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He beat them with wrong’uns, length, dip, pace, and more to finish with 4-0-15-0

Karthik Krishnaswamy25-May-20221:46

Hardik: I relax and let Rashid do his magic

He took no wickets, and conceded no fours or sixes, so the chances are that highlights packages of Tuesday night’s Qualifier at Eden Gardens will include no footage of Rashid Khan bowling.But if you were there, and you watched him bowl, you’ll remember it for a long, long time.You’ll remember this ball to Jos Buttler in the ninth over of Rajasthan Royals’ innings. A legbreak that pitched on middle stump – or thereabouts – and beat the outside edge as Buttler prodded hurriedly from deep in his crease.Related

• The Rashid Effect was always on show, the 'biggest achievement' just took its time coming

• Vikram Solanki: 'Hardik has a poise that is typical of winners'

• Miller and Hardik muscle Titans into the IPL final

• 'I feel extremely backed' – David Miller explains his success at Gujarat Titans

Watching from the media box, it briefly seemed as if Buttler was bowled, but what initially looked like the bails lighting up turned out to be the metallic finish of Wriddhiman Saha’s keeping gloves glittering under the floodlights.Illusions upon illusions.It’s possible that Buttler had failed to pick the legbreak out of the hand and played for the wrong’un – a common enough occurrence against Rashid. But before that, he had been done for length, his feet immobilised by Rashid’s vicious overspin. The ball had dipped and landed significantly shorter than expected, and Buttler’s front foot, having shaped to stride forward, had ended up going nowhere.Against other wristspinners, batters can occasionally adjust when they are beaten in the air, and shift onto the back foot. At Rashid’s pace, it’s next to impossible.This was the second time in a row that Rashid had beaten Buttler’s outside edge. Then, in his next over, he turned a quick, fizzing wrong’un past the outside edge of the left-hand batter Devdutt Padikkal, for symmetry’s sake. Again, the batter’s feet were hypnotised into immobility.Ten other bowlers bowled on Tuesday night and finished with a combined economy rate of 10.23. Rashid bowled four overs and conceded just 15 runs. That’s 3.75 per over. While doing this, he was also beating the bat for fun.At his post-match press conference, Hardik Pandya, Gujarat Titans’ captain, put it simply when asked about Rashid’s impact. “When I give him the ball, I just relax and let him do his magic.”Rashid Khan conceded just 15 runs in his four overs•BCCIMagic, yes, but there’s more to it.When Rashid finishes a match with an absurdly low economy rate, it can sometimes feel as if batters give him too much respect. That they play into his hands in the effort to deny him wickets. But respect, in cricket as everywhere else, must be earned.Through the first half of Tuesday night’s match, this Eden Gardens pitch was grippy and two-paced, and with Rashid turning the ball both ways at pace, it was always going to be difficult to go after him unless he erred in length. Rashid simply refused to do that. When he wasn’t beating the bat, he was landing the ball on that typical Rashid length – slightly short of a traditional spinners’ good length, which makes both the lofted hit down the ground and the sweep risky propositions – while targeting the stumps or following the batters’ premeditated movements to deny them room.He was willing to let them take singles to his deep fielders via punches down the ground or clips and jabs to the square sweepers. If they wanted any more than that, they were going to have to take risks.Royals’ batters refused to do this, and you could see why. They had only six genuine batters, notwithstanding the contributions R Ashwin has made this season. Buttler was struggling for fluency, and was perhaps setting himself up for a tame dismissal if he decided to go after Rashid on this surface. And on this day, the outcome of seeing out Rashid’s overs was having both Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer at the crease when the last four overs began.Hetmyer didn’t last too long, but Buttler shrugged off his scratchy start, capitalised on a couple of lucky breaks, and tore into the fast bowlers at the finish. Having been on 39 off 38 at the end of the 16th over, he ransacked 50 off his last 18 balls.Royals finished with 188, and their captain Sanju Samson maintained at the post-match presentation that it was an excellent effort given how the pitch behaved in the first half of the match. That dew made conditions easier to bat in during the chase was beyond Royals’ control.It still came down to Titans needing 16 off the last over. How many more might they have needed had Rashid Khan not done his thing?

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly plotting a sensational move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios and are looking to secure a cut-price move for the young midfielder. The 22-year-old has made 16 La Liga appearances for Diego Simeone's side this season and Spurs have identified him as a potential option to offer some variation to their lethargic midfield options.

Spurs chasing Barrios

Thomas Frank is under pressure and may have to dip into the club’s coffers in order to revitalise his squad in the January transfer window. The Dane has had a mixed start to life in north London and has been unable to get much success out of his midfield options thus far this campaign.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha do not possess the ball carrying or playing abilities to play teams off the park and Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are still just teenagers. Yves Bissouma, who has apologised after being filmed using nitrous oxide for a second time, also appears on his way out of the club.

According to , Barrios could be the man to fill the void in the Spurs midfield. The Spaniard has a €120 million release clause in his contract, but it is unlikely that the north London side will put that amount down on the table to take Barrios away from Madrid.

The Spanish media outlet report that the club have instead floated a more modest €70 million offer in the direction of Atletico in the hope they could snatch up one of Europe’s more coveted midfielders for a more reasonable fee.

AdvertisementAFPBarrios attracting interest from England

Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly both also interested in the Atletico man, and could look to tempt the Spanish club with offers of their own.

The Reds have been having a difficult season and, despite splashing out on a record-shattering transfer window in the summer off the back of winning the Premier League, may have to fork out yet more money to refresh their squad. Arne Slot’s midfield has failed to match the high standards it set for itself last season. With the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister far below the levels they have been at previously and Florian Wirtz yet to start firing, Liverpool have been unable to replicate last season’s spectacular run to the title.

As for Chelsea, the Blues look once again to be falling short of a serious title challenge. Enzo Maresca has already got two £100 million plus midfielders to call upon in Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandes, but finding the complimentary third option has not always been an easy task. The Italian has fielded Reece James in the centre and Cole Palmer is returning from injury, but other options Andrey Santos and Roméo Lavia have failed to make a serious impact.

Spurs looking to move quickly

Barrios could offer something different to all of the Premier League sides determined to secure his signature. He has been a regular in Simeone’s midfield this season, usually utilised in a midfield two alongside veteran Ateltico legend Koke.

Barrios stood out in the Club World Club and even scored a brace against the Seattle Sounders to truly announce himself to the rest of Europe. The development of the 22-year-old in recent years has made him a highly sought-after central midfielder, and Spurs are keen to secure his services before anyone else.

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Getty Images SportA bidding war for Barrios?

An opening bid by Spurs could be the start of a lengthy battle for the services of Barrios. The midfielder has not given any suggestion that he is seeking to leave the Spanish capital, but may be tempted should one of the big Premier League sides offer a significant pay rise.

With three of the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’ circling Barrios, Atletico may drive a hard bargain and look to accrue a fee as close to his lofty release clause as possible with a potential bidding war set to ensue.

MatériaMais Notícias

Durante a transmissão de Palmeiras x Corinthians, pela Série A do Brasileirão feminino, a comentarista Renata Mendonça, da Globo, não poupou palavras na hora de criticar a diretoria do Palmeiras pela escolha do estádio e má divulgação do jogo.

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– Espero que os dirigentes do Palmeiras que estejam vendo o jogo sintam um pouco do fracasso que eles cometem quando eles têm um derby desse tamanho com 800 pessoas no estádio – disparou a jornalista.

Canal oficial da torcida do Verdão no Lance! Vem ver mais conteúdos aqui⬅️

– Esse jogo é muito grande para estar em um estádio como o Jayme Cintra. Esse jogo é muito grande para ser tão pouco divulgado, para que a torcida possa comparecer. É triste ver como tantos clássicos do Brasileirão feminino acontecem em estádios ruins, gramados péssimos, como é o caso do Jayme Cintra, com pouca torcida. – iniciou a jornalista sobre o jogo do Palmeiras.

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– Eu tenho certeza que tem muito torcedor palmeirense que teria vontade de estar nesse jogo se o Palmeiras fizesse um bom trabalho pra divulgar- e completou.

Nas palavras de Renata, os clubes abdicam do potencial que tem de colocar torcidanos jogos de futebol femino.

Tudo sobre

Leila PereiraPalmeiras

The first 11 matches of the World Cup delivered a reach of 72 million, which, the ICC said, marked “a 166% increase from the previous edition”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2025The India vs Pakistan women’s ODI World Cup game on October 5 has broken digital-viewing records with “a reach of 28.4 million and 1.87 billion minutes consumed, making it the most-watched women’s international cricket match of all time”, an ICC statement on Thursday said.That was the standout match in terms of viewership, but even outside of it, the first half of the league stage of the World Cup delivered “record-breaking numbers across digital and linear platforms”, the ICC said.The India vs Pakistan game has also become the highest-rated league-stage match in the history of the tournament when it comes to TV viewership, while the first 11 matches, including India’s matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa, delivered a reach of 72 million. That, the ICC said, marked “a 166% increase from the previous edition”. Also, “viewing minutes surged 327% to 6.3 billion”.Related

Top-order turbulences, left-arm spin traps and catching concerns

Attendance at stadia has also been healthy, with stands filling up especially for India’s matches in India and Sri Lanka’s matches in Sri Lanka, though matches featuring visiting teams without any “home” interest have not always had too many people in the stands. In Colombo, when matches have not featured Sri Lanka or India, stadium attendance has been in four figures at times, though the weather has played its part in that.”According to data released jointly by ICC and JioHotstar, the first 13 matches of the tournament have already reached over 60 million viewers, a five-fold increase over the 2022 edition, while total watch-time has hit 7 billion minutes, up 12 times from the previous tournament,” an ICC statement said, adding that the India vs Australia game on October 12 “recorded 4.8 million peak concurrent viewers on JioHotstar, another all-time high for women’s cricket”.

أعلن الألماني هانز فليك، مدرب برشلونة الإسباني، تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة تشيلسي ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، حيث يلتقي الفريقان مساء اليوم الثلاثاء.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا على تشيلسي، بملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” في إطار مباريات الجولة الخامسة لمرحلة الدوري ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويملك برشلونة 7 نقاط في دوري أبطال أوروبا، بعد خوضه 4 جولات بالبطولة، وخصمه تشيلسي لديه 7 نقاط أيضًا.

اقرأ أيضًا | برشلونة يرد على اتهامات رئيس ريال مدريد بشأن التحكيم تشكيل برشلونة أمام تشيلسي اليوم

حراسة المرمى: خوان جارسيا.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، رونالد أراوخو، باو كوبارسي، أليخاندرو بالدي.

خط الوسط: إريك جارسيا، فرينكي دي يونج، فيرمين لوبيز.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس، روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، لامين يامال.

البدلاء: رافينها، راشفورد، كريستينسن، كاسادو، جيرارد مارتن، داني أولمو، بيرنال، تشيزني، درو، روني باردجي، كوشين. 

England dominated till lunch with bat and ball, but India reversed the momentum from there and didn’t look back

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Aug-20251:45

Prasidh: I’ve been picked to do a job

Stumps Now this, party people, is what it is all about. We had to wait until the last Friday of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but here it was. The best day’s play so far has, at this juncture, put India in control, 75 for 2 in their second innings, leading by 52.That it was day two of this fifth and final Test added to the spectacle. The jeopardy of it all felt keenly, a slalom through angst and nerves. Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul after two months out closed India’s first innings for 224. And the same man delivered the final meaningful act, removing B Sai Sudharsan lbw, the last of Friday’s 15 wickets to fall.In between, England had been dismissed for 247, a lead of 23 that looked like being a whole lot more when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett blitzed 92 from 77 deliveries. But it was soon after that point, from lunch with England 109 for 1 and only trailing by 115, that India stirred.Related

When India's wise guys got together and said 'so what'

'That was the plan' – Prasidh on verbal duel with Root

Dropped catches leave England 'frustrated' and 'disappointed'

India get a thrilling dose of the Zak Crawley experience

A rousing middle session from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, 4 for 86 and 4 for 62, respectively, instigated and then completed a collapse that saw all nine wickets – Chris Woakes couldn’t bat – fall for 155. Only Harry Brook provided another meaningful contribution with 53. And if there was any doubt that they had ceded the advantage, it was confirmed in a final 16-over session.Yashasvi Jaiswal, pugnacious and still alive with 51 not out from 49 deliveries, was dropped twice. First on 20 by Brook, second on 40 by sub-fielder Liam Dawson. And though Crawley got away with his miss of Sai Sudharsan on seven, the vibe was of an already stretched team desperately reaching out for a game that may drift beyond them at some point on Saturday.When it was in England’s grasp, they could do no wrong. They made light work of what remained of India’s first innings, which resumed on 204 for 6.3:42

‘A workhorse, a man to have in the team’

After news prior to the start of play that Woakes was ruled out of the rest of the Test with a suspected dislocated shoulder, Atkinson, on his home ground, took it upon himself to take three as the final four came in just 34 deliveries.Josh Tongue made the first key incision, finishing with 3 for 53, albeit with an approach so chaotic he’d have been struck off if he was a surgeon. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps – Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them – pinned the right-hand batter on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed. But he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short-ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square-leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.Zak Crawley scored his third half-century of the series•AFP via Getty Images

Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Prasidh felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It left Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with 50 or more dismissals, and the second-best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.Then came Crawley and Duckett for their familiar double-act. The latter led the charge, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then “conventionally” ramping Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match. An attempted third did not just bring about Duckett’s end for 43, as he scuffed through to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, but an arm around the shoulder of the batter from the bowler.It looked a mix of jest and respect very much, though it did subsequently trigger a shift in the attitude of this match. And when Shubman Gill gathered his players on the edge of the field after the lunch break, there was a sense things were going to be very different. That it suddenly mattered more than before.1:44

‘Disappointed, but it is what it is’ – Trescothick on dropped catches

An eight-over spell from Siraj read 3 for 35 and knocked out the engine room: stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, the prized wicket of Joe Root. and Jacob Bethell seen off in the space of 12 overs of play.All three were found wanting by the right-arm quick’s late movement off the surface, with the slightest lack of bounce, from the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion End. Pope’s required an India review – despite striking the back pad right in front – before Root used one in vain, for 29. Bethell, making his first Test appearance since the New Zealand tour at the end of last year, simply walked for six.Maybe Prasidh could claim an assist for Root’s wicket, having riled up the No. 2 on the all-time Test runs chart. The tall quick was clearly in a confrontational mood, but was vindicated by the results elicited.Things got heated up between Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna•Getty Images

He threw a ball at Crawley upon fielding in his follow-through – the pair exchanged an immediate apology and acceptance, respectively. And he was soon in the book when Crawley, on 64, failed to clear Ravindra Jadeja at midwicket.The shot was in keeping with Crawley’s work up to that point; boundary heavy – 48 runs in boundaries in the 42 deliveries it took him to reach a third half-century in the series, and his 24th 50-plus score overall. But there was a degree of tempestuousness in the stroke. The way the opener struck down the ground and even over cover was calculated. This felt like a shot at revenge.And so, once Root arrived, Prasidh cajoled him into a back and forth which had England’s No. 4 seething. Prasidh then relieved Siraj from his end and took India through to tea with two wickets in five deliveries. Jamie Smith nicked high to KL Rahul at second slip and Overton was trapped lbw for what proved to be the final ball of the session.1:28

Bangar: Ominous signs from Jaiswal

Atkinson could and perhaps should have been more conservative and stuck with Brook, instead of holing out to mid-on for Prasidh’s fourth. But Tongue held on to allow Brook to perform marshalling duties. And though the Yorkshireman refused singles and failed to find acceptable gaps for even-number runs to keep the strike, he still ticked over to 50 from 57 deliveries.The best of his six boundaries up to that point was a sole six, overhead-flipping Siraj into the stands just in front of the dressing rooms. But Siraj would get the last laugh, as Brook’s open face offered a toe onto his own stumps.With play extended through to 7.30pm with the extra half-hour, England had the chance to make things awkward. But they found themselves immediately on the back foot as Jaiswal raced out of the gates, taking 12 off Atkinson’s second over with a punched on-drive, a guide beyond third slip, and a lash through point.1:58

Bangar on Crawley-Duckett: Haven’t seen batting of that quality

Without Woakes, Tongue opened the bowling, with a recalibrated radar that made his seven overs more consistently probing, without compromising on his knack for worldies. Rahul was undone by lift outside off, flirting and guiding off the face low to Root.But Tongue deserved more, and only Dawson will know why he was not wearing his shades instead of perching them on the top of his cap. The swish from Jaiswal seemed to come to him right out of either the floodlights or the setting sun, cannoning into his upper chest via his chin, having burst through his hands.The deflation in the stands, closely followed by elation from the Indian fans, spoke of how the tables had turned. And that elation grew to boastful cheers when nightwatcher Akash Deep worked his first ball, from Atkinson, through midwicket for four.He would face one more delivery before the umpires decided the light was not good enough to continue. Saturday will be brighter, and seemingly more so for India.

It's the moment most MLB fans have been waiting for.

The league announced on Monday that starting in 2025, players competing in the All-Star Game will sport their team's home and away uniforms during the festivities. Players will also wear their team uniforms during the Home Run Derby.

The home team will wear white uniforms, while the away team will wear gray.

A special All-Star uniform will still be designed to be worn during workouts and such for the All-Star Weekend. Since 2020, All-Star participants all wear a specific All-Star uniform for the American League and National League. Many MLB fans have been calling for the league to revert back to the players sporting their team's colors instead.

Along with this change, MLB announced that the league will go back to using the uniform material from 2023 instead of the highly criticized material used this season. The player's name and number on their jerseys will be enlarged, and there will also be pant customization. This change was decided based on a survey handed out to the players.

Unai Emery gave his honest verdict on Harvey Elliott after he left the Liverpool loanee out of Aston Villa's matchday squad for the third game in a row against Manchester City on Sunday. The Villans clinched all three points against Pep Guardiola's side courtesy of a first-half goal from Matty Cash as they moved up to eighth in the Premier League table, tied on points with reigning champions Liverpool.

Getty ImagesElliott continues to struggle for minutes

After Liverpool spent heavily to sign a host of attackers in the summer transfer window to bolster their title-winning squad, Elliott was allowed to leave on loan as he signed for Aston Villa for the duration of the 2025-26 campaign. With the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak joining Arne Slot's squad, Elliott would have found it difficult to get enough game time at Anfield, but Villa was deemed the ideal place for him to feature regularly.

However, things have not turned out the way the attacking midfielder would have hoped, as he has made just seven appearances for Emery's side across all competitions. Elliott has not featured in Emery's squad for three consecutive Premier League matches, including the win over City, with his last appearance for the club coming in a Europa League clash against Feyenoord on October 2 as an 86th-minute substitute. 

AdvertisementAFPEmery explains selection decision

Explaining his decision to leave Elliott out of the home game against City, Emery told reporters: "In the squad we needed one player to take out and I decided him. I am happy with him, he's training well. His commitment is fantastic, he's a good guy. It was a tactical decision. I spoke with him about it and my advice was to keep going. He's a very good player, only our demands are at a high level and some players and how they are performing last year and this year, are playing in the same position. We signed him because I believe in him. He will need time."

'His performance was not enough'

In the build-up to the game, Emery was also asked about Elliott, and admitted he has not been hitting the neccessary levels of performance to play week in, week out. "I am being very, very demanding myself to choose in each match the player to start and the players on the bench and the subs players, always trying to get the best performance collectively, through individual players," the Villa boss said. "Harvey is a 10 number in our structure, in our shape, and he plays some matches and there is still adaptation to add himself individually in our structure, the task we have. Of course, he is training well, and his commitment is being very well as well, but his performance was not enough (up to this point). At the same time, we have other players who can play as a 10 and they are performing well, and I have different players. This is the main reason he is not playing the last matches minutes, but he has to continue working like he is doing in the training session and of course, getting his confidence in the performance we need through him."

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GettySancho slammed by fans for Emery snub

While Elliott failed to make it to Emery's squad, Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho started on the bench against City and was introduced against City in the 29th minute. Buendia, who provided the assist for Matty Cash's winner, was forced off the pitch with an injury. However, Sancho lasted just 45 minutes as he was called back to the bench in the 74th minute, with Evann Guessand introduced in his place.

Sancho was visibly frustrated after being subbed off and appeared to ignore Emery on the touchline before heading back to the bench. The Spanish coach tried to comfort the player, but he was in no mood to listen. The gesture was not appreciated by fans on social media, who called out Sancho's "awful behaviour". The United outcast was also labelled as an "embarrassment". 

The Villans will be back in action next Sunday as they face an out-of-form Liverpool side, who have lost four league games in a row, at Anfield. Elliot is ineligible to face his parent club, but Sancho will hope to earn a place in the starting XI.

Arsenal supporters were all hoping their clubs would invest heavily in the squad this summer, but even the most optimistic Gooner must surely have been pleased, and surprised, by the extent of the summer recruitment.

On deadline day, Piero Hincapié was unveiled as the eighth summer signing, joining on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with an obligation to buy of around £45m, becoming the first Ecuadorian in the club’s history.

Before this, the Gunners had spent around £267m, bolstering all areas of their squad, after Mikel Arteta’s team were so significantly hampered by injuries last season.

While certain signings have garnered all the headlines, could one of Arsenal’s under-the-radar arrivals actually prove to be the best signing any Premier League club made this summer?

Arsenal's attacking reinforcements

We’ll ultimately never know, but it’s safe to assume that Arsenal would not have invested in their squad quite as heavily as they did, had current Premier League champions Liverpool, the side they’re ultimately attempting to dethrone, spent even more.

The Reds’ signed Alexander Isak for £125m on deadline day, shattering the Premier League record transfer fee, taking their summer outlay to around £450m, with Florian Wirtz’s £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen a short-lived British record.

The German is yet to sparkle in a Liverpool shirt, albeit it’s very early days, and he did score a scrumptious free-kick against Northern Ireland at RheinEnergieStadion last Sunday, showcasing his talent.

Isak meantime is, arguably, the best striker in the world, not a bad player to add to your squad if you’re Arne Slot, but it’ll be interesting to see how he fits in, considering fellow new recruit Hugo Ekitiké has already caught the eye, and how long he takes to get up to speed.

Nevertheless, the champions now possess an array of attacking talent, with Arsenal recruiting Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres in response.

Eze is set to make his eagerly-anticipated home debut against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while Gyökeres has earned mixed reviews so far, barely involved against Manchester United and Liverpool, but scoring a brace during the Gunners’ only home game to date, the 5-0 demolition of Leeds.

However, could a less heralded new recruit actually prove to be Arsenal’s best?

Arsenal's best summer signing

With Jorginho and Thomas Partey both departing Arsenal as free agents this summer, the base of their midfield has undergone a major revamp, and an important one at that, given that the player in this position is very much the nucleus of an Arteta team.

Martín Zubimendi is the new midfield fulcrum, arriving to little fanfare, even though he deserves much more.

There are a few reasons for this.

First, David Ornstein of the Athletic reported as far back as mid-January that his move from Real Sociedad was essentially a done deal, meaning by the time he arrived in July, most anticipation and excitement had subsided.

Also, at the time, Gyökeres was still yet to join, with Gooners fixated on the striker signing, unable to be pleased about anything else until that was done.

Nevertheless, Zubimendi is someone worth heralding, not least because the Spanish international turned down the chance to join Liverpool 12 months earlier, emphasising the attractiveness of moving to Arsenal.

The reason Zubimendi was so sort after is simply because he is an exceptional player, as the table below documents.

Attempted passes

1,772

21st

Passes into final 3rd

172

12th

Progressive passes

195

10th

Touches

2,131

18th

Touches mid 3rd

1,332

8th

Interceptions

44

12th

Blocks

42

16th

Ball recoveries

140

24th

Worth noting that Zubimendi’s statistics last season are all the more impressive given that his Real Sociedad side ended up 11th in La Liga, their lowest finish since 2018, losing almost half of their matches.

Upon his arrival in North London, Arteta spoke glowingly about his compatriot, praising his “football intelligence”, adding that he will bring “a huge amount of quality”, concluding that “he has all the attributes to be a key player”.

Already in Arsenal’s opening three matches, Zubimendi has been able to show what he is all about, completing 145 of his 167 passes, 11 of which have been into the final third, while 12 are categorised as progressive.

The 26-year-old may not be someone you’ve really noticed during Arsenal matches so far, more a player you need to witness in the flesh to truly appreciate, but he crucially has the capabilities to increase the Gunners’ speed of in-possession play, improving the team at both ends of the pitch.

If Arteta’s team do go on to achieve what they want to achieve this year, the £60m paid for Zubimendi’s signature will feel like a steal. Those on Anfield may well live to rue missing out on him a year ago…

Their homegrown Isak: Arsenal may regret selling "special" Hale Ender

The talented goalscorer could have become something really special at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 10, 2025

Arsenal will have spent near £300m once the summer transfer window ends at 7pm on Monday evening. Still, the Gunners’ luxurious new squad was not enough to fend off another of the market’s big spenders, Liverpool.

Truth be told, Arne Slot’s side were there for the taking. Mikel Arteta’s men enjoyed more of the ball in the first half and looked threatening, but could not make their advantage tell.

In the end, they were undone by a moment of magic. Arsenal played with the handbrake on and the Reds made them pay.

Last season you may well remember Declan Rice’s stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid. It’s hard to forget them. Well, Rice eat your heart out.

Dominic Szoboszlai stepped up and struck a beautiful free-kick over the ball and past David Raya with not long left on the clock.

What went wrong for Arsenal at Anfield

After winning on the Premier League’s opening weekend against Manchester United, much was made of Arsenal’s unbeaten run against the big teams.

Indeed, as the north Londoners headed to Merseyside on Sunday, they did so having not lost their last 22 games against the division’s traditional big six; Manchester City, Liverpool, Man United, Spurs and Chelsea.

Well, that record came to an end in disappointing fashion this weekend as Arsenal rather lost with a whimper.

The tone was set in the opening exchanges. William Saliba went down off the ball and went off, replaced by Cristhian Mosquera. To his credit, the summer signing did well, winning four of his five duels, according to Sofascore.

The performance stemmed from Arsenal’s attack. While Arteta may have a fantastic record against the biggest sides in English football, it’s becoming a regular occurrence now that they struggle to get out of second gear.

Barring the annihilation against Manchester City last season, very rarely have the Gunners managed to romp to victory.

Excusing that City game, it’s 11 matches since Arsenal scored more than twice in those ‘big-six’ fixtures. Fair enough against the best sides in the land, but it speaks volumes of a team who aren’t given much creative freedom or license.

Viktor Gyokeres, like he did against Manchester United, looked isolated up top and was devoid of much service. That’s hardly a surprise considering Arsenal started Ethan Nwaneri, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze on the bench. Also without Bukayo Saka, this one was always going to be a bit of a struggle.

Mikel Merino was chosen in the Odegaard role but despite scoring twice against Liverpool in 2024/25, he didn’t really turn up on this occasion, completing just 77% of his passes.

To his credit, Noni Madueke was probably the best player for the visitors. Handed an opportunity in his favoured role on the right-hand side, he regularly looked to make things happen.

He had three shots, the most of any Arsenal player and completed his one and only dribble. It’s a pity his partner on the opposite side of the pitch failed to show the same vigour.

The root of Arsenal's problems in attack

For the vast majority of this summer window, Arsenal supporters have had two cravings. One was for the club to sign a new striker and they did so by welcoming Gyokeres to the Emirates Stadium.

The other desire was to see Andrea Berta sign a left winger. He’s semi-done that, welcoming Madueke and Eze into the fold.

It was Madueke who started on the left against Leeds United last week and it was Eze who finished Sunday’s clash in that role, substituted on with 20 minutes to go. The new signing was vibrant, certainly more so than the man he replaced, Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian is a puzzling talent. In 2022/23, he finished as the club’s joint-top scorer, registering 15 goals.

Since then, it has been an arduous few years for the wide player who has struggled to replicate that form. His performance against Liverpool showcased why he’s become a bit of a scapegoat in recent times.

Full of pace, Martinelli will always guarantee energy, but his lack of incisiveness in the final third completely killed Arsenal in the first half.

David Raya

6/10

Jurrien Timber

6/10

William Saliba

N/A

Gabriel

7/10

Riccardo Calafiori

6/10

Martin Zubimendi

6/10

Declan Rice

6/10

Mikel Merino

5/10

Noni Madueke

8/10

Gabriel Martinelli

3/10

Viktor Gyokeres

5/10

There were two moments in particular. One came in the opening exchanges when he found the chance to break through the centre of the pitch. Gyokeres looked to make two runs in behind but Martinelli didn’t get his head up. He eventually ran down a blind alley into the penalty area and lost the ball having failed to make up his mind over what to do with it.

The same happened slightly later in the half when he decided to hold the ball up rather than get after Szoboszlai who was playing out of position at right-back.

It said it all that the Hungarian, even before his showstopping goal, was on course to win the man of the match award.

Martinelli only lasted 70 minutes but he really should have been hooked sooner, having failed to have a single shot, manage one dribble or create a key pass.

Minutes played

70

Touches

15

Accurate passes

6/7 (86%)

Key passes

0

Shots

0

Dribble attempts

0

Crosses

0

Duels won

2

It was a really poor afternoon for the Brazil international who left the pitch after amassing just 15 touches, 40 fewer than goalkeeper David Raya.

As Arsenal podcaster and writer Phil Costa noted during the 90 minutes, he’s “so clunky and indecisive.” Is it any wonder the Gunners have moved to secure the services of Eze and Madueke this summer?

On this evidence, Martinelli should find himself back on the bench after the international break. Eze simply has to start when they face Nottingham Forest in two weeks.

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