Tag Futebol

MatériaMais Notícias

Um estudo do Relatório Convocados 23, que foi realizado em parceria com a Galapagos Capital, revelou um hábito de consumo e prática em sites de apostas esportivas. O relatório revelou que 45% da torcida do Cruzeiro fez pelo menos uma aposta em esportes no ano de 2022.

RelacionadasFutebol AmericanoPróximo da estreia na Liga BFA, Brayden McCombs deixa o Cruzeiro FAFutebol Americano15/06/2023CruzeiroCom Ronaldo, Cruzeiro reduziu R$ 54 milhões em gastos durante o anoCruzeiro14/06/2023CruzeiroCruzeiro deve buscar, pelo menos, mais cinco reforços para a sequência da temporadaCruzeiro14/06/2023

logo em seguida, vem a torcida do Bahia, com 40%. E, em terceiro, os fãs do Atlético-MG, maior rival da Raposa, com 37% fiéis envolvidos com o setor.

Os time mineiros superaram equipes como Fluminense e Flamengo, que, em 2021, tinham percentual maior de suas respectivas torcidas entre apostadores. No ano seguinte, os clubes tiveram 36% e 35%, respectivamente.

Ranking
Cruzeiro — 45%
Bahia — 40%
Atlético — 37%
Vasco — 36%
Fluminense — 36%
Flamengo — 35%
Internacional — 34%
Botafogo — 33%
Palmeiras — 33%
São Paulo — 32%
Corinthians — 30%
Santos — 28%
Grêmio — 20%

O estudo também revelou quais são as casas de apostas mais usadas pelos brasileiros. Em primeiro lugar, está a Bet365, com 25% no mercado nacional. Em seguida, vem a Betano, patrocinadora do Atlético-MG, com 20%, seguida por Sportingbet e Pixbet, com 14% cada. A parceira do Cruzeiro, Betfair, é a 5ª colocada, com 6%.

A pesquisa foi realizada entre 2.100 entrevistados entre os dias 14 e 28 de outubro de 2022, via internet, em população de 16 anos ou mais nas principais cidades brasileiras.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após o empate sem gols contra o Atlético-MG, o Santos se prepara para o duelo de volta da Copa do Brasil diante do Botafogo-SP. No primeiro confronto, o Peixe triunfou por 2 a 0 contra o Pantera. Sob uma condição especial, o clube abre nesta segunda-feira a venda de ingressos para o público.

Coforme foi decidido pelo Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD), será permitida a entrada no estádio apenas de mulheres, crianças (meninos e meninas) até 12 anos e pessoas com deficiência.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSantosVÍDEO: Os melhores momentos do empate entre Santos e Atlético-MG pelo BrasileirãoSantos23/04/2023SantosOdair Hellmann lamenta desfalques do Santos e reforça necessidade de apoio ao ÂngeloSantos23/04/2023SantosOdair explica sistema com três meias e lamenta falta de atacantes de velocidadeSantos23/04/2023

+ATUAÇÕES: Santos tem atuação irregular, e Ângelo sai vaiado em empate com o Atlético-MG

Confira o cronograma de vendas e os preços dos ingressos

Data das vendas web:

Segunda-feira (24/04):
10h: Sócias
14h: Público feminino geral (torcedoras do Santos FC e do Botafogo-SP)
Data das vendas nas bilheterias físicas – Vila Belmiro:

Quarta-feira (26/04):
Torcida Santos (P6): 09h às 20h
Torcida Botafogo-SP (P19): 17h às 20h

Preços

PMR – Pessoa com Mobilidade Reduzida (P 3/26)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Cadeira Social Dom Pedro (P 1/2)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Cadeira Social Princesa Isabel (P 17)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Cadeira Coberta José de Alencar (P 22)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Cadeira Coberta Dom Pedro (P 25)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Cadeira Cativa/Especial Princesa Isabel (P 13/14/15)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Cadeira Cativa Dom Pedro (P 25)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 20,00
Black: Gratuito

Arquibancada Princesa Isabel (visitante) (P19)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia: R$ 20,00

PCR – Pessoa em Cadeira de Rodas (Acesso pelo Memorial das Conquistas)
Inteira: R$ 40,00
Meia e Silver: R$ 20,00
Gold: R$ 10,00
Black: Gratuito

Former England star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be in line to make a shock move to Birmingham City.

• Oxlade-Chamberlain linked with move to Birmingham
• Blues face competition from Leeds
• Former England international without a club

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder is currently without a club after leaving Besiktas and has emerged as a target for the Tom Brady-backed Championship club. Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has seven goals in 35 England caps, would prove quite the coup for the high-spending Blues. According to , both Birmingham and Leeds could make a move for the out-of-contract player.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Oxlade-Chamberlain departed Besiktas this summer after just one season in Turkey. The Englishman played under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but struggled to make too much of a lasting impact at the club. Now on the hunt for a new home, he could make a switch to the ambitious Birmingham who brought in the likes of Demarai Gray, Kyogo Furuhashi and Patrick Roberts over the summer.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Oxlade-Chamberlain may be keen to return to England with his pop star girlfriend Perrie Edwards pregnant with their second child. The A-list pair announced the news over the weekend and the midfielder may fancy being closer to home when the child is born.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BIRMINGHAM?

  The Blues have made an okay start to life back in the Championship with two wins, one draw and a solitary defeat. They travel to Stoke in their next fixture, but may have one eye on a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain in the meantime.

Half-centuries from Amy Hunter, Leah Paul and Rebecca Stokell laid the foundations for a 15-run victory

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2024Half-centuries from Amy Hunter, Leah Paul and Rebecca Stokell laid the foundations and Arlene Kelly applied the finishing touches with a three-wicket haul as Ireland took an unassailable 2-0 lead over Sri Lanka with a 15-run win in the second ODI in Belfast.As in Friday’s first ODI, however, Sri Lanka made the hosts earn their win. An impressive all-round display from Kavisha Dilhari and a maiden ODI century from the in-form Harshitha Samarawickrama put Sri Lanka in a position of some control in their chase of 256. A 126-run stand between these two left them needing 84 in 98 balls, with eight wickets in hand, but Ireland hit back thereafter, with Kelly, Jane Maguire and run-outs combining to derail the visitors’ chase.Leah Paul innovates on her way to 81•Cricket IrelandWith her 124-ball 105, Samarawickrama became the third member of Sri Lanka’s ODI centurions club, one match after Vishmi Gunaratne had ended Chamari Athapaththu’s long spell as its sole representative.Having pulled off their record ODI chase to win the first ODI, Ireland put up another impressive batting display after being sent in. Achini Kulasuriya removed both their openers in her new-ball spell, and when Dilhari took out Orla Prendergast, their centurion from Friday, they were 77 for 3. Hunter and Paul got them moving with a 57-run fourth-wicket stand, before Athapaththu struck to send Hunter back for a 71-ball 66.Then came the partnership that set Ireland up for their victory push, with Paul and Stokell adding 114 off 112 balls for the fifth wicket. Paul was out in the final over for 81 off 101 balls, while Stokell finished unbeaten on 53 off 61.

Shweta Sehrawat, Priya Punia among first picks in the four-team inaugural women’s DPL

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2024Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, Ayush Badoni and Harshit Rana were among the key picks at the player draft of the inaugural Delhi Premier League (DPL) on Friday. The draft featured 270 players from across Delhi including those who played for India’s senior and Under-19 teams and the IPL. A notable absentee in the player draft was fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who impressed with his pace for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024 but was ruled out due to injury.Purani Dilli 6 picked Pant and Ishant while North Delhi Strikers drafted Rana in and Badoni was the first pick for South Delhi Superstars. Central Delhi Kings drafted in former India Under-19 captain Yash Dhull and legspinner Prince Choudhary.Rana returned 19 wickets in 13 matches of IPL 2024, representing title-winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He also received his maiden call-up for the ODI series on India’s tour of Sri Lanka. Apart from Rana, North Delhi Strikers also selected KKR spinner Suyash Sharma, who was Delhi’s leading wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023, as well as Kshitiz Sharma, the allrounder who Chennai Super Kings (CSK) picked in the auction ahead of IPL 2018.Pant and Ishant aside, Purani Dilli 6 also drafted in offspin-allrounder Lalit Yadav, who played for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, batting allrounder Shivam Sharma and right-arm fast bowler Prince Yadav.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat and CSK fast bowler Simarjeet Singh were the first couple of picks for East Delhi Riders. Fast bowler Navdeep Saini and former Mumbai Indians spinner Hrithik Shokeen were the first two picks for West Delhi Lions. Priyansh Arya, who was the leading run-scorer for Delhi in the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy last year, was drafted by South Delhi Superstars, who also got left-arm fast bowler Kuldip Yadav as their second pick. Kuldip made his IPL debut in 2023 for Rajasthan RoyalsShweta Sehrawat will play for South Delhi Superstars in the inaugural DPL•ICC/Getty ImagesSehrawat leads the pick for womenBatter Shweta Sehrawat, who was India’s vice-captain in the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup early last year, was the top pick for South Delhi Superstars while opener Priya Punia, who made her ODI comeback this year in Bangladesh, will play for East Delhi Riders.Wicketkeeper Laxmi Yadav, who was with UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), was drafted by Central Delhi Queens while hard-hitter Ayushi Soni and seamer Soni Yadav were picked by North Delhi Strikers.The top four bidders for teams in the men’s franchise auction also secured the teams for the women’s DPL.The inaugural DPL will be played from August 17 to September 8, 2024 with all matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The men’s competition will consist of 33 games while the women’s competition will have seven matches.Men’s Delhi Premier League squadsSouth Delhi Superstars: Ayush Badoni, Kuldip Yadav, Priyansh Arya, Sumit Mathur, Divij Mehra, Kunwar Bidhuri, Digvesh Rathi, Tejaswi Dahiya, Raghav Singh, Saurabh Deswal, Sarthak Ray, Lakshay Sehrawat, Tarun Bisht, Shubham Dubey, Vision Panchal, Dhruv Singh, Mayank Gupta, Anshuman Hooda, Anindo Naharay, Deepanshu GuliaEast Delhi Riders: Anuj Rawat, Simarjeet Singh, Himmat Singh, Himanshu Chauhan, Harsh Tyagi, Vaibhav Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Samarth Seth, Pranav Pant, Sujal Singh, Hardik Sharma, Raunak Waghela, Agrim Sharma, Shantanu Yadav, Bhagwan Singh, Ansh Choudhary, Sagar Khatri, Shivam Kumar Tripathi, Rishabh Rana, Lakshaya SangwanCentral Delhi Kings: Yash Dhull, Prince Choudhary, Hiten Dalal, Jonty Sidhu, Lakshay Thareja, Yogesh Sharma, Money Grewar, Keshav Dabas, Shaurya Malik, Saurav Dagar, Aryan Rana, Siddhant Bansal, Rajneesh Dadar, Sumit Kumar, Kaushal Suman, Deepesh Balyan, Vishant Bhati, Dhruv Kaushik, Ajay GuliaNorth Delhi Strikers: Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Pranshu Vijayran, Vaibhav Kandpal, Kshitiz Sharma, Vaibhav Rawal, Yash Dabas, Pranav Rajvanshi, Manan Bhardwaj, Yash Bhatia, Yatish Singh, Aman Bharti, Yajas Sharma, Sarthak Ranjan, Anirudh Choudhary, Shivam, Yatharth Singh, Sidhhartha Solanki, Dhruv Chauhan, Yuvraj RathiWest Delhi Lions: Hrithik Shokeen, Navdeep Saini, Dev Lakra, Deepak Punia, Shivank Vashisth, Akhil Chaudhary, Ayush Doseja, Krish Yadav, Anmol Sharma, Yugal Saini, Ankit Rajesh Kumar, Vivek Yadav, Aryan Dalal, Masab Alam, Ekansh Dobal, Shivam Gupta, Yogesh Kumar, Suryakant Chauhan, Tishant Dabla, Abrahim Ahmad MasoodiPurani Dilli 6: Lalit Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Arpit Rana, Shivam Sharma, Prince Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Mayank Gusain, Sanat Sangwan, Ankit Bhadana, Yug Gupta, Keshav Dalal, Ayush Singh, Kush Nagpal, Sumit Chhikara, Arnav Bugga, Vansh Bedi, Manjeet, Yash Bhardawaj, Sambhav Sharma, LaxmanWomen’s Delhi Premier League squadsSouth Delhi Superstars: Shweta Sehrawat, Medhavi Bidhuri, Tanisha Singh, Ekta Bhadana, Manju Godara, Sumiti Soni, Nishika Singh, Nidhi Mahto, Riya Soni, R Priyadarshini, Mitali, Aarti Kumari, Anshu Nagar, Shivani Yadav, Vrinda, Chelcy Yadav, Neha Puri, Chhavi GuptaEast Delhi Riders: Priya Punia, Priya Mishra, Pratika Rawal, Madhu, Mallika Khatri, Pragya Rawat, Kashish, Saachi, Vanshika Lila, Ishika, Nilanchal Nerwal, Priya Gaur, Shivani, Jyoshi Nain, Ashmeet Kaur, Shreya Sharma, Himanshi Rai, Anushka SinghCentral Delhi Queens: Laxmi Yadav, Parunika Sisodia, Mayuri Singh, Ria Sharma, Vandana Chaturvedi, Shivi Sharma, Mahi Chauhan, Deeksha Sharma, Meenakshi Vashishat, Armeet Kaur, Akanshi Singh, Mitali R, Neha Chillar, Sonia, Rishika, Taniska Rana, Aujasvie, ChanchalNorth Delhi Strikers: Soni Yadav, Ayushi Soni, Nazma, Bharti Rawal, Riti Tomar, Riya Shokeen, Monika, Antra Sharma, Riya Kondal, Upasana Yadav, Goyinka Sharma, Mansi Sharma, Urvashi Gupta, Reshika Beniwal, Kritika Gaghda, Sonia Lohia, Aashi Saxena, Sonia Khatri

Liverpool won hearts and minds with their Premier League title victory and could now be on the verge of ratifying one of the summer’s most exciting deals.

Liverpool make an instant impact in the summer window

The dust has started to settle on Liverpool claiming a second top-flight title of the modern era. Still, there have already been significant developments at Anfield in the early part of the summer window.

Jeremie Frimpong arrived to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold on Merseyside, and that only appears to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to potential movement in both directions.

Finance expert Kieran Maguire has confirmed that Liverpool have £250 million to spend if they so wish without any threat of FFP involvement, which has paved the way for some exciting deals to occur over the next few months.

“Liverpool are in an excellent financial position. They didn’t spend very much in the 24-25 season, and they have the benefits of Champions League football next season. If they spent £250m, that would not be a problem.”

Liverpool transfer targets in pictures

Arne Slot made minimal changes last summer, but he has now identified Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon as a top target at Anfield, even if he will cost around £80 million to lure from the North East.

Why the summer transfer window will close for six days and re-open again

Premier League clubs have recently voted for the transfer window to open early this summer – here’s how it will work and why it’s happening.

ByStephan Georgiou Mar 27, 2025

Finding themselves in the perfect position to kick on, Liverpool will be aware that their rivals are also tooling up with some intriguing signings, setting the scene for a brilliant Premier League title fight next term.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the Reds are on the verge of completing a landmark deal ahead of the new campaign coming into focus.

Romano: Liverpool agree deal to sign Florian Wirtz

Taking to social media platform X, Romano revealed that Liverpool have now agreed a deal in principle to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and he will now head to England for his medical.

With personal terms and other formalities already agreed, it is understood that the Germany international will join for a fee of around £127 million, inclusive of add-ons.

Compared to Lionel Messi by Gerhard Struber, Wirtz registered 16 goals and 15 assists across 46 appearances in all competitions last term, and Reds journalist Paul Gorst said he will be a “statement signing”.

Notably, he earns around £73,300 at Bayer Leverkusen, a figure that will be expected to increase exponentially once his switch to Anfield is officially confirmed.

Weeks of overwhelming speculation surrounding Wirtz have become the early story of the window. Nevertheless, he now appears set to link up with Slot in a deal that will reverberate around the world.

Whoever takes over at Glasgow Rangers as the new permanent manager has a massive job to do.

A summer rebuild is required, which means plenty of ins and outs when the transfer window opens next month.

Ianis Hagi, Leon Balogun and Tom Lawrence all departed Ibrox following the expiration of their contracts, freeing up some of the wage bill.

The Light Blues will also need to sell a few players in order to raise some funds. Could Nedim Bajrami be the first to go?

Latest on Nedim Bajrami's future

According to reports in Albania (as per the Glasgow Times), the midfielder has two options on the table about a summer exit away from Rangers.

A club in Serie A is keen on securing his services, while another is from the Bundesliga. The report goes on to say that it is likely Bajrami will depart the club when the summer transfer window opens.

Having paid £3.4m for him just last summer, the board will be keen on recouping the majority of this fee back, especially as he has three years still left on his contract.

A return of nine goal contributions – five goals and four assists – across 44 matches simply wasn’t good enough, and he often went large spells without producing anything meaningful in the final third.

Whoever arrives as the new manager will see Bajrami as an asset who can afford to be sold to fund future signings.

Ben Davies is another player who must be moved on, especially after enjoying a successful season on loan with Birmingham City.

Why Rangers must sell Ben Davies this summer

Davies spent the entire 2024/25 season on loan at Birmingham and was a key component of the side that secured promotion back to the Championship.

He played 44 times for the club, helping them keep 20 clean sheets in League 1, while also winning an impressive 70% of his total duels and making 6.2 clearances per game.

Ben Davies’ League One stats for Birmingham (per 90)
Accurate passes	67.9
Tackles	1.1
Clearances	6.2
Interceptions	0.5
Total duels won	6.3
Possession lost	9.7
Via Sofascore

Due to these performances, head coach Chris Davies dubbed the centre-back as “exceptional” and it appears as though they are seeking a permanent transfer for the player.

Back at Ibrox, however, it’s fair to say that he didn’t quite live up to the £4m price tag following his arrival. That much is certain.

When compared to his peers in the 2022/23 Champions League, Davies ranked in the bottom 92% for pass completion percentage (79.6%) and in the bottom 80% for tackles (1.04) per 90.

The following season, he lost possession 12.1 times per game in the Premiership, regularly being outmuscled by opposition strikers. It was clear that the Englishman wasn’t going to be a long-term option at the back for the Light Blues.

Starring out on loan has surely put the £27k-per-week defender in the shop window this summer. Now, all that Rangers need is a club to come in and make a decent offer.

One thing is for certain, especially amid the news that the 49ers Enterprises have completed their takeover of the club. Ben Davies should never play for the Gers again.

Tavernier would love him: Rangers in talks to hire "sought-after" manager

95 days after Philippe Clement’s sacked as Rangers manager, they could finally be closing in on a successor, one who could be a dream for Tavernier.

By
Ben Gray

May 29, 2025

With the summer transfer window fast approaching, Manchester City are now reportedly readying a formal proposal to sign a talented South American defender for Pep Guardiola.

Pep reveals Man City's FA Cup pride

Whilst it’s been a fairly disappointing season in the Premier League and arguably Guardiola’s toughest, Manchester City still have the FA Cup final to look forward to this weekend. In what is the third year in a row that the Citizens have reached the final at Wembley, they will be desperate to avoid an upset against Crystal Palace and fall at the final hurdle for the second consecutive year.

Perez willing to sell: Man City now in talks with "special" Real Madrid ace

He could ditch the Bernabeu this summer…

ByTom Cunningham May 15, 2025

Guardiola knows exactly what the occasion means and spoke about how proud he and his side are of their FA Cup achievements in recent years. The Spaniard told reporters earlier this week: “I say it every time we are in this position, but I will say it again: it is such a privilege to be able to play in this incredible stadium and have a chance to win this beautiful trophy,” said Guardiola, ahead of his squad’s trip to north-west London.

“This is our third year in a row in the FA Cup Final, which is something we are very, very proud of. In the FA Cup, you play all the top teams from the Premier League and the Championship and always there are times when it is difficult.

“To have made three Finals in a row shows how consistent we have been. It says everything about this generation of players and the club itself. The FA Cup is the most challenging and beautiful domestic cup competition in the world, there is no doubt about that.”

Away from their potential Wembley success this weekend, meanwhile, those at The Etihad have already reportedly set their sights on welcoming a defensive reinforcement when the summer transfer window arrives.

Man City readying Wesley proposal

According to Coluna do Fla, as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are now readying a formal proposal worth €35m (£29m) to sign Wesley Franca from Flamengo this summer. The Brazilian right-back is reportedly keen on a move to Man City, but has also attracted interest from Manchester United and Liverpool as a result of his impressive campaign.

Their £29m proposal will reportedly fall short of Flamengo’s valuation, however, with the Brazilian club demanding as much as €45m (£38m) to sell Wesley before the Club World Cup begins.

Dubbed “pacy” by South American football expert Nathan Joyes, Wesley looks set to have quite a decision to make this summer. With a whole host of Premier League clubs chasing his signature, the 21-year-old looks destined for England and may well end up in a Manchester City side who desperately need a right-back.

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur and their managerial search, following another blow for Ange Postecoglou in the form of Spurs’ seventeenth Premier League defeat of the campaign against Wolves.

Ange Postecoglou comments after 4-2 Tottenham loss to Wolves

A series of calamitous goals, thanks to errors from key players, cemented yet another Spurs loss in the top flight on Sunday, with Wolves running out 4-2 winners against the Lilywhites on another lacklustre afternoon for Postecoglou.

52-year-old spotted at Spurs after Levy talks as pundit tips appointment

The Lilywhites chairman has sat down with him recently.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 12, 2025

You couldn’t have asked for worse preparation ahead of Tottenham’s vital Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, a must-win game for Postecoglou after their 1-1 draw with the Bundesliga side last week.

Rayan Ait-Nouri, Djed Spence’s own goal, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s strike and a Matheus Cunha finish compounded a miserable day at Molineux for the north Londoners. Mathys Tel and Richarlison made the scoreline less embarrassing with consolation goals in their 4-2 defeat, but Postecoglou did his best to back the players following a series of high-profile errors.

“Obviously a disappointing result,” said Postecoglou after Tottenham’s defeat at Wolves.

“Funny game, because for the most part, I thought our football was decent considering all the changes we’ve made. For the most part we controlled large parts of it, were a threat going forward and didn’t give them too much. But then obviously we conceded some pretty poor goals and that made it awfully difficult to get an outcome today.

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

“It’s not like the players are doing it on purpose, so you have an understanding that that’s the unfortunate things that sometimes happen in a game of football. Probably be more frustrated if it was something that we did from a tactical perspective or organisational perspective, but they’re individual errors, you know, the players don’t mean to do it and, especially Lucas and Romero, I mean they’re two fantastic footballers and what’s important now for both of them is that they recover and we focus on the next game.”

In the background, chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly contemplating the sacking of Postecoglou, with Spurs on course for their worst-ever Premier League season.

Tottenham stance on appointing Thiago Motta to replace Ange Postecoglou

According to recent reports, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is Tottenham’s top managerial target after his very impressive campaign in the Cherries dugout, while both Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Marco Silva (Fulham) are also on their radar (The Athletic).

There’s also been recent murmurs of a potential Spurs move for Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, as well as former Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, who was recently sacked by the Serie A heavyweights.

The Italian failed to mount a successful title challenge, or show any signs of promise in terms of winning major silverware, prompting Juve to ruthlessly hand Motta his P45.

The 42-year-old is now without a club, and is currently linked with a move to N17, but Romano has since told GiveMeSport that Tottenham have no plans to appoint Motta as things stand.

“I’m still hearing about Iraola and Silva as two concrete options,” said Romano.

“For Motta, no contacts at this stage.”

Despite his failed stint at Juve, Motta did attract praise as a tactician during his time in Turin.

“Thiago is unique and unrepeatable: he is not at Juve, Juve is at him,” said journalist Ivan Zazzaroni.

“Inside the notebook that he always carries with him and shows during press conferences, also to note down the questions and their authors, there must be a world of ideas that he scrupulously hides from the eyes of the laymen. Motta is undoubtedly the most stimulating and original coach in the championship.”

The current WTC system is weighed in favour of bowler-friendly pitches. Here’s one that aims to incentivise longer Test matches that end in an outright result

Kartikeya Date01-Dec-2025The World Test Championship points system awards 12 points for a Test win, four points for a draw, and none for a Test defeat. This makes a Test win significantly more valuable compared to a draw.Consider two hypothetical three-match series, where in the first, the winning side wins 2-1, earning 24 points to the losing team’s 12. In the other, the winning side wins 1-0, earning 20 points (12 for the win, four each for the draws), while the losing side earns eight. In terms of raw points, the side winning 2-1 earns more points than the side winning 1-0. It also earns a higher percentage of the available points (24 out of a possible 36, or 66.7%) compared to the 1-0 winning side (20 points out of a possible 36, or 55.6%). This is significant because a team’s position on the WTC table is decided based on the percentage of available points that they collect.It is fair to say that the WTC points system disincentives draws in Test cricket. Only 26 of the 216 Test matches (one in eight) in the WTC era have been drawn. It would not be fair to say, however, that the WTC system singularly has caused teams to chase results. That tendency precedes the championship.In the 214 Tests just before the WTC era, 32 were drawn. It is also not the case that the more successful teams in the WTC era play fewer draws. In the last two editions of the championship (2021-23 and 2023-25), the top four teams in the final table played at least as many, if not more, draws than the bottom four teams.Nevertheless, Test matches have been getting shorter. This is partly because scoring rates have been rising, and consequently, dismissals are occurring more frequently than they used to. This is also due to the DRS. Other interesting causes are evident in the record, but those are best left for a separate discussion. For now, let’s focus on the cause that keeps attracting much discussion every time a short Test match is played – the pitch.Home teams have the privilege of producing pitches of their choice in Test cricket. Different parts of the world have different types of soil, weather and traditions, and produce a variety of pitches, all of which are not equally well suited to the same styles of bowling. The ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process acknowledges this reality. In the WTC era, all home teams have produced bowler-friendly, result-oriented, pitches.Home teams cannot produce pitches that make only their own victory more likely, especially when the visiting team has sufficient quality and variety in bowling, as New Zealand, South Africa, England, India, Australia and Pakistan invariably have had for all conditions in recent times. The best home teams can hope for is that even against a fairly complete opponent, their own quality and depth in bowling on their pitches will outgun that of the visitors in the long run. The Australians, for instance, successfully made this bet when India toured in 2024-25. They lost the first Test, in Perth, on a very quick, seaming pitch, but in the end, their superior fast-bowling depth and quality told on five fast-bowler-friendly surfaces. In a short series, there isn’t always time for this type of benefit to play out. But even there, as we have seen above, 1-1 is a better result than 0-0 under the WTC points system.In the 865 non-WTC Test matches since the start of 2000 that were not played at neutral venues, the median game lasted 1982 balls. Of the 432 Tests that were completed in 1982 balls or fewer, the home team won 255 and lost 129 (or 59 wins and 30 defeats per 100 Tests). Of the 432 Tests that lasted more than 1982 balls, the home team won 170 and lost 122 (or 39 wins and 28 defeats per 100 Tests). Longer Tests make winning less likely but don’t reduce the frequency of defeat; they increase the probability of draws.Under the current points system, matches less than about 300 overs long fetch the home team 60% of available points, while longer ones produce 56%. Which makes home teams interested in risking defeat chasing victory with bowler-friendly pitches•Gallo ImagesIn the WTC era the median Test has lasted 1765 balls. Of the 109 matches that lasted 1765 balls or fewer during this period, the home team won 61 and lost 40 (or 56 wins, 37 defeats per 100 Tests). Of the 106 matches that lasted more than 1765 balls, the home team won 53 and lost 34 (50 wins and 32 defeats per 100 Tests). Matches have become shorter in the WTC era; longer WTC matches (those longer than the median) produce 18 draws per 100 Tests, compared to nine draws per 100 Tests in shorter matches. But under the WTC points system shorter matches produce 59% of available points for the home team (56 wins, nine draws), while longer matches produce 56% of available points for the home team (50 wins, 18 draws). So it is in the interests of the home team to risk defeat chasing victory in the WTC era by preparing more bowler-friendly pitches.The general understanding that better batting pitches increase the probability of the draw by reducing the likelihood of winning more than they reduce the likelihood of losing, precedes the WTC era. It is no surprise that England sought old-fashioned English pitches after losing by 405 runs to Australia in the Lord’s Test of the 2015 Ashes. The cost of an English fast bowler’s wicket in England dropped from 29.1 runs in the 2011-2015 period (including that Lord’s Ashes Test), to 23.9 runs from the end of that 2015 Test to the start of the Bazball era in June 2022. The 2011-15 period was already a strong era for England, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson forming a great seam-bowling new-ball pair.India’s desire for turning pitches at home has a much longer history in modern cricket. Most Indian captains have sought such conditions, believing (correctly) that, (a) in the long run, their superior depth and quality of spin bowling will mean they will win a lot more than they lose, and (b) that a turning pitch mitigates consequences arising from the outcome of the toss.The conventional wisdom, which has found new voice following India’s defeat at Eden Gardens – that better wickets will amplify India’s spin bowling quality – is not borne out by the record. Since the start of 1993, India have played 151 Tests at home, won 90 and lost 24. Anil Kumble played his first home Test against England in January 1993, marking the start of a prolonged period of Indian spin domination at home. India’s median home Test in this period has lasted 2059 balls. Of 75 home Tests that lasted 2061 balls or fewer, India won 55 and lost 11. Of the 75 that lasted longer than 2061 balls, India won 35 and lost 12. While it is true, as Himanish Ganjoo has showed on these pages that, relative to better batting pitches, bowler-friendly pitches reduce India’s batting average more than they do the opposition’s (since the visiting team’s batting average is lower to begin with), this does not, in the long run, translate to more frequent defeats for India.If the current points system rewards bowler-friendly pitches because teams don’t want to risk draws, how might a points system that aims to produce longer Test matches without incentivising draws be devised? Such a system would, for instance, reward a win in 400 overs more than it does a win in 280 overs. The requirement is for a system that makes the choice less obvious for home teams when it comes to preferring result pitches. It will do this by finding a way to penalise shorter Tests (and consequently, pitches at the bowler-friendly end of the spectrum) without rewarding draws. Rewarding draws is likely to encourage home teams to ask for featherbeds.The current WTC points system also does not consider the balance of play; it only considers the result. A draw is a draw, and teams get the same number of points whether it is a team hanging on by one wicket in a thrilling finish or a Test in which only 21 wickets fall over 400 overs of play.A few years ago I proposed a method of measuring the dominance of a Test team. It is sensitive to the outcome of every delivery in the match. Under that system, the two teams in the Kanpur and Ahmedabad Tests above would not finish on an equal number of points. That system also avoids arbitrary thresholds (for instance, the WTC system prescribes a 3:1 ratio for wins to draws). How points are allotted using this hypothetical system is shown below with the examples of two recent Tests. (Note, the intermediate figures are rounded to three decimal places here. In the actual calculation, they are not.)1. India vs South Africa at Eden Gardens, 2025
Result: SA won by 30 runs
SA: 312 for 20 in 654 balls
IND: 282 for 18 in 584 ballsRuns per wicket for the match (312 + 282) / (20 + 18) = 15.63IND batting points: 282 / 584 = 0.483
IND bowling points: 20*15.63 / 654 = 0.478
SA batting points: 312 / 654 = 0.477
SA bowling points: 18*15.63 / 584 = 0.482
IND total points: 0.959
SA total points: 0.961Since South Africa won outright, they get a win bonus – equal to the average number of points each team earned in the match – which in this case is 0.960 (0.959 + 0.961) / 2South Africa’s total points for the match: 0.961 + 0.960 = 1.919, and India’s total points for the match: 0.959. So South Africa has +0.960 points net.2. India v England at Edgbaston, 2025
Result: India won by 336 runs
IND: 1014 for 16 in 1404 balls
ENG: 678 for 20 in 946 ballsRuns per wicket for the match: 47IND total points: 3.200
ENG total points: 1.252
IND net points: 1.948In draws, each team’s final points tally is simply the sum of their bowling and batting points. For instance, in the 2023 Ahmedabad Test referenced above, India collected 1.008 points and Australia 0.934 points. In other words, India collected a net 0.069 points and Australia a net -0.069 points.This method of assessing teams in Test matches is sensitive to the outcome of each delivery, and to the margin of victory (or even the margin of the draw). For the hypothetical WTC version of this system, I propose scaling the winning team’s points by a match-length factor to arrive at the win bonus for outright wins.The average outright result in WTC Tests takes 1738 deliveries. So we divide the number of deliveries in a match by 1800 (300 overs), or the average length. If a match lasts 2000 deliveries, the match length factor is 2000 / 1800. The consequence of this method of deriving the win-bonus figure is shown in the graph below, which compares the net points teams earn in all the outright results in WTC Tests using this modified system to their net points in the original system. The net points decrease for shorter matches and increase for longer matches.Kartikeya DateThe calculation of the net points per match for each team in the 2021-23 WTC Test cycle is below. This comparison is difficult to make because pitch preparation is shaped by the points system at work. If pitches that last five days give teams a chance to earn more points than quicker victories on more precarious pitches, then pitches will become less bowler-friendly. The comparison also depends on which matches a team loses and which it wins. For instance, the average Test match won by South Africa in the 2021-23 WTC cycle lasted 1703 balls, while the average Test they lost lasted 1319 balls. Five of their six defeats in this cycle came in New Zealand, England and Australia. The sixth was a defeat to India in the 2021 Boxing Day Test in Centurion.