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Now that former Juventus manager and current head coach of the Italian national side Antonio Conte has officially been announced as Jose Mourinho’s ‘permanent’ successor at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea can finally begin work on re-establishing their once formidable dominance among the English top-flight ahead of the 2016/17 domestic campaign.

Several top-class acquisitions will obviously look to be sought across the upcoming summer transfer window, but as the Blues will nonetheless find themselves negotiating without the prospect of Champions League football on the table for the new league season, such a demanding task may prove somewhat easier said than done.

But as Chelsea already have Colombian international and former Fiorentina favourite, Juan Cuadrado, currently out on loan amid the Italian Serie A again with league-leaders Juventus, should Antonio Conte look to reaffirm the South American’s place at Stamford Bridge as soon as arriving among the Premier League next season, or does Cuadrado simply have no future left at Chelsea?

Well, even for those who don’t admittedly pay close attention to the Italian league proceedings with every passing week, it really shouldn’t take much to notice just how effective and technically gifted Juan Cuadrado can prove on his day.

Despite being rather unceremoniously cast aside by Chelsea and Jose Mourinho last season, the 27-year-old attacking midfielder has nonetheless served to impress whilst on loan at Juventus in 2015/16, and is reportedly open to extending his stay within the Serie A based on his prior lack of game-time down at Stamford Bridge.

And whilst the Blues arguably didn’t require the services of Juan Cuadrado throughout the course of last term’s efficient title-winning campaign, a player of the Colombian’s quality could have easily improved Chelsea’s overall attacking potency across large portions of the current season.

When it comes to providing a constant creative outlet for his teammates inside the final third, displaying sheer technical prowess on most given occasions out on the pitch, and simply cropping up with his fair share of goals and assists whenever handed the all-important responsibility to make things happen for his respective manager, the determined 27-year-old has certainly failed to disappoint in 2015/16.

Cuadrado was never given a fair crack at the whip down at Stamford Bridge and alongside the relatively recently departed likes of Romelu Lukaku, Andre Schurrle, Kevin de Bruyne and fellow Serie A loanee, Mohamed Salah could have easily helped Chelsea stave off the subsequent embarrassment that has undoubtedly afflicted the Blues this season.

With Jose Mourinho now absent from the first team set-up at Stamford Bridge however, Antonio Conte can theoretically offer Cuadrado a much-needed opportunity to start afresh within the English top-flight next term. The newly installed Chelsea boss is reportedly keen on keeping the Colombian international among the Premier League for a good while longer and could even single the skilful 27-year-old out as one of his key contributors among his chosen Blues starting XI in 2016/17.

Yet as Chelsea seemingly no longer find themselves in a strong negotiating position after this season’s distinct calamities and shortcomings out on the field, the task of tempting Juan Cuadrado away from league-leaders Juventus may prove somewhat difficult.

It now looks increasingly likely that Chelsea have blown their chances of watching the highly coveted South American do his thing down at Stamford Bridge next season, regardless of how much Antonio Conte may admittedly admire the 27-year-old Colombian for his recent exploits among the Italian game.

If the Blues ultimately fail in the quest to hold onto Juan Cuadrado this summer, then major lessons will simply have to be learnt by the Blues in future transfer endeavours.

The Bayern Munich squad has split into two camps regarding coach Thomas Tuchel amid their dismal run in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

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• Tuchel criticised amid Bayern struggles
• Team split on support for German manager
• Kane happy with ex-Chelsea boss in charge

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern announced on Wednesday that Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season in response to their three-game losing streak. The Bayern squad is divided between an anti-Tuchel group and a section of players who are backing the German manager, according to

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Leading the side that can't wait to see the back of Tuchel are the likes of Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich, who have had limited playing time under the German manager. Tuchel feels vice-captain Muller is not a good fit for his style, while there has been a breakdown in the relationship with Kimmich, who got into a heated exchange with an assistant coach recently. The likes of Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Matthijs de Ligt and Mathys Tel are also eager for the ex-Chelsea boss to leave.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  On the other side of the divide, though, is star striker Harry Kane, who was impressed in meetings with the manager before his summer move. He stands alongside the likes of captain Manuel Neuer, who pledged his support after being reinstated as the first choice goalkeeper after his return from injury. Eric Dier has been happy with his situation under Tuchel since joining in January, while Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Raphael Guerrero also have his back.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

  Tuchel will see out the rest of the season at Bayern and hope to get their Champions League campaign back on track. They lost 1-0 to Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and welcome them to Munich in March.

City were reduced to nine players as both Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp saw red before Emma Hayes' side grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser

Chelsea's Guro Reiten broke Manchester City hearts in the Women's Super League on Sunday, her 96th-minute equaliser earning the Blues a point in a game that saw them struggle incredibly against a team reduced to nine players for the final 20 minutes. Chloe Kelly had given City an early lead with a wonderful strike, but Alex Greenwood's controversial red card before half-time changed the game and made the hosts sit back to defend their lead for the rest of the afternoon – with them so close to doing so successfully.

City started well and marked that bright opening spell with a goal when Kelly was given too much room on the edge of the box and fired a shot over the head of Chelsea goalkeeper Zecira Musovic and into the back of the net. Sophie Ingle could've levelled the scores in a rare, well-built attack from the away side shortly after, but teenager Khiara Keating came up with a big stop.

The game changed on 38 minutes. Greenwood was on a yellow card when referee Emily Heaslip adjudged her to be taking too long to take a free-kick and brandished a second booking and a red card. It baffled the home side, with two players booked for dissent in the aftermath.

Even when playing against 10 players, though, Chelsea struggled to create chances. Reiten's low cross was just missed by Mia Fishel before half-time, but it was opportunities for City, for Kelly and Bunny Shaw, that stood out more in the second period. That was even with the hosts going down to nine in the 81st minute, Lauren Hemp – booked for dissent earlier on – sent off after bringing down Lauren James.

Chelsea's inevitable breakthrough would come in the sixth added minute, with Reiten pouncing on a loose ball in the box and drilling it into the back of the net – City having to defend a corner with eight players as centre-back Alanna Kennedy waited to come back on the pitch after treatment. The home team would at least get a point for their valiant efforts, though, holding on for a 1-1 draw despite the clock ticking into a 103rd minute.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Joie Stadium…

Getty ImagesLOSER: 'Clamping down'

Officials in English football are starting to clamp down on several things recently. Be it time-wasting or the pestering of officials after decisions, there are several offences that players and teams have been told they will be booked for if they commit them.

But who on earth wants to see incidents like that which led to Greenwood being sent off on Sunday? The England star had already been booked for a foul earlier in the match and, on 38 minutes, she took 26 seconds to take a free-kick in her own half as she mulled over her options. As she went to kick the ball, referee Emily Heaslip blew her whistle and raced over to brandish a second yellow and, as a result, a red.

Twenty-six seconds might sound like a long time, but if you watch the incident, it's clear that Greenwood is not time-wasting. She's simply deciding what to do with the ball. It's not even half-time, after all. City might have been 1-0 up, but this was not time-wasting.

What followed was chaos. Laia Aleixandri and Kelly went into the book for their protestations and Jill Roord joined them after the half-time whistle. Hemp was also carded for dissent in the second half and later second off for a foul on James.

Yes, time-wasting and dissent do need to be clamped down on, but there also needs to be some common sense involved here. It's not the first instance of this being problematic in England this year, either. Arsenal full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu was given a very harsh red card in the Premier League earlier this season after receiving a bizarre first yellow for time-wasting. Sheffield United forward Ollie McBurnie, meanwhile, was given a second yellow card against Tottenham for dissent last month, despite seeming to be simply telling the referee that he was being fouled.

It just all seems to be getting a bit ridiculous at this point.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Chloe Kelly

It took Kelly until February to get her first goal of the 2022-23 WSL season, but once she hit the back of the net, she couldn't stop scoring or assisting in a run of form that threatened to drag City back into a title race they'd seemingly fallen well out of. There will be no such wait this campaign, though, as it took her just seven minutes on the second week of the new season to open her account.

While it may be asked whether Chelsea goalkeeper Musovic could've done better or not, it was a rocket of a strike from Kelly that broke the deadlock in a huge game in Manchester, her effort from the edge of the box flying into the back of the net to give City the lead.

Having started slowly last year, and given she missed a penalty in the win over West Ham last week, this will give the England star heaps of confidence moving forward as Kelly and her team look to deliver a first WSL title since 2016.

Getty ImagesLOSER: Chelsea

It wasn't until City only had eight players on the pitch that Chelsea managed to make a breakthrough on Sunday. To get a point after playing so poorly is a positive. But to have a player advantage for more than half of the match, and a two-player advantage for around 20 minutes, and still struggle to create anything of note? That must be worrying for head coach Emma Hayes.

City started this game brilliantly and Chelsea looked lost when trying to respond. There were very few attacking moves of note throughout the afternoon, despite the plethora of top-quality forwards on the pitch and available to come off the bench.

It's early in the season and there are new signings that are still fitting into this team, of course, but Chelsea will hope that their performances improve sooner rather than later.

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Getty ImagesLOSER: Lauren Hemp

While Keating excelled on Sunday, that Player of the Match award could've been Hemp's. A livewire in the attack in the first half, her role changed completely once Greenwood was sent off, the forward having to drop into a conservative left wing-back role in order to bring some stability to the defence and contain James, who was playing on Chelsea's right wing.

She stuck to her task – and James – admirably, working so so hard for her team in order to preserve their lead while also managing to contribute in an attacking sense when City could get out of their own half.

But marking James like that almost guarantees that you're going to get a yellow card, and Hemp did on the 81st minute when she brought her England team-mate down just outside the box. Sadly for Hemp, it was her second of the day, with her the fourth player to be booked for dissent.

The long walk to the tunnel after her dismissal was a sad way for her day to end, such was the quality and determination in her performance.

Players who have represented both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

A rivalry between two of the biggest clubs in Germany, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have given football fans some incredible memories to cherish.

Every rivalry is defined by the players who feature for the teams, and in the case of Bayern and Dortmund, a lot of greats ended up playing for both teams in their careers.

Want to know who these players are?

GOAL takes a look!

imagoMichael Rummenigge

One of the great Germany attackers of the 1980s, Michael Rummenigge joined Bayern Munich in 1982 and went on to achieve legendary status at the club, scoring 44 goals in 152 appearances.

He then joined Borussia Dortmund in 1988 and played 157 games for them, scoring 36 goals. Rummenigge remains one of the few players who played more than 150 games for both German clubs.

He won three Bundesliga titles with Bayern, among multiple other trophies. At Dortmund, Rummenigge won the DFB Pokal and DFL Super Cup.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesJurgen Kohler

German centre-back Jurgen Kohler joined Bayern Munich from Koln in 1989 and played for two seasons there, winning a Bundesliga title and the German Super Cup.

In 1991, he moved to Italy with Juventus, making over a century of appearances for the Italian giants until 1995, before returning to Germany with Borussia Dortmund.

Kohler was part of Dortmund's golden generation as he featured for them in 191 games over seven years, winning two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy, among other accolades!

Getty ImagesTorsten Frings

Mainly known for his time with Werder Bremen, Torsten Frings actually featured for both Bayern and Dortmund in his career.

He spent two seasons at Dortmund before a solitary campaign with Bayern, making 76 appearances in total for both clubs and scoring some absolute world class long range goals in his time there.

Frings won the Bundesliga with Bayern in the 2004-05 season. He then went on to make over 150 appearances for Bremen.

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Getty ImagesChristian Nerlinger

Graduating from Bayern Munich's academy, Christian Nerlinger made his senior debut for the club in 1992. He played for six years in Bavaria, making 156 appearances.

In 1998, the combative midfielder joined Borussia Dortmund and featured for them for three years, making 59 appearances.

At Bayern, Nerlinger won two Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Cup among other accolades, however, he didn't manage to win silverware during his stint at Dortmund.

MatériaMais Notícias

– Como funciona:
Após cada rodada ou dia de jogo, o Números da Bola traz a atualização da Seleção das Estatísticas do campeonato. Usando dados do Footstats, o blog monta um selecionado com os atletas que lideram as estatísticas de alguns dos principais fundamentos individuais na competição.

No gol, por exemplo, fica com a camisa 1 o goleiro que tiver realizado a maior quantidade de defesas difíceis. Quando dois ou mais empatarem, o segundo números analisado é o de gols sofridos. Se a igualdade persistir, entra na Seleção do Paulistão o arqueiro com mais defesas simples, o terceiro critério.

O time montado após as rodadas levará em conta as estatísticas gerais do Paulistão e não apenas a do último jogo. A ideia não é montar a equipe supostamente ideal, mas sim destacar os jogadores com os melhores números nos fundamentos. São dados frios, não uma análise. Por conta disso, diversas estatísticas entram como prioritários, levando em consideração as características gerais de cada posição.

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Nas laterais, os maiores cruzadores. Na defesa, o zagueiro com mais rebatidas e outro com mais desarmes. No meio, um volante que rouba bolas, outro passador e dois meias de criação, líderes em passes para gol e assistências para finalização. Na frente, um atacante goleador e outro finalizador. Como 12º jogador, o principal driblador da competição.

– Estatísticas utilizadas para a escolha de cada jogador:

1 – Goleiro – +defesas realizadas/-gols sofridos/+defesas simples
2 – Lateral-direito – +cruzamentos certos/+passes para gol/+desarmes
3 – Zagueiro – +desarmes/+rebatidas/+gols marcados/
4 – Zagueiro – +rebatidas/+desarmes/+gols marcados/
5 – Volante – +desarmes/+passes certos/+assistências para finalização
6 – Lateral-esquerdo – +cruzamentos certos/+passes para gol/+desarmes
7 – Meia – +assistências para finalização/+assistências para gols/+gols
8 – Volante/Meia – + passes certos/+viradas de jogo/+desarmes
9 – Atacante – +gols/+finalizações certas/+assistências para finalização
10 – Meia – +assistências para gols/assistências para finalizações/+ gols
11 – Meia/Atacante – + finalizações certas/+gols/+assistências para finalização
12º jogador – + dribles/+ passes para gol/+ gols

Veja como está a Seleção das Estatísticas do Paulistão 2020 – 4ª rodada:
– Em negrito, os jogadores que entraram na última atualização

1 – Ygor Vinhas – Ponte Preta – 6 defesas difíceis/6 gols sofridos/8 defesas simples
2 – Marcos Rocha – Palmeiras – 8 cruzamentos certos/ 2 passes pra gol/ 11 desarmes
3 – Henrique Trevisan – Ponte Preta – 40 rebatidas/4 desarmes/1 gol
4 – Pedro Henrique – Corinthians – 12 desarmes/21 rebatidas / 0 gols
5 – Geovane – Inter de Limeira – 13 desarmes/173 passes certos/2 assistências para finalização
6 – Bidu – Guarani – 7 cruzamentos certos/ 2 passes para gol/ 5 desarmes
7 – Luan – Corinthians – 12 assistências para finalização/0 assistências pra gol/1 gol
8 – Daniel Alves – São Paulo – 308 passes certos/ 4 viradas de jogo/ 12 desarmes
9 – Felipe Ferreira – Ferroviária – 4 gols/5 finalizações certas/4 assistências para finalização
10 – Chico – Mirassol – 3 passes pra gol/5 assistências para finalização/0 gols
11 –Boselli – Corinthians – 8 finalizações certas/4 gols/4 assistências para finalização
12º jogador – Dudu – Palmeiras – 8 dribles/1 passe para gol/1 gol

South Africa will not dare to take Afghanistan lightly as they bid to bounce back from their chastening opening-round defeat to England at the Wankhede Stadium, according to Hashim Amla

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2016South Africa will not dare to take Afghanistan lightly as they bid to bounce back from their chastening opening-round defeat to England at the Wankhede Stadium, according to Hashim Amla.Despite a riotous start to South Africa’s innings, Amla’s 58 from 31 balls and a 91-run stand for the first wicket with Quinton de Kock proved insufficient to set up a victory. England, inspired by Joe Root’s 83 from 44 balls, chased down a massive 230 to win by two wickets with two balls to spare and put the pressure on South Africa ahead of their second Group 1 game against the Associate qualifiers.”I still think 230 is a very good total, no matter which venue,” Amla said. “Can you ever be satisfied with any score? I guess I could have hit that ball for six and that ball for four, but that’s not how it goes. We would definitely have taken 230 at the start of the game, we have to be grateful to get that on the board.”Looking ahead to the challenge of Afghanistan, who South Africa have only met once before, Amla said: “You can’t take any team for granted. We saw how they played against Sri Lanka and the shorter the format the more the minnow teams are in the running. We have to play our best players to beat them.”He admitted, however, that he wasn’t fully acquainted with the players he will be facing. “What we know is basically what we’ve seen in their game against Sri Lanka and the preliminary tournament. We leave that to our brains trust, but they are a good team and you don’t take them lightly.”South Africa know that defeat in their first game means the pressure is on them but Amla said captain Faf du Plessis had told his players not to panic after conceding the second-highest successful chase in T20 internationals.One area they can definitely make improvements in is the amount of extras conceded; South Africa gave up 20 runs in wides, compared to England’s two, which may have been the difference between winning and losing in a close finish that came down to the last few deliveries.”Faf has spoken about trying to be as simple as we can with our plans,” Amla said. “The difference in the game last night was us conceding too many extras and we will have to leave it at that.”We have a quality bowling attack, I believe they will be hurt, along with the team, for not executing as well as they would have liked. I’m sure in the games to follow we can bounce back.”

ScorecardAzharullah did the early damage as Northamptonshire won their first Championship match since 2013•Getty Images

Northamptonshire ended a run of 20 Championship matches without a win by beating Leicestershire by 92 runs at Grace Road. Resuming on 44-1 in pursuit of 376 to win, Leicestershire lost three wickets in the first hour of play and, on a pitch that continued to offer occasional assistance to the seamers, never genuinely threatened to get close to their target.Angus Robson, 25 overnight, had added only seven to his score when his off stump was knocked out of the ground by an Azharullah delivery that straightened off the seam. Captain Mark Cosgrove was then given out leg before wicket for 2 to Olly Stone, a decision that surprised the left-handed batsman, who may have thought the ball was going over the stumps.There were no such doubts about the decision to send Neil Pinner on his way, however, Azharullah switching ends to trap the batsman plumb in front for 12, leaving Leicestershire on 93 for 4.Ned Eckersley and Niall O’Brien put together a partnership of 59 for the fifth wicket, but Northants struck again before lunch, Rory Kleinveldt ending Eckersley’s 111 ball innings of 37 with an in-swinger that won another leg before decision.Tom Wells became the fourth lbw victim of the day when he was beaten by Kleinveldt’s inswinger, but Niall O’Brien played with characteristic fluency in going to his half-century, hitting eight fours before inside-edging a Kleinveldt delivery into his stumps.Ben Raine went quickly, caught behind driving at Azharullah, but Leicestershire’s newly arrived overseas player Clint McKay hit out to good effect, as he had in the first innings, before top edging a hook into the hands of deep backward square leg. Ollie Freckingham and Charlie Shreck ensured Leicestershire’s defeat would be by less than 100 before Shreck went caught behind off Kleinveldt.Despite their victory, Northamptonshire were deducted two points for a slow over rate.Leicestershire coach, Andrew McDonald, said: “There were a lot of positives, but there were some crucial periods when we didn’t quite execute well. You look at a hundred-run deficit and you can probably find more than that where we could have been better.”Each day you learn about the players, and if we improve from here we’ll hold ourselves in good stead. We took 20 wickets, and created more than 20 opportunities, and that’s a real positive when last year we averaged 13 wickets a game.”

At the end of a tumultuous summer, Michael Clarke admitted he spoke of a World Cup victory based on skill over emotion as a way of convincing himself that he could endure the toll of this most draining season

Daniel Brettig at the MCG29-Mar-2015At the end of a summer when Australia went through the unspeakable grief of bidding farewell to Phillip Hughes, Michael Clarke admitted he spoke of a World Cup victory based on skill over emotion as a way of convincing himself that he could endure the toll of this most draining season.Clarke spoke fully and frankly of the longest of summers after lifting the Cup in front of a world record MCG crowd and signing off from limited-overs cricket with an emphatic win over New Zealand. But it was clear how much it had stretched Clarke, from the emotional tumult around the death of Hughes to running battles with the selection panel over his fitness to lead.”The summer has been different because it’s not just about the physical side of the game,” he said. “I think we’ve all experienced the mental side and the emotion of what’s happened, and I guess that’s why the boys deserve even more credit, to be able to continue to get up every single day and want to perform and help the team have success with that emotion that runs through your body.”I think through the whole World Cup, I made it very clear that it was going to be skill, not emotion that won us the World Cup, and I think a lot of the things I’ve said in press conferences have actually been for myself. I’m saying it out loud so I can hear it myself, and I think that’s probably one of the main things I’ve been saying, skill over emotion will win the World Cup for us, and I think I’ve needed to hear that, as well. I’ve needed to say it out loud because it has been emotional, there’s no doubt about it.”To fight my backside off and work as hard as I possibly have to get back into the team, number one, after surgery, and then I guess to deal with what we’ve all dealt with over the last few months and to win a World Cup in front of your home fans, it’s taken amazing discipline from all the players, a lot of hard work, and it’s a fitting reward, like I say, for the pain everyone has gone through.”Clarke said he had found it harder to deal with the gap left in his life by his friend and “little brother” as the summer went on, spending a lot of time speaking with the Hughes family, whom he had shepherded through the days before and after the 25-year-old’s death.”Hughesy is thought about and spoken about on a daily basis,” Clarke said. “I think probably the last couple of months for me personally, it’s probably been harder than when he first passed away. I’ve been in regular contact with his sister and his family. And I know they would have been watching tonight. I guess that’s what makes it so special, that we are still thinking about him. We are still talking about him, and we always will.”Like I say, I won’t play another game, I certainly won’t play a Test match without his Test number on my heart, and I’ll wear this black armband for the rest of my career. You know, we’ve spoken about it as a team. We believe we played this World Cup with 16 players in our squad, and that will continue for the rest of my career, that’s for sure.”A little more than a day after he had announced his ODI retirement, Clarke was convinced the team was in good hands. Marshalled by the coach Darren Lehmann and Clarke’s likely successor Steven Smith, they can be expected to carry on in the same aggressive vein that typified their success in this World Cup. Certainly Clarke had no doubt he was leaving the side in better shape than when he first led it in 2011.

I think the team is in a great place. I think that talent will not just be talent, it’ll be consistent performance. Like I said, I think it’s the right time for me to go now

“Now I know it’s the right time,” he said. “There’s no such thing as fairytales in sport but that’s as close as it gets for me, not only to win a World Cup but to win in front of your home fans. There was a lot of expectation, a lot of added pressure, the fact we were playing in Australia in front of our home fans. I think the boys soaked that up from day one and loved every minute of it.”We’ve worked really hard. Even today once we bowled New Zealand out, six or seven of the guys went to the nets for a hit in the lead-up to our batting innings just to make sure they were as well prepared as they possibly could be and ready to walk out and chase those 180 runs. It shows the discipline and the dedication to wanting the team to have success. I’m extremely proud and really happy with how the day panned out.”I think the team is in a great place. I think they’ll continue to have success. I think they’ll continue to get better. I think that talent will not just be talent, it’ll be consistent performance. I think, like I said, I think it’s the right time for me to go now. I think this team is ready to move forward and continue to have a lot of success all around the world.”As for the timing of his retirement announcement, something a few had questioned on match eve, Clarke gave a simple and logical explanation. In doing so he illustrated how much attention he has paid to the media cycle during his career, both its bouquets and brickbats.”Because I think tomorrow’s press is going to be about the team, and if I announced it tonight, then tomorrow’s press wouldn’t have been about the team,” Clarke said. “I’ve probably taken one day of media rather than a week of it. I’m hoping the next week is full of positive things about every single player in that change room and what they’ve achieved in this tournament. But you guys will dictate that.”

قال أحمد حسام ميدو لاعب ومدرب الزمالك الأسبق، ومقدم البرامج الرياضية الحالي، إن فريق النادي الأهلي مقبل على موعد تاريخي في مباراة كبيرة أمام صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي.

ويصطدم الأهلي بنظيره صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي في نصف نهائي دوري السوبر الإفريقي (الدوري الإفريقي).

وأضاف ميدو في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “المحور” عبر برنامج “الريمونتادا”: “فريق صن داونز من الفرق أصحاب الهوية في قارة إفريقيا ولديهم مدرسة لعب مميزة جدًا”.

طالع | الأهلي يكلف محمد سراج الدين برئاسة بعثة الفريق في جنوب إفريقيا لمواجهة صن داونز

وأردف: “مهما خسر صن داونز من لاعبين أو قاموا بتغير المدير الفني، لديهم فلسفة واحدة للعب، فريق متعب ومزعج لأي فريق”.

وتابع: “صن داونز هذا الموسم يدافع بشكل أفضل من السنوات الماضية، موكوينا تطور بشكل كبير جدًا”.

وواصل: “مثلما يقلق جمهور الأهلي من مواجهة صن داونز، فجمهور الفريق الجنوب الإفريقي يقلق أكثر من جماهير الأحمر”.

وأتم: “الأهلي يستطيع دائمًا أو في معظم الأوقات بلاعبيه وبالخبرات المتراكمة والشخصية أن يتخطى صن داونز رغم صعوبة  المواجهة”.

ومن المقرر أن يحل الأهلي ضيفًا على صن داونز يوم الأحد المقبل في موقعة الذهاب، قبل أن تقام موقعة الإياب في استاد القاهرة يوم الأربعاء.

Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, has praised the ICC’s recent crackdown on suspect bowling actions, saying it is good for the game. Since July 2014, the ICC’s match officials have reported six bowlers for suspect actions, including Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal. Ajmal, who has been Pakistan’s lead spinner across formats was banned last week after being reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka.Lehmann had earlier raised the issue of suspect actions, specifically against West Indies’ Marlon Samuels during the Big Bash League 2012-13. Lehmann had questioned the legitimacy of Samuels’ action after the bowler had been reported during IPL 2012. Lehmann was also recently nominated to the ICC Cricket Committee that had pushed for better methods to detect flex and suggested more support for match officials to identify illegal actions with confidence.”The ICC have obviously decided to have a crackdown on it and that’s good for the game. We’ve got to make sure that area is right,” Lehmann told radio channel, . “If you’re within the rules then fine, if you’re not, then you’ve got to be looked at. That’s what they have decided to do. They have had a real crackdown on four-five players of late so what that tells coaches and players, and everyone coming through the game and the young guys, is you won’t be able to do any of that moving forward.”Discussing Australia’s performance in the triangular series in Zimbabwe, Lehmann said he was disappointed with the final result but acknowledged the series had allowed the team management to get a look at a few players before the World Cup.Australia were beaten by Zimbabwe and South Africa in the league stage of the tri-series, before they lost to South Africa by six wickets in the final. Despite the performances, Lehmann said Australia had a better experience in the tournament by testing a few youngsters against players like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, and had also gained insights into South Africa’s preparations for the World Cup.”Obviously the results were a bit disappointing but we found a few and we haven’t seen a couple of these guys at that level,” he said. “You’ve got to remember we played against a very good side and came up against the best players in the world in [Faf] du Plessis and [AB] de Villiers.”It was very good for our young players to see that kind of team. We probably got more out of the tournament than South Africa did. We know exactly how they’re going to shape up and what they are going to do. They won’t change their set-up. So we know what to expect from them. Obviously, the wickets are nothing like the Australian wickets, so that’s an advantage. They have a very good bowling attack, but it’s good to see them close-up.”Lehmann also brushed aside suggestions of issues with Michael Clarke after the Australia captain criticised team selection during the triangular series. Clarke, who had to leave Zimbabwe after just one game due to a hamstring injury, had expressed his unhappiness over the selectors’ decision to omit Steven Smith from the XI during the three-wicket loss to Zimbabwe. Responding to Clarke’s comments at the time, Lehmann had said he would have preferred to have their conversations kept out of the media.”[There’s] Nothing. He said something, I said something. That’s what happened,” Lehmann said. “Clarke and I laughed about that last couple of days, it’s been quite interesting. No issues whatsoever. We deal with those issues straightaway and move on. Captains will be disappointed when they lose, as they should be, and as we want him to be. We were disappointed and that’s the way it goes sometimes.”You are allowed to make mistakes. There are no issues from Michael’s end, or my end or anyone’s end. It’s been out more in the media.”