Kylian Mbappe has been accused of betrayal and was lambasted for a "catastrophic" end to his Paris Saint-Germain career after impressing for France.

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Mbappe fired France to a 3-0 winWas involved in two goals for Les BleusCriticised for poor his attitude at PSGWHAT HAPPENED?

Mbappe put up an impressive show in France’s 3-0 victory over Luxembourg in Metz. Despite his exceptional performance, which included a stellar goal and an assist, the reactions from some quarters were less than celebratory.

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Former French international Jerome Rothen voiced his frustrations, lamenting that Mbappe did not exhibit the same level of dedication and spirit throughout his season with his former club PSG as he displayed with Les Bleus after confirming his move to Real Madrid.

The French legend contrasted Mbappe’s joyous and engaged demeanour during the match in Metz with his perceived lacklustre attitude during his time with the Parisians and criticised the apparent disconnect between the club’s fans and his team-mates during the last few turbulent months which also saw a conspicuous reduction in his playing time.

WHAT ROTHEN SAID

In an interview with Rothen said: "Everything we saw yesterday, it is everything we haven't seen throughout the season at PSG. The smile and the communion with the supporters, the very essence of football.

"For five months, when Kylian does not make enough effort, it is not a problem of the coach, of the leaders, of the president, of the supporters… It is just a problem of respect. When you put yourself in the category of the best players in the world, you have to have the attitude that goes with it. You have to fight for your teammates, for your country, for your club.

"I think he betrayed us everything. Throughout the season it was catastrophic from start to finish in terms of images and communication. I'm really angry with him because when I see him in the French team with the banana, it's not possible."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

As Mbappe prepares to don the white jersey of Real Madrid, the echoes of his time at PSG will undoubtedly follow him. The accusations of betrayal, the critiques of his professionalism, and the contrasting images of his performances for club and country will be part of the legacy he leaves behind in Paris.

However, every criticism will be put to bed if he fires France to another European Championship crown in Germany. They will begin their campaign against Austria on June 17.

The January transfer window may only just have closed, but already Manchester United and their new minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe appear to be hard at work on potential additions to the squad this summer.

One of those is Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, with recent reports suggesting that United are at the front of the queue, ahead of several Premier League sides, to sign him from Everton. Manager Erik ten Hag and his recruitment staff view him as a long-term target, but he's not the only one attracting their interest in the backline.

Over in Italy, it's been claimed that United are setting up a meeting with Juventus to discuss the availability of centre-back Gleison Bremer, a player Ten Hag views as an "ideal" fit, and now there's been an encouraging update on the Red Devils' chances of landing him.

United lead the way for £60m Bremer

According to Calciomercato, United are in pole position to sign Bremer this summer. They've been on the "trail" of the Brazilian "for some time now" as they pursue a "reliable centre-back" and there's a feeling that he'd "adapt perfectly" to the English top-flight.

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It was only a couple of months ago that Bremer signed a new deal that runs until the summer of 2028 and improves his earnings, but Juventus' policy is that any player can leave if the right offer is received. In the case of Bremer, they intend to drive a hard bargain, demanding a fixed fee of around £60m (which means United won't be able to reach their demands with add-ons).

Bremer would try to offer Varane upgrade

Bremer, described as an "animal" by former Torino team-mate Mergim Vojvoda, won Serie A's Best Defender award in 2021/22 and was named in the Team of the Season last year too, underlining his status as one of Europe's top players in his position.

However, what will really matter for United is whether he represents an upgrade on Raphael Varane, who's set to leave Old Trafford this summer after the club decided not to exercise their option to extend his contract by another 12 months.

It's difficult to compare the numbers of two different defenders, because the volume of their actions will depend upon how much they're being asked to do within certain matches. It shows us how busy they are rather than how good they are.

There are, however, a few metrics that are of use. As you can see in the table below, Varane is a more precise distributor than Bremer despite executing more progressive passes, although it should also be noted that the latter is attempting almost twice as many long balls per game.

Passing accuracy

86.2%

88.9%

Long passes attempted per 90

8.52

4.78

Progressive passes per 90

2.58

4.67

Dribblers tackled

66.7%

62.5%

Aerial duel success rate

63.6%

88.9%

As for the defensive fundamentals, Bremer has the edge when it comes to halting the runs of attackers, and while Varane would appear to have a big lead in the air, it should be noted that he's only contested 18 duels to his counterpart's 107. Already determined to move on from the Frenchman, we can expect United to watch the Juve star closely until the end of the campaign as they decide how much they're prepared to pay for his services.

Four years ago Pat Cummins was pretty happy to be running drinks in an Ashes series in England. Fair enough too, given that his injury record over the preceding few summers had made his selection for Test matches a near impossibility.In 2019, however, Cummins looms as perhaps the key figure in the entire series, given his outstanding displays in Test matches for Australia to date that have made him by far the most reliable contributor to the attack that Tim Paine will marshal as captain in the touring side’s attempt to retain the urn in England for the first time since 2001.When Cummins was called up in 2015, after a succession of injuries finally forced Ryan Harris into retirement, it was without any first-class cricket to his credit for the preceding two years. A couple of tour games were the sum total of his playing time, and it was not to be until 2017 that Cummins returned to Test matches for the first time since his storied 2011 debut. In that time he has rushed to 94 wickets in 20 Tests, and six victims in the series opener at Edgbaston would make him the fastest into three figures for Australia since Charlie “Terror” Turner in the 1890s.ALSO READ: Broad’s bowling advice keeps Bird on wire“I feel like it was hardly me,” Cummins said of his 2015 self. “I think I had only played a couple of first-class games, I might have played my first first-class game in about three or four years on that tour. Totally different action, was still struggling with my body trying to bowl back-to-back days, trying to bowl 20 overs in a day.”It was more just absolute excitement at being on that tour. I just remember running the drinks in an Ashes series, I remember thinking ‘it doesn’t get much better than this’. So I just hope that this time playing, it’s a bit different.”Australia will hope so too, for Cummins has brought a combination of pace, skill and heart that have brought cricket watchers to their feet more than once. Incisive against England and South Africa in 2017-18, he did not let his performance dip much at all in the wake of the Newlands scandal, scooping 28 wickets from six Tests against India and Sri Lanka last summer.By way of preparation for the Ashes after the emotional peaks and troughs of the World Cup, Cummins said the key thing was reminding himself, and his fellow pacemen, of what they do well in Tests, with the added feature of a Dukes ball that will provide them with assistance for longer periods than a Kookaburra.”As a bowler it’s pretty simple,” he said. “Plan A is normally top of off and hope to get a bit of sideways movement, and I’m sure that over here it’s not going to be too different. I’m sure once we get close to the game we’re going to look at their batsmen.”There’s a few guys that we haven’t played against before in Test matches, but I think the big thing for us bowlers is to remember what we do well and trying to remember that after not playing for a couple of months. Looking through some old Test match footage and concentrating more on what we do well than on certain weaknesses [in the opposition].”I’m pumped to have a [Dukes] ball that hopefully swings around a bit more for me and hopefully a batsman leaves a ball every now and then. Probably the way it pans out in 80 overs is slightly different to a Kookaburra, but the way you actually bowl, the basics are still there. I’m sure I’ll pick up a couple of things in the next few weeks though.”So much of a leader has Cummins become that it will be intriguing to see whether he is promoted to the Test vice-captaincy for this series when the squad is named at the end of the internal trial match between a Hick XI and a Haddin XI in Southampton next week. While Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh shared the title initially, both were missing from the Test team at various points of the summer, with Head and Cummins taking their places.Either way, the returns of Steven Smith and David Warner from suspension mean a strong degree of continuity in the Australia squad – of the XI that ended the 2017-18 Ashes in possession of the urn, only Shaun Marsh (broken arm) is absent.”When you look at our Test side from the home series last year, we’ve basically got the same squad,” Cummins said. “We haven’t lost anyone from memory, and they’re much the same. They’ve got a couple of guys coming in, their batting order’s going to look slightly different, but probably similar to both sides is that our white-ball teams are quite different to our red-ball team. No matter who’s playing, it’s always fiery, it’s intense, it’s really good cricket. So I can’t wait.”I think it’s pretty easy when you’ve got an Ashes series. Although there’s been a lot of white-ball cricket this has been the big series we’ve been talking about for a long time in red ball. The good thing coming out of the World Cup is I still feel in pretty good shape, refreshed, body’s good. We’ve got a couple of weeks here now to work on that Dukes ball. Don’t have to rush it too much, we’ve got a good hit-out here, I love playing the red ball, it’s pretty easy to get up for.”And while Cummins conceded there was a mental toll in terms of disappointment and frustration at losing their World Cup semi-final so badly to England, he also reasoned that adjusting from white ball to red is a simpler task for him than the opposite.”It was disappointing to get knocked out in the semis in a tournament where I thought we played really well for the whole time,” Cummins said. “We gave ourselves a really good chance. It felt like we were peaking at the right time, always in search of that perfect game which we probably needed in the semi. Unfortunately we weren’t at our best that day and got knocked out but that’s the World Cup.”I think the most difficult one is going the other way and trying to re-learn death bowling, trying to re-learn your yorkers and slower balls. Those kind of things are probably harder than adjusting here, most of the basics kind of stay the same. It’s just trying to make sure your wrist is good to swing the ball.”

Despite fielding numerous different centre-back pairings this campaign due to enforced reasons and not choice, Erik ten Hag's Manchester United side have been a relatively strong unit on the whole, especially in the Premier League.

United have kept the joint-second-most clean sheets in the top flight, six, conceding an average of just 1.38 goals per game.

However, rumours have arisen regarding Raphael Varane's future at the club, who has had an injury hit time in Manchester, and according to Football Insider, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are willing to let the World Cup winner leave in the summer when his contract expires.

Therefore, let's take a look at three incredible centre-back replacements for Varane.

1 Option 1: Matthijs De Ligt – Bayern Munich

Dutch centre-back Matthijs De Ligt is the first star who could send Varane packing in the summer. The 24-year-old is reportedly unhappy with his lack of minutes at Bayern Munich, and he could reunite with Ten Hag at Old Trafford.

According to a report from The Athletic, Man United have contacted the German club regarding a potential loan move for the former Ajax giant.

Passes completed

68.24

Top 16%

Passes into final third

7.25

Top 2%

Touches

84.51

Top 16%

Touches (Att pen)

2.16

Top 2%

Aerials won

3.33

Top 12%

As you can see, De Ligt is a dominant defender both on the ball and off it, particularly in the air, which can be useful at both ends of the field.

His ability to progress the play and be comfortable in possession will elevate United's control, while his speed and athleticism will make the side difficult to face in transition, in a similar way to how William Saliba mops up at Arsenal.

2 Option 2: Jean-Clair Todibo – OGC Nice

Jean-Clair Todibo has arguably been the most linked player to Man United in January, and CaughtOffisde confirmed that the Nice defender is among the top three targets for Ten Hag.

The French rock has been instrumental for Nice this campaign, as they have conceded the fewest goals in Ligue 1, 11, and climbed into second place.

Passes completed

82.81

Top 8%

Touches

101.88

Top 6%

Progressive passes

4.84

Top 16%

Tackles + interceptions

3.30

Top 25%

Dribblers tackled

1.17

Top 18%

Todibo is a defender who is extremely composed on the ball and rarely gives it away cheaply, but his high progressive passes mean he isn't passive in possession.

His tackles and interceptions combined are very high, as he is an aggressive, proactive defender, and funnily enough, his most similar player according to FBref is United central defender Martinez.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024 3 Option 3: Jarrad Branthwaite – Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite has been immense in his first proper campaign in the Premier League, which has led to Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig labelling him an absolute "monster."

A recent report from The Mirror stated that Everton could be forced to sell their most valuable assets, which means that the £100m valued Branthwaite would be the first out the door.

The table below shows that the 21-year-old loves to defend, and he reads the game brilliantly while also having the ability to defend 1v1 situations with ease. This makes him extremely difficult to play against, with analyst Ben Mattinson hailing him a "physical beast".

Tackles

2.11

Top 17%

Dribblers tackled

1.39

Top 1%

Dribblers challenged

1.72

Top 15%

Interceptions

1.78

Top 9%

Ball recoveries

6.39

Top 12%

The former PSV defender is also cool-headed and rarely makes impulsive actions, which would make him the perfect replacement for Varane, especially as Martinez is the opposite.

The 24-year old batsman says it was ‘difficult’ to miss out on World Cup selection, but is confident he ‘will play for sure in the future’

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2019Shreyas Iyer has an opportunity to end India’s search for a reliable ODI No. 4 as they head to the Caribbean, where he has had recent success with the India A side. But he wants to have some sort of continuity in the side, because “getting in and out of the team doesn’t create a good pattern.””If you are really a good talent, then you need a certain amount of chances to prove yourself and get acclimatised to the conditions,” quoted Iyer as saying. “If you keep coming in and going out [of the team], it doesn’t really set a good pattern for one’s self and you start disbelieving yourself. If you are a great talent, then you need some time.”Iyer, who at 24 is among India’s most consistent domestic performers, made 187 runs at 62.33, including two half-centuries in four innings, for India A during their 4-1 unofficial ODI series win in the Caribbean earlier this month. In April and May, Iyer played a key role in steering Delhi Capitals to their first IPL play-off spot since 2012, impressing not just with his run-making but also his leadership under head coach Ricky Ponting.In December 2018, Iyer admitted to being “emotionless” after being overlooked repeatedly despite consistent scores. He was part of India’s T20I squad against Australia in March, but couldn’t break into the XI. Iyer admits it’s only natural to lose patience, but wants to try and put past frustrations behind him.”Yes, you tend to lose patience but selection is not in your hands,” he said. “All you can do is perform, perform and perform and that is what I enjoy doing. You have to keep performing and keep showing people that you are capable of playing at the higher league. Once you get that sniff, you never look back.”Iyer also said “it was difficult to not get selected” for the World Cup, but wants to build towards the next edition through his consistency.”It was my dream to play the World Cup for my country. I know there are a few opportunities that I got but unfortunately the team combination was such that it didn’t demand me to be there.”There was a lot of buzz about me before the World Cup selection because I was consistent and aware about the hard work and smart work that I had put in. It will definitely reap benefits and help me in future when I play for India. I just kept myself positive and always in high spirits. It didn’t disturb me from inside at all. It was a dream to play the World Cup and I will play for sure in the future.”Iyer’s strength is his back-foot game, and he is quite a good puller of the short ball, an area he admits to have worked on with Ponting. For now, as he gears up for a second wind of sorts, he believes the familiarity of having played in the West Indies will help him.”The A tour has always given me an opportunity to prove myself in the higher league as this is the stepping stone,” he said. “I was in West Indies for the List A series and I had an idea of how the pitches play and also it’s so hot out there that you need to keep yourself hydrated. These are little things that you learn as you start playing.”You have to always work on your batting as you are never perfect. I am working on my batting every day and trying to perfect a few shots that will help me score all around the world. Pull and sweep are two shots that can help me score runs outside India. These are two shots that can immediately put pressure back on bowlers.”

Manchester United's dwindling infrastructure needs no introduction, and their ailing kitchen services are the latest aspect under the microscope.

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United dropped to one-star food safety ratingUndergo new inspection to receive four starsInspectors still make horrifying discoveries in facilityGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Earlier this year, United's kitchen and culinary services were blasted after 30 guests were served raw chicken during a SHE event held by the North West Safety Health Environment Show. A subsequent hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency dropped their rating from five stars to one as they revealed that the club 'needed work' in the food safety and standards department, though the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and the building were deemed 'good'.

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As it turns out, United's kitchen services have since undergone another hygiene check by the FSA. The Daily Mail reports that the inspectors were happy with the improvements made by the club in the food safety and hygiene department but this time their facilities were criticised as the report noted the dishwashers had mould growing inside them, while grease was spotted dripping off the wall, and the store room had rotting metal shelves which saw the club fail to regain a five-star rating. They did, however, get a four-star rating, a big jump from the earlier one-star rating.

WHAT MANCHESTER UNITED SAID

A Red Devils spokesperson said [via The Daily Mail]: "As the report states, significant improvement work was undertaken by the club to increase our rating to four stars between November and February. This is an incremental process, and we are confident we will regain our five-star rating at the earliest possible opportunity."

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

The Red Devils feel they will be upgraded to five stars at the next inspection, which they will try to induct as soon as possible, and believes it is uncommon for an establishment to jump from one star to five stars.

Chelsea supporters have been handed a "key" update on manager Mauricio Pochettino and his future at the club, as chairman Todd Boehly and senior Stamford Bridge chiefs could decide to part company on one condition.

Pressure on Pochettino after dismal Premier League defeats

The Argentine has failed to steer Chelsea's ship on course so far, with the two-time Champions League winners undergoing yet another disappointing Premier League campaign despite serious investment off the field.

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Their 4-2 loss to Wolves last weekend has seen them drop below Gary O'Neil's side and into the bottom half of the table. Chelsea's dismal home defeat, their second in as many games after they were also bested by Liverpool at Anfield, highlights glaring issues in Pochettino's squad which he must attempt to resolve quickly.

“We are not good enough [today],” said Pochettino after Wolves.

“Myself, also. I’m responsible for this ­situation. What we showed today was not good enough. We didn’t manage the ­situa­tion properly and of course no one can be safe. I don’t want to come here and say I am the best. We’re all responsible.

“The players need to take responsibility like I take responsibility. At the moment we’re not matching the history of the club. That’s true. We need to accept it, be critical but we cannot give up. We’ll work hard to change. If it’s not working in this way, we need to move on and find a different solution."

Some reports have even suggested that high-ranking Chelsea official Behdad Eghbali wants to hire Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as a replacement for Pochettino, with the former Spurs boss running out of time to make a success of his reign.

Jose Mourinho is also said to be keeping a watchful eye on Pochettino's situation, as the big-name manager's agents lobby "hard" for him to be considered as a potential Pochettino successor (Simon Phillips).

Lesley Ugochukwu

6.20

Noni Madueke

6.47

Malo Gusto

6.50

Mykhailo Mudryk

6.55

Axel Disasi

6.63

The Blues face a season-defining next few games, starting with an FA Cup tie away to Aston Villa this evening. Perhaps the biggest of the lot, though, is their eagerly-anticipated EFL Cup final clash against Liverpool.

Journalist shares "key" detail in Pochettino sack update at Chelsea

Writing for Football Insider, journalist Pete O'Rourke says Chelsea could sack Pochettino if they lose to Liverpool at Wembley, saying that the 90 minutes will be "key" in determining the Argentine's future.

Boehly and co have invested over £1 billion since Clearlake Capital's takeover from Roman Abramovich in 2022, but their plethora of marquee signings are yet to produce a run of consistent results or eye-catching football.

Graham Potter was handed his P45 last season after failing to make the most of Chelsea's expensively assembled squad, and if Pochettino doesn't turn the tide soon, it appears the 51-year-old could suffer a similar fate.

Derby County put the disappointment of drawing 1-1 with Shrewsbury Town firmly behind them with an emphatic 3-0 win over Exeter City last night, the Rams remaining second in League One as a result.

It was a professional performance from Paul Warne's men who managed to cruise to victory despite only having 30% of the ball compared to the possession-heavy Grecians, with Derby's class in-front of goal proving to be decisive in the end.

The likes of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and James Collins shone as the usual suspects for Derby, alongside Max Bird who opened the scoring in the contest to set Derby on their way to a convincing three points.

Scoring three goals in his last four matches now for Warne's promotion-chasing Rams, Bird will continue being vital to the League One side in their continued pursuit of automatic promotion glory based off his display in Devon alone.

Max Bird's performance vs Exeter in numbers

Despite only amassing 26 touches of the ball at St James Park, Bird helped steer his away side to a routine three points in the end over a tricky Exeter side.

Bird would fire in the opening goal and tee up Mendez-Laing in Devon to score a fast-paced effort to make it 2-0, the 23-year-old Derby star making every touch count.

Moreover, Bird showcased grit when the hosts forayed forward on occasion away from just displaying his attacking prowess – winning two ground duels and completing two interceptions to keep the Grecians at bay.

Losing Bird at the end of the campaign is an obvious blow for Warne and Co, but if they keep getting performances like this out of their homegrown product between now and the end of the season, promotion will be sealed to end Bird's long-standing connection with the Rams on a high.

Away from the 6 foot midfielder putting in another terrific display from the centre of the park – which saw football journalist Leigh Curtis even describe Bird as 'sensational' – Callum Elder in the Derby back four also stood out as Warne's men picked up a clean sheet on top of a fantastic three points.

Callum Elder's performance vs Exeter in numbers

In and out of the starting XI owing to various different injury concerns, Elder would have been delighted to come away from the match versus Exeter with 90 minutes under his belt.

It was an excellent defensive display from the Australian left-back to back up his manager's insistence to start him, with the ex-Hull City man winning seven of his eight duels on the night.

The 29-year-old also launched himself into his fair share of tackles alongside Bird, completing four tackles to play his part in thwarting the Grecians in attack.

Minutes played

90

Tackles

4

Duels won

7/8

Possession lost

12x

Accurate passes

15/23 (65%)

Shots on target

1

Stats by Sofascore

Despite giving up possession a total of 12 times, Elder would be thankful for Exeter's wasteful evening in front of goal and even more appreciative of his team for finishing off their chances coolly in contrast to not expose his wayward passing.

Given a 7.5/10 rating by Curtis post-match – who praised Elder further for registering an on-target effort at Viljami Sinisalo's goal alongside defending competently – the Derby number 20 will keep his fingers crossed that he remains in Warne's XI for the test of Stevenage at the weekend.

Warne will be overjoyed at his Derby side's professionalism in the away win at Exeter, hoping that the Rams can continue to brush teams aside on their way to winning automatic promotion come the end of April.

Warnings from 2013 team abound as World Cup winners get ready to get their heads down again

George Dobell at Lord's23-Jul-2019If Joe Root required any evidence about the dangers of burn-out, he will not need to have looked far for an example.The presence of Jonathan Trott, a member of the England coaching team ahead of this Test against Ireland, should have provided a timely reminder. For Trott, you may recall, had something of a breakdown towards the end of 2013. And, while there were many factors involved – not least his own upbringing, which put a disproportionate value on cricketing success – a key factor, he felt, was England’s unrelenting schedule.England had two Ashes series to play that year. And, while it is not as big a tournament as the World Cup, that England squad had long viewed the Champions Trophy – played just ahead of that first Ashes series – as a huge opportunity to win a maiden, global List A trophy. Losing in the final, particularly from a situation where they should probably have won (they required 20 from 16 balls with six wickets in hand), was later described by Trott (in his book, Unguarded) as “an overwhelming disappointment… probably the biggest of my career.”Perhaps more pertinently, Trott and co. went almost straight from the Champions Trophy into their preparation for the Ashes series. With no time to let the scars – be they physical or psychological – heal, the squad was required to assemble in Chelmsford for an Ashes warm-up match against Essex. As Trott put it in his book: “Maybe, if we had been given some time to reflect and get over the defeat, I would have been OK. But by the time we reported back ahead of the Essex game – we reported the night before two days of training ahead of the match – we had been given just three complete days off. We hadn’t debriefed or discussed it. I hadn’t had time to come to terms with it. I hadn’t moved on. There was no time. There was never any time. If I had to pick the moment it all went wrong, that would be it.”You don’t have to be a genius to work out the similarities with the current squad. Little more than a week since England finally won that maiden global List A trophy – and in dramatic, draining circumstances – several of the team are back at Lord’s on the verge of a run of games that will see them play six Tests in little more than seven weeks. And, between the World Cup final and now, they have attended numerous functions and events – not least a reception at Downing Street – with a residential Ashes training camp over the weekend. If anything, Root and co. had even less time than Trott’s “three complete days off”.Success, no doubt, is less draining than failure. So it may prove that England’s World Cup winning squad require less time to come to terms with recent events than their predecessors. And, as Root pointed out ahead of the Ireland Test, “we’ve learned” from the way the team of 2013 fell apart and “how intense things got”.Joe Root gets ready in the nets•Getty Images

For a start, England have rested key players. The likes of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who are clearly key to the side in all formats, have been given an extra week off, though both attended the training camp. Equally, there seems little chance Jofra Archer will make his Test debut before the second Ashes Test at Lord’s as he recovers from various aches and pains – not least a side strain – while Mark Wood’s side strain may sideline him for the whole Ashes series. A return before the fourth Test, at least, seems unlikely.Perhaps more importantly, the environment around the England squad these days is far less intense. So while the fitness and work ethic of the current team is every bit as good as their predecessors, there is more awareness of the need to relax, laugh and take time away from the game, too. Crucially, players are now encouraged to express their anxieties rather than feeling they had to conceal them. It would be disingenuous to pretend the situation hasn’t improved markedly.But the fact remains, five of the World Cup-winning squad will be in the England side that takes the field in this Test. And all five of them – Root, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali – have a strong chance of remaining involved throughout the Ashes series despite Roy having recently struggled with his hamstrings, Bairstow having struggled with his shoulder and Woakes having not played first-class cricket – and therefore having not been required to put his long-suffering knee through consecutive days of bowling – since September. We continue to ask a great deal of them. Quite possibly too much. And while English cricket has learned a great deal in recent years, it’s never been quite enough to convince the ECB to risk compromising their income by cutting the schedule.Root knows all this, of course. He came into that England side just as it started to disintegrate (he made his debut at the end of 2012) and spent Tuesday afternoon watching the recently released film , which chronicles that team’s life-cycle. And as he says, it was his decision to play in this match. “I wanted to play this game,” he said on Tuesday. “I wanted to get some red-ball cricket: the two days before this game, in particular, to make sure I felt in a good place.”But Trott and co. were given the opportunity to rest, too. Instead, he opted to play in the ODI series against Australia – his last ODI series, as it happened – at the end of the summer of 2013, before forcing himself through a series of brutal training sessions where he basically set the bowling machine to its maximum speed and took blow after blow to the head and body. Alastair Cook later described (again, in Trott’s book) his failure to intervene in one “horrible” session where Trott was hit 20 times as something he would “regret horribly for the rest of my life”. Such is the work ethic of international sportspeople, they sometimes need to be told to rest for their own good. Liam Plunkett’s comments, made earlier this week, which suggested he was suffering from something akin to post-traumatic shock should sound a warning. These players need time to rest, reflect and recalibrate. They need time off.Wait there, some of you will be saying. Don’t we all have stresses and strains in our jobs? And without the compensations and lifestyles of our cricketers? People trying to survive on benefits and the minimum wage may struggle to find much sympathy for England’s cricketers. And that’s understandable.But we don’t all see our every move analysed and interpreted on TV. We don’t all live under the scrutiny of social media. We don’t all experience the emotional highs and lows and rushes of adrenalin. And the fact is that by asking England’s top players to return to action so soon, we are risking their long-term prospects. While some may have seen the decision to field a second-string against Ireland as disrespectful to both the format and the opponent, most would have understood the enormity of the demands and the requirement to make concessions. All international cricket is important, but nobody can really think this Test is more important, from an England perspective, than the Ashes or the World Cup.So, just as if seems odd that a pathway system with age-group sides, county matches and a Lions side would expect someone – Roy – to make their Test debut in a position (opener) in which they’ve never batted before in first-class cricket, so it seems odd that players who are now so well protected and rewarded are required to return to action before they have had time to digest and recover from what may well prove to have been the defining chapter in their careers.

Crystal Palace fans have been put through the wringer this season, as poor performance after poor performance in the Premier League has seen them dragged into a relegation battle they should be nowhere near.

The Eagles have lost four of their previous five games across all competitions, conceding a whopping 15 goals and scoring just four in return.

Crystal Palace's Previous Five Games

Date

Competition

Opponent

Result

January 17th

FA Cup

Everton

1-0 Loss

January 20th

Premier League

Arsenal

5-0 Loss

January 30th

Premier League

Sheffield United

3-2 Win

February 3rd

Premier League

Brighton

4-1 Loss

February 12th

Premier League

Chelsea

3-1 Loss

All Stats via Sky Sports

Unfortunately for manager Roy Hodgson, one of those heavy defeats came away to bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.

So, unsurprisingly, his place in the dugout is looking increasingly untenable with every passing day, and it seems almost certain that Steve Parish and Co will soon be handing the veteran his P45.

The latest on Crystal Palace's manager search

If the Eagles' hierarchy could've had their way, it's likely that Hodgson would already be out of a job, as it was reported last week that in the aftermath of the club's embarrassing 4-1 defeat away to Brighton, Parish seriously considered sacking the former England boss, only to find that it was proving a challenge to find someone willing to take the reins mid-season.

Some of the names touted for the role include former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, current Ipswich town boss Kieran McKenna and Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick.

However, with two of these talented coaches currently in a job and Cooper uneasy about taking the role at this time, alternatives will need to be sourced. One option could be that of Oliver Glasner, a man backed by co-owner John Textor.

Another manager who has been touted for the role is Bo Svensson, a coach held in high esteem notably by Jurgen Klopp.

But why would he be a good hire for the Eagles?

How Svensson compares to Hodgson

Now, Svensson may not be a name familiar to English fans, but he is a former Danish international who enjoyed a respectable playing career that spanned from 1999 to 2014 and that saw him play for FC Copenhagen, Borussia Monchengladbach and 1 FSV Mainz 05.

Following a short spell managing Mainz's U17s and U19s, the Skorping-born defender took charge of Austrian side FC Liefering in 2019, where he won 23 of his 43 games in charge, drawing 11 and losing just nine during his one-and-a-half years in charge.

He then returned to Mainz in January 2021, taking over from Jan-Moritz Lichte, who had left the side second from bottom and with just six points from their opening 14 games – safe to say it was a risk from the then 41-year-old.

However, it paid off, and he managed to guide the side to safety with a genuinely impressive resurgence that saw only three teams collect more points from the final 17 games of the season. At the same time, only Bayern Munich lost fewer games than Mainz in that same period.

This remarkable turnaround led to former Mainz manager and Premier League legend Klopp describing Svensson as an "outstanding" coach in June 2021 and a "great, great talent" to boot.

Granted, the Dane did leave Mainz earlier this season after a poor start to the campaign, but you don't become a poor manager overnight, and even with his disappointing conclusion at the club, he leaves with a better record than Hodson's current one at Palace.

Svensson vs Hodgson

Manager

Svensson

Hodgson

Games

104

38

Wins

39

12

Draws

26

10

Losses

39

16

Points per Match

1.38

1.21

All Stats via Sofascore

For example, the experienced Englishman has won just 12 of his 38 games in charge of Palace and collected just 1.21 points per match.

In contrast, Svensson managed to win 39 of his 104 games in charge, and even with a lacklustre conclusion to his tenure at the club, he managed to collect 2.38 points per match with Mainz.

Related "Exceptional" manager praised by Guardiola is enticed by Crystal Palace job

One key thing attracts him to Selhurst.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Feb 13, 2024

Ultimately, Palace clearly need some new ideas, and with how Svensson saved Mainz from certain relegation in 2021 and his rave reviews from Klopp, he could be the man to bring them to Selhurst Park.