant admitted Scotland were competing with Ireland, regarded as the leading associate nation at this point. Ireland have already voiced their interest in gaining Test status amid calls to incorporate more teams into the circuit, or reform the format by creating a tier system. “We are constantly jockeying for position with the other associate countries and Ireland probably are in pole position having been successful for the last year or two,” Tennant said. “However, there are other ways you can set yourself up for sustained success and we believe a three-day competition will greatly enhance our infrastructure.”Scotland failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, though they still retain their ODI status. Tennant also believed the establishment of an equivalent for first-class cricket at the associate level could help secure the futures of many of the country’s cricketers by filling a “black hole” at the senior level.”This competition will provide a necessary stepping-stone from club cricket to senior representative level. It will also provide a safety net for players who previously might have slipped off our radar,” he said. “There has always been a bit of a black hole where players who played for our U19s have disappeared from the scene because they weren’t ready to step up to senior level. Now they will be kept involved and given the necessary back-up to ensure they reach their full potential.”

Rohit Sharma will captain the Board President’s XI against the visiting Sri Lankans in a three-day tour opener to be played in Mumbai

Cricinfo staff28-Oct-2009Rohit Sharma will captain the Board President’s XI against the visiting Sri Lankans in a three-day tour opener to be played in Mumbai from November 11 to 13. The 14-man squad, announced by the selectors in Nagpur today, also includes Robin Uthappa who was named vice-captain after an impressive showing in the Champions League Twenty20.”We have made a conscious decision to make sure that we have given lot of opportunities to everybody; lot of new faces, new comers, and some cricketers who have been around but are now out, to redeem themselves,” Kris Srikkanth, India’s chairman of selectors, said. “We are trying to get new faces. People who we have seen or are absolute certainties, we didn’t want to pick. We wanted everybody to prove themselves, that’s the idea of the Board President’s XI.”Rohit 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. Rohit, Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, and Pragyan Ojha are among the ones who need to “redeem themselves”.Apart from Rohit and Uthappa, two consistent performers in domestic cricket, Abhinav Mukund and Ajinkya Rahane, make the core of the batting order alongside Manoj Tiwary. Abhishek Nayar, discarded from India’s ODI team, comes in as the allrounder. The spin of Chawla and Ojha is backed up by the pace of Dhawal Kulkarni, Ashok Dinda, Pradeep Sangwan and Pankaj Singh.Board President’s XI: Rohit Sharma (capt), Robin Uthappa, Abhinav Mukund, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha, Pradeep Sangwan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ashok Dinda, Pankaj Singh, Abhishek Nayar, Ishank Jaggi.

Brad Hodge has made the surprise decison to retire from first-class cricket, ending any chance of adding to his six Test caps

Brydon Coverdale30-Nov-2009Brad Hodge has made the surprise decison to retire from first-class cricket, ending any chance of adding to his six Test caps. Hodge, who holds a Cricket Australia contract and was said by Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch to be very close to selection for this year’s Ashes tour, will continue to play one-day and Twenty20 cricket for Victoria.Hodge, who turns 35 this month, said he would play two more Sheffield Shield games before stepping down after Christmas to spend more time with his family. He is the father of a three-year-old son and a five-month-old girl, and having missed the first stages of his son’s life due to touring commitments, he was keen not to let the same thing happen for his daughter.”When you drive your car home after you’ve made some more runs and you see your little boy running around and your little girl, everything comes back into perspective pretty quickly,” Hodge said. His cricket career isn’t entirely over, though.Hodge is keen to play on for Victoria in one-day and for the Bushrangers and Kolkata Knight Riders in 20-over cricket and as one of the most prolific Twenty20 batsmen in the world, he is hoping to be in the frame for Australia’s ICC World Twenty20 squad next year. He said he realised he no longer had the application required for four-day cricket while making 195 against South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match last month.”Peter George had taken the second new ball and I knew what ‘Shippy’ [Victoria coach Greg Shipperd] was thinking – just get through the new ball, get through to stumps, we can rebuild tomorrow,” Hodge said. “That wasn’t exactly my plan; I hit Peter George for a massive six, second ball, straight over long-on.”I’ve never done it in my career and probably never will again. It just wasn’t in my make-up, but it signified that something was wrong, the commitment to knuckle down and get through that second new ball wasn’t there.”Hodge is keen to step aside and allow a younger player the chance to develop and perhaps one day play for Australia. Hodge will have to settle for a six-Test career that ended 18 months ago in Jamaica, when he replaced an injured Matthew Hayden in a one-off appearance. It was a match that few Australians saw and even fewer will remember.Hodge made 67 and was one of Australia’s best performers in the victory but, as was usually the case in his international career, he quickly made way when the star player was fit again. However, despite being Victoria’s leading run-getter of all time in first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket, Hodge said he had come to accept that his international career was not to be an extensive one.”I’ve played for Australia and I’m grateful and happy that I’ve been able to do that,” he said. “I’m the highest run-scorer for Victoria and I’m very honoured to be in front of (Dean) Jones and greats like (Matthew) Elliott, (Ian) Redpath, (Graham) Yallop, but I think it’s time for someone else to step into those shoes and have that opportunity to play for Australia.”Would I like to have played 50, 100 Tests and be a great like Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist and Ponting? Of course, but unfortunately that’s not the way the cards have fallen.”He will be best remembered at international level for his unbeaten 203 against South Africa at the WACA in 2005-06, although Ricky Ponting’s delayed declaration to allow Hodge to reach his milestone might have contributed to Australia failing to win the match. Even so, few players can claim to have scored a Test double-hundred.Another of his first-class highlights was Victoria’s 2003-04 Pura Cup triumph, which came after their coach David Hookes died during the season. Hodge tallied 984 runs in that summer and his personal contribution to the success made the win even more memorable for him.But there remains unfinished business. Victoria haven’t won a domestic one-day title since 1998-99, and that is something Hodge would like to see change before he quits the game for good.In Hodge’s six Tests he scored 503 runs at 55.88 and he has so far also appeared in 25 ODIs and eight Twenty20 internationals. One of Australian cricket’s most consistent run-getters, Hodge’s first-class runs for Victoria total 11,278 at 47.39. He also had stints with Durham, Leicestershire and Lancashire in the county circuit and overall his first-class run tally is 17,012 at 48.88.

Kabir Ali has agreed a three-year deal with Hampshire, subject to negotiating his full release from Worcestershire

George Dobell15-Sep-2009Kabir Ali has agreed a three-year deal with Hampshire, subject to negotiating his full release from Worcestershire.While the bowler hopes to join Hampshire ahead of the 2010 season, the thorny issue of compensation has yet to be resolved. Worcestershire have demanded £60,000 in return for releasing Kabir from the final year of his contract. The bowler, however, suggests that the club exasperated his injury problems by asking him to bowl when injured and failing to provide adequate medical treatment. Unless a compromise is reached, it is an argument that could have to be settled by lawyers.Kabir would certainly represent a decent signing for a Hampshire side that are still not certain of avoiding relegation. While he has missed much of the 2009 season through injury, Kabir has the best strike-rate of any England-qualified bowler (with more than 100 first-class wickets) and was close to an England recall before injury struck.Though several clubs expressed an interest in the fast bowler, Kabir only held talks with Hampshire and feels the club offer him the best opportunity to regain a place in the England side.

Frank McAvennie says Ange Postecoglou may be overlooking his ‘best left-back’ in Boli Bolingoli. 

The lowdown

Bolingoli has been limited to just two starts in Celtic’s first 11 league games under Postecoglou.

Greg Taylor started the season as the Australian’s first choice in the top flight before sustaining a shoulder injury against Ross County in mid-September.

Postecoglou has looked to Josip Juranovic, a natural right-back, and teenager Adam Montgomery in addition to Bolingoli during that lay-off.

That indicates he’s not entirely convinced by a player who spent last season on loan at Turkish Super Lig outfit Istanbul Basaksehir.

To be fair to the manager, Bolingoli didn’t exactly set the world alight out on loan, starting only ten games and averaging just a 6.63 average match rating with the Turkish outfit.

The latest

McAvennie says he’s been impressed by Bolingoli’s performances so far this season and declared them far better than Taylor’s displays prior to his injury.

“I still think he’s our best left-back,” the ex-Hoop told Football Insider. “But the manager sees him every day, I don’t need to point out that he knows more than me.

“All I can say is what I have seen. Bolingoli has been great when I have seen him this season.

“I think he’s looked miles better than Taylor. For that reason, I was surprised he has been left out again.

“We are playing well at the moment and Postecoglou might not be comfortable with him in the new style.

“I doubt it’s a temperament issue. He’s not that kind of player. He’s strong in the tackle is all.”

The 61 year-old ended his comments rather bluntly: “I don’t get it.”

The verdict

How has Bolingoli fared when he has played? Well his average SofaScore rating stands at a commendable 7.0, although it does rank him slightly below Juranovic and Taylor.

Overall, he’s won the majority of his defensive duels, but his attacking output was very limited in those games, with no key passes and only one accurate cross recorded. That could be the stylistic concern McAvennie alludes to.

That said, one could argue that having a right-footer in the position is a bigger issue from that point of view, restricting the team’s width and the full-back’s ability to bomb down the flank and whip crosses in.

Seeing a right-back selected ahead of him will surely put a significant dent in Bolingoli’s confidence, and perhaps tempt the defender to find a new home elsewhere when the transfer window rolls around.

In other news, read this injury expert’s verdict on Christopher Jullien.

Everton reportedly remain keen to sign Porto forward Luis Diaz over the coming months after missing out on him over the summer.

What’s the story?

The Toffees were heavily linked with a move for the 24-year-old in the previous window after identifying him as a top transfer target prior to Deadline Day.

It was claimed that Everton wanted to sign Diaz as part of a deal that would have seen James Rodriguez move in the opposite direction and return to the Portuguese club.

However, no deal ever came to fruition, and Rodriguez ended up joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan after being deemed surplus to requirements by new manager Rafael Benitez.

But now, according to Correio da Manha (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), the Goodison Park outfit could land the winger for £43m in January.

Marcel Brands must sanction Everton move

The Colombia international arrived at the Estadio do Dragao from his homeland back in 2019 and quickly established himself as a key player for the Dragons.

In 107 appearances for Sergio Conceicao’s charges, he has bagged 31 goals and provided a further 14 assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part in their domestic double in 2019/20.

His impressive performances at club level have earned Diaz 26 caps for his country, and the youngster featured heavily for his nation last summer in the Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four strikes.

After netting the winning goal for Colombia as they won 3-2 in their third-place play-off with Peru, former Chelsea ace Juan Cuadrado showered his teammate in praise, insisting that Los Cafeteros wouldn’t have won without the skilful forward.

“We won because of Lucho, he has an excellent level, and he will achieve great things,” Cuadrado said after the game.

With summer signing Demarai Gray currently excelling in a central role with four goal involvements and Richarlison out injured, 20-year-old Anthony Gordon was deployed on the left-wing last time out against Manchester United.

And although the youngster performed admirably at Old Trafford, helping his side claim a much-deserved draw, Diaz would undoubtedly present an upgrade on the academy graduate.

Therefore, Everton’s director of football, Marcel Brands, must sanction a move for the highly-rated South American in the winter window, adding some extra quality to Benitez’s charges as they go in search of European football.

And, in other news…Benitez plots swoop for “scary” £27m-rated magician, Everton fans will be buzzing