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As Aston Villa beat Southampton 3-0 at the weekend, elsewhere in the Premier League, Manchester City superstar Kevin de Bruyne was showing fans that he isn’t done at this level just yet.

He ran the show against Crystal Palace for City, scoring once, providing one assist and making four key passes in their 5-2 romp of Oliver Glasner’s side. However, the 33-year-old is set to leave City at the end of this campaign, with his next step currently unknown.

The Belgian has actually only played eight times against Villa, never losing when he’s played against the Midlands side, winning six times and drawing twice. De Bruyne has provided five assists against Villa in those eight games, but has never scored against them.

De Bruyne has insisted he still has plenty left to give elsewhere, stating, “I don’t know what is going to happen but I want to play on so we will see where I end up.”.

But if the midfield legend is to leave the Premier League, Villa could well be the team who have the heir to his throne.

How Unai Emery has crafted Aston Villa's midfield

Unai Emery has done a brilliant job at assembling one of the Premier League’s best midfield units, especially after losing Douglas Luiz in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, a player who was key for Villa in the 2023/24 campaign under the Spaniard.

However, the Villans were able to replace the Brazilian by making the big-money signing of Amadou Onana from Everton, joining the club for a fee of around £50m. He has been an inspired signing in claret and blue, scoring four times in 27 outings despite his position on the pitch.

He has been excellent alongside the likes of John McGinn – a goalscorer on Saturday afternoon – and Boubacar Kamara.

Of course, they also used Luton Town’s relegation to prise away Ross Barkley for a small fee, paying just £5m for the Premier League veteran.

But despite all of these signings, perhaps the best of the bunch this season has actually been someone who cost the club nothing. As it happens, he is slowly becoming Villa’s very own De Bruyne.

Aston Villa have found their answer to De Bruyne

De Bruyne has been one of the most creative players we’ve ever seen in not just the English top-flight but European football too. He will leave the Etihad behind in the summer, having posted a truly ridiculous 177 assists in Sky Blue.

So, who’s the creative marvel in the Villa side? Well, cast your minds back to the 2023/24 summer transfer window and the club signed their very own Belgian midfielder in Youri Tielemans on a free transfer after his contract expired at Leicester City.

Since joining the Midlands side, Tielemans has made 93 appearances, scoring six goals, providing 17 assists and totaling 6,759 minutes played.

When comparing the two midfielders’ underlying metrics this season, you can see the disparity between the pair, mainly in terms of output.

However, considering De Bruyne is playing for Man City, who often dominate far more of the ball, Tielemans ranks very closely in many of the metrics, making 6.78 progressive passes per 90 for example, proving himself to be a creative outlet.

Tielemans has been showered with praise all throughout his time at Villa Park, notably this campaign, with analyst Raj Chohan labeling him as “one of the best midfielders in the world” this season. Considering he is still 27-years-old and entering his prime years, the best could still be yet to come for the Belgian.

So with De Bruyne on his way out, Tielemans could be the man to take the throne of the Belgian midfielder, dictating games with his brilliant passing range and adding even more goals and assists to his game.

He will do so at international level but perhaps he may also do so for a big European club in the future.

Emery struck gold on Aston Villa star worth more than Doue & Kvaratskhelia

Aston Villa made a brilliant investment with this player

By
Joe Nuttall

Apr 11, 2025

Glasgow Rangers completed a dramatic comeback to beat Dundee 4-3 in the Scottish Premiership last time out, as they came from 3-1 down to win the match.

The Light Blues gave themselves a mountain to climb but managed to overcome it thanks to goals from Tom Lawrence, James Tavernier, and Cyriel Dessers in the second half.

Barry Ferguson should, however, be disappointed by the fact that his team were in such a difficult position to begin with, which is why he could make some changes to the team when the Gers return to action against Hibernian this afternoon.

Why Cyriel Dessers should be dropped

Despite scoring the winner in the 93rd minute, Dessers must be ruthlessly dropped from the starting line-up for the clash with Hibs today after his showing against Dundee.

The Nigeria international deserves credit for scoring the winner, but it is hard to ignore the rest of his performance, in which the striker missed a staggering five ‘big chances’ and scored once from 12 shots on goal – nine of which were on target.

He was incredibly wasteful with the chances that came his way, which was part of the reason why Rangers needed late goals to get anything out of the game.

Hamza Igamane has only missed five ‘big chances’, whilst scoring ten goals, in 27 Premiership matches this season, which suggests that Rangers would be better off with him as the focal point receiving service in the box instead of Dessers.

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With this in mind, Ferguson must ruthlessly drop the wasteful Nigerian centre-forward from the XI in order to bring Ianis Hagi into the team alongside Igamane.

Why Ianis Hagi should start against Hibernian

Rangers lined up with a 3-4-1-2 formation against Dundee and this change would allow them to play a 3-4-2-1, with Hagi and Mohamed Diomande in the number ten positions behind the Morocco international.

This would make Igamane the focal point of the team and mean that the side is built to create chances for him to score, to make the most of his lethal finishing – as opposed to consistently creating chances for Dessers to spurn.

Hagi coming in could help to create those opportunities for the Moroccan sensation because he has proven his creative quality in the Premiership already this season, under Philippe Clement and Ferguson.

24/25 Premiership

Ianis Hagi

Starts

16

Goals

3

Big chances created

5

Assists

5

Key passes per 90

2.5

Assists per 90

0.3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Gers number 30 has been incredibly creative for the Light Blues with 2.5 key passes per 90 and eight goal contributions in 16 starts.

This suggests that he has what it takes to provide Igamane with the service that he needs to put Hibernian to the sword later this afternoon.

Hagi, who former Romanian international Ilie Dumitrescu dubbed “sensational” earlier this season, is an attacking midfielder who can break forward into the box to make things happen, as a scorer and a creator, which is why he could perfectly suit a number ten role in a 3-4-2-1 system.

This would also allow Dessers to come off the bench as a goal threat in the second half if needed, rather than him having the entire 90 minutes to waste ‘big chances’ in front of goal – as he did against Dundee.

Related Rangers must sell Ibrox star who was "one of the best talents in Europe"

As Rangers prepare for a massive squad overhaul in the summer, they should sell a star Gerrard once said was “one of the best talents in Europe”.

Posts ByBen Gray Apr 3, 2025

It is now down to Ferguson to be brave and ruthlessly drop the former Cremonsese man from the team, despite his late winner, in an attempt to improve his side’s performance.

Rather than the pace of Jofra Archer, it was Chris Woakes with the keeper up to the stumps that did for India’s captain

Matt Roller11-Jul-20251:23

Manjrekar: Can’t find fault with Gill for his dismissal

“He’s out,” read the banner headline in the London evening newspaper , such was the sense of relief in England when Don Bradman was finally dismissed for 230 at The Oval in the final Test of the 1930 Ashes. In the absence of a modern equivalent, it was Chris Woakes’ face that evoked the same sentiment when he had Shubman Gill caught behind at Lord’s.Gill arrived in England averaging 35 and with plenty to prove away from home but his name has been mentioned in the same breath as Bradman’s ever since his 430-run match at Edgbaston. With 585 runs in the first two Tests of this tour, Gill could put Bradman’s record tally for a five-match series – 974 – under genuine threat before he heads home in August.While Gill was out in both innings in Birmingham, his dismissals hardly felt repeatable: his tired pull to square leg on 269, and skying a caught-and-bowled to Shoaib Bashir on 161 were simply the results of mental and physical exhaustion. Ben Stokes would not be drawn on England’s plans for the Lord’s Test, beyond saying: “We’ve got plans for all the Indian batters.”Related

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Stokes and England would not admit as much, but the timing of Jofra Archer’s comeback seemed like a direct response to Gill’s dominance. There remains a suspicion that Gill’s main vulnerability is genuine, express pace; within four balls of his first Test spell in four-and-a-half years, Archer had bowled the fastest delivery of this series.As soon as Gill walked in at No. 4, Archer returned for a second spell. His first ball to him was right on the money, at 88mph/141kph, and he had Gill flinching and dropping his hands to avoid his short deliveries. Archer has an excellent record against Gill – two dismissals in 28 balls in Tests, three in 19 in the IPL – and was desperate to extend it.With the ball becoming gradually softer, Stokes turned to his familiar short-ball ploy and set an extraordinary six-three leg-side field for Archer: long leg, backward square leg, deep square leg, square leg, forward square leg and midwicket. Gill was untroubled, even shimmying outside leg stump to forehand-swat a short ball into the covers.But Stokes had another plan up his sleeve. As soon as Gill walked in, a helmet came out so that Jamie Smith could stand up to the stumps with Woakes bowling. When Gill whipped his first ball from Woakes into the leg side for one, Smith took it straight back off and stood back when KL Rahul took strike.

“On a wicket where you’re working with a slope, if you can put someone further back in the crease, there’s more time for the ball to deviate one way or the other. You feel like you’re bringing more modes of dismissal into the game”Joe Root on the shubman Gill dismissal

Gill batted well out of his crease at both Headingley and Edgbaston, where he made Woakes look like a medium pacer: their head-to-head for the series read 153 balls, 102 runs, zero dismissals. But Smith’s proximity forced Gill back, giving the ball a greater chance to move off-straight – his average interception point against Woakes was half-a-metre deeper than it had been at Edgbaston.Woakes drew a false shot three balls into the plan, Gill pressing forward and edging him through past second slip for four. He looked comfortable enough when pushing a half-volley down the ground with a pristine straight drive, but when Woakes went a fraction wider on the crease, he caught the outside edge and Smith gleefully gobbled up a tough chance.England’s celebrations told the story of a plan coming together even if, at 80mph, the wicket ball was significantly slower than one Stokes might have imagined when calling on Archer. Woakes beamed as he ran away with arms outstretched, aeroplane-style. “I’ve seen a lot of him bat already – as we all have – so it was nice to take that wicket,” Joe Root said later, with a relieved grin.2:19

Manjrekar: Day two a learning curve for Gill

The long-term implications of England’s attack leader bowling with the keeper up were less than ideal, but with the series level and the match in the balance, it was the here and now that mattered. “It was a good bit of bowling – clever, as well,” Root added. “Sometimes as a bowler, you’ve got to take your ego out of it, and I think it was smart.”On a wicket where you’re working with a slope, if you can put someone further back in the crease, there’s more time for the ball to deviate one way or the other. You feel like you’re bringing more modes of dismissal into the game, and it stops them batting out of the crease and cuts the angles down… It was good thinking, good skill to be able to execute it as well.”Root seemed to have finished his answer when he realised that he should mention Smith’s “unbelievable catch” too, and this was an important moment for England’s wicketkeeper. Smith may not be as natural with the gloves as his predecessor and Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes, but this dismissal would not have been possible without his ability to stand up to a seamer. Added to another counterattacking half-century, Smith’s catch completed a fine day for him.It left Gill trudging off having scored 16, only his second failure of a sparkling maiden series as captain. If he can add another 373 runs in his five remaining innings of the tour to go clear of Bradman’s benchmark, then England will be buoyed that after a week of chasing leather in Birmingham, a ploy to get him out finally worked.

History has not been kind to Pakistan when it comes to touring down under, but new narratives could be woven this summer

Danyal Rasool12-Dec-2023Looking at individual contests in a home Test series for Australia against Pakistan is a bit like trying to analyse the specific differences between the polar bear and the baby seal it eats. The mismatch is so overwhelming it’s scarcely worth talking about the variances in muscle mass, the speed across the tundra or the contrasts in bite force. One is the biggest mammal on land, the other would rather be in water. What’s there to talk about?Over the past quarter century, the chasm between the Australian and Pakistani Test sides in this hemisphere is just about as wide. Pakistan have come for five series and 14 Test matches, losing every single one of them. These two nations might be far apart when it comes to geography, but when it comes to cricketing ability in Australia, the gulf has been even wider. Four of those 14 losses have been innings defeats, another four by a margin of at least 170 runs, and another three by nine or more wickets. Defeats have come across the length and breadth of this country from – Perth to Hobart – and the odd close game, like Hobart 1999 or Sydney 2010, have probably caused more psychological scarring than the regular pastings in between.Ultimately though, the bigger picture can invariably be broken down into the minutiae. In cricket, where individuals pitted against each other is a central aspect of this contest, Australia have tended to overwhelm Pakistan. That isn’t necessarily the case across every matchup, though, with possible encouragement for the visiting side in certain aspects, and clear areas of improvement necessary in others. We look at a few of those.Related

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Josh Hazlewood vs Babar Azam

Babar and Hazlewood first faced off as teenagers in the Under-19 World Cup, with Hazlewood coming out on top that day in New Zealand and Australia winning by 25 runs. The script hasn’t changed since, with Hazlewood getting him out on six occasions and Babar averaging just over 11 against him.Each of those dismissals have come in Australia, most early on in the innings. It is the seam movement that has done Babar in almost every time – he fell four times nicking off behind the stumps, while failing to read the one coming in twice and finding himself trapped in front.However, most of these dismissals came on Pakistan’s 2016-17 tour when Babar was yet to find his feet in Tests. While Hazlewood remains the same bowler – relentlessly accurate across his lines and lengths – that has troubled Babar for much of his career. Babar, unencumbered by the captaincy, has an opportunity to remedy this record. An indifferent recent run in Test cricket, though, with no half-centuries in the last six innings, doesn’t bode well against the bowler who has troubled him more than any other. With a possible long tail and an inexperienced batting line-up, Pakistan will rely on his runs more than they did on either of his previous two tours. If he can turn the tide in this personal battle, it may go a long way in ensuring Pakistan are more competitive than they have previously been.

Australia’s left-handers vs slow left arm

Abrar Ahmed’s injury all but confirms Noman Ali featuring in Pakistan’s starting XI come Thursday. They are understood to be reluctant to field an all-pace attack, and while Sajid Khan is on his way to Australia, the first Test likely arrives too soon for him.That is worrying for Pakistan. Australia have three left-handers in their top seven, and while Sajid wasn’t impressive at home against Australia last year, each of Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and David Warner boast phenomenally impressive records against slow left-arm bowling at home.They have combined for 690 runs against just four dismissals, each averaging over 100. They score quickly against slow left-armers too, with Warner scoring at 93.90 and Khawaja at 70.50. The extra pressure on Noman could force Shan Masood to turn back to his seamers sooner than he wants or, even less desirably, employ part-time spinners, as Pakistan did on occasion against Australia last year.File photo: Marnus Labuschagne being bowled by Shaheen Afridi•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Shaheen Shah Afridi vs Marnus Labuschagne

Labuschagne’s unimpressive numbers against left-arm pace in Tests comes largely down to one man. Of the nine times Labuschagne has had to walk off against left-arm pace, Shaheen Afridi was the man to get him five times. His 85 runs against Afridi have come at 17 per dismissal, and a strike rate a shade above 2.6, and five of Labuschagne’s seven dismissals against Pakistan have come against him.His battle with Shaheen was one of the few bright spots for Pakistan on Australia’s attritional tour to the country in 2022, with Labuschagne notably struggle against the inswinging delivery early on. While the numbers might flatter Afridi slightly – his two wickets against the Australian on Pakistan’s last Test tour arrived when Labuschagne was on 185 and 162 – getting Labuschagne in early could well be the key to getting him back out soon.

Nathan Lyon vs Pakistan

A punchy Mohammad Hafeez, fuming from what he declared a disappointing pitch in Canberra for Pakistan’s tour game, promised Pakistan were out in Australia to win the series. And the route to doing that was clear in his mind. “As a team from the subcontinent, we normally play offspinners really well. In the last couple of series we had a high strike rate against Nathan Lyon. That will remain the same. We know Lyon is a great bowler, but as a team we are confident we will take him on.” When asked to clarify if that meant Pakistan would have to take Lyon on, Hafeez was terse in his reply. “We will.”While that might sound like a departure from how Pakistan play against Australia, that hasn’t necessarily been the case. Hafeez – perhaps pointedly – said Lyon was a “great away bowler” for Australia, possibly in an attempt to strip him of his aura on these surfaces. In Australia, Lyon’s success against Pakistan has been relatively modest. Only against Sri Lanka does he have a worse home average than Pakistan’s 41.66 runs per wicket, and as regards to taking him on, Pakistan have tended to do just that. Against no other side at home has he conceded more than one run every two balls, but against Pakistan, the economy rate climbs to 3.37.In short, he is more expensive and less penetrative against Pakistan at home than just about anyone else. While much of the spin bowling scrutiny has surrounded Pakistan’s lack of quality, there is an opportunity for them to ensure Australia are equally hampered on that front.

India started the series as slight favourites, but South Africa’s fast bowlers used the home conditions superbly after the Centurion setback

S Rajesh16-Jan-2022When the South Africa vs India series began, it was clear that the key battle would be between the pace attacks of the two teams (and, by extension, how well the opposition batters would handle them). India had the full array of their best fast bowlers at their disposal, but South Africa were missing one of their main men: Anrich Nortje, with 28 wickets in his last six Tests at 23.35, was ruled out due to injury.