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Chelsea's long-standing problems reared their ugly head in the hugely disappointing defeat at West Ham, but patience is needed at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea were never going to be a quick fix, but after taking an encouraging – if tentative – step forward in securing a creditable point against Liverpool on the opening day, the Blues took two large strides backwards as they were humbled by West Ham in their second outing of the season on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino's first defeat as head coach has left more questions than answers, as whatever potential his side might have to achieve tangible success remains clouded – despite an eye-watering £346 million ($442m) spend this summer alone.

So, where do the Blues stand after just two games played, as chronic issues begin to pinch once again? GOAL assesses the situation at Stamford Bridge…

GettyLacking cohesion

It was inevitable that it would take some time for Chelsea to click at the beginning of this season amid this summer's unprecedented upheaval. There were the early signs of synergy in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, with almost everything flowing through the brilliant Enzo Fernandez.

However, as the Argentine toiled against West Ham, any semblance of cohesion between his team-mates seemed to disintegrate. While Raheem Sterling shone, there were calamitous breakdowns in communication in defence for all three goals conceded, while Nicolas Jackson was isolated up front.

Pochettino's men actually dominated the ball and passed with accuracy, but there was an element of not playing to each other's strengths and without incisiveness – with runs wasted and the ball often sent backwards.

However, time heal all wounds, and it's clear the manager is yet to settle on his strongest line-up – especially following Moises Caicedo's £115m ($146m) arrival from Brighton.

Of course, there's no guarantee that throwing money at the problem is the solution. Chelsea learned that the hard way last season, and with the squad still bloated as the transfer window ticks down – the cause of many of their problems as they completely lacked a togetherness last season – they cannot afford to repeat their mistakes.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesInjury problems won't go away

"I don't think you should blame everything on luck that's for sure. I think we can have a look and see what we can do better. Obviously, I've been here a few weeks so I haven't got the answers completely. But clearly, we want to always try to improve and that's an area that we can probably improve."

Those were the words of former Chelsea manager Graham Potter in October 2022, when he was queried on the club's troubling fitness record in recent times. Fast-forward 10 months and the situation is much the same, if not worse.

Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja, Marcus Bettinelli and, most recently, Carney Chukwuemeka, all find themselves on the treatment table with the 2023-24 campaign in its infancy.

Indeed, compatriots Fofana and Nkunku were ruled out with long-term knee injuries before a ball had been kicked, while James and Chukwuemeka were sidelined for a number of weeks either side of the West Ham defeat in matchweek two.

Having eight players out injured is arguably tantamount to a crisis, and Pochettino and his fitness coaches face a huge challenge in preventing avoidable injuries going forward. Chelsea clearly cannot afford to be without their best players at this early stage of their development as a team.

Getty ImagesUnable to shake the goal-shyness

Chelsea's inability to create chances and score goals became infamous in 2022-23. Indeed, the Blues ranked 15th in the Premier League for goals scored throughout 2022-23; a damning statistic. The 3-1 reverse at the London Stadium will have undoubtedly set off alarm bells for those supporters who watched Chelsea struggle in front of goal on a regular basis last term, then.

Granted, they created openings at will against an offensive-minded Liverpool side who had gaps in the midfield and a leaky defence on the opening day, although they were let down by some profligate finishing.

That creativity was nowhere to be seen against a more defensive-minded West Ham side despite them monopolising possession, in a display that was emblematic of many of their very worst performances last season. They finished the match with an xG of 2.49 from 17 shots taken, including Enzo's missed penalty, while West Ham's was just 1.8.

Speaking after the game, Pochettino said: "Teams like us, we need to get the right balance. We should have won the game with our first half. To find the space to create clear chances [is difficult] but overall it is this type of game that is difficult to explain. You had the possession, you create and maybe you were the better side, but in the end you lose."

So what is the solution? Jackson looks capable of becoming a prolific striker once he has gotten off the mark, but Chelsea's cause obviously hasn't been helped by the untimely serious injury to Nkunku – a player who contributed 70 goals and 56 assists in just 172 appearances for RB Leipzig. The Blues were relying on him.

Despite all the money spent, it's perhaps unsurprising that they're on the lookout for a creative player who can play at No.10 or out wide.

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Getty ImagesContinuing battle to get wins

In terms of the surviving members of last season's squad especially, this is not a group of players who are not used to winning games, so it's hardly a shock to see them failing to get over the line despite the raft of new faces.

To understand just how deep-rooted an issue this is when it comes to fostering a winning mentality, it's worth noting that Chelsea have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games (D5 L8), and are winless in six since a 3-1 win at Bournemouth in May (D3 L3).

Thankfully the fixture list has been kind to the Blues, with games against presumed relegation-strugglers Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth to come either side of a home Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon. Beyond that, Aston Villa will provide a stern challenge, but victories will be expected against Fulham and Burnley.

Things become much trickier in late October, but Pochettino will see the preceding weeks as absolutely crucial in building confidence, getting points on the board and drawing that winning ruthlessness out of his players.

A round-up of IPL-related news on April 21, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2016Governing council to discuss moving IPL 2017 outside IndiaBCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said the IPL governing council will consider moving the next edition of the tournament outside India because of the legal challenges affecting the 2016 season of the league.”The IPL governing council will be looking at the venues in India and abroad. The constant shifting is getting tough. From now, before drawing the schedule, we have to check the availability of the venues and prevailing conditions,” Thakur said in Delhi on Thursday.BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry had also tweeted on April 17: “Very soon the IPL may be played outside the country if this goes on :)! Loss to the GDP would not be insignificant.”IPL matches have been moved out of India twice before. In 2009 the entire tournament was played in South Africa and in 2014 the first 20 matches were held in the UAE. On both occasions, the reason was the general elections in India because of which enough security could not be provided for the IPL.This year, all matches scheduled after April 30 in Maharashtra had to be moved out of the drought-affected state, because of the Bombay High Court ruling on April 13. A week later, though, the high court said Pune could host the May 1 match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians, after the BCCI filed an application citing logistical difficulties due to a short turnaround time.Kings XI move Nagpur matches to DharamsalaThree of Kings XI Punjab’s home matches that were earlier scheduled in Nagpur will now be played in Dharamsala. The franchise shifted the games to Dharamsala following a Bombay High Court ruling last week that ordered all matches after April 30 to be moved out of Maharashtra due to a severe state-wide drought.Kings XI were originally scheduled to play Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Nagpur between May 7 and 15. The High Court, however, moved out matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur in May due to the water crisis. The ruling was in response to a Public Interest Litigation by a Hyderabad-based NGO that questioned the hosting of IPL games while Maharashtra suffered one its worst droughts.Dhawan’s form not a concern, says LaxmanVVS Laxman, the Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor, has dismissed concerns surrounding the form of Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan, who has endured a lean patch, hasn’t registered a single double-digit score, totalling just 16 runs in three innings in IPL 2016.”Shikhar’s form is not a worry for Sunrisers,” Laxman said on Wednesday. “He is a gifted player, and when he plays well, he finishes off the match. He is a match-winning player.”Sunrisers, however, have had a few positives on the bowling front, most notably Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm seamer. Mustafizur had returns of 2 for 26 in four overs in Sunrisers’ opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where the hosts blasted 227 for 4, and was the only bowler with an economy rate of under seven. He took 1 for 32 against Mumbai Indians to help set up Sunrisers’ seven-wicket win, their first of the tournament.”He (Mustafizur) is a smart bowler. He is exceptionally talented, he has a plenty of variations with the new and old ball, and more important, he is very consistent,” Laxman said.Sunrisers’ batting hasn’t exactly fired in unison and David Warner has done much of the heavy lifting. Laxman commended the captain even as he called on the rest to step up. “Warner has been in fantastic form and he played many match-winning knocks, but other batsmen, particularly domestic players coming in the middle order need to contribute more with the bat,” Laxman said. “If the openers and middle order manage to click, then the team certainly enjoys a comfortable position.”Laxman also had a word of appreciation for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma and left-arm medium pacer Barinder Sran for their contributions to the win against Mumbai Indians. Laxman put the defeats in the first two matches down to improper execution of plans and exuded confidence ahead of Thursday’s clash against Gujarat Lions, who are undefeated in the competition.

Hong Kong have identified Zimbabwe as the favourites in their group, but will look to step up and scalp another Full Member, having defeated Bangladesh in the last World TwentyT20

The Preview by Firdose Moonda07-Mar-2016Match factsTuesday, March 8, 2016
Start time 1500 local (0930GMT)Big pictureA major tournament usually enjoys a blockbuster start and while neither Zimbabwe nor Hong Kong claim to provide that, they promise an intriguing opener. The qualifying round of the World TwentyT20 kicks off with the 13th and 14th ranked sides taking each other on, which means the opener will a lot closer than it may appear.Zimbabwe will fancy their chances of taking an early advantage in the race for the tournament proper, but will do well not to get ahead of themselves. Hong Kong had upset Bangladesh at the same stage in the 2014 World T20, and will eye another Full Member takedown, having played enough T20 cricket. Hong Kong have already identified Zimbabwe as the favourites in their group, but both sides must be confident, following a thorough warm-up program.Zimbabwe had played a handful of games in the UAE and then rebounded from the loss against Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association XI to beat Ireland. Hong Kong went down in each of their three matches in the Asia Cup, and also suffered a thrashing against Ireland, but picked themselves up with a tense win against HPCA XI.Hong Kong will hope that Zimbabwe will not be as tough as UAE and Afghanistan were on them, but Zimbabwe will be keen to put their foot on Hong Kong’s throat and get their campaign off to a winning start.Form guide(last five completed matches)Zimbabwe WWLLL
Hong Kong LLLLWWatch out forSince his international debut in 2003, Vusi Sibanda has promised much, but has failed to deliver consistently. Sibanda’s T20I average is only 19.38, and he has not scored a half-century but has the potential to rectify that anomaly. The reality check of being left out of the 2015 World Cup squad and his experience mean that he has a good chance of breaking through this tournament.At 44 years and 29 days, Ryan Campbell is the oldest player at the tournament and is all set to become the oldest debutant in T20Is. Campbell has more than two decades of experience as a professional cricketer, having played two ODIs for Australia. He was once left chasing Adam Gilchrist for a spot in the Australia XI, but is now on the hunt for a happy second-coming for his adopted home. Campbell starred in Hong Kong’s warm-up win over HPCA XI when he scored 46 off 42 balls and took 2 for 10. He then admitted it felt good to “show you can do it.”Team newsZimbabwe have settled on Richmond Mutumbami at No.3 to follow Hamilton Masakadza and Sibanda. Their middle-order looks solid with Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams, Peter Moor and Elton Chigumbura all providing big-hitting options. Their puzzle comes in the bowling department where they will need to decide which of Tendai Chatara, Tendai Chisoro, Donald Tiripano, Tawanda Mupariwa or Tinashe Panyangara to play. Wellington Masakadza is likely take the specialist spinner’s spot.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 4 Malcolm Waller, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Peter Moor, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Tendai Chatara, 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 Tawanda Mupariwa, 11 Wellington MasakadzaHong Kong (probable): 1 Jamie Atkinson (wk), 2 Ryan Campbell, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Nizakat Khan, 6 Anshuman Rath, 7 Kinchit Shah, 8 Tanwir Afzal (capt), 9 Aizaz Khan, 10 Waqas Barkat, 11 Nadeem AhmedPitch and conditionsUsually dry and cracked, the surface at the Jamtha Stadium is likely to be slow and low and could take turn. It’s set to be a scorcher in Nagpur, with temperatures reaching 36 degrees.Stats and triviaHong Kong and Zimbabwe have only met once before, in a last-ball thriller won by Hong Kong in a warm-up match ahead of the 2014 World T20Quotes”Zimbabwe have some dangerous players in their team and are probably the favourites to go through. But we are confident in our own abilities and for the first time for a while we will have our strongest team. The guys just want to do Hong Kong proud.”
“It’s very different from the Test match wicket. That was a Test match, and this pitch has been prepared for T20, so definitely two different pitches and I think this one will play much better.”

Jacques Rudolph hit a splendid 77 as Glamorgan leapt into the NatWest T20 Blast South Group qualification positions and continued Hampshire’s slump in form in the process

ECB/PA03-Jul-2015
ScorecardJacques Rudolph has led Glamorgan into the top four•Getty ImagesJacques Rudolph hit a splendid 77 as Glamorgan leapfrogged Hampshire into the NatWest T20 Blast South Group qualification positions.Former Test star Rudolph scored his third half-century in the competition as the visitors returned to Wales with two points.The Southampton setback completed a bad week for Hampshire who were annihilated at Essex last Friday and outclassed at Lord’s by Middlesex in the LV= County Championship.The 23-run defeat was Hampshire’s fifth in a row across the formats and a sixth finals day in succession looks more and more unlikely.Insights

Five of Glamorgan’s six wins this season have seen them bat first and post a handsome total thanks to one of their South African top order guns. It was Colin Ingram’s turn last week against Somerset but Jacques Rudolph – who scored 50s then a century in Glamorgan’s first three wins – was back on form on Friday. Rudolph consistently struck boundaries – generally conventional shots, but with a reverse sweep and a switch-hit thrown in too – to put pressure on Hampshire’s bowlers. By the time he fell, Meschede had a handsome platform to swipe from.

After winning the toss and batting, Rudolph started as he meant to go on with a sumptuous cover drive and a swipe through the off side for two early boundaries.The opening maximum of the night came from birthday boy Colin Ingram who hit over the covers to the minuscule boundary before offering Vince a steepling catch to give the home side the breakthrough.South African Rudolph reverse-swept a firm four to reach the end of the powerplay 54 for two, before a flurry of wickets.Jackson Bird flew to his left to pluck a Ben Wright drive out of the air and then Chris Cooke pushed straight to Jimmy Adams at backward point to give Danny Briggs his first of the night.Amongst the wickets, Rudolph brought up his half-century with a powerful sweep and a single off 30 balls.Briggs was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers, ending with figures of 2 for 13 and picking up his second wicket of the evening as David Lloyd picked out Chris Wood.Mark Wallace forced a stunning catch from wicketkeeping counterpart Adam Wheater after striking a rapid 21 from 14 before Rudolph produced the shot of the night with a switch-hit but two balls later Wood found a top edge before a second incredible Wheater claim.Glamorgan accelerated towards the close as Craig Meschede smashed 35 off 17 balls, including four sixes, to reach 181 from their 20 overs.Hampshire began their first chase of the season at the Ageas Bowl in sluggish style before Michael Carberry lofted the first six of the innings over the covers in the third over.Carberry and opening partner James Vince began an onslaught on the Glamorgan attack, the former collecting a trio of boundaries off Michael Hogan.Just as the pair were ticking Vince chipped to Andrew Salter to depart for 28 and end a quality opening stand of 69 for the biggest partnership of the night.Carberry smacked his second maximum into the back row of the stand to a grateful fan – which brought up a 31-ball 50, his 25th half-century in this format.Adams and Owais Shah both swung across the line to fall identically leg before wicket for five as Hampshire stuttered, then Carberry fell trying to slog Ruaidhri Smith out of the park for a 45-ball 70.The home side’s crumble continued as Will Smith hit straight to Hogan before Wheater holed out to end the contest.

Julia Roberts, the A-list Hollywood actress, has once again reiterated her devotion to Manchester United.

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Julia Roberts is a devoted Man Utd fanRevealed how she become supporterRoberts visited Old Trafford in the pastWHAT HAPPENED?

A guest on the the Graham Norton Show – alongside Cher, Timothee Chalamet and Tom Hanks – Roberts was questioned as to the reasons for her love of football and the club. The Hollywood actress saw United play Arsenal in a pre-season game in New York and has been a guest at Old Trafford previously.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT ROBERTS SAID

When Norton asked Roberts how she became a United fan, she replied: "I've been to Old Trafford, I'm a true fan… I have three children and when they were really little and started playing soccer they started watching it on TV. I didn't ever realise how exciting it was to watch it on television. We just got so into it and somehow Manchester United just became our team, the Moder family team. We became sort of possessed.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Rival Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has a deep admiration for Julia Roberts. He spoke of his hurt when Roberts chose to visit United, and not City, when she was in Manchester.

He said at the time: "Julia Roberts years ago came to Manchester – not in the 90s when Sir Alex [Ferguson] was winning titles and titles and titles. She came in the period where we were better than United, in these four or five years, right? She went to visit Man United. She didn't come to see us. That's why even if I win the Champions League it will not compare for the fact that Julia Roberts came to Manchester and didn't come to see us."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Roberts' beloved United will travel to St James' Park this evening hoping to strengthen their efforts to secure Champions League football for next season. Newcastle boss, Eddie Howe, recently claimed everyone is against his side – sadly for him, so will the Hollywood star tonight.

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain has replaced Shahadat Hossain in Bangladesh’s squad for the only Test against India, beginning on June 10

Mohammad Isam03-Jun-20151:00

Isam: Bangladesh have a very settled squad

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain has replaced the injured Shahadat Hossain for the only Test against India, beginning on June 10 in Fatullah. As this was the only change in Bangladesh’s 14-man squad, questions lingered on the batsman-heavy combination.Rubel was ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan last month with a Grade 1 left-side strain after he felt discomfort while bowling in the first Test. His replacement at the time, Shahadat, twisted his right knee after bowling just two balls in the second Test, which ruled him out for six months. Rubel was passed fit last week along with Tamim Iqbal (knee), Shakib Al Hasan (shin bone), Mushfiqur Rahim (finger) and Shafiul Islam (hand).Bangladesh Test squad

Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Shuvagata Hom, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Shahid, Rubel Hossain, Jubair Hossain, Litton Das, Abul Hasan

Mushfiqur, too remains a wicketkeeping doubt though chief selector Faruque Ahmed said they are hopeful he will be fit in time for the India Test. He also said that they selected 14 players for the first Test instead of 13, at the behest of the BCB’s cricket operations committee. “We have seven days before the first Test,” Faruque said. “I won’t say that Mushfiqur won’t play but it was important to keep a back-up. We prefer having a second wicketkeeper-batsman. Litton [Das] was in the squad for the Pakistan series.”The cricket operations committee asked us to take 14 players. We planned to take 13 but there is no domestic cricket at the moment, so it was thought that one boy can stay with the team.”The more pressing matter was the continued selection of Shuvagata Hom, who batted at No 8 and bowled harmless off-spin against Zimbabwe and in both Tests against Pakistan. There is still doubt about his role in the team, because he has mainly earned his keep as a batsman in the domestic arena but has been handy as a bowler during the 2014-15 season.Faruque said that Shuvagata is being considered as the second-best offspinner in the country behind Sohag Gazi, who, they feel, still needs time to get attuned to his new action after he was allowed to bowl last February.”We haven’t been able to achieve a desired bowling attack in Test cricket. We don’t have many options when it comes to offspinners. We had Sohag Gazi who got banned for his bowling action. He has batted and bowled well in domestic cricket but we want to pick him only when he is used to his new bowling action.”Shuvagata is our second-best offspinner. He got nine wickets in the last BCL match so he is our favoured choice among the offspinners,” Faruque said. “It is important to have variety in the bowling attack. We have left-arm spinners in the team so we kept an offspinner. It is not necessary that he will play but it becomes easier to pick him in the XI if he is in the squad.”Regarding legspinner Jubair Hossain, Faruque said that he was picked after being recommended by captain Mushfiqur and coach Chandika Hathurusingha. He added that he was not aware of reports that the captain and coach went to BCB president Nazmul Hassan to push for Jubair.”We select the team after discussing with the team management. The coach and captain had made a strong recommendation about him. They have a plan with him. We have included him as a result. I don’t know if they [captain and coach] went to him [BCB president] or not. We had a meeting three-four days before the team was announced.”Faruque admitted that their strength lay in their batting, although they picked seven batsmen instead of eight in the likely XI to play against India, and that their current bowling attack may not yet be well-equipped to take 10 wickets in Tests.”I feel that the bowling attack we have in Test cricket, it won’t be realistic to say that we have the ability to take 10 wickets. We are improving, but our main strength is batting. We should pick a team which can’t lose at home. We will discuss this thought process with the team management. I think playing seven batsmen is good enough. Mushfiqur and Shakib are allrounders.”

West Ham manager David Moyes was encouraged by Kalvin Phillips' performance despite the midfielder's red card against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

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Phillips sent off in Forest defeatMoyes pleased with performanceTold England man to 'keep going'GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Hammers crashed to a 2-0 defeat with their Manchester City loanee sent off after picking up two bookings in quick succession with his team trailing by a goal. Pundits and fans were quick to direct their ire at Phillips, who has endured a difficult start to his spell at West Ham, committing costly errors in his first two appearances then featuring in the second half of last weekend's thrashing by Arsenal. Despite the latest setback, Moyes saw some positives from Phillips on the 70 minutes before his dismissal.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT DAVID MOYES SAID ABOUT KALVIN PHILLIPS

"I thought for long periods he played well today," Moyes told after the game. "I though Kalvin played well. It looks like he's had a bad start and that adds to it a little bit but overall his performance today was good with just a couple of small incidents.

"I've watched him gain 50 or 60 caps for England, play incredibly well for Leeds United and get a huge transfer to Manchester City. So he's not a bad player, he probably just needs to get back on it and keep going and today he played well."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Moyes made the point that Phillips' second yellow card was harsh and it's hard to not feel a shred of sympathy for the player who played a key role in Marcelo Bielsa's thrilling Leeds revival before being picked up by City with a view to becoming an established part of Pep Guardiola's midfield.

Phillips spoke earlier this week about his sadness at being frozen out at the Etihad and it seems his lacking of playing time is now being punished ruthlessly before he can shake any of that rust off.

West Ham's alarming dip in form has seen them go eight games without a win. And the Hammers fans' frustrations with Moyes has not provided the calmest of environments for Phillips to play his way back into form.

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WHAT NEXT FOR DAVID MOYES AND WEST HAM?

The suspended Phillips will have to sit on the sidelines once again when West Ham seek their first win of 2024 against Brentford at the London Stadium on February 26.

In light of Saturday's FA Cup final, GOAL pick an African Dream Team to have won football's oldest club competition

GettyBruce Grobbelaar

Africa has not produced many goalkeepers who have had as much success around the world as Grobbelaar.

The Zimbabwe keeper was very successful during his time at Liverpool, and in a career that spanned over 600 games, he won six league titles, three FA Cup winner’s medals and a European Cup.

He will cherish his 1989 FA Cup medal in particular, as a tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans who were killed in the Hillsborough disaster earlier that season. 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLauren

Lauren was an outstanding defender and a crucial member of Arsenal’s Invincibles team that went the entire 2003/04 season unbeaten.

The Cameroonian was often referred to as the Gunners’ unsung hero during his time at the club, and walked away with a Premier League double, three FA Cup medals, and two Community Shield trophies.

He also enoyed a superb international career with the Indomitable Lions. 

Getty ImagesKolo Toure

Toure was a defensive stalwart in England for more than a decade, winning trophies with Arsenal and Manchester City.

He won the FA Cup three times, two with the Gunners and one at City, and enjoyed great success in North London as a member of the 2004 Invincibles squad. 

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(C)Getty ImagesJoel Matip

The Cameroon centre-back steps into our African Dream XI of African winners after clinching the cup with Liverpool on Saturday.

He was introduced as a substitute during the contest, and helped the Reds keep the European champions at bay before they won it on penalties.

Moeen Ali is on track to return to the England side in time to play the second Test of the series against West Indies in Grenada.

George Dobell02-Apr-2015Moeen Ali is on track to return to the England side in time to play the second Test of the series against West Indies in Grenada.Moeen, who established himself as England’s first choice spinner during the Test series against India last year, was not named in the original squad for the series in the Caribbean after sustaining a side strain during the World Cup defeat to Bangladesh in Sydney.But the England management always hoped that he would be able to join up with the squad if he recovered in time for a series in which spin is anticipated to play a key role. For the first two Tests, in particular, the pitches are expected to be slow and provide more assistance for spinners than seamers.In Moeen’s absence, the England selectors named offspinner James Tredwell, who was unable to maintain a place in the Kent Championship side last season, and the uncapped Yorkshire legspinner, Adil Rashid, as the two specialist slow bowlers in the squad.But now it appears Moeen should be able to return earlier than anticipated after he resumed training with Worcestershire. He has already begun net practise as a batsman and, while he has yet to bowl, intends to play a two-day warm-up match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road on April 7-8 and play a full part with bat and ball in Worcestershire’s opening Championship game of the season against Yorkshire at New Road from April 12.If he comes through that unscathed, he hopes to fly to the Caribbean in time to be considered for a place in the side for the second Test starting on April 21. The final Test of the series begins in Barbados on May 1.”I’m hoping to play that game against Yorkshire, prove my fitness and fly immediately afterwards,” Moeen told ESPNcricinfo.Moeen was the most economical of England’s regular bowlers in the World Cup and also made the side’s highest score of the tournament, 128 against Scotland.The recovery of Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes is also ahead of schedule following injury in the same World Cup match. Woakes was diagnosed with a stress reaction in the left foot, but could return to the Championship side before the end of the month. He is expected to be available for selection ahead of the series against New Zealand starting at Lord’s on May 21.

Amol Muzumdar has called time on a 21-year domestic career

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-20145:21

Who you play for doesn’t matter, giving your best does – Muzumdar

Former Mumbai batsman Amol Muzumdar has called time on a 21-year domestic career, during which he became one of the highest run-getters in the Ranji Trophy. Following 15 years with Mumbai, Muzumdar moved to Assam in 2009 and later to Andhra. He amassed 11167 runs from 171 first-class matches, with 30 centuries.Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, called Muzumdar “one of the finest batsmen produced by the country.”Muzumdar, 39, was handed the captaincy of the Mumbai Ranji team in 2006-07 and overturned a poor start to lead the side to the title. He was unable to break into the national side despite stellar credentials in domestic cricket. He has, however, had a stint with Netherlands as their batting coach.Muzumdar began his first-class career with an unbeaten 260 against Haryana in the 1993-94 Ranji pre-quarterfinal, and kept putting up the runs for Mumbai season after season. He claimed the record for the top-run scorer in Ranji Trophy in 2009, but that record has since passed to Wasim Jaffer in 2012. His List A numbers are also steady with 3286 from 113 matches, including three centuries and 26 half-centuries.He went on to win eight Ranji titles with Mumbai. However, Muzumdar was competing for a middle-order slot in an India team that was quite full with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.