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Senthilnathan will remain in charge of the red-ball team. Venkataramana has been brought to coach the white-ball team

Winless after four rounds of the Ranji Trophy, Tamil Nadu have restructured their coaching set-up with former offspinner M Venkataramana set to take over from M Senthilnathan as head coach for the white-ball leg of the Indian domestic season.Senthilnathan will, however, see out the remainder of the Ranji season; the two remaining rounds of matches will be played in January after the Vijay Hazare Trophy.TN are currently in the bottom half of Group A, just above Odisha and Nagaland. In the ongoing fifth round, they are in a fight for survival for first-innings points thanks to Rinku Singh, despite posting 455.TN have already lost outright to Jharkhand and Andhra, while conceding a lead against Vidarbha, the defending champions. They also nearly couldn’t defend 512 against Nagaland for the first-innings honours. It is likely that even victories in TN’s remaining two fixtures won’t be enough to secure a Ranji Trophy knockouts berthWhile the timing – right in the middle of their fifth-round game against Uttar Pradesh in Coimbatore – may seem off, there have been rumblings of such a move at the top from within the TNCA since their fourth-round defeat to Andhra.The decision was finally taken and approved at an emergency meeting in Chennai on Tuesday, with the TNCA announcing via a press release late at night that they were adopting a split-coaching model for the remainder of 2025-26. TNCA’s release didn’t specify if Senthilnathan would continue beyond the current Ranji season.Venkataramana represented India in one Test in 1989, against West Indies in Kingston. He played 75 first-class matches, picking up 247 wickets at an average of 29.63 and 12 five-fors.This is the third coaching change TN have made in the past two years. In 2023-24, there were similar rumblings, but from within the team against former Mumbai wicketkeeper Sulakshan Kulkarni. He was then removed as head coach barely a year into his two-year contract, with L Balaji, the former India fast bowler, taking over. Prior to the start of the 2025-26 season, Senthilnathan, a former chief selector, took over from Balaji.Earlier in the week, TN named Varun Chakravarthy as captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. This will mark Chakravarthy’s first foray into a leadership role, after three other contenders – M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore and N Jagadeesan – were overlooked.At Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, TN are placed in a tough pool alongside Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Jharkhand and Saurashtra.

Jamie Vardy scored his first Serie A brace as Cremonese snapped Bologna's 12-game unbeaten run in a rain-soaked encounter at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. The 38-year-old forward, who left Leicester City in the summer after more than a decade of folklore-defining moments, including a Premier League title win, stole the show and then joked that the UK weather is now following him to Italian shores.

Vardy breaks Bologna’s resistance in a near-British downpour

The rain fell heavily and the wind cut across the stadium in a way that would have felt familiar to Vardy from his Leicester days. After Martin Payero curled home a precise effort in the 31st minute, Vardy doubled the lead just four minutes later. Riccardo Orsolini temporarily revived Bologna with a composed penalty, but Vardy struck again only five minutes into the second half, burying a low shot across the goalkeeper to restore Cremonese’s two-goal cushion and secure the three points that ended a three-match losing streak. The brace takes him to four goals in nine league appearances for Cremonese, who inflicted Bologna's first defeat in any competition since September 25.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Typical midweek in the UK!'

"I think we were just missing a bit of rain – this is a typical midweek in the UK," Vardy said after the win.

"The most important thing was getting the three points and keeping that progress going. It's another step in the right direction.

"It's all about commitment and wanting what's best for the club. Everyone's on that same page and everyone's pushing forward to make sure that come the end of the season it will have been a successful year."

Cremonese manager Davide Nicola, who has built his coaching career on uniting underdog squads, is impressed with his new talisman.

"Great players are easy to handle as they know what they're supposed to do – and they know how to do it," he said. "That's how he is – he's comfortable with who he is, good humoured. He came here with the mentality of making himself available for the team."

Who is Vardy's Serie A inspiration?

Vardy was also linked to Wrexham in the summer, but the striker chose to settle for a fresh opportunity in Italy. Some critics questioned whether Serie A would suit him at this stage of his career. But with goals, graft, and an instant connection with supporters, he has already embedded himself into the club’s fabric. 

Vardy is also learning Italian and told when asked how he is coping on a linguistic level: "I only know the basics, good morning, thank you, numbers, but I’ll be taking lessons as of next week, so hopefully that will start the bringing on the language a bit more. I have to learn, as my kids are learning, and I can’t have them learning it before me, otherwise they’ll be taking the mickey out of me!"

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

With Cremonese now sitting 11th on 17 points after 13 games, the mood around the club is one of cautious optimism. Avoiding relegation would trigger a one-year contract extension to the summer of 2027 for Vardy, something that suddenly looks plausible. They sit seven points clear of the relegation zone, a comfortable position for a newly-promoted side. Cremonese return to the Stadio Giovanni Zini on December 7 to face Lecce.

Arsenal might be flying in the Premier League and Champions League this season, but things have not always looked so rosy for Mikel Arteta.

In fact, in his second season, just half a year after winning the FA Cup, there was a real sense that he could be fired.

After all, the North Londoners were bottom of the table by the first international break, and from the 8th of November to Boxing Day, the team didn’t win a league game.

Amazingly, one of the reasons things turned around for the Spaniard was his decision to unleash academy gem Emile Smith Rowe, who, alongside Bukayo Saka, helped steer the club out of trouble.

Since then, it has felt like Hale End has produced talents in pairs for the club, and it looks like they’ve done so again with a duo who could become the new Smith Rowe and Saka, and no, it’s not Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri.

Saka & Smith Rowe's partnership

Smith Rowe made his debut for Arsenal and started a few Europa League games in the 18/19 season, and made a few more appearances the following year.

However, his first Premier League start for the club came on Boxing Day 2020, and alongside Saka, he helped put the club back on track.

He provided the assist for his Hale End teammate, and that started a partnership that finally gave the fans something to be excited about when it came to their team.

In fact, the pair made such an impact as a dynamic duo that the fans created and constantly sang a song about them playing together.

Unfortunately, injuries soon began to take their toll on the Croydon-born gem, and while he was on the sidelines, his Saka started to grow in importance on his own.

Moreover, the overall team began rapidly improving, both from a personnel and performance perspective, so when the dynamic midfielder was fit again in the 23/24 season, he barely featured at all.

This led to the club accepting a £34m offer from Fulham in the summer of 2024.

It might not have ended well, but for a time, Saka and Smith Rowe were an incredible partnership, making 81 appearances together and combining for six goals.

Now it looks like Hale End might be about to produce another dynamic pairing for Arsenal, and it’s not Dowman and Nwaneri.

Arsenal's new Saka and Smith Rowe

Now, there is an argument to be made that the duo of Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the closest Arsenal have come to recreating the Saka and Smith Rowe pairing.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, with the latter primarily playing at left-back, that comparison doesn’t really work.

It’s a different story, however, when it comes to Hale End gems Alex Marciniak and Louis Zecevic-John.

The pair have demonstrated an ability to play in several different positions, but the former, who is just 17, is primarily an attacking midfielder, and the latter, also 17, is primarily a right winger.

In other words, they could burst into the first team and, as one content creator put it, become “the new Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.”

Now, that is certainly a lot of pressure to put on youngsters that most fans will not have heard of yet, but based on their form in the youth sides and what those in the know are saying about them, it’s a pressure they might be able to handle.

For example, the “insane” Marciniak, as dubbed by academy expert Will Balsam, has already racked up a tally of one goal and three assists in eight appearances for the U18s this season.

Zecevic-John, whom Balsam has described as “a game-changing attacker” who is “electric with the ball at his feet” and blessed with “blistering pace,” also put up incredible numbers last year.

In 22 appearances, totalling 1539 minutes, he scored seven goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.57 games, or every 109.92 minutes.

Ultimately, there is still a long way to go for both youngsters, but given their positions and undeniable ability, they could one day be Arsenal’s new Saka and Smith Rowe.

Arsenal lost 'one of the world's best', now he's outperforming Saka & Eze

The incredible international is now playing better than Arsenal’s Eze and Saka.

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Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 14, 2025

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” التصنيف الخاص بالمنتخبات المتعلق بشهر نوفمبر الجاري لعام 2025، والذي شهد استمرار إسبانيا في الصدارة وتقدمًا لصالح البرازيل.

وحافظ منتخب إسبانيا على تواجده في صدارة المنتخبات لشهر نوفمبر برصيد 1877.18 نقطة، واستقر منتخب الأرجنتين في المركز الثاني برصيد 1873.33 نقطة.

واستقر كل منتخب فرنسا في المركز الثالث وبلغ رصيده 1870 نقطة، والمنتخب الإنجليزي في المركز الرابع برصيد 1834.12 نقطة، فيما صعد منتخب البرازيل مركزين ليصل إلى الخامس برصيد 1760.46 نقطة.

اقرأ أيضًا | تصنيف الملحق الأوروبي لـ كأس العالم 2026

وشهد تصنيف شهر نوفمبر للمنتخبات، هبوط البرتغال مركز ليحل سادسًا برصيد 1760.38 نقطة، والمنتخب الهولندي هبط مركزًا أيضًا واحتل المركز السابع برصيد 1756.27 نقطة.

واستقر المنتخب البلجيكي في المركز الثامن برصيد 1730.71 نقطة، فيما صعد المنتخب الألماني مركزًا ليحل تاسعًا برصيد 1724.15 نقطة، وكرواتيا أتت في المركز العاشر بعدما صعدت مركزًا واحدًا عن التصنيف الماضي برصيد 1716.88 نقطة. أفضل 10 منتخبات في تصنيف فيفا لشهر نوفمبر 2025

1- إسبانيا.

2- الأرجنتين.

3- فرنسا.

4- إنجلترا.

5- البرازيل.

6- البرتغال.

7- هولندا.

8- بلجيكا.

9- ألمانيا.

10- كرواتيا.

With no reserve day scheduled, Freedom advanced directly to the final, having finished first on the points table

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025 – Match abandoned due to rainThe Qualifier 1 between Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom in the MLC 2025 was washed out after relentless rain, with only toss possible. With no reserve day scheduled, Freedom advanced directly to the final, having finished first on the points table during the league stage. This will be Freedom’s second final in two years.The match was officially called off at 9.45pm local time in Dallas – two hours and 45 minutes after the scheduled start of play at 7pm, and 41 minutes before the cut-off time for a five-overs-a-side game.The toss took place on time at 6.30pm local time, with Freedom electing to bowl first. They made one change to the XI from their last league game, bringing in fast bowler Lockie Ferguson for Mark Chapman. Super Kings, meanwhile, went in unchanged.However, just minutes before the scheduled start of play, the stadium was placed under a lightning advisory, and the pitch was covered. After the storm passed, heavy rain followed, leading to the eventual abandonment of the match due to persistent wet weather.Super Kings will now face the winner of the Eliminator – between MI New York and San Francisco Unicorns on Tuesday – in the Qualifier 2.

Celtic and Brendan Rodgers have been made to sweat over two injury concerns midway through the October international break.

Chris Sutton accuses Celtic stars of "hiding"

Despite their Champions League failure, it looked as though Celtic were still likely to be in full control of their title ambitions in the early stages of the campaign. As of late, however, that has not proved to be the case. As Rodgers’ future continues to come into question, the Bhoys’ form has dropped, and they now sit two points behind shock leaders Hearts.

It’s not been the start that those at Celtic Park were anticipating and former striker Chris Sutton has now taken aim.

Speaking in his column for Daily Record, the ex-Celtic star said: “As far as I am concerned, McGregor is struggling a wee bit because of what’s going on around him. He’s simply on a different level to any other player in the current Celtic team.

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“It’s just I think there are players in the team currently who are hiding, and that kills the flow. I look at the likes of Reo Hatate. He’s been a shadow of the player we’ve seen at Celtic in recent years.

“Everyone goes through peaks and troughs and Hatate has always been one who could throw in the occasional poor game. But right now he just looks miles off it. We’re not seeing the runs into the box down the left channel, the moments of magic have been few and far between.”

Sutton didn’t hold back and the task that Celtic and Hatate now have is proving him wrong after the international break. It’s then that Rodgers’ side could also be forced to find form without two stars, however, following the latest injury news.

Maeda & Tounekti hand Celtic fresh injury concerns

As relayed by BBC Sport, both Daizen Maeda and Sebastian Tounekti have handed Celtic fresh injury concerns. The former was missing from Japan’s 2-2 draw against Paraguay whilst Tounekti missed Tunisia’s 6-0 victory over Sao Tome, but both have been assessed and are expected to be available after the international break.

Maeda’s suspected foot injury has not been deemed serious, and he could feature in Japan’s game against Brazil on Monday. The same can also be said for Tounekti, whose thigh issue should not rule him out of his country’s clash against Nambia next week.

The latest news will come as a major relief for Celtic, who could especially do with Maeda’s full availability as he looks to get back to full form. The winger has so far scored just three goals in 13 games in all competitions after netting as many as 33 in the last campaign. It’s been a major drop-off and a large part of Celtic’s disappointing form.

Ensuring that he gets back fully fit from international duty should be seen as a priority for all parties. The 27-year-old remains one of the most talented players at Celtic Park and must now get back to that level.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has shared an update on talismanic star Cole Palmer ahead of their Premier League return against Brentford.

The west Londoners were dealt multiple injury blows in the last week, with news that Liam Delap will be out until December after suffering a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s derby win over Fulham.

Whilst the summer signing didn’t require surgery and will immediately begin rehab on the problem, Delap is expected to miss some big games in the run-up to winter — including a Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, their face-off against Liverpool and Chelsea’s trip to Tottenham.

Alongside Delap, fellow summer arrival Dario Essugo has undergone surgery on a thigh problem he sustained during the international break with Portugal’s Under-21s, leaving Maresca one-man lighter in midfield.

The 20-year-old is now set to wait for his Premier League debut after making three appearances at the Club World Cup, joining Delap on the treatment table for an extensive period, and supporters have been very keen to find out the condition of star man Palmer.

The England international was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest Three Lions squad for their wins over Andorra and Serbia, with Palmer nursing a groin problem since Chelsea’s 5-1 win away to West Ham.

The 23-year-old injured his groin in the warm-up and was subsequently replaced in the line-up by Brazilian teenager Estevao, missing their rampant London Stadium win and their victory over Fulham.

Reliable sources indicate that Maresca has merely been cautious with Palmer, and Telegraph journalist Matt Law suggested this week that the ex-Man City sensation could return against Brentford on Saturday.

Now, Maresca has provided an update in his latest press conference ahead of Brentford.

Enzo Maresca provides Cole Palmer injury update ahead of Chelsea vs Brentford

Speaking to the media, Chelsea’s boss says that Palmer is touch-and-go for Brentford, with the forward subject to a late training session this afternoon which will determine whether he is ready for their trip to the G-tech Community Stadium.

BlueCo’s best signing since the 2022 takeover has been worth every penny of the £42.5 million they paid City for Palmer on summer deadline day in 2023.

Palmer is an absolutely vital figurehead, racking up 43 goals and 29 assists in nearly 100 appearances, and there is even a belief that Chelsea can be too reliant on him at times.

Last season, Palmer was yet again their chief creator, finishing the campaign with more shots at goal and key passes per 90 on average than any other Chelsea player in the Premier League (WhoScored).

If not against Brentford, Palmer doesn’t sound too far away from full fitness, and Maresca will be hoping he can at least be fit for their opening Champions League game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Wayne Rooney spent his career playing alongside some of the best to play the game. With the pinnacle of his career being a part of a Champions League-winning side that included the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs.

Before he was playing in the red of Manchester, Rooney broke through as a young Evertonian starlet. Making his Premier League debut at 16 years old, he played in his home city of Liverpool before being picked up by Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United two seasons later.

When Rooney was breaking into the first team, Everton had a number of impressive attack-minded players that he could model himself after, including Wales winger Mark Pembridge and the late Kevin Campbell. However, there was one striker in particular that Rooney favored, and they would go on to play together on 31 occasions.

Rooney's "favourite player" growing up

Rooney’s rapid development as a youngster saw him make his Premier League debut at only 16 years old. Some players don’t break into the first team football until they are in their 20s, but being able to play at a high standard at such a young age allowed Rooney to play alongside Duncan Ferguson.

At an Everton legends game in March, Rooney reminisced about the start of his career and his admiration for Ferguson growing up, calling the £4m ex-Rangers record signing his “favourite player”.

While Rooney admired Ferguson for his striking abilities, many know the Scot for his hard-man persona and his less-than-reputable disciplinary record.

During his 319 career appearances, he received 44 yellow cards and six red cards, meaning he received some form of card on an average of just over once every six games.

Ferguson's concise approach to dealing with Rooney

Ferguson was clearly aware of his reputation and took it into consideration when dealing with a young and impressionable Rooney. When speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he said:

“Wayne was only young at the time, you know, coming through at Everton. You could see where he was going to get to; he wasn’t quite there, but he was still a top, top player; you could see what he was going to be.

“I kind of tried to shy away from Wayne. Wayne was younger than me, and I think he looked up to me. I was a bit worried because I wasn’t the best role model, and he was just a young kid. He was the biggest talent in Britain, and if he got into trouble, I was going to get the blame for it. So I tended to keep away from him.”

When Ferguson gave advice to Rooney, it seemed to be the best advice of his career, as he advised him to move to Manchester United rather than Newcastle United. Ferguson said his advice to Rooney was: “Newcastle’s a wonderful club with great fans, but if you’re going to leave and Sir Alex Ferguson wants you, then you’ve got to go there”, and given his success at United, it was clearly the right move.

Reacting to allegations of sexual harassment in the West Indies women’s team during the T20 World Cup in 2020, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) have decided to meet and review “all aspects of athlete safeguarding within West Indies cricket”.Saying in a statement on Saturday that the two bodies “take such matters seriously and remain fully committed to ensuring a safe, professional, and supportive environment for all players and staff”, CWI and WIPA added that they had “already taken significant steps to enhance player protection”. No details have been provided by CWI or the WIPA about the alleged incident.”In 2021, improved safeguarding measures were introduced for women’s tours, strengthening security and well-being,” the statement said. “In May 2023, CWI implemented additional policies, including single-room accommodations for the West Indies Senior Women’s team on all international assignments, ensuring parity with the men’s team. These are among other policy initiatives within the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the period 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2027.Related

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“Additionally, the CWI Women’s Cricket Transformation Committee was established to further advance women’s cricket.”Furthermore, we have implemented and strictly adhered to UNICEF’s Children Protection Policy, ensuring that minors never share rooms with adults under any circumstance. Additionally, we have mandated ongoing training for all officials to reinforce and uphold these standards.”The 2020 women’s T20 World Cup was played across Australia. West Indies, led by Stafanie Taylor, failed to get out of Group B after winning one and losing two, while their final game, against South Africa, was abandoned without a ball bowled. Australia won the tournament, beating India in the final in front of 86,174 people at the MCG.

Ipswich Town’s deal for a young Premier League talent has been completed, but manager Kieran McKenna’s plan for the player does not involve first-team minutes this season.

McKenna trying to remain positive after draw

It hasn’t been an ideal return to the Championship for the Tractor Boys, with Saturday’s 2-2 draw at home to Derby County leaving them 20th in the league table.

Despite this, McKenna till tried to find positives after the game, saying he could see signs of improvement compared to the opening weeks of the campaign.

“We’ve been through a lot today and the supporters have been through a lot. There was a really good performance out there. You can see the growth in the team. You can see the direction of travel. You can see players coming in now having a big impact and the potential for us to really push on.

“But you can also see the challenges of the division and how hard people are going to make it for us. How we’re probably not up to full speed yet to do it for 90 minutes. How we probably don’t have the full consistency and the confidence in the group to really stay strong in that moment when it went against us with the first goal and we really did lose our way.”

Some late-summer business for Ipswich could help aid their quest to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, but while they are set to seal an exciting new arrival, this one will not boost their promotion hopes this term.

McKenna's plan for Luca Fletcher revealed

As first reported by Fabrizio Romano on X, Ipswich have agreed a deal to sign Manchester City attacker Luca Fletcher on loan for the rest of the season, with an obligation to snap him up permanently. However, Ben Jacobs has since revealed McKenna plans to use him in the youth team only this campaign.

Fletcher is admittedly a young player who is still raw, but he could prove to be such an exciting addition for Ipswich, initially shining in the youth team before making the grade at senior level. The 18-year-old striker bagged 20 goal contributions in just 46 appearances for City’s Under-18s, highlighting his prolific end product, and he is also a 12-cap England Under-17 international.

Bringing in talented homegrown youngsters is always something that should be encouraged at Ipswich, and with Fletcher’s path to the first team likely to be blocked at City, given their elite attacking talent, this could be a perfect move for him.