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Inexperienced PNG will look to capitalise on Bangladesh’s lack of run-scoring in the powerplay and at the death

Mohammad Isam20-Oct-2021

Big Picture

The last time the T20 World Cup qualifiers round needed to be settled on the last day, one of the greatest chases in the format took place in Sylhet. Netherlands chased down 190 in 13.5 overs against Ireland to vault over from No. 3 to No. 1 in the group. It was a game that, many believe, helped change the perception of T20s.Down to the final round of matches this time around, there are a lot of equations facing all four teams in Group B on Thursday. Even winless Papua New Guinea have a chance at a place in the Super 12s. If Sylhet in 2014 is anything to go by, expect fireworks in Muscat. Bangladesh remain in a must-win situation as they take on PNG in the afternoon game at the Al Amerat Ground. The proceedings of this game will have a knock-on effect in the evening match between Oman and Scotland.Bangladesh, though, have recovered from the Scotland shock by beating Oman. It was a hard-fought win that exposed some of the gaps in their system, but it has served its purpose. Shakib Al Hasan brought out his trademark Player-of-the-Match-winning performance, scoring 42 and taking three wickets. Mohammad Naim batted well with Shakib, getting 64, while offspinner Mahedi Hasan and seamer Mohammad Saifuddin stifled Oman at crucial stages. Mustafizur Rahman, despite a wayward first spell, finished with a four-wicket haul.Related

• Group B scenarios – Scotland, Oman, Bangladesh eye net run rate calculations

Bangladesh did tick some of the boxes on Tuesday that they couldn’t against Scotland, but some problems still need solving. Their powerplay scoring remains low, which is mostly due to Liton Das’ indifferent form. They are also struggling with the bat at the death, a period in which Mahmudullah, Nurul Hasan and Afif Hossain have done well in the recent past.PNG will look to capitalise on all of these and cause an upset. They are short on confidence as well as on experience, but they have the makings of a potentially exciting T20 side in the near future. Assad Vala and Charles Amini batted well against Oman in their first game, while Kabua Morea and Norman Vanua performed against Scotland. But they need a team effort, with a few more contributors.6:54

Nafees: Whenever Bangladesh have needed Shakib, he has done it

Form guide

(Last five completed matches)Bangladesh WLLWL
PNG LLLLL

In the spotlight

PNG must do their homework on Mahedi Hasan. He started off with three wickets against Scotland, reducing them to 53 for 6 before Bangladesh let it slip. Against Oman when Bangladesh were in big trouble, Mahedi’s 1 for 14 from four overs bailed them out. His batting hasn’t fired, though.Kabua Morea was PNG’s first wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, and later went on to complete a four-wicket haul. Morea is a lively left-arm quick who showed accuracy against Scotland. PNG will, thus, hope that he can take advantage of Bangladesh’s powerplay struggles.

Team news

Bangladesh are likely to stick with the same XI that beat Oman.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Liton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanBatter Hiri Hiri, left-arm spinner Jason Kila and pace-bowling allrounder Gaudi Toka are yet to play, so PNG may consider giving them a chance.Papua New Guinea (probable): 1 Tony Ura, 2 Lega Siaka, 3 Assad Vala (capt), 4 Charles Amini, 5 Sese Bau, 6 Simon Atai, 7 Norman Vanua, 8 Kiplin Doriga (wk), 9 Chad Soper, 10, Nosaina Pokana, 11 Kabua Morea

Stats and trivia

• PNG will be Bangladesh’s 21st opponent in international cricket. They have, however, played twice as Associate nations at a time when matches between such sides were not counted as internationals. While PNG beat Bangladesh in the ICC Trophy in 1982 in the third-place playoff, Bangladesh beat them once in the 1996 ACC Trophy.

There is a certainty to his big ODI hundreds, a clear awareness of the match situation, and an innate skill that allows him to not panic when there are slow periods

Gaurav Joshi at the WACA12-Jan-2016Four out of Rohit Sharma’s last five international hundreds have been part of heartbreaking scripts for India, but on an individual plane he might just be on his way to scripting the book on how an opener should bat ODIs. There is such a certainty to his big ODI hundreds, such situational awareness and that of the fields, that it leaves you totally confounded with his Test form. From the first ball he faced in Perth to the last, Rohit’s unbeaten 171 was scored with hardly a shot hit in anger.Even as the clutter of clapping got louder and Josh Hazlewood ran in for the first ball of a series hugely anticipated by the Aussie population of Indian descent, there seemed to be a certain calm to Rohit. He portrayed that by easing the first ball with a straight bat past mid-on for a couple. Early in the innings the focus was on decisive footwork, soft hands and a perpendicular bat. The principle was to be patient early and then cash in. It might sound simple enough but executing it to perfection is an art very few have mastered.It was as if Rohit had the innings already mapped out in his mind. When Joel Paris attempted a bouncer, he rocked back and dispatched it under the electronic scoreboard 85 meters away. When Hazlewood pulled his length back to restrict his scoring opportunities, he waited for the right ball and then put it away with ease. It was a sign Rohit had enormous self-belief and those doubts that might creep into his mind in Test cricket were non-existent in the 50-over format. Lesser batsman panic and look for the big shot. Rohit trusted his game to capitalise when the loose ball would later arrive.Almost without noticing he raced away to 36 from just 34 balls. It was like he had got through the traffic and then slipped into cruise control. For the next 29 balls, he hit only one four as he dabbed and glided the ball to reach his fifty. The first objective had been reached. It was time to revaluate the situation.The next phase demanded the odd big shot with focus still on rotating strike. So Rohit did just that for the next 23 balls. He hit a couple of glorious, and well calculated, sixes against the weaker bowlers in Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell. The shots sent the crowd into raptures, and you could sense their expectation increasing.Rohit was 23 away from a century, but focus had shifted to batting for far longer. As Smith brought back his most experienced pair in Hazlewood and Faulkner, he treated them with respect rather than contempt knowing his time would come. It was imperative for the sake of the team to bat through the innings.Once again he turned into the accumulator as he went from 77 to 100 in 36 balls, with just one boundary. As he moved to 99, the crowd once again started the clatter of clapping, but just like he had been during the first ball of the day, Rohit remained calm to bring up his ninth ODI century, off 122 balls with seven fours and three sixes.But Rohit doesn’t only score hundreds; he scores big hundreds and it was time to entertain in a manner only Rohit can.As he took guard once again, it seemed like the sound of ball hitting his bat got softer and softer and yet it travelled further and further. Some that looked like perfect yorkers were deposited over long-on. The short ones were just caressed on either side of the wicketkeeper depending on the field placing. In between the deft touches, he ensured good balls still leaked runs. Rohit was at his skilful best as he moved from 100 to 171 in just 41 balls.MS Dhoni summed it up in the best manner: “Whenever a batsman plays a long innings, the most important thing there is how he carries on once he gets to 50, then how he carries on once he gets to 100. Most of the times, when Rohit crosses 100-110 he scores quite big and that’s always good. He is one of the players in the team who can play all the shots, exploit the field well, and hits effortlessly”It is no wonder Rohit’s last five hundreds have been 171, 150, 137, 138 and 264. He has perfected a formula that works for him in the one-day arena. Since the Champions Trophy in June 2013, Rohit has seven hundreds and 14 fifties in 55 innings. He has gone past fifty in 21 out of these 55 innings, a formidable 38%.Often the finishers such as Dhoni and Michael Bevan are credited for calculative minds to finish an innings but to sustain and constructing an innings across the duration of 50 overs is a skill just as important. It needs a calculation of its own. Rohit is setting a template for that.

Steve Camacho’s experience as a player played a big part in his success as a long-serving administrator in West Indies cricket

Tony Cozier04-Oct-2015Steve Camacho, the longest-serving secretary/chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board and the last Test player in the position, died at his home in Antigua on Friday after a long battle with cancer. He would have been 70 on October 15.Appointed the board’s first executive secretary in 1982, he was held the designation of chief executive officer until his retirement in 2000. In those 18 years, he was manager and assistant manager and selector of West Indies teams and on the ICC chief executives committees.In that time, under the successive presidencies of Jeffrey Stollmeyer, Allan Rae, Sir Clyde Walcott and Peter Short (who passed away this August), West Indies cricket dominated international cricket.I got to develop a firm friendship with Camacho and his wife, Alison, in Barbados when he conducted the board’s business virtually on his own out of a small office at Kensington Oval. It continued until the end.I could understand his anguish at the controversies that have consumed West Indies cricket since his time, and led to its continuing deterioration. In recent years he could hardly bring himself to attend Tests in Antigua, where the board’s headquarters are located following their move from Barbados.Not that it completely dulled his love of life. He was partial to a drink or two but never to overindulgence. He spoke passionately and humorously, and with precise attention to delivery, about his days in the game and the vast number of friends he had made through it.As a patient, technically correct opener who batted in spectacles, Camacho played 11 Tests for West Indies and 35 matches for Guyana between 1965 and 1979. His modest averages of 29.09 in Tests and 34.86 in all first-class matches did no justice to his talent.It was evident in an innings of 157 for Guyana Colts against the touring Australians in 1965 at Bourda, where he had developed his passion for the game at the Georgetown Cricket Club. He was then 19. A year later, his 106 for Guyana against Trinidad and Tobago at the Queen’s Park Oval was the first of his seven first-class hundreds.Clyde Walcott: one of Camacho’s mentors in administration•Getty ImagesStrong cricketing family ties guided his future. His grandfather, GC Learmond, represented British Guiana, Trinidad and Barbados in the inter-colonial tournaments at the turn of the 20th century, and toured England with West Indies teams in 1900 and 1906. His father, George, a left-hand batsman and right-arm medium-pacer, played 15 matches for British Guiana, three as captain.Camacho junior was part of the phenomenally powerful Guyana batting team of the 1960s that included, at one time or another, his dashing opening partner Roy Fredericks, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Clive Lloyd and Alvin Kallicharran.When he was picked in the Test team for the first time, against England in the Caribbean, his 87 in the fourth Test at the Queen’s Park Oval remained his highest score. He struggled on the 1968-69 tour of Australia, managing 57 runs in his two Tests, but retained his place for the England tour later in 1969, topping the batting averages in the Tests with 46.75. An ordinary series against India in 1971 proved to be his last.Although he continued for Guyana until 1979, he was being groomed for administrative work by mentors like Walcott, Berkeley Gaskin and Kenny Wishart. Walcott, a Barbadian, was then the national coach, and credited with the emergence of players from outside the confines of the capital, Georgetown. He was also Guyana captain and board president. Camacho eventually joined him during his term as WICB president.Gaskin, a tall medium-pacer, who had two Tests against England in 1948, was subsequently more familiar as a WICB member; he was manager on Camacho’s tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1968-69. Wishart, a pre-war British Guiana captain, was later a highly regarded secretary of the Georgetown Cricket Club and the Guyana board.When the post of executive secretary was established, Camacho was the obvious candidate. It was his background that strongly guided his success in the game that was his passion.

Phil Parkinson has offered some insight into Wrexham's plans to get to the 'very top' of the game with owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

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• Wrexham currently in League One
• Aiming for yet another promotion
• Parkinson says club planning to reach 'very top'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham have been making waves ever since McElhenney and Reynolds took ownership of the Welsh club in 2021. The club have risen from the National League all the way into League One and are currently sitting second in the table and eyeing another promotion to the Championship. Wrexham director Shaun Harvey has previously admitted the club's ambition "must be to get to the Premier League," and Parkinson has now acknowledged he is aiming for the "very top".

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  WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  The Wrexham boss told William Hill at the Football Writers’ Association Northern Managers Awards: “I think you’ve always got to dream. You’ve got to want to get right to the very top and be ambitious; that’s what it’s all about. That’s not us getting carried away by any stretch of the imagination. We know we’ve got a huge challenge ahead of us this season. I’m putting structures in place, in terms of the squad, for years to come, and the owners are building the club behind the scenes to make us a strong, sustainable club for years to come. Of course we want to keep progressing, but so do a lot of other teams! We’re doing everything we can to continue taking the club forward.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham have enjoyed a strong start to the new season but have been hit with some injuries to key players that will test the depth of their squad. Jack Marriott has been ruled out with a broken leg, while fellow attacker Steven Fletcher has also been sidelined in what Parkinson has described as a "real blow" for his side. Wrexham may now be tempted to dip into the transfer window in January in a bid to boost their attack and keep their promotion ambitions on track.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

  Wrexham are back in League One action on Saturday at Charlton before their focus switches to an FA Cup first-round clash with Harrogate Town.

France boss Didier Deschamps has played down the idea of a split between himself and his captain, Kylian Mbappe.

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• Deschamps denies rift
• Mbappe had been allowed to rest
• Star spotted in Swedish club

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Deschamps denied that there was any animosity between him and Mbappe despite the star being spotted in a Swedish nightclub on the same night as France's clash with Israel. Mbappe had been excluded from the French squad to recover from injury but drew attention with his appearance in the nightclub. Deschamps claims he was not aware Mbappe was away in Sweden.

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  WHAT DESCHAMPS SAID

  Deschamps said: "I don’t follow the news of players who are not here, Kylian is following a programme with Real Madrid, I don’t know if he was away or not. Like any player for his club, he follows a programme. If players have days off, they are free to do what they want."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbappe was sidelined with a thigh injury after sustaining it in Madrid's 3-2 win over Alaves in La Liga. The forward was expected to be out of action for a couple of weeks, although he returned ahead of schedule to play against Villarreal, and was left out of France's squad. The rumours of a rift come amid reports that Mbappe only wanted to play in 'important' international fixtures as he prioritises his efforts to win the Ballon d'Or.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

  Mbappe will continue to rest during the international break. He'll be hoping to take part when Real Madrid take on Celta Vigo on October 19, before they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League three days later.

It’s fair to say that last season, Cole Palmer was arguably the best player in the Premier League, let alone at Chelsea.

The attacking midfielder scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in 29 league starts, which made him the highest goal contributor in the top flight.

However, the Blues could add another Palmer-esque player to their squad this summer, with a move for Michael Olise on the cards.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a current Chelsea player who earns more than both Olise and Palmer, despite not justifying his salary.

Wesley Fofana’s start to life at Chelsea

Wesley Fofana made a name for himself at Leicester City during the 2020/21 season, impressing over his 27 league starts.

However, his second campaign in England was massively disrupted by a pre-season injury that kept him out until the end of March.

Despite missing plenty of action through the setback, Chelsea still saw enough talent and potential in Fofana to move for him that summer.

The French defender moved to Stamford Bridge for a huge £75m fee; however, his start to life at Chelsea was once again ruined by injuries, and he missed 26 games through a knee issue.

What Wesley Fofana earns at Chelsea

After recovering from those setbacks, last season was supposed to be a fresh start for Fofana, especially with new boss Mauricio Pochettino in charge.

However, another knee problem occurred in July, which meant that Fofana was forced to undergo reconstructive ACL surgery.

Unfortunately, this meant that the 23-year-old missed the entire 2023/24 campaign, and he’s set to not play a competitive game for over a year.

Despite being at the club for two years, he’s only played 20 times across all competitions, 57 games fewer than the matches he’s been absent for via injury.

Nevertheless, when he joined, Fofana became one of the club’s highest-paid players, earning £200k per week, as per Capology.

The former Fox only earns less than Reece James and Raheem Sterling, £325k and £250k per week, while earning the exact same as another injury stricken figure in Ben Chilwell.

However, even more shockingly, this means that Fofana is also the joint-fourth-highest earning centre-back in the entire Premier League, earning just £20k per week less than Virgil Van Dijk, for example.

On top of that, the number 33’s salary is more than both Olise and Palmer’s combined, £100k and £75k-per-week, despite not playing at all.

Considering he signed a seven-year contract taking him to 2029, Chelsea will hope that his spell of terrible luck will come to an end; otherwise, they’ll be stuck.

There’s no denying that when Chelsea originally signed Fofana, he was one of the most promising defenders in Europe, with football scout Jacek Kulig saying that he’s an “elite prospect and already one of Premier League's best centre-backs.”

Sadly, the French defender has somewhat become a forgotten man at Chelsea, and there’s no denying that he’s cost the club millions with no output.

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Chelsea are set for a busy summer with plenty of signings expected.

By
Tom Lever

May 29, 2024

The summer transfer window doesn't even officially open until the end of next week, but as is the way in modern football, the rumour mill is in full force, and it's no different for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta's side just came off another brilliant Premier League season but were pipped to the post by Manchester City for the second year running, and while they could boast a better defence than the Sky Blues, they scored five goals fewer.

So, with this in mind, it's not surprising that the Gunners have been linked to a number of strikers in recent weeks, although RB Leipzig's Benjamin Šeško seems to be the name mentioned more than any other.

However, according to reports, the North Londoners are interested in some potential alternatives to the Slovenian, and one of them may be the better option.

Arsenal's striker search

According to a report from journalist Ben Jacobs via GIVEMESPORT earlier this week, while Arsenal are still interested in Šeško, they have placed several other strikers "on their list," including Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres.

Jacobs does not mention a potential price for the Swedish striker, but a report from January of this year revealed that the Lisbon side would not entertain a bid below his €100m release clause, which is around £85m.

While it would be a far more expensive deal to complete compared to the supposed £55m needed to land Sesko, the sheer weight of goals scored by the former Coventry City ace this season and last season means that it might prove value for money in the long run, and if Arsenal need goals now, he might be their man.

How Gyokeres compares to Šeško

So, raw output is the first and arguably most important thing to compare when looking at two striker targets. After all, their main job is to put the ball in the back of the net.

In this area, it's a rather emphatic victory for Gyokeres. In just 50 games this season, the 6 foot 2 "powerhouse", as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 43 goals and provided 15 assists, and last season, he managed to score 22 goals and provide 12 assists in as many games for Coventry.

In contrast, Šeško scored 18 goals and provided two assists in 42 games for Leipzig this season and returned 18 goals and four assists in 41 games for RB Salzburg last year.

How about their striker-relevant underlying numbers, then? Does the "incredible" Swede, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, still dominate there? Well, unfortunately for the Slovenian, he does indeed.

For example, while he takes fewer shots on target per 90, he comes out on top in every other metric, including overall shots, successful take-ons, goal and shot-creating actions, progressive passes and carries, expected goals and assists, and actual goals and assists, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Šeško would likely be a brilliant addition to Arsenal's squad this summer if Arteta and Co want to bring in a player who seems almost guaranteed to score goals, Gyokeres looks like the far better option, even at a higher price.

Arsenal crazy about signing £43m Saliba & Gabriel hybrid

The promising defender could be the perfect addition to Arsenal’s backline.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 6, 2024

Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has opened up about the abuse and mental toil he went through during his injury-hit career.

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• Jones speaks about abuse in career
• Defender retired in August
• Jones focusing on coaching career

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Jones retired from football in August having been without a club after leaving United in June 2023. The defender had been tipped to be a future Manchester United great by his then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson but failed to live up to the promise as injuries plagued his career. Since retiring, he has opened up about how difficult it was to suffer abuse for poor performances and the mental turmoil of injury setback after injury setback.

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  WHAT JONES SAID

  Writing for , Jones said: "I'd had lots of public situations like that to deal with down the years without responding in that positive way, and had often ended up just trying to avoid them.

  "It got so bad for a while that I would be walking down the street, worried about what people would say to me in case I got abuse, and thinking about what I'd say next. I just wanted to keep my head down when I was in a crowd, and it was the same on social media, which is why I came off it for a while.

  "If you knew me, you knew all I wanted was to be able to play football – but it is as if people thought I just woke up each morning and decided I was injured.

  "You want to say something back, especially when they said it to my face, but it has never been in my character to do that. I've always been humble and down to earth, and I've never taken myself too seriously."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Jones spent 12 years at United and made 169 Premier League appearances for the club. He made just six appearances in the division after the start of the 2019-20 season, none of which came in his final season (2022-23) at Old Trafford. Jones' injury troubles hampered his consistency and form and left him struggling mentally as well as physically, but he is now focused on coaching.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JONES?

  Jones wishes to put his troubled playing career behind him and ensure he becomes the best coach he can. The former defender has almost completed his UEFA Pro Licence and believes his time learning under some of the best managers in the game will help him.

  He added: "I learned so much from all the different managers I played for and the team-mates I played with, in lots of different competitions at club and international level. I have built up and stored all of that information, and feel I could use it to really help players and get them to the next level."

Liverpool found their feet once again during Jurgen Klopp's final campaign at the helm. The 2022/23 season brought a fierce storm down on Anfield and ended an eight-year marriage with the Champions League but sweeping summer changes painted a -red-gold sky over the city.

However, despite winning the Carabao Cup in February, Liverpool were a day late and a dollar short in the Premier League title race, pulled away from a gripping three-horse race after a gloomy April plummet that also saw Klopp felled by Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals, eventual champions and conquerers over 51-games-unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the final, who for their part were inches away from immortality.

Liverpool might have appeared to have bungled their hopes of silverware in the biggest competitions but Klopp's announcement that he was stepping down, back in January, put the squad under a microscope and in hindsight, the campaign was one of progress and potential.

Enter Arne Slot, who must now take the framework left by his predecessor and sculpt the team into a position of power, capable of finishing first in the top flight, of wading deep into the Champions League and fighting for the trophy.

The Dutchman has an immensely talented team to pick from, though there's a pressing concern in the lack of depth at centre-back, with a fresh signing required to ensure that Ibrahima Konate does not start the 2024/25 season as Virgil van Dijk's chief partner.

Ibrahima Konate's season in numbers

Make no mistake, Konate is a high-quality defender who stepped up commendably following Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury back in December. The Cameroonian has now departed Anfield amid the end of his contract.

The France international was described as a "monstrous" talent earlier in 2024 by writer Leanne Prescott and indeed there is little indication that Liverpool do not boast one of the most athletically imposing, technically impressive defenders in the division, but Konate is marred by lapses in form and an injury track record that leaves plenty to be desired.

As per FBref, Konate ranks among the top 5% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 11% for successful take-ons, the top 16% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for tackles and the top 2% for aerial duels won per 90.

This is an illustration of an elite clutch of core attributes, but Konate has been culpable of failing to mesh it all together in recent weeks and has thus lost his place in the starting line-up, benched for seven of Klopp's final ten Premier League fixtures.

The 6 foot 4 titan was at the epicentre of that weary spring spell that saw Liverpool fail in their bid for Premier League title success, inexcusable during his team's loss against Atalanta, with The Athletic's James Pearce remarking that he was "dreadful".

To compound the 24-year-old's struggles, pundit and Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher said: "Konate has been so poor. Liverpool need to buy a centre-back in the summer."

Why Slot must ditch Konate from the starting XI

It's incredible that Van Dijk maintained such imperious levels throughout the year despite seeing his peers drop like flies around him. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson both spent spells on the sidelines, Matip's season was severed and Konate only started 17 times in the Premier League.

The emergence of Jarell Quansah mitigated such issues, with the 21-year-old looking every bit the talent fit for long-term purposes on Merseyside's red half, called up to Gareth Southgate's provisional European Championship squad for England this week.

The fact that Quansah finished the year on top, starting alongside his Dutch captain for eight of the club's final 11 games of the league campaign, speaks of where Klopp's heart lay, but sure there will be a tussle for a regular starting berth when Slot starts to build his team.

The table above shows that Konate and Quansah have performed at a relatively similar level, and while both are blessed with natural skills and front-footed defensive techniques, Carragher is right in demanding that Slot, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes pull no punches in augmenting the backline with an addition of real quality.

There have been myriad rumours shooting about, with Lille defender Leny Yoro, who is 18 years old, one of the recent names to enter circulation, according to French outlet Le Parisien, with Slot seeking to rival Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for the prodigious talent.

Given that Konate earns £70k per week, more than both Luis Diaz (£55k per week) and Curtis Jones (£15k per week) combined, it would seem that he should be cementing a spot in the starting line-up with consistency, now four seasons on from joining from RB Leipzig in a £36m deal.

But he's proven that he can't be trusted as the leading man next to his skipper. Diaz might be wasteful in front of goal but he is indefatigable, maintaining a ferocious presence down Liverpool's left channel and starting every single one of Liverpool's Premier League games since the start of January.

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Bobby Firmino absolutely adored this talented player…

By
Angus Sinclair

May 24, 2024

Based on that evidence, the Colombian is earning his salary and then some. Konate will need to lift his game to another level if he wishes to renew his terms and match his innate ability with product on the pitch.

But whatever happens, Slot would make a grave error in entering his maiden campaign on Merseyside without addressing the need to bolster the backline and restore Liverpool's defence to its one-time formidability.

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has admitted he would be willing to give up half of his salary if it meant he could avoid speaking to the media.

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• Luis Enrique reveals distaste of media duties
• Willing to take pay cut to avoid press work
• Reassures the media he still likes talking to them

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Luis Enrique's relationship with the media, especially in France, has never been very good at the best of times. The Spaniard was often irritated by questions regarding Kylian Mbappe's future at Paris Saint-Germain. In an excerpt from a recent behind-the-scenes documentary for the Spanish platform Movistar, the Asturian made headlines when he discussed how much he disliked media duties. He even said he would be willing to accept a 50% pay cut in order to escape the media.

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  WHAT LUIS ENRIQUE SAID

  Speaking to the media ahead of PSG's Ligue 1 clash against Rennes, Luis Enrique said: "I have a great time with you all, I get on well with the press. But if the choice was left up to me, I would have no issue with it. But I’ve never cut a press conference short, I say what I have to say, and sometimes in other languages – not very well, but I do it.

  "It was a spontaneous comment, and it’s true – if right now you were to hand me a piece of paper that said I wouldn’t have to speak to the press anymore in return for giving up 25%, or even 50%, of my salary, then I would sign it. But it wouldn’t be possible, because the contracts that the clubs have signed include an obligation for managers to speak.

  "Personally, I enjoy it, but if I could avoid it I would – especially post-match interviews, when I don’t really have the energy. I’ll say it again, though, I have a good time with you guys."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Luis Enrique's strong personality also caused the 54-year-old to have run-ins with the media whether during his time with Barcelona, Spain or with PSG. However, his persona has also made him a very likeable character for his players, fans and club staff as he has always been very up front with his thoughts.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LUIS ENRIQUE?

  The Asturian's side have fared very well so far this season as they sit atop the Ligue 1 standings despite their disappointing 1-1 draw with Reims on Sunday. He will now look to set up his side to return to winning ways when PSG take on Rennes on Friday, September 27.