All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a dismal 3-0 loss at home to Manchester United on Saturday evening in a game where they did not have a single shot on target.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a sublime finish before Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford wrapped up the points for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team. Using statistical website SofaScore, The Transfer Tavern has analysed the three worst players to have played 45 minutes or more for Spurs on the day:

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Admittedly Hojbjerg was tied with Oliver Skipp in terms of being the third-worst rated Spurs player by SofaScore, with a 6.3 rating. However, given that he was not substituted off and the youngster was, he had more time to gain his poor rating.

The 26-year-old lost out on five of his duels and failed to make any tackles in the game. The Denmark international also did not make any key passes and lost possession of the ball on 19 separate occasions, the third-most out of any of his team-mates.

Ben Davies

Davies was rated as Tottenham’s second-worst player with a measly 6.1 overall rating from SofaScore.

The left-back failed to make any dribbles, key passes or clearances, while he also lost possession 16 times and missed one ‘big chance’.

The Welshman was given a yellow card with just over 10 minutes to go, which pretty much summed up his evening.

Hugo Lloris

Unsurprisingly given that he conceded three goals, Lloris was given the worst overall rating by SofaScore at 5.9.

The Spurs captain only made one save in the entire match and lost the ball four times, while he also failed to record a key pass when playing out from the back.

Nuno Espirito Santo will find himself under pressure after this performance, and many of the Tottenham players need to have a look at themselves as well.

In other news, Spurs are coveting this manager who Dele thinks is ‘unbelievable’

Australia will head to India with another new spinner after the Victorian Jon Holland was chosen for the seven-match tour

Cricinfo staff09-Oct-2009Australia’s Champions Trophy-winning one-day side will head to India with another new spinner after the Victorian Jon Holland was chosen for the seven-match tour. Holland, a 22-year-old left-arm orthodox, joins a 15-man unit that is missing the injured Michael Clarke (back), Brad Haddin (finger), Callum Ferguson (knee) and Nathan Bracken (knee).Despite appearing in only a handful of senior games, Holland was tipped by Allan Border for a place on the Ashes tour and should gain some chances to impress in the series starting on October 25. “Jon is in the squad as we wanted to take the opportunity to give a young left-arm finger spinner exposure both to the Australian team set-up and Indian conditions,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “He has impressed in the recent Australia A series against Pakistan and in his time at the Centre of Excellence.”Holland picked up eight wickets during five matches in the A series and those encounters contributed to his career tally of only six first-class games and eight one-day contests. He joins a long list of slow bowlers who have been trialled in the past couple of years as the Australians try to find reliable replacements for Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Brad Hogg.Terry Jenner, the spin coach, has warned about promoting Holland too early, but the selectors are in a hurry to examine him. “I hope he doesn’t get chosen because there’s no-one else,” Jenner told Cricinfo in June. “I’d like them to pick Jon Holland because he’s so good they can’t leave him out. If you’re looking at the next year or two you might be pushing him too fast.”The list of injuries continues to give Australia a chance to test its new talent, which contributed to the team’s victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy on Monday. Michael Hussey takes over the vice-captaincy for the tour from Clarke and Shaun Marsh, the top-order batsman, is back following his lengthy battle with a nagging hamstring injury. Tim Paine holds the keeping gloves in Haddin’s continued absence while Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger form a strong pace attack.”We’re delighted with Australia’s recent success at the ICC Champions Trophy, which came off the back of a very solid ODI series performance against England in England,” Hilditch said. “To reclaim our No.1 ICC world ranking was recognition of this squad’s recent achievements but we recognise we have to continue to improve and to establish a winning culture within this young group of players on tough tours, like this, to India.”Australia squad Tim Paine (wk), Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Adam Voges, Cameron White, Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Jon Holland, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.

Manchester United have suffered a major blow ahead of the derby against Manchester City after star defender Raphael Varane was ruled out of action with a hamstring injury.

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old had only recently returned from a fitness concern when he had to be substituted in United’s Champions League clash against Atalanta last time out.

And now, it’s been revealed that Varane faces up to a month on the sidelines, meaning he’ll be absent for Saturday’s clash against City and potentially the Red Devils’ next four fixtures after the international break – against Watford, Villarreal, Chelsea and Arsenal.

“The club confirms that Raphael sustained a hamstring injury, which is expected to keep him out of action for around a month,” a United statement read on Wednesday. “We’d like to wish Raphael all the best as he works on his recovery.”

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s struggling charges set to face a formidable City side without their most in-form defender over the weekend, it’s likely to be an extremely tough test at Old Trafford for the home side.

Solskjaer will be absolutely devastated

News that Varane will be absent for a month will leave Solskjaer feeling absolutely devastated, given the importance of the centre-back to the 20-time English champions.

United have been woefully below their best in the opening weeks of the current campaign, losing five matches in all competitions. However, Varane has only started one of those defeats, highlighting the influence he has over proceedings.

And the World Cup winner’s underlying numbers also illustrate the impact that the France international has when he’s on the pitch.

As per WhoScored, Varane has averaged a whopping four clearances per league game this season – the highest tally amongst his teammates – and 1.5 tackles, the third-highest total compared to his colleagues.

Therefore, the experienced campaigners’ enforced absence could hugely affect United’s results and performances as their tricky run of fixtures is set to continue.

And, in other news…Murtough can finally replace Roy Keane in Man Utd swoop for “magnificent” £62k-p/w ace

Victoria’s medium-pacers, particularly Andrew McDonald, set up their comprehensive victory after Royal Challengers Bangalore had threatened to continue the trend of high scores at the Chinnaswamy Stadium

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya15-Oct-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Andrew McDonald starred with a four-wicket haul in a one-sided fixture•Global Cricket Ventures-BCCIVictoria might have changed venues going into the second phase of the Champions League, but the conditions on offer were uncannily similar to what they faced in Delhi. It was their medium-pacers, particularly Andrew McDonald, who set up their comprehensive victory after Royal Challengers Bangalore had threatened to continue the trend of high scores at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Rob Quiney then ensured they remained dominant, combating the tricky surface with a determined innings to seal victory for Victoria, boosting their semi-final chances and delivering a serious setback to Bangalore’s.Victoria’s seamers had thrived on a Delhi pitch that was sluggish, kept low, played slow and catered more to a game of patience than power. The track in Bangalore, on the other hand, initially appeared more suited to the demands of the Twenty20 format. The extra yards of pace from Shane Harwood and Peter Siddle were evident from the bounce and movement they were able to extract early on. But it also meant that they were countered with aggression, for the Bangalore openers, who fancied the ball meeting the bat at the desired pace, took advantage of any scoring opportunity.Harwood, among the most frugal bowlers in this competition, was struck for two boundaries in his first over, Manish Pandey smashing one over his head and slapping one past mid-off. Robin Uthappa, not one to restrain himself too often, deferred to the belligerence of his junior partner, who displayed shades of his IPL brilliance with two delectable on-drives off Siddle, followed up by an audacious late-cut in his next over.But the introduction of the other two seamers, and spinner Jon Holland, wrecked the solid foundation laid by the openers. Clint McKay shrugged off two boundaries off successive deliveries to bowl Uthappa with an offcutter; Pandey’s aggression prompted him to slap a catch back to McDonald off a ball that didn’t come on quickly and Virat Kohli holed out in the deep after failing to get the desired elevation.Though the bounce remained true, the pitch proved highly conducive to spin and eventually slowed down. Holland, showing glimpses of what he could offer on the subsequent ODI tour of India, kept one end quiet. McDonald, in the meantime, maintained a tight line and his sly cutters, backed up by a frustrating length, earned him two significant breakthroughs. Ross Taylor, a nemesis for bowlers at the death, was caught plumb, and Rahul Dravid, whose exclusion from the ODI squad against Australia was the talking point of the day, was also trapped in front while trying to force the pace. Dravid had anchored the innings amid a flurry of wickets – Bangalore lost three for 19 in under four overs – and kept one end protected from a dismal slide.Suddenly, the medium pacers made the conditions appear reminiscent of the Kotla, bowling slower deliveries with consistency and chipping away with wickets as the batsmen succumbed to frustration. Only 55 runs were scored in the last ten overs, incredibly for the loss of just four wickets. Though Bangalore had their own share of bowlers capable of replicating the Victorian effort, they were up against a side more experienced batting in such conditions.Openers Quiney and Brad Hodge, having mapped out their plan for the chase, ensured there were no early hiccups. Both eschewed their natural temptation for the big shots to concentrate on preserving their wickets while also ensuring any errors from the Bangalore bowlers did not go unpunished. Anil Kumble, aiming to derive the maximum help from the pitch in defense of a below-par score, brought himself on in the first over and shuffled the bowling around. But the strategy failed.The absence of Jacques Kallis due to injury meant Bangalore had to strengthen their line-up on two fronts; Pandey made up with the bat, delivering a fiery start, but Dale Steyn faltered badly with the ball. He was smashed contemptuously over mid-on for a boundary by Quiney in his first over, while Hodge dismissed him for three fours in his next, cashing in on freebies bowled either too short, or too full. With 46 added in six overs, Victoria were favourites by the time Hodge was castled by Balachandra Akhil. Aiden Blizzard and Quiney then built a strong partnership, helped by some wayward bowling – Bangalore conceded 21 extras – which hastened the one-sided conclusion. Both fell in quick succession but not before the task left for the remaining batsmen was a mere formality.

Leeds United have entered the final international break of 2021 15th in the Premier League after 11 matches played this season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men have only won two of their 11 league games, but have avoided heading into the break in the bottom three.

The Lillywhite have 11 points and are three points ahead of 18th-placed Burnley, whilst they are four points behind 10th-placed Crystal Palace.

Liability

One player who has let Bielsa down with his performances this season is Welsh international winger Daniel James, who joined the club from Manchester United for a reported £30m in the summer window.

Since making the switch, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.57 in the Premier League for the Lillywhites – ranking him 19th in the squad. Jack Harrison (6.48) is the only senior player below him in the list, with Crysencio Summerville, Charlie Cresswell and Cody Drameh the others making up the bottom five along with Harrison and James.

The 24-year-old summer signing has been a liability on the pitch. Whilst he puts in the hard work and tries to make things happen, his quality lets him down at the end of the day and his lack of end product will surely frustrate Marcelo Bielsa.

In 10 league outings for Leeds, James has registered zero goals and one assist, whilst he has created a measly five chances in that time.

Former Premier League forward Darren Bent once criticised the attacker’s decision-making in the final third and branded him as ‘headless’. He told Football Insider:

“The only thing about Dan James at times, for me, he’s a little bit headless.

“He’s shown great potential, when he first went to United he played really well, scored a few goals but at times he for me he’s fouled or he shoots sometimes when he should pass it, he’ll pass when he should shoot.

“He’s got great pace and I think he’d be a great addition in anyone’s squad but when we talk about someone coming in and making a real difference and adding a lot of quality to whatever they’ve already got, I’m not quite sure.”

Per SofaScore, James has also been a liability in terms of keeping the ball, with 103 losses of possession in 10 top-flight games.

Whilst his end product in scoring and creating goals has been lacking, the main concern may be how often he gifts the ball back to the opposition throughout matches. He has also lost 62% of his duels, proving himself to be a lightweight in the defensive side of the game.

This shows why James has let Bielsa down this season, as he has been poor at keeping the ball, competing in duels and delivering quality in the final third.

Paying so much for a player who has only offered running thus far does not appear to be a great piece of business, but there is plenty of time left for him to come good and, hopefully, the Argentine can get the best out of him,

AND in other news, Imagine him and Joffy: LUFC may save millions in 19y/o who can “become a household name”…

Ed Joyce has signed a three-year extension to his Sussex contract, and will remain at the club until the end of the 2012 season

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2009Ed Joyce has signed a three-year extension to his Sussex contract, and will remain at the club until the end of the 2012 season.Joyce had a successful first season at Hove following his move from Middlesex, scoring 945 first-class runs, including three hundreds, at an average of 41.08. However, his real success was in List A cricket, where he scored 941 runs at an average of 58.81 including another three hundreds.His input was pivotal in Sussex winning the Twenty20 Cup and NatWest Pro40, as well as reaching a Lord’s final in the Friends Provident Trophy. His success was realised by England in being selected for the 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy played earlier this year.”I’ve really enjoyed my first year at the club and have settled in to the team and life on the south coast really well,” said Joyce. “The team had great success this year in the one-day arena. When I was offered a contract extension, I jumped at the chance and am very much looking forward to the next few years at Sussex.”Mike Yardy, Sussex’s captain, said: “Ed had a magnificent first season at the club and performed particularly well in the one-day form of the game. He is a great asset to the club and will play a vital role in getting Sussex back in the first division.”

Sri Lanka have a shot at redemption during this final leg of the tour against a a side that has not been the most confident in this format of late

The Preview by Jamie Alter14-Dec-2009Match factsTuesday, December 15
Start time 09:00 (03:30 GMT)Sanath Jayasuriya is all set to move to the middle order•AFPBig pictureAfter a one-sided Test series and an even Twenty20 contest, during which flat pitches and big bats rendered the spinners ineffective, India and Sri Lanka embark upon a five-match ODI series beginning in Rajkot. Chastened by a 2-0 defeat in the Tests, Sri Lanka have a shot at redemption during this final leg of the tour.The focus will be on Kumar Sangakkara and how he backs his talk with leadership and runs – he did thump exceptional fifties in the Twenty20s. The most interesting sub-plots of the series, though, should be the return of Zaheer Khan to 50-over cricket, and Sanath Jayasuriya’s expected move down to the middle order. Jayasuriya’s equation in the middle order – where he has not batted regularly since the early 1990s – and his role with the ball as Sri Lanka nurse Muttiah Muralitharan back will be crucial if Sri Lanka are to compete with India. For Sri Lanka these five matches provide an opportunity to assess their one-day prospects and identify areas they need to work on.Despite their No. 2 ICC ranking, India are not exactly bristling with confidence. They might have won 14 out of 23 completed ODIs this year, but are coming off a disappointing Champions Trophy and a home-series defeat to Australia. Sreesanth is surely out, and Yuvraj Singh is unlikely to play in the opener. That leaves a shaky middle order and a patchy bowling attack, neither of which fired cohesively against Australia. Zaheer and Harbhajan Singh’s task of boosting India’s bowling is now cut out.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India – LLLWW
Sri Lanka – LLWLWWatch out for…A hungry Kumar Sangakkara is precisely the captain and player Sri Lanka need. His successive thrilling half-centuries in the two Twenty20s underlined his quality – if proof were needed – and he remains a formidable figure at the top of the order. Sangakkara hasn’t made a one-day hundred in 34 innings since June 2008, but there were signs in Nagpur and Mohali that his best form might just be around the corner.Sanath Jayasuriya did better than Tillakaratne Dilshan in the Twenty20s but was comfortably overshadowed by Sangakkara’s top-order fireworks. Always a powerful striker, he will now be an important middle-order player regardless of whether Sri Lanka get away to a flier or lose early wickers. The test will be for him to add extra patience to his game in the latter scenario. Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin is equally vital – his spell in the first Twenty20 was crucial to Sri Lanka’s win – and he has a knack of breaking through when the lead bowlers are struggling.It has been exactly 10 months since Zaheer Khan played an ODI, but he held up during the Tests and the break from the Twenty20s should have given him time to rest. India’s bowling wasn’t at its best in the time Zaheer was out with injury and he will reunite with Ashish Nehra, India’s best fast bowler since he returned in June, for the first time since 2005. The two are clever one-day bowlers, and having a potent left-arm opening duo could lift India’s chances.Suresh Raina was a spectator during the Twenty20s and needs to raise his stock in the 50-over format. Yet to be given a fixed spot in the line-up, largely due to Dhoni’s penchant for flexibility, Raina will assume more responsibility now that Yuvraj is likely to miss the first match. He scored two fifties against Australia, but his only centuries so far have come against Hong Kong and Bangladesh. The time may have come for Raina to rectify that.Team newsDhoni didn’t name India’s final XI, but Yuvraj’s absence at training signalled towards Virat Kohli getting a game. Sreesanth’s absence may not mean an ODI debut for rookie Sudeep Tyagi, because Praveen Kumar could fill up that opening. Harbhajan will take the lead spinner’s role and the allrounder’s spot should go to Ravindra Jadeja.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.Sri Lanka’s line-up is likely to be significantly different from the Twenty20s, with key changes at the top and in the middle. With Jayasuriya playing in the middle order, Upul Tharanga will open. The last middle-order spot will be a toss-up between Thilan Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby, the latter being the frontrunner.Sri Lanka were dealt a jolt today when Lasith Malinga came down with fever and did not train at the ground. The good news, though, was that Murali is almost certain to return as the lead spinner after missing the Twenty20 internationals due to a finger injury sustained during the Mumbai Test. He showed no signs of discomfort in the nets, though he visited a hospital later for a pain-relief injection on the finger. With Angelo Mathews a guaranteed allrounder, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando and Ajantha Mendis will contest two spots.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Thilina Kandamby/Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Sanath Jayasuriya, 8 Angelo Mathews, 9 Muttiah Muralithara, 10 and 11 Nuwan Kulasekera/Dilhara Fernando/Ajantha Mendis.Pitch and conditionsFor the second year running a bilateral series gets underway at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground. Last November, India and England squared off here and the home side set the tone for a series sweep with a resounding win. While it is a venue with plenty of runs on offer, it isn’t one where India have always enjoyed playing. They have a 50-50 record here and the last time they played Sri Lanka at this ground, in 2007, they lost by five runs.Stats and trivia India have a clear 25-10 win-loss advantage in home ODIs against Sri Lanka. Their recent record is even more dominant, with 10 wins and two losses since 1999. Virender Sehwag is the leading run-scorer at this ground, with 259 runs in five innings at an average of 64.75 and a strike rate of 115.62. Sachin Tendulkar has struggled, though, scoring only 161 in six innings. Among the Sri Lankans, Kumar Sangakkara is the only one to score a century here, while Tillakaratne Dilshan has two half-centuries. Five of the last six ODIs here – dating back to November 1999 – have been won by the team batting first. Four out of India’s five victories have come batting first.Quotes”We cannot afford to drop our guard and become complacent. Every time we take the field, we go out with the intention of winning the game. We will strive to finish the year with a series victory.”
“It’s not about what has happened in the series. He’s still a great bowler and can have an impact on the game at any time in the series it has nothing to do with what has happened till now.”

A number of Wolves supporters have lauded Nelson Semedo’s performance at home to West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

Bruno Lage’s lost 2-0 away to Crystal Palace in their last Premier League, bringing to an end a strong run of form beforehand.

A West Ham side in sensational form made the trip to Molineux – the Hammers beat Liverpool before the international break and went into the match third in the table, highlighting the difficulty of Wolves’ task.

Lage’s men got the job done in impressive fashion, however, and one player who was highly impressive was Semedo, who shone on the right flank and played a key role in Raul Jimenez’s goal.

The Portugal international completed an impressive five out of eight dribble attempts and won eight out of 13 duels, per Sofascore.

Wolves fans react to Semedo display

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to react to Semedo’s performance.

“Anyone that says Semedo isn’t good enough ain’t got a clue, I love him”

Credit: @Adammortimerxx

“Semedo goes all Cafu, taking three on and then releasing Podence who wins a corner. Final ball all that’s letting Wolves down here”

Credit: @TimSpiers

“Semedo has been class, agree about Podence, give it another 20 mins then bring on Traore”

Credit: @trevorclifford1

“Good half. Hwang Neves and Semedo been excellent”

Credit: @Topoftheshop40

“Podence and Semedo have been class down this right hand side”

Credit: @PortuWolves

“Semedo killing it so far”

Credit: @wolvesfancast

In other news, Wolves are reportedly front-runners to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

A round-up of the second day’s action of the second round of the WICB Four-Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff17-Jan-2010If Lendl Simmons’ fluent hundred on day-night one gave Trinidad & Tobago a running start, Denesh Ramdin’s unbeaten ton on the second helped them extend the early advantage against Guyana at the Vivian Richards Stadium. Ramdin and Dave Mohammed frustrated the Guyana attack with a productive association for the eighth wicket worth 85. Mohammed contributed 37 before falling to Esuan Crandon. Narsingh Deonarine brought an end to proceedings with a couple of lbw dismissals that were separated by a 28-run stand for the last wicket that gave Ramdin his sixth first-class hundred and took T&T past 400. Ramdin’s efforts were cautious to begin with, but he opened up in style as the day progressed. He spanked the new pink cherry, taken after 119 overs, for two fours through the covers and later reached his ton with a similar shot. Rayad Emrit put Guyana’s reply in early strife by prising out Sewnarine Chattergoon before Rajindra Chandrika led the reply with a composed 65. Unfortunately for Guyana, he could not kick on to get three figures, while Travis Dowlin was snared by Amit Jaggernauth for 31. Deonarine held fort until stumps with 33 and will look to extend his 34-run association with Vishaul Singh on the third day.Jamaica’s batsmen drove home the advantage created by their bowlers as they finished the second day 190 runs clear of Leewards Islands with two second innings wickets intact at Warner Park. Resuming at a precarious 39 for 2, the Jamaican batsmen avoided the errors made by their counterparts from Leewards and got their eye in on a wicket that yielded good returns for set batsmen. Night-watchman Daren Powell did not last long, but Donovan Pagon and Tamar Lambert dug in to add 79 for the fourth wicket, before Pagon was caught by bowler Lionel Baker off a leading edge. Brendan Nash was dismissed before the first-innings lead was secured and Lambert followed soon after, raising the hopes of the Leewards’ attack. But Wavell Hinds and David Bernard joined forces to deny Leewards, adding 87 runs before Gavin Tonge had Bernard edging a lifter to slip. Kieran Powell pulled off a screamer at cover to send back top-scorer Hinds for 70, but once again Jamaica found a way to shut the door on Leewards. The final act of defiance was led by Carlton Baugh’s brisk counter-attacking 56 that came off 57 balls. His ninth-wicket stand with Nikita Miller was worth 63 at stumps, leaving Baker and Tonge frustrated on a day when they led the Leewards’ attack, picking seven wickets between them.Barbados threatened to shut Combined Campuses and Colleges completely out of the match, but their progress was checked by an inspired final-session comeback led by offspinner Ryan Austin as they finished the second day with a first-innings lead of 88 in Charlestown. Jason Haynes gave Barbados the early advantage with a stroke-filled 52 off 123 balls, including four fours and two sixes. CCC only managed one wicket, that of night-watchman Nikolai Charles for 20, in the first session. Kirk Edwards and Ryan Hinds failed to convert their starts, as Gavin Wallace reduced Barbados to 189 for 5 before Kevin Stoute and Sharmarh Brooks steadied the innings with a 70-run stand. Stoute struck nine classy fours off 104 balls, as he top-scored with 74, before he edged Kevin Kantasingh’s left-arm spin to slip. That was the opening CCC were looking for and Austin helped them to elbow their way back into the match, as he polished off the tail, picking 4 for 87 in the process.

Liverpool’s next Premier League test sees them take on Southampton at home in their latest attempt at closing the gap between them and Chelsea at the top of the table.

On the chalkboard

In terms of who could be selected to be in the starting XI to take on the Saints, one player who did not feature in the 2-0 win over FC Porto in midweek but should be in the team to start tomorrow is Diogo Jota, who is currently earning a weekly wage of just over £90k-per-week according to Spotrac.

His previous appearance for the Reds came during the 4-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League last week, where he found the net and earned an overall match rating of 7/10 from the Liverpool Echo, who said that he “took his goal superbly” and that his “clever flick helped set up the third” goal on the day.

In addition to his performance against Arsenal, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, has proven throughout the season just what a dangerous attacking threat he can be for Liverpool.

The Portugal international, who has been described as a “pressing monster” by Pep Lijnders, has racked up an average of 2.2 shots and 1.5 key passes per game in the league, showing why he would be a frightening prospect and a real danger to Southampton’s defence.

In terms of who Jota could replace in the team to take on Southampton after sitting out the Porto game, it seems likely that Klopp could take Takumi Minamino out rather than Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah, especially since the Japan forward failed to impress in midweek by having no shots at goal or making any key passes.

Also, with Southampton only conceding three more goals than Liverpool in the league so far this season and Klopp saying in his latest press conference that his side will “have to be creative to break them down,” it would make sense for Jota to start, as his attacking and creative talents could be the key to securing another win for the Reds.

In other news: FSG could solve big Liverpool issue by signing “unplayable” £27m-rated “world-beater”