Leeds United are in a dire situation. The Whites continue to lose games in the Premier League consistently, with their most recent defeat coming away to Manchester City, 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

Indeed, bagging two goals away to Pep Guardiola’s side was impressive, and the performance going forward was slightly better.

The Whites managed nine shots at Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal, with four of those finding the target. They were more clinical, too, scoring two out of the three big chances they created.

Yet, with another loss, the pressure continues to mount on Daniel Farke, and the underlying numbers are evidence as to why.

Leeds' underlying numbers this season

Many people expected the West Yorkshire side to be in a relegation fight by the end of the season, including ESPN pundit Bill Connelly, who predicted them to finish 18th. Well, they are now in that exact position in the Premier League, with 11 points to their name.

Goalscoring has been a real issue for the Whites this term. Farke’s side have only bagged 13 goals. That is better than one side, bottom-place Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have only scored seven times.

Leeds are drastically underachieving on their expected goals, too, a metric which currently stands at 16.96 xG. That is almost four goals more than what they have managed, the third biggest underachievement in the Premier League this season.

The spread of goals in their squad is perhaps concerning, too. Summer signing Lukas Nmecha is their top scorer in the Premier League with four, and only three players have found the back of the net multiple times. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is one of those, after he scored his second of the season against City at the weekend.

Looking at those numbers, it might not be a surprise that Leeds are struggling as much as they are. It is why Farke’s job is under pressure, although an alternative could have been identified.

Leeds' Farke alternative

A recent report from talkSPORT suggests that the Whites are ‘admirers’ of former Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou.

Of course, he hasn’t long been out of the game, having left the East Midlands a few months ago, but could already return to the Premier League if Leeds approach.

His first season in North London showed exactly how good he can be. Described as a “highly entertaining” manager by former Spurs star Graham Roberts, Postecoglou played high-octane football, which helped the Lilywhites qualify for the Europa League.

That is a style the Elland Road faithful might be used to. Marcelo Bielsa, one of their best managers in recent years, was famed for his energetic brand of football, a style Anthony Hudson said is “a really positive approach.”

In fact, former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has even said that “demands remind me a little bit of Bielsa” because of how “physically exhausting” it can be. Remember Bielsa’s famed murder ball? Well, that could be back at Thorp Arch before too long.

In Postecoglou’s first campaign in the hot seat at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, the Australian won 21 games in 41 that he coached. His side were fluid going forward, bagging 79 times across all competitions.

It is interesting to look at a comparison between the numbers that Postecoglou’s Spurs put up in their first 13 games in the Premier League, compared to Farke’s side from this season. Indeed, they stack up well and hint at the attacking football he could bring to Elland Road.

For example, Spurs had scored 25 goals in those opening 13 matches in 2023/24. They were overachieving slightly when it came to expected goals, too. The Lilywhites racked up 23.83 xG, a steady pace along with their actual total.

Points

26

11

Expected points

20.66xPTS

17.88xPTS

Goals

25

13

Expected goals

23.83xG

16.96xG

Goals conceded

17

25

Expected goals conceced

21.28xGA

18.52xGA

It is easy to see how Postecoglou could be an upgrade on Farke. The Australian manager might play risky football with a high line, but it has proven to be entertaining and a good source of goals.

The numbers highlighted show what fans can expect to see if the Whites execute Postecoglou’s game plan well. He could certainly bring an exciting brand of football to Elland Road and would ultimately be an upgrade on Farke.

Fewer touches than Perri: Farke must bin Leeds star who lost the ball 14x

Daniel Farke must drop one player after Saturday’s defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 30, 2025

All Arsenal supporters prayed for this international break was no injuries, but those prayers certainly have not been answered.

On Saturday, at their own home Emirates Stadium no less, Gabriel hobbled off around an hour into Brazil’s 2-0 friendly victory over Senegal in North London.

Reports suggest he has suffered an adductor injury, the severity of which is not yet known, but any absence would be a massive blow.

To make matters worse, Riccardo Calafiori has returned home early from the Italy camp, sitting out the Azzurri’s Thursday night victory over Moldova in Chișinău.

Head Coach Gennaro Gattuso stated “he tried to be available, but he can’t force it now”, which has to be worrying for Mikel Arteta, considering the 23-year-old’s injury history.

Both players have started all 11 Premier League fixtures to date, so to be without both considering the Gunners’ next three fixtures, Tottenham (H), Bayern Munich (H) and then Chelsea (A), could be a massive issue.

Nevertheless, Arteta boasts an ideal deputy already.

The numbers behind Arsenal's defensive solidity

Prior to last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland, Arsenal had kept eight successive clean sheets, equaling a club record set in 1903.

The statistics back up how dominant a defence Arteta’s side has been this season to date.

As the table documents, Arsenal rank first for every defensive metric out there in the Premier League this season.

Their tally of seven clean sheets has been achieved while facing only 21 shots on target, with some jokingly suggesting that David Raya could request to start working from home, even if the Spaniard has pulled off some extraordinary saves in fairness to him.

However, both Gabriel and Calafiori have been such key contributors to this solidity, supporters may be concerned as to how Arteta’s team will fare in their absence, but do they have a ready-made quality player waiting to step in?

How Arsenal can solve their defensive injury blows

After last season was completely derailed by injuries, Arsenal recruited heavily in the summer to avoid a similar eventuality and a sense of déjà vu.

In terms of defenders, Cristhian Mosquera arrived from Valencia for £13m, and the Spaniard has been excellent every time he has featured, with Sid Lowe of the Guardian noting that everyone in North London agrees that he is an absolute ‘bargain’.

By contrast, the summer signing that went under the radar the most was the arrival of Piero Hincapié on deadline day, joining on loan from Bayer Leverkusen but with a £45m obligation to buy, a not insignificant outlay, so after a few weeks watching from the wings, is their Gabriel and Saliba hybrid about to be thrust into the spotlight?

Upon his arrival, Arteta noted that the 23-year-old possesses a “real physical presence”, praising his “versatility and tactical flexibility”, thereby bolstering the team’s “defensive options”, which is certainly pertinent now.

Meanwhile, U23 scout Antonio Mango has described him as “an absolute beast”, and his agent has gone further than that, calling him “a warrior” and “a leader.” It’s easy to see why he’s drawn comparisons to the club’s two main centre-halves.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

During his four seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, Hincapié made 166 appearances for die Werkself, a key figure in Xabi Alonso’s side that won both the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal unbeaten in 2023/24, delivering the club’s first-ever Meisterschale.

He has also been part of a rock-solid defence at international level, starting 14 of Ecuador’s 18 World Cup qualifiers as Sebastián Beccacece’s team conceded only five goals throughout the entire campaign, equalling the South American record.

As outlined by Phil Costa of Arseblog, Hincapié’s greatest strength is his ability to play both as a reliable centre-back but also as an attacking left-wing-back, excelling in both roles under Alonso, labelling him ‘aggressive’ and ‘unashamedly South American’, highlighting his ‘strong recovery pace’.

Well, considering that both Calafiori and Gabriel are now major doubts for Sunday’s North London derby, Hincapié is likely to start, either as a left-back or left-sided centre-back.

The alternative options are Myles Lewis-Skelly and the aforementioned Mosquera, but Arteta is unlikely to bring in such a young duo together, while he has proven that he favours a left-footed left-centre-back, Pablo Marí and Jakub Kiwior among many examples, suggesting the Ecuadorian will get the nod in the middle alongside William Saliba.

During Arsenal’s recent victory over Slavia Prague, the 1,000 or so Gooners who had made the trip to the Czech capital spent much of the afternoon and evening singing Hincapié’s new song.

One line includes the lyrics “the Arsenal get excited when they see you play”, which is just as well, given that he is set for a prominent role in crucial upcoming fixtures.

Better than Gyokeres & Havertz: £27m star is now Arsenal's "best finisher"

Once Arsenal’s injured players come back, Viktor Gyökeres’ place in the team could be under threat from their “best finisher” who is not Kai Havertz.

By
Ben Gray

Nov 13, 2025

On Thursday night, MLB announced the MVPs of the 2025 season. As is usually the case, there were no surprises at the top of the ballot. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani brought home his second consecutive NL MVP award for the Dodgers and his third straight MVP. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge earned the honor for the AL in a very tight race over Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.

However, the MVP ballot can historically contain a few oddities contained within. The Baseball Writer’s Association of America is in charge of voting for the league MVPs every year, based on a tally of 30 votes, and the voters are required to rank their top 10 choices for MVP. That creates a large enough pool of votes that each season’s ballot includes some unexpected names earning exactly one MVP vote.

Last year is a good example. Ohtani and Judge were unanimous MVPs, as it should have been. But on the NL side, Padres’ Dylan Cease and Brewers’ Jackson Chourio both received precisely one 10th-place vote. For the AL, those earning one vote included Astros’ Jose Altuve, Tigers’ Tyler Horton, Royals’ Seth Lugo, Rangers’ Corey Seager, and Astros’ Framber Valdez.

None of the names above deserved to win MVP over Judge or Ohtani. But their contributions to their teams’ respective season were substantial enough to be recognized with a vote in some capacity. It mostly makes for a fun bit of trivia down the line and serves as a glimpse into how baseball writers can rank the 5th to 10th-most deserving MVP candidates when the leaders are so obvious.

This year had some interesting names in this department. With the final votes tallied, here’s every player to earn exactly one MVP vote behind the winners. On the final ballot some players will finish with more “points” than others if their one vote came for a placement higher than 10th, but they all received one vote nonetheless.

An interesting group, to be sure. While the winners earned their place atop the rankings these players can say they earned a vote for their performance this season. That’s something!

In the NL, a pair of Cubs earned MVP spots in the form of Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki. Hoerner hit .297 from the plate and racked up 178 hits on the year to pair with Gold Glove defense, while Suzuki recorded 32 home runs and over 100 RBIs. Then there’s Elly De La Cruz, the Reds’ highlight machine who put forth another great season with 22 home runs and 37 stolen bases. Last but not least, Ketel Marte enjoyed another good season for the Diamondbacks, earning an NL Silver Slugger award to go with this MVP vote.

In the AL, Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman earned himself a vote after a ridiculous season in which he went months without giving up an earned run and totaled 32 saves. In Tampa Bay, Yandy Díaz’s efforts were rewarded with a vote; he batted a clean .300 with 175 hits on the year. Finally, Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson impressively appears on the MVP ballot in his first full MLB season. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind his teammate, Nick Kurtz, and was named an All-Star for the first time as well.

It was a quite a season and these players will always be able to claim they wound up on an MVP ballot.

Full AL, NL MVP voting results for 2025 season

Every year for MVP voting, the Baseball Writers of America kindly release the full ballots showing every player who received votes, where those votes ranked those players, and how many total “points” they tallied.

Below you’ll find the full NL MVP award voting ballot for this season. You can look at a comprehensive breakdown of which votes were cast by each of the 30 writers here.

The allrounder overcame injuries and mental-health issues to end up with a T20 World Cup winner’s medal

Annesha Ghosh20-Mar-2020Soon after touching down at Melbourne airport a fortnight ago, Australia allrounder Sophie Molineux told reporters she hoped to make the most of pop star Katy Perry’s presence at the MCG for the T20 World Cup final. “Hopefully, I am dancing with her at the end,” she said a day after taking the key wicket of South Africa opener Lizelle Lee in Australia’s thrilling semi-final win at the SCG.Twenty-two-year-old Molineux got what she wished for, leading her team-mates down a runway at the MCG and dancing with Perry after Australia beat India in the final and won their fifth T20 World Cup.

That’s how you celebrate a win. pic.twitter.com/vEUsUTINZ1

— Neroli Meadows (@Neroli_Meadows) March 8, 2020

But it was almost a miracle that her World Cup campaign ended on so bright a note, given the trajectory of her career over the past 12 months.In March last year, Molineux, a left-arm spin-bowling allrounder underwent surgery for a dislocated shoulder she suffered while training with her state side, Victoria. She made her way back into the Australian team over the next six months, with a superlative Test debut in the Ashes in England, but then missed the tour of the Caribbean and the home series against Sri Lanka as she entered an extended period of recovery.Having overcome the injury-related setbacks, she decided to take a break in the middle of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) last November to focus on her mental health, which made the prospect of her inclusion in the World Cup squad far from likely. Molineux admitted she is fortunate things took a turn for the better.”It’s been a pretty funny few months. I think I am really lucky because the World Cup was definitely not on my mind back then,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “There’s never going to be a perfect time to take a break, especially when you’re in professional sport. There’s always going to be some cricket coming up. I was playing Big Bash at that time, but I knew I had to do it. I knew there was a World Cup coming up, but whether I would be there, I wasn’t really sure. So I wasn’t going to spend time worrying about that because it was far too out of my control.”But looking back, to have been able to play the World Cup and then win it is pretty cool. [That] Sunday night was special. To be able to run out in front of 90,000 people, to do that with ten of your best team-mates, lift the World Cup… it has all been pretty special and still feels quite surreal.”But that’s what sport is all about, isn’t it? The highs and the lows… And winning the World Cup at the MCG was certainly a high.”Her decision to step away from the game came around the same time as a raft of withdrawals from the men’s senior and A sides. The Victorian trio of Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson and Will Pucovski took breaks from their cricketing commitments to deal with mental-health challenges, and the summer before, Molineux’s Australia team-mate Nicole Bolton had stepped away from cricket due to her own mental-health issues.

“There’s never going to be a perfect time to take a break, especially when you’re into professional sport; there’s always going to be some cricket coming up. I was playing Big Bash at that time, but I knew I had to do it”Molineux on her break due to mental-health issues

That Molineux found it relatively smooth to ease back into the national side, she said, was down to Cricket Australia’s support and an ecosystem that encourages players to monitor and, as recent evidence testifies, open up about their mental-health concerns. Australian players, besides discussing their state of mind with coaches, medical staff and team psychologists, have the option of reporting problems or spiralling feelings using the wellness apps used to track their physical and mental well-being.”It’s sort of funny that I took the break when I did,” Molineux said. “You take such breaks focusing on the needs of the immediate present without thinking much about the future. You try and stay in the present and work through each day, each week. And it’s important you have the right people around you in such times.”The support I got at the time from Motty [head coach Matthew Mott] and Meg [Lanning, the captain], and everyone from Cricket Australia, Cricket Victoria, my team-mates, my family… after such highs in your career, when you look back, you tend to realise and appreciate even more what having someone’s back at such moments can do. [Through] that period I realised how lucky I was to have that support around me, and really, Cricket Australia and our support staff have been amazing.”Just before this year’s World Cup, though, Molineux found herself pegged back once again. She sustained a thigh injury during the last stretch of the home tri-series involving England and India in early February, and while she was named in the World Cup squad, she hurt her other thigh too in the meantime and was sidelined till the last league game of the world tournament.”She had two corked thighs for this World Cup,” Mott told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the team’s celebrations in Federation Square in Melbourne the morning after Australia thumped India in the final. “There is a bit of dispute on how she actually got the second one. I think she actually landed on the square again. It is a bit of a mystery [even now].”Credit to our medical team, though. Honestly, I thought she was pretty much done for the tournament. The scan I saw looked horrific – there was a lot of blood around her leg, and we just thought there was absolutely no chance of getting her back out there, but they kept the faith, kept her around…”That Molineux slotted straight back into the XI upon recovering just in time for the knockouts was down in part to a tournament-ending hamstring injury to Australia’s premier allrounder, Ellyse Perry, ahead of the semi-finals. The wicket of Lee in her first over in the semi-final would mark the beginning of Molineux’s first home World Cup. Two nights later she would get opener Smriti Mandhana with her first delivery in the final.”As soon as she took that first wicket in the final, I think everyone just went, ‘You beauty!'” Mott said. “You don’t like taking injured players into big matches, but I definitely think that was a big part of it, trying to get her up for that game. Obviously you lose Ellyse Perry, but you add another world-class allrounder in there.Mott said the team management wasn’t confident they would be able to get Molineux up for the semi-final, and that even if they did, it might have been just that one game they would “get out of her” given the protracted recovery. “But we needed it,” Mott conceded.It wasn’t until 9.30 on the morning of the final that Molineux would be declared fit. To see her dealing India a telling blow, winning the World Cup and capping off a roller-coaster ride of a season dancing to the other Perry’s chartbusters on stage was incredible to him.”It was touch and go right to the 11th hour,” Mott said. “When you see her dancing that night you find that hard to believe!”

And testing times continue for Mohammad Hafeez

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Sep-2020The Briefing An elemental force
For about as long as foreigners have visited England, there have been complaints about the weather. Overcast skies in summer, damp soil underfoot, a general ambience of misery – these are the tropes. In the last week of August, however, cricket celebrated a bowler who has harnessed this gloom better than any player ever has. Wearing his expression of almost devout misery, high priest of the clouds James Anderson played his 156th Test and sent up a 600th human sacrifice to his grey gods above. As reward for this unprecedented piety, the clouds saw fit to unleash their vengeance on the first T20I – a format that has had no place for Anderson since 2009.Misadventures in misery
If Anderson is the master of misery, Fawad Alam is one of its foremost victims. Alam is so prolific at first-class level that he practically sneezes domestic runs – there’s no mask in existence capable of containing these eruptions. In the ten and a half years since he played his last Test, fans in Karachi have protested to the board, pundits have made compelling cases in his favour, and Alam himself has developed a fully front-on stance as if to dare the selectors to tell him which part of this package is not to like. Fate finally allowed him to play his first Test in a decade, then promptly flashed him its middle finger, as Chris Woakes – another disciple of the overhead moisture religion – trapped him lbw for 0. Alam only got 21 runs in his next innings, and was 0 not out in the one after, and then presumably had the flight staff spill a drink all over him and the airline loses his baggage on the trip home.Claim of the month
Spare a thought for Kevin O’Brien, who hit a six into the back window of his own car, and will now perhaps have to try to explain to the insurance company that yes, although he is responsible for the damage, and that yes, although it was completely deliberate, and fine, he might have even initially celebrated, it would be totally unreasonable for them to have him foot the bill.The Test king
In the early weeks of this month, Mohammad Hafeez tweeted a picture of himself with a “90+ year-old” woman, standing less than two metres apart on the golf course adjoining the team hotel in Southampton. Almost everything about this story is a little nuts. First, players all have been under strict instruction not to get within two metres of anyone outside the team bubble, so why Hafeez had no issue breaking protocol and even proudly posting this on social media is strange. Hafeez is also 39, which means he is in the demographic to be an asymptomatic carrier, while the woman is elderly and at risk of serious complications, so him calling her “inspirational” is like a safari guide acclaiming the majesty of a lion before driving the jeep directly at it. And you would think that Hafeez, who had returned a positive Covid-19 Test, and had to return two further negative ones to even get on this tour, would be particularly careful. He has possibly been through more biomechanical tests over his bowling action than any player in the last ten years. As he was forced to undergo two further Covid-19 tests following this interaction, he may also lead the cricket world on this front.Hard conversations
The spirit of cricket has been in the news again, with Ricky Ponting stating on a podcast that he would have a “hard conversation” with R Ashwin over the issue of mankading – or running out batsmen at the non-striker’s end, if we’re going to be politically correct about it. The two have apparently already talked about this, but if Ashwin didn’t simply email his coach a compilation video of Ponting’s mid-aughts team who, in terms of on-field behaviour, were one of the most controversial (since we’re being PC) ever, an easy opportunity to shut this whole discussion down has been missed.

MS Dhoni comes in with CSK needing 40 off four overs. Which bowlers try to defend your team’s score?

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2020Hot SeatScenario: You are captaining a team against the Chennai Super Kings. Chasing 170, they are 130 for 3 after 16 overs, and MS Dhoni has just walked in. At the other end is Ambati Rayudu. You can pick three bowlers from any one IPL team to bowl the last four overs (one has to bowl two). Whom do you pick and what order do you bowl them in?Shashank Kishore:
Dhoni takes his time against spin early on, particularly legspin and left-arm spin. So I’ll slip in a quick over from Axar in the 17th. Over the years, Patel has learnt to slow it down nicely, varying his lengths better and getting the ball to dip because of his height. So I’ll back him to concede only four or five runs. Then I’ll go for Rabada to deliver the 18th and 20th. This leaves me with one over in the middle. Anrich Nortje is still an IPL rookie, so I don’t want to put him under immense pressure. I’ve held R Ashwin back to bowl one at the end. Not only is he capable of control, he’ll also keep Rayudu on his toes and prevent him from backing up early at the non-striker’s end.Gaurav Sundararaman:
Dhoni has never scored a boundary off Narine in the history of the IPL. He struggles to get him away, so I will give Narine two overs. Forty from four overs is not a tough ask, but the two overs from Narine will possibly only go for a maximum of 12 runs, as Dhoni will look to target the other bowlers. Ferguson and Cummins, with their 140kph-plus deliveries, have a good chance to negate Rayudu and Dhoni and defend the remaining 28 needed from two overs. Narine will bowl overs 17 and 19, Feguson will bowl over 18, and Cummins the last over.Matt Roller:
There’s no question that I’m going for Mumbai Indians, given Bumrah’s record against Dhoni. Since the start of the 2017 IPL, Bumrah has bowled 44 balls to him, conceded 39, and dismissed him twice. So Bumrah bowls the 18th and 20th. I don’t love Mumbai’s other death-bowling options – they have used Trent Boult and James Pattinson there this season – but they are still the team to pick. I’ll sneak in an over of Pandya early: it would be uncharacteristic for Dhoni to attempt to hit early boundaries against a left-arm spinner. Also, Pandya dismissed Rayudu in both 2018 and 2019. I expect them to attack whoever bowls the 19th, knowing scoring options are scarce off Bumrah, and McClenaghan thrives when he feels like he has been written off. Depending on the pitch, he can either attempt yorkers from around the wicket or bowl back of a length with changes of pace from over the wicket.Sheldon Cottrell can trouble the two batsmen with his left-arm angle and his height•BCCIHimanshu Agrawal:
Assuming Rayudu has batted for at least a few overs, he is in a better position than Dhoni to attempt the big hits. Knowing Dhoni, he will be happy to let Rayudu go for the boundaries while he takes singles. To defend ten an over, you need a subtle mix of slower balls, cutters and yorkers. And the Kings XI’s seamers can provide that mix. Jordan, perhaps the most underrated death bowler presently, brings sharp pace, variations and pinpoint yorkers. I will back him to bowl the 17th and 19th overs. Shami is a skiddy bowler who can exploit Dhoni’s weakness against quick short balls. Since 2018, Dhoni has scored only 24 runs off 18 short balls bowled by right-arm fast bowlers that arrive within the stumps. While Shami can leak runs, he has taken 16 wickets at the death since 2018 at an average of just 16.06. He will bowl the 18th over, leaving the 20th for Cottrell, who can use his height, left-arm angle and scrambled seam to restrict the batsmen. Hopefully, he will have 12 or more runs to defend.Sreshth Shah:
I’d have Pandya bowl the 17th over, with protection at deep point, deep extra cover and long-off. Rayudu has scored only 28 runs in 25 balls against Pandya, and Dhoni 17 in 19. There is a risk of a left-hander such as Sam Curran or Ravindra Jadeja coming in next if Pandya gets a wicket, but it’s best to live in the present. Bumrah comes in for the 18th, and for him, the field will be packed on the leg side, and third man and fine leg will be on the boundary line. I’d ask him to bowl those hard lengths that come zipping into the body, so that both batsmen are forced to use the horizontal bat. The 19th is the trickiest over, and I’ll entrust it to Boult. He’d have protection all through the leg side again. Boult should go for the yorkers tailing back into the right-hander, and hopefully not offer any full tosses. If he throws in a bouncer or two, both batsmen will not be waiting to get on the front foot during his delivery stride.

The cricket world was all praise for Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, who led a tremendous fightback in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2021