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Former Granada and Osasuna manager Diego Martinez is reportedly eyeing up a move tot the Premier League, potentially replacing Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United eventually.

The Lowdown: Bielsa’s last season?

Bielsa has done a remarkable job at Elland Road, inspiring the Whites back into the Premier League and guiding them to ninth place last season.

The 2021/22 campaign has been a struggle so far, though, and with the Argentine’s contract expiring next summer, his future is unknown.

It could be that the 66-year-old signs another one-year extension, but equally, he may feel that he has taken Leeds as far as he can.

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The Latest: Martinez linked with Leeds

According to La Razon [via Sport Witness], Martinez is eyeing up a move to the Premier League, with the 40-year-old currently without a club.

It is then mentioned that he ‘could be the replacement’ for Bielsa at Leeds, having moved to England to learn the language. Indeed, the Spaniard has reportedly been endorsed by Victor Orta, which could also work in his favour.

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The Verdict: Ideal Bielsa successor?

The hope is that Bielsa remains in his post beyond this season given the job that he has done at Elland Road, but if not, Martinez could be an intriguing replacement.

The Spaniard achieved promotion to La Liga with Granada in his first season in charge and even topped the table for a brief period in 2019/20. He also has European pedigree, taking the club into the Europa League quarter-finals last season before being knocked out by Manchester United.

This highlights what he is capable of producing, but if he does replace Bielsa, hopefully it will not be for another while longer.

In other news, a Leeds player has suffered a potentially long-term injury. Read more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro foi multado em R$ 10 mil pelo Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) por conta da conduta dos torcedores celestes durante a final da Copa do Brasil, contra o Flamengo, no dia 27 de setembro. Na ocasião, um objeto arremessado em direção ao campo acertou a cabeça do médico do Rubro Negro, Márcio Tanure, causando sangramento. O fato foi relatado pelo árbitro Luiz Flávio de Oliveira na súmula da partida.

Apesar da punição, o Cruzeiro comemora a decisão, já que corria o risco de perder até dez mandos de campo e pagamento de multa de até R$ 100 mil, conforme o artigo 213 – inciso III, parágrafo 1º – do Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva que defende: “deixar de tomar providências capazes de prevenir e reprimir lançamento de objetos no campo de jogo”. Em sua tese, o advogado Teothônio Chermont, responsável pela defesa celeste sustentou o benefício de dúvida ao clube, mencionando a dificuldade de apontar um culpado entre 60 mil pessoas que comemoravam a vitória do Cruzeiro, também citando a dúvida sobre o objeto arremessado.

– A princípio gostaria de tratar toda essa dúvida colocada pela súmula e pelo depoimento. Entendo que a distinção de objetos é sim crucial no caso em tela até nos atenuantes. A súmula foi muito clara ao dizer que não se sabe se foi uma pedra. O depoimento do Dr Tanure deixou claro que não pode afirmar se foi atingido por uma pedra ou se foi uma pilha. Deve sim ser colocado o benefício da dúvida para o Cruzeiro. Houve o arremesso e o clube não conseguiu identificar o autor. Esse arremesso ocorreu após o jogo com mais de 60 mil pessoas eufóricas comemorando, o que torna quase impossível um policial identificar alguém. Para todos os fins não houve arremesso de pedras – relatou.

O auditor-relator do processo explicou seu voto.

– Houve o lançamento de objeto e foi de elevada gravidade. O depoimento do médico relatou que perdeu os sentidos, recebeu pontos. A defesa do Cruzeiro foi bem colocada, mas a situação gerou uma vítima e está consumado. Por esse fato meu voto é no sentido de aplicar somente pena de multa de R$ 20 mil – justificou.

Otacílio Araújo, também auditor, divergiu para aplicar multa de R$ 10 mil ao Cruzeiro. Seu voto foi acompanhado por Vanderson Maçullo e pelo presidente do STJD Sérgio Martinez.

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Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, has targeted winning at least one of the next two big ICC one-day tournaments, the Champions Trophy or the 2011 World Cup

Cricinfo staff14-Sep-2009

Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, has targeted winning at least one of the next two big ICC one-day tournaments, the Champions Trophy or the 2011 World Cup. Other goals he has set for his side are beating India and Australia in Test series.”Every captain has certain targets in mind, mine is that we must win either of these two major ICC events until I am captain,” Younis said during Pakistan’s conditioning camp in Karachi. “We also go to Australia later this year and we have never won a Test series there. I think we have the best chance of achieving this first time feat in the coming series.”He also hoped India and Pakistan would resume bilateral cricket, which was suspended after the Mumbai terrorist attacks last November. “I would love to lead the team in a full series against India as beating them would be a big achievement for me and a big plus in my career.”Younis has already led Pakistan to a major trophy, the World Twenty20 in England earlier this year, and was confident his squad was strong enough to achieve the targets he had set. “We have the players to win the Champions Trophy or World Cup and even beat Australia in Australia but we need to combine and click together.”Pakistan are drawn with India and Australia in the group phase of the Champions Trophy, but Younis was unfazed by the strong opponents. “When our team is clicking well and playing with confidence and on a high it does not matter how many teams we have in our group,” he said. “Even if they are six we can still qualify for the semi-finals.”Another person upbeat about Pakistan’s chances was Javed Miandad, who is coaching the team’s batsmen during the five-day camp. He, however, warned that the batting needed to be more consistent. “I think Pakistan has one of the best bowling attacks in the world,” he said, “and if they improve their batting they can win the Champions Trophy.”Miandad said that the problem with Pakistan batsmen was that some of them hadn’t mastered the basics of batting yet. “Some of them play strokes while running at the crease and some leave the stumps to hit a ball which are flaws and I am doing my best to tell them the basics.”Pakistan kick off their Champions Trophy campaign against West Indies on September 23 in Johannesburg.

Many Southampton fans have slammed the performance of Jan Bednarek in their 1-0 win away to Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men picked up a vital three points thanks to a lovely finish from Che Adams on the 20-minute mark, but a lot of Saints supporters were still unimpressed with the Poland defender’s performance.

The 25-year-old lost out on three of his duels and failed to block any shots, while he also lost possession of the ball on 12 different occasions in the match (SofaScore). In the closing minutes, he was turned all too easily by Ashley Fletcher, whose shot was brilliantly clawed away by Alex McCarthy to preserve victory for Southampton (Sky Sports).

It has led to some fans calling for summer signing Lyanco to come into the starting line-up instead of Bednarek, as they want to see more of their new recruit.

Southampton fans on Bednarek’s display

These Saints fans on Twitter were left slamming the Pole’s performance, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the defender was a ‘liability’ at Vicarage Road:

“Lyanco surely has to start from now on. Bednarek is becoming a liability at the back, if it wasn’t for the likes of Salisu and Tino mopping up for him.”

Credit: @EthanEvansSJ

“Bednarek is all over the place. No positioning awareness, just ball chasing”

Credit: @LH_SFC

“Bednarek’s form since that 9-0 to Manchester United has been absolutely awful.”

Credit: @andrew2021k

“Such a poor header from Bednarek”

Credit: @great_state

“Good half, Bednarek showing why Lyanco should be playing though. Switching off at vital moments! Top hit from Chele but should be 3 up!”

Credit: @Too_Jazzee

“Maya Yoshida wouldn’t have gotten away with half the errors that Jan Bednarek makes on a weekly basis.”

Credit: @_ScottWinter_

In other news, find out what Ralph Hasenhuttl comments have left these Saints unhappy

Crystal Palace will be aiming to convert their recent run of four consecutive draws into a victory when they take on Manchester City in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Eagles have made a promising start to life under Patrick Vieira, although the Frenchman will be keen for his side to get some more points on the board in the coming weeks.

Wilfried Zaha’s absence from the starting XI in Palace’s last two fixtures haven’t helped the Eagles’ cause, but the 28-year-old is expected to feature from the off at the Etihad Stadium after making a full recovery from illness.

In Friday’s press conference, Vieira confirmed that he has no fresh fitness concerns ahead of the tricky encounter against the Premier League champions, providing the 45-year-old with a significant selection boost.

However, he did confirm that Eberechi Eze is still unavailable following his Achilles injury from the end of last season.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Vieira to line up against Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens, with just one change from the team which started against Newcastle United last time out…

The ever-dependable Vicente Guaita will keep his place between the sticks for the south London outfit after a string of impressive performances.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper is set to be the same back four which has started the last seven games for Palace. Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen and Joel Ward are beginning to gel as a unit, providing a solid defensive foundation for the rest of the team.

It’s a similar situation in the midfield engine room. The addition of Conor Gallagher has been a revelation for the Eagles, and the experience of Luke Milivojevic and James McArthur alongside the 21-year-old makes for an effective trio.

It is in attack where Vieira has some big decisions to make as he looks to cause an upset against the reigning Premier League champions. Zaha is likely to feature from the off, so the £8.1m-rated Christian Benteke could drop to the bench despite scoring two goals in his last two games.

Summer signings Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise are likely to partner the Ivory Coast international in the final third, providing a potentially deadly forward line for Palace as both summer signings have made an impact in recent games.

In other news… Vieira could unearth CPFC gem in “quality” 19 y/o who has “so many strings to his bow”

Reliable European journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft has named former Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre as the “favourite” to replace Steve Bruce at Newcastle United.

What’s the story?

The Magpies confirmed earlier on Wednesday morning that Bruce had left the club via mutual consent, and that has naturally prompted the inevitable merry-go-round of manager names being linked with the job at St James’ Park.

And, according to Fjortoft, there is already a leading contender to replace Bruce.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “I understand Lucien Favre is the favorite to get the Newcastle job.”

Attacking football at St James’ Park

In his time at Dortmund, Favre enhanced his reputation as a manager who could get his side’s attacking pieces firing on all cylinders.

A passage that perfectly summarises his brand of football can be found on the Bundesliga’s official website, which said: “If Jürgen Klopp’s BVB played ‘heavy metal football’, Favre’s Dortmund are modern jazz: there’s a lot of room for improvisation and individual expression, but it’s within a well-defined framework that ensures all the pieces fit harmoniously.”

The Swiss coach took the club forward with an energetic, free-flowing style of football, with Favre’s side scoring 84 times throughout the 2019/20 campaign, a tally that was only second to Bayern Munich.

Given the fact he’s had experience managing one of German football’s biggest teams, taking on the prospect of managing Newcastle in this new era shouldn’t be as daunting as it would be for someone far less experienced.

Favre will know all about the pressure and expectation that comes with taking on a job at such a prestigious club, and his history of getting his teams to play attacking football bodes well for Magpies fans, who will surely be buzzing.

Meanwhile, George Caulkin has dropped some behind-the-scenes insight on PIF…

Andy Gray believes Tottenham would have already sacked Jose Mourinho if he was delivering the same results as Nuno Espirito Santo, claiming what the latter has done so far is ‘unacceptable’.

The Lowdown: Spurs struggling

After winning their first three Premier League games of the season 1-0 (Sky Sports), Spurs have since embarked on a terrible run of form.

They have been defeated in each of their previous three league outings, conceding three apiece against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Latest: Gray makes Mourinho claim

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, former Sky Sports pundit Gray, 65, believes Mourinho would have already been given his marching orders were his side on the same run of form. He said:

“If Mourinho had been in charge for these six games he wouldn’t be in a job, he wouldn’t be in a job.

“Then to lose 3-0, 3-0 and then 3-1 against Arsenal would have been unacceptable for Tottenham fans with Jose Mourinho in charge.”

The Verdict: Time needed

Gray’s sensationalist comment doesn’t quite ring true. Under Mourinho, Spurs’ worst record was four defeats in a row, shipping ten goals during that period (Transfermarkt). That run came in March 2020 and, while the early stages of the pandemic may have alleviated the pressure on the Portuguese boss, he remained in charge when the 2019/20 season resumed.

There are certainly big problems at Tottenham. However, Nuno cannot be blamed for all of them – it is hardly his fault that star player Harry Kane is out of form after failing to secure a move away from north London during the summer, failing to score a Premier League goal so far this campaign.

Ten matches in all competitions is hardly a long enough period to judge the new boss on and, unless Spurs want to get into a vicious cycle of instability, they must give him time to turn things around.

In other news, Espirito Santo provides this injury blow.

Boli Bolingoli was Celtic’s ‘best player’ against Livingston and has earned a start against Dundee United, Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider. 

The lowdown

Prior to last weekend, Bolingoli’s last action for Celtic had come in August 2020, when he made a three-minute substitute appearance against Kilmarnock.

The Hoops loaned him out to Turkish Super Lig outfit Istanbul Basaksehir after he broke coronavirus rules and ‘left club officials furious’ (via Sky Sports).

But Postecoglou restored him to the starting line-up for the 1-0 defeat at the Almondvale Stadium.

Having picked up a yellow card, he earned a SofaScore rating of 6.9/10. He won seven of his 13 duels and completed 85 of his 90 attempted passes.

Celtic will be looking to gain ground against Dundee United on Sunday, having slipped to sixth place in the Premiership table.

The latest

McAvennie says Bolingoli’s performance was one of the few positives he was able to take from Celtic’s loss.

He admired the Belgian’s commitment and reckons he has the edge on competitor Greg Taylor when it comes to the defensive side of the game.

“I will be honest, Bolingoli was the best player in that Celtic team, solid,” he said. “He defended really well. He was the only bright spark.

“I always liked him when he was playing, he is a better defender than Taylor.

“He was putting himself about and getting stuck in, that’s saying something because Celtic were awful.

“I think he has to start again this weekend.”

The verdict

Bolingoli was an unused substitute for Thursday’s cup win against Raith Rovers, with Adam Montgomery lining up at left-back. That could indicate that he was being rested with one eye on the weekend.

Perhaps the real indicator of Ange Postecoglou’s preferences will come in the week when Celtic face the trickiest fixture of the campaign so far – a Europa League group stage clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

Even if Bolingoli doesn’t make the cut, rotation in and around those fixtures should ensure he gets a decent number of minutes.

In other news, Celtic fans should read this intriguing Jack Wilshere claim.  

Sunderland have been handed a boost regarding the fitness of Arbenit Xhemajli.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by Chronicle Live, Lee Johnson revealed that the centre-back, who has been sidelined for almost a year due to a serious knee injury, has returned to full training with the Black Cats and will be eased back into action for the club’s U23 side in the coming weeks.

Regarding the current condition of Xhemajli, Johnson said: “Arbenit trained today, which was good. It was great to see him out there.

“Obviously, he is a bit of a way off, but he has trained properly for the last two days and that’s a real heartwarming thing to see because I know how hard he has had to work behind the scenes and how hard the physio department have had to work to get him to this point.

“I think we are still looking at a turn of the year timescale [for a first-team return]. But U23 games have got to be considered, probably over the next six weeks, I think that could be an option.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the fact that Xhemajli has made just one first-team appearance for Sunderland since his move to the Stadium of Light back in September 2020, the news that the defender is nearing a return to full fitness is sure to have fans of the club buzzing.

While the centre of defence is a position in which Johnson strengthened this summer, bringing in the likes of West Ham United defender Frederik Alves and Manchester City centre-back Callum Doyle on season-long loan deals, the return of a player who was originally brought into the club as a first-team regular is undeniably positive news for Johnson.

Indeed, Xhemajli’s addition to the 40-year-old manager’s options at the back will only further strengthen Sunderland’s promotion credentials this season, something which already appear to be in very good shape following a fantastic start to their 2021/22 League One campaign.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops update on off-field Sunderland development, it’s more good news

The ICC, ICL and BCCI failed to reach a resolution after a three-hour meeting in Johannesburg today on the unauthorised league’s request for official recognition. No further discussions are scheduled and the ICL’s application will be now be considered once again by the ICC executive board in April.David Morgan, the ICC president, described the failure of the discussions as unfortunate but said that the meeting was held in a friendly manner. “I am grateful to all parties for coming together with the best of intentions and the discussions took place in a friendly and cordial manner but, unfortunately, we were not able to come to a successful conclusion in our discussions,” said Morgan.The ICC board had previously discussed the ICL issue and mandated the BCCI to resolve it internally. However, talks between the BCCI and ICL failed last year, prompting the ICC to push for a resolution in the “best interests of the game”.While the ICC has made it clear that the matter has to be sorted out by the home board – the BCCI, in this case – Indian officials have stuck to their hardline stance on the unofficial league and banned all ICL cricketers from all forms of official cricket.The ICL has maintained that it would take the legal route if its application, under an ICC rule that allows ‘authorised unofficial cricket’, is rejected by the governing body. The ICL’s hopes for a legal resolution received a boost recently with the Sindh High Court in Pakistan ruling that Pakistani cricketers associated with ICL be allowed to play domestic cricket in that country.Over 150 cricketers from India, England, West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been signed up by ICL, which is now in its second year. However, the private league decided to cancel its World Series Twenty20 event for March due to the deepening economic recession and non-availability of Pakistan players following rising cross-border tensions.Apart from Morgan, today’s meeting was attended by Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, Subhash Chandra, the ICL owner, and Himanshu Mody, the private league’s business head.