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Southampton’s disappointing Premier League season continued as they surrendered a one-goal lead to draw 1-1 with Watford at St Mary’s on Saturday, and right-back Cedric Soares once again put in a disappointing display.

The Portugal international was an impressive performer in his first season with the south coast outfit under Ronald Koeman, but he has not lived up to the same standards since he won Euro 2016 with Portugal and certainly hasn’t been helped by the fact that he has no real competition for his place and ultimately knows he isn’t going to be dropped.

The 27-year-old has been a real favourite with Mark Hughes since the Welshman took charge and he has played all but 34 minutes of his team’s Premier League campaign to date.

One of his main weaknesses over the course of the last 18 months or so especially has been that he has struggled to make an impact in the final third for the club, and that was on show again against the Hornets as he failed to complete a single dribble and produced no accurate crosses from five attempts, as per WhoScored.

The Portuguese defender also only provided two accurate long balls from the six he attempted, while he had a passing accuracy of just 54% and failed to make a single interception throughout the 90 minutes.

It was another showing that suggested that Southampton should drop and then sell Cedric during the January transfer window while he could still be worth a sizeable transfer fee, and the former could be a possibility given the poor form he is in ahead of a crucial clash against fellow strugglers Fulham after the international break.

Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek and Yan Valery are among the names that could compete with him to start at Craven Cottage to take him out of the comfort zone he finds himself in, and if any of them get the nod over Cedric they will hope to put in a performance that ensures they stay in the XI.

Leeds United supporters in the Transfer Tavern have been pretty upbeat in the last few hours after seeing their side go top of the Championship on Tuesday night courtesy of a 2-2 draw at Swansea City.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men went into their clash in South Wales having won each of their opening three league matches, having tasted victory over Stoke City, Derby County, and Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United. Yet they had to battle hard to secure a point from their trip to the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night as Oli McBurnie twice gave Graham Potter’s side the lead, only for goals from in-form Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez to earn the Whites a share of the spoils.

Nonetheless, there have been many happy Leeds fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom are unsurprisingly heaping praise on messrs Roofe and Hernandez for grabbing the goals in South Wales on Tuesday night.

Former Oxford United striker Roofe has started the season brilliantly with four goals from his opening four games, while Hernandez netted his second of the campaign on Tuesday night, adding to his effort in their opening weekend success over Gary Rowett’s Stoke.

And while the attacking duo deserve much credit for their efforts on Tuesday, 18-year-old Jamie Shackleton was Leeds’ unsung hero for his excellent exploits at right back for the Yorkshire giants.

Ultimately, the youngster only made his senior debut for the club in their 4-1 success over Derby a few weeks back, before earning his first start in their Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers only last week.

Yet the 18-year-old was thrown into the deep end at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night by being forced to play at right back, a far cry away from his more natural position in midfield.

Yet Shackleton produced a very solid display to help Leeds come away with a point from their trip to South Wales, with the Englishman willing to get on the ball in making 66 touches over the course of the match – only four Leeds players touched it more often than him.

And while some Whites supporters may have gone into the clash slightly nervous regarding his defensive capabilities, the 18-year-old certainly did his bit in making three clearances and three blocks to help Bielsa’s side at the back, while he also underlined his attacking credentials with a great assist for Roofe’s goal.

Yes, Shackleton was guilty of a few defensive mishaps over the course of the 90 minutes, but for someone playing in an unfamiliar role at right back, he certainly proved his worth to the Yorkshire giants, and thus played a key part in a makeshift backline to help the club to the point that takes them top of the Championship.

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Scotland entered Sunday night’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovenia knowing that a win would see them guarantee a spot in the playoffs.

Andrew Robertson was once again in the Scotland XI, with the Liverpool defender winning his 19th cap for his country.

There is no question that the 23-year-old is a key figure for his nation, but the same cannot be said for Liverpool, who continue to prefer Alberto Moreno in the left-back position.

Indeed, Robertson, who moved to Liverpool from Hull City in the summer, has only started three times for the Reds in the early stages of the 2017-18 campaign.

Robertson was a part of the Hull team that were relegated last season, but his performances saw him earn a move away from the KCOM Stadium.

The full-back is again expected to be on the bench for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester United next weekend, but the club’s supporters are desperate for the Scot to earn more first-team action.

As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers striker and former Celtic man Kenny Miller fears that his time at Ibrox could be coming to an end.

He revealed that a contract offer has not been put to him and that he could have just six weeks left at the Light Blues.

As quoted by The Record, Miller said of contract talks:

Nothing has moved on at all. There has not been any chat. With a new manager coming in it’s kind of put that on hold a little bit. But, for me, you don’t really get to this stage in the season and not have things sorted. So it could be that I have only got six weeks left at Rangers.

A departure would call to an end a storied career in Glasgow that has seen him have three separate spells at Rangers, sandwiching a season at Celtic, which at one point made him one of the most controversial figures in Scottish football.

The second of his three stays at Ibrox was unarguably his most prolific but he was also a key figure in helping Rangers get promoted from the Championship, scoring 21 goals in all competitions last season.

With 9 goals this season, including one against the Hoops, he’s been one of the Gers’ top performers again in the top-flight.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the situation…

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Liverpool have started their pre-season campaign extremely well by all accounts, having won again after thrashing League One side Fleetwood Town 5-0 on Wednesday evening.

There were some extremely encouraging signs as boss Jurgen Klopp kept a close eye on the sidelines, but a couple of decent pre-season results won’t have haltered the German’s desire to bring in some more new faces.

Sadio Mane has looked strong in both of the Reds’ first pre-season matches and it will be a case of more the same, whoever comes through the Anfield door next.

Klopp has been happy to give first-team debuts to some of the clubs’ younger starlets in pre-season but realistically, these lads won’t be making up the bulk of the squad when the season begins again in August.

Some with some new faces still needed on Merseyside, who should Klopp be targeting, especially after what we’ve seen on the pitch in pre-season already?

Here’s FIVE transfer targets for the Reds after analysing the impressive Fleetwood win…

Jonas Hector

If there is a particular position in particular where the Reds are looking a little light, it’s left-back. With just Alberto Moreno the clubs’ only senior left-sided defender, reinforcements will be needed in this department in the coming weeks for sure.

And what better man to come in than Jonas Hector, who we all know after his promising the Euros. Competent going forward and defensively very good too- he could be a perfect fit.

Piotr Zielinski

He’s been a target for a few weeks now and still, no-one has wrapped up the signing of Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

The Polish international has been linked with the likes of Napoli and AC Milan this year, showing just how good is and The Reds sure would be missing a beat if they didn’t bring him in.

His passing and distribution is excellent and he’s not afraid of testing the goalkeeper from distance either.

Mario Gotze

Another player linked with a move to Anfield, Gotze has the quality to improve any Premier League side. Having worked with Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, the player knows the management and expectations very well indeed.

He would offer fantastic competition to Liverpool’s current playmakers Roberto Firmino and Phillipe Coutinho and we know just how good he is after watching him at Bayern Munich for the past couple of seasons.

Oğuzhan Özyakup

Ozguzhan Ozyakup, otherwise known as “Ozzy” is another creative midfielder that could add masses of quality to Liverpool’s ranks if he was brought in.

He’s seen as one of Besiktas’ brightest young talents and has had an excellent season in the Turkish League, as well as joining his team-mates for his countries Euro 2016 campaign.

Another attacking midfielder, he boasts plenty of flair, trickery and pace.

Raheem Sterling

Perhaps one of the more ambitious names on this list, Raheem Sterling hasn’t had the easiest time of it since his transfer to Manchester City.

With Pep Guardiola bringing Spanish forward Nolito to the Etihad as soon as he was appointed, Sterling’s future looks uncertain.

Whilst a move back to Liverpool might be seen as unlikely, he’s got unquestionable quality when he is in-form.

Jurgen Klopps aims to win as many trophies as possible before leaving Liverpool at the end of the ongoing season.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Klopp slammed celebration police
• Wants to make memories before leaving Liverpool
• Liverpool face Chelsea in Carabao Cup final on Sunday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Liverpool manager slammed the celebration police who criticised Mikel Arteta for his wild reactions after Arsenal's 3-1 win over the Reds earlier this month. He also mentioned that he wants to win multiple trophies this season before leaving the Merseyside club at the end of the current campaign.

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• WHAT JURGEN KLOPP SAID

  Speaking to reporters ahead of the club's Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday, Klopp said, "I heard the discussions – that Mikel [Arteta] over-celebrated the [Arsenal] win against us. That definitely did not come from me. Everybody can do whatever. I didn’t invent fist-pumps and I don’t have the copyright on it and I don’t want it. You do what you do for yourself and your people. What the outside world thinks about it – I couldn’t give a s—, to be honest. And you can write that exactly like that. This is for us and nobody else. Who likes it, likes it, and who doesn’t like it, doesn’t like it. You can make what you want of my celebrations."

  He added, "I want to win on Sunday but not for me or my trophy cabinet. It is for the boys, for the club, for the people. That is much more important and everything will go on. What we are doing at the moment is writing a wonderful book, I would say. We wrote and we are still writing a wonderful book and when I leave we close that book, put it on the shelf and then someone else will write a wonderful book. That is the idea. I will not leave anything inside. I will give absolutely everything until the last second.

  "Yes, there is space for some chapters. It is long. I am not there and writing the resume already. Not at all. I am 100 per cent in trying to create a few special memories on top of what we have done. We will see what is possible, but the basis we created so far – come on, 60 points is an extraordinary amount of points with all the things that have gone on. And we all know it should be 61 or 63! We all know that! It is so special and let’s keep going. Whatever happens happens and as long as we can influence games we should give it a proper try. The red part of Wembley should be rocking. That would be really, really nice. This team deserves it. This team deserves each push. These boys will throw their heart and soul on the pitch. I know that."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Last month, the German manager announced that he would end his nine-year-long relationship with the Reds at the end of the ongoing season. Since then he has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich although his agent made it clear that he would take a one-year-long sabbatical from coaching.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  After facing Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, the Reds will be next seen in action on Wednesday as they take on Championship side Southampton in an FA Cup fifth-round clash.

MatériaMais Notícias

Foi de maneira bem menos provável do que a tradição de Bahia e Atlético de Alagoinhas poderia indicar, mas o Esquadrão conseguiu se sagrar tricampeão estadual ao empatar por 1 a 1 e, nas penalidades, levar a conquista após 13 cobranças.

UM LADO COM A BOLA, O OUTRO COM AS CHANCES

Mantendo a tônica que já havia sido vista no confronto de ida, era o Esquadrão quem tomava conta da posse de bola e tentava estabelecer o volume de jogo pelo qual vem sendo tão cobrado pouco antes e depois da retomada do futebol. Mas era a equipe de Alagoinhas que, antes dos dez minutos, já havia chegado com perigo tanto em falta batida com força por Felipinho e quando o lateral-esquerdo apareceu do outro lado da área para chutar em gol e ver sua finalização ser bloqueada providencialmente pela defesa do Tricolor.

CARCARÁ DE BICO FORTE!

O confronto voltou muito semelhante ao que já ocorria nos primeiros 45 minutos onde duas finalizações perigosas do Atlético de Alagoinhas (Dedeco próximo a pequena área e também arriscando de fora da grande área) foram sucedidas por maior posse e a já vista “ronda” na área adversária do Bahia sem tanta efetividade.

Contudo, se o time do interior baiano chegava pouco, em uma delas Magno Alves teve o espaço que gosta para dominar, ajeitar o corpo e bater cruzado de perna esquerda aos 14 minutos. A bola foi com tamanha precisão que Douglas Friedrich até pulou, mas não evitou a inauguração do marcador em Pituaçu.

INSISTÊNCIA RECOMPENSADA

Não foi através dos pés de Élber em grande passe dado por Rodriguinho que o time do Bahia conseguiu chegar ao tão perseguido tento da igualdade para voltar a ficar vivo na decisão. Porém, tamanho foi o tempo que a equipe de Roger Machado esteve no plano ofensivo que, depois de Saldanha conseguiu escapar da marcação adversária, o meio-campista Ronaldo evitou a saída de bola já cruzando para Daniel bater e superar o arqueiro Fábio Lima aos 25.

ALTA CARGA EMOCIONAL

O Esquadrão partiu com todas as forças que tinha e tornou o compromisso um “ataque contra defesa” bem delineado, mas seguia com dificuldade de finalizar e só assustou realmente quando Élber apareceu de novo na grande área e bateu onde Fábio Lima acertou a trave. Do outro lado, foi Vitinho que chegou mais perto de marcar o gol que poderia ser do título batendo bem da meia-lua e viu Douglas Friedrich, dessa vez, espalmando pela linha de fundo.

BRILHOU A ESTRELA TRICOLOR

Na marca da cal, os dois times se mostraram bastante precisos e variados nas suas batidas, mas as cobranças desperdiçadas por Magno Alves, logo no início, e com Dedeco parando em Douglas Friedrich acabaram sendo determinantes para que o Bahia se sagrasse, pelo terceiro ano consecutivo, a melhor equipe do estado.

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Gareth Southgate named an unchanged team in England's first two group games but is it time to make some changes?

It’s time for Gareth Southgate to unleash Phil Foden on this World Cup.

England were crying out for the Manchester City star as they struggled to an uninspiring stalemate against the United States on Friday night.

But Gareth Southgate decided to keep him on the bench, much to the frustration of the Three Lions supporters in the stands, and those watching back home.

Southgate has since insisted that he "loves" Foden as a player and has given assurances that he will be handed opportunities to make his mark in Qatar.

Well, he needs to be given that opportunity against Wales on Tuesday night.

Barring a horror result, England have already secured passage through the knockout stages, so Southgate can try a few new things against Robert Page’s side.

And Foden’s quality and creativity could make a major difference in the central areas and revitalise an attack which looked worryingly toothless against the US.

Southgate doesn’t need to make wholesale changes to his team just because of one poor result and he certainly doesn’t need to move away from the 4-3-3 system he has been using.

But a few new faces could certainly be beneficial and Foden has to be one of those.

Jordan Pickford

This remains a no-brainer. Pickford has not had much to do so far during the early stages of the tournament, but when he has been called into action, he has performed well. He commanded his area impressively against the USA and made some important saves when he needed to.

AdvertisementKyle Walker

This would be one of the changes I would make from the team that started against the USA. It’s not that Kieran Trippier was any worse than anyone else, but more a case of giving Walker some proper game time ahead of the knockout stages. I think we all expect Southgate to move to a back three at some point, especially when England come up against a top team, and when he does, Walker will be used on the right of that back three. So, he needs to get some minutes under his belt having been out for so long and this represents a good opportunity to give him game time.

GettyJohn Stones

I don’t think the centre-backs need to change. We know that Southgate trusts them and both have started the tournament well. Stones plays a key role in getting England on the front foot with his ability to bring the ball out from the back and he will be important during a game when England are expected to have a lot of possession.

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(C)Getty ImagesHarry Maguire

There is a slight injury concern over Maguire, who seemed to clutch his hamstring during the final minutes of Friday night’s game. But if he is fit, then he has to start against Wales. For all his issues this season, Maguire has started the tournament well and was England’s best player against the United States. And with Kieffer Moore expected to start for Wales, it’s clear that Robert Page’s side will look to get the ball forward quickly and utilise Moore’s excellent aerial ability. Maguire was dominant in the air against the US on Friday night and England will need him to be again to counter the threat of the giant Wales striker.

MatériaMais Notícias

O goleiro Vanderlei foi liberado para resolver as últimas questões contratuais com o Grêmio. Sendo assim, o atleta foi desfalque no treino do Santos na tarde desta quarta-feira, no CT Rei Pelé.

Entretanto, Vanderlei tinha participado sem limitações da atividade desta manhã, também no CT. A pedido do próprio jogador, o Grêmio cobriu a proposta do Atlético-MG de R$ 3 milhões.

Na última terça-feira, o Grêmio tinha enviado os últimos papéis para o departamento jurídico do Santos assinar e fechar a venda de Vanderlei, como o L! antecipou.A negociação durou cerca de duas semanas.

Vanderlei chega para ser titular no Grêmio, que busca um goleiro titular desde a saída de Marcelo Grohe, no fim de 2018. No Peixe, o atleta ganhou um bicampeonato paulista entre 2015 e 2016.

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No treino desta quarta, o técnico Jesualdo Ferreira comandou uma atividade de movimentação, passes rápidos e curtos, além de cabeceios. A imprensa só pôde acompanhar os primeiros 15 minutos.

Alguns atletas fizeram um trabalho à parte na academia, como o novo reforço Madson e o zagueiro Felipe Aguilar.

O Santos volta aos trabalhos em dois períodos nesta quinta-feira, no CT Rei Pelé. A estreia no Campeonato Paulista será contra o Bragantino, no próximo dia 23, às 19h15, na Vila Belmiro.

CSA were forced to bend their quota rules after a last-minute injury to a black African player meant the Lions could not meet the stipulated guidelines during their Momentum One Day Cup match against the Titans

Firdose Moonda18-Feb-2016

CSA bent their quota rules after a last-minute injury to a black African player meant the Lions could not meet the stipulated guidelines that compel every franchise to field at least six players of colour, of whom three must be black African, in every XI.Legspinner Eddie Leie, one of the Lions’ three black Africans, was ruled out after sustaining a niggle during the warm-ups ahead of their match against the Titans in Centurion. The Lions had only travelled with 12 players, and their reserve was Rassie van der Dussen, an opening batsman who is white.The Lions had to contact CSA to explain van der Dussen’s inclusion before naming him in the team. “We cleared it with all the relevant CSA officials and they had full understanding for the situation,” a Lions’ insider told ESPNcricinfo.Had CSA not given their permission, Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana. who is black African, was ready to make a comeback to fulfill the selection criteria. Toyana, also a batsman, has not played competitively since his retirement in 2011 but has 84 first-class matches and 71 List A games to his name.As luck would have it, Toyana did make an appearance when his team lost bowler Carmi le Roux to a hamstring niggle. Toyana fielded until the Lions were able to get a replacement from the spectator’s banks. William Wentzel, a student at the Sport School of Excellence Academy in Pretoria, was watching the match with his friends when they were approached to provide their best fielder. Wentzel, who is white, wore Leie’s kit while on the field.In a rain-affected game, the Lions had the Titans 240 for 6 after 35 overs and were 74 for 1 after 10.1 overs in their reply when no further play was possible.