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Only Claude Henderson, the spin bowling consultant and Greg King, the fitness trainer have been retained from Russell Domingo’s technical team while Prasanna Agoram remains in place as the analyst

Firdose Moonda16-Nov-2017

Warriors’ coach Malibongwe Maketa has been appointed Ottis Gibson’s assistant, pipping Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana to the post in a shake-up of South Africa’s support staff. Former Natal and Durham batsman Dale Benkenstein will take over as batting coach from Neil McKenzie while Justin Ontong, the Cobras’ senior statesman, has been appointed fielding coach.Only Claude Henderson, the spin bowling consultant and Greg King, the fitness trainer have been retained from Russell Domingo’s technical team while Prasanna Agoram remains in place as the analyst. Physiotherapist Brandon Jackson has been replaced by Craig Govender. Team manager and doctor Mohammed Moosajee’s contract has been extended until April 2018 – the end of the South African summer – after which CSA’s board will appoint two successors, one in a managerial role and one in a medical role. That will increase the number of backroom staff to 12, from its current 11.Full list of staff appointments

Coach – Ottis Gibson
Assistant Coach – Malibongwe Maketa
Batting Coach – Dale Benkenstein
Fielding coach – Justin Ontong
Physiotherapist – Craig Govender
Fitness Trainer – Greg King
Spin Bowling Coach – Claude Henderson
Logistics Officer – Volvo Masubelele
Media Manager – Lerato Malekutu
Security Liaison Officer – Zunaid Wadee
Technical Analyst – Prasanna Agoram

Gibson, who was appointed in September, worked with Domingo’s support staff for his first assignment, a home series against Bangladesh. On its successful completion, Gibson said he had spoken to CSA about his choices for a backroom staff and had given them a list of name, “some from overseas, some local,” and would wait on the board to make the appointments. Who he had nominated from abroad is not known but only local candidates have made the cut, in what appears to be an exercise in cost-cutting.While Gibson had previously said he would perform the bowling coach duties himself, meaning one fewer member of his support staff, the batting coach Benkenstein is going to be shared with a local school. Benkenstein, who left Hampshire in July last year to return home for family reasons, has been working at Hilton College, a prestigious school in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands and will continue there while also working with the national team. CSA have made an agreement with the school that Benkenstein will accompany the national team on tours and will be around the camp when they play home matches but will also work for Hilton College.Maketa, the new assistant and Ontong, both come from within the current system and would not have been as expensive to hire as a foreigner. CSA’s financial position has been weakened following the postponement of the T20 Global League, on which they had spent millions organising, marketing and on upgrading stadiums, and their situation may worsen once a player-payout has been agreed. The South African Cricketers’ Association and CSA will undergo mediation to determine how to resolve the contractual fallout from the T20 Global League.In the meanwhile, attention will turn to Gibson’s sidekicks.Maketa has been with the Warriors since February 2015. He took over mid-season when Piet Botha stepped down and though he has not won any trophies, Maketa has had to work without many national players in his ranks and at a franchise without a sponsor. He has led the Warriors to two limited-overs finals – the one-day and twenty-over tournament last season – and has also worked with the national academy and the South African A side. Maketa was preferred over Toyana, who has won four trophies in five seasons with the Lions and was thought to be the favourite for the head coach’s role, will remain with the Warriors for the current Ram Slam before linking up with Gibson. It is not yet known who will succeed Maketa at the Warriors.Ontong will have a similar time-frame. He is still an active player for the Cobras and played in all five of their first-class fixtures this summer (and scored a century and three fifties) but a CSA spokesperson said he “will have to,” retire in order to take up his coaching duties.This will be his first coaching role and he will become South Africa’s first fielding coach since Rob Walter left the post after the Champions Trophy in 2013. Though South Africa have a reputation as a top-fielding side, standards have slipped on occasion in the recent past and it must have been something Gibson noted when compiling his staff.”My first six weeks as head coach gave me a good indication of the areas and resources needed for me to take the team forward,” Gibson said. “I’m confident with the coaching support staff we have put together and believe we share the same vision and understanding required to achieve success in our environment.”The coaches are experienced experts in their respective fields and will add value and energy to an already high-performing environment. The Proteas have a well-run and professional setup and I have no doubt that these additions will further enhance that element during my tenure.”South Africa’s players are currently engaged in the Ram Slam domestic tournament, which will run until December 16. Ten days later, they will begin the first of eight home Tests, a four-day, day-night fixture against Zimbabwe. South Africa host India for three Tests, six ODIs and three T20s and Australia for four Tests in March in their busiest home season to date.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Maynard, the former England and Glamorgan batsman, will leave the club immediately after the final game of the season

George Dobell27-Sep-2017

Division One survival will not be enough to save Matthew Maynard’s position as director of cricket at Somerset.ESPNcricinfo understands that Maynard, the former England and Glamorgan batsman, will leave the club immediately after the final game of the season. He has spent three years at the club and had another two years remaining on his contract.While Somerset have endured a tough season in 2017, they went close to winning the County Championship for the first time in their history in 2016 and reached the knock-out stages of both limited-overs competitions this year.They are also set to record a victory on the final day of the season against Middlesex that will guarantee them Division One Championship cricket in 2018.The decision is understood to be “completely amicable” and follows a review of the cricket operation at the club by new chief executive, Lee Cooper, who succeeded Guy Lavender just over a month ago. Among his conclusions was that asking one man to operate as director of cricket with a responsibility for all teams, admin and coaching was unsustainable. The new structure will see a head coach working under a director of cricket.The failure to secure the future of Adam Hose, who left for Warwickshire, or secure an overseas player for the final portion of the season, are both understood to have frustrated the club’s management.It is understood that Andy Hurry is likely to be appointed as director of cricket with Jason Kerr likely to take the role of head coach. Hurry is a previous head coach at the club and is currently head of the England Development Programme, while Kerr is the current bowling coach. Both are thought to be steeped in Somerset cricket and understand the distinctive demands and dynamics of the club.”Following this comprehensive review of our cricket structure, it has become very clear that the existing structure is not as effective as it needs to be,” Cooper said, confirming the news. “The role of director of cricket is very different to that of head coach and we have recognised this and it’s for this reason we’re making the change.”During Matt’s time with the club we have seen the emergence of several high quality young players and his commitment to the cause has been absolute. I have no doubt that we will see him back in the game again soon and everyone associated with the club wishes Matt and his family the very best for the future.””It will be with a heavy heart when I leave this unique cricket club after the End of Season Dinner,” Maynard said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years in Taunton and would like to thank all the players, support staff, committee and members for their support during my tenure.”We came so close to securing the Holy Grail last season, but it was not to be. With the enormously talented young players at the club, along with the quality senior players, I’m sure success and silverware will come in the not too distant future.”

حقق فريق نادي الزمالك، الفوز على المصري البورسعيدي، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

واستضاف ملعب برج العرب بالإسكندرية، مواجهة الزمالك والمصري، التي لعبت في إطار مباريات الجولة الثالثة من عمر دور المجموعات للبطولة القارية.

ويتواجد الزمالك والمصري في المجموعة الرابعة من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، بجانب أندية كل من بلاك بولز الموزمبيقي وإنيمبا النيجيري.

وفاز الزمالك على المصري بنتيجة 1-0، سجله أحمد سيد زيزو، بتسديدة قوية في الدقيقة 63 من عمر اللقاء.

وبذلك النتيجة، ينفرد فريق الزمالك بصدارة ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة، برصيد 7 نقاط، بعدما فاز في لقاء الجولة الأولى أمام بلاك بولز وتعادل في الثانية مع إنيمبا، وانتصر على المصري اليوم.

طالع | ترتيب مجموعة الزمالك والمصري في كأس الكونفدرالية بعد نهاية الجولة الثالثة

ومن المقرر أن يعود فريق الزمالك لاستكمال مبارياته في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، في المواجهة القادمة له بعدما انتهى من لقاء المصري في بطولة الكونفدرالية، اليوم الأحد.

الزمالك سيلاقي سيراميكا كليوباترا، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الخامسة من عمر منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وكان الزمالك خاض 4 مواجهات في بطولة الدوري المصري، فاز في 3 مباريات امام البنك الأهلي وسموحة وغزل المحلة وخسر في لقاء وحيد كان أمام المصري. موعد مباراة الزمالك وسيراميكا كليوباترا في الدوري المصري

تقام مباراة الزمالك والمصري، يوم الخميس الموافق 19 ديسمبر الجاري، تنطلق في تمام الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 9 بتوقيت السعودية.

Shadab Jakati and Amit Yadav helped Goa cling on, while Himachal were thwarted by Punjab debutant Abhishek Gupta’s double-hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2017

Scorecard
A 239-run partnership between debutants Abhishek Gupta and Abhishek Sharma narrowed Punjab’s overnight deficit of 245 to 128, before they were bowled out for 601 in response to Himachal Pradesh’s 729. Himachal offspinner Gurvinder Singh finished with a career-best haul of 6 for 162. Himachal then batted out 40 overs in the second innings play as the match ended in a draw in Dharamsala.Having begun the day on 484 for 6, the overnight pair were separated when Sharma fell six short of a century, managing to add only 13 to his overnight score of 81. Wicketkeeper-batsman, Gupta, however, converted his overnight score of 129 into a near run-a-ball 202 on debut. He hit 24 fours and five sixes in his knock to left-arm spinner Akash Vashisht.Handed a lead of 128, Himachal wobbled early in their second innings, losing six wickets for 81 by the 22nd over, with medium-pacers Sandeep Sharma, Manpreet Gony, and Barinder Sran taking two wickets each. Paras Dogra and Vasisht then put up an unbroken 64 runs for the seventh wicket to take Himachal through to stumps. They picked up three points for their first-innings lead, while Punjab took home one point.Prashant Chopra was adjudged Player of the Match for his triple-hundred for Himachal in the first innings.
ScorecardA half-century from Vikas Hathwala ensured a draw for Services against Bengal in Delhi. Bengal’s second innings declaration at 161 for 5 left Services with a target of 355 but the latter kept losing wickets to give Bengal a glimmer of an outright win.Wickets from the pace-bowling line-up of Ashok Dinda, Mohammed Shami and Kanishk Seth had left Services at 124 for 5, before Hathwala and Muzzaffaruddin Khalid battled in a 75-run sixth-wicket partnership. Where Hathwala was brisk, scoring 64 off 71 deliveries with nine fours and two sixes, Khalid played out 99 deliveries to remain unbeaten on 9 at stumps.
Scorecard
Goa scrambled for a draw on the final day in the face of Chhattisgarh left-arm spinner Sumit Ruikar’s first 10-wicket match haul in first-class cricket. Following on after conceding a 181-run lead in the first innings, the home team averted a loss after the eighth-wicket pair of Shadab Jakati and Amit Yadav played out 80 balls to force a draw.An early collapse on the final day saw Goa lose six wickets for 54 runs, having finished on 223 for 4 overnight. Ruikar started the collapse with the wicket of Reagan Pinto in the third over of the day, and ran through the line-up with thereafter. He’d begun the day with only one wicket to his name.In their second innings, Goa’s resistance came from opener Sumiran Amonkar and Darshan Misal’s 54-run stand for the fourth wicket, before No. 6 batsmen Saurabh Bandekar and wicketkeeper Samar Dubhashi made scores in excess of 20 to keep them alive.

Left-arm medium-pacer Tangeni Lungameni’s List A career-best 3 for 6 helped dismiss Kenya for 83, but heavy rain just five overs into the host’s chase, forced an end to play with no result

The report by Peter Della Penna in Windhoek10-Feb-2018Match abandoned
Peter Della Penna

Left-arm medium-pacer Tangeni Lungameni’s List A career-best 3 for 6 propelled Namibia’s bowling attack to wipe out Kenya for 83 at United Cricket Club Ground, but heavy rain just five overs into the host’s chase forced an end to play with no result. According to tournament rules, the match is now set to be replayed from scratch on the next tournament reserve day on Tuesday.The match had originally been scheduled for Friday but never got started due to damp bowler’s run-ups forcing tournament officials to push the match back into Saturday’s reserve day. Though the outfield dried up by Saturday morning, sweat from the pitch covers resulted in a slightly damp pitch that caused a 90-minute delay and a reduction to 45 overs.After losing a crucial toss and being sent in, Kenya struggled throughout the Powerplay to survive the generous movement on offer. Craig Williams finally made the first breakthrough three balls into his first-change spell in the ninth over, getting Alex Obanda to loft a drive to long-off.Lungameni replaced Smit at the opposite end for the 10th over and had Irfan Karim edging into the slips for his first wicket. Across his next four overs, Lungameni conceded just one run. Dhiren Gondaria drove to mid-on for Lungameni’s second wicket before Collins Obuya’s painstaking innings of 2 in 27 balls ended when he charged in frustration only to drive a bullet straight to Gerhard Erasmus at short extra cover.Captain Sarel Burger continued to set attacking fields, with no less than two men catching behind the wicket throughout the innings to the medium-pacers, as the final four men out were caught behind the wicket. After bowling out Kenya in 38.5 overs, Namibia had just under a half-hour to bat before lunch but thunder began to rumble across the field as the opening pair of Stephan Baard and Lohan Louwrens took the field. A steady drizzle came down throughout their short chase before it worsened into a downpour, robbing Namibia a golden chance of two points and a much-needed net run rate boost.

Faf du Plessis has declared himself as having a “60-40” chance of playing the Boxing Day Test against Zimbabwe after picking up a viral infection in the week leading up to the game

Firdose Moonda25-Dec-2017

Faf du Plessis has declared himself as having a “60-40″ chance of playing the Boxing Day Test against Zimbabwe after picking up a viral infection in the week leading up to the game. Du Plessis had been out of action since late October, when he sustained a back injury against Bangladesh, and took no part in the recently completed domestic T20 competition. Instead, he used the time to undergo surgery on a troublesome shoulder and though he was 80% ready to play last week, his chances have diminished because of illness.”Last week I was 80-20 for playing, probably now 60-40,” du Plessis said on Christmas Eve. “My progress was really good over the last two weeks but I picked up a virus last week which has slowed me down a little bit. Right now, where we stand, trying to get to practice and see how it feels. I practised on Saturday and there was still a bit of pain in the back and when the professionals say there is pain in the disc, there is still a bit of risk.”A final call will be taken on du Plessis’ availability on the day of the Test, and if he is passed fit he is certain he will be ready despite two months on the sidelines. “I have been feeling really good in the nets,” du Plessis said. “I’ve had some time when the guys were playing Ram Slam. I was working with Neil Mckenzie (former batting coach) in Cape Town and faced Dale [Steyn], also trying to see where he was at. It was a great opportunity for me to work with him. I felt very good in the nets. I’d rather feel good and play no cricket than play cricket and not feel good.”Steyn is the other player South Africa are not wanting to rush back into the starting XI, primarily because they are mindful of managing bowlers’ workloads over the next three months. Steyn has not played international cricket in more than a year while recovering from shoulder surgery and has had numerous setbacks on his way to complete recovery. He bowled 12 over for the CSA Invitation XI in Zimbabwe’s warm-up game last week and came through well but unless South Africa are sure he is ready for the rigours of Test cricket, they may save him for later in the season.”With Dale, in terms of the amount of overs he has bowled leading up to the first Test, it’s important to assess how ready he is to bowl at full intensity which is where we want him to be,” du Plessis said. “You want a Dale at 100% ready to go when he plays. If we feel that he is there, we will make a decision. If we feel he isn’t quite where he needs to be from a Test-match-intensity point of view, there is still enough time to get him ready before that first Test against India.”While the January Tests against India are on South Africa’s mind and du Plessis admitted to “already thinking [about the] balance of the team, trying to think of combinations that would be best suited to beat India”, the Zimbabwe match is not being downplayed, especially as it serves as something of a warm-up.South Africa last played a Test in early October against Bangladesh and last played genuinely competitive Test cricket in July-August in England so finding rhythm is crucial ahead of bigger challenges. “We have an opportunity to play against Zimbabwe, whether it’s pink or red [ball], just to get some Test cricket in again. It’s going to be a nice challenge to get ourselves running again because we’ve got a jam-packed season coming up, India and Australia,” du Plessis said. “This will be a nice Test for us to get back into the swing of things.”The novelty of the pink ball has somewhat waned for South Africa – they faced it in Adelaide last year and concluded that though the idea of a day-night Test sounds totally different to a regular match, most of the match is actually played in the day – but the shortened four-day format is new. For du Plessis, an innovative, experimental captain, it provides another occasion to try something funky. “There’s even more room for the unknown and thinking out of the box and making sure you can outsmart and out-think the opposition, so definitely if there is an opportunity to do that, we’ll do it.”

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016
ScorecardJake Lehmann’s 148-ball 122 included 14 fours and a six•Getty Images

Jake Lehmann reeled off his third century of the summer as a young South Australia side held their own against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Coffs Harbour.Following Lehmann’s hundred, Joe Mennie was able to dismiss Ed Cowan cheaply before stumps were drawn. Cowan was returning to the team after he missed their draw against Western Australia in Perth due to the after-effects of a blow to the helmet inflicted by a Joel Paris bouncer in Lincoln.The match is being held on the NSW north coast in memory of the late Phillip Hughes, and Lehmann marked it with a swashbuckling left-hander’s century as part of a concerted Redbacks counterattack that followed the loss of three early wickets.SA’s selectors had been the subject of considerable debate in Adelaide after the decision to drop the experienced but underperforming Tom Cooper and Tim Ludeman.Their replacements Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey both made strong contributions. Opener Weatherald made a sprightly 58 while the gloveman added 105 with Lehmann after the visitors had slipped further to 5 for 123.Another youngster, the second-game seamer Cameron Valente, helped add further runs with Lehmann, allowing the Redbacks to reach the fringes of 300.Arjun Nair, the teenaged finger spinner who became the Blues’ 738th first-class cricketer and 11th youngest debutant, claimed a pair of tail-end wickets to help round up SA’s innings.

Australia launched the inaugural T20 Tri-series with an emphatic victory over New Zealand at Sydney, hunting down a rain-reduced target of 95 in 11.3 overs

The Report by Andrew Miller03-Feb-2018

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAustralia launched the inaugural T20 Tri-series with an emphatic curtain-raising victory over New Zealand at Sydney, hunting down a rain-reduced target of 95 in 11.3 overs, after their bowlers had proven too aggressive and constraining for their meek opposition.Despite a top-order wobble, in which David Warner and the debutant D’Arcy Short fell inside the first three overs, the belligerent power of Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell soon assumed utter control of Australia’s chase.With a series of scything blows, particularly through the covers, Lynn set the initial tempo, en route to 44 from 33 balls, while Maxwell soon found his own range with a ramped four over the keeper’s head followed by a planted front-foot six off the medium pace of Colin de Grandhomme.Lynn picked up his solitary six of the night when he belted Mitchell Santner on the up through midwicket, but he eventually fell in pursuit of his second when, with eight runs required for victory, he scuffed a pull to backward square leg off a Trent Boult bouncer.It barely delayed the inevitable, however. Maxwell flipped another four off his hip in Tim Southee’s subsequent over, then launched the winning boundary high over the bowler’s head two balls later, to finish unbeaten on 40 from 24 balls.Australia’s victory, however, was set up by the beanpole seamer, Billy Stanlake, whose cloud-snagging height, fierce pace and pinpoint accuracy justified Warner’s decision to bowl first, as he wrecked New Zealand’s top order with three wickets in the space of his first eight balls.Two of those came from his first two deliveries. Steaming in for the second over of the innings, he startled Colin Munro with his trampoline bounce from just back of a good length, for Alex Carey – making his T20 debut behind the stumps – to sprint out to point to complete a steepling catch.Then, having crossed while the ball was in the air, Martin Guptill was flummoxed by a beauty, a perfect-length seamer that burst past a tentative push to flick the top of off stump. Stanlake missed his hat-trick by a whisker, as Tom Bruce clipped an attempted yorker through the leg side for three, but Bruce didn’t elude his grasp for long. In his next over, Stanlake zeroed in on his lid with a superb bouncer, and a flapped pull spiralled into the hands of Kane Richardson at fine leg.At 3 for 16, New Zealand were shell-shocked, and their response to adversity was to go even further into that shell. Their second and final boundary of the Powerplay was a slashed cut from Ross Taylor that would have been gobbled by a second slip, and Australia soon had their fourth when tentative rearguard from Kane Williamson was sawn off by that habitual partnership-breaker Andrew Tye. The second ball of his spell was back of a length, and looped off a leading edge to David Warner in the covers.Australia scarcely broke sweat in consolidating their dominance thereafter. The spinners Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa joined Tye in choking the middle overs, and Tom Blundell was the next to snap, galloping down the wicket to a Zampa legbreak and holing out to long-off as he was deceived in flight.At least de Grandhomme refused to go quietly. He greeted Stanlake’s return with a tremendous pick-up for four over midwicket, then gave Zampa the full treatment, pounding him for two sixes in three balls, including a huge mow into the pavilion at midwicket. Taylor, however, was far less fluent or decisive in his outlook, and his departure for 24 from 35 balls was another indication of New Zealand’s muddled plans. A charge at Agar, a slash off a thin edge, and a nick to Carey who completed the stumping just to be sure.With New Zealand going nowhere at 6 for 92, Tye returned for the death and mopped up their resistance. With his knuckle-ball a permanent and illegible threat, Santner mowed to deep midwicket, before Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi holed in in the final over of the innings – Southee at least connected for one massive six over midwicket off Richardson to show some late resistance. De Grandhomme was left high and dry on 38 not out from 24, a lone battler in a flaccid team performance.A steady downfall during the interval caused an hour’s delay and a slight recalculation of Australia’s initial target of 118, but it made little difference to the destiny of the game.Warner and Short each spanked an early boundary off Southee before then falling in the space of three balls – Short to a full-blooded pull to short midwicket and Warner to a dinky juggled catch from Bruce on the midwicket rope. But Lynn and Maxwell scarcely blinked thereafter.

Acting CEO Thabang Moroe said the board would wait for the reports of the ongoing internal investigations before making a decision

Firdose Moonda07-Nov-2017

Cricket South Africa’s board may ask for an independent inquiry into the T20 Global League organisation if reports produced by the two ongoing investigations indicate an outside voice is needed.Last month, CSA announced a “broad-scope” investigation into the processes that led to the postponement of the tournament, but despite the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and the franchises lobbying for an overall independent examination, CSA opted to keep the matter in-house. Acting CEO Thabang Moroe said they would look beyond the office walls if forced to.”What is happening at the moment is an internal audit process. We’ve got two independent companies that are also looking into our affairs from a governance point of view. As far as the inquiry is concerned, once all these three reports, which are independent, are put in front of the board, the board will have a look at what they say. If the reports point to the board having to hold an independent inquiry, then the board will surely make that decision,” Moroe said, at the launch of the RAM SLAM in Johannesburg.Though Moroe was at pains to point out that the companies involved – an auditing firm and a law firm – are independent, CSA retains the oversight role and it is the board who will decide what course of action to take when the investigations are concluded. Conversely, if the investigation was conducted entirely independently, there would be an appointed person, likely a retired judge, who would oversee the inquiry, study the reports and then make recommendations.SACA and the franchises are two important stakeholders who have put pressure on CSA to have an independent investigation and with growing mistrust of the organisation, Moroe attempted to provide an assurance that the board would follow-suit.”The board obviously has to make the right decision in order to give confidence, not only to you guys as the media but to the entire cricketing community,” Moroe said.Reports from the current investigations are expected by mid-November or, “at the very latest, we are looking at the end of November,” Moroe said. He has been receiving weekly reports on the progress of the inquiry.

قدم مدرب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، آخر التحديثات الخاصة بفريقه قبل مواجهة إيفرتون في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويلاقي مانشستر سيتي خصمه إيفرتون، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثامنة عشر من منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي، الخميس، على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز السابع في ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 27 نقطة، بينما يأتي إيفرتون في المركز الخامس عشر برصيد 16 نقطة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. تعويضاً لإصابة ساكا.. آرسنال يقترب من ضم هدف ليفربول في الميركاتو الشتوي

وقال بيب جوارديولا في المؤتمر الصحفي قبل المباراة: “الأمر يتعلق بنا للعودة إلى أفضل مستوياتنا، سيستغرق ذلك بعض الوقت، لكن علينا تحقيق النتائج في أسرع وقت ممكن. نواجه إيفرتون وهم في لحظة جيدة ونتائجهم وأداؤهم يثبتان ذلك”.

وسخر جوارديولا من أسئلة أحد الصحفيين حينما قال أنه تفوق على شون دايتش في جميع المباريات ويعتبره خصما مثاليا، أجاب المدرب الإسباني: “أنت لطيف للغاية، في هذا الوضع لا يوجد خصم مثالي”.

وعن هالاند أوضح بيب قائلاً: “الأمر يتعلق بنا جميعًا وليس فقط بلاعب واحد. عندما كان إيرلينج يسجل الكثير من الأهداف كان الأمر يتعلق بنا كفريق. هالاند مهم جدًا لنا وسيظل كذلك ونحتاج إلى استخدامه بطريقة أفضل”.

وأكد المدرب الإسباني حول نقطة ضعف مانشستر سيتي: “اللاعبون يركضون أكثر من أي وقت مضى لكن العديد من التفاصيل الصغيرة والكبيرة تجعلنا لسنا كما كنا سابقًا، ومع ذلك لدينا فرصة أخرى في المباراة المقبلة”.

وحول جاهزية ستونز وباقي المصابين، أفاد: “ستونز ربما لا يكون جاهزًا للمباراة. وبخصوص بقية الفريق، حاليًا لا أعرف، سنجري التدريبات بعد الظهر وسنعرف كم عدد اللاعبين المتاحين لدينا”.

وأنهى حديثه قائلاً: “لدينا لاعبون سيعودون في وقت معين وسنكون أفضل بمجرد جاهزيتهم”.