Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney admits he would be "dead" without the love and support of wife Coleen. The ex-England international made the candid admission while talking to former team-mate Rio Ferdinand as he lifted the lid on some dark moments in his life. Although the 39-year-old has allegedly cheated on his spouse in the past, he recognises how vital she has been for him.
The ups and downs of Rooney's marriage
The childhood sweethearts have been married since 2008 but they have endured some bumpy times since then. But the former Everton forward is under no illusions about how important the 39-year-old is to him and their family.
AdvertisementGetty Images EntertainmentRooney sings praises of wife Coleen
He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents: "Coleen is massive. It's bad because we're two kids from Croxteth. We grew up together, obviously we started dating and got married, had kids. From when I was 17, she knew I was a bit out there. Loved my football, was obsessed with football but also loved a night out. She'd seen it very early on, and she controlled that, helped me control that massively. At times, she'd say, 'What are you doing?' How she's managed me, it was like I needed a manager. I honestly believe if she weren't there, I'd be dead. I believe that. What she's done… it's annoying at times. I'm like, 'What are you doing?' But everything she's doing is to keep me on this world and the best person. I've made mistakes in the past, which are well documented. I'm a little bit different at times, and she keeps me on that path. She's done that for 20-odd years."
Rooney admits to alcohol problems
Although Rooney had a tremendous career for both club and country, he believes that his fondness for liquor held him back a bit.
He added: "I wanted to live my life as well. I wanted to go out and enjoy my time with my friends. It got to a point where I went too far. That was a moment in my life where I was struggling (with alcohol), massively. I didn't think I could turn to anyone. I didn't really want to because I didn't want to put that burden on anyone. I remember going into training and putting eye drops in, chewing gum. I just drank for two days straight, then came to training. On the weekend, I'd score a few goals, then I'd go back and drink for two days straight again."
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Getty Images EntertainmentRooney steps back from management
After being sacked by Plymouth Argyle late last year, Rooney has started his own podcast and has fully immersed himself in punditry duties. But the ex-Derby County boss has not ruled out returning to management one day.
O lateral-direito Rafinha, do São Paulo, aproveitou a folga que recebeu na última quinta-feira (18) do técnico Dorival Júnior e visitou a favela do Coque, em Recife (PE), com o influenciador digital pernambucano Ney Silva, conhecido pela amizade com vários jogadores de futebol famosos. No almoço, o veterano tricolor de 37 anos contou sobre a saudade que viveu do País após 16 anos no exterior, deu dicas de como prosperar na carreira, falou com Acosta, uruguaio que teve uma passagem apagada pelo Corinthians em 2008 e, no momento mais surpreendente, fez uma chamada de vídeo com o goleiro alemão Neuer, com quem jogou no Bayern de Munique e é amigo pessoal.
– Diretamente do Coque. Eu te acompanho faz tempo, mas ver a rapaziada aqui, como vocês levam a vida aqui é legal demais. Ver a alegria de vocês é muito bacana. Fiquei 16 anos fora do Brasil e sentia falta dessa brincadeira e contato. Mesmo sabendo das dificuldades, tem que correr atrás para triunfar na vida, acho legal.
– Eu vim de comunidade, sei como é. Tem que batalhar muito. Sabemos que nada é fácil. Gosto de acompanhar isso de perto, já estou no final da minha carreira. Os moleques do um pra um aqui podem ir para um clube. Vão para um fut7, para um profissional. Se puder ir para o futebol é melhor ainda. Torcemos para que saiam muitos Rafinhas daqui.
O veterano ainda comentou sobre qual o caminho para um garoto alcançar o sucesso no futebol.
– A primeira coisa, Ney, é a disciplina. Tem que ter disciplina. Se não tiver, não chega. O que é a disciplina? Treinamento, dedicação, profissionalismo. Descanso. Descanso também é treinamento. Juntamente com isso, a técnica. A possibilidade de se tornar um atleta profissional é muito grande. É bom de bola, habilidoso, faz gol no bairro, joga muito. E aí? Tem outro que treina demais, corre, é dedica, mas não tem a técnica. O cara que conseguir unir tudo isso, que não é fácil, porque se fosse, todo mundo ia conseguir. Nosso país? Cada 1 milhão, todo mundo quer ser jogador. Primeiro brinquedo qual que é? A bola. É o pior vestibular que a gente tem.
– Um menino que está começando hoje, primeiramente, se dedicar aos estudos, porque o futebol não é garantia para ninguém. Tem que estudar, se preparar, se dedicar. Quando a oportunidade aparecer, tem que estar preparado. Treina, treina. Tem que se dedicar. Hoje em dia, o futebol está globalizado. Todo mundo corre. Vai se destacar quem consegue unir o profissionalismo e o trabalho com a técnica. O menino que puser isso na cabeça vai chegar longe. As vezes não vai chegar num clube tão grande, aí vai em um pequeno, mas a oportunidade vai ter. O home lá de cima olha para todo mundo. São vários. Está cheio de armadilhas. Tem que tomar cuidado com o sereno. O sereno machuca. Hoje em dia, jogador que não dorme fica para trás. Pode um dia, dois, no terceiro… – concluiu Rafinha.
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Tottenham have set their sights on another quality attacking midfielder after seeing Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White commit his future to the City Ground.
£190k-per-week Tottenham star now close to agreeing exit as talks advance
He would be a sore miss.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 29, 2025
Thomas Frank’s side are arguably in dire need of more creativity. The Lilywhites struggled to break down League One outfit Luton Town in the second of their two Saturday pre-season friendlies last weekend, despite fielding a strong side loaded with key first-team players.
While it’s important not to overanalyse summer preparations for the new Premier League season, with Frank’s players regaining match fitness and sharpness right now, the signs were not overly encouraging.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
In an ideal world, Tottenham would have welcomed new playmaker Gibbs-White to N17 by now, having scheduled a medical on July 11 whilst attempting to trigger his past £60 million release clause.
However, in what was an unprecedented turn of events, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis put a halt to the transfer, threatened legal action against Spurs and somehow convinced Gibbs-White to pen a contract extension instead.
Signing the 25-year-old was Tottenham’s priority for the previous fortnight, but those precious two weeks of the transfer window were seemingly wasted. Technical director Johan Lange and his recruitment team must now turn to different attacking targets, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Tottenham are working on signing alternatives to Gibbs-White.
Despite serious links to north London rivals Arsenal, Spurs have been targeting Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this window, and whilst Mikel Arteta’s side prioritise outgoings right now (Fabrizio Romano), perhaps Lange can use this time to beat the Gunners to his signature.
Eze would be a phenomenal alternative to Gibbs-White, following his campaign of 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions at Palace, including their FA Cup-final winning strike against Man City.
However, in the event Arsenal beat Spurs to Eze, there are other viable candidates for the number 10 role at Tottenham.
Tottenham eyeing Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss
According to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, one of them is Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss.
The 21-year-old was a shining light in an otherwise dismal Foxes side who were relegated right back down to the Championship last term, averaging more key passes per 90 in the final third than any of his teammates in the top flight (WhoScored).
Bailey reports that Spurs are now targeting El Khannouss, coming after they unceremoniously missed out on a deal for Gibbs-White and reports that the Morocco international’s contract includes a £22.5 million release clause (talkSPORT).
The clause was tied in with Leicester’s drop to the second tier, and means the young El Khannouss is available for a very astute fee.
Members of the media, like journalist Antonio Mango, have heralded the African as a “genius” attacking player, with El Khannouss now emerging as a very intriguing option for Lange as we enter the final few weeks of the summer.
USMNT star Christian Pulisic continues to delay signing a new contract at AC Milan, but a potential date for the completion of those talks is set.
New deal mooted for some timeAmerican feels settled in ItalyExtension to 2029 can be signedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
United States international Pulisic is working on terms at San Siro through to 2027. There is no rush to put an extension in place, but Milan are eager to recognise the 26-year-old's importance to their cause and reward him with an improved deal.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It has been reported for some time that Pulisic is ready to put pen to paper, with the Champions League-winning former Chelsea star feeling happy and settled in Italy – with golf pro girlfriend Alexa Melton paying regular visits to Europe.
DID YOU KNOW?
The lack of positive progress in discussions has concerned some, but report that “there’s been no break, no tension” just “no concrete steps towards a final conclusion”. For now, everybody is expecting a deal to be done.
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An agreement through to 2029 is ready to be signed, with Pulisic in line for a wage increase. He requested time over the summer to evaluate his options and monitor the direction in which Milan are heading under Massimiliano Allegri’s new coaching team.
Manchester United are now preparing an offer to sign an “incredible” £6.2 million Brazilian who wants to join the Red Devils, according to a new report.
Man Utd move on to new targets after finalising Mbeumo deal
The Red Devils have spent the last six to eight weeks working on a deal to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. They had seen two bids turned down for the Cameroon international, but on Friday it was confirmed that they had finally agreed a deal with the London side.
The forward underwent his medical at Carrington over the weekend, with pictures emerging of him wearing the club’s training kit, and now an official announcement is expected soon.
Now that United have wrapped up that deal, they are turning their attention to their next set of targets, and they include signing a goalkeeper and a striker. United have been linked with moves for Nicolas Jackson and Randal Kolo Muani most recently, but the Premier League side have also held internal discussions about signing Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
In fact, TEAMtalk report that United are set to intensify their efforts to sign Sesko, who is said to be valued at £67 million by the Bundesliga giants.
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He could arrive after Bryan Mbeumo…
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Meanwhile, signing a new goalkeeper is also considered a priority for United, and on Sunday, Fabrizio Romano reported that the Red Devils made initial contact to be informed on a deal for Senne Lammens, who currently plays for Royal Antwerp.
The 23-year-old is among the options on United’s list, but he is not their only target, as they are also looking at another name.
Man Utd preparing bid to sign John Victor
According to Goal Brasil, relayed by Sport Witness, Man United are now expected to make an offer in the coming days to sign John Victor from Botafogo.
John Victor for Botafofo.
The report states that United have been in contact with Victor’s entourage since December last year, and he is now considered their top target in their search for a new goalkeeper. It isn’t clear what United’s offer will be, but the 28-year-old does have a release clause worth €7.4 million, which is roughly £6.2 million, and that figure would need to be paid in full to bypass Botafogo.
It goes on to add that other Premier League teams have approached Victor’s agent in recent days, but the goalkeeper is prioritising a move to Old Trafford. However, a deal will only progress when United have made an offer.
John Victor’s Club World Cup stats
Apps
4
Starts
4
Goals conceded
3
Goals conceded per game
0.8
Saves made
13
Saves per game
3.3 (81%)
Passing accuracy per game
18.0 (65%)
Clean sheets
1
Clearances per game
2.8
The Red Devils are well stacked in the goalkeeper department, as they still have Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, and Tom Heaton in their ranks. The latter pair played in their opening pre-season game against Leeds United over the weekend, but it remains unclear if Bayindir has a future at the club.
Onana has also been linked with a move away and is now dealing with a hamstring injury that could see him miss the start of the season, so Victor, who has been dubbed “incredible” by FIFA’s official media channels, could arrive and have a good chance of being the club’s number one.
The former Australia quick started his career with the state and has been holding the role in an interim capacity
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2024Ryan Harris has been named South Australia’s new men’s head coach, filling the role vacated by Jason Gillespie’s departure earlier this year.Harris, who began his playing career with the state, has been leading the men’s programme in an interim capacity over the last few months while the role was recruited for and will take over full-time immediately as pre-season ramps up.Related
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It has yet to be confirmed who will become Adelaide Strikers’ BBL head coach (Gillespie held both positions) but it’s understood splitting the job has become increasingly likely. Tim Paine has previously confirmed his interest in the Strikers’ role should that be the case.”I’m thrilled and honoured to be appointed Head Coach of South Australia where I began my first-class playing journey more than 20 years ago,” Harris said. “Having worked closely with the team last summer and during our current pre-season training, I know what this squad is capable of and can’t wait to get started and build on the positive steps we saw last year.”Under new captain Nathan McSweeney, there is a real sense of self-belief among the group and we’ll be working hard to ensure we hit the ground running with the new season rapidly approaching.”South Australia finished fifth in the Sheffield Shield last season after a fourth place in 2022-23 which followed five consecutive wooden spoons. They were bottom in the Marsh Cup after reaching the final the previous season.There is a chance they will see more of internationals Travis Head and Alex Carey early in the Sheffield Shield window during October.After retiring, Harris moved into coaching with the Australia men’s under-19 team at the 2018 and 2020 World Cups and has also worked in the IPL with Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals. He also had stints as a consultant with the men’s team while Justin Langer was coach.In 2021 he was appointed Queensland Cricket’s pathway manager. He applied to be head coach of Australia Women when Matthew Mott left, having had a short-term stint as bowling coach on a tour of New Zealand in 2021, but was overlooked before returning to South Australia to be their bowling coach.
Despite their success since his departure, Aston Villa have never really found a like-for-like replacement for Jack Grealish. His sale was something of a catalyst at Villa Park, helping his boyhood club spend money freely and become a side challenging for European football.
Grealish was sensational in that famous Claret and Blue shirt. In 213 appearances, he scored 32 goals and grabbed 43 assists, playing a huge role in their Premier League survival in his final two seasons.
Aston Villa winger Jack Grealish.
In terms of the skillset he has, it feels like the West Midlands club never really managed to find someone in the same mould. However, this summer, that could all change with Villa’s latest transfer rumour.
Aston Villa’s latest transfer target
It is never easy to replace a player as influential as Grealish, not only in terms of his ability but also the leadership he provides. With that being said, they have been linked with one Premier League star who could be the player they’re looking for.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to a recent report from The Athletic, Villa are one of the many top Premier League sides in the race for Southampton attacker Tyler Dibling. The report explains that Unai Emery’s side have ‘watched’ Dibling, ahead of what will be a busy summer transfer window at Villa Park.
It is a summer in which he will seemingly leave the Saints. Football Insider confirmed at the start of the week that Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are also interested in a move for the attacker, meaning Villa will face competition for his signature.
As for a price, the same article suggests the South Coast outfit would want £55m for a transfer to happen.
Why Dibling would be a good signing
Last season for Southampton was a disaster. They finished rock bottom of the Premier League, and just about avoided being the worst Premier League side of all time. However, in such a poor campaign, one shining light was Dibling.
The 19-year-old attacker, who is an England under-21 international, left a real impression in his 33 top-flight appearances. Despite the fact that he only scored two goals and assisted one other, he showcased real skill.
In fact, take a look at one of the two assists he grabbed against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup last term. The winger showed some excellent ball-carrying skills under pressure to evade the defender, before playing a well-weighted pass to Mateus Fernandes, who fired home.
It is easy to see why Ryan Garry, who coached Dibling at England under-17 level, said he plays with an “X-Factor”. There is a certain swagger about Dibling’s game which is similar, in many ways, to Grealish, suggesting he could be Villa’s replacement for their former number 10.
In fact, former England international Stuart Pierce picked up on the similarities earlier in the season when the Saints played Man United. He described the teenager as a “devotee” of Grealish and compared “his mannerisms and how he carries himself” to the England star.
This is further personified in this video of Grealish playing for England back in 2020. Look at the way he carries the ball and is able to shield it from the oncoming defender.
Comparing that to the earlier clip of Dibling, the similarities are, once again, clear.
Looking at Grealish’s FBref stats from the 2019/20 Premier League season, an iconic campaign for him in a Villa shirt, they are not too dissimilar to Dibling’s this term. For example, the Saints star averaged 2.16 successful take-ons per 90 minutes, compared to 2.03 each game for Grealish.
Dibling and Grealish key dribbling stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Dibling (2024/25)
Grealish (2019/20)
Successful take-ons
2.13
2.06
Take-on success rate
40.9%
62.4%
Progressive carries
3.32
5.91
Carries into final third
2.4
3.54
Carries into penalty area
1.25
2.01
Stats from FBref
Dibling seems like he could be the second coming of Grealish at Villa Park. The similarities are endless, and whilst the 19-year-old hasn’t necessarily had the goal and assist output to live up to Grealish yet, he is clearly a huge talent.
Tyler Dibling in action for Southampton in the Premier League.
£55m is roughly half of what they made for Grealish, and being a carbon copy of one of their most iconic players seems a fair way to theoretically spend the money he brought to the club.
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With Leon Bailey potentially set to leave Aston Villa for Saudi Arabia this month, Unai Emery should insist that they sign a “magical” replacement.
Somewhere in Germany, in a Red Bull Group office complex, Jurgen Klopp perhaps unleashed a few fist bumps when Liverpool thrashed Tottenham Hotspur to seal the Premier League trophy.
Klopp’s self-defined “heavy metal football” left with him at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, replaced by something smoother and cooler in the form of Arne Slot.
Both approaches have borne dividends for Liverpool, Klopp creating a dynasty before his successor took the reins and won the Premier League in his first year in the dugout.
Slot has dealt with adversity this term and emerged on top, but now must contend with the loss of Liverpool’s focal creative source, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Why losing Alexander-Arnold is such a big blow
Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool for two decades, moving up and up through the youth floors before knocking on Klopp’s door in the early years of his tenure.
Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates for Liverpool
He’s now one of the driving forces behind a sustained period of success at Anfield. Liverpool are a team of many parts, but Trent has been one of the most important cogs in the system, with his peerless passing and eagle-eyed vision making so many opponents pay over the years.
Having won the full gamut, the 26-year-old will depart a fundamental part in putting the Reds back on their perch. He’s played 352 matches for Liverpool, scoring 23 goals and laying on 92 assists.
Real Madrid are the expected destination, and Liverpool now need to find a way to replace their chief playmaker’s output. As per FBref, the Three Lions star ranks among the top 1% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90.
1
Trent Alexander-Arnold
64
2
Andy Robertson
59
3
Leighton Baines
53
4
Graeme Le Saux
44
5
Kieran Trippier
38
Alexander-Arnold’s one-of-a-kind talent is not something that Liverpool can replicate at right-back. Bradley is an exciting player, but he’s not Trent.
However, Liverpool aren’t against sourcing a new means of elite creativity, having found an interesting solution in another area of the pitch.
Liverpool make proposal for Premier League legend
As per Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Liverpool have made a surprise contractual offer for Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, whose deal at the Etihad expires at the end of the season.
While Napoli are also pushing, Liverpool have a financial advantage over the Serie A’s first-placed side and could blow them out of the water, should they continue to insist upon a pre-contract arrangement.
Manchester City's KevinDeBruyneafter the match
De Bruyne, a boyhood Liverpool fan, turned 33 this year and has been frustrated by injuries in recent seasons, but still retains an artistry to his creative approach, which is among the finest Europe has seen.
Why Liverpool should sign Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne may not know where he’s going to end up but he has made it clear that he’s still got mileage in the engine and isn’t against winding up at another Premier League club.
It’s been quite the career in English football for the Belgian, who fell by the wayside as a Chelsea prospect before finding a new home in Belgium and then finding his feet and then some at Manchester City, joining from Wolfsburg in a £55m deal in 2015.
He’s one of the most accomplished and decorated Premier League players of his generation, even described as “one of the greatest midfielders ever” by his manager Pep Guardiola.
De Bruyne might be approaching the twilight years of his career, but he’s certainly still got it. FBref have recorded that he ranks among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues and the top 3% for passes attempted, progressive passes and shot-creating actions per 90.
Now, why would Liverpool want to pursue an ageing attacking midfielder such as De Bruyne? After all, Slot already wields the energy of Dominik Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott’s natural spark.
Well, the answer is obvious. Liverpool need signings, and they need quite a few. Left-back, centre-back. Ryan Gravenberch could do with some competition at number six, and Darwin Nunez certainly needs replacing at the front of the ship.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has got some juggling to do, all right, and bringing De Bruyne over to Liverpool could be a fantastic, stop-gap sort of way to plug a hole and retain the giddy support levels that Alexander-Arnold will be taking with him over to the Santiago Bernabeu.
De Bruyne still has the requisite quality in his locker. As per Sofascore, he’s created 14 big chances in the league this year, despite starting only 17 times. Moreover, he’s averaging over two key passes per game.
This all adds substance to the argument for his arrival. De Bruyne has scored six goals and provided eight assists in all competitions this season, with ten of those 14 contributions coming since the start of the calendar year.
Manchester City's KevinDeBruynein action with Liverpool's Andrew Robertson
Alexander-Arnold might be leaving, but Liverpool will endure. With surgery required across a range of areas for the Reds, this would be the perfect way to add some new creativity, some Alexander-Arnold levels of creativity to Slot’s team and help him relocate Liverpool’s playmaking hub to a more conventional area in the middle of the park.
For Anfield simply won’t succeed in finding another player like Trent on the right side of the backline.
Dream Trent replacement: Liverpool make bid for "one of the best in Europe"
Liverpool could be about to end their hunt for a player who could fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
In search of boosting their frontline once again, Chelsea chiefs are now reportedly ready to match the £60m asking price of one impressive forward having already made their first approach for his signature.
Chelsea's UCL push going down to the wire
Whilst there would have been plenty of relief around Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford in midweek, Chelsea still have it all to do in the race to secure Champions League qualification. Sat fifth on goal difference and in the last remaining Champions League spot, the Blues may need to win all four of their remaining games to finish above the chasing pack of Forest and Aston Villa.
With Premier League champions Liverpool to face this weekend too, it doesn’t get any easier for Chelsea who may be hoping to come up against a side in celebration rather than the ruthless Reds that English football has become accustomed to this season.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca recently had his say on the Champions League race, telling reporters: “How many times in the last two years has Chelsea been in the Champions League [places]? Zero.
“How many times this season? Almost all season. It is an improvement or not? It is already an improvement because we spend all season there. Now, we are going to try our best to finish there no doubt.
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“We want to finish there, no doubt. We are happy to finish there, yes. Is it enough? No, because we want to compete for titles. But compared to the past two years, I think it is quite clear that there is an improvement. Now, if you want to see it, you see it. If you don’t want to see it, you don’t see it. It depends which way. I see it.”
Meanwhile, should the London club go on and confirm their place among Europe’s elite this month, they could be well placed to welcome an impressive Premier League rival.
Chelsea ready to meet Watkins price tag
According to Football Transfers, Chelsea are now ready to match Ollie Watkins’ £60m valuation to welcome the Aston Villa striker this summer, having already made their first approach for his signature.
Watkins was, of course, at the centre of attention in January when Arsenal came calling. Unlike Chelsea, however, the Gunners were reluctant to meet Villa’s asking price and the England international therefore stayed put in the Midlands.
At 29 years old, the Villa star goes against BlueCo’s usual transfer route of young stars, but an established Premier League goalscorer could be exactly what Maresca’s side need if they are to improve this summer.
Starts
27
26
Goals
15
10
Assists
7
5
Expected Goals
14.5
12.2
Dubbed “amazing” by Villa boss Unai Emery earlier this season, Watkins’ numbers compared to Nicolas Jackson highlight the upgrade that he would instantly offer Chelsea and Maresca.
Whatever the approach to batting, you need 20 wickets to win a Test – India chose that option, England left their bowling undermanned and ill-equipped
Karthik Krishnaswamy09-Mar-20242:35
How significant is this series win for India?
Sometimes, a series will throw up the oddest of numbers. Take this one, from India’s just-completed 4-1 win over England. Over ten innings in this series, Ben Stokes faced 367 balls. Over six innings, Kuldeep Yadav faced 362.Sometimes these numbers are random and meaningless, products of the high-speed blender of outcomes over small sample sizes. And even if there is meaning to be found, it may not be particularly deep. Sometimes a gun player goes through a bad patch and a lower-order batter ends up being unusually hard to dismiss.Sometimes, though, a stat like this makes you pause and wonder. Would Stokes have endured less of a struggle if he hadn’t had to face so much of Kuldeep, and would Kuldeep have found survival a lot more difficult had Stokes’ knee allowed him to bowl more than just one spell in the entire series?Related
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'We've always found people to step up' – Dravid looks back at a famous series win
Padikkal and Sarfaraz reduce test to no-contest
The question isn’t so much about Stokes or Kuldeep, individually, as it is about the composition of the two bowling attacks. India played five proper bowlers in each of the five Tests, while England made do with just four, with Joe Root taking on an unusually high workload for a part-time spinner.Root, in fact, ended up bowling more overs than James Anderson, while Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, who made their debuts during this series, bowled more overs than anyone else on either side.England’s management of their bowling resources, in the end, showed the classic signs of an undermanned attack ill-equipped to the conditions: inexperienced spinners overbowled, an experienced fast bowler restricted to an oxymoronic bit-part starring role. Anderson looked in excellent rhythm whenever he bowled, always accurate, always buzzing in the mid-130s (kph) range, and threatened to take wickets whenever conditions gave him a window of help. But he was England’s fifth-most-used bowler, behind Root and three spinners who came into the series with one previous Test cap between them.In effect, the bulk of the overs India faced through the series were bowled by inexperienced or non-regular spinners, who often also happened to be tiring.Kuldeep Yadav was chosen ahead of a spinner with better batting credentials, and it worked•Gareth Copley/GettyBashir bowled a 31-over spell in Ranchi – Kuldeep’s dogged, match-turning 28 must have owed something to coming in during its latter stages – and he sent down 46.1 overs during India’s only innings in Dharamsala. He did this despite starting the match with a stomach bug, and Jeetan Patel, England’s spin-bowling coach, put a positive spin on it at the end of day two.”Look, it’s a hell of an effort,” Patel said. “He was ill the day before the game. He wasn’t well yesterday. And he’s still a little bit iffy today, but to then go bang out 45 [44] overs and nearly knock off a five-for … you could say he deserves it, but no one deserves anything in this game.”It’s one of those things, he’s put in a hell of a shift for us.”It was a hell of a shift, but it begged the question: if England were putting their inexperienced spinners through this sort of thing in match after match, they must have surely thought, at some point, of playing a fifth bowler?Stokes, in his post-match press conference, was tetchy when he was asked this. “Hindsight,” he said, “never loses.”Then he was pressed again on whether England had debated playing the extra bowler at any point during the series. “No,” he said. “Again, those types of questions will always be asked after the fact. I don’t deal in hindsight, sorry.”
“I think we’ve always wanted to ensure that we’ve got the best resources to be able to take 20 wickets. That’s been the bottomline of what me and Rohit [Sharma] have always spoken about. I think that’s what wins you Test matches – being able to take 20 wickets quickly, as quickly as possible”Rahul Dravid
Ignoring the fact that Stokes did deal in hindsight for much of the rest of his press conference, let’s move on, and talk about India.For all of England’s structural issues with the ball, they put India under pressure on numerous occasions, and even won a Test match – the first one, in Hyderabad.Then, 1-0 down leading into the second Test in Visakhapatnam, India lost the services of KL Rahul, their most experienced specialist middle-order batter, and gun allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. These two had also made their top two scores in Hyderabad.It left India with a potentially tricky choice: replace Jadeja with a like-for-like of sorts in Washington Sundar, who would give them comparable batting ability to Jadeja but not his skill or stamina with the ball, and Kuldeep, a proper bowler.With the series wrapped up, and with Kuldeep having been one of its star performers, the choice looks obvious in hindsight. But it wasn’t at the time, especially given the absence of so many experienced batters – apart from Rahul and Jadeja, India were without Virat Kohli, who missed the entire series for personal reasons.”I think we’ve always wanted to ensure that we’ve got the best resources to be able to take 20 wickets,” India coach Rahul Dravid said at the end of the Dharamsala Test. “I think that’s been the bottomline of what me and Rohit [Sharma] have always spoken about. I think that’s what wins you Test matches – being able to take 20 wickets quickly, as quickly as possible. That’s something that we’ve always been clear about.With England playing just four specialist bowlers, Joe Root had to take on an unusually high workload•BCCI”The safer option would have been probably to strengthen the batting a little bit there. When I watched Axar Patel walk out at No. 6 [in Visakhapatnam], I remember looking at Vikram [Rathour, batting coach] and thinking, geez man, VVS Laxman used to walk out in that position . I mean, with due respect to Axar – he’s a lovely guy, lovely player.”But it was the braver option [to pick Kuldeep] and yes, we had to take a call there, and I’m really glad we were brave. We went with the braver option when we decided to back the fact that we knew we needed 20 wickets to win the series, and trust our batsmen to do the job when required, and I think that’s paid off.”The Laxman reference was interesting, because Laxman missed out on a couple of Test matches when Dravid went with a five-bowler combination as India captain. That thinking was fresh at the time, and controversial too, and didn’t really persist beyond Dravid’s relatively brief captaincy stint. MS Dhoni played five bowlers on a few occasions, and Kohli a lot more often, but it took until India began to trust Jadeja to bat at No. 6 or 7 in all conditions for it to become a norm – the decisive shift perhaps came with the 2020 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, when Ajinkya Rahane led in the absence of Kohli.By the time India had to choose between Washington and Kuldeep, the precedent had long been established. They took the braver option, but it was so ingrained in their thinking that it may not have felt especially brave.India picked up all 100 wickets they could, while England got 79 – perhaps the stat that explains the 4-1 scoreline•AFP/Getty ImagesThat word, brave, has often been used in reference to England’s batting approach under Stokes and Brendon McCullum, and it’s not misplaced. You need to be brave to back yourself to play attacking shots and look to hit good bowlers off their lengths, knowing the level of risk you’re taking, knowing that there’s even more of a chance than usual of a low score next to your name. You have to be brave to bat like this even if your team has backed you and told you they will keep backing you even if it doesn’t come off.There’s a team element to it too: if a line-up of gifted attacking batters who have worked extremely hard on their attacking game commits to this philosophy fully, it only takes two or three of them coming off for an innings to take off. Playing like this, perhaps, requires a certain amount of batting depth too – as is evident in white-ball cricket. It’s perhaps why England did not pick a fifth bowler at any point.But the trade-off is immense. It can stretch your bowling attack to its limit. And when you come up against an attack as good as India’s, you can end up with a complete mismatch. You can end up with one team taking all 100 available wickets in a series, and the other taking just 79.Whatever approach batting sides may take, the fundamental truth of Test cricket doesn’t change. Bowlers win matches and series.The moment that ended this series, India’s 100th wicket, could not have been more appropriate: Root c Jasprit Bumrah b Kuldeep. England’s best batter, turned into a makeshift allrounder, caught by the series’ best fast bowler by far, off the bowling of its most pivotal selection.