O São Paulo terá um segundo semestre bastante agitado, com a boa campanha no Campeonato Brasileiro, e as disputas da Copa do Brasil, onde está nas semifinais e da Copa Sul-Americana, que está na sua fase de oitavas de final.
Para os tricolores paulistas apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$39,90 na FutFanatics!
Com um calendário bastante intenso tendo jogos praticamente a cada três dias, surge o questionamento se o São Paulo irá priorizar alguma competição. O técnico Dorival Júnior falou sobre o tema e garantiu que não pretende, no momento, priorizar nenhuma competição.
– Neste momento, nós não temos que ter a preocupação de brigar com o Botafogo. É importante que nós continuemos lutando pelos nossos pontos. Nós vamos acompanhando o desenrolar de cada competição. Não vamos abrir mão de nenhuma em momento nenhum. Vamos tentar fazer o nosso máximo e nosso melhor sempre. Nossa expectativa é de que as competiçõescontinuem, e nós busquemos a cada rodada ter a melhor equipe possível. Eu acho que nós não temos que pensar em nada além do jogo seguinte, quer seja do Campeonato Brasileiro, Sul-Americana ou Copa do Brasil. Nós temos é que estar muito focados e procurando fazer o nosso melhor, entrando com a melhor equipe possível – disse o treinador.
+ Clique aqui e veja como apostar no Campeonato Brasileiro
Nas próximas semanas, a chamada ‘semana cheia’ de trabalho como essa, será raro de se ter. O São Paulo volta a campo no sábado (22), para encarar o Cuiabá. Depois, na quarta, vai à Neo Química Arena enfrentar o Corinthians, pela ida da semifinal da Copa do Brasil. No domingo (30), recebe o Bahia, e logo depois, já encara o duelo de ida das oitavas da Sul-Americana, ainda sem adversário definido. Ou seja, serão quatro jogos em 11 dias.
Será menos tempo também para recuperar alguns jogadores que seguem lesionados no Tricolor. No departamento médico até o momento, estão Galoppo (cirurgia no joelho esquerdo), Beraldo (lesão ligamentar no tornozelo esquerdo), Igor Vinícius (transição após cirurgia no púbis), Alan Franco (dores na perna direita), Gabi (fraturas nas costelas) e Belem (gripe), além de Talles Costa e Moreira (aprimoram forma física).
Na última temporada, o ex-técnico do São Paulo, Rogério Ceni preferiu apostar todas as fichas na Copa do Brasil e na Sula, mas acabou sendo eliminado no torneio nacional e perdeu a final do campeonato continental para o Independiente Del Valle (EQU).
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has been advised to follow Harry Kane's example amid a slump in form following a nightmare run with hamstring injuries. The England star has struggled to build up any proper rhythm since hobbling off in December 2024 during Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. After a long stint in the treatment room, Saka returned to action in April against Fulham, but fresh problems resurfaced this summer.
Arsenal’s golden boy still searching for spark
A fresh hamstring setback during the 5-0 demolition of Leeds in August ruled Saka out of clashes against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Athletic Club. Now back on the pitch once more, the 23-year-old has struggled to hit the turbocharged form that made him Arsenal’s most reliable match-winner.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportFitness guru says patience is key
Premier League injury specialist Ben Dinnery has moved to ease fears about Saka’s form, explaining that his comeback is a gradual process rather than an instant fix.
In an interview with, he said: "With Bukayo Saka, he had that big hamstring injury last season and he’s come back into the fold this season and picked up a couple more niggles. I feel like he needs a bit more fluidity to get that match fitness and sharpness back. I wouldn’t be that quick to say that he’s looking a shade of his former self, but the difficulty is that he’s coming back into the forefold and hasn’t had a lot of first team minutes, so it may take him some more time to get back into the flow and intensity of things."
Getty Images SportLook at Kane as the shining example
To underline his point, Dinnery pointed to Harry Kane’s remarkable recovery from his own career-threatening hamstring tear in 2020. The then-Tottenham striker snapped his hamstring against Southampton, sparking fears his best days might be behind him. Instead, Kane came back stronger, breaking records and rewriting the narrative after a 2023 switch to Bayern Munich.
"There’s nothing to suggest that Saka won’t get back to those pre-injury levels; there’s a lot of examples of players who have sustained hamstring injuries and returned to even better levels – Harry Kane is a great example of that," Dinnery argued. "He definitely needs a few weeks to get back to full fitness – and Noni Madueke’s injury means he’ll likely be playing week in, week out, but I wouldn’t be concerned with Saka’s current state at this moment in time."
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Getty Images SportCrucial games looming large
Arsenal’s thrilling 2-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend has given them a lift, but the challenges don’t stop coming. On Wednesday night, the Gunners welcome Olympiacos to the Emirates in a Champions League showdown, before returning to domestic duty with a London derby against West Ham on October 4. For Saka, these fixtures offer the perfect platform to silence the doubters and prove he can still be Arsenal’s game-changer, even while finding his rhythm.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri is reportedly on Real Madrid’s radar once more, with the Spanish giants prepared to part with €150 million (£130m/$175m) in order to bring the midfielder onto their books. The Ballon d'Or winner is, however, considered to be a priceless commodity at the Etihad Stadium and the Premier League heavyweights have no intention of parting with a prized asset.
Rodri a stunning success story for Man City
Rodri, who was named the best player on the planet in 2024 after helping City to another domestic title and his country to European Championship glory, has been in England since 2019. The Madrid native bid farewell to his homeland at that point when severing ties with Atletico.
The 29-year-old has, after a relatively slow start, been a stunning transfer success story for City. They spent £62.6m ($85m) on him when triggering a release clause and are aware that he is now worth at least double that. The Cityzens are, however, not about to put a price tag around Rodri’s neck as they want him to remain on their books for the foreseeable future.
Rodri is only tied to a contract through to 2027, though, and that is keeping the likes of Real interested. They hope that a deal could be done next summer, as City cash in rather than risk losing the classy holding midfielder for nothing. According to , a huge offer is being readied in the Spanish capital.
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How much Real Madrid are willing to pay for Rodri
It is claimed that Los Blancos would be willing to pay €150m to make Rodri another ‘Galactico’ at Santiago Bernabeu. That figure highlights how much Real believe the Spain international would be a crucial addition to their ranks – with long-standing interest being held.
It has previously been claimed that Real would not pay more than €100m (£87m/$117m) for Rodri. They are now prepared to increase that offer in a bid to lure City to the negotiating table. Florentino Perez is said to believe that Rodri could reshape Madrid’s midfield for many years to come – as he fills the void created by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos’ recent departures.
New contract? Why Man City want to avoid sale
City, though, consider Rodri to be the man that makes them tick. Pep Guardiola has previously told : "With him, we are a better team. No doubt. If holding midfielders started getting the recognition of Erling Haaland and Kevin, we would have a problem. The holding midfielder has to never, ever be in the highlights. He has to do the job he has to do. But without him, we could not do what we are doing.
"But the highlights have to belong to other people. The holding midfielder has to think for the rest of the team and do not expect the recognition. But internally? All team-mates and staff, they all know how important and decisive he is. Massively important for us.”
The latest reports regarding Rodri’s future claim that City president Khaldoon Al-Mubarak is determined to keep the Spaniard in his current surroundings. Unsurprisingly, a contract extension offer is said to be in the pipeline that will increase the midfielder’s salary and bring any unwelcome exit talk to a close.
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Immediate future: Rodri recovering from another injury
If Rodri were to indicate that he is ready for a new challenge, with a return to his roots holding plenty of obvious appeal, then City would have no choice but to listen to what Real have to say. That is not, however, a discussion that they are planning to have any time soon.
For now, City are focused on nursing Rodri back to full health. They saw him pick up another untimely knock during a Premier League victory at Brentford. Rodri lasted just 20 minutes of that contest before being forced from the field with a muscle complaint.
No setback has been suffered in his ongoing recovery from the ACL injury that kept him out for several months last season, with Rodri stating that he could be ready for the resumption of Premier League action on October 18 – when City face Everton – having withdrawn from the latest Spain squad in order to avoid any unnecessary risks being taken on his fitness.
Celtic moved back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock in the first game after the international break.
Goals from Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Iheanacho sealed all three points for the Hoops, who had found themselves drawing 1-1 heading into stoppage time.
Iheanacho, who came off the bench to make his debut for the club, scored from the penalty spot in the 96th minute to secure the victory for Brendan Rodgers.
Despite the fact that Celtic won the match, there were a few worrying performances across the board for Celtic, who have scored one goal from open play in their last three games in all competitions.
Rodgers has plenty of options to choose in most positions, perhaps apart from centre-forward, and players know that they need to step up and deliver consistent displays to keep their spot in the side.
With this in mind, Reo Hatate is one of the players who needs to up his game in the coming weeks to retain his position in the starting line-up moving forward.
Why Reo Hatate needs to improve his performances
The Japan international failed to impress against Kilmarnock after being selected to start alongside Callum McGregor and Benjamin Nygren in the middle of the park.
Hatate is in the team to be a threat at the top end of the pitch by scoring and creating goals, as a dynamic midfielder who is not the type to sit back and defend.
Unfortunately, the 27-year-old star was fairly anonymous at the top end of the pitch throughout his 70 minutes of game time, with no shots on target and no ‘big chances’ created for his team, per Sofascore.
Since his exceptional goal against Aberdeen, shown in the clip above, near the start of August, Hatate has failed to produce a goal or an assist for the Scottish giants in the middle of the park.
His performances across the two legs against Kairat, in which Celtic failed to score a single goal, were particularly disappointing for a player of his quality in midfield.
Reo Hatate vs Kairat
1st leg
2nd leg
Minutes
90
105
Shots on target
1
0
Pass accuracy
84%
68%
Big chances created
0
1
Duels won
0/8
3/15
Fouls committed
3
4
Possession lost
16x
25x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Hatate did not do enough to help the team offensively or defensively, as he was dominated in duels whilst being incredibly wasteful with the ball at his feet.
It is frustrating to see the Japan international turn in consistently underwhelming performances because he has the quality to do better. Last season, he scored ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ for Celtic in 27 starts in the Premiership, per Sofascore.
This shows that he is capable of producing more quality in the final third, which is why Rodgers should expect him to do more if he wants to keep his place in the side.
Thankfully, for Celtic, the Northern Irish head coach has been brewing the club’s next Hatate over the last 13 months or so in the form of Luke McCowan.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
The Scottish midfielder was signed from Dundee for a fee of £1m in the summer of 2024 and he has proven himself to be a useful squad member, whose value has soared during his time at Parkhead.
Celtic are brewing their next Reo Hatate
As aforementioned, Hatate is in the Hoops team to deliver quality in the final third by scoring and assisting goals, which is exactly what McCowan was born to do.
The left-footed midfield star has been a bit-part player for the most part throughout his career in Glasgow to date, but his performances when called upon suggest that Rodgers is brewing a talent who could take Hatate’s place as a regular starter.
Per Transfermarkt, McCowan’s value has soared to £2.2m, more than double what the club paid for him. That is higher than new signing Sebastian Tounekti, who is valued at £1m, despite the Tunisia international’s impressive debut with five completed dribbles against Kilmarnock.
The Scottish midfielder has proven his worth by delivering quality performances on the pitch in the Premiership when called upon by the Scottish giants since the start of last season.
His value soaring above Tounekti’s, who is an exciting new signing for the Hoops this season, is a testament to the quality he has shown for the club to date.
McCowan has already scored one goal in one start in the league so far this term for the Hoops, with his strike against St Mirren on the opening day to claim all three points for the team.
The former Dundee star, who was described as “tenacious” by writer Kai Watson, ended the 2024/25 campaign with eight goals and eight assists in 16 starts in the Premiership for Dundee and Celtic combined.
24/25 Premiership
Luke McCowan per 90
Percentile rank vs CMs
xG
0.31
Top 3%
Goals
0.46
Top 4%
Shots on target
1.26
Top 3%
xA
0.40
Top 3%
Assists
0.46
Top 5%
Chances created
2.51
Top 5%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, McCowan racked up 0.92 goals and assists per 90 in the top-flight last season, which shows that he consistently delivered when called upon in the final third.
This suggests that he has the potential to overtake Hatate as the starter in that midfield slot, because the Japanese flop has only scored one goal and failed to provide any assists in six starts in all competitions this season, per Sofascore.
Rodgers may have unearthed Celtic's next Tierney & it's not Saracchi
Celtic may have found their next Kieran Tierney and it is not Marcelo Saracchi.
ByDan Emery Sep 14, 2025
Therefore, Rodgers may be brewing the successor to Hatate’s place in the XI in McCowan, who could become a regular if the Japan international does not improve his performances.
New South Wales captain Moises Henriques has announced his retirement from first-class cricket having stepped away from the format part way through the 2024-25 season.Henriques, 38, who played four Tests for Australia, will remain available for NSW in the One-Day Cup and has one season remaining on his current deal with Sydney Sixers who he also captains.Henriques did not feature for NSW in the Sheffield Shield since early November with Jack Edwards, who had been named the one-day captain ahead of the season, leading the side for the remainder of the campaign where NSW pushed for a place in the Shield final before finishing fourth.”I pretty much made my mind up before Christmas this year that it was time for me to stop playing Sheffield Shield cricket,” Henriques said “It was an honour to be able to lead and play for this state for so long, but playing for NSW means leading not only through words and preparation but also performances.”My body was still able, even at this ripe old age, but I just wasn’t leading by winning games of cricket for my state in the longer format of the game which I believe you have to do at this age.”We have a terrific group of younger players that will take over and move this great state forward and I will watch on with keen eyes. I’d love to thank them for providing me an environment to love going to work in.”Overall in first-class cricket Henriques made 6830 runs at 34.84 including 13 centuries and claimed 127 wickets at 30.75.As an emerging player he was touted as a future star for Australia and made 68 and 81 not out on his Test debut against India in Chennai in 2013 but did not reach double figures in his next three matches, two more against India and one against Sri Lanka in 2016.”I leave the team in great hands with Jack Edwards who took over and has showed such strong leadership already so early in his career,” Henriques said.”I want to thank Cricket NSW for their ongoing support. I’ve been a part of this organisation since I was 17 and they’ve helped me every step of the way. Twenty-one years on now, I hope to still offer my best in the shorter formats and will continue to do what I can to give back to this game that has given me so much.”New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd paid tribute to the impact Henriques has made on and off the field.”What Moises has been able to bring to NSW on the field is well documented, but it should also be recognised what he has brought to the Blues off the field over so many years,” Shipperd said.”He is the consummate professional and leader and cricket in NSW is far greater for Moises’ contribution. We saw this year in the One-Day Cup and during the BBL that he still has plenty to give, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with Moises.”
T20 cricket, one of five new disciplines at the next Olympic Games, in Los Angeles in 2028, will have six-team competitions in both the men’s and the women’s categories. The teams will have to name 15-member squads, with the official programme, released on Wednesday, allocating 90 athlete quotas for each category.There is no clarity yet on the qualification criteria for the Olympic Games.If USA, as the home team, get direct qualification, that would leave fewer qualifying slots. There is also the question of who will represent the West Indies, since the islands in the Caribbean participate as separate countries at Olympic Games, as they do at the Commonwealth Games. At Birmingham 2022, for example, when women’s T20 cricket was included, Barbados took part. West Indies were direct qualifiers, and Barbados were selected because they were the champions of the West Indies’ regional competition of the time – the Twenty20 Blaze.Cricket’s return to the Olympic Games after a fleeting appearance in Paris 1900 was confirmed when the proposal to include it was rubber stamped by the International Olympic Committee’s members in October 2023 in Mumbai.At the time, it was reported that all team sports at LA28 would be six-team events in both men and women’s categories, which has been confirmed now. In its proposal to LA28, the ICC had suggested the six teams be shortlisted based on the T20I rankings at a cut-off date. The final call on qualification, while not taken yet, is expected to be made this year.On the question of USA, who are not an ICC Full Member yet, Kit McConnell, the IOC’s sports director, had said in October 2023, “Normally, the host country is one of the teams in the team sports, and then we look at a balance of global strength and regional representation, and try and find that balance within the available quota as well.”
اعترف الهولندي ماتياس دي ليخت بأن فريقه مانشستر يونايتد استغلّ ثنائي ليفربول باعتبارهما نقطة ضعف خلال مباراة الفريقين بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وحل مانشستر يونايتد ضيفًا على ليفربول بملعب “آنفيلد” ضمن مباريات الجولة الثامنة للدوري الإنجليزي “البريميرليج”.
وتغلب مانشستر يونايتد على ليفربول بهدفين مقابل هدف، وجاء هدف الفوز عن طريق هاري ماجواير في الدقائق الأخيرة للقاء.
وأشار دي ليخت إلى أن مانشستر يونايتد استغل عمدًا ميلوس كيركيز، إلى جانب الظهير الأيمن كونور برادلي، باعتبار مركزَي ظهيري ليفربول “نقطة ضعف”.
اقرأ أيضًا | ميكا ريتشاردز: محمد صلاح ليس أكبر من ليفربول ولم يعد كما كان سابقًا
وقال في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية: “كنا نعلم أن ليفربول لديه نقاط ضعف، وهي ظهيريه، كنا جميعًا متحمسين للغاية، وكان التركيز عاليًا جدًا، كانت مباراة اليوم تتطلب تركيزًا كبيرًا”.
وسجل برايان مبيومو هدفًا مبكرًا لمانشستر يونايتد، في الدقيقة الثانية، ثم نجح ليفربول في إدراك التعادل في الدقيقة 78 بفضل كودي جاكبو، لكن عاد يونايتد وسجل ماجواير رأسية حسمت الفوز لفريقه.
It has been an excellent start to the 2025/26 season for Everton. David Moyes’ side have won their last two Premier League games after a defeat on the opening day of the season away to Leeds United. The highlight so far is surely the 2-0 win in the first competitive game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton.
There have been some standout players so far for the Toffees. Jack Grealish has been sensational, with four assists already to his name in just two top-flight starts. He, alongside fellow new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, has been nigh-on unstoppable so far this term.
The two new Toffees stars have formed a really strong partnership with fellow attacker Iliman Ndiaye.
Ndiaye’s start to the season
At 25 years of age, Senegal international Ndiaye is on the cusp of entering his peak years. It certainly feels like Toffees supporters are witnessing one of their most exciting attackers in years, given his start to the season and the form he has shown for the club so far.
Last season, his first as an Everton player, the former Sheffield United star was excellent. He played 37 games across all competitions and scored 11 goals. Nine of those strikes came in the Premier League.
The 2025/26 campaign has begun in much the same fashion for the attacker. He’s played three top-flight games so far, bagging in two of them. The first strike was one of his most special, with Ndiaye scoring the first competitive goal at their new stadium on Bramley Moore Dock.
It is not just Everton fans who can see how good Ndaiye is. Pundits such as Jamie Carragher have taken note, too. The former Liverpool defender said last season that the Senegal international is “an absolute star”, summing up how Toffees supporters must feel about him, too.
With that in mind, it might be a surprise to learn that the 25-year-old is actually not among Everton’s highest earners. According to Capology, he is on just £45k per week at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
That is a figure that is far less than players in Moyes’ squad who have faced criticism for performances rather than praise. There is one person in particular who springs to mind.
The Everton man who earns far more than Ndiaye
It is certainly a surprise that Ndiaye earns so little at Everton. Factoring in his relevant importance, it is not outlandish to think he should be up there with top earners Grealish, who is on £225k per week, and Jordan Pickford, who earns £125k per week.
Instead, shockingly, he earns less than someone like Michael Keane, who has not really covered himself in glory during his time as a Toffee, at least not to the same extent as Ndiaye. The centre-back is surprisingly in the top five pay brackets at Everton.
This term, an injury to Jarrad Branthwaite has seen Keane step into the side for the first three Premier League games and play 90 minutes in each. He also played the entire game in their Carabao Cup second round win over Mansfield Town.
Yet, over the last few years, Keane has barely featured under the likes of Sean Dyche and Moyes. Since 2022/23, the most league games he has played in one campaign have been 14, which was last season.
2022/23
12
983
2023/24
9
438
2024/25
14
1046
Where Ndiaye has received lots of praise for his efforts in an Everton shirt of late, it has been the opposite for Keane. In fact, his namesake, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, once described his defending as “really poor.”
With all that in mind, it is a surprise to learn that he earns £70k per week at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. That is £25k more than Ndiaye, who has certainly performed better over a period of time for the Toffees than Keane has.
Once Branthwaite is back in action, it will be interesting to see if Keane can keep his place in the Everton side. If not, perhaps club owners, the Freidkin Group, are better off cutting their losses soon and selling the defender, to help save room in the wage budget.
His value has risen by 3900%: Everton must rue selling a homegrown Grealish
Given Jack Grealish’s excellent start to life at Everton, the Toffees must surely regret selling their homegrown version for £400k, now worth £16m!
Chelsea have made a transfer breakthrough after agreeing a deal to sign a new “diamond” attacking player for manager Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea hijacked by Tottenham for Xavi Simons
It has been a busy transfer window for the Blues so far in regards to both incomings and outgoings, with BlueCo currently spending more than £250m.
Chelsea signings
From
Fee
Joao Pedro
Brighton
£60m
Jamie Gittens
Borussia Dortmund
£48.5m
Jorrel Hato
Ajax
£37m
Liam Delap
Ipswich
£30m
Estevao Willian
Palmeiras
£29m
Dario Essugo
Sporting CP
£18.4m
Kendry Paez
Independiente
£17.3m
Mamadou Sarr
Strasbourg
£12m
Jesse Derry
Crystal Palace
Undisclosed
That figure could increase even further as well, with those at Stamford Bridge looking to make more attacking additions before Monday’s transfer deadline.
One player who won’t be making the move to Chelsea, though, is Xavi Simons. It looked as if the Netherlands international was on course to sign for Maresca’s side for large parts of the summer, however, rivals Tottenham have come in and secured the attacker’s services from RB Leipzig.
Spurs are paying more than £50m to sign Simons from under the noses of Chelsea and has been given a five-year deal contract in north London.
However, despite missing out on Simons, the Blues have had more luck when it comes to another long-term attacking target.
Chelsea agree £40m Garnacho deal with Man Utd
That’s because Chelsea have agreed a fee with Manchester United for the signing of Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho.
Chelsea will pay a £40million fixed fee for the 21-year-old, as per the PA news agency, with United retaining a 10 per cent sell-on fee clause. The deal represents Man Utd’s fourth-largest sale after the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria, and is the largest fee received for a graduate from the Red Devils’ academy.
The Blues initially offered a fee of £25million for a player who has scored 26 goals in 144 games for United, two of which actually came at Stamford Bridge in 2024. Garnacho will follow Marcus Rashford out of the Red Devils door to become the second member of United’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ of unwanted players to secure a move away from Old Trafford.
Chelsea have already signed Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian in a revamp of their attack this summer, and Garnacho is likely to compete with Gittens on the left wing.
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The deal for Garnacho, called a “diamond” by Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, comes as Christopher Nkunku closes in on a move from Chelsea to AC Milan in a deal understood to be worth around £36million.
Heading into added on time at Fulham, Leeds United looked as if they were going to have to make do with a second successive stalemate in the Premier League.
A point would have likely been taken as well after a valiant defensive display in West London saw Joe Rodon win a commanding five aerial duels, while Karl Darlow in between the sticks stayed alert throughout, with three big saves registered.
Unfortunately, an own-goal right at the death from Gabriel Gudmundsson would hand the Cottagers all three points, as the summer purchase from Lille accidentally placed a header past Darlow – after stopping a Fulham attacker from connecting with a late corner-kick – to break Leeds hearts.
This sucker punch shouldn’t detract too much from the otherwise committed defensive display on Leeds’ travels, but the loss did definitely highlight the lack of cutting edge Daniel Farke’s relegation-threatened side possesses in attack, as another goal-shy performance was served up.
Leeds' poor displays in attack
Since the opening day victory over Everton at Elland Road, Leeds have failed to score a single goal from open play, with that worrying trend continuing away at Marco Silva’s fortunate hosts.
Not even the added presence of new signing Noah Okafor to the starting XI could inspire an improved performance in the forward areas, with the former AC Milan winger failing to hit a single on-target effort at Bernd Leno’s goal, before being hauled off just shy of the 70-minute mark.
Brenden Aaronson did show occasional glimpses of quality down Okafor’s opposing right-hand side, with one big chance unfortunately squandered by the hot-and-cold American, but it was another flat display that will seriously worry Leeds in their hunt for more wins near the foot of the division.
In particular, one underperformer up top at Craven Cottage will have irked Farke to the point where he feels his spot in the first team is no longer concrete, with a huge clash at the bottom of the table coming Leeds’ way next against Wolverhampton Wanderers, demanding a more potent display in the attacking areas.
The "bang average" Leeds star who must now be axed
It’s not as if Fulham blew away the visitors either, with Silva’s men being restricted to just five efforts all afternoon due to a tight-knit Leeds defence routinely keeping them at bay.
However, there is always a possibility that a side will come back into a game if your own finishing is so wasteful, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin endured another frustrating day at the office, leading the line for the away team.
Having missed four big chances on his debut as Leeds were dumped out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday, Calvert-Lewin would have been looking for a swift change of fortunes, lining up for Farke’s men on Saturday. Instead, the ex-Everton marksman would trudge off the pitch after 69 minutes, looking rather dejected by his unmemorable efforts.
Indeed, the 28-year-old’s overall numbers from the 1-0 defeat don’t paint a pretty picture, with Calvert-Lewin giving up the ball every three touches, just one glaring statistic of many that makes for some pretty grim reading.
Minutes played
69
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
15
Shots on target
0
Accurate passes
5/8 (63%)
Total duels won
6/6
Possession lost
5
The brand-new number nine did throw himself about valiantly with all six of his duels won, but it’s clear that Calvert-Lewin is still bereft of confidence in front of goal, with zero shots on target being registered at Leno’s goal, despite his commanding presence in the air.
His passive showing in terms of peppering Leno’s net would even see Sky Sports’ Michael Dawson, when speaking on Gillette Soccer Saturday, state that Calvert-Lewin was “bang average” throughout, with a starting spot now not looking so secure.
Further handed a low 6/10 rating post-match by the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who bemoaned Calvert-Lewin ‘needlessly’ finding himself offside throughout the tense affair, it will be interesting to see who the German picks for the crunch clash at Molineux.
With Joel Piroe and Lukas Nmecha also at the former Norwich City’s disposal up top, it could well be that one of those reserve faces gets the nod over the former England international shortly, as Calvert-Lewin has depressingly failed to hit the ground running in West Yorkshire.
£2.5m Leeds player now house-hunting to seal permanent Elland Road exit
The Whites appear set to swiftly offload the man in question.