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It’s fair to say that without Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United would be completely lost.

The captain is truly the heartbeat of the team, displaying leadership through encouragement and setting an example with his performances.

He’s without doubt been the best signing by the Red Devils since the days of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, and this season, he’s continued to impress with 15 goals and 13 assists.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already potentially looking to repeat United’s Fernandes masterclass this summer.

Man Utd’s search for a new defender

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Man United are eyeing a deal to sign Goncalo Inacio.

The Portuguese defender is of interest to plenty of clubs this summer, with both the Red Devils and Liverpool monitoring him.

A centre-back is a position that will see new faces this summer at Old Trafford as they bid to sign at least one.

However, if they’re to acquire the signature of Inacio, it will cost them £51m to activate his release clause.

How Man Utd could repeat their Fernandes masterclass

Man Utd’s relationship with Sporting over the years has enabled them to sign some absolute superstars, including the likes of Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo, and, of course, Fernandes.

Just like United’s number eight, if Inacio were to join the Manchester club, he’d be arriving from Sporting, which is a breeding ground for unbelievable talent.

One of the latest gems to have developed at the Portuguese club is Inacio, who’s been excellent since being introduced into the first team.

The 22-year-old was particularly immense last season, making 49 appearances across all competitions and helping Sporting to 13 Liga Portugal clean sheets.

Goals*

3

0

1

Touches

84.7

47

43.5

Passes completed

66.6

37.4

31.4

Pass accuracy

90%

93%

89%

Tackles

1.2

1.1

0.8

Interceptions

1

0.5

0.7

Balls recovered

4.7

3

3

Duels won

4.4

1.9

2

As you can see, Inacio would be a huge addition to the Man United backline, boasting far superior stats to the first-choice pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

It’s clear that the Portugal international is an extremely technical ace who’s comfortable playing out from the back, even under pressure.

He’s also incredibly strong defensively due to his athleticism and ability to read the game, which ensures that his side sustains control for long spells throughout a game, which United weren't able to do last season, as shown by their 50.5% possession on average – the tenth best in the division.

Furthermore, he’s only missed three matches this season because of injury, which proves that he’s a far more reliable option than most of the United backline, who’ve been hit by an injury crisis.

With the number 25 being a left-footed centre-half – a position filled by Martinez – it would be interesting to see how the pair could combine.

Nonetheless, due to his ability to dominate from both an in-possession and out-of-possession perspective, and even in the final third via set pieces, he could potentially have a similar impact on United as Fernandes had four years ago.

Indeed, the signing of Inacio would, without doubt, elevate the United backline. The "complete" defender, as per football scout Jacek Kulig, possesses immense quality already at 22 years of age, and has the potential to develop into an icon at Old Trafford.

Man Utd eyeing "one of the best LBs" to help revive Rashford's career

The Man Utd target has impressed in the Premier League this season.

ByTom Lever Jun 3, 2024

Recent results aside, things are generally looking up for Tottenham Hotspur at the moment.

They have a popular manager in the hot seat who is dedicated to playing aesthetically pleasing, attacking football, and while they might not make the Champions League, they stand a great chance of qualifying for the Europa League.

Moreover, with the summer transfer window right around the corner, the club have an opportunity to flex their financial muscles a bit and really back Ange Postecoglou's vision.

That said, alongside bringing some players into the club, Daniel Levy and Co must cut the deadwood, and there is one high earner in particular that simply has to go.

Tanguy Ndombele's Spurs career

Come on, who else could it have been?

French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele joined Spurs from Ligue 1 giants Lyon in the summer of 2019, attracting considerable fanfare from supporters and pundits alike due to his impressive performances in his home country and the Champions League.

For example, in an assessment that might still haunt him to this day, The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote (for the Independent) that 'The £55million arrival of Tanguy Ndombele from Olympique Lyonnais is not just the most important football signing of the summer, but the loudest statement about the direction of any club for years.'

However, in his defence, most of us thought he would be a hit signing at the time, as just a year prior, Pep Guardiola described the Lyon team he was a part of as being "full of quality" after it was reported that the Spaniard encouraged Manchester City to sign the midfielder ahead of Spurs.

Fortunately for them, the Lilywhites got their man, and despite the odd good performance here and there, the Frenchman has never been able to live up to the expectations people had for him, often being labelled as "lazy" by fans and pundits for his apparent lack of effort on the pitch.

Appearances

91

Goals

10

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.20

The 27-year-old has made 91 appearances for the club since 2019, scoring ten goals, providing nine assists, and leaving on loan three times, and to make matters worse, when he returns from his current loan, he'll be the club's top earner.

Tanguy Ndombele's salary at Spurs

When Ndombele joined the North Londoners in 2019 for £63m, he was handed a massive £200k-per-week deal, which, at the time, made him the joint-top earner at the club alongside Harry Kane and means that he's currently making more money than club captain and icon Heung-min Son, who makes around £190k-per-week.

His mammoth salary comes to around £10.4m-per-season, which means, for the first two and a half years at the club, he earned £26m before spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan with Lyon.

With it clear that he no longer had a future in N17, Antonio Conte agreed to send the central midfielder on loan to Serie A giants Napoli last season, who paid €3.5m – £3m – towards his salary, leaving Tottenham to foot the other £7.4m.

Whereas this year, his new loan club, Galatasaray agreed to pay just €3.1m – £2.6m – meaning Postecoglou's Spurs are still paying a massive £7.8m for a player they clearly do not want.

Transfer Fee

£63m

Wages (Total)

£200k (£41.2m)

Appearances

91

Cost per Appearance

£1.1m

Goals

10

Cost per Goal

£10.4m

Assists

9

Cost per Assist

£11.5m

Goal Involvements

19

Cost per Goal Involvement

£5.4m

Therefore, when combining the Frenchman's wages from his time in England and on loan with his transfer fee, the total cost will amount to a whopping £104.2m by the end of the season, and it could be even higher depending on the agreement the club had with Lyon in 2021/22.

In other words, the Longjumeau-born flop cost Spurs around £1.1m-per-appearance, £10.4m-per-goal, or £11.5m-per-assist – talk about value for money.

Ultimately, while there have undoubtedly been worse players to have represented Tottenham in the past, the sheer amount of money involved here has to make Ndombele one of the worst transfers in the club's history, and if Galatasaray do not take up their €15m – £13m – option to buy at the end of the season, Levy and Co must be cold and terminate his deal.

Spurs were rinsed by Poch's "deadwood" who earned more than Van de Ven

The Pochettino-backed flop cost the Lilywhites an awful lot of money.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 7, 2024

West Bromwich Albion will enter into the Championship playoffs revitalised now, having managed to put their bad run of form aside on the final day to convincingly beat Preston North End 3-0.

Before this resounding victory over Ryan Lowe's Lilywhites, Carlos Corberan's wobbling Baggies had lost their last three second-tier matches to nearly jeopardise their spot in the upcoming playoffs.

Thankfully, heroes such as Alex Mowatt and Kyle Bartley stepped up to the mark at the Hawthorns to secure a vital three points that then solidified fifth spot in the division for the West Midlands side.

As much as Bartley continues to shine as an authoritative figure at the back for his promotion-chasing side, there are other members of Corberan's camp who must be fearing for their futures including this forgotten face who even earns more than the dependable centre-back.

Jayson Molumby's time at West Brom

Once described as being an "animal" in one of the central midfield spots at the Hawthorns by Corberan, Jayson Molumby's career at West Brom is now in danger of fizzling out.

An ever-present member of the Baggies first-team last season showing lots of promise, with four goals and four assists picked up from 43 games, it's been a different story for the Irishman this campaign with one serious injury stopping his season early.

Only making one appearance in 2024 to date after a foot injury sustained against Swansea City left the 24-year-old needing surgery, the former Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder will be watching on from the stands for the playoffs questioning his long-term place at West Brom after such a long absence.

Alex Mowatt and Okay Yokuslu's tight-knit relationship developing in the holding midfield positions since the Irishman's injury setback will also make it even more difficult for Molumby to push back into the main team fold, on top of his excessive wage being higher than other notable first-team faces such as Bartley.

Molumby's wage at West Brom

Despite only featuring once this year and being a regular fixture in the Hawthorns treatment room, Molumby's £17.3k-per-week wage means he's a current higher earner than Bartley who has amassed 39 appearances this campaign and even wore the captain's armband against Preston whilst scoring.

Bartley earns around £4k-per-week less with his lesser pay packet coming in at £13.4k-per-week in contrast, even with the experienced former Arsenal man being a crucial cog now for Corberan when push comes to shove in the drama of the playoffs.

1. Adam Reach

£40k-per-week

2. Daryl Dike

£32.3k-per-week

3. Jed Wallace

£25k-per-week

4. Okay Yokuslu

£25k-per-week

5. Alex Mowatt

£22.8k-per-week

Molumby is about £5k-per-week off entering into the exclusive list of West Brom's top five highest earners, however, with Corberan and Co having to engage in conversations with the likes of Daryl Dike in a similar fashion to Molumby soon who has his own injury demons and is burning a significant hole in the club's pocket at a staggering £32.3k-per-week.

It's been a humbling campaign for Molumby to say the least who was struggling for minutes even before disaster struck on the road versus the Swans, with last season even seeing him pick up the accolade of Supporters' Player of the Season from Baggies fans.

Now, the forgotten 24-year-old is staring an exit from the Hawthorns in the face very soon instead of battling it out in the playoffs.

Tottenham could look to their Premier League rivals to bolster their frontline this summer, it has been reported.

Spurs set for Europa League?

A disappointing defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Arsenal in their most recent outing has left Champions League football out of Tottenham's hands heading into the final month of the season.

Ange Postecoglou's side currently sit fifth in the Premier League, seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, though they do have two games in hand on Unai Emery's side.

However, they are still relying on the Villans to slip up in their final three games of the season, with Villa needing to drop points on at least one occasion for Spurs to have any chance of Champions League football.

Meanwhile, their own fixtures are not easy; they head to London rivals Chelsea and fallen title challengers Liverpool in the coming days, while they also face reigning champions Manchester City in their final five games, alongside matches against already-relegated Sheffield United and relegation battlers Burnley.

The battle for Champions League football

Game

Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur

34

N/A

Chelsea (A)

35

N/A

Liverpool (A)

36

Brighton (A)

Burnley (H)

37

Liverpool (H)

Manchester City (H)

38

Crystal Palace (A)

Sheffield United (A)

Regardless of where they finish this season, summer business seems certain, with the attack an area that the club are keen to strengthen. Timo Werner has enjoyed a strong loan spell but there is no indication as to whether the deal will be made permanent.

Now, Spurs have been linked with an audacious move for a Premier League star that could be an alternative to the German.

Could Marcus Rashford really be a target?

The latest links come courtesy of reports in Spain, which name Spurs as one of three clubs keen on Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.

The Manchester United academy graduate has struggled this season after a fine campaign in 2022/23, and recent reports have suggested that the Red Devils are open to parting ways with him this summer with Rashford among those thought to be transfer listed by the Red Devils hierarchy.

Spurs can solve Werner blow by giving teen "superstar" his senior debut

Ange Postecoglou would please many supporters by making this bold call…

ByAngus Sinclair May 1, 2024

That is in part for financial reasons, with Rashford's £315,000-per-week salary among the highest at Old Trafford, while his homegrown status means that any sale will be recorded as pure profit in a boost for Financial Fair Play compliance.

As per a report in Spain, PSG and Bayern Munich are among the clubs keeping tabs on the Englishman, but so too are Tottenham, who don't want 'to be left behind in the race to acquire the services of the versatile attacker'.

They add that Rashford is an attractive option due to 'his ability to perform both as a winger on both wings and in the number 9 position', in a way similar to Son Heung-min, who has played across the frontline for Postecoglou this season.

He would certainly be an exciting addition in north London and add some serious firepower, with Xavi pointing out just how dangerous he can be before United's clash with Barcelona last season.

"In the transition he is very, very dangerous so, yes, we need to take care of all of them, but especially Rashford," he claimed.

"He's one of the most dangerous players now in Europe, yeah. He's very fast, he has a very good at dribbling in one-versus-one."

However, the reported £70m asking price combined with wages is almost double that of second-highest earner James Maddison, making a move wholly unlikely barring a major shift in circumstances or demands.

Yuvraj Singh and Wasim Akram will take part in the Bushfire Cricket Bash next month with more cricketers and sportspeople from other codes confirming their presence for the fundraising match which will be staged ahead of the Big Bash final on February 8.Phoebe Litchfield, the 16-year-old batter who plays for Sydney Thunder, New South Wales and Australia A, has been included alongside Elyse Villani and the big-hitting Grace Harris, who has been a star of the WBBL.From outside the world of cricket, four-time Australian Rules premiership star Luke Hodge will join the game alongside New South Wales State of Origin coach Brad Fittler.Mike Hussey, Brad Haddin, Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden are other former cricketers set to put the pads on again.It had previously been confirmed that the two teams would be captained by Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting. Last week, Sachin Tendulkar (Ponting XI) and Courtney Walsh (Warne XI) were named as coaches of the sides.Steve Waugh and Mel Jones will be involved in a non-playing capacity alongside former rugby league star Andrew Johns, who famously played two T20 games for New South Wales in 2007 before the current Big Bash was formed.The Bushfire Cricket Bash is part of a triple-header day of fundraising efforts for the Red Cross to support those effected by the devastating bushfires across Australia this summer. Earlier in the day, Australia and India will play their women’s T20I tri-series match in Melbourne before the relief match takes place ahead of the BBL final.The venue for the BBL final will be confirmed on January 31 after the Qualifier takes place. The Melbourne Stars are confirmed as hosting that match and will face either the Sydney Sixers or the Adelaide Strikers which means the final will be at the MCG, SCG or Adelaide Oval on February 8.Current playing squad for the Bushfire Cricket Bash Shane Warne (capt), Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist, Alex Blackwell, Andrew Symonds, Brad Fittler, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Elyse Villani, Grace Harris, Justin Langer, Luke Hodge, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Phoebe Litchfield, Shane Watson, Wasim Akram, Yuvraj Singh.

Southampton's build-up to this weekend's clash with Sunderland will have been an understandably weird one, considering the Saints had their mid-week match at St. Mary's with Preston North End postponed.

Russell Martin's men couldn't back up a dramatic win away at Birmingham City with another potential three points owing to the late cancellation, with Sunderland now the opposition next up for the Championship promotion hopefuls to get the better of.

Having had more time to think about what XI he could field with no Wednesday night fixture to assess things off of, Martin could surprisingly axe this reliable presence in the midfield to face off against Mike Dodds' out-of-form Black Cats.

Stuart Armstrong's performance vs Birmingham in numbers

The former Dundee United midfielder has been a regular under Martin this campaign, amassing an impressive six assists and four goals from 35 total second-tier appearances.

Still, away from the £65k-per-week Scotsman being dependable for large portions of the season, Stuart Armstrong's fixed spot in the Saints lineup could be up for grabs based on his unmemorable display away at Birmingham last weekend.

Armstrong would squander possession a total of 23 times in the middle of the park at St. Andrew's, a costly amount when you consider the fact that Tony Mowbray's hosts kept finding ways to get back into the enthralling 4-3 contest.

Minutes played

90

Touches

79

Accurate passes

48/61

Accurate crosses

2/11

Shots on goal

1

Duels won

3/6

Possession lost

23x

As can be seen in the table above, the Saints number 17 had an off-day against Birmingham to the point where Martin could consider springing a surprise on Sunderland by dropping him completely.

Various different reserve players could benefit from Martin potentially axing the 31-year-old midfielder, with a selection dilemma now on the manager's hands as to who could come in and do a job in the experienced Saints man's absence.

The players that could replace Stuart Armstrong

Martin could bring the likes of Joe Aribo or Joe Rothwell into the first-team fold over Armstrong for the game tomorrow, with Aribo firing in the winner late on from off the bench against Birmingham when coming on for Will Smallbone.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Rothwell has also shone for Southampton in patches here and there since joining from AFC Bournemouth on loan in January, firing in two goals for his new short-term employers so far from 11 appearances.

One of those goals was a first-time wonder strike against Huddersfield Town last month in the Championship, the sublime strike helping Southampton get the better of a tricky Terriers side 5-3 on the day.

Yet to sit out an entire game for Southampton this campaign – with Armstrong playing in some capacity in every single second-tier game this season for his South Coast side – Martin will know utilising his full squad away from the Scotsman could work against Sunderland.

Arguably, with Southampton experiencing some rocky form recently that has seen them lose significant ground in the automatic promotion hunt, the time could be right for other stars to shine in central midfield away from Armstrong being kept in the starting lineup.

نجح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، في تسجيل الهدف الخامس أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا، في اللقاء الجاري الآن في مسابقة الدوري المصري.

الأهلي يواجه سيراميكا كليوباترا، في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع.. فيديو | وسام أبو علي يسجل هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا

وجاء الهدف الخامس للأهلي، عن طريق طاهر محمد طاهر، في الدقيقة 69 بعد تمريرة من وسام أبو علي.

وكان حسين الشحات سجل هدف الأهلي الأول، في الدقيقة الرابعة من عمر المباراة بعد تسديدة قوية سكنت الشباك.

وجاء هدف تعادل سيراميكا عن طريق المغربي أحمد بلحاج في الدقيقة 24 من ركلة جزاء، احتسبها الحكم بعد العودة إلى تقنية الفيديو، بسبب تدخل قوي من أكرم توفيق على زلاكة.

وأحزر وسام أبوعلي، الهدف الثاني لصالح الأهلي، في الدقيقة 48 من ركلة حرة، اصطدمت بالحائط وسكنت الشباك.

وجاء الهدف الثالث عن طريق وسام أبو علي في الدقيقة الأولى من عمر الشوط الثاني، بعد عرضية من طاهر محمد طاهر.

وعزز حسين الشحات، التقدم بتسجيل الهدف الرابع والثاني له في اللقاء بالدقيقة 60، بعد تمريرة من إمام عاشور، لينفرد بحارس سيراميكا ويسددها في المرمى.

وتقام بطولة الدوري المصري الموسم الحالي، بنظام جديد، حيث تلعب مباريات من دور واحد كمرحلة أولى، ثم يتم تقسيم الأندية إلى مجموعتين، بداية من المركز الأول حتى التاسع تتنافس على لقب الدوري.

بينما الأندية من المركز العاشر حتى الثامن عشر، تتنافس على البقاء والهبوط، على أن يهبط فريقان فقط بدلًا من ثلاثة إلى دوري القسم الثاني (دوري المحترفين). هدف الأهلي الخامس أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا 

Coventry City couldn't have dreamed of a better away day at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup, dramatically scoring twice in injury time to win 3-2 to seal a Wembley semi-final showdown with Manchester United.

Mark Robins' Sky Blues could find themselves playing against the Red Devils twice more next campaign if they can also break out of the Championship, with the West Midlands outfit just four points shy of the playoff spots.

Regardless of what happens, Coventry will keep their fingers crossed that they can keep a firm grip on this attacking midfield hero who didn't cost the club a single penny in transfer costs when he entered the building back in 2020.

Callum O'Hare's time at Coventry

Callum O'Hare would join the Sky Blues as a hot prospect eager to make a name for himself, unfortunately let go of by his boyhood club Aston Villa in the process.

Still, that wouldn't play on the 5 foot 9 creator's mind too much who has been a consistent hero for Coventry since making the move permanent four years ago after an initially fruitful loan.

Joining on a free transfer when the Sky Blues had just made it up to the second tier, O'Hare's rise and continued excellence has coincided with his side knocking on the door of the Premier League after once being viewed as a sleeping giant.

O'Hare has amassed an impressive 51 goals and assists from 173 Coventry appearances to date, with 13 of those coming just this season for Robins' men.

Although the 25-year-old might have taken a relative back-seat compared to the likes of Haji Wright and Ellis Simms in Coventry's Cup upset at Molineux – with the number ten only given a 20-minute run-out – O'Hare was still key late on to that dramatic 3-2 victory being achieved.

He wouldn't pick up another goal or assist to add to his sparkling Sky Blues back catalogue, but O'Hare would give his side the necessary grit and fight required to shock the Premier League hosts – the ex-Aston Villa man would win five ground duels, alongside attempting four dribbles to unlock the scared Wolves defence.

He also teed up Simms to play Wright in for the winning strike against Gary O'Neil's flustered men, an adventurous foray forward justly rewarded.

Callum O'Hare's transfer value in 2024

Obviously, O'Hare's transfer value has now been bumped up from the £0 he was once purchased for with the 25-year-old now worth €1.0m (£855k) according to Football Transfers.

No doubt Coventry would want any potential suitor to cough up more than that, knowing how vital he is to the Championship side's cause currently.

However, they could be powerless to lose O'Hare on a cheap deal – the 25-year-old attacking midfielder's contract is up at the end of this season, alerting suitors to his services consequently.

Battling to be back in Robins' first-team plans this season after a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury, O'Hare has more than proven his worth back in his team with "outstanding" performances as his manager has previously described.

1. Josh Eccles

€7.7m (£6.5m)

2. Haji Wright

€6.5m (£5.5m)

3. Milan Van Ewijk

€4.7m (£4m)

4. Liam Kitching

€3.7m (£3.1m)

5. Jake Bidwell

€3.4m (£2.9m)

The 25-year-old is still some way off being at the top of the list involving the most valuable players at the CBS Arena, but it would still be a monumental sucker punch for Robins and Co if they were to lose their much-loved servant.

Coventry will have their eyes on replacements already if that circumstance does arise, however, knowing that they have a reputation for being able to operate shrewdly and effectively.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras Feminino anunciou, na tarde desta terça-feira (27), a contratação da zagueira Rafaelle Souza, da Seleção Brasileira.De acordo com fontes consultadas pelo NOSSO PALESTRA/LANCE! ela chega por meio de um empréstimo até o dia 30 de junho, inicialmente. A negociação aconteceu pelo fato de a jogadora não poder voltar ao Changchun Dazhong, da China, devido à pandemia da Covid-19 e, portanto, irá atuar pelo Verdão para manter ritmo de jogo.

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🇨🇳 ✈️ 🇧🇷
Rafaelle Souza é a nossa nova zagueira ➤ https://t.co/oAeXgsVf5P

Bem-vinda ao time! 💚#AvantiPalestrinas pic.twitter.com/XPY9UzSWHH

— Palmeiras Feminino (@Palmeiras_FEM) April 27, 2021

>>Ariel Holan deixa o Santos: veja os técnicos atuais dos 20 clubes que estarão no Brasileirão

Conforme havia noticiado o NP/L!na última semana, Rafaelle já tinha tudo apalavrado com o Palmeiras Feminino, mas, de última hora, seu clube chinês recuou e não liberou o empréstimo para que a zagueira atuasse provisoriamente no Brasil. Agora, contudo, a autorização veio e a atleta já pode integrar o elenco das Palestrinas. Em seu Twitter, Rafaelle já anunciou que “começou a arrumar as malas”.

Comecei a arrumar as malas… será que vai dar bom? 😆🤔

— Rafaelle Souza (@Rafaelleleone) April 26, 2021

A defensora estava, até então, treinando no Bahia, clube que subiu para o Campeonato Brasileiro A1 no final do ano passado. Ela é um dos destaques atuais da Seleção Brasileira na “Era Pia”. Somente em 2021, já foi convocada para o torneio She Believes, onde jogou ao lado da Tainara, do Palmeiras, e também para os amistosos disputados até o momento.

Ficha técnica

Nome: Rafaelle Leone Carvalho Souza
Data de nascimento: 18/06/1991 (29 anos)
Naturalidade: Cipó (BA)
Posição: Zagueira
Clubes: São Francisco (2010/2011/ 2012/2013/2014/2015), Ole Miss Rebels-EUA (2011/ 2012/2013), Houston Dash-EUA (2014), América Mineiro-MG (2015/2016) e Changchun Dazhong-CHI (2016-2021)
Títulos: Copa América Feminina (2018)

continua após a publicidade

What if it’s July 14 again. What if England v New Zealand had gone another way. It’s not just the fans who are wondering all that could have been

Alagappan Muthu18-Jul-2019

What if it’s July 14 again? What if Lord’s is still packed? And hushed. Trembling as one of the greatest ODI finishes of all time is still unfolding. Well, that’s the reality for most of the New Zealand players right now. Even one of their best ever players could not help but look back and wonder.Trent Boult was on the midwicket boundary when Ben Stokes launched Jimmy Neesham in his direction. A man renowned for taking outstanding boundary catches steadied himself under the ball, then leapt up and caught it with both hands and looked stunned, as if he knew, in that moment, the game had changed. England now needed 22 runs from eight balls. New Zealand were favourites to become world champions.And then Boult stepped back. Right onto the boundary rope. It was just one of the many things the fast bowler continues to replay in his head.ALSO READ: ‘You are looking for one run’ – Gutted NZ try and make sense of the unbelievable”I suppose it’s just natural to nitpick and pull apart a game like that,” he said upon arriving in Auckland. “Firstly, to be involved in it was obviously very amazing. But you know, you just wonder those little kind of things that went your way, or didn’t go your way or whatever, it could’ve been a totally different game. Yeah, of course, I’m living the last over throughout my mind a lot. Somehow we were hit for six along the ground which has never been happened before. And then, yeah, couple of run outs, to bowl them out and to see the scores level and to lose was a pretty unique situation.”Boult had more than made amends by bowling that 50th over and ensuring England didn’t get past New Zealand’s 241. Then in the Super Over, he kept them to 15 runs, even though both times he had to contend with Stokes hitting near yorkers to the boundary. And quite apart from taking the burden of the entire game – and his country’s chance of winning a first World Cup – on his shoulders, he finished with 17 wickets from 10 matches, including a hat-trick against Australia. It was an immense performance.But when asked about the final and if he would do anything differently, Boult said: “I’m sure you could appreciate it’s a nerve-wracking scenario to be a part of. A lot of people over there interested. A lot of people watching on the TV. It was an amazing stage to be on. Obviously saw what it meant for the Englishmen to get across the line. It could have been us. Unfortunately it wasn’t. No one is probably going to get closer to winning the World Cup or losing the World Cup as us.”You see a lot of disappointment in cricketing fans around the world, not just Kiwis but a lot of supporters that wanted us to win. It’s a shame to let everyone down really. It’s hard sitting on a plane for 15 hours. A lot of Kiwis there were saying ‘we felt for you’ kinda thing. Yeah don’t really know too much more to say really. Obviously we’re all hurting and yeah sorry for letting everyone down.”ALSO READ: What the luck! NZ and the randomness of life by Osman SamiuddinAnd that brings us to the catch that wasn’t. “Obviously the priority is on the ball itself,” Boult said. “That’s all I was really worried about. Silly of me obviously to not know where the rope was. Similar to the catch I got against the West Indies earlier in the tournament but they’re quite quirky boundaries [in England]. They’re not actually circles. They’re kinda octagons and squares and all sorts of things. Obviously you can imagine my feeling when I felt my left shoe hit the cushion and it was too late for me to throw it to Marty [Guptill, who was waiting for the relay catch].”The captain, and player of the tournament, Kane Williamson wouldn’t allow a match so epic to boil down to just a few moments. Like that overthrow in the last over that bounced off Stokes’ bat and into the third man boundary, turning two runs into six. Until then, New Zealand were working hard to make England feel the brunt of scoreboard pressure.”If you pull it back to the last 10 overs,” Boult said, “If you could keep pushing the run-rate up towards 7, 8, 9 an over, I thought Jos [Buttler] and Stokes did extremely well to be there and build a partnership and obviously given the chance to try and chase it down. But yeah, take it as deep as possible. Of course me standing on the rope in the 49th over probably didn’t help either but yeah we wanted to leave them as many as possible in the end. But yeah, for a Super Over to eventuate, I don’t know if you know there was going to be a Super Over in a World Cup final so there you go. And 15 apiece, it’s pretty hard to swallow.Pretty tough to swallow, Kane Williamson said of the defeat in the World Cup final•Getty Images

“When I saw three off two, that’s when the umpires said to us there would be a Super Over. Obviously we had a job to defend three of two balls and we did that and then Super Over it was. Yeah, just a crazy game to be part of.”New Zealand, ranked No. 2 by the ICC, have competed in eight World Cup semi-finals – a record – and two successive finals. Two very different finals.”Obviously to have it in our backyard in 2015, in front of all our family and friends and the hype and everything that comes with a home tournament, we can’t escape it,” Boult said. “It was one of those things over there, different time zone, different part of the day. No offence but we didn’t hear too much of what was going on back home unless you really scouted it off. But hey it was a great time to get there and obviously to be so close is the thing that hurts the most. Yeah, the final in 2015 was a no show in my opinion. We were outplayed from kinda the first couple of overs. Definitely didn’t hurt as much as the other day did.”So how was he planning to cope? “Well, I’m gonna go home for the first time in about four months. Probably gonna walk my dog along the beach and try and put it aside. I’m sure he won’t be too angry at me. And hey we’ve got a quick turnaround before we go to Sri Lanka in a couple of days time and back in the saddle. Like I said, it’s not gonna be something that disappears in the next couple of days. It’s probably something that’s gonna be hard to swallow for the next couple of years.”There was one last question for Boult before he could go back to his family and try to come to terms with July 14.”Do you feel cheated?””No.”