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Sunderland chief Kristjaan Speakman is facing a number of big decisions on the make-up of the playing squad heading into the summer.

He will need to work closely with Alex Neil in the coming weeks to decide on the players they will be offering new contracts to as a number of deals are set to expire later this year.

Excluding loans, Jordan Willis, Lee Burge, Patrick Roberts, Arbenit Xhemajli, Lynden Gooch, Bailey Wright and Aiden McGeady are all out of contract in July.

One player he must avoid a major disaster with is central defender Wright as losing the Australian would be a huge blow to the side.

He has played in 36 of the club’s 45 League One games to date and averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.85 – with his average being dragged down by nine outings as a substitute.

Last term, Wright averaged an excellent rating of 7.05 as he started 35 games in the division. He won a whopping 61% of his duels throughout the campaign and made 4.6 clearances per match as he proved himself to be a quality option in the third tier.

Black Cats legend Kevin Phillips previously dubbed him as the club’s own Virgil van Dijk, saying:

“He’s been a great signing. I don’t know the player, but I just get the feeling that he’s a leader and a voice in the dressing room.

“Sometimes the manager can only say so much and then you want of your senior experience players to pipe up and put a few people in their place and give encouragement and be a leader. He seems like that.

“The stats just show what an important player he is. He’s almost to Sunderland what van Dijk is to Liverpool at the moment with those incredible stats.”

His aforementioned statistics back up Phillips’ praise as he has been ‘incredible’ for the Black Cats in League One with his consistently solid displays at centre-back. He is a reliable, top-class, option for Neil to call upon at the back and the Scottish coach will surely want him to remain at the Stadium of Light next season.

Wright still has plenty left to give at the age of 29 and Speakman must now avoid a major blunder by offering the Australian international a fresh contract to secure his future on Wearside.

AND in other news, Big boost: Neil “hopeful” of huge Sunderland lift that’ll have supporters buzzing…

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the fourth Test between Australia and England at the MCG

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale25-Dec-2010Match FactsMichael Beer is still waiting to find out if he will debut on Boxing Day•Getty ImagesDecember 26-30, Melbourne
Start time 10:30 (23:30 GMT)The Big PictureIt doesn’t get much bigger than this: Boxing Day at the MCG in front of a potential crowd of 90,000, the Ashes up for grabs, the series level at 1-1 with two Tests to play, England sweating on the fitness of their best bowler and Australia hoping their captain can play with a broken finger. This is Test cricket at its most intoxicating. Can the match live up to the hype?Australia’s victory at the WACA might have disappointed England fans keen to see the urn safely in the visitors’ hands as soon as possible. But for the series, and for the spectacle of Boxing Day in Melbourne, a level series leading in to the match is a tantalising prospect. Should Australia win, or secure a draw, either team will still be able to take home the Ashes with one Test to play.And things aren’t as straightforward as they seemed a fortnight ago. England’s strike bowler James Anderson is under an injury cloud with a side problem, and their No. 5 Paul Collingwood is in poor form. Australia haven’t solved their spin conundrum, having escaped from the WACA without needing one, and they could give a debut to a man with the grand tally of seven first-class matches under his belt.It all combines to set the scene for one of the most fascinating contests seen in Australia in recent years. And if the home team prevails, the New Year Test in Sydney will be even bigger.Form guide(most recent first)
Australia WLDLL
England LWDWLWatch out for…He began the series as Australia’s most under-pressure batsman, but now Michael Hussey is the one banker in a line-up that has struggled to post big totals. By freeing his thinking and playing his natural game, Hussey has sparked a career renaissance that has brought his highest Test score and six consecutive 50-plus Ashes scores, which is a record. On the slowish Melbourne surface, he will have plenty of time to pull.
Ian Bell is in form, but hasn’t had much opportunity yet to post a big Ashes hundred, given how solid the rest of the top order has been. He is still desperately searching for that first Test century against Australia, after 16 Ashes Tests. If Australia hand the spinner Michael Beer a debut, Bell will certainly attack him hard, and it could be an important passage in the Test.Team newsRicky Ponting appears certain to play despite having a broken finger, so the only question for Australia surrounds the make-up of their attack. The slow MCG drop-in pitches usually mean a spinner is required, so Beer could come in for his debut. If that is the case, Peter Siddle is likely to be the unlucky fast man who would be left out.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Michael Beer, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.England’s batting group is settled, despite Collingwood’s slump, and their decisions are also bowling related. Anderson’s side problem has placed him in doubt, while Steven Finn might be rested if Anderson plays. Either way, Tim Bresnan is likely to come in alongside Chris Tremlett and either Finn or Anderson.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James AndersonPitch and conditionsMelbourne’s drop-in pitches are usually slow and low, which will be a change after the lively surface in Perth. “I would think on the WACA’s worst day they would still be faster and bouncier than anything we normally turn out,” the MCG curator Cameron Hodgkins said. Batting often becomes easier as the match progresses. The forecast for the first day is for a shower or two and 21C.Stats and trivia Ricky Ponting enters this match having played in 99 Test victories, and should Australia prevail, he will be the first player in history to take part in 100 Test wins Australia have won 10 of the past 11 Tests at the MCG, the only loss in that time coming against South Africa two years ago Mike Hussey has scored 517 runs and Alastair Cook has 495 for the series. With two Tests remaining, both men have made more than any player did during the entire 2009 Ashes series The record crowd for cricket at the MCG was 90,800, set on day two of the Australia-West Indies Test in 1960-61Quotes”The Boxing Day Test is always very special because the guys have their families, it’s a great time of the year. Everyone is pretty excited and probably a bit more excited after winning in Perth as well.”
Michael Clarke

“Huge support for Australia, Ashes on the line, there’s going to be a lot of pressure around and personally that excites me. It’s a great test for us as a side.”
Andrew Strauss

Rangers delayed their rivals’ title party as they held their opponents to a 1-1 draw away from home in the Premiership on Sunday.

The Gers came from behind to secure a draw to prevent the Hoops from celebrating their league triumph on derby day.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s side found themselves 1-0 down at half-time after a strike from Jota put the hosts in front and they were lucky to only be one goal behind as Celtic missed a number of chances to make it 2-0 and potentially 3-0.

They rode their luck and eventually found the equaliser through Fashion Sakala as the Zambia international brilliantly fired the ball past Joe Hart after good build-up play from Scott Wright and Ryan Kent. The striker also came close to a winner as he struck the post late on after a quick break through the middle of the pitch.

Whilst the 2021 signing scored the goal to rescue a point for the Gers, the real Old Firm hero for Rangers was central midfielder John Lundstram.

The former Sheffield United man was absolutely phenomenal in the middle of the park as he bossed the majority of the game for van Bronckhorst. He was excellent on and off the ball as he put in a fine display that will have supporters excited to see him in derby action again next season.

In possession, he was a reliable outlet for the team. As per SofaScore, he completed 89% of his attempted passes and only gave possession away nine times from a whopping 74 touches of the ball. He was also successful with all eight of his long pass attempts and created one chance, as he showed his quality and range of passing with the ball at his feet.

Defensively, he was a monster for Rangers. As per SofaScore, he won 77% (7/9) of his individual duels as he dominated the opposition throughout the match. He also made four tackles, three interceptions and two clearances to continually cut out Celtic attacks in midfield to put the Gers on the front foot.

With these statistics in mind, Lundstram was the real hero for Rangers – not Sakala – as he made an impact at both ends of the pitch and was sublime.

Hopefully, he can carry his form into next Thursday’s Europa League clash with RB Leipzig in what is poised to be an electric night under the lights at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Wilson must reignite Rangers swoop for “impressive” 28 G/A flier, GvB needs him…

Geoff Lawson, the former Australia fast bowler, will be appointed head coach of the Kochi IPL team, ESPNcricinfo has learnt

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Dec-2010Geoff Lawson, the former Australia fast bowler, will be be appointed head coach of the Kochi IPL team, ESPNcricinfo has learnt. Lawson confirmed he would be in India soon to sign his contract, which is likely to be for two years, marking the team’s first high-level cricketing appointment.”I will be flying to India in the next few days to prepare for the player auction,” Lawson told ESPNcricinfo. Mehul Shah, one of the owners of the Kochi franchise, confirmed the development.Lawson had stated in October that a section of the Kochi owners had expressed strong interest in him for the coaching position. Unfortunately that deal could not be finalised as Kochi was suffering from a fractured ownership and appeared on the brink of being shunted out of the IPL. However, extensive parleys among the owners and various lifelines handed out by the BCCI led to a compromise formula being worked out to keep the $333.33 million franchise afloat.Lawson said he was excited to be finally getting another opportunity of “creating a team” once again. “All is in order with the Kochi owners and everyone is keen and excited to be finally getting on with the job of creating a team. I will physically sign the contract when I get there [India], but in essence the owners have honoured the handshake deal we had before the minority owner problem occurred,” he said.Lawson’s most high-profile coaching job was his 15-month stint in charge of the Pakistan team from July 2007. He helped them reach the final of the inaugural World Twenty20, but his partnership with inexperienced captain Shoaib Malik did not get to blossom as 2008 was a virtually barren year for Pakistan – Australia pulled out of a full tour, the Champions Trophy was postponed and Pakistan were left to play minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Cameron White, Australia’s new Twenty20 captain, says he is tactically as good as there is when it comes to the shortest format

Andrew McGlashan in Adelaide11-Jan-2011Cameron White believes he is ideally suited to the Australia Twenty20 captaincy as he prepares to lead his country for the first time against England, in Adelaide, on Wednesday. White has taken over from Michael Clarke who announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket after the fifth Ashes Test in a bid to improve his Test and one-day form.White has an impressive Twenty20 record as a player and averages 36.64 from 23 matches with a strike-rate of 144.50. In all Twenty20 cricket, which includes playing for Somerset and Royal Challengers Bangalore, he has managed two hundreds with a best of 141. Now, though, it is about more than just the runs he scores but how he leads his team and White has no doubt he’s capable of meeting the challenge.”I think I have a really good understanding of how Twenty20 cricket works on the field for a start; tactically I hope I’m as good as there is, and I guess that is what the selectors have seen,” he said. “I hope I’m successful as a captain but I can’t control where that takes me.”For the time being, White doesn’t have any designs on making a push for further captaincy honours in Australian cricket. There is extensive debate about the future of Ricky Ponting and whether Clarke, who has been earmarked for the Test and one-day captaincy for much of his career, is the right man to take over.White, though, isn’t near the Test side at the moment and hasn’t been since playing four Tests in India in 2008. “I don’t think that I need to worry about or think about being captain of those other formats because it’s probably not something that is going to happen in the near future,” he said.A tough first assignment awaits White, as he attempts to stop a rampant England side who are brimming with confidence after their Ashes success. The last time the two sides met in a Twenty20 international was in Barbados when England won by seven wickets to secure the World Twenty20 title. England have now strung together seven victories on the bounce and one more will give them a new world record although the team have not been concentrating too hard on the landmark.”It’s been discussed but I don’t think it is something that has always been spoken about,” Michael Yardy, the England left-arm spinner and middle-order batsman said. “Obviously, you want to achieve world records and it is an opportunity to achieve that, but it is not the main focus. It is very much about continuing the tour in a successful mode.”Yardy is one of the new faces to join the tour for the limited-overs matches. He had been playing Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand for Central Districts prior to his international duty and prepared with 3 for 33 against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. And even though the Ashes are finished he can feel the positive after-effects.”The boys are buzzing, obviously. After winning a series like that they are going to be,” he said. “It’s nice to be a part of it. You fit in very well, it’s a good environment to come into. There is a lot of love in the group at the moment and whether that brings results or it’s the results that bring the team closer together I am not too sure. But certainly everyone is happy.”But the tone from the Australian camp, understandably, is very much to move on from what has happened over the last six weeks and start afresh in coloured clothes. There are a number of players, including express quicks Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, in the side who weren’t part of the Tests and White is looking forward rather than back.”Twenty20 and Test cricket couldn’t be further apart. I think there are only three or four guys that have been involved in the Test matches,” he said. “So it’s really a fresh start for this team. Hopefully a change of format will bring a change of luck.”Australia was late to embrace Twenty20 cricket and now is looking towards the shortest format for salvation.

Newcastle United face the daunting prospect of facing an aggravated Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League this afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost 6-5 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek and the domestic title is the one trophy they can win this season, which may spell bad news for the Magpies as the league leaders focus all of their effort, and frustration, on this match.

Meanwhile, the Toon come into the game off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at St James’ Park last weekend. Naby Keita scored the only goal as Eddie Howe’s side managed to avoid a drubbing against the Reds, which the 44-year-old will be hoping to prevent again today.

With Newcastle playing away from home against the Cityzens, the ex-Cherries head coach may be expecting a tough 90 minutes playing against the ball for the most part. He may therefore pick a team with this in mind, and one player he must finally unleash from the start is centre-forward Chris Wood.

Howe must unleash Chris Wood

The New Zealand international has not started a Premier League match since 20 April against Crystal Palace, and he must now be brought back into the fold.

Magpies reporter Ciaran Kelly claimed last month that the striker provides the team with a “focal point”, and this is why the 30-year-old needs to start against City. He can offer an outball for the rest of the players to hit in order to relieve pressure as the opposition potentially sustain attack after attack whilst dominating possession.

In Europe’s top five leagues over the past 365 days, Wood ranks in the 97th percentile for aerial battles won per 90 minutes amongst strikers. He has won a whopping 8.7 headers per 90 minutes in the Premier League, which illustrates the value that he will be able to provide to Newcastle at the top of the pitch.

The striker, who Howe claimed has been “fantastic” since coming to St James’ Park, can make himself a target for the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Dan Burn to hit when they have the opportunity to clear the ball. Wood can then either hold the ball up with his strength or flick the ball on to the likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin, allowing them to use their pace to threaten on the counterattack.

Therefore, the £72k-per-week colossus can play a crucial role in Newcastle getting anything out of this match, and he must be selected in the starting line-up today.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Bruno: Howe must land NUFC swoop for £17.1m gem who “radiates calmness”…

Zimbabwe’s goal during the upcoming World Cup is “to make sure we play as well as we can

Firdose Moonda in Chennai10-Feb-2011Zimbabwe’s goal during the upcoming World Cup is “to make sure we play as well as we can.” That’s the mantra coach Alan Butcher brought with him to the team’s arrival press conference in Chennai. “We haven’t set any targets regarding the quarter-finals,” he said.For a team that has only twice progressed out of the group stages and has won just eight of 46 World Cup matches, that ambition seems to fit just right. Zimbabwe are among the stronger of the minnow teams but will have to beat at least one of the big names as well as earn convincing victories over Kenya and Canada if they hope to progress. For them, the results are not as important as the method. “If we can play five out of six games to our plans and to our targets, it will represent a good step forward for our team,” Butcher said.Butcher brings with him a team whose last notable World Cup achievement came in 1999, when Zimbabwe beat India and South Africa to advance to the Super Six stage of the tournament. The team that took to the field then formed what was considered the old guard of Zimbabwean cricket, with the likes of the Flower brothers, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak and Henry Olonga. Those glory days, just like the Springsteen song says, have passed them by in the wink of a young girl’s eye.Now there’s a team of young hopefuls, the Chris Mpofus and Charles Coventrys of the country who have big talent and big hearts but a lot to learn. “We’ve got some way to go to say that we are back at that level (of 1999) but there is every reason to think that that can happen in the future,” Butcher said. This World Cup is more about planning for that future than anything else.”Zimbabwean cricket is in the process of a turnaround,” Butcher said. “They have gone through a period of poor results and difficult times for the players. At the moment, everyone is working very hard not only in this squad but in the first-class system to improve themselves.” Since voluntarily withdrawing from Test cricket, Zimbabwe have pumped resources into their limited-overs formats, which has included a sponsored twenty-over franchise competition that has attracted the likes of Andrew Hall, Lance Klusener and Brian Lara.”He (Lara) helped us a lot and shared some of his experience with us while he was working with us as a batting consultant,” Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, said. “The guys are ready to express themselves during this World Cup, show how they can play and win a couple of games.” Zimbabwe have every reason to be positive because it was just last June that they qualified for their first tri-series final in 10 years, albeit against second string Indian and Sri Lankan sides.It’s the preparation in and against teams for the subcontinent that will serve Zimbabwe best in this tournament. In December, they played against Bangladesh in a five match ODI series, and in the last two years have played in Dhaka and Chittagong 10 times. “There are players with experience of the conditions from when we played in Bangladesh,” Butcher said. “We’ve been playing and practicing in Dubai as well, where they’ve tried to simulate Indian wickets.”Zimbabwe also have a strong arsenal of spinners to make up for their lack of firepower in the fast bowling department, which could serve them well in the subcontinent. “The balance of our attack will be favoured by the conditions here. There’s a fair chance we will go with more than a couple of spinners which puts us at less of a disadvantage.” Butcher said.The search for the next Zimbabwean quick or the next batsman in the Andy Flower mould is still on, but Butcher is convinced that the 15 men he has to work with now will be the start of a permanent turnaround in the fortunes of the team that has for so long been the little brother of African cricket. He hopes the World Cup can help them to illustrate that point. “Zimbabwe cricket is on the up and hopefully we can prove that in the next six weeks.”

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Adama Traore.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist and transfer insider revealed that Barcelona have no intention of activating their €30m (£25m) option to purchase the Wolverhampton Wanderers winger, meaning the 26-year-old is set to return to Molineux at the end of the current campaign – before potentially being moved on once again by Bruno Lage this summer.

In a further report, The Express claim that this development will come as a boost to Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici, as Spurs attempted to sign the Spain international in the January transfer window, and now appear to have a free run at the forward in the summer market – with it being said a move by Tottenham looks likely ahead of 2022/23.

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In his tweet, Romano said: “Barcelona have no intention to pay €30m buy option for Adama Traore. The only way to keep him has always been a swap deal, with no money included in the negotiation with Wolves. As of today, there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

Conte will be buzzing

While it is true that Traore’s return to Barcelona has not exactly gone as the winger would have hoped – having started just three of his nine LaLiga appearances for Xavi’s side – the news that Tottenham could have a second chance of landing the Spaniard this summer is sure to have left Conte buzzing.

Indeed, it was widely reported that the Italian had hoped to convert the forward into a right wing-back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it is easy to see why the Spurs boss believed the £25.2m-rated talent would be suitable for this role.

According to FBref statistics, the £46k-per-week attacker ranks in the top 1% of wingers in Europe’s big five leagues for dribbles completed per 90 minutes, as well as the top 4% for progressive carries, the top 12% for touches in the opposition penalty area, the top 23% for shot-creating actions and the top 29% for aerial duels won over the last 365 days.

As such, it is clear that, if deployed on the right of a back five, Traore’s ability to progress the ball from defence to attack would be a huge weapon for Tottenham when counter-attacking – something that is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for Conte’s interest in the player Jurgen Klopp dubbed “unplayable” this summer.

And, following Romano’s latest update on the winger’s future, it would appear as if Conte and Paratici now have a second chance to land the eight-time capped international, something that is sure to please the Italian.

AND in other news: Paratici plotting £40m Spurs bid for £70k-p/w target, he’d be a “monster” for Conte

Espncricinfo previews the Group B game between India and South Africa

The Preview by Sriram Veera11-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 12, Nagpur
Start time 2.30pm (0900 GMT)The Big PictureIndia haven’t lost a game yet but haven’t escaped the darts from the critics. Why hasn’t Harbhajan Singh taken wickets? Why Piyush Chawla? Why not R Ashwin? Why are the batsmen fumbling? Why do the fielders always fumble? Why is Zaheer Khan finding no support from other seamers? Why do they never bowl yorkers?South Africa have lost one game but that loss threw up the same old question. Why do they choke? The two pre-tournament favourites face each other on a batting track where conventional wisdom would dictate that the team with better bowling and fielding should prevail. However, on their day, both teams are inherently strong enough to beat any logic.Both teams have kept the team-sheet under wraps. Perhaps they really haven’t yet decided. The news from the South African camp offers hints but there is nothing conclusive. Imran Tahir is a doubtful starter but he is not ruled out. AB de Villiers’ back is better but it’s not sure whether he will keep. If he keeps, Morne van Wyk might lose his spot and they may toy with bringing Lonwabo Tsotsobe in. Johan Botha might replace Tahir. And so it goes on. The logic is easy to understand: It’s a batting pitch, so why not push AB to keep and play an extra bowler? If they hadn’t choked against England, that decision would have been far easier to make.India have their own puzzles to solve. MS Dhoni talked about going in with three seamers but he also said Ashwin might play. Barring Zaheer, India’s seamers haven’t really eased their captain’s headaches. Sreesanth was poor in the first game, Munaf Patel has looked fine but there is no guarantee that he won’t bleed runs if the batsmen take to him, and Ashish Nehra is yet to regain full fitness. Nehra was Dhoni’s go-to man under pressure but suddenly, in the middle of a mundane home ODI series against New Zealand in November 2010, his form gave away and he is yet to recapture it. The Ashwin-Chawla debate has been analysed to death and it will be interesting to see what unfolds tomorrow.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa LWWWW
India WWTWL
Watch out for…Virender Sehwag has gone relatively quiet after the first game but he can be expected to fire on a big stage. He has been over-aggressive in a couple of games but against South Africa he is likely to return to his pre-tournament mood of trying to play as many overs as possible.JP Duminy will be crucial for South Africa if they decide to go in with an extra bowler. In the recent few games, especially in the home series against India, he showed that he can shoulder the responsibility of leading the middle order. He might well be at the forefront when South Africa take their batting Powerplay and his battle against his nemesis Harbhajan could well be the key.Team newsHow the teams arrive at the final playing XI will give us an insight into their state of mind. Will South Africa attack with an extra bowler? Will India play an extra spinner?
India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (wk/capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ashish Nehra/Piyush Chawla/R Ashwin, 11 Munaf PatelSouth Africa(possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Morne van Wyk/ Johan Botha, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo TsotsobeAs Graeme Smith said, they’ve been rolling it for four days. It will be hot and dry and dew is not expected to be a factor. Smith made it clear that the toss would have minimal effect.Stats and trivia Imran Tahir is the only South African bowler to take four or more wickets twice in a World Cup gameSachin Tendulkar has been out lbw 38 times in ODIs. Only Sanath Jayasuriya (47), and Inzamam-ul-Haq (39) have been dismissed more times. Quotes “I don’t think this is the be all and end all of the World Cup. This part is about qualifying and then going into the knockouts with some confidence. I hope it is another really good game for the World Cup..”
.
“If I have two bowlers who are giving 70 runs from 20 overs, I would be quite happy with them even if they don’t take wickets because ultimately the pressure turns on the batsmen to score runs in today’s format … Harbhajan is doing his job and if the batsmen are not willing to take risks, he is stopping the run-scoring opportunities and breaking the momentum.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was eulogising about Reds winger Luis Diaz ahead of the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday. 

The lowdown: Pressure maintained

Jurgen Klopp’s side were able to keep the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought three points against Steven Gerrard’s Villa.

Goals from Joel Matip and Sadio Mane were enough for the travelling Reds on a night marred by a hamstring injury to Fabinho that will need further assessment as confirmed by the club post-match.

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After Klopp made the decision to leave superstar forward Mohamed Salah on the bench from the outset, Diaz took the plaudits from pitch-side during the build-up…

The latest: Redknapp waxes lyrical

Speaking during Sky Sports’ pre-match coverage, ex-Anfield man Redknapp hailed the latest arrival on Merseyside.

The 48-year-old said: “He’s so skilful, it’s so great to watch. There’s absolutely no fear when he plays football.”

In truth, this was one of the 25-year-old Colombian’s quieter nights as the winger completed 2/4 dribbles, made one key pass and provided the assist for Mane’s match-winner. He registered just 36 touches – one fewer than goalkeeper Alisson – whilst earning a 6.90 rating before being replaced on 72 minutes (Sofascore).

The lowdown: Sensational impact

Signed for an initial £37million during the January transfer window (Sky Sports), few could’ve predicted the instant influence Diaz would have on Klopp’s plans, and it’s little surprise the likes of club legend Robbie Fowler have called him ‘wonderful’.

Diaz already has nine direct goal contributions in 22 appearances for Liverpool and has been nothing short of a revelation for the Reds, giving the entire season a whole new outlook following his arrival.

Overall, the former FC Porto man has completed 2.3 successful dribbles on average per game, highlighting Redknapp’s point as Klopp unleashes another type of attacking weapon.

Already a trophy winner with the Carabao Cup success against Chelsea under his belt, Diaz could add an FA Cup and UEFA Champions League medal in the coming weeks to make the dazzling attacker one of the most decorated players in the club’s recent history just months after his move.

In other news, Liverpool have been boosted by a fresh transfer update. Read more here.