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Pedro Porro has hit out at Tottenham Hotspur fans on his Instagram story, accusing the Spurs faithful of disrespecting his team-mates in the club's humiliating 2-1 defeat by Fulham. Thomas Frank's side have been pitiful at home this season and were again on the losing side, prompting boos from the stands in north London directed at goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Vicario howler leads to fan jeers

Spurs were again defeated at home as the pressure continues to mount on their new Danish head coach. Finding themselves down 2-0 after just six minutes, Spurs were already chasing the game and could only claw back one goal in the second half through Mohammed Kudus. It marked yet another disappointing day for the club who were thrashed last week by bitter rivals Arsenal and conceded five in an eight-goal thriller in France against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Taking a lot of the ire from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium terraces was Vicario, who was at fault for Harry Wilson’s goal. The Italian had carried the ball wide and could only clear the ball as far as Josh King in the Cottagers’ midfield. The teenager set the ball to the Welsh winger who was able to curl an effort from distance into the gaping goal. Following the mistake, the Spurs fans booed Vicario whenever he got the ball and the desperately toxic atmosphere at the club continues to worsen.

After the game, Frank defender his players and slammed the fans who vented their fury at the squad. He told : “I didn't like that our fans booed at him [Vicario] straight after and a few times he touched the ball. They can't be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you are on the pitch. And we do everything we can to perform. After, fair enough, boo, no problem. But not during. That's unacceptable in my opinion."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPorro hits out at Spurs fans

Following suit, Porro has also offered his thoughts on the booing. He took to social media to criticise the ‘disrespect’ shown to Vicario and was unhappy that the Italian had been on the end of severe sticks by his own supporters.

On his Instagram story, Porro said: “Football is emotions. In football, as it life, there can always be mistakes, what I will not tolerate is hearing disrespect from the fans to my teammates, hence my frustration at the end of the game.”

He added that the Spurs players “will get up” and sent a reminder that they won the Europa League last season, despite their league performances being dire – finishing 17th in the Premier League.

“We remind you six months ago, everything was so bad, and in the end it is not how it begins, but how it ends. To the true Spurs fan, I love you.”

Spurs in crisis

Unfortunately for Porro, Spurs are not in the Europa League this season and, unless they pull of a miracle and win the Champions League, their place in Europe’s top competition next season is already slipping away.

Also, by claiming that fans that boo are not ‘true fans’, the Spanish defender may risk aggravating a frustrated fan base yet further. Spurs fans would be more than justified to demand that Porro and his team-mates start performing at the required level, rather than posting messages on social media.

The reality is, Spurs have been incredibly poor in recent weeks and three defeats in six days will do little to win over an exasperated fanbase. Two defeats in as many games against London rivals will have only deepened the grievances in the north of the capital and Spurs have lots of work to do to ensure they do not slip yet further down the division.

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Getty Images SportFrank in trouble

Frank is in desperate need of a positive result against Newcastle next week if he is to remain in the Spurs dugout. The Magpies will not provide an easy proposition either, having bounced back this weekend with a 4-1 thumping of Everton. If the results do not improve, it is difficult to see the former Brentford man lasting too much longer.

What do former Arsenal players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale all have in common?

They were three of the first names on the team sheet during the early days of the Mikel Arteta reign at the Emirates Stadium but it wasn’t too long before they were given the boot.

While Ramsdale was actually signed by Arteta, replacing Bernd Leno, the Englishman was eventually told to find a new club once David Raya had established himself as the number 1.

Aubameyang’s situation was altogether rather different. His public falling out with Arteta is well documented (video below) after the Spaniard famously stripped the striker of the club captaincy.

The forward’s attitude and punctuality were questioned on a regular basis. The Gabonese was regularly late for things.

Despite being key to the FA Cup, still Arteta’s only trophy to date, he left in controversial circumstances and is not remembered in too many glowing terms now.

The same cannot be said of Smith Rowe. His exit from north London was far sadder.

The downfall of Emile Smith Rowe at Arsenal

The date is 26th July 2018. Arsene Wenger is no longer in the hot seat and during Unai Emery’s first pre-season in charge, Arsenal face Atletico Madrid.

Not much is remembered about that game besides the impact a 17-year-old Smith Rowe made. He scored a sumptuous goal from range, showcasing an abundance of potential in the process.

For the most part, the young attacking midfielder lived up to his early hype, but it was not until the Arteta regime began that he became one of the finest in the Premier League.

Smith Rowe earned his England debut in 2021 and went from strength to strength, buoyed further by the emergence of fellow Hale Ender, Bukayo Saka.

In 2021/22, the goalscoring midfielder was in electric from, notably finding the net on 11 occasions.

However, a dismal run of injuries eventually halted the now 25-year-old’s progress. Smith Rowe still has a dazzling run in him but his fitness was totally unreliable. Show an unreliable trait and more often than not you don’t last very long with Arteta.

No one can fault the academy graduate’s commitment and attitude but so rotten were his injury problems that he only started three league games during his final year with Arsenal.

That said, even when he was available, he very rarely started many games of football towards the end. He was an unused substitute on a remarkable 18 occasions in 2023/24 and only played 346 Premier League minutes.

Smith Rowe looked bright in cameos but he must have known his race was run. A mighty fine player he was, but he had now fallen victim to injuries and Arsenal’s increased depth and quality. By now, Martin Odegaard had entered the fray.

So, in the modern day, who is now facing the same treatment from the manager?

Arsenal "warrior" is becoming their new Smith Rowe

The job Arteta and his transfer chiefs have performed in the transfer window in recent years has been extraordinary, but it took for Edu Gaspar to leave and Andrea Berta to arrive for things to really ramp up.

While many thought Liverpool had won the summer transfer window of 2025, spending British record sums on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, Arsenal were rightfully commended for the way they went about their business.

The forward line was finally bolstered but the defence was not neglected either, of course it wasn’t. Arteta loves a defender and he has totally transformed the Gunners’ backline since becoming head coach.

From the days of Rob Holding and David Luiz to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, it’s been quite the change. Well, this summer saw the arrivals of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie. In the process, it has hurt the game time of two players.

Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori are now ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order, while Benjamin White has perhaps suffered even more from Arsenal’s increased squad depth and quality.

White arrived in a £50m deal from Brighton back in the summer of 2021 and has proven himself to be a fabulous capture. It was an eye-watering amount of money to pay for a player with one full season of Premier League experience but that price tag has looked like a relative bargain considering his performances.

Arriving as a centre-back, he endured a tricky debut game against Brentford where Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville criticised his ability in the air and his strength.

While White has featured at centre-back plenty of times since then, it’s at right-back where he made a home for himself in Arteta’s side. His partnership with Bukayo Saka on the right flank became one of the club’s biggest weapons. Michael Owen said as much, describing it as “very important for Arsenal.”

It was a potent attacking threat but one that worked tremendously well defensively too. “The amount of defending he does for me is crazy. He never leaves me one-on-one,” White once said about Saka.

That once fabled partnership has been a rare one over the last year, however. That’s largely because of Jurrien Timber, but also because of injuries.

Timber bounced back from a horrific ACL injury during his debut year in north London to become the undisputed number one choice at right-back last season. The Dutchman played 48 times in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting four goals. White, on the other hand, featured in 26 matches but started on just 13 occasions in the league. That was not just due to Timber’s remarkable form but a troublesome knee problem.

This term, White has returned to full fitness but like Smith Rowe, cannot break into the team despite his qualities.

Ben White’s Arsenal career

Season

Games

Goal involvements

2021/22

37

0

2022/23

46

7

2023/24

51

9

2024/25

26

2

2025/26

6

0

Stats via Transfermarkt.

In his final campaign with the Gunners, the attacking midfielder was regularly a substitute, something we’ve alluded to already, and White is suffering the same fate.

The 28-year-old played 71 minutes during the 1-0 win over Manchester United on the opening weekend of the campaign but has not played a single minute of Premier League football since. He has been an unused sub on eight occasions.

Firmly being given the Smith Rowe treatment, the defender is also struggling to break into the Champions League side, having played only 82 minutes across Arsenal’s four ties.

White has been an excellent servant since signing. He’s a “warrior” in the words of scout Jacek Kulig, but he has been surpassed swiftly by Timber, just as Odegaard surpassed Smith Rowe all of those years ago.

Whether the full-back gets back into the team only time will tell, but it may take an injury to one of the backline for him to save his career at the Emirates Stadium.

Ben Stokes waiting for final look at pitch before making call on all-pace attack

Matt Roller20-Nov-2025England have deferred a final decision on their team for the first Ashes Test until Friday morning as they weigh up the merits of picking a spinner in Perth.Ben Stokes has often named an XI two full days out from Tests since taking over as captain, but on this occasion England announced they had trimmed their 16-man squad down to 12 names on Wednesday. Stokes said before England’s training session on Thursday afternoon that they would “probably” have a final team later in the day, but has instead opted for a final look at the pitch on the first morning.England’s biggest decision surrounds the possible inclusion of Shoaib Bashir on a pitch expected to offer pace and bounce for their fast bowlers. Australia’s Nathan Lyon has a formidable record at Perth Stadium, with 29 wickets at 20.86, but visiting spinners have a combined record of eight wickets at 87.50 at the venue.Related

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Bashir has not played competitively since taking the final wicket in England’s fifth-day win over India at Lord’s in July, having broken the little finger on his left hand earlier in the match. He was expensive in England’s warm-up match last week, returning figures of 2 for 151 off 24 overs, but Stokes backed him to play a role at some stage in the series.”Team sport takes all 11 [players] to influence a game at some point,” Stokes said. “All 11 guys who get the honour of being selected in the next five games will be just as important as each other. He was always going to be in the 12-man [squad]. Seeing the way the game at Lilac Hill went, it felt like we could just get him as many opportunities to bowl as possible.”It leaves open the possibility that England will field an all-seam attack for only the third time since Stokes took over as captain three years ago, which would see Jofra Archer and Mark Wood paired together for only the second time in Tests. They have lost on both previous occasions, against Australia at Lord’s in 2023 and against India at The Oval in August.Wood appeared to be a major doubt after hamstring soreness in England’s warm-up game, but Stokes was bullish about his prospects on Thursday. “He’s flying,” Stokes said. “I know you guys say he only bowled eight overs in the game, but he’s been bowling for a long, long time. He has always been someone who can just hit the ground running in a game, and he’s bowling rapid.”Some of England’s unused squad members may feature for England Lions in their four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill, which also starts on Friday. Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Matthew Potts are all in contention to play.England XII: Ben Stokes (capt), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Which of two results surprised you more: Kusal Perera overcoming the greatest odds in Durban or Australia manufacturing a win out of nothing in Adelaide?

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The SA-SL 2019 Durban Test moves into the quarter-finals.Kusal Perera’s one-man show, Durban 2019
Sri Lanka were coming off a 2-0 pummeling in Australia, their captain had just been sacked, and an inexperienced team, led by Dimuth Karunaratne, reached South Africa.Then, in what was one of the most dramatic Tests in history, Sri Lanka emerged victorious, chasing down 304 with one wicket to spare. They had lost their ninth wicket while still 78 runs off their target. Kusal Perera then scored 67 of them in an incredible finale on the fourth afternoon along with the No. 11 Vishwa Fernando, as they saw their team home. Towards the end, you knew where this was going, even if it was just a matter of one good delivery.At lunch on the day, Sri Lanka were 166 for 5, still 138 runs away, after which Keshav Maharaj ripped through the lower-middle order, leaving them at 226 for 9. That brought Vishwa to the middle, and he was entirely focused on survival. He faced 22 balls before he got off the mark.As Fernando clung on at one end, Perera defended with unreal calm and even took several blows to his body on his way to the target. Batting for 309 minutes, he farmed the strike, and picked his opportunities to attack and push the score forward. Along the way, he also made his career-best Test score of 153*.Manufacturing a win – Adelaide, 2006The final day of the Adelaide Test of 2006-07 started with 1123 runs already scored, and only 17 wickets having fallen. The ESPNcricinfo report after the fourth day’s play was headlined “Draw beckons after Clarke hundred” – Michael Clarke was the fourth century-getter in the Test, after Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting.But within no time on the fifth morning, Shane Warne had broken through, and 54 overs into the day, England were done for 129. And Australia had a target: 168. In 36 overs. That meant an “asking rate” of 4.67.Australia had their own version of Bazball for the job, though.Matthew Hayden’s 18 came off 17 balls. Ponting’s 49 off 65. Mike Hussey remained unbeaten on 61 off 66. And Clarke, slow by comparison, scored 21 not out in 39 balls. And it was done. Australia victors by six wickets, with 3.1 overs in the bag, having gone at a scoring rate of 5.11.

علق فاروق جعفر، لاعب الزمالك السابق، على اختيارات حسام حسن المدير الفني لـ منتخب مصر، لقائمة اللاعبين المشاركين في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب.

وأعلن حسام حسن، قائمة تضم 28 لاعبًا لخوض المعسكر الأخير، قبل خوض منافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا القادمة بنهاية شهر ديسمبر الجاري.

طالع | قائمة منتخب مصر استعدادًا لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025

وقال جعفر خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “نمبر وان” المذاع على قناة “سي بي سي”: “قائمة منتخب مصر التي أعلنها كابتن حسام حسن دائمًا ما يكون المدير الفني له وجهة نظر، لأنه يرى اللاعبين في الملعب ويعرف مستواهم الفني، وأكيد يفضّل اللاعبين الذين يلعبون في البطولات الإفريقية، ونحن هنا نتكلم عن الأهلي والزمالك وبيراميدز”.

وأضاف: “حسام حسن لديه الخبرة ويختار اللاعبين الذين سيستفاد منهم، والقائمة مقنعة وليس بها ظلم، وعن ناصر ماهر، والاختيار سيكون بين الثلاثي ناصر ماهر وزيزو وإمام عاشور، لو أنا سأختار إمام وزيزو بالفعل مثل اختيار حسام”.

وتابع: “زيزو لديه خبرات عالية جدًا، وإمام عاشور أسهمه عالية جدًا، وفي المباراة السابقة مع النادي الأهلي لعب دقائق معدودة وأحرز هدف”.

بخصوص اختيار صلاح محسن مهاجم المصري، أوضح جعفر: “صلاح لاعب مميز، وآخر مباراة أحرز هدف مميز جدًا”.

وأكمل :”هناك فرق بين اللعب في الدوري المصري يشاهده 15 أو 20 ألف، وفرق بين من يلعب في بطولة إفريقية بها أفضل لاعبين في العالم، وفرق بها خبرات كبيرة تريد الفوز بالبطولة ومنافسات معنوية كبيرة”.

واستمر: “المدير الفني يبحث عن اللاعبين الذين لديهم المستوى الفني القريب من بعض، هذا الأساس يتم عليه اختيار لاعبي المنتخب”.

وأتم: “محمد صلاح من أفضل اللاعبين في العالم، والمنتخب يحتاج إلى اللاعبين أصحاب الخبرات، والأداء الفني لديهم قريب من بعض”.

The sale of the Tampa Bay Rays to a group led by Jacksonville real estate developer Patrick Zalupski is on track to be finalized as soon as September, according to a report from Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of

The sale, which will be for around $1.7 billion, is expected to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area—with a strong preference to be in Tampa proper rather than St. Petersburg, per the report.

The team's current owner, Stu Sternberg, purchased the franchise for $200 million in 2004. The team is searching for a new stadium after the damage to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg from Hurricane Milton last fall. Repairs are well underway at Tropicana, and the hope is that the Rays will be able to play there next season while a new stadium is potentially built.

The Rays have been playing home games this season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, while repairs continue at Tropicana Field.

Just 21 T20Is old, Abhishek Sharma is making a name for himself as a six-hitter to rival the best

Sampath Bandarupalli24-Sep-20251:20

Chopra: Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek

58 Sixes hit by Abhishek Sharma in 21 T20I innings. He is already the joint seventh among batters with the most sixes for India in men’s T20Is.Since his T20I debut in July 2024, only Austria’s Karanbir Singh (99) and UAE’s Muhammad Waseem (60) have hit more sixes than Abhishek. Among Full-Member nation players, Sanju Samson ranks second with 37 sixes.6.83 Balls per six for Abhishek in this format, the second best among 153 players with 50-plus sixes in men’s T20Is. Gibraltar’s Kayron Stagno has the best, averaging a six every 6.61 balls. Abhishek’s balls-per-six ratio is the best among Full-Member nation players, with Andre Russell (7.21) ranking second.2.76 Sixes per innings for Abhishek, also the second-best ratio among batters with 50-plus sixes. Karanbir Singh is ahead with 3.14, having hit 113 sixes in 36 innings. Evin Lewis (2.13) is the only player from Full-Member nations, apart from Abhishek, with a ratio of two or more sixes per innings.6 Instances of Abhishek hitting five or more sixes in a T20I, including Wednesday’s Asia Cup fixture against Bangladesh. Among Indians, only Rohit Sharma (13) and Suryakumar Yadav (9) have hit five or more sixes in a T20I more often than Abhishek.32 Abhishek’s sixes in the powerplay overs. Only three Indians have hit more sixes in the first six overs in men’s T20Is. Abhishek has hit 23 sixes in the middle overs (7-16) and three at the death (17-20) in T20Is.33 Sixes for Abhishek against pace bowlers off 246 balls, at a rate of one every 7.46 balls. Against spinners, he has hit one every six balls on average – 25 sixes in 150 balls.331 Number of balls Abhishek took to bring up 50 sixes in T20Is, the fewest among all T20I batters. His 50th six came on Sunday in the Asia Cup fixture against Pakistan. Gibraltar’s Kayron J Stagno was the previous quickest – 335 balls – while the next fastest from Full-Member nation players is Lewis (366 balls).

Raphinha has admitted he is partly to blame for the two injury relapses that kept him sidelined for more than two months, but the Barcelona winger says he is finally ready to help the team again. The Brazilian revealed he endured a “very tough time” during his recovery but hopes to feature against Chelsea in a decisive Champions League clash, as he insists the team’s European ambitions remain intact.

Raphinha takes responsibility for relapses

The Brazilian international opened up about the injury setbacks that have kept him out for over two months, conceding that his own decisions contributed to a recovery process that took far longer than expected. The Brazilian forward is now pushing to make his full return against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a fixture he described as “special” and vital to Barca’s ambition of finishing in the Champions League top eight.

Barcelona will rely heavily on the renewed energy and creativity Raphinha can provide, especially after back-to-back European performances that placed their league-phase ambitions at risk. His target is clear: to contribute immediately and help stabilise a Barça team that has struggled too often in this year’s Champions League.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'I take responsibility' – Brazilian explains

The winger explained that eagerness to return too soon ultimately led to complications. "There may have been mistakes… or there may not have been," he told reporters. "The first relapse was partly my fault, and I can take responsibility for the second one as well. I wanted to be back as quickly as possible, and I made a mistake, hence the relapses.

"I can take responsibility for that, because in the end, I do things, and if I think they won't help me, I should be the first to say no. I take responsibility for both relapses because I wanted to be back on the field as soon as possible to help the team. I made a few mistakes, and that's why I had those two relapses.

“It was a difficult time. I'm someone who always wants to be with the team, and spending these two months without being able to play was tough, and I need to get back into match fitness. I hope to return to the form everyone knows."

Brazil star frustrated by lack of recognition

Raphinha also appeared visibly annoyed when discussing his absence from last season’s individual accolades, especially coming in fifth in the Ballon d'Or rankings. “The truth is I think I deserved much more. These are individual awards… I'm satisfied with having a spectacular season. Others are the ones who vote,” he added.

His mission, however, is immediate, to regain the form that made him one of Barca’s most decisive players last season. and to begin that resurgence in the Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge.

Raphinha’s return comes as Barca approach one of their most important matches of the season. Their 3-3 draw at Club Brugge left them in a difficult position in the league phase.

Chelsea, unbeaten in five matches, present a complex tactical challenge under Enzo Maresca. Barca, meanwhile, have shown signs of improvement domestically with three consecutive La Liga wins, but the gap between their league and Champions League performances remains stark. Their defensive instability in Europe has been particularly worrying.

Raphinha said he is ready to help restore belief. “Being able to play again is already something special for me. I've been out for two months. If the manager plays me, I'll give my best.” He also reaffirmed the club’s ambitions: “The main objective of this club is to win the Champions League."

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Getty Images SportChelsea showdown next

Barca travel to London knowing the stakes could not be higher as a win keeps them alive in the race for a top-eight finish. But, with key players still sidelined, including Pedri, Hansi Flick will hope Raphinha can deliver immediate impact off the bench or from the start. The winger is expected to receive more minutes after featuring as a substitute for just nine minutes against Athletic Club.

Following Chelsea, Barca face a demanding run of fixtures across La Liga and Europe as the calendar intensifies in December. Raphinha’s fitness, rhythm, and confidence will be pivotal in determining whether the Catalan side can rediscover the attacking consistency required to navigate this period successfully.

MatériaMais Notícias

São Paulo e Palmeiras se enfrentam às 20h desta segunda-feira (29), no Morumbis, pela quarta rodada do Brasileirão. Os técnicos Zubeldía e Abel Ferreira definiram as equipes escalações para o clássico.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

O Tricolor teve algumas mudanças no time, e Ferreirinha, por exemplo, fica no banco de reservas. Outra novidade é o retorno de James Rodríguez entre os relacionados.

Placar exato! Coloque R$100 no Lance! Betting e fature R$470 no placar que mais se repetiu em São Paulo x Palmeiras

A escalação do São Paulo para enfrentar o Palmeiras é: Rafael; Igor Vinícius, Arboleda, Alan Franco, Diego Costa e Welington; Alisson e Bobadilla; Luciano, André Silva e Calleri.

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O Verdão também conta com alterações. O garoto Estêvão começa como titular, com Flaco López e Endrick no ataque. Lázaro e Mayke estão entre os reservas.

A escalação do Palmeiras para enfrentar o São Paulo é: Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Gómez, Murilo e Piquerez; Aníbal, Richard Ríos e Raphael Veiga; Estêvão, Endrick e Flaco López.

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Tudo sobre

PalmeirasSão Paulo

Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has had a brilliant start to his return to Parkhead with two wins in his first two matches in the dugout.

He masterminded a 4-0 win over Falkirk in his first game back, despite the Hoops having lost their last two matches in the Scottish Premiership prior to that outing.

The experienced manager then led his team to the final of the League Cup with a 3-1 win over Rangers, after extra time, at Hampden Park on Sunday.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not O’Neill will still be in the dugout when that final rolls around, as the Hoops are still looking for their permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers.

The former Celtic manager tendered his resignation at the start of last week, after a 3-1 loss to Hearts, but the club do not seem particularly close to making an appointment at this moment in time.

As part of their process to find their next manager, the Scottish giants should be looking for someone who has a better record of competing in Europe.

Why Celtic need an upgrade on Brendan Rodgers in Europe

There is no doubt that Rodgers was excellent for the Hoops on the whole when it came to competing domestically, as he won four trophies in his two full seasons back at Parkhead.

The former Liverpool and Leicester City head coach won the Premiership title in both of those campaigns, although he did leave the club eight points adrift of Hearts last week.

However, Rodgers struggled in Europe throughout both of his spells in charge of Celtic, in both the Champions League and the Europa League.

The Hoops reached the play-off round, just before the last 16, in the Champions League last season, only to lose to Bayern Munich, after the change in format to a league phase.

That is the furthest that any of Rodgers’ Celtic teams managed to go in any European competition across six seasons at the club, though, as they never reached as much as a quarter-final.

25/26

Intermediate stage

Group stage

24/25

Group stage

N/A

23/24

Group stage

N/A

18/19

N/A

Intermediate stage

17/18

Group stage

Intermediate stage

16/17

Group stage

N/A

The Northern Irish manager has won six and lost 18 of his 36 matches in the Champions League as a manager, which includes one win in six games at Liverpool, per Transfermarkt.

These statistics show that Rodgers has struggled in European competitions throughout his career, which is why he may not have been the right man to push Celtic forward in the Champions League or the Europa League.

It is also why the Hoops board should be looking for a head coach who has the potential to help the club to kick on in Europe, in order to compete for trophies on the continent as well as in Scotland.

Plenty of managers have already been linked with replacing Rodgers in the dugout at Parkhead, but there is one in particular who could be a key upgrade on Rodgers.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

It was recently reported that the Scottish giants have approached Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen as they look to establish a shortlist of options for the role.

The report claimed that the Hoops will look to use the lure of big wages to tempt him to make the move from the Belgian club, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be a successful approach.

Why Celtic should appoint Nicky Hayen

Celtic should push to bring Hayen to Parkhead to be the long-term replacement for Rodgers because his success at Club Brugge, domestically and in Europe, has been very impressive.

The Belgian boss, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, won the Pro League as an interim manager at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, before finishing second to USG by three points last term, per Transfermarkt.

Hayen won the Belgian Cup last season, though, and the Belgian Super Cup at the start of the current campaign, which means that he has won three trophies in roughly 18 months as the interim and permanent manager.

The Celtic target’s biggest selling point as a manager, however, should be his side’s impressive performance in Europe, as he reached the last 16 of the Champions League in the 2024/25 campaign, which is further than Rodgers after took the club.

Matches

4

15

Wins

2

6

Draws

1

2

Losses

1

7

Points per game

1.75

1.33

Best finish

Semi-finals

Last 16

As you can see in the table above, Hayen also reached the semi-finals of the Conference League in the 2023/24 campaign, winning in the quarter-finals before losing the semi to Fiorentina.

The Club Brugge boss, who was hailed as a “workaholic” by his former chairman Rob Edwards, has won as many Champions League games in 15 matches and 18 months as their manager as Rodgers has in his entire career, with 36 games under his belt.

This suggests that he would arrive at Parkhead as an upgrade on the Northern Irish head coach when it comes to competing on the European stage with the Hoops, as he has achieved more in less than two seasons than Rodgers managed in over four seasons with the Bhoys.

Hayen, who was described as “tactically unbeatable” by one scout on X, has shown that he can compete domestically, with trophies in Belgium with Brugge, as well as on the European stage.

That is why the 4-2-3-1 manager could be a perfect fit for Celtic as an upgrade on Rodgers to help them kick on in Europe this season and in the future.

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On top of his success in the Conference League and Champions League, Hayen has also won all four of his Champions League qualifiers, which is noteworthy after Celtic lost to Kairat in the play-off round this season.