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Fluminense e Vasco se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (14), às 21h30 (horário de Brasília), pela 8ª rodada do Campeonato Carioca, no Maracanã. O Tricolor lidera a competição, enquanto o Cruz-Maltino luta por uma vaga na semifinal do torneio.

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✅FICHA TÉCNICA
Fluminense x Vasco
8ª rodada do Campeonato Carioca

Data e horário: quarta-feira, 14 de fevereiro de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Onde assistir: Band, BandSports e Canal GOAT
Árbitro: Bruno Mota Correia
Assistentes: Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Correa e Wallace Muller Barros Santos

⚽PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES
FLUMINENSE (Técnico: Fernando Diniz)
Fábio; Samuel Xavier, Thiago Santos, Felipe Melo e Marcelo; André, Martinelli e Ganso; Keno, Arias e Cano.

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VASCO (Técnico: Ramón Díaz)
Léo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, João Victor, Léo e Piton; Medel, Galdames e Payet; Adson, Vegetti e David.

Tudo sobre

Campeonato CariocaFluminenseOnde assistirVasco

The hit by pitch has become so common—and dangerous—that twice last week benches cleared on hits by pitches that were . Even accidental plunkings are putting hitters in a fighting mood.

The Padres and Dodgers confronted each other Thursday after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a 27-year-old pitcher making his major league debut in a 5–0 game. San Diego manager Mike Shildt touched off the bench-clearing episode when he stormed out of the dugout toward Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts.

“Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is I took exception to it,” said Shildt after watching Tatis get hit for a fourth time in seven games by the Dodgers. He’s been hit once in all other games.

The next night, the Angels and Astros went at it after Angels shortstop Zach Neto took exception to getting hit by a Hunter Brown sinker for the second time .

“I know he’s not trying to hit me,” Neto said, “but it’s definitely frustrating.”

Since spring training, Chris Taylor (hand), Sean Murphy (rib), Thairo Estrada (wrist), Andrew Benintendi (hand), Jake Cronenworth (ribs), Paul DeJong (nose), Joc Pederson (hand) and Luke Keaschall (forearm) all suffered broken bones on pitches. Stars such as Corbin Carroll, Bryce Harper and Christian Yelich were fortunate to avoid major injuries on scary hits by pitches.

What’s going on with hits by pitches? Are hitters getting too sensitive? Is this the price for pitchers getting rushed to the big leagues? Are injuries forcing pitchers into the big leagues when they don’t belong there?

It’s time to set aside the myths and sloppy narratives. Let’s examine the facts of the hit by pitch epidemic to find out what’s going on.

1. Hitting has never been more dangerous than these past eight seasons.

The eight seasons with the highest rates of hit by pitches since 1901 are, in order, 2020, 2023, 2021, 2024, 2022, 2019, 2025, 2018. Notice a trend? In 117 seasons from 1901 to 2017, the hit by pitch rate never reached 0.8 per game (both teams combined). Now it has done so eight straight years. (That’s also before and after the sticky stuff crackdown.)

Hits by pitches have become so common and dangerous, it is rare to see a player go to the plate without some kind of armor on their hands, wrists, arm or elbow.

2. The biggest factor in the rise of hits by pitches is the rise of pitch-shaping.

The trend toward lab-grown pitches (tweak their shape and spin) has overtaken pure velocity as the guiding force of pitching. Most pitchers now want to move the ball to both glove side and arm side. That has given rise to more same-side sinkers (i.e., right-on-right two-seamers running in) and off-side cutters (i.e., right-on-left cutters).

Of the 914 hits by pitches this year through Saturday, more have been caused by sinkers and cutters than any other type of pitch. More telling, the rate of HBP from sinkers and cutters is much higher compared to their overall use. Nothing else is close. Sinkers and cutters account for only 23.4% of pitches but 34.2% of HBPs.

2025 HBP by pitch type

Pitch type

No. of pitches

% HBP

% of Pitches

Difference

Sinkers/Cutters

310

34.2

23.4

+10.8

Breaking

281

30.7

31

-0.3

Four-seamers

239

26.1

31.6

-5.5

Off-speed

73

8

13.8

-5.8

“I don’t think [pitchers] pitch in as much as they used to,” says Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, the dean of active managers who is in his 28th season. “So, they don’t quite have that command for that pitch. And a lot of it is elevated in, too. You pitch on that top rail, in with the sinker that gets away from you a little bit, you’re gonna hit somebody. Those are the scary ones.”

3. The youngest pitchers are not the worst culprits.

Pitchers 25 and under hit batters at a 7% lower rate than pitchers 26 to 30 years old.

Hit by Pitch rate by age of pitcher, 2025

Age

Plate appearances per HBP

25 and under

95.6

26-30

88.5

31-35

105.2

36+

105.3

4. That said, there is a general correlation between age and control.

Pitching control metrics by age, 2025

Age

PA per HBP

BB percentage

30 and under

90.2

8.8%

31+

105.2

8.2%

5. Hitters share the blame.

Brown yelled back at Neto that standing close to the plate and “diving” into a pitch puts a hitter in harm’s way. He is not wrong.

Here are the two right-on-right sinkers from Brown that hit Neto:

Those pitches are only 6½ inches off the inside corner of the strike zone, about the width of two baseballs. Neto’s feet are close to the plate and his hands are above the plate as he starts to bring the barrel around.

Where does a hitter look for the baseball? Here’s a clue: Combine that prevalence with the widespread adoption of body armor and you have hitters dismissing the pitch in.

“I don’t think they’re even concerned about it,” Bochy says. “When these hitters are going to game plan, a lot of times they’re looking out over the plate. There's no fear.

“Guys pitched in more than I think what they do now. And these [hitters], they’re just diving. I mean, we have some guys doing it, too. You saw Josh Jung break his wrist [last year]. Guys used to turn or move [away]. But now they’re going right into the pitch. Some guys just have a hard time turning out of the way versus getting their hands going there a little bit.

“You’ve got these pitchers now throwing so hard with that ball running in or that cutter … that cutter is a big pitch and it’s hitting a lot of these guys because they’re committing and then they’re just going right into it.”

6. Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners is the best example of the collision of these pitching and hitting changes.

Arozarena leads the majors in hit by pitches with 13 (tied with Ty France). One pitch clipped his hand and 11 have hit his elbow guard. Six of them have come on right-on-right sinkers.

He has been hit 84 times in his career. Seventy-five of those HBPs (89%) have been above the waist and below the shoulder—mostly off his elbow guard.

Since he first came up in 2019, Arozarena has moved closer to the plate and learned how to keep his protected front elbow in the path of the pitch rather than avoiding it. Here are pitches off his elbow guard over the years where you can see he moved closer to the plate with his feet and, thus, his elbow:

7. Tatis was hit by pure misfires from Lou Trivino and Jack Little.

Those pitches were 24.5 and 15 inches off the inside corner of the plate, respectively.

Shildt overreacted because he doesn’t want to lose his impact hitter to a broken bone caused by bad pitching. Intent didn’t matter. Major league hitters expect major league pitchers to have major league command. Sometimes pitches get away.

Like many modern hitters, Tatis starts with an open stance and steps into the baseball. Over his career, he has been hit 18 times by pitches from righthanders; eight of them on sinkers.

Said a rival manager, “Tatis, you have to pitch him in. I know they’re tired of him getting hit. But, hell, what’s your option? Keep throwing him away and give up damage? Or try to get him out? I don't think anybody was trying to hit him, but he gets hit a lot.”

8. The HBPs of Shohei Ohtani by San Diego, both after Tatis was hit, looked intentional.

Randy Vásquez hit Ohtani in the thigh with a four-seamer on Tuesday, after just missing him with the previous pitch, also a four-seamer. It was only the third lefthanded hitter Vásquez hit in his career with a four-seamer, the first time on a pitch that high.

Two days later, Robert Suarez also hit Ohtani with a fastball. Suarez has thrown 831 four-seam fastballs to lefthanded hitters. The one to Ohtani was the farthest inside of all of them.

Suarez has hit only three lefthanded batters with his fastball in his career. The other two occurred in his rookie season, three years ago.

The count was 3–0. It happened in the bottom of the inning just after Little pegged Tatis.

Cool cat that he is, Ohtani shrugged, took first base without complaint and waved to his teammates the equivalent of, “Let’s move on; nothing to see here.”

MLB deemed it intentional and suspended Suarez three games. Suarez denied it was intentional.

9. Injuries and analytics-based game management have put hundreds more pitchers in the big leagues who about a decade ago would still be in the minor leagues honing their craft.

Just short of halfway through this season, MLB teams already have used more pitchers than in the 141 entire seasons between 1874 and 2014.

The 19th century, I get. But just think about this when you want to understand how fast the game has changed: teams have used more pitchers less than halfway through this season (709) than they did the entire season just 11 years ago (692).

In an interview with Andrés Cantor for Futbol de Primera, Mauricio Pochettino discusses the work behind the USMNT’s recent turnaround – and calls out coaches who have criticized his approach.

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has had no shortage of critics in the early months of his tenure. After a rocky start, though, he's finally shaping something that resembles a team on the rise. The U.S. are unbeaten in their last five matches, and with a new culture taking hold – supported by clear tactical tweaks – the sting of the Gold Cup final and Nations League semifinal losses is starting to fade.

But the questions haven’t gone away. There are still debates to settle and plenty of decisions to explain. In a wide-ranging conversation with legendary Argentine announcer Andrés Cantor for , Pochettino tackled many of them head-on. He acknowledged that the job has proven to be a bigger undertaking than he expected, and opened up about roster decisions, culture-building, and why he believes the USMNT should approach next summer’s World Cup believing they can win every match they play.

Here are thefive main takeaways from an enlightening conversation with the U.S. manager…

• Getty Images
  

  More changes needed than expected

  This may have gotten a bit Eric Cantona-esque from the manager, but he did admit that the challenges in the job were perhaps more apparent than he had suspected. A lot of his rhetoric since he took the job has been about "cultural resets" and problems within the problem. It was no secret that Pochettino was going to be more than just a teddy bear. But what neither side, presumably, realized was just how much things needed to be changed in order for Pochettino to shape the team in his vision. Results take time; the "ship" needed to be steered.

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  Gold Cup changed everything

  Pochettino has faced consistent questions about his squad selection. He has leaned heavily on an MLS contingent and introduced a number of players who might not have been involved in previous cycles. In total, the Argentine has brought 71 different players into camps and handed out several debuts.

  That approach creates opportunities for new faces and also carries the possibility that some players may not remain in the picture long term. Pochettino noted that the strategy has begun to show signs of progress. Aside from the lopsided loss to South Korea, the USMNT have shown improvement since the Gold Cup and are currently on a five-match unbeaten run.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'We let him rest'

  Pochettino has also dealt with disagreements with European clubs regarding player availability for international duty. He described the situation as a balance handled on a case-by-case basis.

  Last summer, Christian Pulisic requested time off during the Gold Cup to recover after a long club season. Pochettino acknowledged the request and agreed to give him a break, and Pulisic returned to the squad once he was fit. Chris Richards, meanwhile, joined the U.S. for the Gold Cup before immediately entering Crystal Palace’s preseason. In response, Pochettino left the defender out of the most recent camp to manage his workload.

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  'I would never have criticized a coach'

  One recurring topic when a foreign coach takes over a national team is whether they understand the culture surrounding the program. In Pochettino’s case, some observers questioned whether he grasped the expectations around the USMNT, suggesting his reaction to the Nations League semifinal and third-place losses reflected a lack of familiarity with the U.S. sporting landscape.

  Pochettino rejected that characterization, saying the defeats were difficult for him and formed part of a broader rebuilding process. He noted that winning the tournament would have been positive, but emphasized that his priority at the time was addressing what he viewed as structural issues within the team.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has reignited the drama surrounding Barcelona's Negreira case, as Los Blancos' chief pointed to the perceived injustice in Barca's "best sporting era" coinciding with alleged payments of more than €8 million to referees over a 17-year period. Perez also cited the clear imbalance in red cards issued to the two clubs during the period, stating that the situation is "not normal".

Perez reopens Barcelona's Negreira scandal controversy

Speaking at the latest Assembly of Representative Members, Perez used his speech to attack several major bodies, including UEFA, La Liga and, especially, Barcelona.

As reported by the Real Madrid president took the opportunity to reopen the controversy surrounding Barca’s referee scandal, where La Blaugrana were accused of paying approximately €8.4m (£7.3m/$9.7m) to referees in the Spanish top flight within a 17-year period, between 2001-2018.

The ‘Negreira case’, as it is often known, begun following accusations in 2023. Jose María Enríquez Negreira was formerly vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (TCA) of the Spanish FA (the RFEF). Negreira received these substantial payments from Barcelona, which the club claimed was in a consultancy capacity as Negreira offered refereeing reports and advice. Both the club and Negreira have denied accusations of bribery being involved, but a case into sporting integrity is still ongoing.

Perez has now relaunched the controversy amidst his claims that the situation is “not normal” and coincides with sporting success in a manner which the Los Blancos chief questioned in his speech.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesPerez questions Barcelona and refereeing scandal in fiery speech

"It’s not normal that Barcelona has paid the vice president of referees more than €8m for at least 17 years, whatever the reason," Perez denounced before the members. "I repeat: whatever the reason, it’s not normal."

He continued to say that Enríquez Negreira held "a key position in the refereeing hierarchy," responsible for referee promotions and demotions. "A period that coincides, coincidentally, with Barcelona’s best sporting results in our country," added Perez.

Perez used charts and data to back up his claims. "Real Madrid had a net balance of two red cards in 2021,” he explained. "And Barcelona, 61 red cards. That’s a difference of no less than 59. On the other hand, during the same period, the balance in Europe is almost identical: +12 for Barca and +13 for Madrid.

"Bayern and Dortmund have the same balance, and so do the major leagues. The red card balance during the Negreira period at Barcelona was +49 and at Real Madrid, -1. Draw your own conclusions."

'Who is going to forget it?'

"Real Madrid is the only club that has appeared in the trial. Four presidents have maintained millionaire payments for 17 years to the vice president of referees,” he stated.

He also pressurised the stance of the TCA president: "Fran Soto has asked us to move on and forget the ‘Negreira case.’ Who is going to forget it? The reality is that they [the referees involved] are still there. It’s a situation that prevents them from acting with neutrality.

"How is it possible that, before the Copa final, the match referee said that referees were going to take action against our club? Before a Copa del Rey final? He should have been removed, and no measures were taken."

The president concluded by pointing towards La Liga’s role in the Barcelona match which was going to be held in Miami. "Not even their captain, Frenkie de Jong, thinks it’s normal," he claimed about the proposition to hold an official match in the US. "And it’s also not normal that La Liga supports two teams, Barcelona and Villarreal, who receive additional financial incentives for playing in Miami. And yet we have to listen to Mr Tebas trying to compare this with the NFL."

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Getty Images SportBarcelona's refereeing controversy goes on

The fact that Perez has taken such a high-profile opportunity to speak out on the case shows its continued importance to the Madrid president at Barca’s arch-rivals.

He feels that the case questions the integrity of La Liga and is not willing to hear La Blaugrana’s explained reasoning for the situation occurring. Whether Barca, La Liga or the TCA will respond to the outburst remains to be seen.

After months of misery and poor performances, there are now reasons for West Ham United to feel somewhat hopeful.

Yes, it’s still going to be a tough season for the East Londoners, but Nuno Espírito Santo got it spot on against Newcastle United and secured his first win with the club.

Moreover, several standout performers demonstrated they are ready for the fight, such as Freddie Potts.

The academy graduate was incredible and has to be a regular starter from this point onwards, even if that means it’s the end of the line for another West Ham ace.

The West Ham duds who need to be sold

While the win over Newcastle has certainly helped morale around the club, there remain more than a few players West Ham need to shift as soon as possible.

Fortunately, it appears that at least one of them is set to leave, with reports emerging that Niclas Füllkrug has his heart set on returning to Germany in January.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has been a complete flop in East London, having scored just three goals and provided two assists in 27 appearances.

Appearances

20

7

Minutes

877′

385′

Goals

3

0

Assists

2

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.25

0.00

Minutes per Goal Involvement

175.4′

N/A

Someone who at least had a reasonably decent first season with the club, but needs to be sold nonetheless, is James Ward-Prowse.

The former Southampton captain was a constant problem in the middle of the park while Graham Potter was in the dugout, as he lacked the physicality and pace for the defensive side of the game and became increasingly ineffective going forward.

Moreover, with Nuno now freezing him out of the squad, selling him in January would be best for his own career.

Finally, although it may seem a bit early, it is likely in the club’s best interest to sell Mads Hermanssen before his value declines further.

The Danish shot-stopper might have looked good at Leicester City, but was woeful at the start of the season and miles off the level Alphons Areola is at today.

With all that said, there is one more player who might have been able to stay at West Ham were it not for Potts’ impressive display against Newcastle.

The West Ham ace whose time is up

While there were excellent performances across the pitch on Saturday, it would be fair to say Potts was one of the best players for West Ham.

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

The academy gem played with his heart on his sleeve, adding some real dynamism and power to the midfield, but at the same time, showed some real technical quality.

It was the sort of display that should see him start every game for the foreseeable future.

However, if he is to do that, and the likes of Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paqueta are to play a major role this year, while Soungoutou Magassa is on the bench, the club need to trim their midfield options.

This, unfortunatly for him, leads to Andy Irving.

Unlike his teammates, the once-capped Scotsman doesn’t really bring any standout qualities to the team.He is not an overly technical player, and as fans have seen over the last few weeks, he is not nearly physical enough for the Premier League.

In fact, he started in the loss to Brentford last month, and in the aftermath, Jamie Carragher described the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”

Then, against Leeds when he was once again tasked with running the midfield, journalist Jordan Rushworth described him as a “National League standard” midfielder, adding that he “gets walked past every time an opposition midfielder has the ball.”

Ultimately, while that might be a step too far, it has become increasingly clear that Irving is not at the level to play for West Ham.

Therefore, with Potts now unignorable, the club should look to sell the Scotsman as soon as possible.

Tottenham receive response after contact to sign West Ham's Jarrod Bowen

Spurs are looking to raid their London rivals for another forward, having signed Mohammed Kudus in the summer.

ByDominic Lund Nov 4, 2025

It might be early, but momentum is starting to grow and Arsenal are well and truly on a roll at the moment.

In the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side are three points clear of Manchester City in second place, and in the Champions League, they are undefeated.

More than that, they are thriving on the biggest stage, thrashing Spanish giants Atlético Madrid 4-0 on Tuesday night in a game Viktor Gyokeres came to life in.

The Swedish international is starting to silence the critics, and if he keeps it up, he could help another of Arteta’s signings reach the levels of Mesut Özil by season’s end.

Gyokeres' start to life at Arsenal

There was an awful lot of pressure placed on Gyokeres coming into this season, as rightly or wrongly, one of the most prominent narratives around Arsenal over the last year or so is that they are a prolific forward away from glory.

Chalkboard

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

So when he looked completely off the pace in the opening game against Manchester United, there was plenty of discussion over whether he was the right signing.

Fortunately, he would score a brace in the next league game against Leeds United, and while he once again blanked against Liverpool, he got another in gameweek four, against Nottingham Forest.

These three goals kept the heat off the former Sporting CP star’s back for a period, but a total lack of goals or assists across his subsequent seven appearances – nine if you include Sweden – saw him come back into the firing line.

However, while critics were certainly right to point out his lack of goals, he wasn’t a passenger in those matches and still very much contributed to the team.

For example, he continued to make penetrative runs in behind, which not only gave defenders more space to Bukayo Saka on the right but also opened up more opportunities for other players to get into goalscoring positions.

Moreover, as he’s built up his fitness, he’s been able to make more use of his physicality, which was on full display against Atleti and Olympiacos.

Against both teams, the 6-foot-2 “steam train,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, constantly bullied and barged his way past their backline.

Finally, according to FBref, he ranks in the top 9% of forwards in the Premier League this season for touches in the penalty area.

In other words, while his finishing hasn’t been ideal, the 27-year-old “powerhouse,” as dubbed by Mattinson, is now consistently getting into the areas a top-quality striker should be.

This was also on display on Wednesday, as while neither one of his goals was aesthetically pleasing, they came from him being in the right place at the right time – a fox in the box.

In all, it’s not been the easiest of introductions for Gyokeres so far this season, but with each game, he has become more of a threat, and now that he has rediscovered his finishing ability, he could help another Arsenal star reach Ozil levels.

The Arsenal star who could reach Ozil levels

Now, when it comes to what made Ozil such an incredible player for Arsenal, there really are countless things you could talk about.

While things didn’t end in the best way, the German international was a world-class creator on his day, and his impressive tally of 77 assists in 254 games for the club proves as much.

So, when it comes to a player who could reach those levels under Gyokeres, there are a few possible options.

However, with Martin Odegaard suffering injury after injury at the moment and Saka ideally becoming more of a goalscorer this term, that leaves Eberechi Eze.

After all, even though the former Crystal Palace star is no stranger to scoring goals himself, it’s no secret that Arteta and Co signed him to bring even more creativity to the side as he did for the South Londoners.

Appearances

43

Starts

40

Minutes

3303′

Goals

14

Assists

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

For example, in 34 league games last season, he provided eight assists alongside his eight goals.

Moreover, according to FBref, he was in the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shot-creating actions in the competition.

So, while he is still getting up to speed with life at the Emirates, there is no denying that the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by Micah Richards, is someone who will end up creating plenty of chances this season.

Therefore, if Gyokeres continues to show the improvements he has over the last few games, and starts putting chances away like he did on Wednesday, then there is no telling just how many assists the “unbelievable” Englishman, as dubbed by Oliver Glasner, will end up with this season.

Ultimately, nobody is going to claim Eze is as talented a footballer as Ozil was at his peak, but in this current Arsenal team, with the Stockholm-born monster up top, he could start producing the numbers he once did.

One of Arsenal's "best Emirates-era signings" is turning Saka into a monster

The international game-changer has been unreal for Arsenal and is helping make Bukayo Saka even more dangerous.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2025

Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin has now lost more matches as the club’s manager than he has won since his move to Ibrox in the summer.

The 2-1 defeat in the Europa League in Austria on Thursday night was his sixth defeat in 16 games in charge of the Light Blues, having won his fifth game last weekend.

One of the many problems that the former Southampton boss has at Ibrox is that he cannot seem to nail down his first-choice centre-forward, as Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti have been alternating as starters in recent weeks.

Why Rangers have a problem in the centre-forward position

Miovski has started the last two matches in the Scottish Premiership and Chermiti has started the last two games in the Europa League, but neither of them has done enough to warrant keeping their place.

The Macedonia international missed two ‘big chances’ to score against Livingston, per Sofascore, and came off the bench against Sturm Graz to lose four of his six duels in the second half.

Chermiti, meanwhile, missed one ‘big chance’ and lost 12 of his 18 ground duels and five of his eight aerial battles in his two starts in the Europa League, per Sofascore, which shows that the £10m signing from Everton has also failed to impress.

Chalkboard

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

These statistics show that the Light Blues have a problem in the centre-forward position because their two main options in that position have struggled in front of goal and physically.

However, there is another Rangers star who is currently in danger of becoming the new Sam Lammers, who flopped at Ibrox, after another disappointing performance on Thursday.

The Rangers star who could be the new Sam Lammers

Lammers joined the Gers from Atalanta for £3m in the summer of 2023 and only produced two goals and two assists in 31 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, before his move to FC Twente in the summer of 2024.

The Dutchman often played behind the striker for the Light Blues and looked to offer a physical presence in that role, but he did not provide enough quality as a scorer or a creator in the final third.

Thelo Aasgaard is now in danger of becoming the new Lammers at Ibrox after a difficult start to life in Glasgow following his £3.5m move from Luton Town in the summer.

The Norway international has failed to score or create any goals in his first ten appearances for the club in all competitions, often playing as the left-sided central midfielder in a 4-3-3 or as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1.

His performance against Sturm Graz, as a starter, in the Europa League on Thursday night summed up his start to his Ibrox career, as he competed in duels but was devoid of quality at the top end of the pitch.

Vs Sturm Graz	Thelo Aasgaard
Minutes	83
Goals + assists	0
Shots	0
Big chances created	0
Dribbles completed	1/3
Ground duels won	4/9
Fouls won	3
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Aasgaard won three fouls and four of his nine duels, which is respectable for a number ten, but he did not threaten the opposition’s goal anywhere near enough.

Like Lammers, the Norwegian talent offers a good outball when Rangers need to alleviate some pressure, because he can hold onto it under pressure and draw fouls from defenders.

However, the Scottish giants need more than just physicality from their number ten when they are losing as many games as they are, because Martin’s side is crying out for some creativity.

If Aasgaard can turn things around and start to show some creativity and quality in the final third, the goals may start to flow for Miovski or Chermiti ahead of him, solving that problem for the head coach.

Outshining Antman: Rangers loanee is attracting "major European interest"

Rangers may regret letting go of this star who is currently outperforming Oliver Antman.

2

By
Dan Emery

Oct 1, 2025

However, the former Wigan Athletic star is in danger of becoming the new Lammers, an expensive attacking signing who does not do enough with the ball, if he cannot start to churn out goals and assists in the weeks and months to come.

Danny Simpson has, in an exclusive interview with GOAL, detailed how Manchester United helped to mould Cristiano Ronaldo into a global superstar. The Portuguese icon took his first tentative steps towards greatness while at Old Trafford, with often surprising work behind the scenes – which left the odd team-mate confused – helping to turn CR7 into the phenomenon that he is today.

• Ronaldo transformation: Building a legend

  Ronaldo was a wiry, twinkle-toed winger when United snapped him up from Sporting CP in 2003. The Red Devils knew that they had an exciting talent on their hands, but unlocking his full potential promised to pose plenty of challenges. Fortunately for all concerned, the talented teenager was determined to reach the very top of the game.

  Ronaldo became a sponge in Manchester, soaking up knowledge from experienced members of United’s playing and coaching staff. He listened and learned, with it quickly dawning on him how much effort was required in order to head down a path to greatness. Relentless ambition has always driven the Portugal international.

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  Marginal gains: Ronaldo determined to be the best

  Ronaldo’s behaviour did raise a few eyebrows in the United camp, with early trends set by a man who has gone on to make a record-setting career out of breaking the mould. He recognised the importance of marginal gains long before many others adopted that mindset.

  The Portuguese GOAT won the first of five Champions League crowns and Ballons d’Or during his time with United. He left for Real Madrid in 2009, rewriting more history books there, before spending time with Juventus in Italy and eventually on to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr – via a second forgettable stint at Old Trafford.

• Private chef & shouted at by Neville: Ronaldo's route to the top

  Quizzed on whether those that witnessed the 2003 version of Ronaldo could ever have predicted what he would eventually become, former team-mate Simpson – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “No, to be honest! There is no way if you said to me he’s 40 years-plus still going strong – not just in Saudi, but for his national team. He still looks as fit as ever. OK, he’s changed his game. But did I ever see him being that fox-in-the-box at that age? No.

  “When he came in, I remember times when the lads were shouting at him constantly – Gary Neville etcetera. He didn’t know when to release the ball, he didn’t know when to cross it, he didn’t have all that stuff. He had all that ability but it was just putting it together and making the right decisions at the right times. I think that’s why being surrounded by those players was so good – [Paul] Scholes, [Ryan] Giggs. Being around them every day, he was learning off them.

  “There was one summer he came back, from the period being off, and it was a complete transformation – he was just massive! It was like ‘what have you been eating?’ I think he realised, because that’s what he does, I’m going to get kicked, I’m going to get pushed, so he was working every day in the gym on his ankles, balance. He came back stronger.”

  Simpson added on Ronaldo putting the foundations in place as a teenager that have allowed him to continue playing beyond his 40th birthday: “You can’t write him off! He does everything right – from his diet when he was young. He had a private chef and we were like: ‘Private chef? Why have you got a private chef?’ He started that whole looking after himself, sleeping patterns, recovery ice baths, and he’s still doing it now.”

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  What next for Ronaldo? Goal targets & roles after retirement

  Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that will take him beyond the age of 42. He remains in contention for selection with Portugal, having earned 225 caps and found the target on 143 occasions for them, with the plan being to reach 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.

  Fitness permitting, Ronaldo should grace next summer’s World Cup finals and has seen one more challenge speculated on at club level, with the evergreen frontman being urged to go full circle by returning to Sporting before heading into retirement – with a move into club ownership or directorial posts being mooted beyond that, which could eventually lead CR7 back to Manchester.

Following the news that Ismaila Sarr has been forced to drop out of the Senegal squad through injury, it could be eight weeks before he returns to full Crystal Palace training.

Sarr more important than ever at Crystal Palace

Whilst Jean-Philippe Mateta has been destroying corner flags all around the Premier League, Sarr has quietly become an important player for Oliver Glasner and Crystal Palace. Alongside the star striker, Sarr has proved to be an excellent addition and, after a slow start last season, found his stride and hasn’t looked back since.

Oliver Glasner no longer has Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise to call on. The former joined Arsenal this summer in a dream move and the latter has, of course, been starring at Bayern Munich since leaving last year. So, naturally, the responsibility has fallen the way of the likes of Sarr to step up alongside Mateta, especially as new signing Yeremy Pino settles in.

You wouldn’t know that there’s any extra pressure on the former Watford winger, however. He has stepped up with ease, scoring twice in three Premier League games to follow up his effort in the Community Shield victory against Liverpool.

Glasner is well aware of his quality too, having told reporters last season: “He’s different. We knew that we couldn’t replace Michael one-for-one, because he’s got his own profile and his own qualities.

“Ismaila is more of a direct runner with a lot of pace. We knew if we get him into the right areas in the right moment he will get chances to score goals.”

The manager’s earlier praise will only make the news of Sarr’s injury all the more frustrating and Chat GPT has now delivered a damning verdict as to when Palace fans can expect their winger to return.

When Sarr could make Crystal Palace return

Amid reports that he has suffered a grade two hamstring tear, the AI tool revealed that Sarr is likely to make his Crystal Palace return in four to eight weeks. In the best case scenario, the severity of the grade two injury will not be disastrous enough to rule him out for two months, but Sarr’s explosive sprinting may well mean that Palace take their time with this one.

Indeed, Sarr can only return to training after such an injury when several recovery factors have been ticked off. Palace must ensure that full strength and flexibility has returned to his hamstring, there’s no altered running gait or imbalance and that he is able to participate in full training, which could take six to eight weeks.

They must also consider the re-injury risk. According to AI, this is at its highest in the first two months after recovery and can be reduced by Nordic hamstring/ exercises.

If Sarr misses just one month of action, then he is likely to be sidelined for games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Liverpool before potentially returning against Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa Conference League.

Meanwhile, a two-month absence will see him miss that Europa Conference League tie as well as games against Everton, Bournemouth, AEK Larnaca, Arsenal and Brentford.

Excitement at Arsenal football club is at an all-time high during the Mikel Arteta reign, with their actions on and off the pitch fueling the expectations of the fanbase.

Eberechi Eze was confirmed as the Gunners’ latest addition on Saturday afternoon, joining the side in a £67.5m deal from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.

His tally of 16 combined goals and assists in England’s top-flight adds a new dimension to the side’s attack, subsequently being able to operate in a number ten role, or off the left-hand side of the frontline.

The 27-year-old, who’s a boyhood Arsenal fan, was presented to the fans before the 5-0 triumph over Leeds at the Emirates – with their superb showing catapulting the side to the top of the table.

However, with less than a week remaining in the summer window, the manager is still targeting added reinforcements to the squad, leading to numerous names being mentioned with a move in recent days.

Arsenal’s hunt to land added reinforcements after Eze

Despite the move to land Eze over the last week, another attacker has appeared on their radar, with Rodrygo once again being touted with a move to join Arsenal this summer.

It was reported recently that the Gunners’ hierarchy were set for a meeting with the Brazilian’s representatives, with Real Madrid open to allowing the 24-year-old to depart on a permanent or temporary basis.

However, the winger isn’t the only player currently on their radar, with Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie another player they’re making a move for ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

According to one insider, the Gunners are big admirers of the Ecuadorian, with Arteta already holding talks with the player over a switch to North London this summer.

It’s also been reported that any move could hinge on Jakub Kiwior’s pending move to join Porto, with a £52m transfer fee being mooted for the star Leverkusen at present.

Why Arsenal’s £52m target would be a better signing than Eze

A move for Eze has injected a newfound sense of optimism within the Arsenal fanbase, which is understandable given his big-money transfer fee – making him the third most-expensive player in their history.

Such a deal has been sweetened, especially after the Gunners clinched his signature despite huge interest from North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur before his move to the Emirates.

However, he will have a huge amount of expectations to live up to given the fee, but there’s no denying that the England international possesses a lot of top-level quality.

A transfer for Hincapie could arguably be a better addition this summer, offering needed cover in the centre-back and left-back departments – with the latter being a problem position for Arteta.

The likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney and Riccardo Calafiori have all tried to fill the void, but have massively struggled with injuries over the past couple of campaigns.

Calafiori has started both of the Gunners’ two Premier League games to date, even scoring the winner against Manchester United – often popping up at key moments.

A deal for Hincapie would offer an immediate and long-term solution to Arteta’s biggest problem in the defensive department, with the 23-year-old already racking up over 160 appearances for Leverkusen since his move to the German side back in 2021.

His underlying stats from the Bundesliga last campaign highlight the talent he possesses in and out of possession – potentially being an excellent pickup despite the £52m price tag.

He ranked in the 95th percentile for passes completed last season (88%), whilst falling into the 85th percentile for progressive passes per 90 (5.1) – demonstrating the talent he possesses in finding teammates in attacking areas.

Piero Hincapie’s stats for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga (2024/25)
Statistics (per 90)	Tally
Games played	32
Goals & assists	4
Pass accuracy	88%
Progressive passes	5.1
Passes into the final third	5.4
Carries into the final third	1.6
Progressive carries	1.8
Tackles won	1.4
Aerials won	2.2
Aerial success rate	60%
Stats via FBref

Such numbers could prove to be perfect for Eze, potentially handing the Englishman the tools to be a success during his debut year in the Gunners’ first team.

He also ranked in the 95th percentile for carries into the final third per 90 (1.6) – able to make overlapping runs if needed, offering an added creative threat in key areas to Arteta’s side.

However, Hincapie was just as impressive out of possession, winning 1.4 tackles per 90 and achieving a 60% aerial success rate – tallies which could further bolster the club’s defence, which has been the best in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons.

Whilst £52m may appear to be a hefty sum for the youngster, it’s one that can finally put an end to the club’s hunt for a consistent starter on the left-hand side of the backline.

If he can transfer his numbers from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, Hincapie would be a phenomenal pickup and one that could prove to be more important than Eze in the Gunners’ hunt for Premier League glory.

Stunning Eze repeat: Arsenal agree personal terms to sign £52m star

The sensational international would be an excellent addition to the Arsenal squad following Eze’s arrival.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 26, 2025