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Emma Coates has left her role as England women’s under-23s head coach to become the new manager of National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side Bay FC. The Football Association (FA) has announced the recruitment process will begin “imminently” as they look to identify a successor to the 34-year-old, who worked closely with Sarina Wiegman while in charge of the young Lionesses.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Coates developed several stars for senior Lionesses squad

  Regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in the women’s game, Coates developed a number of players at U23 level who have gone on to represent the England senior side.

  West Ham defender Anouk Denton and London City Lionesses forward Freya Godfrey were introduced into Wiegman’s senior squad for December’s friendlies against China and Ghana, on the back of Arsenal centre-back Katie Reid and Aston Villa midfielder Lucia Kendall’s October call-ups.

  All four players have followed in the footsteps of Manchester City and Manchester United midfielders Grace Clinton and Jess Park, alongside Chelsea and Brighton forwards Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang, in successfully stepping up from England’s youth teams.

  In total, more than 25 players reached the England senior squad under Coates, whose U23s side also went unbeaten in their 2023-24 European league campaign.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  FA confirms Coates will be joined by assistant Davies in NWSL

  Following Coates’ impressive work with England's U23s, the former Doncaster Belles boss has now been handed the reins at Bay FC, whose squad features the likes of Zambia star Racheal Kundananji and USWNT defender Abby Dahlkemper.

  Confirming Coates will be joined by her young Lionesses assistant Gemma Davies in the San Francisco Bay Area, the FA said in a statement: “We thank Emma and Gemma for their time with us and wish them all the best with their new challenge.

  “Emma, with Gemma’s support, has played a key role in strengthening the pathway between the WU23s and the senior squad, as well as the younger age groups.

  “Together, they have directly impacted the development of many young players who have gone on to become senior Lionesses, and helped to re-establish the WU23s as a team that fans want to watch wherever they play across the country. 

  “We are excited to see the WU23s set-up continue to grow over the coming years and have already begun the search for their replacements.”

• Bay FC
  

  Ex-Doncaster Belles boss 'honoured and super excited' to join Bay FC

  Growing up in Yorkshire, Coates began her coaching journey at Leeds United’s academy in 2010 before becoming Doncaster Belles manager in 2016. She was previously a first-team coach at The Belles in 2014.

  Coates then became a specialist coach with England’s youth teams in 2019 before being named as the U19s manager in 2022. She then moved over to the U23s in 2023, where she forged a strong relationship with Wiegman at St. George's Park.

  Expressing her delight at being named as Bay FC’s new manager, Coates told the club’s official website: “I’m truly honoured and super excited to build on the strong foundations that have already been established and to implement a clear identity both on and off the pitch.

  “This is a club that has already captured the hearts of so many people in the local community, and it’s a privilege to be part of that journey. From my first conversations with Bay FC, it was clear that the club shares my passion for people, performance, and culture which I believe are fundamental to sustained success. 

  “I’m eager to get back on the grass every day, to work closely with the players and staff, and to meet the fans at PayPal Park. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the FA (English Football Association), it has helped shape me both professionally and personally. 

  “Now, I feel ready and excited to challenge myself in a new environment, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone at the FA for their trust, support, and belief throughout my journey.”

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• Bay FC
  

  Assistant Davies 'thrilled' to reunite with Coates in San Francisco Bay Area

  Alongside Coates, Bay FC have also captured another one of women’s football’s most promising young coaches in Davies, who will act as assistant manager at PayPal Park. The 34-year-old managed Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League between 2018 and 2021 before holding roles with England’s U19s and U23s sides.

  “Bay FC represents an ambitious and forward-thinking project,” said Davies. “I’m thrilled to join Emma’s staff in creating an environment where players and staff can thrive and supporters can be proud of the football we play. I’m looking forward to being back on the field on a day-to-day basis as we support the club in its next stage of growth.”

  Hailing Davies as an “excellent” coach, Coates added: “Gemma’s track record in both club and international football makes her the ideal fit to help implement our playing philosophy.

  “Her delivery on the grass is excellent, and her tactical insight and analytical skills will be invaluable as we prepare the team for start of the 2026 season.”

  Bay FC finished 13th in the 2025 NWSL regular-season league table, level on points (20) with bottom-placed Chicago Stars FC but with a slightly better goal difference. Jess Carter's Gotham FC defeated Esme Morgan's Washington Spirit 1-0 in the Championship match on 23 November. The two defenders helped the Lionesses win Euro 2025 in the summer.

The message from the two captains is clear: neither expected things to kick off as they did, nor do they intend to rein anyone in ahead of the final two Tests

Matt Roller14-Jul-2025

On a collision course: Ravindra Jadeja and Brydon Carse•Getty Images

It was the over that changed the mood of the series. For six minutes short of 13 days, relations between England’s and India’s players had appeared wholly amicable. But the sight of Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley pointing fingers at one another over a time-wasting spat prompted two days of stirring, sledging, swearing, send-offs, and simmering tensions.All of that culminated in a show of mutual respect after an epic Test match at Lord’s: No. 11 Mohammed Siraj, who was fined 15% of his match fee for his shoulder-bumping send-off of Ben Duckett on Sunday, sunk to his haunches after battling in vain for over an hour to give Ravindra Jadeja company, and Crawley was the first England player over to shake his hand.But expect hostilities to resume in Manchester, with both captains suggesting that the between the teams would only “add to the spectacle”. Gill may believe there is a mutual “admiration”, but the combination of a new-look India team and England’s cooling interest in the IPL means there are few genuine friendships between the two teams.Related

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Crawley’s outrageous delaying tactics initially sparked India into life, prompting Gill to suggest that he “grow some f*****g balls”. India’s fielders circled Crawley when he called the physio on.”When you’re watching your two opening batters go out there for an over, and you’re seeing 11 guys all come at [them], that’s going to bring out another side,” Ben Stokes said after England beat India by 22 runs.Siraj’s send-off to Duckett got him in trouble with Richie Richardson, the match referee, but Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy also celebrated their wickets with extra gusto after the Saturday-night flashpoint. England were unimpressed, and discussed their plans to get in India’s faces before they went out to bowl in the fourth innings.”We all came together as a group yesterday, and said, ‘we’re a bit too nice’,” Jofra Archer said after the match. “When we go to other places, some teams aren’t as nice to us as we are to them. I guess we just tried to shift it.” Archer set the tone on Monday, turning around and telling Rishabh Pant to “charge that” after responding to being launched down the ground by dislodging his off stump.Pant’s dismissal brought Washington Sundar to the crease, and it was his arrival that highlighted England’s aggression. Washington did the Sunday-night media round for India, and was unusually bullish. “We will definitely win the game tomorrow,” he told the BBC, adding, “It’s going to be amazing when we win the game and go 2-1 up in the series.”Nitish Kumar Reddy gives Zak Crawley a send-off•Getty ImagesIf Washington intended the tone to be tongue-in-cheek, it did not land, and word clearly reached the England camp. As soon as Washington walked in, Brendon McCullum signalled down from the balcony to ramp up the volume; after taking an athletic catch off his own bowling to dismiss Washington without scoring, Archer, flanked by Stokes, sent a few choice words in his direction.That brought in Reddy, whose reception from England’s close catchers was even more hostile. Reddy had given Crawley a pointed send-off when he dismissed him on Sunday – and for the second time in the match – and immediately got a volley back from him at leg slip. But it was Harry Brook, Reddy’s former Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate, who was the loudest.Brook’s sledging centred on the fact that Reddy was “not at the IPL now”, and England attempted to lure him into playing an attacking shot. “So many runs, lads,” Duckett said. “Can’t just be blocking this end.” Another Brook line – “Jaddu’s got to score them all” – nearly came back to bite as the day wore on.Stokes found himself physically separating Brydon Carse and Jadeja – as though breaking up a fight on a night out – after a mid-pitch collision that both men blamed the other for. And even if the chatter died down in the afternoon as England’s fielders spread to the boundary, the hostility and aggression between the sides remained evident.Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley were involved in a heated exchange•Getty Images”In big series like this, there was always going to be a time and a moment where the two teams were going to clash,” Stokes said. “But I’m all for it. I don’t think it really stepped over the line. There’s 22 people out there playing for their country. It’s the highest honour that you can [reach] in our sport. So you can understand that sometimes the emotions and tension can get quite high.”But I don’t think there’s anyone in the Indian dressing room or anyone in the English dressing room that’s going to bed and going to cry themselves asleep… There was always going to be a moment in a series like this when it was going to implode. It wasn’t really boiling up to it; it just sort of happened. But look, it adds to the spectacle of England vs India, doesn’t it?”Gill may be softly spoken, but he has shown both in the IPL and now in Test cricket that he has a fiery side to him. In Gautam Gambhir, he is working alongside a coach who is never shy of getting involved in a confrontation – whether as a player or otherwise – and echoed Stokes’ comments that the needle will benefit the wider narrative.”It makes for an even more exciting Test series,” Gill said. “When you’re in the heat of the moment, obviously there are so many emotions involved… At the end of the day, both teams are very competitive, and you’re playing to win. You’re giving everything physically and mentally, so there are going to moments where there’s going to be a little bit of heat.”The underlying message was clear: neither captain expected things to kick off as they did, nor do they intend to rein anyone in ahead of the final two Tests. It already promises to be an explosive week in Manchester.

Former India great set to become the first capped male Indian player to play in the BBL with Thunder, Hurricanes, Sixers and Strikers all chasing him

Alex Malcolm and Sidharth Monga23-Sep-2025R Ashwin is set to become the first capped male India player to play in the BBL with four clubs vying for his services to play in the latter stages of the upcoming season.It is understood that Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers are the four teams chasing Ashwin’s signature in what is set to be a major coup for the BBL. Thunder and Hurricanes appear to be the frontrunners for the India great with a deal likely to be finalised later this week.No internationally capped India male player has played in the BBL previously, but Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL earlier this year has opened the door for him to play franchise cricket overseas for the first time.Related

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• R Ashwin brings curtain down on 'my time as an IPL cricketer'

• Afridi, Rizwan and Rauf among top picks at BBL overseas drafts

• All the BBL and WBBL squads for 2025-26 season

• CA exploring BBL investment 'unashamedly' to be second behind IPL

Only retired Indian players are allowed by the BCCI to participate in overseas T20 leagues. Earlier this year, Dinesh Karthik played for Paarl Royals in the SA20. In 2023, Ambati Rayudu turned up to play for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL, and then in January 2024 with MI Emirates in the ILT20. Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan featured for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20. Two years ago, Suresh Raina was part of Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.Ashwin has already committed to the first-ever ILT20 auction in the UAE, which will take place next Tuesday. If bought, he will play out the ILT20, which has changed dates for the upcoming season and will now run from December 2 until January 4.The BBL begins on December 14, and the home-and-away part of the season runs until January 18. The finals will be held between January 20 and 25. It means Ashwin will be available for three-four games at the end of the season for one of those teams, plus finals should the team he signs with qualify. ESPNcricinfo understands that his deal will also include the BBL for the 2026-27 season.BBL clubs can only play three overseas players in their XI. Each of the clubs has already locked three players in via the league’s pre-signing rules and the June overseas draft. Clubs can sign an additional four overseas replacement players, meaning they can have up to seven on their list, but only three can play at any one time. Also, if any of the teams release an international player for SA20, Ashwin could fit in as a replacement for him.The league rules state that replacement overseas players have to nominate themselves for the draft, which Ashwin did not as he had not retired from IPL cricket at the time. But there is an exemption for overseas players to be allowed to play in the BBL if their circumstances have changed. Former New Zealand batter Martin Guptill was previously signed by Melbourne Renegades in 2022-23 after retiring from international cricket despite missing the inaugural BBL overseas draft. England star Nat Sciver-Brunt was allowed to play for Perth Scorchers in the WBBL after being cleared by the ECB, having initially been ruled out of nominating for the draft due to injury.The club that signs Ashwin will still have to fit his salary inside their overall purse, much of which will already have been allocated for most squads, but there will likely be an additional marketing agreement with Cricket Australia that will not count towards the salary cap for the team that lands him.Teams can also go over the cap by 5% in a particular year with approval from the league’s technical committee, provided that it is offset over a three-year period.

Tottenham Hotspur are now willing to pay £70m to sign AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, as they believe he would be perfect for Thomas Frank.

It is little wonder Tottenham are looking to bring in a new forward, given that some of their current attacking options have been far from impressive so far this season, with Jamie O’Hara left fuming by Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani after the Chelsea defeat.

Mathys Tel has also found it difficult to adapt to life in the Premier League, with the 20-year-old being dropped to the bench in recent weeks, having now scored just one goal in his opening 10 matches in all competitions.

Spurs’ attacking woes were particularly apparent in the 1-0 defeat against their London rivals on Saturday, failing to craft a single big chance, while also having just three shots in the entire match.

Tottenham willing to make offer for Antoine Semenyo

Having struggled in front of goal, Tottenham are now willing to make their club-record signing in one of the stars of the Premier League this season, with a report from Spain revealing they are prepared to make a bid of around €80m (£70m) for Semenyo.

There is a belief the Bournemouth forward would be ideal for Frank, given that he is fast, powerful and clinical, but there could be competition for the Ghanaian’s signature, as several unnamed European clubs are also keen.

The Cherries value the 25-year-old highly, but they may be willing to cash-in for the right price this winter, with a £80m fee being touted.

The Bournemouth star has shown signs of year-on-year development since first emerging as a regular starter in the Premier League during the 2023/24 season, and he is already over half-way to matching his goal and assist tally from the previous campaign.

Season

Premier League appearances

Goal contributions

2023-24

33

11

2024-25

37

17

2025-26

10

9

Scout Ben Mattinson has also been left impressed by the Ghana international in the past, urging Arsenal to sign him back in February.

Semenyo has earned a move to a top club, with his performances this season indicating he is ready to make the step-up, and it would be a real statement of intent from ENIC if they were able to get a deal done.

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Spurs have set out to sign a new striker.

ByDominic Lund Nov 2, 2025

Prior to the international break Liverpool suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City.

Considering Pep Guardiola’s side are perennial title challengers, you can excuse that blemish on Arne Slot’s copybook.

However, as the Reds welcomed lowly Nottingham Forest to Anfield on Saturday, it was a wonderful opportunity to build some momentum and find some form ahead of a kinder run of fixtures.

How disastrous it has started. Slot’s job was brought under further scrutiny as his men were downed 3-0 in front of their own fans. Gulp, this was not what Liverpool needed.

Across their last 11 games, they have only won three games. This is certainly not the team that won the Premier League at a canter last term.

At the centre of their issues has been Ibrahima Konate.

Konate's performance vs Nottingham Forest

Last season, Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t quite throw in the towel but his performances were abject as he pursued a move to Real Madrid.

This season, the same thing appears to be playing a factor in the performances of Konate who looks a shadow of his former self.

The Frenchman has been error-ridden this season and his display against Forest summed everything up.

Analyst Raj Chohan took to social media to exclaim that “every time he makes one error, he makes multiple.”

He was notably at fault for the controversial moment that Igor Jesus was involved in when his goal was disallowed for handball.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Brazilian completely caught out Liverpool’s underperforming centre-back as he threw himself to the floor and was fortunate that it was ruled out.

So poor was Konate’s display that he was dragged off on 55 minutes soon after Liverpool went 2-0 down. He left the pitch with a wry smile, hardly the attitude you want from someone who’s been linked with a move away so regularly, and to Madrid of all places too.

He was handed a 3/10 match rating by GOAL but didn’t leave the pitch as their worst performer.

Liverpool’s worst performer against Nottingham Forest

While Liverpool’s defence will come under the microscope of scrutiny for their failings against Sean Dyche’s men, their forward line is also not pulling up any trees either.

For a side that spent over £200m on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, far far more should be expected.

Wirtz did not start the game at Anfield on Saturday but Isak did. Fans, however, must be wishing he hadn’t.

Signed in a British record £125m deal over the summer, it has been a wretched first few months in Liverpool red for the Swede.

He has played nine times now and only has one goal, a strike in the Carabao Cup, to show for his efforts.

Since then, Isak has failed to score. He’s without a goal in five league games and all four of his Premier League starts have ended in defeat.

The nadir of his Anfield career so far came this weekend when he was anonymous against Forest. GOAL handed the striker a dismal 2/10 rating, writing that he ‘hardly had a kick’ and ‘wasn’t even close to breaking his duck here’.

As a result, he was subbed off for Federico Chiesa after 68 minutes and simply cannot be in the starting lineup for their Champions League clash in midweek.

Minutes played

68

Touches

14

Accurate passes

5/7 (71%)

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

0

Shots

1

Shots on target

0

Ground duels won

0

Aerial duels won

0

While Hugo Ekitike has barely been in good form himself, Liverpool’s best displays in 2025/26 have come with their fellow summer signing in the team.

Isak’s display this time around was so anonymous that he had just 14 touches of the football. In the process, he gave possession away seven times. For every two touches of the ball, he was squandering possession.

Usually so technically secure and comfortable in possession, it’s a huge worry that he can’t even get himself into the action.

To compound the striker’s woes, he lost every single one of his duels and managed just one shot which wasn’t even on target.

For any new signing to be in such a desperate rut would be a concern, but when he’s the most expensive player in Premier League history, it only heightens the issue. He is paying the price for a lack of pre-season and it’s desperately hurting Liverpool’s season.

Perhaps they should have stuck with Ekitike after all.

No.3 once epitomised the power of good vibes, but now his failings are engulfing the project

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Dec-2025

Ollie Pope looks forlorn after his soft dismissal•AFP/Getty Images

The bad bit about Ollie Pope’s dismissal was the crushing inevitability. The worst was, at this juncture, 63 Tests into a seven-year career that has had plenty of stanzas for growth and foresight, only he did not see it coming.An inevitability that Pope – despite being England’s established No.3 in an Ashes series – was always likely to be the first batter to fall, in what turned out to be a collapse of 5 for 38. His missed booming drive off Mitchell Starc, his loft just over cover and the edge that cleared second slip off Brendan Doggett; all were signs he should have heeded. When he bunted his drive back to Michael Neser, there was novelty to be had in Pope’s first caught-and-bowled dismissal off a seamer, but it was lost in the certainty that he was not long for this Saturday night at the Gabba. And once he was gone, he certainly wasn’t going to be alone.An innings of 26 of 32, with the pink Kookaburra zipping as it does under floodlights, neatly encapsulates the chaotic nature of Pope’s stay, at a time when calm was the order of the day. It was reminiscent of his second go in the first Test at Perth when, having flashed five times, a sixth wild drive brought about his end on 33.Of all the top seven batters with 500 or more second-innings runs to their name, Pope’s average of 20.24 is the fourth worst: a damning statistic ripe for extrapolation, given that questions about Pope’s character and stomach had been peddled long before this latest misstep.Related

• For England's batters, the heart seems unwilling and the mind unconvinced

• England's prep not to blame for Gabba fielding errors, says Root

• England bowlers beat as series threatens to slip away

• Starc's all-round show leaves England facing humiliation at the Gabba

• Trescothick insists England will 'stick to principles' as Ashes disaster looms

Speaking on The Grade Cricketer podcast prior to the series, Mark Waugh stated Pope would not score a run. On Thursday, Waugh, while commentating on Triple M, dismissed Pope as “just a player” moments before the right-hander danced across to the off-side and chopped Mitchell Starc onto his own stumps for a duck.In the build-up to this series, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum reiterated to the team that the coming weeks were an opportunity to define their legacy. The fact that they (understandably) hid from their players was that Ashes tours can rob you of your dignity and self-worth. Worst still, they can undo whatever goodwill you have with your own fans.That in itself makes Pope an interesting case study of where we are all are, after just five days of actual cricket. From the moment he called a newly appointed Stokes at the start of the 2022 summer to pitch for the No.3 position, Pope became emblematic of the initial merits of the project and, now, of the flaws that are threatening to bubble over and scald English cricket.The highs of the 196 in Hyderabad, an impressive assumption of both that first-drop position and trust he’d been given as vice-captain, feel a world away. He had to reinforce his position in the XI with another century against India in June, but has since averaged 27 across 11 innings with a sole half-century. His average at three is heading the wrong way, likewise that number in Australia (17.20) and against them (18.71). And before we’d even reached the end of the English summer, he was removed as Stokes’ deputy in favour of Harry Brook.Pope’s first-innings duck left England floundering at 5 for 2•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesAll of which made Pope more susceptible for the chop, with Jacob Bethell seeming to offer a more attractive proposition to the selectors, who admired the young left-hander’s cockiness and crisp shapes. Bethell’s disappointing white-ball tour of New Zealand kiboshed that prospect, along with his overall lack of cricket (his first-class best remains the 96 he made against New Zealand last year), while Pope’s 100 and 90 at Lilac Hill had seemingly secured his side of the bargain.Now, that debate may be back on the agenda, and not unreasonably. But perhaps it is important to step back and see the bigger picture. England’s dream-weaving over the last three years, while not without merit, has somehow trapped Pope – one of the most popular players in a closed-off dressing room, and the ultimate team man – in a nightmarish web of doubt and technical uncertainty, even while it continues to masquerade as a never-ending pursuit of clarity and a unwavering desire to be assertive.It is important to state that Pope has spent the last couple of months working hard to correct the flaws that he would never publicly admit. In the first innings at Perth, he was crisp with his straight driving, having overcome a tendency to fall away to the off side, while seemingly ridding himself of his tick outside off stump. Both traits seem to have returned, which does not suggest Pope has been slacking behind the scenes since arriving in Australia, but that the work he’s done is not quite ingrained. By the time he’s comfortable with his tweaks, he may well be out of the team.You wonder, also, about what this says about the more serious elements of this England set-up. At his best, Pope is a ball of energy, a shooter who shoots. Amid so much positivity, how has it come to be that he is suddenly anxious? His esteem is wilting like unwatered flowers. His toil is instructive of the contradiction between messaging and methods that always gets murkier in defeat. Commit to your way and stay true. If that fails, commit harder. Be truer.It may be too late for all this to correct itself: the match situation in this second Test and thus the Ashes itself. There will be deep introspection and, when the worst is confirmed, casualties.Pope is likely to be one of them, but he should also be seen as a lesson to heed. The biggest advocate for what Stokes and McCullum have created is now one of its more serious problems. The sparkle he once had has been lost. The joy with which he played the game is a distant memory.Pope arrived on this tour looking to make up for his own torrid time in 2021-22 when – as a bit-part player – he averaged 11.17 and ended up out of the team. Little did he know that, four years later, he’d return as the centre-piece of the top five, as an ambassador of the good work done over the last three years, only for his ordeal to be so much worse.

Head coach defends planned break between Brisbane and Adelaide Tests with series on line

Matt Roller07-Dec-2025Brendon McCullum claimed that his England team were “over-prepared” for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane and defended their planned trip to the resort town of Noosa before travelling to Adelaide.England trained five times – once at Allan Border Field, and four times at the Gabba – before the second Test, opting against pink-ball match practice against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. They were heavily beaten, losing by eight wickets after four energy-sapping days in the heat, and McCullum suggested that their decision to ramp up their training had backfired.”Leading into this Test match, I actually felt like we over-prepared, to be honest,” McCullum told Australian broadcaster Channel 7. “We had five intense training days. When you’re in the heat of the battle, as we all know, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your top two inches [of your head] is completely sound.Related

• Trouble in paradise as Noosa tightens on England's Ashes hopes

• McCullum in firing line as England batten down hatches

• For England's batters, the heart seems unwilling and the mind unconvinced

• Bazball is dead (even if England aren't quite yet)

• England at breaking point as Ashes dreams dismantled

“I think the boys just need a few days off, and probably need to just change up a few of the training methods a little bit. I’m a horse-racing man, and you wouldn’t just keep doing the same thing with your horse, you’d send it around in figure-eights or over the little jumps, just to try and switch it on a bit. We’ll look at some alternative methods over the next few days.”England’s preparation has been heavily criticised throughout this tour, specifically their decisions to play a single warm-up match against the Lions squad at Lilac Hill, a club ground in Perth, and to turn down the opportunity to play the pink-ball PM’s XI fixture between Tests. Stuart Broad described their bowlers as “undercooked”, while Michael Vaughan said on Sunday: “No one can tell me that this England management has given this England team the best chance [to win the series].”The squad and support staff will travel to a coastal resort in Noosa – two hours’ drive up the Queensland coast – on Tuesday for a four-night “mid-series break” which McCullum said would provide them with an opportunity to reflect on the first two Tests: “[It] will be good to spend a bit casually and just let the dust settle on what’s been a pretty intense couple of weeks and start to plot and plan our way back into the series.”England will then train three times – rather than five – in Adelaide before the third Test starts on December 17. Ben Stokes, their captain, also defended the Noosa trip, arguing it would be “very, very important” for his players to stay fresh and insulate themselves from the pressures of the tour after an intense start to the series.”We’ve been here four weeks, and it’s been pretty full-on, on and off the field,” Stokes said. “As physical as this game is, a huge part of it is also the mental side of it. I know that. I’ve experienced that. I know what the game can do to you when things aren’t quite feeling right or going well.”Trust me when I say that it is so, so important that teams… [can] go away as a team and almost put the pressures of this aside for a couple of days, that doesn’t mean that everything just disappears, and we don’t speak about what’s going on. Those conversations are constantly happening.”This is a high-pressure environment. We chose to do this. We’re lucky enough to do this. It comes with the job, but it’s also very, very important that when you do get the opportunity that you are able to go away and refresh your mind because obviously in [Adelaide] we need to be not only physically good, but mentally very good as well.”McCullum and Stokes both highlighted England’s shortcomings with the new ball as a turning point in the game, with McCullum saying they had bowled “terribly” as Australia raced to 130 for 1 in the 21 overs before tea on the second day. “We were trying too hard was my assessment of it,” McCullum said.”We identified that we had a reasonable score with the bat in the first innings, and we knew that there was quite a pivotal moment in the game if we were able to strike. Sometimes, when you do try too hard, you miss your execution, you tighten up, and you’re not able to apply the pressure. We’re honest with ourselves: we bowled terribly in that period, and Australia were able to canter along at a very strong strike rate.”Stokes held himself and Brydon Carse accountable, saying: “It was myself and Brydon who let all that pressure off. We weren’t able to sustain what Jofra [Archer] and Gus [Atkinson] did… Me and Brydon know that we weren’t able to back up that first spell, and we weren’t able to deliver the consistency that Australia delivered this whole Test match.”McCullum also cited England’s fielding as a major issue, after they dropped five catches in the first innings: “It is hard enough taking 10 wickets against a good side like that, let alone needing to take 15. There was areas with the bat where we were deficient, there were areas with the ball where we were deficient, and there were areas in the field where we were deficient.”

If you are of an Arsenal persuasion, then it’s likely you’re sitting very happy right now. The Gunners are top of the table, and Mikel Arteta’s side have just dispatched their fierce rivals. Life doesn’t get much better, right?

The sequence of events that played out at the Emirates made their 4-1 victory all the more sweeter.

Speaking in the build-up to the game, Thomas Frank jokingly replied to a reporter’s question about Eberechi Eze by saying, “Who’s Eze?”

The England international infamously rejected a move to Tottenham in the summer despite everything looking as though it was agreed. He joined their rivals instead, heading to his boyhood club, the club of his dreams. The club that rejected him when he was just a boy in the academy.

Well, let it all work out. Frank certainly knows who Eze is now. Draped in Arsenal red, following a few slow months to start the season, he is now a hero.

Arteta’s men strengthened their grip at the top of the Premier League table by recording a remarkable win and much to Frank’s dismay, Eze was the man of the moment, scoring a quite breathtaking hat-trick.

How Eberechi Eze downed Spurs

Wow, just wow. What a moment this was. A few years ago Eze revealed that he cried in his room when he was rejected by Arsenal.

It was always his dream to play for the club and well, that dream became a reality in the summer. Never in his wildest dreams, however, did he expect what played out on Sunday, even if he did pray for such a moment to occur.

This was one of the finest individual performances from an Arsenal player that we can remember. To recount more recent memories, it’s up there with Declan Rice’s performance against Real Madrid last term, with Andrey Arshavin’s four-goal haul at Anfield. Sometimes a player delivers a performance that is so perfect it gets talked about for years to come. This was that moment.

Eze has had to work hard to find form this term, playing a mixture of games on the left flank and in the middle. With skipper Martin Odegaard out injured, he’s had a chance to showcase why he was purchased for £67.5m in the summer.

Yet, before that clash with Spurs, the former Crystal Palace man had scored just once in the league. How quickly things change in football.

Each goal Eze scored just seemed to get better. The first was supplied by Declan Rice and perhaps rather fortuitously, he managed to get a shot away amidst a bunch of Spurs players. It rifled past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 after Leandro Trossard had opened the scoring.

Eze’s night got better in the second half when, minutes after the half-time interval, he darted onto Jurrien Timber’s pass and found the corner of the goal with his left foot.

His third and final goal came late on when Spurs had thrown players forward. Trossard was at the centre of things again, playing the ball into Eze, who was standing inside the area. He took a touch to set himself and then lashed it home. It capped off an incredible performance, one that will live long not just in his memory, but in the memory of supporters.

Still, he’s not the only one in red and white who had their best game in Arsenal colours.

Not just Eze: Another Arsenal star had his best game for the club

There was a primary reason Arsenal signed Eze in the summer. They needed more depth and they needed more quality on the left flank.

Noni Madueke had already been signed from Chelsea but in Gabriel Martinelli and the aforementioned Trossard, they lacked spice. Between them, they scored eight goals each in Premier League action last term.

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The Belgian was perhaps questionably handed a summer pay rise to keep him at the club but when Eze signed, his career at the Emirates Stadium looked as good as done.

Well, how wrong were we? Trossard, in the words of Arsenal writer Connor Humm, has “arguably been the best winger in the Premier League this season.”

Always a man for the big occasion, the 30-year-old rose to the mark again and put in a performance that was equally effective as Eze’s.

Trossard opened the scoring in the first half in brilliant fashion. It was a run from out to in, one that was said to be “like Robert Pires” by Gary Neville on Sky Sports commentary, that made the goal.

Mikel Merino still had plenty to do, however, but he clipped a pass beautifully into the path of Trossard. He took the ball down, spun and then found the net on his left foot. Advantage Arsenal.

Trossard’s work was not done there. The £27m man registered two key passes, one of which proved decisive as he supplied Eze’s goal that sealed his hat-trick.

As The Standard’s Simon Collings noted when the Belgium winger was substituted late on, it was “probably one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt.” Quite.

It was a tireless performance and one that epitomised the former Brighton forward’s time in London.

In the 32 matches in which Trossard has scored for Arsenal, they have never lost. The games he’s scored the most goals of his career against? Liverpool (6), Chelsea (4) and Spurs (4).

The winger is no Usain Bolt, he’s not the quickest player in the world. He’s no Bukayo Saka either, he lacks the same explosiveness. However, what he lacks in that regard, he makes up for in technical ability and mental fortitude. He is a mental giant and one of the hardest-working players in this team.

Eze certainly stole the show at the Emirates but Trossard deserves his flowers too.

Sean Dyche says he is so pleased for his Nottingham Forest players as he "demands a lot from them" after their thumping 3-0 win over Liverpool. Goals from Murillo, Nicolas Savona, and Morgan Gibbs-White breathed more life into Forest's revival and condemned the Reds to a sixth defeat in seven games. And after the match, Dyche cut a proud figure when reflecting on the victory at Anfield.

Nottingham Forest on the up

Earlier this season, things looked bleak for Forest. Popular manager Nuno Espirito Santo had left after an apparent falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis and Ange Postecoglou lasted half a dozen games before being sacked, as Dyche was left to pick up the pieces for a side in the relegation zone. But the outlook for the Tricky Trees looks far rosier now after easing past Liverpool on Saturday, with the City Ground team now in 16th. The result meant that Forest have won away at Liverpool in back-to-back league seasons for the first time since 1962-63/1963-64. They had only won one of their previous 30 league visits to Anfield before 2024-25. Moreover, Forest became only the fourth visiting side to win a Premier League game at Anfield by a margin of three or more goals, after Chelsea in October 2005 (4-1), West Ham in August 2015 (3-0), and Man City in February 2021 (4-1).

AdvertisementAFPDyche sets high standards

Following the victory, Gibbs-White revealed that the former Everton and Burnley boss has Forest running their socks off in preparation for games. And it seemed Dyche struck a similar tone after claiming all three points on Merseyside. 

He told Forest's website: "I’m so pleased for the players, they have taken on a lot since we’ve been here and we’ve demanded a lot from them in many different ways. I’ve said to them after the game that we can only guide them. The commitment to the cause and to the shirt was all on display today, and quality of course which you need. You don’t win by luck here. The will and demand, the team and the organisation is massively important in these games. They’ve shown that in abundance and when we’ve needed the quality, they’ve delivered. You aren’t likely to come here and dominate the ball, so without it you have to be diligent and I thought we were super diligent, from our shape to our organisation. Our defenders were making blocks, Matz was looking confident in goal and we looked full of confidence. I do believe there is quality here and in the moments of truth, can you make that pass or find that finish, and we certainly did today."

Forest star praises Dyche's impact

Since Dyche was sworn in at the end of October, the ex-Watford manager has won three games, drawn two, and lost just once. That has seen them rise from near the bottom of the table to just outside the relegation zone. And Gibbs-White believes Dyche deserves a lot of credit for turning things around at Forest.

He told Premier League Productions: "When Sean Dyche came in, he made it clear the season starts now. He's been putting us to work, but we needed it to compete at the highest level. We've been running, running, running. Any game in the Premier League is difficult. We have to take it game by game."

On the Liverpool victory, the England international admitted that walking away with this triumph is an "incredible" feeling.

He added: "I didn't expect it, but it's happened. I'm out there trying to help the team as much as possible. I thought the boys were brilliant today. Delighted we got the three points, but I hope we're out of the relegation zone. We felt comfortable even though we didn't have the ball. We were defensively secure, and that's credit to the boys and the manager. Delighted to get another goal, but we got a clean sheet and three points at Anfield, which is an incredible thing. They're still a great team with incredible individuals. When you're in a tough patch, we know it's hard to get out of it. We knew we'd have a chance, and it was about us being solid and taking our chance when we got it."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Forest?

Forest will hope they can build on this excellent result when they return to Europa League action on Thursday at home to Swedish side Malmo. They then round off the month against Brighton at City Ground on Sunday, November 30, as the Premier League returns.

Chicaog Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg died on Monday. He was 65.

The Hall of Fame second baseman played 16 seasons in the majors, 15 of them in Chicago. Throughout the course of his career, Sandberg won nine Gold Gloves, seven Silver Slugger awards, and was named NL MVP of the 1984 season.

Tributes poured in for Sandberg from across the baseball world. MLB Network put together a video package celebrating the life and playing career of Sandberg, highlighting some of the brightest moments of his career. You can watch that below.

The Cubs will wear a patch in honor of Sandberg on their uniforms for the remainder of the season.

RIP to a Cubs legend.