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The South Australia left-hander has been preferred ahead of Josh Inglis

Andrew McGlashan02-Dec-2021Alex Carey is determined not be overwhelmed by “the biggest game I’ll play” after having his Test debut confirmed against England at the Gabba next week as Tim Paine’s replacement.In a move that had been expected for the last couple of days, Carey has been preferred ahead of Western Australia’s Josh Inglis. He was told of the news by national selector George Bailey on Monday night but was only able to inform family and friends in the last 24 hours after also meeting with coach Justin Langer.”The phone started to blow up a bit this morning which is nice. Definitely feeling the love,” he said. “You hear the stories of the Ashes, I do understand the significance, but I’ve also got a job to do. I’ll focus on what I’ve done in the past to get to this moment and not be too overwhelmed by that. It’s the biggest game I’ll play and I’ll try to perform the best I can.”This is also for my dad who has been my coach, mentor and mate, my mum, my wife Eloise, kids Louis and Clementine, my brother and sister and all of those who have supported me. I will be doing my absolute best to make them and our country proud.”Carey has made just 153 runs in eight Sheffield Shield innings this season – with single-figure scores in his last five outings – but did score a century in the Marsh Cup before heading to Brisbane.He was due to be part of the Test squad for the postponed South Africa tour earlier this year and last season played for Australia A.”Alex has been a regular member of the national side in white-ball cricket, particularly in the one-day game,” Bailey said. “He is an excellent cricketer and a fine individual who will bring many great strengths into the team. He will be a very deserved holder of baggy green cap number 461.”Speaking yesterday about his relatively season, Carey said he remained confident in his form.”I feel like I’m hitting the ball well and although the runs didn’t come as I would have liked in the first part of the Sheffield Shield season I think consistently over the last couple of years I’ve been pretty solid,” he told RSN radio.He believes his extensive experience in limited-overs cricket – he has played 45 ODIs and 38 T20Is – will aid the transition especially when it comes to his work behind the stumps. He is also the current ODI vice-captain and took over the captaincy when Aaron Finch was injured in West Indies earlier this year so won’t feel out of place offering advice to the new leadership pair of Pat Cummins and Steven Smith.”Playing a number of games in the short format as vice-captain on the recent tour of West Indies I see it as another opportunity in that role but I’ll also offer what I can,” he said. “Playing alongside a lot of these guys in the past, even though it’s a different format, I’ll feel comfortable enough to say what I see.”Pat Cummins is now the captain which is so exciting for Australia, a quality person, quality player and Steve Smith alongside him, the group is in really good hands with a lot of senior players. Whatever advice I can give those guys I’ll definitely do that.”Carey’s confirmation means there are two selection questions left to be answered before the first Test. Mitchell Starc is expected to retain his place but faces competition from the in-form Jhye Richardson while it is between Travis Head and Usman Khawaja for the No. 5 berth.Australia’s planned three-day intrasquad match has been cancelled due to the poor weather in Brisbane to be replaced by indoor training and potentially some centre-wicket sessions.

It’s been a roller coaster few years for Ipswich Town, rising from the ashes of relegation to the third tier all the way back to the top flight for the first time in over two decades.

However, while there have been plenty of ups and downs for the Tractor Boys in recent memory, the club have signed and sold on several serious talents.

In fact, even though Ipswich have spent a considerable period outside the Premier League, they have made some sizable sales in recent years, including one star who became a European Champion.

Ipswich's biggest sales

So, before we get onto the star in question who netted the club a massive profit before lifting a European title, let’s look at the two most significant sales in the club’s history.

The first is England international and Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings, who joined the Blues from non-league side Chippenham for £10k in December 2012.

Over the next two-and-a-half seasons, the Bath-born star would make 63 appearances for the then Championship side, mostly as a left-back, before being sold on to Bournemouth in July 2015 for a fee of around £8m, which led to a rather nice profit on the £10k he initially cost the club.

Just behind the 31-year-old on the list is a player who, unfortunately, hasn’t had quite as successful a career: Conor Wickham.

The Hereford-born poacher, who is currently without a team, came up through the ranks of the club’s academy, and between July 2009 and July 2011, scored 15 goals and provided four assists in 72 games for the Suffolk side before being sold to Sunderland for a fee also believed to be in the region of £8m at the time.

Unfortunately for Wickham, he never really found his footing at any of the clubs he went on to play for, unlike one of the club’s other greatest sales.

Aaron Cresswell's sale

The player in question is veteran defender Aaron Cresswell, who joined Ipswich for free in the summer of 2011 from Tranmere Rovers.

However, because he was under 24 then, the club had to pay the Merseysiders compensation, which Transfermarkt claims to be around €275k, or about £229k.

Over the next few seasons, the Liverpool-born star would make a whopping 138 appearances for the Tractor Boys, in which he’d score seven goals and rack up a seriously impressive haul of 25 assists, meaning that he averaged a goal involvement once every 4.31 games during his time in blue.

Cresswell’s career

Team

Tranmere

Ipswich

West Ham

Appearances

80

138

353

Goals

6

7

11

Assists

7

25

37

Goal Involvements per Match

0.16

0.23

0.13

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Unsurprisingly, such impressive form eventually caught the attention of teams in the Premier League, and in July 2014, West Ham United brought the Englishman to East London in a deal that Transfermarkt claims was worth €4.75m, which converts to about £3.95m, or in other words, a massive 1624% increase on the fee he was signed for.

In the decade since, the 34-year-old has become something of a legend for the Hammers, making 353 appearances for the club, in which he has scored 11 goals, provided 37 assists, and, most importantly of all, played a vital role in the club’s Europa Conference League triumph in the 22/23 season, playing 517 minutes of action across seven games.

Ultimately, selling Cresswell to West Ham in 2014 worked out best for all parties, as Ipswich made a tidy profit, the Hammers picked up a loyal servant, and the player himself became a European Champion.

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Glasgow Rangers return to action in the Scottish Premiership later this week as they prepare to travel away from Ibrox to take on Kilmarnock on Sunday.

The Light Blues did not play last weekend, due to the October international break, and had beaten St Johnstone 2-0 in their last match in the division.

Vaclav Cerny scored both goals for the Scottish giants in the clash at Ibrox, with one either side of half-time, and Ianis Hagi was sent off on his return to action for the club.

The Gers are currently on 16 points after seven games in the Premiership and are five points behind Celtic and Aberdeen at the top of the table, as they have both won all seven of their matches in the league.

Philippe Clement will be looking to bridge the gap to the top two over the coming weeks to ensure that his side does not slip away from the title race.

It could be that the Belgian boss looks to bolster his squad in the upcoming January transfer window to give his team a boost in the title race ahead of the second half of the season, amid reported interest in Dario Osorio.

Rangers' interest in Chile international

It was recently reported by journalist Graeme Bailey that Rangers are one of a number of teams showing interest in Midtjylland forward Dario Osorio.

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The outlet claimed that the Light Blues and their Glasgow rivals Celtic are both admirers of the Scotland international and suggested that they have both had a long-standing interest in the young gem.

It also stated that there are a host of Premier League teams keeping tabs on his progress in Denmark. Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Wolves, and Newcastle United are eyeing up the 20-year-old prospect ahead of the January transfer window.

The report added that there are also clubs in France and Spain looking at Osorio as a potential target, which shows that Rangers would likely face plenty of competition for his signature if they decided to act upon their interest in him.

However, the report did not reveal how much money it would take to convince Midtjylland to cash in on their starlet ahead of the second half of the season.

If Clement and head of recruitment Nils Koppen can strike early and reach an agreement to bring the forward to Ibrox, Osorio could come through the door at the start of 2025 as an upgrade on current Rangers winger Ross McCausland.

Ross McCausland's first-team form for Rangers

The Northern Ireland international made his first-team breakthrough as a regular in the squad under the Belgian head coach during the 2023/24 campaign.

Having come up through the academy system, supporters may have enjoyed watching his rise to the senior team and got to watch him 39 times in all competitions last term.

In those 39 matches, though, McCausland struggled to offer a regular threat at the top end of the pitch. He ended the season with a return of four goals and five assists, including three goals and four assists in 29 outings in the league.

Clement may have been hoping that the 21-year-old whiz would use that experience to take the next step in his career and emerge as a star for the club this season.

Unfortunately, however, it has been more of the same for the young forward as he is still searching for consistency and quality in his play in the final third.

The Northern Irish gem has produced one goal and zero assists in two outings in the Europa League but his form in the Premiership has left a lot to be desired.

Appearances

5

Goals

0

Big chances missed

1

Big chances created

0

Assists

1

As you can see in the table above, the Rangers youngster has offered very little at the top end of the pitch, with one assist, despite not creating a single ‘big chance’, and zero goals.

These statistics show that there is room for the Light Blues to dip into the market to sign an upgrade on him, by landing a player who can provide more quality in the final third as a scorer and a creator of goals.

Why Rangers should sign Dario Osorio

With this in mind, Koppen and Clement must swoop to sign Osorio from Midtjylland to improve the club’s options on the flanks, based on his form for the Danish side over the last 14 months or so.

The Chile international, who was hailed as a “flamboyant” player who is similar to Angel Di Maria by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 11 goals in 40 matches at club level since the start of last season.

Like McCausland, Osorio has produced one goal in two Europa League outings this term but his form in the league has been significantly more impressive.

Whilst the Northern Irishman has failed to score or provide a ‘big chance’ for his teammates in five Premiership outings, the 20-year-old gem has scored one goal and created two ‘big chances’ in five starts in the Superliga this term.

Appearances

23

29

Starts

15

15

Goals

8

3

Big chances missed

0

2

Big chances created

4

3

Assists

2

4

As you can see in the table above, Osorio outperformed McCausland as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the wing during the 2023/24 campaign, with five more goals and one more ‘big chance’ created, despite playing six fewer matches.

The Chilean wizard, who can play on the left or the right flank, could come in and offer a greater goal threat for Rangers in the final third, whilst also providing slightly more creativity.

At the age of 20, Osorio would also come in as a long-term addition as a player who could develop and improve as he gains more experience whilst playing week-in-week-out, and that is another reason why the Gers should swoop for his services in January.

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William Saliba’s performances for Arsenal over the past two seasons have seen him attract plenty of attention from some of the biggest clubs in world football, Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain included.

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger recently revealed his admiration for the Arsenal star. During an appearance on The Inside Scoop podcast, Rudiger was asked to name his top three defenders in the world right now. The German replied: “Saliba, and I like Gabriel from Arsenal as well.”

He then went on to hint that Saliba could one day move to Real Madrid if he continues playing the way he is: “I am not scaring anybody but at the end of the day, it’s clear, if he keeps doing what he’s doing.”

This follows reports in the last few weeks that Florentino Perez wants to bring Saliba to Madrid, while PSG were also said to be preparing an £83m bid after the two sides clashed in the Champions League – although it wouldn’t take an expert to tell you Arsenal would reject that sort of number fairly quickly.

Fortunately for the Gunners and their fans, though, the Frenchman doesn’t see his future anywhere but at The Emirates. At least that’s according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who on Sunday provided an update on Saliba’s future.

Update on William Saliba's Arsenal future

“I can say there is absolutely nothing going on with Saliba and any other club,” Romano wrote in his Daily Briefing. “Back in the summer we had rumours about Saliba and PSG, and about Spanish clubs, but the reality is that he never considered leaving Arsenal. He extended his contract in summer 2023, and he remains very happy with life at the club, it’s fantastic for him there.”

The reporter also revealed exactly why the defender is so happy, pointing to the ambition of the club, something which is sure to be music to the ears of fans in north London: “Saliba can see the ambition under manager Mikel Arteta, and he can see how important he is in the project.”

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Romano wrote in his Daily Briefing that it’s only natural for Saliba to be given praise from other defenders, but that he would see it as a “compliment” and “nothing more than that”.

Jurrien Timber also loving life at Arsenal

Saliba isn’t the only Arsenal defender who is currently loving life in North London. Jurrien Timber is too. Timber, 23, joined Arsenal in the summer of 2023 from Ajax, but was forced to sit out the majority of his debut season at The Emirates with injury.

This term, however, he’s been a regular feature in the Gunners’ defence, having made seven appearances so far in all competitions, including starting five of Arsenal’s seven Premier League matches.

Speaking to the press before Arsenal’s recent 2-0 win over PSG in the Champions League, the Dutchman revealed his joy at finally being able to play regularly for the Gunners.

“It helped a lot being comfortable with the team, me getting to know them and them getting to know me,” he explained. “I just wanted to stay involved, I was looking at them from a distance, it was amazing to see them and I wanted to be a part of that. Now I’m part of it and I’m really grateful.”

How much does every Spurs player earn annually and who receives the most into their account?

Tottenham Hotspur have not secured a major trophy since winning the League Cup in 2008, despite growing into a financial powerhouse under chairman Daniel Levy's leadership.

The club consistently competes for a top-four finish and has mounted challenges for the Premier League title on several occasions, though they have yet to claim the championship. Nevertheless, their pursuit of greatness has seen them regularly qualify for European competitions, including the Champions League and Europa League.

In recent years, Spurs have added notable players to their squad, such as James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, and Pedro Porro. However, they still lag behind their direct rivals — Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool — both in financial power and on-field performance.

Which begs the question: who is the highest earner at Spurs this season? And who is on the opposite end of the spectrum?

GOAL delved into the numbers from Capology and found out!

*

Getty Images SportGoalkeepers

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is surprisingly on the same wages as his deputy Fraser Forster. The Italy international has been one of Spurs' best performers ever since arriving in 2023, and his wages don't do justice to how vital he has been to the team's fortunes.

25-year-old Brandon Austin and 26-year-old Alfie Whiteman, who barely feature under Postecoglou, are the lowest-paid goalkeepers and overall among the lowest-paid members of the Spurs roster.

Name Salary

Guglielmo Vicario£3,900,000Fraser Forster£3,900,000Brandon Austin£780,000Alfie Whiteman£390,000AdvertisementGetty Images SportDefenders

Cristian Romero is undoubtedly the highest-earning defender at Tottenham Hotspur, and his status is well-deserved. The Argentina international has consistently been a standout performer at the heart of the defense whenever available.

Following him are Pedro Porro and Radu Dragusin, both of whom earn identical wages. Porro has solidified his position as one of the best right-backs in the Premier League, while Dragusin has shown himself to be a reliable backup, capable of filling in for either Romero or Micky van de Ven when needed.

On the other hand, it’s puzzling to see Van de Ven earning less than players like Sergio Reguilon and Ben Davies, who are further down the defensive pecking order. Along with Djed Spence, Van de Ven shares the distinction of being the lowest-paid defender at Spurs, earning £2.6m annually.

Name Salary

Cristian Romero£8,580,000Pedro Porro£4,420,000Radu Dragusin£4,420,000Ben Davies£4,160,000Destiny Udogie£3,900,000Sergio Reguilon£2,756,000Micky van de Ven£2,600,000Djed Spence£2,600,000Getty ImagesMidfielders

As expected, midfield maestro James Maddison is the highest-paid midfielder at Spurs, earning just a shade under £9m annually. He is, however, not the highest-paid player in the squad.

Rodrigo Bentancur earns the most among midfielders after Maddison, but that amount is a significant decrease as we move down in the list.

For someone who is just 18 and has only one full season at the senior level under his belt, Archie Gray is the joint-second highest paid midfielder, ahead of more seasoned campaigners in Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma.

Lucas Bergvall is the lowest-paid midfielder in the squad, and not many can dispute that to be fair.

Name Salary

James Maddison£8,840,000Rodrigo Bentancur£3,900,000Archie Gray£3,900,000Pape Matar Sarr£3,640,000Yves Bissouma£2,860,000Lucas Bergvall£780,000ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images SportAttackers

No surprises here either as Heung-min Son is the club's highest-paid player and attacker, although what may surprise some is the fact that he is not making eight figures annually unlike some other superstars in the league.

It's sometimes unusual for a player on loan to command high wages, but Timo Werner is the second-highest earning forward at Spurs this season.

Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, and Richarlison are the next best-paid forwards, with the latter two earning similar wages. Following them is Brennan Johnson, who makes over £3.6m per year.

20-year-old French winger Wilson Odobert is the lowest-paid attacker in the squad, earning just over a million pounds annually.

Name Salary

Heung-min Son£9,880,000Timo Werner£8,580,000Dejan Kulusevski£5,720,000Richarlison£4,680,000Dominic Solanke£4,680,000Brennan Johnson£3,640,000Wilson Odobert£1,300,000

Half-century and four wickets, plus strong display in the field, puts Diamonds in the rough

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2021Thunder 118 for 6 (Lamb 58) beat Diamonds 106 for 9 (Lamb 4-13) by 12 runsA superb display by Emma Lamb steered Thunder to their first ever victory over Northern Diamonds on the opening day of matches in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. The Lancashire all-rounder made 58, took four wickets for 13 runs and pouched an important catch as the visitors secured a 12-run victory at Emerald Headingley, restricting the home side to 106 for nine in reply to their own 118 for sixThunder’s innings began poorly when Georgie Boyce departed for nought in the second over but Lamb and Ellie Threlkeld put on 33 for the second wicket before Threlkeld, having made 13, skied Gunn to backward point.Rebecca Duckworth was bowled for a single by Linsey Smith but Thunder then enjoyed their best spell of the innings as Lamb and Natalie Brown put on 63 in 8.3 overs.The dismissal of the pair in successive overs seemed crucial. Having reached her fifth T20 half-century off 38 balls Lamb reverse-swept Katie Levick to Sterre Kalis at short third and Brown then pulled Phoebe Graham to deep square leg. Her departure for 31 brought ended the fluent scoring as only 18 runs came from the last five overs.Langston bowled Laura Marshall to give her figures of two for 32 while both Graham and Levick took one for 18. But a fine end to the first half of the game from Thunder’s perspective was marred when Sarah Taylor was hit on the head by Langston’s final ball, which lifted lifted nastily and struck her on the head. The former England wicketkeeper was escorted from the field and had to be replaced by concussion substitute, Rachel Hopkins.Thunder’s modest total seemed even smaller as Diamonds openers Hollie Armitage and Leah Dobson put on 31 in four overs but thoughts of an comfortable win were ended by Lamb, who trapped both Armitage and Ami Campbell leg before wicket in the same over.From the Kirkstall Lane End Sophie Turner was bowling brilliantly, conceding just four runs in her four overs and having Leah Dobson caught at cover by Lamb for eight. Gunn and Kalis accelerated but their efforts faltered when Gunn was bowled by Jones in the 14th over, at the end of which 55 runs were needed.Kalis was stumped by Threlkeld off Brown for a fine 32 and Diamonds lost further wickets in a desperate attempt to score 27 off the final two overs.

Tottenham Hotspur have been approached by representatives over signing a free agent attacker who featured for his country at Euro 2024, and who also finished the 2020/2021 campaign as the Europa League's top goalscorer.

Spurs preparing for all-important Arsenal clash after international break

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou got his first defeat of the new Premier League season out of the way early, having fell to a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United at St. James' Park last Sunday.

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Alexander Isak's winner in the 78th minute was all that split the two teams, with Dan Burn's own goal cancelling out Harvey Barnes' opener beforehand and giving the Lilywhites brief hope they could take a result away from where has been an unhappy stomping ground for Spurs in recent years.

However, Isak ensured it wasn't to be, and Postecoglou now turns his attention to one of Tottenham's biggest matches of the season. The north Londoners take on Arsenal at home in their first match after the international break, and it is a clash which they will be desperate to win.

Tottenham's next five games in the Premier League

Date

Arsenal (home)

September 15

Brentford (home)

September 21

Man United (away)

September 29

Brighton (away)

October 6

West Ham (home)

October 19

Speaking to the press after Spurs' defeat in the North East, Postecoglou still praised Tottenham's performance against Newcastle, insisting their opening three performances of the new season have been encouraging.

"Yeah, obviously, very similar I guess to our first away game when we controlled it for the most part, nullified most of the threats that Newcastle have," said Postecoglou.

"It's obviously a difficult opponent here at home. The crowd create a pretty strong atmosphere for the home side, little things go their way but I thought for the most part we handled that really well. Then we gained the ascendancy in the game and we just needed to kill it off and we didn't and a disappointing second goal. I thought we switched off a little bit but the game should have been well over by then. So, another sore one unfortunately where we haven't got the rewards for our play, but ultimately it's three strong performances from the first three games. The results don't reflect it in that way."

It's set to be a long and interesting campaign at N17, especially considering their involvement in the new Europa League format, and tough tests like Arsenal soon await.

Tottenham reportedly wanted to strengthen in midfield before the summer transfer window closed, and to reinforce Postecoglou's squad further ahead of a congested fixture calendar.

With the UK window shut, chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange can only dip into the free agent market if they wish to make further additions, but they'll have to do so before September 14, which is the Premier League's full squad submission deadline.

Tottenham offered chance to sign free agent Yusuf Yazici

According to HITC, the club have now been contacted over the availability of former Lille star and 45-cap Turkey international Yusuf Yazici.

The 27-year-old, who finished the 2020/2021 season as the Europa League's top goalscorer, was also called up to represent Turkey at the Euros this summer. However, that wasn't enough to convince Lille to offer him a new deal, and the attacking midfielder left the Ligue 1 side after six years in June.

Their loss could be Postecoglou's gain, though, as it is believed Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Yazici on a free transfer, as have other English top flight clubs.

The Turk also helped to spearhead Lille to an unlikely Ligue 1 title in 2021, boasting a career total of 64 goals and 39 assists in all competitions across spells at Lille, Trabzonspor and CSKA Moscow.

Liverpool confidently won their first game of the new Premier League season back in front of their adoring Anfield masses, as Arne Slot's men beat Thomas Frank's Brentford with relative ease 2-0.

Limiting the visiting Bees to just two shots on target in the game, the Reds could well have won by more on another day, with 19 total efforts registered on Mark Flekken's constantly busy goal.

Thankfully, Mohamed Salah kept onside deep into the second half to stroke an effort home that wrapped up a routine three points in the end, but it was Luis Diaz down the opposing flank that really shone during the comfortable victory.

Luis Diaz's performance in numbers

Unable to open his Premier League account away at Ipswich Town on the opening day, despite tallying up three efforts on the Tractor Boys net, Luis Diaz certainly turned up for the test back on home soil today.

The blistering Colombian winger had the exact same amount of shots registered up against Flekken but converted this time around, finishing off a well-executed counter-attack by lashing an effort past the Bees number one to ease any early nerves at Anfield to make it 1-0.

Away from that important opener, the electric Reds number seven was also ice-cold with the ball at his feet, with zero misplaced passes managed from his 41 touches, alongside offering grit when needed with six ground duels won, before going on another mazey dart forward.

Substituted off on the 72nd-minute mark for Cody Gakpo to get some minutes up top, Slot would have been delighted with the South American forward's individual display when he was at full pelt, with his four key passes on the day also nearly gifting him an assist to make the scoreline more emphatic.

Away from the entertaining attacking performance as a collective, Liverpool were also rock solid at the back courtesy of Ibrahima Konate starring in the heart of defence, who justified his starting spot against Brentford.

Konate's performance in numbers

Not featuring in Suffolk against Kieran McKenna's men from the get-go, with Jarell Quansah starting alongside Virgil Van Dijk initially, Konate was substituted on at half-time in that potential banana skin and ensured the Reds looked far more controlled defensively in that 2-0 win after a shaky first-half.

Fast forward to today, and the French centre-back performed in exactly the same manner over the straightforward 90 minutes, with another clean sheet notched up on his 24/25 resume.

Stat

Konate

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

87

Accurate passes

73/76 (96%)

Possession lost

4x

Clearances

3

Blocked shots

1

Tackles

3

Duels won

4/4

Stats by Sofascore

Glancing at Konate's glowing numbers from the game, when taking in the table above, the former RB Leipzig man has surely made that second centre-back spot next to Van Dijk his own going forward now, with 73 accurate passes managed – the most by any Liverpool shirt – and a flawless record with his duels as four out of four were bravely won.

Both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa were limited to rare chances in the game as a result of Konate's imposing display, with an opening usually thwarted before it became too dangerous, often after a breakaway run forward fizzled out.

Konate's top display was reflected in Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle's post-match ratings, with the 6 foot 4 titan handed an 8/10 rating after the dust had settled.

Doyle labelled the 25-year-old's showing as "composed and decisive", with Slot now hopeful that his number five can be as cool and collected when travelling to Manchester United next weekend.

A 100% record from their opening two league games will make for encouraging reading from Liverpool's perspective, but another victory on the board against Erik ten Hag's men to come would very much see the optimism levels raised once more that this can be a stunning season, even with Jurgen Klopp no longer occupying the dug-out.

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Queensland 14 for 2 vs New South WalesBrisbane’s rain is threatening to wash out New South Wales’ already unlikely push to reach the Sheffield Shield final.To lock up second place on the ladder and a spot in next week’s decider, the fourth-placed Blues must convincingly beat Queensland and pick up bonus points along the way.They also need Western Australia to draw with Victoria in Melbourne this week – ideally without scoring many of their own bonus points.But inclement weather at Allan Border Field meant only 12 overs were bowled on Monday in a blow to the visitor’s hopes of securing a result.Quick Chris Tremain was the pick of the bowlers for NSW, who won the toss and put the hosts in to bat. Tremain consigned the last-placed Queensland to 3 for 2 when opener Angus Lovell edged to the slips and then Jack Clayton fell lbw on the next ball. Both went without scoring.More than six hours were lost to rain, with play resuming for fewer than two overs between a pair of lengthy delays.