Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane believes the atmosphere at Ipswich Town has softened after a tough start on the pitch, taking away a huge part of what usually makes promoted teams tough to beat.

The Tractor Boys will have been expecting a difficult start to life in the Premier League, and it has certainly been that, as they are still yet to pick up their first win of the league season. Kieran McKenna’s side sit on four points, one place above the relegation zone.

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One player who has been fairly regular in the Ipswich side this season is Kalvin Phillips, as he looks to get his career back on track while on loan at Portman Road. The midfielder has played five times in the league this season, but a report has now emerged that Ipswich chiefs are not happy with Phillips’ condition. They are “amazed” by his lack of mobility and running power, while insiders say his fitness is nowhere near Premier League level.

Meanwhile, despite Ipswich’s struggles this season, it hasn’t stopped top Premier League teams from keeping an eye on their best players. Ipswich signed Liam Delap in the summer, and he has done rather well in the early months of his career at the club, so much so that Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing Delap.

The Tractor Boys are said to have an asking price of 40 million euros (£33.3 million), as Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and former club Manchester City are also interested. Ipswich will be hoping Delap can be among the goals more often as they look to get their first win under their belt, but Roy Keane believes the fans can also play their part.

Roy Keane reacts to Ipswich's tough start

Speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football podcast, relayed by the East Anglian Daily Times, Roy Keane believes lack of energy from Ipswich Town fans is an issue after such a tricky start. The former Town manager fears for the Tractor Boys this season, as they look destined to struggle in the top flight.

Keane, who managed Ipswich between 2009 and 2011, thinks his former club and Southampton will both be relegated this season. He states that seeing the lack of energy from the crowd at Portman Road could be a factor in their struggles, as home games are supposed to be massive opportunities for sides near the bottom of the table.

“I fear for Southampton and Ipswich with relegation this season. Even when they are struggling, the energy of the crowd keeps you going in the first few weeks, but even that is looking like it’s going already.

Ipswich Town’s 2024/25 Premier League home results

Ipswich 0-2 Liverpool

Ipswich 1-1 Fulham

Ipswich 2-2 Aston Villa

Ipswich 0-2 Everton

“When the defeats are getting to you each week, they’re starting to look physically smaller than their opposition. Even Everton going down to Ipswich last weekend and getting a result, I bet that Ipswich saw that as a good opportunity of getting three points and would have been thoroughly disappointed.”

Ipswich are not back at Portman Road until next weekend, as they face a tricky tie away at Brentford on Saturday, a match that McKenna will hope will be where they pick up their first win of the league season.

Glasgow Rangers were outclassed in the Europa League on Thursday evening, suffering their first defeat in the newly revamped league phase.

Lyon emerged as 4–1 victors from the clash at Ibrox, with Philippe Clement’s side paying the price for not being clinical enough in front of goal.

It has been a problem which has persisted over the previous few years, as the Light Blues have struggled to replace Alfredo Morelos, who departed in the summer of 2023.

The result of the game might have been slightly different if Vaclav Cerny had slotted the ball into an empty net after just seven minutes, squandering a chance which looked harder to miss than actually finding the back of the net.

Vaclav Cerny's performance for Rangers vs Lyon

In a game which required the front four to be clinical with their chances, Rangers weren’t able to find the back of the net more than once.

Tom Lawrence scored yet again, his fourth of the season, while Nedim Bajrami also looked exciting on the left flank.

It was Cerny who spurned the biggest chance, and he continued to look poor throughout his time on the pitch, winning zero duels and making zero dribbles, before he was replaced by Dujon Sterling with 20 minutes left.

Vaclav Cerny’s Rangers statistics

The Czech winger arrived on a season-long loan deal during the transfer window as Clement was aiming to bolster his first-team squad.

Given that he had scored four Bundesliga goals for Wolfsburg last term, it looked like a solid piece of business by the Belgian.

During his first six games before the international break in September, the 26-year-old scored once and grabbed two assists for the Ibrox side, showcasing his class.

Despite starring for the Czech Republic in the Nations League tie against Ukraine, Cerny has looked a shadow of his former self in recent weeks.

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Although he started both Europa League matches, the winger failed to create a big chance, averaged only 0.5 key passes per game and succeeded with just 0.5 dribbles each match.

With this in mind, could Clement drop him to the bench for the Premiership clash against St Johnstone on Sunday evening? As his heart doesn’t quite look in it right now.

This could give Ross McCausland the chance to showcase his abilities from the start against the Saints. Considering he scored against them in the League Cup back in August, the Northern Irishman could be given the chance to repeat the trick on the weekend.

If Clement had his way in the summer, however, it may have been another player who would be vying for a place in the side against the Saints, as the Gers missed out on a familiar face…

Rangers missed out on Abdallah Sima in the summer

Following the end of his loan spell, it was clear that the Light Blues were looking to potentially bring Sima back to the club for the 2024/25 campaign and beyond.

Clement even confirmed he had kept in contact with the winger, saying: “I’ve been in touch with him, of course. He’s like one of my sons. Abda loves the club. Abda loves the way of playing we had last season and his role in that. He loved his teammates and the staff.

“But at the end of the day, Brighton is the owner so it’s all about the money then. At the moment it’s not possible. But we will see along the way if there comes a possibility because we would love to get him back. We will see if it is possible.”

The Senegal attacker scored an impressive 16 goals for the Light Blues during his single season spell at the club, chipping in with two assists in the process.

After a summer filled with plenty of rumours regarding his future, it was clear Rangers were keen on him returning, but in the end, the promising gem ended up joining French side Brest on a loan deal for the 2024/25 season.

Abdallah Sima’s stats for Rangers last season
Metric	Premiership	Europa League
Goals	11	3
Assists	2	0
Big chances created	2	0
Key passes per game	0.8	1
Successful dribbles per game	1.2	1.8
Via Sofascore

Given how he has started the campaign for the Ligue 1 side, it represents a glaring error by Clement in not securing his signature during the summer.

Abdallah Sima’s stats for Brest

The winger – who is valued at €7.5m (£6.2m) by Transfermarkt – has enjoyed an impressive start to life in France.

Across seven games in the top flight and the Champions League, Sima has scored three goals, while grabbing an assist. It is in Europe’s premier club competition where he has demonstrated his true qualities.

On the first matchday, the winger netted in the club’s first-ever European game during the 2-1 win over Sturm Graz, but it got even better in midweek against RB Salzburg.

Not only did Brest claim a stunning 4-0 victory away from home, but Sima – who James Tavernier previously dubbed “electric” – was on the scoresheet twice.

Along with his goals, Sima attempted three dribbles, missed a big chance and took four shots in total during the game, flaunting his attacking abilities in what was a wonderful display on the continent.

A performance like this would have helped Rangers massively during their tie against Lyon, suggesting that Clement should have tried to bring Sima back to the club this summer.

Of course, much would have depended on the fee Brighton would have demanded for the player, but surely he was a better option than Cerny?

Hopefully the Czech attacker gets better over the next few weeks, otherwise the fans will continue to turn on him, impacting his confidence.

If Sima continues to deliver on the big stage, Brighton will have several offers for him come next summer, which could see Rangers priced out, that’s for sure.

Fewer passes than Butland: Clement must drop 5/10 Rangers star after Lyon

Philippe Clement suffered his first Europa League defeat of the season

1

By
Ross Kilvington

Oct 4, 2024

West Ham were busy this summer equipping Julen Lopetegui with a fresh squad after David Moyes parted ways with the club, and the Hammers started planning for a return to European qualification spots.

The defence was addressed with the additions of Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whilst some attacking firepower was added through Niclas Füllkrug and Crysencio Summerville.

Midfield was also targeted, with Guido Rodriguez joining on free, and Carlos Soler arriving from PSG on loan. However, West Ham don’t seem to be finished with their midfield rebuild there, as there are already links sprouting ahead of the January window.

Guido Rodriguez's form at West Ham

Rodriguez joined from Real Betis on a free this summer and has since made eight appearances for the Hammers, totaling 563 minutes of football so far, and contributing to two clean sheets.

Perhaps his worst moment in West Ham colours so far was being subbed off after just 38 minutes against Chelsea, after the Hammers went down 2-0 in the first half against the Blues.

He was particularly poor on the day, struggling to win the midfield battle and overall looking very leggy and immobile in the middle of the park.

The 30-year-old could find himself with even more midfield competition come January, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been linked with a return to England, with West Ham’s name being one of the ones mentioned.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek links

According to reports by Milan Live this week, West Ham could be offered the chance to sign Loftus-Cheek from AC Milan in January, in a potential swap deal for Edson Alvarez. The 28-year-old could find himself back in London, having left Chelsea in 2023 to join the Italian side.

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The midfielder has made 48 appearances for the Italian giants, scoring ten goals and providing two assists in 3,427 minutes played.

Described as a “monster” by reporter Bobby Vincent, Loftus-Cheek previously made 155 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 13 goals and providing 17 assists.

He also had successful loan spells with both Crystal Palace and Fulham, so could we see him return to England for his final years?

Comparing Loftus-Cheek to the midfielder in question as part of a proposed swap deal (Alvarez), and the underperforming new signing, Rodriguez, the metrics show that the Milan star is far superior in multiple facets of progression, bettering both the West Ham midfielders in progressive passes and carries.

xG

0.06

0.02

0.00

Progressive Carries

2.54

0.17

0.37

Progressive Passes

4.92

2.54

4.44

Shots Total

0.79

0.81

0.71

Key Passes

1.11

0.17

1.48

Passes into Final Third

3.65

3.05

5.56

Shot-Creating Actions

3.17

1.19

2.96

Tackles

1.75

2.71

3.70

Aerials Won

0.95

1.19

1.11

The 28-year-old Englishman also produces the most shot-creating actions per 90, which is expected as he is the most attacking of the three.

Whilst the West Ham duo produce more defensive actions per 90, Loftus-Cheek is no slouch, often putting himself about in the middle, using his physical profile to win duels and help his team out of possession.

He would be a brilliant addition for the Hammers, adding a more physical yet elegant profile in deeper areas, who can add a progressive carrying toolset back to the side, something they have lacked since losing Declan Rice last summer.

With both Alvarez and Rodriguez underperforming, this could be exactly what Lopetegui needs to really start to get a tune out of his side.

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ByAngus Sinclair Oct 8, 2024

With five different slower variations in his arsenal, he has become his captain’s go-to end-overs bowler

Firdose Moonda01-Nov-2021Dwaine Pretorius has fallen into a death-bowling role because the rest of South Africa’s attack is doing so well that they have to be used earlier in the innings.”Maybe the situations of the games dictated that I might have to bowl a few of the last overs,” he said. “We’ve been striking quite early and our spin department has been phenomenal. So maybe Temba (Bavuma) is just struggling to get a spot for me to bowl in the middle because the other guys are bowling so well, so it’s left me with the end job.”It’s a big responsibility for someone without much of a track record but Pretorius, who previously had an economy rate of 10.38 in 36 overs at the death, has outdone himself in the last three matches. He has taken six wickets and conceded at a rate of 8.64 and has managed to surprise batters with his variations.”The danger at the death is being predictable so I’m trying to vary my pace and my lengths quite a bit, even though my line is the same,” he said. “I’m trying to keep the guys guessing and trying to make sure I am bowling to their guys’ plan Cs and Ds instead of their plan A. It’s not an ego battle out there, it’s trying to be effective as much as possible. I am willing to do that ugly job. It doesn’t necessarily always have to look the prettiest but it’s effective. And I have built my whole career on that.”Related

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Specifically, Pretorius has spent this tournament maintaining a fairly wide line outside the off stump and delivering a variety of slower balls, with as many as five different ones in his arsenal. Tabraiz Shamsi called Pretorius a “scholar of the game,” after South Africa’s victory against Sri Lanka and the allrounder confirmed as much as he explained how he has been training.”I worked a lot on different variations of slower balls. In the T20 World Cup, if you’ve only got one option, you’d be in trouble so I am really trying to mix it up. Even though the line may be predictable, you are still not sure which ball is going to come out. Having five options is something that I have really worked hard on,” he said. “You try and prepare for every situation you may be thrown into. That’s my secret at the moment: trying to make sure that I am prepared for any situation.”Dwaine Pretorius endured a difficult time in the lead-up to the tournament, sustaining a rib fracture and then testing positive for Covid-19•Getty ImagesPretorius reached that point the hard way. He fractured a rib and missed the home series against Pakistan in April and then contracted Covid-19 and wasn’t able to go on South Africa’s winter tours to the West Indies and Ireland. “It was a frustrating time in my career,” he said. “On day one after getting Covid-19, I was stressed. But I am quite a religious guy so after day one, I sent up a prayer and then I just trusted that at the end of the day, God’s will will be done. That was my method of dealing with it mentally. I am very blessed that I am here.”Luckily for Pretorius, he only had a mild case of the virus and returned to training within the stipulated protocol times and was back for South Africa’s series in Sri Lanka.” If I didn’t test, I would have thought I just had a stuffy nose,” Pretorius said. I got through it quite easily. I was quite fortunate. I could start training quite early. Some players have it tougher than I have.”Pretorius was picked in the T20 World Cup squad ahead of George Linde and Andile Phehlukwayo and has so far been preferred over Wiaan Mulder in the starting XI. Although he has not contributed with the bat yet, he is proving decisive in the last four overs for South Africa and has embraced the ethos of contributing to the collective. “We are not relying on one or two superstars to get us over the line. Our whole team is contributing. There’s a lot of guys that have got in, scored runs. Our team is in a very good space.”Much like the rest of the talk that has come out of the South African camp in the last week post the CSA board directive that the entire team must take a knee and the aftermath of that, Pretorius delivered a message of unity. “What astonishes me is how this team has struck together. It doesn’t really matter what controversy comes out or what is happening at board level or CSA level,” he said. “The guys are forming a family.”Unlike teams such as India, who have spent longer in bubbles and complained of fatigue, Pretorius said the pandemic is having some positive spin-offs for South Africa, who have emerged from their status as underdogs to a team to watch in the next few days. “That’s probably one of the biggest advantages when it comes to Covid and bubble life. You are forced to spend a lot of time together,” he said. “You start to realise how much it means to each other to be playing for your country. It doesn’t matter if it’s a single, a no-ball or a wide, whenever we give that away, we are going to fight to get that back. We are not going to stop fighting until the last ball is bowled. We are not going to leave anything to chance. That’s our promise to each other in the team every day.”

Ben McDermott and Charlie Wakim also made half-centuries for Tasmania on the opening day

Alex Malcolm07-Oct-2021

Tim Ward celebrates his maiden first-class century•Getty Images

Opener Tim Ward produced a classy maiden Sheffield Shield century to put Tasmania in control on the opening day of their rescheduled clash with Queensland in Adelaide.Ward, playing just his second first-class match, batted through the day on another very benign Karen Rolton Oval pitch to finish unbeaten on 126 from 270 balls.The 23-year-old was well supported by Charlie Wakim (62) and Ben McDermott (71), sharing century stands with both men. Ward’s patience and discipline were a feature of his play. He struck 17 boundaries and took 219 balls to reach three figures, bringing up the milestone with a cracking pull shot off Michael Neser off the first delivery with the second new ball.The pitch offered little assistance for the experienced Bulls attack. Tasmania assisted their opponents in all three wickets that fell. Caleb Jewell was the only one in the Tigers’ top four to miss out, caught at third slip for 10 trying to drive a wide delivery from Neser on the up in the first hour.Wakim cruised to his half-century only to clip a leg-stump half-volley from Mark Steketee straight to Marnus Labuschagne at square leg. McDermott took 25 balls to get off the mark but eventually settled striking eight fours and two powerful sixes. He passed 50 for the 8th time in his last 14 Shield innings but once again failed to add to his lone Shield century, holing out to fine leg off Steketee with just four overs left in the day.New Tasmania skipper Beau Webster sent in nightwatchman Lawrence Neil-Smith to see out the day alongside Ward.This match was moved to Adelaide after the original fixture in Brisbane was postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the city.

Chelsea are under the impression that a “fantastic” player, via his representatives, is attempting to leave Stamford Bridge behind their back – prompting frustration among the club’s hierarchy.

Players who could look to leave Chelsea in 2025

Blues boss Enzo Maresca hasn’t been afraid to swing the axe since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, with Chelsea offloading a host of players on either loan, permanent or Bosman deals.

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Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall, Romelu Lukaku, Omari Hutchinson, Angelo Gabriel, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Tino Anjorin, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Djordje Petrovic, Trevoh Chalobah, Kepa Arrizabalaga, David Datro Fofana, Aflie Gilchrist and Basir Humphreys all sealed move elsewhere, trimming Maresca’s bloated squad and freeing up space for new arrivals.

However, there are a few other squad members who could be set for the exit door sooner rather than later. Chelsea are prepared to loan Mykhailo Mudryk out in January, as the £89 million winger is currently struggling to battle his way into Maresca’s first-team plans.

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

It is also believed that £100,000-per-week midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is eager to leave Chelsea in pursuit of more game time. AC Milan are rumoured to be interested in the 20-year-old, but fellow elite European side Barcelona have made contact with Chukwuemeka’s agents ahead of January as well.

The most likely of the bunch appears to be Ben Chilwell. The left-back has played just 45 minutes in all competitions this season, which came in a 5-1 win over Barrow in the EFL Cup, and he’s failed to make a single Premier League matchday squad this term.

Reports claim that Man United are eyeing a move for Chilwell ahead of January, and depending on whether Erik ten Hag is still in the job by that time, Old Trafford could be an ideal escape route for the England international.

Chelsea now think Josh Acheampong is trying to leave behind their back

Another player who could depart is highly-rated youngster Josh Acheampong.

The full-back’s deal expires in 2026, and The Athletic shared some very interesting news this week that Acheampong has been frozen out of Chelsea’s Under-21s squad until he signs a new contract.

The 18-year-old is regarded as one of Chelsea’s next rising stars, so much so that Acheampong is attracting interest from the likes of Real Madrid and PSG, as major European clubs look to exploit this situation.

According to The Boot Room, Chelsea have told the teenager to sign an extension or leave. Chelsea also feel Acheampong is attempting to leave the quit “behind their back”, as they theorise his representatives are offering him out to a host of clubs under their noses.

There is a reason for this, though, as it is believed Acheampong is frustrated by his lack of first-team minutes, especially during Reece James’ absence from the team, which would’ve been a prime opportunity for Maresca to utilise him.

In any case, Chelsea do appear desperate to keep him, going off this contractual stand-off. Maresca has called Acheampong’s work “fantastic” behind the scenes, so the Italian is clearly taking note of him, but this doesn’t appear enough for him to commit.

A “terrific” West Brom player has suffered an injury blow and will now join Kyle Bartley in the treatment room, according to manager Carlos Corberan.

West Brom injury updates

After such an imperious start to the season, the Baggies have faded badly over the past month or so, suffering a string of disappointing results in the Championship.

In fact, West Brom haven’t won in their last six matches in the competition, dating all the way back to the 1-0 victory at home to Plymouth Argyle on September 21st. On Saturday afternoon, that poor run continued with a 0-0 draw at home to Cardiff City, with pressure beginning to grow on Corberan.

Not only have results been disappointing for the much-fancied Baggies, but injury problems threaten to further derail their campaign. On Saturday, Bartley was absent and is now expected to potentially be out until near Christmas, acting as a big blow, given his vast experience.

Unfortunately for Corberan, the 33-year-old isn’t the only fitness concern now, with a fresh update emerging regarding his side’s current situation.

Bad to worse as McNair hamstring injury confirmed

Speaking after the goalless draw with Cardiff, West Brom boss Corberan confirmed that Paddy McNair has also picked up a hamstring injury alongside Bartley’s setback, while Semi Ajayi is also struggling.

“It looks like a hamstring injury on Paddy and looks like a knee problem on Semi and that’s when you add to the Bartley knee injury it is a more challenging moment for the defensive line. The only one I can offer is that Bartley will be four to six weeks out of the team, that is all I can confirm so far.”

When it rains it pours, and that certainly seems to be the case with West Brom currently, with so much going wrong after such a seamless start to the new season. Bartley is a massive loss, as mentioned, with the Englishman starting 10 Championship matches before his injury absence, averaging 3.1 aerial duel wins per game in the competition.

To then lose both McNair and Ajayi to injury is sheer bad luck, with the former starting in place of Bartley at the heart of West Brom’s defence alongside the latter.

The Northern Irishman is such a solid deputy to his injured colleague, not least because of his experience down the years that has seen him win 68 caps for his country, while former manager at Middlesbrough, Michael Carrick, has previously highlighted exactly the trait the Baggies will now be missing: “I thought he was terrific. Probably the best player throughout the game with his passing from the back and composure on the ball.

Games that Kyle Bartley will now miss for West Brom after new injury update

Frustrating news for the defender…

ByTom Cunningham Oct 27, 2024

Hopefully, McNair’s injury is nothing too serious, especially with fixtures coming so thick and fast in the league, starting with the trip to Luton Town on Friday evening. Hamstrings can be awkward, however, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him miss several weeks.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has defended Erling Haaland's 'stay humble' jib at Arsenal as the two sides prepare to butt heads yet again.

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Guardiola defends Haaland's 'stay humble' jibeSays Haaland is generally a very calm playerBlames Gabriel's aggressive defending for outburstFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal and Manchester City faced off against each other earlier this season as the Gunners looked certain to give the defending Premier League champions their first defeat of the campaign. However, John Stones' 98th-minute header gave City a 2-2 draw and Haaland then threw the ball at Gabriel Magalhaes' head during the celebrations.

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After the full-time whistle, Haaland then approached Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and told the Spaniard to 'stay humble'. Manchester City's season has been going wrong as they sit fourth in the Premier League standings, however, Guardiola continues to defend the Norwegian's words and has claimed that Gabriel's style of defending caused the outburst.

Getty Images SportWHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

Speaking to the media, Guardiola said: "For Erling it's not easy. Arsenal is a physical team, in a good way, in many aspects.

"For 90 minutes, the central defender, Gabriel, pushed him, hacked him, hugged him and kissed him. The Premier League is that way.

"You have to stand up and defend your position. And now I am being asked to adjudicate on what Erling has done? I don't buy it.

"The end of the game was so emotional. In the end, a human being has to react."

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WHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?

The Norwegian is known for staying calm despite being constantly physically harangued by defenders in the Premier League and Guardiola also went on to praise the striker: "I'm surprised how he controls his emotions. In every action, he's being pulled and the referee plays on. How many times does it happen? And he never complains. He behaves incredibly well."

Haaland will be in action next when Manchester City travel to London to take on Arsenal on Sunday, February 2.

A career-best seven-wicket haul from Mark Steketee kept Queensland in the game as South Australia threatened to build an insurmountable lead on day two at Adelaide Oval.Half-centuries to Harry Nielsen and Travis Head put South Australia in a position to push to a first-innings lead of more than 200 but Steketee took the first two key wickets of the morning, including Head, before wrapping up the tail.Queensland lost both openers in their second innings before Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja saw them safely to stumps, with a deficit of 65, although Khawaja was very fortunate not to be dismissed in the last over the day, given not out despite clearly gloving a ball into the gully. The umpire deemed the catch came off his arm as he fended at a brute of a delivery from Nathan McAndrew, who went unrewarded in the evening session despite bowling superbly.Earlier, Steketee broke through in the third over of the morning clean bowling Henry Hunt with a cracking delivery that angled in and nipped away to clip the top of off. Head then accelerated to continue his phenomenal form. He raced to his third consecutive half-century having made 163 and 230 in his previous two innings across the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup. But a third consecutive century was thwarted when he offered a return catch to Steketee off a leading edge.Alex Carey played fluently striking five boundaries in his 32 but fell in an odd manner checking a pull shot off James Bazley straight to square leg to leave the hosts five down and just nine runs ahead.But Nielsen and McAndrew formed an excellent partnership putting on 101 for the sixth wicket. McAndrew was rock solid in defence while Nielsen did the bulk of the scoring. However, the pair both fell to the second new ball to trigger a collapse of 5 for 18 that ended South Australia’s first innings with a lead of just 128.Nielsen chipped a ball innocuously to square leg off Jack Wildermuth to fall for 71 while McAndrew edged Wildermuth to Joe Burns at second slip. Steketee returned to clean up the tail proving too quick and too good for South Australia’s last three to finish with 7 for 44. It was just his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.Brendan Doggett made an early breakthrough in the Bulls’ second innings trapping Burns lbw before Bryce Street and Labuschagne dug in against some quality pace bowling from the South Australia quicks. Street faced 77 deliveries for his 23 before falling to Daniel Worrall. Labuschagne finished 22 not out from 79 balls with just one boundary to his name, with Queensland scoring just three boundaries in total in 35 overs.

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Identificado com a torcida, o meia chorou ano passado e disse que lutará para recolocar o clube na Série A. Com a saída de Cano, o camisa 10 reafirmará a sua função de líder e pretende ajudar os jovens do elenco dentro e fora de campo. Aos 40 anos, ele será importante no fortalecimento desse novo elenco, que precisará de tempo para adquirir entrosamento e ritmo de jogo.

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– O que eu posso orientá-los eu faço, as minhas atitudes também ajudam. Estou conversando direto com a molecada, eles podem contar comigo a qualquer momento. Deixo os jovens à vontade para a hora que precisarem eu puder ajudar. Nos treinos, tento orientar para o bem deles e do time – disse o meia.

Além dos jovens, Nene sabe que a permanência de alguns atletas que vivenciaram os erros de 2021 será importante para construir um elenco forte. Um desses nomes é o experiente Vanderlei, que foi reintegrado ao grupo na segunda-feira. O arqueiro treinou separado desde a reapresentação do elenco, mas voltou a figurar nos planos da comissão técnica após a saída de Lucão.

+Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Carioca

– É bom ter gente que sentiu na pele, que conhece o peso do clube, para continuar fazendo coisas corretas e melhorar as coisas que não foram corretas. Vanderlei é bom de grupo, trabalhador, demonstrou que queria continuar, ao contrário de muita gente que teve essa oportunidade e não quis estar aqui – pontuou, e emendou:

– Ele gosta do Vasco, desejo o melhor pra ele, um cara que pode ajudar no vestiário. Tanto ele quanto Anderson e Edimar que chegaram. Edimar fica bravo, porque fico chamando ele de velho (risos), está acima dos 30, eu já estou em outro nível, nos 40. Espero que ele possa ajudar ao máximo, e, se for pra ajudar o Vasco, para nós vai ser muito bom – acrescentou.

+GUIA DO CARIOCÃO: Vasco se prepara para a Série B enquanto busca resultados imediatos

O Vasco estreia nesta quarta-feira pelo Campeonato Carioca, diante do Volta Redonda, às 19h, no Raulino de Oliveira. Para a jogo, o time terá quatro desfalques: os volantes Matheus Barbosa e Matías Galarza, o meio-campista Vitinho e o atacante Getúlio.O Estadual servirá para o técnico Zé Ricardo montar o time-base pensando na estreia da Série B.