A major shake-up of the women’s game in England could reportedly lead to the League Cup competition being scrapped and removed from the calendar.
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Chelsea lifted the trophy in 2025Arsenal are seven-time winnersRevamp of calendar is plannedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The competition has formed part of the domestic schedule since 2011, as it was introduced alongside the launch of the Women's Super League. Prior to that, top-flight sides had been challenging for major silverware in the Women’s Premier League Cup.
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The current format of the tournament is now in doubt as reports that "the Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd, the organisation responsible for the Women’s Super League and Championship, explores possible league expansion and reviews competition structures".
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Title sponsors Subway have a two-year deal in place, but the "WPLL has been extremely transparent with the company as it explores changes to the game". The WPLL “will consult clubs, the Football Association, fans and players on all alternatives under consideration”.
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Chelsea savoured League Cup glory for a third time when seeing off Manchester City in the 2025 final. Across 14 stagings of the competition, only Chelsea, City and Arsenal have emerged triumphant – with the Gunners lifting the trophy on a record-setting seven occasions.
Gareth Taylor's side didn't have things all their own way in north London, but battled hard to come away with all three points
Aoba Fujino scored the winning goal with 12 minutes to play as Manchester City beat Tottenham 2-1 to maintain their hopes of securing a top-three finish in the Women's Super League, and the Champions League qualification that comes with it.
Fujino, who also teed up the first goal for Vivianne Miedema with superb skill, slammed in a left-footed effort to break Spurs hearts after a spirited performance.
The hosts had plenty of joy, equalising in the first half through Bethany England, but were eventually beaten after wasting a series of good attacking openings.
GOAL rates City's players from Brisbane Road…
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Goalkeeper & Defence
Ayaka Yamashita (6/10):
Made a late save to preserve her side's win having been unable to do anything to stop England's goal. Also contributed to City's ball-playing style.
Kerstin Casparij (6/10):
A solid performance, providing a platform for Fujino down City's right and contributing to the attack herself at times as well.
Naomi Layzell (5/10):
Often relied upon to mop up after City's mistakes when playing out from the back, but also made a couple of her own as the centre-backs were targeted.
Laia Aleixandri (4/10):
Seemed to be taking even more risks than Layzell and was eventually robbed of possession for Spurs' equaliser. Mistakes always felt possible when City were playing out.
Leila Ouahabi (5/10):
Also part of an unconvincing defensive display, but did not make as many errors as some of her team-mates.
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Midfield
Laura Blindkilde Brown (6/10):
Occasionally played with fire on the ball, but also produced a couple of lovely moments to link up with Fujino.
Yui Hasegawa (5/10):
Another who struggled in possession as Spurs swarmed all over City as they tried to play out.
Vivianne Miedema (8/10):
Scored City's opener with a superb header before later blocking a goal-bound effort in her own six-yard box.
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Attack
Aoba Fujino (9/10):
City's match-winner. Produced a superb assist for Miedema before cutting in on her left foot to score the winner 12 minutes from time. Clearly the standout player on the pitch.
Khadija Shaw (6/10):
Worked hard but was unable to really get into the game before being taken off midway through the second period.
Kerolin (7/10):
Did not shine quite as much as Fujino, but was a threat down the left and dovetailed nicely with Ouahabi.
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Subs & Manager
Mary Fowler (7/10):
Produced a couple of clever touches down the left as her side upped the ante after the second-half subs.
Jill Roord (7/10):
Teed up Park for a late chance to seal the points with a clever piece of skill and cross.
Jess Park (6/10):
A little quieter, but still played her part in a strong finish to the game for City.
Gareth Taylor (7/10):
City have a clearly-defined style and won this game with their subs, which Taylor deserves plenty of credit for. He won't forget the problems his side faced in the first 60 minutes, though.
England Women will play a five-day Test match against Australia as part of an Ashes campaign in 2023 in which they will return to the country’s major venues. It will be only the second scheduled women’s Test of that length, after Australia hosted England at North Sydney Oval in 1992.The Test will take place at Trent Bridge, beginning June 22, and will be the first match of a multi-format points-based series set out across a number of major venues. Three T20Is at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s follow, before three ODIs in Bristol, the Ageas Bowl and Taunton. As has been the case for several campaigns now, the white-ball matches will be worth two points each, with four on offer for the winners of the Test.It is a seminal moment in English women’s cricket, stepping up off the back of the success of the women’s Hundred and the Commonwealth Games this summer, both of which have shown that the audience and appetite for the game in this country is only going one way.Later this week, England play their first bilateral ODI at Lord’s since 2014, against India on Saturday, and that theme will continue in 2023 with Trent Bridge hosting their first international women’s match since 2000.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Meanwhile Edgbaston, Lord’s and the Kia Oval will all be hosting their first Women’s Ashes T20Is. The England and Wales Cricket Board have taken a page out of the Hundred’s book by allowing both men’s and women’s Ashes to run concurrently next summer.Heather Knight, England’s captain who scored a century in the drawn Ashes Test at Canberra in January, and whose team ran out of time to force victory over South Africa in a rain-affected four-day match this summer, told the PA news agency that this moment had been a long time coming.”I’m so happy,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been banging the drum for five days for a long time, so it’s a special moment. It feels like the right time, for five days, for bigger grounds, and it feels like it’s been a long time coming. Last year’s South Africa Test was set up nicely but withered out because of rain and it wasn’t given the chance to finish, so this is a really good step by the boards.”The women’s series will begin a week after the men face Australia for the first of five matches at Edgbaston, beginning on June 16, before fixtures at Lord’s, Headingley, Emirates Old Trafford and the Kia Oval.Ben Stokes’ side will begin their red-ball summer against Ireland at Lord’s in a four-day match starting on June 16. The World Test Championship final is scheduled between those matches, and will be hosted at the Kia Oval in June. It was also confirmed that Lord’s, who had originally been expecting to host the showpiece event, will get to do so in 2025.As expected, the month of August has largely been saved for the Hundred, with the only international match coming on August 30 when England’s men begin a exclusively white-ball diet of four T20is and four ODIs against New Zealand. Ireland then return for three one-dayers in September as Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott look to fine-tune their plans ahead of the 50-over World Cup in India in the winter of 2023. Meanwhile Heather Knight’s team will play three T20is and three ODIs against Sri Lanka.Clare Connor, the ECB’s interim CEO, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be hosting two Ashes series in 2023, as well as hosting Ireland Men, New Zealand Men and Sri Lanka Women.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
“Next summer will be huge for England Women and England Men. There are few events more special in English sport than a home Ashes series and I know that Heather, Ben, and their teams, will be excited and driven by the challenge of regaining the Ashes.”I am particularly delighted that we have announced our England Men and England Women’s fixtures side by side for the first time, meaning that supporters can enter the ballot or register interest for any fixture on the same day. June and July will be very special months for cricket in this country with the buzz of two Ashes series taking place simultaneously.”The women’s game continues to grow and we have clearly entered another phase in terms of the demand for elite women’s sport. We’ve seen record numbers flock to stadia for the second season of the Hundred. Now we want to give more fans the chance to watch England Women in person next summer as they compete for the Ashes on home soil.”
What were the standout and eye-catching happenings over the past week?
Andrew McGlashan26-Dec-2022
Paddy Dooley, Michael Neser and Andre Russell had moments to remember•Getty Images
Hooley Dooley What a week Paddy Dooley has had. The left-arm spinner, who has modeled his unorthodox action on Jasprit Bumrah, has suddenly become a trump card in Hobart Hurricanes’ attack. Last season he was hastily called up by Brisbane Heat during their Covid outbreak and caught the eye of Ricky Ponting, Hurricanes’ head of strategy. He took four wickets against Perth Scorchers, including the key scalps of Faf du Plessis and Josh Inglis, then added two wickets against both Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades. “It’s an added bonus at this stage that I’m new for people but I’ve still got a few things I’m working on as well to develop it as there’s more footage of me going around,” he told cricket.com.au shortly before his matchwinning performance against Scorchers.Related
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Thunder lose their captain It’s been a difficult start to the season for Sydney Thunder. There was the 15 all out and then the shock departure of Fazalhaq Farooqi in controversial circumstances. Sandwiched in the middle of that they have lost their captain Jason Sangha for the season after he fractured his collarbone against Renegades. He has since undergone surgery with Chris Green taking charge of the team. An interesting aspect to this is that the original big push to have David Warner’s leadership ban overturned came from Thunder. That, of course, has fallen by the wayside – and he would never have been a long-term option given international commitments – but should Green now get injured while Warner is around after the South Africa Tests they’ll need to look elsewhere for a stand-in captain. A hat-trick and huge sixes There was a hectic chase in the game between Renegades and Heat in Geelong. After Heat had limped to 137 for 8, Michael Neser, released from the Test squad earlier that day, struck with the first ball of the innings. But that was just the start. By the third over he had a hat-trick – although not that he was aware – with Jake Fraser-McGurk caught behind, Nic Maddinson dragging on and then Jono Wells leaving a delivery that rocked back off stump. Renegades were 9 for 4 and Andre Russell was within a whisker of also going first ball, but then deposited his fourth onto the roof over deep midwicket. When Russell had 24 runs they had all come in sixes. A sixth six brought up fifty from 32 balls before a big hack had him caught behind. But, after Akeal Hosein fell just short of finishing the job, Will Sutherland took a leaf out of Russell’s book with another six onto the roof.Scorchers go big Scorchers took the honours of being the first side to pass 200 this season. Junction Oval provided prime conditions – a flat pitch and short boundaries – and they took full advantage. du Plessis set the tone and was on track for a century before being taken in the deep, but Inglis took over with an innings full of flair and invention. This BBL is a big chance for Inglis to get a consistent run of cricket after being in and out of enlarged Covid squads then suffered a freak golf injury before the T20 World Cup. Scorchers have had to contend with a number of challenges around their list but they continue to look a very strong outfit with all bases covered.Billings’ honest assessment England’s Sam Billings was one of the players on the microphone during Heat’s clash against Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba – Chris Lynn’s return to his former club. His candor was illuminating, calling out some of the tactics of his own team which he thought was letting them down in what became a tight encounter. In the end, Heat got over the line to end a run of eight consecutive defeats which spanned this season and last. Billings had played the key hand with 79 off 48 balls after Heat had been trouble at 12 for 2 and 86 for 5. He continued his honest appraisal when named player of the match. “We didn’t play very well, let’s be honest, but we managed to get the win and that’s what the best sides do,” Billings said. “We’ll take a lot of confidence from that, but we know that we can be so much better in all three facets of the game. We’ve got to be way better than that if we want to be in serious contention.”Fraser-McGurk adds to his highlights reel Limping O’Keefe Ahead of the tournament, Sydney Sixers spinner Steve O’Keefe spoke to ESPNcricinfo about playing another season and did flag the risk of tweaking a calf muscle. Sadly, that almost looks to have come true. Against Melbourne Stars at the SCG, O’Keefe appeared to suffer a leg injury in his opening over. However, to his immense credit he returned to the field to complete his spell – a miserly 1 for 16 from four overs with 12 dots balls – which helped keep Stars to a chaseable total.Performance of the week It’s for a series of performances this time, with Paddy Dooley twice playing key roles in wins for Hurricanes. After his four-wicket haul against Scorchers he then took 2 for 23 against Renegades on Christmas Eve to help defend the second-lowest total (in a non-rain-reduced game) to claim victory in the BBL. Even in Hurricanes’ loss to Sixers he was excellent with for 2 for 19 including a wonderful delivery to remove Jordan Silk.
The batter is still trying to get better and will take it “one tour at a time”
Andrew McGlashan05-Jan-2023On the day Steven Smith went past Don Bradman with his 30th Test century, he admitted to being uncertain about how long his international career will continue.Smith’s 104 in Sydney was just his second hundred against South Africa in 12 matches – for an opponent he has played more than twice he holds his lowest average against them – yet it ended in frustration as he missed out on “happy hour” by giving Keshav Maharaj a return catch.While there is no doubt Smith will be in Australia’s plans for their upcoming series against India and England during the first half of this year, he said he was taking his career in small stages now.Related
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“I don’t know, we’ll see,” he said when asked about his future. “I’m enjoying it at the moment. I really can’t say how long I’ll play for, I’m not sure. Take it one tour at a time, enjoy it, enjoy training and trying to get better. Whilst I’m doing that I’m happy playing, but don’t know how long it will last.”While personal success remains a major driver for Smith, he is equally motivated to help Australia’s next generation for when he and David Warner are no longer around – which may be sooner rather than later.”It’s [about] trying to get better, help the team win games of cricket,” he said. “Think we’ve played some really good cricket the last 12 months…we’ve got two really big hurdles in front of us with India and the Ashes. For me, it is trying to get better and trying to help some of the other batters coming through.”I still try to help Marnus [Labuschagne] as much as possible, [Travis] Head, Cameron Green, Matty Renshaw, Marcus Harris…try to impart as much knowledge of conditions and ways to go about. If I can say something and you see that lightbulb go on and someone figures something out I get a big thrill out of that. I’ll try and help them as much as I can.”Smith said he was not worried about being beaten on the outside half of the bat and went back and across to balls coming back in•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
Smith’s personal drive to improve has been evident in the last 12 months as he has re-engineered his technique back to an earlier model where he moves less in the crease. This century followed the double he made against West Indies in Perth, although it was not an entirely fluent affair and after 55 balls he had 12 runs.”It’s not going to be perfect every time,” he said. “So when you aren’t feeling as good as you’d like you just try to grind it out, get through that initial period then hopefully things get easier. I didn’t feel great my first 60-70 balls, I reckon, then things started to click and feel a lot better. Pleased I was able to get through that initial period.”Yet, even within the innings itself Smith was making adjustments, reverting to the jump across the crease when facing Marco Jansen’s reverse swing from around the wicket. “Went back to my old set-up, [or] my old, old set-up,” he joked.”I didn’t feel overly threatened on the outside of the bat,” he added. “I was getting back and across just to cover the ball coming back in at me. I’d rather do it out there…rather than come back in the sheds and wonder why I didn’t do that. Felt I could still get my weight back through the ball.”After a cheeky celebration involving a chainsaw aimed at Labuschagne, Smith was ready to reset himself but fell three balls later to a leading edge. Disappointment was writ large over his face which he later explained was the frustration at missing out on a chance to experiment with some more aggressive strokeplay with an eye on the India tour.”I just missed out on happy hour, was time to go playing some shots as Heady just did,” he said. “Was time to have some fun. I was actually going to start practicing a few things, potentially like sweeping and things like that, with our upcoming Indian tour. I know that sounds bad in a way, but felt like it was an opportunity to do that against some good spinners.”For Smith that tour represents one of the pinnacles to reach this year. How much more there is to follow for him, only time will tell.
Everyone associated with Birmingham City will be hoping that 2025 is the year they triumphantly return to the Championship, with the demoralising relegation down to the third tier acting as a major wake-up call for those at St. Andrew’s to start afresh.
Chris Davies is now in the hot seat for the Blues and is doing a competent job at the moment, helped by lots of cash being thrown at the squad to make that instant return up a league a reality, with the sleeping giants in and around the promotion spots in League One.
Still, he will want more from his troops who have shown chinks in their armour as of late, with a shock 3-2 defeat to Shrewsbury Town in November a reminder that teams in the tricky division won’t just roll over for Birmingham to pick up routine victories.
January will act as a crucial month for Birmingham to flex their muscles once more in the transfer market, with a couple of incomings no doubt on their mind as games become tenser near the summit of the league, in order to add in even more quality.
Here is what their dream lineup could look after that hectic month has come and gone, with a new £3.4m recruit potentially entering the building…
1 GK – Ryan Allsop
Ryan Allsop is likely to retain his spot in-between the sticks for Birmingham past the transfer window, having recently taken over duties of being the club’s number one goalkeeper from Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
From his eight league contests, Allsop has kept an encouraging three clean sheets, with Davies hopeful more will come his way as the season drags on.
2 RB – Ethan Laird
Ethan Laird will also feel he’s worthy of keeping his first-team spot at right-back moving forward, having impressed when thrown into action this season in League One.
Laird has won a stunning 6.3 duels on average when playing and will want to make this position in the team even more his own as a frantic 2025 comes into view.
3 CB – Christoph Klarer
Christoph Klarer begins in the centre-back spots and rightly so, with the towering Austrian a revelation at the back for Davies’ men ever since leaving Germany behind this summer for new English shores.
His importance at the back as a cool customer was exemplified in Birmingham’s last win in the league versus Exeter City, with 82 touches of the ball amassed, alongside also imposing himself onto the game with four duels successfully won.
4 CB – Phil Neumann
He could be joined by another recruit from the German leagues in the form of Phil Neumann, with Birmingham reportedly interested in the Hannover 96 star this summer but to no avail.
They could go back in for Neumann this January, which could result in Krystian Bielik shockingly dropping out of the first team fold, with the potential £3.4m purchase not acquired to warm the substitutes bench.
He has very much impressed in the 2. Bundesliga for his current employers too, accumulating six clean sheets across his 14 displays in the league.
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5 LB – Alex Cochrane
Finishing the back four is former Heart of Midlothian defender Alex Cochrane, who has shone in spurts for the League One titans this season to date.
He also stood out versus Exeter last time out, with two key passes tallied up as a left-back not afraid to join in with attacks, alongside also making five interceptions to preserve his team’s clean sheet.
6 CM – Seung-Ho Paik
The first central midfield spot in the side is occupied by South Korean gem Seung-Ho Paik, who is yet to miss a league game for Davies’ men since making the drop down.
He’ll hope he keeps this up versus Stockport County later on, as his side hunt down their 11th win of the campaign to date.
7 CM – Tomoki Iwata
Wreham's Elliot Lee in action with Birmingham City'sTomokiIwata.
Much like his teammate next to him, Tomoki Iwata has turned into a real fan’s favourite at St. Andrew’s this season.
The ex-Celtic man has stunned supporters with some stylish displays from the middle of the park, alongside chipping in with five goals and an assist.
If Birmingham amazingly miss out on an instant jump back up to the Championship, expect a whole host of suitors to be eyeing up the confident Blues number 24.
8 RM – Sontje Hansen
The other bit of business Birmingham should explore – away from strengthening at the back – could be to go after a former target in Sontje Hansen down the right wing, as Davies goes about making his side even more eye-catching in the attacking areas.
Birmingham have had lots of success shopping in Holland, with the NEC Nijmegen winger – who has been hailed as “special” by former Netherlands U17 coach Peter van der Veen – needing to be back on their radar, having bagged four goals in Eredivisie action this season.
9 CAM – Jay Stansfield
Birmingham fans must have found the whole transfer saga involving Jay Stansfield rather surreal, especially when the money-rich Blues managed to convince him to return on a permanent basis.
He has shone for Davies’ promotion-chasers since his return, with a brace managed on his second debut against Wrexham bedding himself back in nicely to his familiar location.
Since then, the smooth former Fulham attacker has helped himself to another five league strikes, as he strives to be a key performer in the crunch months to come to ensure promotion is reached.
10 LM – Willum Thor Willumsson
Willum Thór Willumsson
Alongside Stansfield, Willum Thor Willumsson has equally been an important source of goals and assists.
The tall Icelandic winger is amazingly matching Stansfield’s output, with four goals and four assists next to his teammate’s haul of eight, and he will hope he can play a starring role in another win being picked up tonight.
Celtic have the chance to win their first piece of silverware of the 2024/25 campaign today as they face Rangers at Hampden Park in the League Cup final.
The Hoops were knocked out of this competition by Kilmarnock last season and had to watch on from afar as their Glasgow rivals lifted the trophy.
Brendan Rodgers can make up for that by winning it this time around and his side come into the match off the back of a 0-0 draw with Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
The Northern Irish head coach may look to make a couple of changes from the starting XI that lined up in Croatia, including the return of Arne Engels to the team.
Why Arne Engels should start against Rangers
The summer signing from Augsburg could be brought back into the line-up because his performances on the big stage have been impressive so far this season.
Engels has recorded three assists in two matches in the League Cup, including two assists against Aberdeen in the semi-final, and this speaks to the creative quality he can bring to the side.
Arne Engels
The Belgium international has also scored one goal and provided three assists in six appearances in the Champions League, further proving that the young gem can step up to provide contributions in the final third in big matches for the Hoops.
Engels could come in to replace Paulo Bernardo and the 21-year-old starlet may not be the only change, as Rodgers could boldly unleash Adam Idah from the start ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi.
Why Adam Idah should start against Rangers
The former Leicester and Liverpool boss must bring the Ireland international in from the start because he has the physical qualities to suit starting a big match.
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Kyogo lost 100% (4/4) of his duels and completed just three passes in 72 minutes against Dinamo Zagreb, whilst Idah won 100% (2/2) of his duels and completed three passes in 18 minutes off the bench.
The 6 foot 3 marksman can hold the ball up and get involved in the build-up phase more effectively than Kyogo, who struggles to get into matches at times due to his lack of physicality.
Appearances
14
12
Starts
10
5
Goals
6
5
Big chances missed
14
8
Duel success rate
35%
42%
Aerial duel success rate
20%
56%
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese forward has only scored one more goal than Idah in the Scottish Premiership, despite starting twice as many games and missing six more ‘big chances’.
The Irishman, who was once hailed as “incredible” by Rodgers, has also won a far greater percentage of his duels and aerial contests, which illustrates how much more the former Norwich man brings to the game from a physical perspective.
Therefore, the Celtic boss must boldly unleash Idah ahead of regular starter Kyogo, who could be a fantastic option off the bench if the team needs a goal in the second half, given his return of eight goals in 15 clashes with Rangers.
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Plays of the day from the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore
Karthik Krishnaswamy02-May-2015Starc’s nifty footworkIt was the third ball of the match, and Mitchell Starc delivered it on a driving length. Robin Uthappa drilled it back, hard and straight. Too straight. Starc stuck his left boot out to slow it down and stop it from going to the boundary, nearly doing the splits as he did so. It was an excellent display of reflexes and agility, and Gautam Gambhir was mindful of this when he came on strike to face him. Starc’s first ball to Gambhir was a wide, but his next one was in the slot to drive, and Gambhir drilled it back, but away from the bowler and towards the non-striker, who skipped away smartly to let it race through for four.Bare-knuckle DKHarshal Patel was bowling a lot of slower balls in the penultimate over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings, and Dinesh Karthik knew, behind the stumps, that if the batsmen played and missed the ball would roll gently to him. Given the likelihood of an attempted bye, Karthik took his right glove off and stuck it in his pocket. Just as expected, Ryan ten Doeschate swung and missed at one of Harshal’s slower offcutters and set off for a bye. Karthik swooped on the ball, wasting no time to pull his glove off, and fired in a flat throw that caught Andre Russell inches short of the crease.The waist-land, part oneStarc came back to bowl the final over, and his fourth ball was a full-toss that Yusuf Pathan scooped straight into Virat Kohli’s hands at long-on. Kohli had seen even before he settled under the ball that the umpire had signaled no-ball, and his face was a mask of rage as he caught it and threw it back towards the bowler. Kohli didn’t think it was a no-ball, and replays proved him right. The ball was just below waist-height, and that with Yusuf on the front foot and in a low-ish position.The waist-land, part twoKohli was on strike to face the first ball of the third over of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s innings, and Pat Cummins sent down a leg-stump full-toss. Kohli whipped it away to the fine leg boundary, and immediately turned to the square-leg umpire, shrugging his shoulders questioningly. This was a fairly high full-toss too, and he seemed to be asking why this wasn’t a no-ball. Replays showed it was just below waist-height.
A former Aston Villa employee suggests one £50 million player would jump at the chance to join Unai Emery, and the star in question could be a serious target for the Spaniard as well.
Aston Villa lose four consecutive games after electric start
Emery has endured a last fortnight to forget in the dugout, with his side losing four consecutive games in all competitions and bringing their electric start to 2024/2025 to an end, at least for now.
Aston Villa now told £30m enough to secure January signing ahead of Arsenal
He is seen as a future star in the making, and could be Villa’s this January.
By
Ben Browning
Nov 16, 2024
Villa were knocked out of the Carabao Cup Last 16 by Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace, who caused an upset in the Midlands, with Emery’s men then traveling to Tottenham for a 4-1 humbling just days later.
Defeats to Club Brugge in the Champions League and Liverpool at Anfield followed soon afterwards, with Villa now ninth in the table and brought crashing back down to Earth after a fairytale start to the new campaign.
“I am happy with the players,” said Emery on Villa’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool. “We played with the plan we had. To get some points here is very difficult, and maybe we needed more. Even dominating some moments of the match, they were creating some chances in transition, and we have to work to improve it. We conceded two easy transitions for them from corners.
Aston Villa’s next five Premier League games
Date
Crystal Palace (home)
23 November
Chelsea (away)
1 December
Brentford (home)
4 December
Southampton (home)
7 December
Nottingham Forest (away)
14 December
“We also created two good chances from corners, and we competed like we needed to get something but we didn’t get points here. I’m happy with the match we played. We have to try and keep balance and be consistent like we were last year. We are some points under the level we had last year, but the Premier League is very difficult and it’s tight with other teams in the table.
“I want to recover some players. They’re not getting fit like they have to but we are helping those players to get better, to feel better. We have to accept losing here because they are a team that can exploit their potential like they did. After we are coming back from the break, we have to try to be strong.”
Former scout suggests Alex Baena is "eager" to join Aston Villa
Injuries for the likes of Ross Barkley, Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, Pau Torres and Jacob Ramsey haven’t exactly helped matters, as Villa cope with a fair few absentees, similar to other elite Premier League sides right now.
The January transfer window could be a solution to add more strength in depth, with Villa reportedly eyeing a move for Villarreal forward Alex Baena.
The Spaniard has impressed in La Liga, and commands a £50 million release clause, with Emery also knowing the player well from his time at Estadio de la Ceramica. Speaking to Villa News this week, ex-Villans scout Bryan King has suggested that Baena would jump at the chance to reunite with Emery in Birmingham.
“I think he’d find it easy to join Villa and come into a club with a manager that he knows,” King said. “Baena has worked with Emery. Therefore, I see no reason why Emery wouldn’t push for that transfer, and tell the club that Baena is a great prospect, a good player, and the player that he wants.
“And as a player who has worked with him, I think he’d be eager to join Villa and continue his career in the West Midlands.”