All posts by h716a5.icu

What an opportunity this was for Tottenham Hotspur to break into the top four.

Fellow contenders Manchester United aren't in Premier League action this week and Aston Villa weren't playing until Sunday afternoon. A win for Ange Postecoglou's men, therefore, would have catapulted them into the Champions League places.

However, what ensued was arguably the worst performance of the Australian's reign in north London to date. Spurs never got out of the traps and were undone by one of the league's most in-form players Rodrigo Muniz who bagged a brace at Craven Cottage.

It was a weary old day for the Lilywhites, most notably Radu Dragusin who was making his first start in Tottenham colours.

Why Radu Dragusin was at fault against Fulham

This was precisely the eventuality the Romanian was signed in January for. If either Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven are injured, as the Dutchman was this weekend, the central defender could deliver a competent display.

Unfortunately, his maiden start under Postecoglou looked more like fellow compatriot Vlad Chiriches than it did Romero or Van de Ven.

Statistically, the centre-back didn't look horrendous, notably completing 90% of his passes, two interceptions and five clearances. That said, the eye test told us all we needed to know.

For the opener, albeit it was a truly spectacular ball from Antonee Robinson. Dragusin left Rodrigo Muniz – the scorer of two goals – in acres of space behind him.

Then, for the third, it was Muniz who reacted quicker than Spurs' winter signing to get to the ball and tap home from close range after Calvin Bassey's effort had thundered off the post.

Whenever Van de Ven returns, you would think it would mean a pretty immediate benching for Dragusin following this display.

Unfortunately for Postecoglou, he wasn't the only man to let him down this weekend.

Brennan Johnson's performance in numbers

It's taken a while for the £47.5m addition from Nottingham Forest to get going in Spurs colours but in recent weeks the forward looked a man worth that fee.

Johnson had scored against Aston Villa six days prior, registered two assists versus Crystal Palace and found the net against Brighton, all in his last four outings.

This was a return to type for the Englishman, however, with Tottenham fans perhaps left wondering why they'd paid so much money for an inconsistent figure.

Discussing the winger after the game. Football.London's Alasdair Gold handed him a lowly 4/10 match rating, writing: "Couldn't match his previous displays, hit one weak shot at the keeper and was poor with the ball although he should have had an assist for a ball across the face of goal that Werner should have tucked into the net."

Minutes played

80

Touches

48

Accurate passes

21/30 (70%)

Crosses

1/3

Duels won

1/5

Possession lost

15x

Key passes

2

Shots

2

Dribble attempts

0/2

Unlucky not to add to his seasonal assist tally, yes, but this was a display lacking the front-footed nature we've seen from Johnson of late.

The former Forest man lost possession 15 times throughout, once every five minutes and only won 1/5 of his duels. Furthermore, Johnson was successful with just one of his three cross attempts and still failed to score from 0.77 xG, the highest of any Tottenham starter.

With Werner breathing over his shoulder and poignantly, Richarlison returning from injury, it would not be a surprise if their big-money signing was given a breather after the international break.

Postecoglou has more ruthless options in his arsenal and for that, Johnson should be fearing over what has been a regular starting spot in the past few weeks.

There are already signs that the new head of high performance at Cricket Australia has brought a calmer outlook

Daniel Brettig13-Nov-2019Following seven stormy years in which Pat Howard stood atop Cricket Australia’s team performance wing with all the energy but also friction of a perpetual change agent, the appointment of Ben Oliver as the head of national teams for the governing body has been accompanied by a move into far calmer and contemplative waters.This coincides neatly enough with their respective characters: Howard a man very much of action, whether others liked that action or not, Oliver a far more measured and contemplative figure, for more than five years the quiet consigliere alongside Justin Langer’s Godfather-like leadership of Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers. As the brother of the laconic Castlemaine football product Stephen Oliver, he of several striking cameos for Carlton in the early 1990s, Ben Oliver played as an allrounder for Victoria and Tasmania, before injuries led him through jobs with Cricket Victoria, CA, and the ICC before the WACA.As a product of so many cricketing backgrounds, he brings welcome empathy to a realm that had, since 2011, been known as much for debate as collaboration, with disconnection between the states and CA, its national teams and programs being a long-running issue. In stepping directly from WA to CA, Oliver has joined Langer and the new senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald in knowing both worlds, and it is no surprise to hear him speak repeatedly of the need for “connection”.ALSO READ: A lot to learn about mental health issues – Cricket Australia’s Ben Oliver”That’s an important part of being able to connect Australian cricket and really unite and inspire the high performance system,” Oliver said of appointing McDonald. “Really pleased that’s fallen the way it has, I think Andrew will be an outstanding person within the team, he comes with great leadership experience and a really strong set of values”He’s an excellent communicator, great passion for the game, exceptional work ethic and he’ll bring some really interesting experiences to the coaching group in support of Justin and the players. I think it’s important we keep finding ways to connect our domestic cricket with our Australian teams and that’s an example of how that’s coming to be.”Asked what has struck him as uniquely difficult about the job, Oliver points quickly to the schedule. In the case of CA adopting an improved domestic program for 2019-20, marrying Sheffield Shield more closely to domestic limited-overs games while tightening the BBL, Oliver can see the sort of progress long wished for at international level.”The schedule is a complex challenge, inherently within that there’s likely to be trade-offs from time to time,” he said. “That’s one thing we’ve got to keep working on and keep finding a path through. Pleasingly that’s landed very well this domestic season, Peter Roach and his team have done an excellent job in picking up on some of the recent feedback from state and territory associations, from players, from CA staff. So the domestic schedule this year is very positive.”As Langer’s longtime offsider in WA, Oliver had to cope with the competing demands of state and BBL teams and the wider needs of the state association and CA. He is working assiduously at ensuring that the movement of players between one level and the next is smooth and also attentive to their needs.Ben Oliver during his playing days for Victoria•Getty ImagesIn choosing McDonald, Oliver has worked to establish a core coaching group that will remain more or less consistent across formats, with the conditional and tournament based additions of other experts. Short stints by the likes of Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey will be a consistent thing depending on what Langer and McDonald need.”One of the shifts is creating a coaching group around the men’s team that consists of some core leaders within that group who are really driving the team’s culture and the team strategy and that are consistent across the three formats,” Oliver said. “Then really complementing that with some other expertise from a specialist skill coach perspective or a mentor coach perspective.”In terms of how it’s shaping up that’s a subtle shift. For the Test summer, I’m really excited about the fact we’ve got Graeme Hick in there, Troy Cooley in there and Sridharan Sriram supporting Justin and Andrew. A really strong group of coaches, but that’ll evolve as we work our way through different series and tournaments.”In contrast, there has been no shift in the structure of the selection panel. While Langer and the chairman Trevor Hohns are soon to be joined by another selector, likely with more contemporary, T20 era experience, they will remain in classical operation, rather than slimming down to a more coach empowered model. The difference Oliver wants is more attitudinal than structural: connection again.”There are a number of views on selection structures and that was certainly part of the initial considerations in terms of our next step,” he said. “Ultimately we feel as though a three-person panel will continue to serve our needs. The critical part here is making sure we get a really aligned but complementary set of skills on the panel and that we’re really connected to our state, territory BBL and WBBL network.”Langer, it seems increasingly likely, will be given respite by having McDonald work as head coach at times, though Oliver hesitated to suggest a clearer succession plan was now in place. “No doubt that being head coach of the Australian cricket team across three formats is a challenging task, an incredible workload, and we’ve got to continue to find ways to support Justin in that as we need to do with our players and other staff who are working across all three formats,” he said. “There’s an element of that, and I’m very comfortable we’ve got Andrew in that role.”In terms of the future, I think that’s something that will just evolve as we understand the schedule and the demands of the role and as the world around us continues to change, we’ll need to be agile and creative in the way we set up our coaching team.”And as for the so commonly discussed area of fast bowler management, Oliver said that he and his high performance colleague Drew Ginn were looking at taking on many views from around the game, in pursuit of what will ultimately look like a far more individually tailored management plan for each bowler, as opposed to the “broad-brush” theories so often thrown around.”That’s a really healthy place to be, something that’s important for our game, for our teams, for the individual players to keep finding the best way to prepare our pace bowlers. Also to allow them to recover and prepare again,” he said. “So it is about balancing the different considerations that exist around management of pace bowlers, but if you were really to strip it right down, what we’re trying to achieve is the best preparation for our players for each match and series and year and keep building on that. I think we can often get caught up in the detail, but we’re very open about the fact we’re continuing to learn.”Calm and considered, with a wealth of cricket behind him, it seems likely that any Oliver-led revolutions will be of the quieter kind.

Harry Kane is “ready to fight again in an England shirt” after attracting criticism at Euro 2024 and enduring another painful trophy failure.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Striker claimed share of Golden BootReplaced in semi-final & finalTwo caps short of reaching 100GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Bayern Munich striker, who carried a knock into his latest tournament appearance, scored three goals and claimed a share of the Golden Boot on European Championship duty. He helped the Three Lions to another final appearance, but suffered the same fate as back in 2021.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

England slipped to a dramatic 2-1 defeat against Spain, with Kane once again replaced by Ollie Watkins during the second half. Questions have been asked of his contribution to the collective cause on a regular basis, with the 30-year-old frontman refusing to stay up top and run beyond opposition defenders.

WHAT KANE SAID

Kane is, however, determined to start righting a few wrongs at international level – while opening his own personal trophy account – and has said on social media: “Heartbroken we couldn’t achieve what we worked so hard to. It was a long tough tournament and I’m so proud of the boys and staff for getting to the final. Ultimately we fell short of our target and will have to live with that but as we always do we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and be ready to fight again in an England shirt. Thank you to all the fans that believed in us and supported us to the very end!”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT?

Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer, with 66 goals recorded through 98 appearances. He will be hoping to become a centurion when figuring in Nations League plans, with it yet to be determined whether Gareth Southgate will be staying on to oversee that campaign and qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Former Manchester United coach Eric Ramsay has revealed what it's like to work with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Eric Ramsay worked with Ten Hag until MLS moveReveals he learned a lot from the DutchmanBut could not turn down U.S. offerWHAT HAPPENED?

Ramsay worked alongside Ten Hag at Manchester United before moving on to MLS side Minnesota United in February 2024. He became the youngest-ever coach in MLS at the age of 32 when he made the switch and says he learned a lot from the Dutchman during their time together at Old Trafford.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ten Hag wanted to keep hold of Ramsay and admitted it was "not a good time in the season" for him to leave when he waved farewell to the Red Devils in February. The Dutchman's future at United was uncertain for long periods of last season before he guided the Red Devils to an impressive FA Cup win over Manchester City.

WHAT RAMSAY SAID ABOUT TEN HAG

He told the : "For sure, I took loads from working with Erik. A really impressive guy with a real sense of strength and conviction. Watching Erik from a step removed, dealing with the enormity of what you have at Manchester United when things aren’t going well, that was really helpful. It’s how you deal with these moments that are absolutely decisive in whether you can keep a group going and how far you go as a coach."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHY RAMSEY LEFT MAN UTD FOR MLS

Ramsey also also revealed why he had left the Red Devils for a new challenge in the United States: "I just felt that it was one I couldn’t turn down. However it pans out here and when it comes to an end, I know I will be significantly better for having had this experience. It’s been everything I wanted it to be so far. I can say safely that even after five months that I feel twice as capable as I would have done had I stayed there. There’s probably never going to be a point where I look back and say, 'I should perhaps have stayed at Manchester United a touch longer.'

"I had a couple of chances to go during the course of Erik’s time, and I’d always taken them to him first. He was a very good person to talk to in that sense. He’s very honest and has also got that mentoring side to him. When this came up, as much as there was an appetite for me to stay, he could see the value in the opportunity. We had a couple of long conversations about it and I was really thankful that he enabled me to go because it was an awkward time in the season for them. I was really thankful from watching over here that it all panned out as it did because I certainly wouldn’t want to have seen it go any other way."

Liverpool are back in action after what felt like an endless international break and will host Brighton & Hove Albion as they seek to continue their bid for the Premier League title.

Jurgen Klopp might have watched his complacent side crash out of the FA Cup against rivals Manchester United two weeks ago but the Reds trail first-placed Arsenal only on goal difference in the league standings, with the Gunners heading to the Etihad Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

Injuries have threatened to blight an enthralling campaign – Klopp's last as Liverpool manager – but the farewell parade remains firmly charted for success after a testing few months that have seen the Carabao Cup clinched and the quest for the Europa League enter the last eight stage.

Curtis Jones could return after a near-two-month layoff, while Ibrahima Konate will be hoping to start after missing the past few fixtures. Andy Robertson picked up an issue with Scotland but fears of a long-term problem have been allayed and the former Hull City ace could be involved.

With this in mind, Klopp could make three changes to the team that succumbed to defeat at the Theatre of Dreams before the international break.

1 GK – Caoimhin Kelleher

Klopp described Caoimhin Kelleher as "the best no.2 in the world" after his stellar showing against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, but the biggest testament that can given to the Irishman is that Alisson Becker's absence hasn't really been felt, not to a great degree.

Brighton have taken the sixth-most shots in the league this term, more than Manchester United, and he will need to be focused against slick, confident opposition.

2 RB – Conor Bradley

The cascade of academy talent that has shot onto the scene for Liverpool this season is emblematic of the progress made under Klopp's management over the past several years, and while there have been many high-level prospects break through this season, none have been better than Conor Bradley.

Jarell Quansah has the makings of a high-class centre-back, while Bobby Clark is an exciting and elegant midfielder, but the 20-year-old Bradley has been sensational, posting a goal and five assists since January.

3 CB – Ibrahima Konate

Ibrahima Konate has missed the past few games for Liverpool but he should return to the starting line-up against Roberto De Zerbi's men.

Joel Matip's season-ending injury back in December could have been detrimental to Liverpool's campaign but the Frenchman has come on leaps and bounds.

4 CB – Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk fell by the wayside last season but the captain's armband appears to have pumped fresh life into those prodigious legs, with the Netherlands star heralded for his "absolutely immense" displays by The Athletic's James Pearce.

5 LB – Joe Gomez

Robertson might have avoided serious injury but would be wise for Klopp to opt for the prudent route, especially with a non-stop run of fixtures forthcoming.

Right-back

19

0

1

Left-back

15

0

1

Centre-back

5

0

1

Defensive midfield

2

0

0

Luckily, Joe Gomez has been in fine form this season across a range of positions, with the England international's energy and multi-faceted skill set perfect for countering a possession-heavy Brighton threat.

6 DM – Wataru Endo

What a player. He collects. Calm. Composed. Wataru Endo knows his surroundings, instinctively. Crisp passing, tough tackling, alert movement. He gets it.

Surprisingly signed from Stuttgart for £16m last summer, the Japan international is proving to be one of the shrewdest additions to Klopp's tenure. And that's saying something.

7 CM – Alexis Mac Allister

Signed from Brighton last summer, Alexis Mac Allister will be key in taking control in a vital midfield battle, with the 25-year-old so influential as the kernel of Klopp's system.

As per Sofascore, the 2022 World Cup winner has scored three goals and supplied four assists across 23 Premier League matches this season, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.2 key passes, 2.8 tackles, 5.7 successful duels and 5.9 ball recoveries per game.

8 CM – Ryan Gravenberch

Having ebbed and flowed from form since joining Liverpool last summer, Ryan Gravenberch will be hoping to hit a vein of consistency over the final few months of the campaign.

The £120k-per-week "magician" that is Dominik Szoboszlai – as talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed the Hungarian – might sit on the bench to accommodate Gravenberch, and with the games coming thick and fast, this might not be a bad call.

9 RW – Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah is fit and firing once again and he will play an instrumental part in Liverpool's success over the coming fixtures.

As per FBref, the Egyptian ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 1% for assists and the top 20% for progressive passes per 90.

He's clinched eight goals and seven assists across 14 matches against the Seagulls, including a brace in the reverse fixture this term, back in October.

10 LW – Luis Diaz

Luis Diaz has been in fine fettle of late and while he's a tad wasteful in front of goal, this fleet-footedness and electric movements down the left channel will be crucial, stretching the Albion backline and allowing his peers to find space and strike on goal.

New Zealand wicketkeeper set to play first nine games of 2020 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2019Lancashire have signed New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling as an overseas player for the first nine Championship games of next season.Watling, 34, has been a prolific run-scorer in Test cricket in recent years. He compiled a maiden double-hundred against England last month, and has scored more runs as designated wicketkeeper than anyone else this decade.His time at Old Trafford will be Watling’s second stint in county cricket after a two-game spell at Durham last year. He was signed for the side’s promotion run-in, though by the time he arrived any hopes of going up had been dashed by other results.Paul Allott, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “To have someone of BJ’s calibre on board for the first nine County Championship games of the season is fantastic and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Emirates Old Trafford.”We identified a top-order batsman as a priority in the overseas player market and BJ fits the bill perfectly. His first-class and Test record is exceptional and he adds valuable experience to the batting line-up.”Watling said: “I am delighted to have signed for Lancashire. I enjoyed my first taste of English domestic cricket last year with Durham and I’m looking forward to getting started at Emirates Old Trafford in the New Year.”It’s important to start quickly and I hope I can contribute towards plenty of wins in the first nine games to help the Red Rose challenge towards the top of Division One.”

Allrounder asked for a break from Test cricket after being dropped following the first Ashes Test

George Dobell16-Jan-2020Moeen Ali has claimed he is “refreshed and ready to go” after taking a break from international cricket, but says he has yet to make a decision on whether he will return to Test cricket for England’s tour of Sri Lanka in March.Moeen, who asked for a break from Test cricket after being dropped following the first Ashes Test, has now admitted he was suffering from “burn-out” and felt he had become “one of the first guys to get the blame” when England lost.And while he says “no timeframe” has been put on a possible Test return, he has said that “when I’m ready, I’ll be back for sure”.”I felt burnt out,” Moeen told the BBC Cricket Social. “I felt tired mentally and physically. I needed this break to recharge my batteries and work on a few things on my game. And to just find that hunger and love for the game again.”It’s not something people would normally do. Especially after you’ve just won the World Cup and the Ashes are playing. I was doing quite well before that. It was tough. But I knew it was the right thing to do.”A lot of people could see I probably needed a break. It’s easy to just carry on, keep going and almost dig a deeper hole at times. But I just wanted to step back from it. I started reading about my faith a bit more. And I started taking interest in other things rather than focusing on cricket 24/7.”I love being away and travelling and playing cricket. But it was almost too much and it needed to take a bit of a back seat. I can put my cricket to one side. It’s not my be-all and end-all. I’ve more than cricket in my life and I wanted to spend time being normal in the winters.”A lot of the time if we lose I feel I am one of the first guys to get the blame for it. Yes, there have been days when I have not had good games but I feel sometimes it is easy to point the finger at me. It did get to me and that was one of the reasons why I needed to step back from Test cricket. I felt like I was drained from it all. But I have got to become a stronger person for that as well. It is difficult, but I will be fine.”Moeen will join up with the England limited-overs squad in South Africa in the next couple of weeks, and he says he will “probably” come to a conclusion about the Sri Lanka tour after talks with the England management in South Africa.”I’m not sure yet [about going to Sri Lanka],” he said. “I’m going to go to South Africa now for the one-day stuff and I will probably decide there. I’ll speak to a few people.ALSO READ: Broken rib was ‘most pain on a cricket field’ – James Anderson”I’ll definitely come back when I feel ready. England – the ECB – have been amazing in terms of support and they fully understand where I’m coming from. Playing all forms of the game is not the easiest thing at the moment as we play so much cricket.”There’s no time frame. When I’m ready I’ll come back for sure. But I know I’ve got to fight for and earn my spot again. Which I’m looking forward to. I’ve missed being around the guys and being on tour. I missed the banter with the boys. But I know, in the long run of my career, I needed this break.”While Moeen insisted he still “definitely” saw Test cricket as “the pinnacle” of the sport, he suggested that playing franchise cricket had helped him improve his game and recover his confidence after losing the Test part of his ECB central contract.”When that contract was taken I had a few approaches from franchise cricket which is great because you feel valued,” he said. “It was just the intensity of Test cricket was too much at the time. I have still got to earn some money, even though it is not all about the money. You want to play a good standard of cricket. I felt valued when all the leagues came in for me.”For me it is enjoying my cricket. I bat up the order [and] bat low down for England and I want to improve my batting and bowling before I come back and I want to come back a better player I was.”

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea side will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins this evening when they travel to face bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

The Blues come into the encounter off the back of a hard-fought and impressive 4-3 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, with the in-form forward Cole Palmer bagging a hat-trick.

However, Chris Wilder's side look set for an immediate return back to the Championship, with the Blades currently on just 15 points, ten points from safety and without a win in five outings.

Chelsea will be looking to close the gap on eighth-placed Newcastle United, who currently sit four points ahead of the Blues, but will still have a game in hand after Sunday's trip to Yorkshire.

However, despite the comeback win against Erik ten Hag's side in midweek, one Blues player must be dropped by Pochettino after his below-par display, allowing a talented youngster to replace him in the starting lineup.

The man who needs to be dropped vs Sheff Utd

Centre-back Benoit Badiashile produced an awful display against the Red Devils, with the Frenchman receiving a 3/10 rating from Evening Standard journalist Nazaar Kinsella.

While midfielder Moises Caicedo was at fault for United's opening goal, 23-year-old Badiashile had a great opportunity to tackle forward Alejandro Garnacho before he scored, but for whatever reason, he failed to make any sort of intervention, with the Argentine pulling one back for his side.

The 6 foot 4 defender's sloppy performance didn't stop there, with the former AS Monaco man giving the ball away for the 19-year-old's second of the evening, which gave ten Hag's side a real route back into the encounter.

Whilst having a 91% pass accuracy, Badiashile failed to win any tackles, with the centre-back looking out of his depth at the back for Pochettino's side.

The man to replace Badiashile

Despite spending over £1b on new additions since the takeover by Todd Boehly, the Blues may turn to a young talent from the academy to replace Badiashile at Bramall Lane.

The "unbelievable" Alfie Gilchrist, as described by Chelsea legend John Terry, joined the Blues as an 11-year-old back in 2014, with the youngster making a handful of appearances for the club's first team.

20-year-old Gilchrist is yet to start a Premier League game for his boyhood club, with the centre-back making seven substitute appearances since his first league outing in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace back in December.

However, he has made three starts in the FA Cup, with the youngster having three starts against Preston, Aston Villa and Leeds United.

Badiashile's poor form coupled with Sheffield United's lowly league position should see Pochettino hand the youngster a first Premier League start, with today a great opportunity for Gilchrist to stake his claim for a starting position at the heart of the Blues' defence.

Arne Slot explained why he wasn't completely happy with Liverpool's performance during their pre-season tour in the United States.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Liverpool beat Man Utd 3-0 on SundaySlot yet to be completely satisfiedReds play final pre-season game against SevillaWHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds capped off their pre-season tour of the United States with a convincing 3-0 win over rivals Manchester United on Sunday courtesy of goals from Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones and Konstantinos Tsimikas.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

However, despite winning all three of their pre-season games in the US, manager Arne Slot was not completely happy with his team's performances as he pointed out the areas where his players need to improve ahead of the upcoming 2024/25 campaign.

WHAT ARNE SLOT SAID

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the United clash, the Dutch coach was asked if he was satisfied with the team's performance to which he replied, "Yes, I was – but not with all of them. We are very happy with the result, we scored some really nice goals. But I don't think we had enough control over the game because United were threatening us more than a few times. It's a 3-0 win but the score could have been different tonight as well."

When asked about his overall impression of the US tour, Slot added, "Very positive, I think. Of course the results, that's where everybody is looking at. But players stayed fit and they are able to perform in the way we want, so [a] high-intensity game.

"We saw some great goals during this tour, some great build-up situations and I see them working really, really hard not to concede. Like I said, today I think we gave away too many chances, United deserved more than a 3-0 loss. But it's also our quality that we do score our own chances."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

The Merseyside club will play their final pre-season friendly at Anfield on August 11 against Sevilla before kicking off the new season on August 17 against newly promoted Ipswich Town.

India are currently on top of their group with two wins in two games

The Report by Varun Shetty24-Feb-2020India put on another adroit performance while defending a total, using smart bowling combinations to suffocate Bangladesh’s chase after squandering a brilliant start with the bat. Player-of-the-Match Shafali Verma’s 17-ball 39 anchored an innings that fell apart in the middle, but a late cameo from Veda Krishnamurthy helped India put up 142. Bangladesh had little in the way of partnerships as they set about this chase as they were stifled by Poonam Yadav’s 3 for 18 and Shikha Pandey’s 2 for 14 to fall short by 18 runs. India are currently top of their group with two wins in two games.No Mandhana, but India have their best powerplayHarmanpreet Kaur said at the toss that India had wanted to bat first and put up a decent score, a task that would be made slightly more difficult in the absence of opener Smriti Mandhana, who was out with a viral fever. In her place, 16-year-old Richa Ghosh was brought in, but it was wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia who opened with Verma.While Bhatia was out second over, Verma continued her impressive march at the senior level. It began with medium pacer Jahnara Alam going around the wicket straight away to her in the first over, allowing her room to free her arms and slap one with the wind to clear the deep cover fielder. She also cleared long-on off Salma Khatun in the next over, before cashing in even more on Alam’s extra width, as she struggled to cope with Verma’s vicious on-the-up hitting from both over and around the wicket.She welcomed Panna Ghosh with a dominant straight six, first ball of the sixth over and was batting on 39 off 15 at that point. But a similar attempt two balls later came off the toe end and she was dismissed at mid-off, a catch taken off the second attempt. India were 54 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, their highest powerplay score in T20Is.Familiar storyIndia’s long-winding battle with figuring out middle-overs batting would resurface once more. Jemimah Rodrigues looked assured and free-flowing, without being too boisterous – almost as if her role was to see India into the 20th over. She was helped twice at the long-on boundary, where sweetly-struck drives that were hit straight to the fielders ended up turning into boundaries. Misfields were a potent feature, unfortunately, for Bangladesh, but they still managed to apply the brakes on India through run-outs. First Rodrigues fell short coming back for a second against the throw from deep cover. Then, a comical mix-up between Deepti Sharma and Veda Krishnamurthy, who got in such a tangle that they were both hurtling towards the same crease, in a race with each other that the latter won.Deepti Sharma and Veda Krishnamurthy scramble for the same end after a mix-up•Getty ImagesPreceding both the run-outs were the dismissals of Kaur – hitting a loose flap to a short and wide delivery from Panna – and Richa, who holed out to long-on.India were 114 for 6 at the end of the 17th over, and it took a cameo from Krishnamurthy to inject some pace to the innings. Krishnamurthy, a senior who has struggled for substantial scores recently, was batted at No. 7 on Monday. Her four boundaries helped India to 142.India apply the pressureIndia began with the offspin of Sharma, the medium pace of Shikha Pandey, and the left-arm spin of Rajeshwari Gayakwad. At the end of a modest powerplay that brought 33 for the loss of Shamima Sultana, India brought on Arundathi Reddy as well. The first ten overs brought only 60 for Bangladesh, and Poonam Yadav had bowled only of those overs.A little too much to getYadav’s slowness had been a big factor in Australia’s struggle to attack her on Friday during their defeat. With 83 to get off the last ten, and three Yadav overs remaining, Bangladesh were going to have some struggles too. Sanjida Islam certainly had those, trying to drag her behind square from outside off only to get an inside edge to Bhatia that was confirmed on replay in the 11th over. Fargana Hoque was caught swiping across next over too, and Bangladesh were reeling at 66 for 4 in the 12th over.However, Nigar Sultana kept Bangladesh in the game by ruthlessly putting away bad deliveries, like the two short ones she got from Reddy in the 10th over that were carved either side of point. Deliveries down leg side from spin and pace were dealt with in similar vein, but the best shot was a flowing drive through the covers against Gayakwad, inside-out after stepping out.Bangladesh were given reprieves throughout the innings, with India dropping at least three catchable chances. But a partnership never came. In the 16th over Yadav dismissed Fahima Khatun, caught at square leg trying to sweep, and Gayakwad had Nigar in identical fashion to follow that. They managed only 64 in the second half of the innings.