Selectors name 14-man squad for three matches on September 17, 19 and 21

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2025Ben Calitz, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, is in line to make his senior Ireland debut against England later this month, but senior seamers Josh Little and Mark Adair are both absent from their 14-man squad for the three-match T20I series at Malahide.Calitz moved to Ireland in 2022, having been born in Vancouver, Canada, and has since represented Munster Reds and Northern Knights in the Inter-Provincial Series, before being selected for the Ireland Wolves tour of the UAE in April.He is the only uncapped player in the squad, captained by Paul Stirling, that includes three returning players in Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher and Craig Young, all of whom proved their fitness in the recent Emerald Challenge series.However, Little and Adair are notable absentees. Little, the left-arm quick, has been struggling with a side injury that he aggravated while playing for Middlesex in the One-Day Cup, and has played just one competitive fixture since July.Adair, meanwhile, underwent knee surgery in August, with a view to being fit for Ireland’s Test tour of Bangladesh in November. Fionn Hand, the seamer who featured in Ireland’s one-off Test against England at Lord’s in 2023, is also absent through injury.The squad will play three T20Is on September 17, 19 and 21, against an England team that will be led for the first time by Jacob Bethell, the 21-year-old who is fresh from scoring his maiden professional century in the third ODI against South Africa on Sunday. Although the matches form part of the build-up to the forthcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February, England’s squad will be lacking several senior players who are being rested ahead of the Ashes tour of Australia, which gets underway in November.Andrew White, Ireland’s national men’s selector, said: “While every match against England is a special occasion, this series takes on extra importance given we are less than six months out from the next T20 World Cup. These matches against England offer us an opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s best teams as we build-up to that tournament.”As it stands, we are set to play as many T20I matches in the next five months as we have already played in this cycle to date, but we’ll transition to Asian and Middle East venues to better prepare the squad for conditions they will likely face on the subcontinent.”While it’s unfortunate that Mark [Adair], Fionn [Hand] and Josh [Little] are not available, this series will give several other members of the bowling group the chance to step up and challenge for World Cup spots.”While we have excellent cover at the top of the order, it is the middle order batting where we are looking to increase our depth. As part of this focus, we welcome Ben Calitz into the squad – who gives us a left-handed batting option, as well as wicketkeeping cover – and Jordan Neill returns as cover for Mark Adair, as he did in the West Indies ODI series earlier this summer before injury cut his debut short.”The series will be the first in which Ireland has hosted England in T20Is, and the Sunday fixture is already sold out. The two teams have only met twice before in the format; a wash-out during the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean, and a five-run victory for Ireland at Melbourne during the 2022 T20 World Cup. Coincidentally, England went on to lift the trophy on both occasions.Ireland squad: Paul Stirling (capt), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Barry McCarthy, Jordan Neill, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has been backed to manage Liverpool one day but the pundit making the suggestion does not believe Arne Slot's job at Anfield is under threat. The Reds tried to bring the Spaniard to Merseyside after news of Jurgen Klopp's impending exit was announced in 2024. While he stayed at Bayer Leverkusen before joining Madrid this year, an old team-mate of his thinks a Reds return is possible.

• Liverpool reunion for Alonso?

  Al-Ahli head coach and former Liverpool player Igor Biscan can see Alonso heading to the Premier League side one day. He added that he wouldn't blame the Reds for chasing the ex-midfielder, such is his pedigree.

  Speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest Premier League betting, Biscan, who played with the Spaniard at Anfield in 2004-05, said:  "Xabi Alonso as Liverpool manager? I think that's always a possibility. If he keeps on doing what he's doing, and to be successful and make a difference. Whenever you watch his teams, they are doing so well, they have a clear structure, and the quality is always there. Who wouldn't want to have a manager like him?"

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  Slot's job 'not in danger'

  Following Liverpool's humbling 3-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, question marks have been raised about Slot's future at the club amid a run of six defeats in their last seven games.  However, the fact that he led the Reds to the Premier League title means he has enough credit in the bank and the former Feyenoord boss insists the results will turn soon. Moreover, Biscan thinks the Dutchman needs more time to right this ship.

  He added: "There is pressure, but for every manager at that level, there is always pressure. I don't think his job is in question. Even if he doesn’t win the league, just by doing what he did last year, after what happened before he arrived and how difficult his job was, it was exceptional. Everybody was saying it would be extremely difficult for him to really continue what Jurgen Klopp had done before him. He is a quality manager, and he deserves a lot of credit and he needs time. There are so many new players, and you need time to make them work together. I'm really sure that they will start winning again very soon."

• Liverpool 'not out of title race'

  Despite their wretched run, which has left them 11th in the table, Biscan thinks Liverpool can still mount a title challenge. While they are eight points behind league leaders Arsenal, which could stretch to 11 if the Gunners beat Tottenham on Sunday, bigger deficits have been clawed back in the past.

  Biscan said: "I won't be too negative because of the many defeats in the last six, seven, or eight games, especially in the league. I think there is still a good chance for Liverpool to compete for the title. Now they will have a run of games which, at least on paper, should be easier. Hopefully, if they can win a few in a row, I think they will be back in the title race."

  The former defender also thinks Alexander Isak, who has struggled since his big-money move from Newcastle United, can come good, too.

  "Which team would not have wanted to sign Alexander Isak at the beginning of the season? I don't think there is any team, any manager, any set of fans who would say: ‘No, no, we don't like him. We don't believe that he will be good enough for our team'," he said. "He's a special player. He's a top-class centre-forward, like everybody knows. And yeah, he missed pre-season and then the lack of match fitness, sharpness, for sure, takes away a bit of your ability. But it's the same situation like what we said about Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, you know, the quality is there. And there is for sure quality. It's always been there. It's just a matter of time before he starts scoring. It's just a matter of getting into the right rhythm, scoring some goals, and then again, a little bit of this momentum back. And the whole team needs that, and when this happens, then we will see a different story."

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  Crunch period for Liverpool

  While things are looking bleak for Liverpool right now, fortunes can change very quickly in football, just as Slot's side have shown for the worse in recent weeks. The Reds, who were top of the table earlier on this season, return to Champions League action on Wednesday at home to PSV Eindhoven. A victory there could give them confidence heading into winnable games against West Ham, Sunderland, and Leeds United.

The San Francisco Giants are making a splash.

After trailing the Cincinnati Reds by four runs at home for most of Wednesday's game, the Giants tied up the game in the eighth inning on a home run from Wilber Flores to ultimately force extra innings.

In the tenth inning, Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski delivered for his team—and daughter—hitting a walk-off home run to defeat the Reds. The splash home run shot out of Oracle Park and landed in McCovey Cove, sealing the Giants comeback win.

Yastrzemski revealed earlier this week that he received special motivation from his three-year-old daughter, Quinley, who had asked him to hit a home run.

"Quinley asked me for a home run," Yastrzemski said over the weekend. "Well, she asked me specifically for a triple, a home run and a splash hit. She was trying to cover all the bases. But yeah, I told her I would hit a home run for her. I can't say no to her, so I had to do what I could."

Yastrzemski followed through on that promise on Sunday, hitting his first home run of the season in the Giants' 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. Days later, he has followed through on making a splash hit for his daughter, and now has three walk-off splash hits and a total of seven splash hits in his career. Only Barry Bonds, Brandon Belt, and Pablo Sandoval have more career splash hits than Yastrzemski.

The Giants now move to 9-3 on the season, ranking third in a competitive National League West division. The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers became the first teams to reach 10 wins this season on Wednesday, but the Giants keep themselves in the thick of the race with their win over the Reds.

Sixteen years into his MLB career, pitcher Craig Kimbrel's journey has reportedly come full circle.

Kimbrel is signing a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves, according to a Tuesday afternoon report from Ken Rosenthal of .

The nine-time All-Star—who will turn 37 on May 28—began his career with the Braves in 2010. With Atlanta, he embarked one of the most dominant runs by any closer in history—saving 46, 42, 50 and 47 games from 2011 to '14, respectively.

In 2024, Kimbrel pitched for the Baltimore Orioles, going 7-5 with 23 saves and a 5.33 ERA; he did strike out 73 batters in 52 1/3 innings.

Kimbrel has saved 440 games in his career, the fifth-highest total in baseball history. He is seven saves behind Los Angeles Angels pitcher Kenley Jansen for fourth all-time.

The Braves are scheduled to open the 2025 season on March 27 against the San Diego Padres.

Manchester United have now received an offer for an “insane” player ahead of the January transfer window, and he’s said yes to the move…

Man Utd could offload "insane" player in January

Just when Man United were looking like they might have turned a corner, they were brought crashing back down to earth against Everton on Monday night, with the Toffees emerging as 1-0 winners, in what was David Moyes’ first-ever win as a visiting manager at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils were unable to take anything from the game, despite playing against ten men for the majority of the night, with Idrissa Gueye being shown a straight red card after striking his own teammate, Michael Keane.

Having gone the five previous Premier League games undefeated, the loss serves as a reminder that the current squad is still some way off being able to compete for major honours, as pointed out by Ruben Amorim in his post-match interview.

As such, there is work to be done in the January transfer window and beyond, and Man United now have a decision to make when it comes to Joshua Zirkzee’s future, as AS Roma have submitted a loan with an option to buy offer for the striker.

That is according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), which states Zirkzee is now edging closer to joining Roma, having ‘said yes’ to the January move, although it is currently unclear whether United are willing to sanction a departure.

The Dutchman is valued at €40m (£35m), with the Italian club willing to include an obligation to buy if they qualify for the Champions League, but it is not specified what sort of fee they would be willing to shell out.

Man Utd should cash-in on Zirkzee this winter

The 24-year-old has flattered to deceive ever since his arrival at Old Trafford, scoring just three Premier League goals in 37 appearances, and his recent performance against Everton was less than impressive.

The Netherlands international squandered one big chance and received a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3, the joint-lowest of any player, excluding Gueye, who was dismissed after just 13 minutes.

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Having been lauded as “insane” by scout Ben Mattinson in the past, the £105k-a-week forward could succeed elsewhere, and he may have a part to play until Benjamin Sesko returns from a knee injury.

However, Amorim should definitely move Zirkzee on in the January transfer window and bring in a new striker to rival Sesko for a starting spot, with Man United recently renewing their interest in Bayern Munich star Harry Kane.

It does now appear that Daniel Farke’s days as Leeds United manager are very much numbered.

This isn’t exactly the biggest shock in the world, considering the Whites have now lost five of their last six Premier League games, with the Aston Villa loss sending them into that dreaded bottom three.

Reports are indicating that the German’s sacking looks inevitable amid doubts over whether he is the correct long-term man at Elland Road, albeit with a succession plan seemingly not yet in place.

Unfortunately, Farke looks as if he will fall victim to a fate that even the great Marcelo Bielsa had to come to terms with in the Premier League.

Not even a colossal 81 wins in charge could save the revered Argentine from the sack in the end, with far less sadness on display when Jesse Marsch was given his marching orders after the South American, when looking at his up-and-down stint in West Yorkshire.

Marc Roca's Leeds woes under Marsch

The new Canada boss would only muster up a weak 11 wins from the pressurised dug-out, in contrast, but that isn’t to say it was all doom and gloom while he occupied the hot seat.

Indeed, Marsch would steer the Whites to safety during the 2021/22 season after picking up the pieces from Bielsa, with a memorable away win at Liverpool even on his resume.

Still, a fair few of the signings the American signed off on during his brief stay in England were extremely hit-and-miss, including the one-season wonder of Marc Roca.

Initially, the Spaniard stood out as a rock-solid option in defensive midfield, with Leeds’ unbeaten start to the 2022/23 season seeing Roca win a high 15 duels in wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea.

Yet, much like Luis Sinisterra, who showed flashes of his excellence at Leeds with five Premier League goals put away, Roca’s efforts ultimately meant nothing, as Leeds succumbed to relegation during his only season at the club.

Pundit Adrian Durham would even state, during his brief time in West Yorkshire, that he wasn’t sure if Roca had the calibre to be a “Premier League footballer”. By the end of the campaign, he was merely a bit-part player, too, despite such early promise.

Leeds will hope history isn’t repeating itself now with this promising summer acquisition, who has gone off the boil somewhat in recent weeks.

Leeds' next Roca in the making

To make matters worse for the Whites, Roca would end up returning to home comforts in La Liga smoothly, having looked far more impressive back at Real Betis.

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Indeed, as per FBref, he currently ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for assists per 90, as well as in the top 10% for interceptions and the top 17% for tackles, showcasing an all-around quality that was sorely lacking at Elland Road.

Much like the Betis number 21, Anton Stach was a notable midfield purchase this summer from Europe, with £17.4m splashed out on the German, after he had collected a weighty five goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga for the likes of Hoffenheim.

He has packed his shooting boots for England, too, with this outrageous free-kick against Wolves earlier in the season making him a fan’s favourite amongst Leeds supporters packed into Molineux.

During the same game, he also picked up an assist, while winning a combined eight tackles and duels.

Yet, since that standout performance against the bottom-of-the-table Old Gold, Stach has failed to consistently deliver, with his form out of sorts against Nottingham Forest at the start of the month, which culminated in the German completing zero successful dribbles and losing possession a high 15 times.

Stach’s PL numbers since Wolves

Stat

Stach

Games played

6

Games started

4

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Accurate passes

153/187

Total duels won

22/40

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, Stach has only won 22 of his following 40 duels since his man-of-match-worthy display in the West Midlands, with Farke even pushing him down to the bench on occasion, which is a fate Roca became very much used to during the latter stages of his hot-and-cold Leeds stint.

Farke has even openly come out and said that Stach needs to “step up” amid a concern that his performances have gone downhill, with relegation staring Leeds in the face, even with glimpses of promise here and there from the ex-Hoffenheim star.

The under-pressure German will hope Stach listens to his words and gets back to his best shortly.

If he doesn’t, and he fades into the background like Roca, relegation looks to be on the cards, as the walls begin to be “slowly closing in” on the ex-Norwich City manager, as per the Athletic’s Beren Cross.

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All the talk at Elland Road at the moment centres on whether Daniel Farke will remain in the Leeds United dug-out, heading into an unforgiving December list of fixtures.

With five defeats from your last six games in the Premier League, the last thing a bruised Whites outfit needs is back-to-back fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea up next, especially as City will want to immediately respond to their Champions League embarrassment at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

Therefore, an Erling Haaland-led effort could take their frustrations out on the pitiful away side, with the German’s grip on his job post looking even more fragile, if they’re on the receiving end of a drubbing.

The powers that be in West Yorkshire will surely have a plan up their sleeve if they do decide to finally bite the bullet and get rid.

Who could replace Farke at Leeds?

As the 49ers gear up to potentially replace Farke at Elland Road, one man who is unlikely to move to England is former Union Berlin boss Bo Svensson.

Indeed, according to reports from Germany, he is unlikely to return to the managerial game soon, having recently turned down approaches from Rangers and Union Saint-Gilloise. He has also been allegedly on the relegation-threatened side’s radar, but that looks like it will now be stopped in its tracks, before anything serious materialises.

This surely swings the door wide open for Brendan Rodgers to be a prime candidate to oust the ex-Norwich City boss.

TEAMTalk recently revealed this week that the former Celtic manager would be keen on a return to the Premier League with Leeds.

After all, Rodgers has been here before when picking up the pieces post-Claude Puel’s failed stint at Leicester City, with the Northern Irishman even going on to clinch an FA Cup success with the Foxes, before furthering his varied managerial career in Glasgow.

The out-of-work 52-year-old coming in now could well be a masterstroke as Leeds attempt to turn around their hopeless season.

Perhaps Rodgers could have the same impact at the Whites that Regis Le Bris has managed to have at Sunderland, in such a short space of time.

How Rodgers could be Leeds' own Le Bris

Scanning back to just last season, Leeds did finish above the Black Cats in the Championship promotion standings, accumulating 100 points to lift the title, while Le Bris and Co secured promotion via the more adventurous route of the playoffs.

Yet, in the here and now, the Wearside underdogs find themselves all the way up in a dizzy seventh position in the early top-flight standings, while Farke hangs onto his employment, as he drags Leeds into the relegation spaces.

Sunderland fans are rightly singing the praises of their overachieving manager at this moment in time, with Leeds now potentially wanting a Le Bris-style figure of their own in Rodgers, to bring the good times back to Elland Road.

Rodgers, before going on to manage at Liverpool and the King Power Stadium, did manage to show off a similar breakneck transition to the Premier League like Le Bris is experiencing at the Stadium of Light.

His Swansea City side jumped all the way up to 11th in the league standings, right after promotion was sealed come the end of the 2010/11 season.

Games

312

Wins

139

Draws

71

Losses

102

Points accumulated

488

He would further reinforce his reputation as a capable boss in the tough division with the Reds, as he nearly delivered a Premier League triumph at Anfield. But, it will be his transformative presence at Leicester that will give Leeds fans the most hope that he can push them up the division, much like Le Bris has managed on Wearside.

From four full seasons at the King Power helm, Rodgers would collect 64 league victories, with a fifth-place finish clinched during his first full season at the helm quite the achievement, considering Puel ended his reign with the Foxes on five defeats from his final six games.

Coincidentally, that is the exact form Farke now finds himself deep in at Leeds, with a move for such a “world-class” manager in Rodgers – as Gabriel Agbonlahor once labelled him – perhaps just what the doctor ordered in turning around the Whites’ dismal fortunes.

Le Bris is yet to receive such a wild tag, but it surely won’t be far off if he clinches an unbelievable mid-table finish for the Black Cats.

Yet, with time on Leeds’ side still, they could also mount a surge up the division, too, if they were to gain Rodgers’ services.

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Southampton interim manager Tonda Eckert will be in the dugout for the next three Championship matches before a decision is made on his future at the club.

Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas added that the German tactician is bidding to land the role on a full-time basis, which makes these next three games an important audition for him.

He has already won his first two games in charge of the club, beating QPR 2-1 and Sheffield Wednesday 3-1, after stepping in because of Will Still’s departure.

Why Southampton need an upgrade on Will Still

The Saints need to find a manager who can be an upgrade on their previous head coach, as obvious as it sounds, because his track record before coming to St. Mary’s did not suggest that he was an obvious candidate.

Of course, finishing in midtable with two different Ligue 1 clubs as a 33-year-old head coach is impressive, given that it is one of the best leagues in Europe, but each manager has different skills that suit certain environments.

Southampton, from the outside looking in, appeared to need a leader who could galvanise the club after such a dismal relegation from the Premier League, whilst also having the coaching outlook required to mount a promotion push.

25/26 (Championship)

13

12 (21st)

24/25 (Ligue 1)

34

52 (8th)

23/24 (Ligue 1)

31

40 (11th)

22/23 (Ligue 1)

28

43 (11th)

20/21 (Pro League)

13

17 (9th)

17/18 (Challenger Pro League)

9

22 (3rd)

As you can see in the table above, Still, aside from nine games as an interim years before his first major job, had never been in an environment where he was expected to win consistently and be at the top of the table.

That lack of alignment between coaching and expectation may have been a contributing factor to Southampton ending up in 21st place in the table, with the benefit of hindsight.

Now, in what may be a controversial suggestion, Sport Republic could replace Eckert and find an upgrade on Still by returning to Russell Martin to hire him as their next manager.

Why Southampton should hire Russell Martin

It was reported earlier this month that the former Rangers boss still has admirers in the boardroom at St. Mary’s and it has been claimed that some first-team players and staff are open to his return, suggesting that he could be an option in their managerial search.

Like him or loathe him, Martin is a good communicator and can lead a group when there is buy-in and potential for positive momentum with results, which may not have worked out at Premier League level, or at Rangers.

The 39-year-old tactician’s style of play was described as “successful” and a “joy to watch” by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Whilst they may have been untrue in the Premier League, it was certainly the case in the Championship, which is where Southampton are now.

Pass accuracy

87.7%

1st

Passes into the penalty area

594

1st

Progressive passes

2556

1st

Shot-creating actions

1255

1st

xG

79.8

2nd

Points per game

1.89

4th

When the Saints were promoted under Martin in the 2023/24 campaign, his team were incredible offensively, as shown in the table, above, as they went on to win the play-offs.

This shows that the ex-Swansea boss has the relevant experience required to take on the job at hand, as Southampton look to get promoted back to the top-flight, because he has been there and done it, which was not the case for Still in the summer.

There are major question marks over his Premier League capabability, due to one win in 16 matches last season in the division, which is why it would be interesting to see if he would consider a deal until the end of the season.

Bringing Martin in on a short-term deal until the end of this season to see if he can spark a reaction out of the players and use his experience to guide the team towards the play-offs, before a longer-term appointment is made with the Premier League in mind, could be a shrewd way to go about it.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Ramón Díaz falou, pela primeira vez, sobre a saída do ex-diretor de futebol do Vasco, Alexandre Mattos, e sobre encontro com o Josh Wander, fundador e CEO da 777 Partners, empresa dona da SAF do clube. Após a vitória do Cruz-Maltino sobre o Grêmio no domingo (14), pela primeira rodada do brasileirão, o técnico argentino celebrou a reunião que teve com o empresário e criticou a relação com Mattos.

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– Foi uma reunião muito importante com eles. Nunca tivemos a possibilidade de ter um diálogo direto. A intermediação com o (Alexandre) Mattos era bastante complicada, bastante difícil. Não chegamos ao resultado mais rápido. Foi uma reunião muito boa. Fomos mais diretos para resolver situações difíceis do clube. Situações que podem melhorar rápido. Não vamos seguir cometendo erros. Vamos nos reunir a cada 15 dias, ter um diálogo mais direto com todos os dirigentes – comentou Ramón Diaz, após vitória do Vasco sobre o Grêmio, em São Januário.

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