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The Delhi Daredevils assistant coach has said his main aim would be to ensure a finals spot in the third season of the IPL

Cricinfo staff10-Mar-2010Eric Simons, the Delhi Daredevils assistant coach, has said his main aim would be to ensure a finals spot for his side in the third season of the IPL. Having made the semi-finals in the two previous editions, Delhi choked against eventual winners Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers respectively.Simons, who is also India’s bowling coach, strongly suggested that a rotation policy was a key strategy to ensure his players’ freshness for the big games. “The key is to peak at the right time and we need to find ways for that,” Simons told the . “Rotating the players will play a key role.”He also gave his full backing to new captain Gautam Gambhir, who took over from Virender Sehwag, and said he should have no problems with the rotation policy. “He’s [Gambhir’s] a mature and clear-thinking individual,” Simons said. “He has got no ego and is the perfect man to lead. Captaincy is all about taking information from others and making the right decisions and he will be able to do that.”Simons, 48, served as South Africa’s head coach from 2002-2004 and later held various capacities at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. He also has some coaching experience in the IPL, having worked as a consultant with Ray Jennings last year for Royal Challengers Bangalore when the tournament moved to South Africa.He will be assisting Greg Shipperd, having filled the position left vacant by Australia’s David Saker on March 3 this year, and focus on working with the large bunch of young bowlers in the Delhi squad. However, Simons said he has not had much time with the local players for the tournament beginning March 12. “I haven’t seen the local players yet. I think, after three or four nets, I should get an idea.”For a team boasting many international stars – Dirk Nannes, Paul Collingwood, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Daniel Vettori, Farveez Maharoof, David Warner, AB de Villiers, Moises Henriques, Andrew McDonald and new purchase Wayne Parnell – the choice of playing four players from the contingent could be tough.”That is where the balancing act needs to be done,” Simons told . “It is important to manage international players. We have to make sure our top players are not jaded and, hopefully, this time we can manage that. At the moment, everyone is fit and raring to go. It is going to be an arduous six weeks of the tournament and we are hoping to keep everyone on the field. This is where the role of the backroom staff will be very important.”The pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi’s home ground, has come under criticism in the recent past. The abandonment of the fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka in December last year, resulted in a one-year international ban from the ICC. However, the venue will host IPL matches as the tournament, being a domestic one, is out of the global governing body’s purview.”We had a practice match last night where one team scored 200 and the other got really close,” Simons said. “There were a few occasions when batsmen were hitting length balls over the bowlers’ heads, which I always believe to be a fair indicator of how good a pitch is.”The surface seems kind of cold, so I think they have left some moisture on the surface which is helping it stay together. We had played on another wicket a few days ago and that had seemed slower, so it is getting better for sure.”

Leeds United are among the teams lining up a move for Jason Knight…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Football League World, who claim that Championship outfit Derby County are at risk of losing several of their young talents in the near future as their struggles to find a new owner continue.

It’s thought that the club’s administrators have failed to rule out the prospect of selling players in January and the 20-year-old midfielder is a prime candidate to depart Pride Park.

However, the Yorkshiremen face fierce competition from their top-flight rivals Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Crystal Palace, among others.

It remains to be seen how much Knight would command, though Transfermarkt currently value him at just £5.4m, having been capped at international level eight times.

Gelhardt repeat

This is a move which could see the Whites replicate their Joe Gelhardt masterclass after they nabbed the hugely promising striker from the grasp of Wigan Athletic, whilst they were dealing with financial issues back in 2020.

A fee of just £1m helped the Latics pay the wages and their loss is certainly United’s gain as he is a massive prospect at Elland Road. His manager Marcelo Bielsa recently waxed lyrical about the teenager to Sky Sports.

“He’s like a human wrecking ball. I like him, he’s really exciting,” the Argentine claimed. “He’s fast, he’s aggressive, he gets on the ball, he takes people on. Once he gets into the box, he loves it. That’s where he can do most of his damage.”

Just like Gelhardt, the Rams sensation has already racked up plenty of appearances at senior level, even more than the Leeds youngster at this stage, having featured 93 times.

This season, he has certainly taken his opportunity, starting ten of his 13 league appearances under Wayne Rooney, and he’s amongst Derby’s four top performers, as per WhoScored ratings.

Earlier this year, the Manchester United legend dubbed the Derby academy graduate a “manager’s dream” who “gives everything”, and Knight already has plenty of leadership qualities at such a young age, which will definitely appeal to Bielsa.

Bielsa, Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta and owner Andrea Radrizzani could well seal another bargain raid on the lower echelons of the English pyramid with a swoop for the 5 foot 6 dynamo, who continues to pull up trees in the Championship.

AND in other news, “It’s not true…”: Phil Hay drops behind-the-scenes Leeds claim that’ll delight fans…

Hampshire turned in another stuttering batting display to reach 281 for 7 on the first day of their County Championship match with Somerset at the Rose Bowl

Cricinfo staff10-May-2010
Scorecard
A sixth-wicket stand of 158 between Nic Pothas and Sean Ervine was the solitary bright spot for Hampshire as they turned in another stuttering batting display to reach 281 for 7 on the first day of their County Championship match with Somerset at the Rose Bowl.Hampshire, who have made their worst start to a domestic season for 104 years, got off to a dreadful start in slightly overcast conditions, as Somerset left-arm seamer Charl Willoughby nipped out in-form openers Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams with the score at just 18. Liam Dawson, back in Hampshire’s four-day side and promoted to bat at No. 3, steadied the ship in partnership with Neil McKenzie, but the going was sluggish at best as the pair tried to build a foundation for the innings.After cautiously playing his way in and appearing set, Dawson fell lbw to legspinner Michael Munday, to leave Hampshire floundering at 64 for 3. Fellow youngster James Vince came to the crease, but after playing with the sort of composure which has seen him marked as a star of the future, a lapse in concentration saw him suffer a similar fate to Dawson, as he was rushed out by Willoughby when seemingly well set on 26.McKenzie added just ten in partnership with Pothas, before falling two runs short of what would have been a battling half century, leaving Hampshire in danger of folding completely at 123 for 5, with Pothas and the incoming Sean Ervine the last recognised batsmen.Perhaps spurred by the difficulties experienced by their more circumspect peers, Pothas and Ervine swapped a timid approach for one dominated by a fluency and confidence which belied Hampshire’s perilous position.Legspinner Munday was treated with particular disdain as Ervine and Pothas racked up a flurry of boundaries – including four enormous sixes between them. Their controlled hitting and powerful running between the wickets wrestled the initiative away from Somerset, who hitherto had surged into the ascendancy thanks to their accurate bowling.But with the close looming and the light descending, Somerset struck two late blows to ensure they had the better of the day’s spoils. First Pothas fell to Ben Phillips just 13 runs short of what would have been a richly deserved ton, before new batsman Dominic Cork – still clearly shaking new-season ring rust from his aging body – also fell to veteran seamer Phillips for an eight-ball duck.

Round-up of the third day of the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2010Group BS Badrinath was the linchpin of Tamil Nadu’s first innings•ESPNcricinfo LtdBaroda look set to pick up their second victory of the season after taking 13 Punjab wickets on the third day at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Punjab ended the day at 79 for 4 after following-on, still 96 runs behind the hosts. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt, who was the star of Baroda’s last win, against Haryana, took 4 for 59 in Punjab’s first innings, and then struck two more important blows in their second. Punjab’s troubles started early, as they lost two quick wickets in the morning to fall to 36 for 3. Punjab opener Sarul Kanwar, playing only his third first-class match, held up one end, getting 130, but with the middle-order devoid of Yuvraj Singh, who is in the India ODI squad for the series against New Zealand, the rest of Punjab’s batting crumbled. Following on, Punjab made a disastrous start, falling to 29 for 4, before Kanwar and Vishwas Bhalla put together a fifty-run partnership. Baroda were in pole position after three days in their last match against Uttar Pradesh before throwing it away on the final day, so will be wary of any complacence.
Manish Pandey and CM Gautam put Karnataka in control of their game against Orissa with an epic 328-run partnership that has turned the game on its head after the hosts had been 54 for 5 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Pandey eventually fell to Debasis Mohanty for an attacking 171, peppered with 16 fours and six sixes, while Gautam made a personal-best 158 from 234 balls, hitting 23 fours and one six. The last wicket pair of Abhimanyu Mithun and Sreenath Aravind then rubbed salt in Orissa’s wound, adding 84 to take Karnataka past 500 before Aravind was bowled by Biplab Samantray for 33, leaving Mithun unbeaten on 63. Facing a deficit for 312, Orissa lost former India opener Shiv Sunder Das for a duck, but Natraj Behera and Nirajan Behera took them to 92 for 1 at close.Only nine overs were possible on the third day of the game between Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur. Play began at 4 p.m., with HP adding 14 runs to their overnight score of 9 for 2.Group AMumbai hold a slight edge over Assam heading in to the final day of their game at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The visitors began the day on 81 for 3 after most of the first two days had been lost to rain, and Tarjinder Singh and Dheeraj Jadhav made steady half-centuries in a partnership of 128 for the fourth wicket. However, Tarjinder’s departure, he was bowled by Iqbal Abdulla for 74, set off a mini-collapse as four wickets fell for 36 runs. Abu Nechim then played some aggressive shots in making 39 from 46 balls, with five fours and a six, to push Assam to 298. Jadhav was the eighth man to fall, having batted for just under seven hours and faced 269 balls for his 79. Mumbai slumped to 47 for 3, with Dhiraj Goswami removing the in-form pair of Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer, but Sahil Kukreja and Abhishek Nayar steadied the innings, adding an unbeaten 44, to leave Mumbai trailing by 207 runs with seven wickets in hand.
It was a good day for Bengal at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, where they managed to bowl Gujarat out for 273 on the third day. The match had seen just 52 overs played over the first two days, due to rain interruptions, but 92 overs were bowled on Friday and Bengal made the most of them, giving themselves a good chance of picking up three points for a first-innings lead. Bengal, who are missing a number of players due to a viral fever, finished the day on 99 for 2. Bengal seamer Ranadeb Bose had taken three wickets on Thursday to leave Gujarat at 162 for 3, and it was allrounder Laxmi Shukla who did the damage on Friday, taking three wickets as Bengal picked seven wickets for 111 runs on the day. Bengal will have their captain Manoj Tiwary still at the wicket on the fourth morning, with Shukla, who scored a double-century in Bengal’s last match still to come.Chiraj Pathak and Bhushan Chauhan added 104 for the first wicket to help Saurashtra to 231or 6 against Delhi at the Khanderi Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Both openers made identical scores of 58, although Chauhan took much longer than Pathak; he faced 151 deliveries compared to 95 for his partner. 17-year-old left-arm spinner, Vikas Mishra, got the initial breakthrough when he had Pathak caught. He would add three more wickets to end the day with 4 for 33. Jaydev Shah was 43 not out, with Kamlesh Makvana (6*) for company, at stumps. Since the opening two days were washed out, a result isn’t possible, and the only question is whether one side can pick up the three points on offer for a first-innings lead.
Tamil Nadu declared on 335 for 4 in a bid to get something out of their game against Railways at the Technology Chemplast Ground in Chennai Badrinath and Abhinav Mukund had pushed their partnership to 255 when Mukund was bowled by Vikas Tokas for 131, an innings that was studded with 16 fours. The hosts then called time on their first innings soon after S Badrinath fell for 149, having also struck 16 fours. In reply, Railways were 40 for no loss.

Jack Grealish suffered more injury agony as he was forced off in the first half of Manchester City's FA Cup tie with Luton.

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Grealish forced off at LutonOnly lasted 38 minutes into comeback Winger hurt his groin in CopenhagenWHAT HAPPENED?

The England winger appeared to pull a muscle and had to be substituted in the 38th minute of the 5th round tie at Kenilworth Road. Grealish was visibly upset after going off and covered his face with his jacket. It was his first match back after being forced off early in City's Champions League clash with Copenhagen two weeks ago.

AdvertisementGetty THE BIGGER PICTURE

Grealish can't catch a break this season and has badly struggled to repeat his displays of the last campaign, when he was pivotal to City winning the treble. He missed a month at the start of the campaign with a knee injury and then had his house burgled in December. He has also being usurped in the team for most matches by Jeremy Doku.

DID YOU KNOW?

Grealish was warned by Guardiola the day before the game at Luton that he needed to make the most of the minutes he got and had to return to form sharpish. The coach told reporters: "I cannot give three or four games for them to get their rhythm, they have to [find] the rhythm if playing 90 or 20 minutes. At a high level, the team doesn’t wait."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Grealish looks certain to miss the Manchester derby against United on Sunday and will be a doubt for City's Champions League last-16 second leg against Copenhagen.

Murray Goodwin eased to his second hundred of the season as Sussex fought back on the second day of their County Championship Division Two game against Worcestershire at Hove

25-May-2010
ScorecardMurray Goodwin eased to his second hundred of the season as Sussex fought back on the second day of their County Championship Division Two game against Worcestershire at Hove. The 37-year-old made an unbeaten 109 as Sussex closed on 188 for 4, having bowled out Worcestershire an hour after lunch for 464.Sussex were in trouble when Richard Jones nipped out Michael Thornely and Chris Nash in successive overs of his new-ball spell. The impressive Jones was rewarded for bowling a full length and allowing the ball to swing as Thornely was well taken by wicketkeeper Ben Scott, while Nash gave a return catch to a ball which straightened on him to leave Sussex 13 for 2.However, once Goodwin and Ed Joyce had battled through the new ball, batting became relatively easy on a slow pitch lacking pace and bounce. Goodwin was soon going through the gears and reached the 61st first-class hundred of his career six overs before the close off 110 balls when he cut Gareth Andrew for his 16th boundary. He also struck two sixes off Alan Richardson and Moeen Ali.Joyce did a solid job in the supporting role, contributing 67 – his first half-century of the season – to a third-wicket stand of 169 when he became left-arm spinner Shaaiq Choudhry’s maiden first-class victim when he edged to slip. Nightwatchman Monty Panesar lasted only six balls before giving Jones a return catch, but Goodwin and skipper Mike Yardy negotiated the last four overs to see Sussex to stumps.Earlier, Worcestershire wicketkeeper Ben Scott had fallen agonisingly short of what would have been his first hundred for nearly two years. Scott, who is on loan at New Road from Middlesex, was on 98 when he took on Nash’s arm as he ran in from deep square-leg looking for a second run, but was beaten by a direct hit.Scott only had last man Alan Richardson for company but it seemed an unnecessary risk to take as Richardson had survived 16 balls without alarm.Worcestershire had resumed on 302 for 6 and Scott and Choudhry nearly batted through the morning session together as they extended their overnight stand to 143 in 50 overs. Choudhry celebrated his maiden Championship appearance with a well-constructed 63, which featured nine fours and a six, before he was trapped in front by Panesar’s arm ball in the last over before lunch.An unresponsive pitch was hard work for Sussex’s seam attack but they plugged away to wrap up the tail in nine overs after lunch. Gareth Andrew was lbw working across the line while a fuller delivery from Yasir Arafat was too good for Jones.

For the second successive transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur opted to keep their chequebook closed, making no signings.

Mauricio Pochettino made history in the summer as Spurs became the first side to not sign a single player during the summer transfer window’s history. The Argentine once again admitted that signings were unlikely in January despite a host of players leaving the club. Even with many key players currently sidelined with an injury, there were no new arrivals at Wembley.

Indeed, with their new stadium completed, the summer transfer window should be a completely different story. With more funds available, there could be a massive revamp at the club with many players linked with an exit. With Toby Alderweireld expected to leave and Jan Vertonghen approaching the end of his career, defensive upgrades should be a priority.

One man Pochettino could target is Benfica rock – Ruben Dias. Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old is a product of the club’s youth academy and has blossomed into a key player for his side. Despite his young age, Dias is a natural leader in the back four and has captained his side on multiple occasions.

His leadership qualities would add some much-needed stability into the Spurs back four and Dias’ professionalism means he would thrive under Pochettino’s leadership. The Portugal international is also a dominant force in the air, winning 3.6 aerial duels per game in Liga NOS, meaning he should have no problem dealing with the Premier League’s physicality. As well as his defensive prowess, the youngster also excels with the ball at his feet.

Improving with every game, Dias could prove to be a mainstay in the Spurs back four.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

Jose Mourinho slammed his Roma players for their 'superficial' attitude in their 1-1 draw with Servette and singled out Housseum Aouar for criticism.

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Roma held to 1-1 draw at ServetteSecond in group behind Slavia PrahaMourinho slams players after resultGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Roma's chances of finishing first in their Europa League group took a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Swiss side Servette on Thursday. Mourinho's team took the lead after 21 minutes through Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku but Chris Bedia levelled proceedings five minutes after the break as both sides came away with a point. After the match, Mourinho laid into his players, including summer signing Aouar.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesWHAT JOSE MOURINHO SAID

He told Sky Sport Italia: "We had important opportunities, but the start of the second half was something that happens too often to us. It’s a pity that you don’t have a camera in our locker room at half-time, because every time I make it clear to them that the opponents playing at home who are a goal down will come out fighting.

"That is a natural reaction, it is something we expect. Yet again we were superficial in our attitude, in our interpretation of this moment of the match. There are players who once again missed an opportunity to prove themselves, for example, Aouar.

“There are several who are on the bench and come on in Serie A with a great attitude, then in the Europa League they come on with this sluggish attitude, like they are not accustomed to being on the bench and then do not improve the game.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Roma will be in the knockout stages of the Europa League but it is likely they will face a side who has come third in their respective Champions League group after failing to put away Servette. Mourinho led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in 2022 and were runners up in this competition last season. With the former Chelsea boss expected to leave the Italian giants at the end of the season, extra games will not make his task of claiming more silverware any easier.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ROMA?

Roma's final group stage game is against Sheriff on December 14. They will have to beat the Moldovan side and hope Slavia lose against Servette to top the group and avoid the play-offs.

Matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid have provided some classic contests over the years, but what was the best game since the year 2000?

With so many talented players and so many gifted coaches, clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona are always a must-watch. Factor in the heated rivalry, and it's no wonder El Clasico is regarded as one of, if not the best derby in football.

Some of the names to have graced the game since the turn of the century are are legendary: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta… And that's just the beginning.

🖥️ Where to watch & live stream El Clasico👕 Get the Barcelona jersey here⚽ Watch La Liga games live on Viaplay in the UK

The two teams meet again on Wednesday in a game that could well yield another classic.

But until then, GOAL takes a look at some of the most memorable games the iconic rivalry has yielded in the 21st century…

10Cristiano heads Madrid to Copa glory

It was all decided by one of Ronaldo leaps.

There was nothing to separate Barca and Madrid in the 2011 Copa del Rey final after 90 minutes. Pepe cracked a header off the post and Pedro had a goal ruled out for offside, but neither side could break the deadlock.

Ronaldo, though, had his moment in extra-time, rising above two Barca defenders to power a header back across goal.

This was a massive win for Jose Mourinho. 'The Special One' had struggled against Barca in the first few Clasicos of his tenure, highlighted by the infamous 5-0 thumping a year previously. This one, and goal, was a massive turning point.

Advertisement9Ronaldo's late winner

When it came to coming up clutch late in games, Ronaldo was, and still is, something else.

This goal in 2016 was one of his signature Clasico moments, an 85th-minute winner to stun Barca at Camp Nou.

It was a particularly spicy derby, with four yellow cards dished out inside the first 29 minutes. Madrid were excellent defensively on the day, only allowing three shots on target while holding Messi scoreless for his fifth straight Clasico.

And at the other end, they were deadly on the break. Barca may have taken the lead through a Gerard Pique header, but Madrid fought their way back into the game, and Karim Benzema grabbed the equaliser with an acrobatic volley.

Madrid had a goal ruled out & missed further chances, leaving many believing the game would end in a draw. Ronaldo, though, had other ideas.

The Portuguese scored a fine goal, bringing a cross down with his chest before feeding the ball through the goalkeeper's legs to win it. His strike took him to 16 Clasico goals, then-second on the all-time list.

Getty8Galacticos take over

Was this the height of the Galactico era at Real Madrid?

Some of the names on this teamsheet make for frightening reading, as Madrid boasted a front five of David Beckham, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo and Michael Owen. That Roberto Carlos guy at left-back wasn't bad, either.

Barcelona were, in fairness, quite the side, too, complete with Ronaldinho, Xavi and Iniesta.

But they were blown away at Santiago Bernabeu. Zidane scored the opener within seven minutes before Ronaldo doubled Real's advantage after 20.

And although Samuel Eto'o pulled one back with a lovely run and poked finish, the visitors never really found a foothold.

Madrid led 3-1 at half time, and ran out 4-2 winners to complete one of the great Clasico batterings.

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7Ronaldinho brings the Bernabeu to its feet

Is this the best individual Clasico showing of the 21st century? Messi certainly has a claim for a number of superb performances, but Ronaldinho's irresistible individual brilliance in 2005 might just have been the most captivating.

The Brazilian bullied a 20-year-old Ramos to the tune of two goals – including one legendary run and finish – and earned a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd for his troubles.

Appropriately, Ronaldinho's magical night came in the same week in which he was handed the European Footballer of the Year award, yet he wasn't the only superstar to shine for Barca that night.

A young Messi delivered a standout showing of his own, running rings around Roberto Carlos in a preview of Clasicos to come.

This one wasn't much of a contest, but it was certainly one of the best Clasico performances of recent times.

As most of the continent's 'Big Five' leagues reach their respective halfway points, Goal picks out the most impressive performers in all competitions

Getty ImagesGK: Alisson

Alisson may have made a couple of errors since joining Liverpool during the summer but the Brazilian has had a massive impact on Merseyside.

His excellent distribution has added a new dimension to the Reds' play, as so spectacularly underlined by his role in the first penalty won in the rout of Arsenal on Saturday.

Alisson has also exhibited a helpful habit of making big saves at big times – it was his ast-minute save against Napoli that saw the Reds through to the last 16 of the Champions League. 

So, while Jan Oblak, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tomas Vaclik and Samir Handanvoic have all been excellent for their respective sides, none of them have kept more clean sheets than Alisson (14), who also boasts a better save percentage (80.77) than all of his rivals for the No.1 jersey.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Joao Cancelo

Inter's loss has proven Juventus' considerable gain, with Joao Cancelo now excelling in Turin after spending last season in Milan on loan from Valencia.

The Nerazzurri were unable to make the Portuguese's stay at San Siro permanent due to Financial Fair Play restrictions, so the Bianconeri swooped, paying €40.4 million for a player who has made Massimiliano Allegri's defence even stronger.

Compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo is understandably drawing more attention but the versatile Cancelo has been consistently excellent for Juve, offering an outlet down the right flank.

GettyCB: Virgil van Dijk

Andy Robertson has admitted that he has grown tried of talking about the brilliance of Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk.

Just like everyone else, the left-back is running out of things to say about the Dutch giant, who has transformed the Reds' defence and, as a consequence, the team's fortunes since arriving at Anfield for record-breaking £75m during the 2018 January transfer window.

The numbers speak for themselves, though, with Premier League leaders Liverpool having only conceded eight goals in 20 matches this season primarily due to Van Dijk's aerial prowess, fantastic reading of the game and organisational skills.

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Getty ImagesCB: Kalidou Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly has reportedly just signed a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player at Napoli and there is no player more deserving of that status at the San Paolo.

The Senegalese centre-half has once again been immense at the back for the Partenopei, the foundation on which their game pursuit of Juventus has been built, and his dismissal against Inter does nothing to change that.

Indeed, watching Koulibaly win everything that is thrown at him in the air, week in, week out, it's easy to understand why Manchester United allegedly bid €100m for his services last summer – and why Aurelio De Laurentiis turned it down.

As he underlined with his response to the incessant racial abuse he received at San Siro, Koulibaly is as inspirational a character off the field as he is on it.