جوارديولا يستعد لقرار مفاجئ بشأن قائمة مانشستر سيتي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حسم فريق مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي تأهله إلى ملحق دور الـ16 من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا لموسم 2024-2025.

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز 22 في الترتيب، بعد فوزه على كلوب بروج بثلاثية لهدف ليلة الأربعاء.

ومع مراحل خروج المغلوب، سيتمكن مانشستر سيتي من إجراء تعديلات على قائمة الفريق وتسجيل أسماء جديدة.

وبحسب صحيفة “تليجراف” البريطانية، بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي بصدد تسجيل لاعبه رودري في قائمة الفريق لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا | رودريجو عن احتمالية مواجهة مانشستر سيتي: كل مباراة أمامهم صعبة

ويغيب رودري عن مانشستر سيتي بسبب إصابة في الرباط الصليبي الأمامي، وخضع لجراحة في سبتمبر الماضي ويواصل عمليات تعافيه.

وأدلى رودري بتصريحات سابقة في شهر نوفمبر الماضي بأنه يستهدف العودة خلال 6 أو 7 أشهر، قبل نهاية الموسم الجاري.

وبحسب قوانين الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا”، يسمح للأندية بإجراء 3 تغييرات في مراحل المجموعات.

ويشير التقرير إلى أن جوارديولا يدرس ضم رودري لقائمة مانشستر سيتي لدوري أبطال أوروبا، مع خلو مكان في القائمة بعد رحيل كايل ووكر إلى ميلان.

في الوقت نفسه سيكون بمقدور مانشستر سيتي ضم الثلاثي الجديد عمر مرموش وعبد القادر خوسانوف وفيتور ريس إلى قائمة الفريق لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

Wendel Lessa confia na classificação do Botafogo para semi da Copa OPG: 'Vamos em busca do título'

MatériaMais Notícias

O time sub-20 do Botafogo terá uma decisão nesta quinta-feira. A equipe comandada por Ricardo Resende precisa reverter uma desvantagem de 2 a 1 para a Cabofriense com o intuito de se classificar às semifinais da Copa Rio/OPG. O duelo será no CEFAT às 15h.

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+ Mesmo com empate, probabilidade de acesso do Botafogo à Série A sobe para 95%

O Alvinegro foi derrotado no jogo de ida e agora corre atrás do prejuízo. O time precisa de uma vitória por dois gols de diferença para garantir a classificação – um gol de diferença leva a decisão para os pênaltis. Wendel Lessa, volante do Glorioso, disse estar confiante para o duelo.

– Temos que entrar 100% focados no jogo, com muito respeito a equipe da Cabofriense, mas sabendo do potencial da nossa equipe e da grandeza do Botafogo. Iremos entrar para vencer a partida e sair com a classificação para a semifinal da OPG – afirmou, em entrevista ao site oficial do Botafogo.

A equipe bateu na trave nos torneios que disputou em 2021. A Copa Rio/OPG é a última oportunidade do clube sair com um título na temporada 2021.

– Tivemos um ano muito positivo, chegamos à final da Copa do Brasil, ficamos entre os oito melhores times do Brasileiro. Então, para fechar o ano da melhor forma possível, vamos em busca do título desta competição – completou.

Will Young to join Durham for early Championship games

New Zealand batsman to play three games before Australia’s Cameron Bancroft arrives

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2021

Will Young made his Test debut in December•Getty Images

New Zealand batsman Will Young will join Durham for the early part of the 2021 Championship season.Young, the 28-year-old right-hander, will arrive in the UK ahead of Durham’s second game of the season, at Essex starting on April 15, and will be available for three games before Australian Cameron Bancroft returns to the county he represented for the 2019 season in May, after his Sheffield Shield commitments with Western Australia end.Young, who made his Test debut at home against West Indies in December and scored 43 in his second Test, has scored 5,138 career first-class runs at an average of 42.81, including 10 centuries and 29 fifties with a highest score of 162. A former New Zealand Under-19s captain, having led the side at the 2012 World Cup, Young also played his first two ODIs during the on-going series with Bangladesh.Related

County ins and outs 2020-21

Cameron Bancroft returns to Durham for 2021 county season

“I’m happy to say I’ve signed with them and I’ll be heading over at the conclusion of this season to join Durham up in the cold and play three first-class games for them, which will be an awesome opportunity to get over to England and be exposed to those conditions and face the new Dukes ball, ” Young said.”It will be a fun opportunity to meet a new bunch of guys and experience county cricket, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “We’re delighted to have secured the signing of Will Young for the early part of the season. In the absence of Cameron Bancroft, Will will add further strength to our batting line up, along with a wealth of experience.”He is in a great place with his cricket having just broken into the Test and One Day sides with New Zealand. We look forward to welcoming Will to Durham in a few weeks’ time.”

Palmeiras não vai exercer compra e Vitinho retornará ao Cruzeiro

MatériaMais Notícias

Após confirmar a saída de Marino Hinestroza, o Palmeiras perderá mais um atleta que estava emprestado ao clube com vínculo até o final da atual temporada. Cedido pelo Cruzeiro, o meia Vitinho estava no Verdão desde a metade de 2019, com valor de venda fixado em 1,8 milhões de euros (R$11,8 milhões, na cotação atual) por 60% dos direitos econômicos do atleta.

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A diretoria alviverde tentou prorrogar o empréstimo do jovem, mas recebeu uma resposta negativa do Cruzeiro, segundo o portal Superesportes. Conforme apurou o LANCE!/NOSSO PALESTRA, a recusa mineira encerrou qualquer acordo entre a diretoria com o atleta, que retornará à Toca da Raposa para a temporada de 2022.

Refinado tecnicamente, mas com pouco porte físico, Vitinho foi preterido entre outros atletas durante a passagem pela equipe Sub-20 do Verdão. Ao todo, em duas temporadas e meia pelo clube, foram 81 partidas e 15 gols, sendo 45 duelos e oito tentos pelo Sub-20 e sete gols em 35 aparições pelo Sub-17, em 2019.

Em 2021, o jogador esbarrou na forte concorrência do setor de meio campo. Por atuar em todas as funções da meia cancha, o jovem de 19 anos rodou no elenco com Yago, Ramon, Naves, Fabinho e Pedro Bicalho, todos com os direitos econômicos já ligados ao Palmeiras. Sem acordo de renovação do empréstimo e com boas opções no setor, a diretoria entendeu que o negócio deveria ser encerrado.

Para o Cruzeiro, o próximo passo do caso é renovar com o atleta, uma vez que o contrato de cinco anos assinado em junho de 2018, quando o atleta tinha 16 anos, não é reconhecido pela FIFA.

O Palmeiras Sub-20 retorna aos gramados na próxima quinta-feira (04), às 15 horas (de Brasília) diante da Itapirense, na Academia de Futebol II, em Guarulhos. A partida marcará o início do returno da segunda fase da competição.

continua após a publicidade

Spurs target £12.5kp/w "starboy" who’d be a dream Werner replacement

After a long summer of international football, the Premier League is finally back, and while Tottenham Hotspur didn't get off to the best of starts, there is still a lot for fans of the North Londoners to be excited about.

For example, Daniel Levy and Co have been busy over the last few months, signing several talented youngsters like Archie Gray, Yang Min-Hyeok and Wilson Odobert while also significantly strengthening the first team with the £65m signing of Dominic Solanke.

However, one deal that left fans somewhat perplexed was the decision to renew Timo Werner's loan for another season, as while the German isn't a dreadful player, he's not of the level required to help Spurs push on either.

Spurs forward Timo Werner

Fortunately, the latest player touted for a move to N17 would be the perfect replacement, someone who could impact the first team here and there while also having the potential to become something really quite special.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from football.london, Tottenham are interested in Brighton & Hove Albion ace Simon Adingra.

The report claims that while Spurs had an enquiry about the young winger rebuffed by the Seagulls earlier in the window, he is still firmly on their 'radar'.

It's unclear how much the 22-year-old would cost the North Londoners, but considering he is currently valued at €30m – £26m – by Transfermarkt, we can assume it would be north of that.

It would be a lot of money to spend a player with just one season of Premier League football under his belt, but given his performances over the last few seasons, his potential and the way people speak about him, it may well be worth it, especially as he would be a better squad player than Werner.

Why Adingra would be a more useful winger than Werner

The first thing to say is that while he gets plenty of stick, Werner is not a terrible player. However, at this point in time, is he really a useful addition to the Spurs' squad?

Timo Werner applauding Tottenham supporters.

Probably not, and while Adingra is still young and relatively inexperienced, he's already shown that he's worth signing.

For example, despite last year being his first season in English football, the Abobo-born "starboy", as dubbed by Statman Dave, scored seven goals and provided three assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every four games.

Adingra vs Werner in 23/24

Player

Adingra

Werner

Appearances

40

28

Goals

7

4

Assists

3

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.25

0.33

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In contrast, the former Chelsea attacker scored four goals and provided four assists in 28 appearances for the Lilywhites and RB Leipzig, which means his average of one goal involvement every 3.5 games was only slightly better than a youngster just coming into a top-five league.

Moreover, while the German has shown a tendency to favour playing on the left or down the middle, the £12.5k-per-week Ivorian international has already shown that he is very comfortable playing across the entire frontline and further back in wide midfield as well, which might give a manager like Postecoglou more tactical flexibility.

Lastly, with it clear that Tottenham are trying to build a team for the future, full of long-term prospects like Gray and Odobert, it makes perfect sense to add another high-potential gem into the mix who could take over Werner's role as a bench player, picking up valuable minutes here and there before slowly transitioning into a starter in the years to come.

Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to make this move happen, even at the expense of Werner's minutes.

Spurs target £50m "box-crasher" who'd solve their Bissouma problem

The impressive international would be a massive upgrade.

2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 22, 2024

Steven Croft shines with unbeaten century as Lancashire hold upper hand

Saqib Mahmood helps reduce Northants to 59 for three, still needing 366 runs on final day

Paul Edwards17-Apr-2021

Steven Croft scored an unbeaten century•Getty Images

When this morning’s play began Lancashire had a lead of 188 over Northamptonshire and all their second-innings wickets in hand. By the time the long day closed at 7.20pm they had reduced the visitors to 59 for 3 and a victory target of 425 appeared merely fantastical. A good day for the Red Rose, you might think, and you would be correct. Yet much of their batting had been so careless that it might have been designed to have their head coach, Glen Chapple, emulating Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Agatha and hopping about with a hatchet.The one player exempted from Chapple’s ire was Steven Croft, whose unbeaten century will have had Lancashire supporters smiling in shared pleasure. Croft’s love for the county of his birth is undoubted. When he pulled Nathan Buck for six to reach his hundred, thereby prompting a declaration, the home dressing room erupted in noisy acclamation. Croft was hugged by Tom Hartley, his batting partner, and he raised his arms towards his team-mates, some of whom may still have been watching Peppa Pig when he first played for Lancashire.The century had been the product of careful workmanship rather than effortless style. There were pulls to square leg, nudges through the slips and leg glances but only seven fours. The one concession to modernity, albeit Croft has kept his place in Lancashire’s T20 team, was the reverse sweep, which he now plays as easily as Robert Browning once produced rhyming couplets. He could have gone for three early in the morning session had Adam Rossington clung on to a right-handed diving catch but Croft has long been careful to make the most of such opportunities, for he has no clue how many more he might get.Three years ago he thought he would not get another contract with Lancashire but the coaches opted to give him another season, then one more, then another. There was nothing indulgent about these decisions. Although not the five-furlong favourite he once was, Croft can still do a job anywhere in the field and held on to two slip catches as Northants subsided this evening.Related

Centuries to Joe Root, Adam Lyth put Yorkshire in command at Kent

Kiran Carlson scores second ton for match to bring Glamorgan back into contest

'Sack it, I'm going to try and rip it' – Matt Parkinson on his ball-of-the-century contender

Croft played in the side that won the Championship in 2011 and he skippered the team that won the T20 Blast in 2015. He is 37 in October yet it is an offence against nature to think of him as a veteran. Like schoolboys with a favourite master, supporters honour him with a nickname, although ‘Crofty’ is hardly in the class of ‘Rhino’, the name the boys at Thursgood’s gave to Jim Prideaux. This was his first Championship century since 2017 but there have been more than enough valuable innings in the meantime to reassure supporters wondering if a much-loved cricketer might have hung on a season too long.Application and an awareness of responsibility are often made particularly noticeable by their absence elsewhere and Lancashire’s other batsmen probably made Croft’s effort appear a little better than it was. Both openers were dismissed in the first nine deliveries of the morning, Keaton Jennings playing around an inswinger from Ben Sanderson and Alex Davies pushing forward just enough to edge Tom Taylor to Ricardo Vasconcelos at first slip. But the worst was yet to come.Having driven the Northants seamers for three of the pleasantest boundaries we will see this season Josh Bohannon played skew-whiff at a well-flighted off-spinner from Rob Keogh and inside-edged the ball onto his leg stump. Given that he had been presented with a good opportunity to collect a cheeky 80 runs or so, Bohannon’s 22 must have frustrated the coaches. But Lancashire were still well placed on 162 for 3 at lunch. On the resumption sanity left the stadium.In the first over of the afternoon session Dane Vilas played the ball to square leg and called Croft for an absurd single. The daftness of the exercise was plain almost immediately but not soon enough to save Lancashire’s skipper. Two overs later Croft clipped the ball in a similar direction only to see Rob Jones scampering down the wicket as if escaping a lunatic with a sharp knife. Emilio Gay threw the ball to the non-striker’s end and someone noted that five of Lancashire’s last 18 wickets had been lost to run outs. For the only time since last August one was grateful spectators were not present.The rest of the innings was less deranged. Luke Wood and Tom Bailey helped Croft take Northamptonshire’s target beyond that scored by any side in the fourth innings to beat Lancashire and the visitors’ job was made even harder by Saqib Mahmood’s magnificently hostile five-over spell with the new ball from the James Anderson End. The fast bowler beat both Ben Curran and Gay for pace and is clearly well suited to the short burst Vilas gave him. He will be steaming in again in the morning and then Matt Parkinson will send down some leg spin. Northants have form when it comes to foxing the bookies but one cannot like their chances.

فيديو | اشتباك بالأيدي بين محمد النني ومدرب بني ياس في الدوري الإماراتي

دخل محمد النني، لاعب منتخب مصر وفريق الجزيرة الإماراتي في مشادة بالأيدي مع الروماني دانييل إيسيلا، المدير الفني لفريق بني ياس خلال المباراة الجارية حاليًا.

ويواجه الجزيرة فريق بني ياس، على ملعب محمد بن زايد، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من مسابقة الدوري الإماراتي.

طالع.. محمد النني يعلن حصوله على رخصة تدريب A من الاتحاد الأوروبي

في الدقيقة 20 من عمر المباراة، دخل محمد النني في مشادة مع مدرب بني ياس وصلت إلى التشابك بالآيدي قبل تدخل اللاعبين وأعضاء الجهاز الفني للفصل بينهما وأشهر الحكم بطاقة صفراء لكل منهما.

وتشير النتيجة إلى تقدم بني ياس بهدف مقابل لا شيء سجله لازار ماكوفيتش في الدقيقة 12 من عمر اللقاء.

ويحتل الجزيرة المركز السادس في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإماراتي برصيد 21 نقطة، بينما بني ياس في المركز الحادي عشر برصيد 12 نقطة. مشادة محمد النني مع مدرب بني ياس في الدوري الإماراتي

فليك يوضح موقف ليفاندوفسكي من مباراة إشبيلية.. ويتحدث عن تجديد عقده مع برشلونة

كشف الألماني هانز فليك، المدير الفني لفريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي برشلونة، عن موقف الدولي البولندي روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، من المشاركة ضد إشبيلية غدًا.

برشلونة يحل ضيفًا على إشبيلية غدًا ضمن الجولة 23 من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، على ملعب رامون سانشيز بيزخوان.

وقال فليك في تصريحات بالمؤتمر الصحفي: “روبرت سيبدأ غدًا، هذا كل ما يمكنني قوله، ومع تألق فيران توريس مؤخرًا، يعطينا أكثر من حل في الهجوم”.

طالع أيضًا.. | رافينها: ما فعله فليك سبب بقائي في برشلونة.. وأحلم برسم وشم جديد

وأضاف: “فيران توريس مهم بالنسبة لنا، مر ببعض الأسابيع الصعبة، وذلك بسبب إصابته، لكنه الآن يتمتع بثقة أكبر سواء اللعب في مركز صانع الألعاب أو المهاجم”.

وواصل: “أداء اللاعبين متقارب للغاية، وهو ما يعطينا عمقًا في القائمة، أصبحت الإصابات أقل، وهذا أمر بالغ الأهمية ويسمح لنا بالتدوير في أكثر من مباراة”.

وعند سؤاله عن تير شتيجن، قال فليك: “أتحدث مع الأطباء ولكن حديثنا يكون خاصًا، وأعتقد أن كل شيء يسير على ما يرام، مارك يتحسن، ولا نعلم موقفه من المشاركة هذا الموسم”.

وعن مواجهة إشبيلية غدًا: “سنواجه فريقًا قويًا دفاعيًا، تغيّر الأسلوب الذي كان عليه الفريق في الدور الأول، ونعلم أن أجواء الملعب ستكون صعبة غدًا، ولكن علينا أن نلعب بأسلوبنا في اللعب وبالطريقة التي نريدها”.

وعلق فليك على موقف أنسو فاتي: “أعتقد أنه جاهز، ليس لدينا إصابات سوى كريستنسن ومارك بيرنال وتير شتيجن، لكن أنسو يعمل بشكل جيد ويتطور مع الوقت، أعتقد أنه على الطريق الصحيح، وقرار مشاركته يعتمد على أجواء كل مباراة، مثل أي لاعب”.

وأردف بالحديث عن إريك جارسيا: “يمكنك أن ترى جودته في الفترة الأخيرة، لقد ساعدنا في مركز لاعب الوسط الدفاعي، هو مرن للغاية ويمثل إضافة قوية للفريق، أنا سعيد به وأعتقد أنه كذلك، وسنرى ما سيحدث معه في نهاية الموسم”.

وسُئل فليك عن مسألة تجديد عقده مع برشلونة، وأجاب: “لا أشعر بالضغط بشأن ذلك، أنا أحب العمل في هذا النادي، وسعيد بالطرق التي نستخدمها في كل مباراة، واللاعبون الذين يتم تصعيدهم وآخرون يتطور مستواهم، لدي عام آخر بعد هذا الموسم، وهذا ليس الوقت المناسب للحديث عن عقدي”.

وبالحديث عن مواجهة الديربي ضد أتلتيكو مدريد وريال مدريد، قال: “بالتأكيد سأشاهد المباراة، أنا مهتم لأنها بين فريقين من أفضل الفرق في أوروبا، لكن تركيزي علينا فقط، لذلك سأذهب لمشاهدة المباراة بعد خطتي بمتابعة برشلونة ب، ثم سأتناول العشاء، قبل الديربي”.

واختتم بالحديث عن التحكيم: “قد يكون من الجيد التحدث للحكم، ولكن في النهاية يتخذون القرار الصحيح بالنسبة لهم، نحن نعلم مدى صعوبة عملهم، ولا يمكننا تغيير الأمور”.

West Ham could sign £100k-per-week attacker next, Steidten is a massive fan

West Ham United could also sign a £100,000-per-week attacker on deadline day as they race to beat the 11pm cut-off, and it is believed technical director Tim Steidten is a real admirer of the player.

West Ham closing in on nine summer signings

With PSG midfielder Carlos Soler travelling for a medical at West Ham right now, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, the Hammers are now closing in on a total of nine major signings for the summer window.

West Ham ask Premier League rivals about signing £15m Unai Emery target

The east Londoners could make one more signing on deadline day.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 30, 2024

Before Soler, who will apparently join on a season-long deal with an option to buy set at around £17 million, Steidten and co sealed moves for centre-back Max Kilman, winger Crysencio Summerville, centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, forward Niclas Fullkrug, Brazilian starlet Luis Guillherme, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, midfielder Guido Rodriguez and back-up goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

West Ham summer departures

To

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Flynn Downes

Southampton

€17.85m

Said Benrahma

Lyon

€14.4m

Angelo Ogbonna

Watford

Free transfer

Thilo Kehrer

Monaco

€11m

Nathan Trott

FC Copenhagen

€1.5m

Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town

Free transfer

Joseph Anang

St. Patrick's Athletic

Free transfer

West Ham have spent a total of £120 million, not including the potential buy option for Soler next summer, with a host of players also departing the London Stadium over what has been a busy last few months for the club.

Many supporters would think that the Irons may be done after Soler puts pen to paper on his east London switch, but they could be wrong, as it is also believed that Chelsea attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is on their radar heading into 11pm.

Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.

The £100,000-per-week ace, who can even play on the wing, has been heavily linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge all summer, with AC Milan among the high-profile clubs to have displayed a rumoured interest in the last few months.

West Ham eyeing late deadline day move for Chukwuemeka

As per The Guardian and reliable journalist Jacob Steinberg, writing via their live blog, West Ham are in the running to sign Chukwuemeka as they eye a late move.

Steinberg also writes that Steidten, who has led West Ham's transfer activity this summer, is a huge fan of the 20-year-old who could also bolster Julen Lopetegui's homegrown ranks.

"While they have agreed a deal in principle to sign Soler on loan with an option to buy, they are also in the running for Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka," claims Steinberg.

Carney Chukwuemeka in action for Chelsea in the Premier League.

"The Chelsea youngster is keen for more playing opportunities and a loan move to West Ham would be hugely beneficial to his development.

"It remains to be seen if West Ham would be willing to sign both Soler and Chukwuemeka, who moved to west London from Aston Villa two years ago. Tim Steidten, the club’s sporting director, is a huge fan of the Chelsea player.

"West Ham are making space for incomings by loaning James Ward-Prowse to Nottingham Forest. Nayef Aguerd has interest from multiple clubs but has turned down Wolves."

Ireland Women coach Ed Joyce relishing the end of 'long, frustrating wait' for cricket

Joyce’s side have not played an international for 20 months

Matt Roller21-May-2021

Ed Joyce has been Ireland’s head coach since June 2019•Cricket Ireland

Ed Joyce has been joking this week about his unbeaten record as Ireland Women’s coach in ODI cricket. It might sound arrogant, but only without the crucial context: 23 months after he was appointed, they still haven’t played one under him.That wait is set to continue for a while yet, but Sunday’s T20I against Scotland Women in Belfast – the first of a four-match series – will be the end of a 20-month gap between internationals, caused not only by Covid-19 but also late cancellations and the sporadic nature of the associate calendar. It has been a long, frustrating time, but their return is tantalisingly close.”The attitude has been absolutely top class – it couldn’t have been better,” Joyce tells ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve had some big knocks: a Thailand tour cancelled, the Scotland series was cancelled a couple of times and this is third time lucky, and even prior to that there was a Zimbabwe tour cancelled when I was taking over in 2019.Related

Ed Joyce: 'You cannot go into any game thinking we have to win. I'm just looking for performances'

Delany to lead Ireland in T20I series against Scotland

“It’s been a long old wait, not just for the girls but for the management as well. We don’t do the job just to train and we’ve done an awful lot of it over the last 18 or 20 months. It’ll be great for the girls to get back out there and I’m so excited to watch some international cricket. We’ve had our Super Series going on which has been really good but to see the girls with the green back on will be great.”We haven’t played for so long as a group and the girls have worked on so many things – it’ll be exciting to see them actually put them into play. I know what I want from the team and the team are pretty clear what myself and Glenn [Querl, assistant coach] are looking for. We dovetail quite well. I’ve bowled a lot of offspin and fed a lot of balls into bowling machines but I feel like we’ve had a very good training block.”The length of the break is demonstrated by the fact that the player of the match award in Ireland’s most recent fixture – the third-place play-off at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in September 2019 – was Kim Garth, who gave up her Ireland career to pursue her opportunities with Victoria in Australia last June.”Kim is a very good cricketer,” Joyce says. “She’s already one the key players for Victoria and is a Big Bash winner. With a reasonably small cricket-playing population here, it’s obviously tough to lose someone of her ability but I think most people would see why she did it: she wanted to be a full-time cricketer which she can’t do here yet, though we’re hoping to change that within the next couple of years.”We’ve picked a very young squad for this series, partly because we have some very good young players, but also out of necessity because a lot of our senior players have retired in the last few years. I’m really interested to see how we go in this series, and want to make sure we play with freedom – as T20 needs to be played.”We are missing some players abroad – Eimear Richardson is based in New Zealand, Mary Waldron in Australia, and Una Raymond-Hoey and Naomi Matthews are also away. In their absence, it’s going to have to be a team effort, and you’re asking young people to be your senior players: Laura Delany, Gaby Lewis, Shauna Kavanaugh and Orla Prendergast are all young women but have played a lot of cricket and are clearly high-quality players.”The wider context of the series is that it represents an opportunity for some match practice ahead of a year that features two major qualifying tournaments for Ireland: the European qualifiers for the T20 World Cup in August, and the World Cup Qualifier in Sri Lanka in December.”It’s not only an opportunity to get into the World Cup, but possibly more importantly, it’s a qualifier for the Women’s Championship. If we can get into that, it’s a real game-changer, because you have guaranteed fixtures and aren’t organising series week-to-week. It gives the girls clarity about who we’re playing and when, and we could potentially add some more contracts too.”More immediately, the prospect of playing in front of fans again from Monday onwards adds to the feeling of excitement – as long as the rain stays away. “We’ll be one of the first teams on the island to have fans back so that would obviously be good kudos for the girls,” Joyce says. “I’ve watched a lot of rain fall at Stormont in the past and the weather is always a little bit dicey in Ireland in general, and especially in the North, but hopefully we’ll get at least three of the four games in.”

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