Last year, Arne Slot won the sprawling Liverpool fanbase over with his incredible success in replacing the irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp and establishing a clear and compelling identity.

But last season’s Premier League title triumph is a far cry from this current Liverpool crop, who have been battered away from title-defending contention after a run of six losses and just one win across eight league fixtures.

So much has gone awry, but Slot’s failure to get a tune out of £125m summer signing Alexander Isak has got to be among the biggest worries.

Isak's start to life at Liverpool

Isak, 26, left Newcastle as one of the most devastating forwards in world football, instrumental in the rise of Eddie Howe’s Tyneside team over the past three years.

But there’s no question that he’s struggled to adapt so far this season, having only scored twice so far and routinely drifting on the edge of matches. After Liverpool’s recent draw to Sunderland, Slot admitted that providing the 26-year-old was among his priorities to fix.

But, for now, his impact has been nominal, failing to bring the completeness and sharpness that his predecessor, Darwin Nunez, failed over three years to sustain with consistency.

Reporter David Lynch actually claimed last month that “Isak is currently offering less than Nunez did during his final year at Anfield”, and the few games he has played since have offered little encouragement that such a bold claim is without legs.

However, this is a time for cool heads, as far as the Swedish striker’s future on Merseyside is concerned.

Isak is one of the best strikers in the world, and he will surely come good at the Anfield spearhead.

Liverpool's new version of Darwin Nunez

Liverpool have enjoyed Cody Gakpo’s services for almost three years now, purchasing PSV Eindhoven’s talisman for a fee rising to £45m in late December 2022.

The left-sided forward is well regarded as one of the most prolific wingers in European football, but his overall performances do leave something to be desired. In fact, his samey efforts down the wing have irked some Liverpool fans across the campaign, and it is for this reason that he, and not Isak, is becoming the club’s new version of Nunez.

Liverpool have been too predictable this season, and the sight of Gakpo claiming the ball on the left flank and proceeding to cut inside has become a too-regular occurrence, something opponents are clearly cottoning onto.

The Netherlands international does offer something, but he isn’t dynamic enough, and the absence of Luis Diaz’s electric threat is accentuated by his sustained starting role on the left wing.

Looking at the data could leave a few fans feeling rather incredulous. Gakpo is statistically among the most creative players in the Premier League this season, and his return of four goals and three assists from 12 top-flight starts is pretty good for an outfit so far out of sorts.

Bruno Fernandes

40

2.9

Jeremy Doku

31

3.3

Mohamed Salah

28

2.3

Yankuba Minteh

27

2.0

Cody Gakpo

26

2.2

But he has also fallen into the trap of predictability, and many are questioning why someone like Federico Chiesa is not getting a chance to show what he can do in his stead (reminder: Chiesa has not started in the Premier League or Champions League for Liverpool this year).

Nunez left Anfield a popular figure, but it was clear that Liverpool needed to level up at number nine after three terms of inconsistency from the Uruguayan.

Gakpo isn’t inconsistent, per se, but he is undoubtedly frustrating in his inswinging repetition, and this is why he is becoming a picked-on figure in the same vein as Nunez before him.

Huge Gakpo upgrade: £70m "superstar" now keen to join Liverpool in January

Arne Slot’s Liverpool frontline is not quite right this season.

1 ByAngus Sinclair 7 days ago

Du Plessis has 154 IPL appearances and has won two titles with Chennai Super Kings

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2025Former South Africa batter Faf du Plessis has opted not to put his name in the IPL 2026 auction, choosing instead to play the Pakistan Super League (PSL).”After 14 seasons in the IPL, I’ve decided not to put my name into the auction this year. It’s a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back,” du Plessis wrote in a statement on his social media handles.”This league has been a massive part of my journey. I’ve been lucky to play with world-class teammates, for amazing franchises, and in front of fans whose passion is like nothing else. India has given me friendships, lessons, and memories that have shaped me as a cricketer and as a person.”Related

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Du Plessis, who has 154 IPL appearances, did not rule out a return to the competition in the future.”Fourteen years is a long time, and I’m proud of what this chapter has meant to me. India has a special place in my heart, and this certainly isn’t goodbye – you’ll see me again,” he said.”This year, I’ve chosen to take on a new challenge and will be playing in the upcoming PSL season,” du Plessis said. “It’s an exciting step for me – a chance to experience something new, to grow as a player, and to embrace a league filled with incredible talent and energy. A new country. A new environment. A new challenge. I’m looking forward to the Pakistan hospitality.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In IPL 2025, du Plessis made 202 runs from nine games for Delhi Capitals, and even captained the team in two games when their regular captain Axar Patel was injured. However, he was released by the franchise ahead of the auction.Overall, du Plessis is the fourth-highest run-scorer among overseas players in the IPL. Apart from DC, he has played for Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rising Pune Supergiants, winning the title twice with CSK.Du Plessis has played in the PSL before, making six appearances between 2019 and 2021 for Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.While the IPL season will be played between March and May, it overlaps with the PSL, which is scheduled between April and May.

Eddie Howe didn’t name a weakened Newcastle United side against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday in the Champions League, despite the Tyne-Wear Derby looming large.

Indeed, the 48-year-old went full strength, as he picked the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon, even as his team’s tense showdown with Sunderland comes onto the overloaded fixture list on Sunday.

Going all out with his team selection didn’t mean a convincing win was forthcoming, though, as Newcastle’s frailties away from St James’ Park reared their ugly head once more in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.

Unfortunately, many of Howe’s top performers throughout the season struggled in Leverkusen, as an 88th-minute equaliser from Alejandro Grimaldo proved to be a sickening end to a night that was meant to boost the Toon’s confidence, before travelling to the Black Cats.

Newcastle's worst performers vs Leverkusen

It was a well-worked move that saw the Spanish defender slot home past Aaron Ramsdale, but the lax marking of the full-back will have angered Howe at the full-time whistle, as Tonali looked nowhere near his energetic best once more.

The Italian just casually jogged about the pitch when the move was being orchestrated, with the ex-AC Milan man also falling victim to a sluggish display on the ball when giving up possession eight times.

As journalist Luke Edwards put it at the close of the 2-2 draw, he’s meant to “bring control” to contests late on, but looked haphazard on the flip side.

Moreover, Howe could now be second-guessing whether Malick Thiaw should start what will surely be a heated contest at the Stadium of Light, with the clumsy German fortunate not to receive a red card when bringing down Patrick Schick early into the first half, just before he could fire a shot at Ramsdale’s net.

Thankfully, the 24-year-old evaded the referee’s wrath, with the hope that he can get back to his rock-solid best on Wearside, having further come up short uncharacteristically on three of his eight duels away from St James’ Park.

Guimaraes was also left red-faced during the clash when he unfortunately put an own-goal past an unsuspecting Ramsdale, but he did more than enough at BayArena to keep his first-team spot, as seen in him notching up a hefty five key passes, as per Sofascore.

The same, however, can’t be said for one of his declining teammates…

The Newcastle star who must now be axed

Hailed as an “unbelievably frustrating” night from a Toon persuasion by Sky Sports’ Andy Sixsmith, it will be intriguing to see what changes Howe makes to his starting XI now for the demanding Tyne-Wear face-off to come.

Chalkboard

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

Joelinton dropping out feels like an obvious alteration, as the underperforming number seven limped off with a clear injury issue on the hour mark.

To make matters worse for the waning Brazilian, his replacement, Lewis Miley, scored within 14 minutes of his introduction into the lively game, leading one content creator to state that the young Englishman has now “claimed his starting space.”

Minutes played

60

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

33

Shots

1

Accurate passes

20/23 (87%)

Key passes

0

Total duels won

2/9

Even if the lethargic South American didn’t have his injury issue to contend with, he would likely be fearful of the axe when looking at his poor numbers from the Leverkusen score draw in more detail, as the 29-year-old, who used to be known for his verve and determination centrally, ended up only winning two of his nine duels on the night.

On top of that, he also very much fell victim to fading in and out of the match, having come off at the hour mark with only 33 touches accumulated, unlike his midfield partners in Guimaraes and Tonali, who amassed a weighty 121 touches between them.

Even Ramsdale in between the sticks would tally up more touches, ending the 2-2 affair with a slightly higher 39.

Having lost his spark in the Premier League this season, too, with zero goals or assists next to his name from 13 league outings, it does feel like a straightforward swap to bring in Miley for some freshness against Sunderland, as the homegrown prodigy licks his lips at the prospect of facing the Toon’s fiercest rivals.

Dropping Joelinton is unlikely to be the only tweak at the Stadium of Light, as Howe does everything in his power to pick the strongest XI that hands his team the bragging rights on Sunday.

As bad as Tonali: £75k-p/w star had his worst game in a Newcastle shirt

This Newcastle star struggled in their 2-2 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen

ByJoe Nuttall 1 day ago

West Indies allrounder has worked on his fitness and skills to adapt to different conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-20252:59

Justin Greaves: ‘This is where I always wanted to be’

Allrounder Justin Greaves has called the progression from first-class cricket in the West Indies to Test cricket a “massive step up”.Greaves, 31, is coming off of a match-saving 202 not out against New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch. Chasing 531, he began his innings with West Indies 72 for 4 on the fourth day. Greaves batted for nearly nine and a hours and faced 388 balls to help them survive 163.3 overs and salvage a draw. He said that learnings from conversations with Jason Holder had helped improve his game.”It [Test cricket] is a massive step up from first-class cricket in the Caribbean,” Greaves said. “It’s a lot more demanding both physically and mentally. This is where I always wanted to be – so I had to change the way I train, both strength-and-conditioning and skill-wise. Enjoying it, learning as I go along.Related

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“If I can pick up some tips from the other successful allrounders around the world when we play against them, I pretty much do that. I lean on Jason Holder, who’s been around with the T20 squad when I’m here. I’ve dropped him a few messages in terms of finding out what he’s done to have the career he’s had in Test cricket so far.”Greaves was part of the West Indies Test teams that toured Australia in 2023-24 and Pakistan earlier this year. He has played 12 Tests so far. Travelling to and playing in different countries has required him to get stronger, eat better, and learn to be patient.”Everything had to change because it’s not easy being on the road [in] different conditions,” Greaves said. “When you’re at home, it’s pretty easy because you know pretty much all the conditions in the Caribbean, and then, coming overseas, playing cricket in Australia and then to Pakistan, and here now, in New Zealand, everything is different.”Adapting to that in the gym, getting stronger, eating better in terms of food, putting on a bit more muscle as well, and being a bit stronger; skill-wise, adding a bit more to my game; [while] batting – being a bit more patient because at this level, everything is not given to you. Bowling-wise, being the allrounder in the team, you can be bowling, and within an hour or two, you could be batting again. So, you’re putting your mind to it, and adapting to change.”Greaves will hope to build on this performance in the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which starts on Wednesday, with the three-match series locked at 0-0.

Alarm bells sounding because of manner of New Zealand loss, but there’s time yet to heed the lessons

Cameron Ponsonby02-Nov-2025It was 1:53am in Clapham when Ollie Pope stirred in his sleep. Something, somewhere, had happened. In truth, Ollie hadn’t been sleeping well for weeks. But he was awake now, so he rolled over to check his phone and see how the lads were getting on down in New Zealand. As he opened the scorecard, the wickets column ticked over. Jacob Bethell had just edged to Daryl Mitchell for 11, finishing the tour with 70 runs from five innings. Ollie put the phone down and slept soundly. He was going to be batting three at Perth. So what was the point of this tour? Was it building up to the Ashes or not? The only storyline that was meant to be at play was Bethell. He had six Pope-free hits to make the case that it should be him whom the white smoke announced as England’s chosen one. But since his ton against South Africa in September, he has kept getting out. In his nine international innings since that innings at Southampton, he has averaged 15.It is never beyond England to make a bold selection call, but Bethell isn’t quite the unknown, untouched prodigy he was a year ago. Across formats, he has 42 international innings under his belt and an average in the mid-30s. If England wanted a ‘my hands are tied’ decision to go for Bethell rather than Pope, they haven’t got it.That should have been it, narrative-wise, for England as they left New Zealand. But such was their historic batting combustion they created a new one. Across three matches, the top four made 84 runs across a combined 12 innings – the lowest combined tally in the history of ODI cricket.Related

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Batting conditions across all three matches were difficult, and the Black Caps made the most of them, bowling beautifully. But the one true test England need to overcome if they are to have any chance in Australia is to combat high-quality seam bowling, on lively pitches. And in that regard, they failed dramatically. It is also worth noting that this was a New Zealand attack without six seamers through injury. New Zealand ‘C’, wiping the floor with England ‘A’. It’s not brilliant.Brendon McCullum was bullish that those issues do not translate across formats: “I think in Test cricket we’ve found ways in various conditions to deal with seaming wickets.” But in the absence of high-intensity red-ball games in the lead-up to the Ashes, facing an international attack in a format that England say themselves they approach with the same kind of tempo that they use in Test cricket, this was arguably as good a preparation as they could have in the modern day.England will continue to get heat for not scheduling more warm-up matches for the Ashes. But short of somehow turning this trip into a red-ball series (England arranged an Test tour of New Zealand in 2023, so it could have been possible), the options in the current day and age are limited. Play too much cricket and you burn out your bowlers. Or, play, and face opponents and wickets a mile away from what you are preparing for. When England played a two-day match in Queenstown last year ahead of the New Zealand Tests, New Zealand’s PM’s XI had eight players with five or fewer first-class appearances to their name. The same was true when they last arranged external warm-up matches for an Ashes in 2017-18.”We’ll have no excuses come Australia,” McCullum summarised simply.Bethell’s bid for an Ashes berth should have been the major narrative of England’s tour•AFPThe players and staff know what is around the corner. As soon as the first loss on the tour came, those in line for Ashes appearances were no longer put up for press, with assistant coaches Marcus Trescothick and Jeetan Patel wheeled out instead. Journalists only want to ask about Australia and the risk-reward for England wasn’t in their favour. Similarly, players in general are reluctant to do any extra media that isn’t required, so as not to stoke the fires of a war of words in which there are only losers.England got an idea of what that extra spotlight will look like when they were filmed the night before the final ODI having a post-dinner drink. The leadership said from the offset that this tour was about fun and building a collegiate spirit in a white-ball group that rarely spends time together. There was no news story here, the headline would have read “Adult has beer after dinner”, but that is only true until someone sticks a camera in your face with no timestamps or context. Then, all of a sudden, it’s an Instagram caption that reads “England are on the piss”. You could, of course, make the argument that – given there were 21 nights on this tour – maybe on one of the three where you have a game at 2pm the next day you stay in and don’t let someone film you with a drink. But this group runs toward the danger.”Go harder,” Harry Brook says, shadow-batting with his pint glass.England will consider themselves better off for the slap on the wrist. A young group is going into the furnace with a ready-made example of what to expect over the next two months.Whether that is fair or not extends to the legacy of the coming series, where the facts are simple. If England win in Australia, this will be forgotten. But if they lose, it all started here. Is that fair? No. But is it the case? Yes.

West Ham are willing to take a significant financial hit by selling a mainstay player who hasn’t done enough to impress Nuno Espírito Santo, according to a new report.

West Ham enjoy mini Nuno revival ahead of Aston Villa clash

West Ham supporters have witnessed encouraging signs of recovery under Nuno, with the Hammers suffering just one defeat across their previous six fixtures as they prepare to face Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

The Portuguese’s impact has gradually manifested following a nightmare start that saw West Ham collect merely four points from nine Premier League matches.

Recent performances suggest Nuno has successfully identified solutions, with his side demonstrating renewed resilience.

Their latest outing saw them salvage a dramatic 1-1 draw at Brighton on Sunday, with Jarrod Bowen’s exceptional sliding finish almost securing all three points before Georginio Rutter’s controversial stoppage-time equaliser denied them.

Prior to that, West Ham fought back to claim a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Man United, with Soungoutou Magassa’s late intervention sending the travelling contingent into raptures.

The mini-revival includes other positive results against Newcastle, Burnley and Bournemouth, with only the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool interrupting their momentum.

That defeat was largely self-inflicted, as Lucas Paqueta received a bizarre red card for dissent that arguably cost them the game.

Saturday’s clash at home to Aston Villa represents another significant test. Unai Emery’s side currently sit third, just three points behind Arsenal following their recent victory over the Gunners, and some suggest they could well be outside title challengers.

Villa are also on a formidable run of form, winning seven of their last seven games in all competitions, with Emery’s last defeat coming at the very start of November.

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The Hammers sporting director played a key transfer role.

By
Emilio Galantini

6 days ago

It is a tall order for West Ham to upset the applecart, especially with Villa buoyed by their dramatic weekend win over the league leaders, so they’ll need every man at their very best.

That includes £40 million defender Max Kilman, who’s attracted criticism this season.

West Ham ready to take huge loss on Max Kilman

However, according to club insider Claret & Hugh, the Englishman might not be relied upon for very long.

It is believed that West Ham are willing to green-light Kilman’s departure for £25 million in January, representing a substantial £15 million loss on their record defensive acquisition signed just 18 months ago.

The 28-year-old arrived from Wolves last year as part of Julen Lopetegui’s extensive recruitment drive that witnessed ten players secured for £145 million.

However, few acquisitions from that recruitment spree have justified their substantial price tags.

Recent speculation linking Kilman with Crystal Palace has been dismissed by C&H sources close to the London Stadium hierarchy as fabricated transfer gossip.

Nevertheless, insiders have also confirmed that West Ham would immediately accept any legitimate £25m proposal, highlighting their eagerness to recoup finances on the struggling defender.

Kilman featured regularly under both Lopetegui and Graham Potter, establishing himself as an ever-present selection despite underwhelming performances.

The same can be said under Nuno, with the centre-back starting 13 out of West Ham’s 14 league matches this season and playing the third-most minutes out of any player in their squad.

However, Kilman has apparently ‘failed to impress’ Nuno in that time, and reports suggest that West Ham are in the market for a new centre-back next month.

Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, who was ‘close’ to joining in the summer, is believed to a top target for the club in that regard (ExWHUemployee).