Renuka Singh, Alyssa Healy set to return to action in what will be the first international at the New Chandigarh stadium

Sruthi Ravindranath13-Sep-20251:11

Healy: ‘India a sleeping giant for a long time now’

Big Picture: A dry run for the ODI World CupCan either team get better preparation than this in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup? India get to face the defending champions, while Australia get to play one of the tournament hosts and have a chance to acclimatise to the conditions well before other competing teams.Having won nine of the 11 ODIs they have played this year and having beaten England in their backyard in July, India will carry a lot of confidence into this series. However, Australia can be a formidable opponent: they have beaten India in 12 out of the 13 ODIs since Harmanpreet Kaur’s epic knock in the 2017 ODI World Cup semi-finals.India were whitewashed 3-0 in the last two series they had played against Australia. Four out of the last five times they’ve met in an ICC tournament, India have lost, including the semi-final of last year’s T20 World Cup. India will want to use this series not just as a dry run to get their team combination right but also to come up with plans to get past the Australia hurdle. If India win this series, they will enter the World Cup as favourites.Australia, meanwhile, haven’t played ODIs this year since January, when they wiped England out 3-0 in the Women’s Ashes. The last tournament they played was the T20I series against New Zealand in March. But they have ten players who were also part of the 2022 ODI World Cup side in this squad, and have lost just three out of 28 matches they played since that tournament. So, they will back themselves to shake off the rust and hit the ground running. They will be playing in New Chandigarh, a non-World Cup venue, but they will benefit from some quality practice, specifically against spin in the middle overs, which is expected to play a big role in the ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Related

Harmanpreet says India believe they can beat Australia 'any day'

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Form GuideIndia WLWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWWWIn the spotlight: Alyssa Healy and Sneh RanaA ruptured plantar fascia at the 2024 T20 World Cup, a knee injury during the WBBL, and a stress fracture in the right foot during the Women’s Ashes. Australia captain Alyssa Healy has been dealing with recurring injuries since late last year which also affected her wicketkeeping. But she made a strong comeback for Australia A in the recent white-ball series against India A, making scores of 91 and 137 not out in the last two one-dayers and also keeping wicket, saying she made a few wicketkeeping ‘tinkering’ to avoid such injuries. A force for Australia in World Cups, she will hope to remain injury-free as she gears up for her first ODI World Cup as captain.Offspinner Sneh Rana has been on a roll ever since her comeback into India’s white-ball sides. A superb WPL season resulted in an ODI call-up, and she impressed immediately with 15 wickets in five games in the tri-series in Colombo in May. She followed that up with three wickets in the ODIs against England. With India expected to go spin-heavy for this series, and the World Cup that follows, Harmanpreet indicated during the squad announcement press conference that Rana will continue to be crucial in the middle overs.Alyssa Healy is set to return to action from injury•Getty Images

Team news: Renuka Singh returns from injuryWith Renuka Singh back for the series from injury, she is expected to start ahead of Arundhati Reddy, who had played the ODIs against England, with Kranti Goud as the other fast bowler. India are also likely to go in with Rana, N Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma as spin options.India (probable): 1 Pratika Rawal, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Jemimah Rodrigues, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 N Shree Charani, 10 Kranti Goud, 11 Renuka SinghWill Australia tinker with the XI that last played against England in January? Though left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux is back in the side after a lengthy injury lay-off, she has not been given the green light to play. Healy said Molineux wasn’t “quite ready for the ODI format” and that Australia are “ready to have her back when she’s ready to go” at the press conference on the eve of the first ODI.Australia (probable): 1 Alyssa Healy (capt, wk), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Beth Mooney, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ash Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Georgia Wareham, 9 Alana King, 10 Kim Garth, 11 Megan SchuttPitch and conditionsThis will be the first international fixture at the New Chandigarh stadium, which has hosted 11 IPL matches in the last two years, so the conditions are a bit of an unknown for both sides. The weather is expected to be a bit cloudy on Sunday, with the possibility of showers in the afternoon, and clear for the rest of the day.Georgia Voll and Ash Gardner at the nets•PTI

Stats and TriviaIndia last beat Australia in an ODI at home in February 2007. They have lost all ten encounters since.Harmanpreet is set to become the third Indian to feature in 150 Women’s ODIs.Megan Schutt is set to become the ninth Australian to feature in 100 Women’s ODIs.Since June 2024, Smriti Mandhana has scored 1346 runs in 23 ODI innings, 581 runs more than the next best batter. She has scored six hundreds in this period, three more than any other batter.Quotes”No doubt, they [Australia] have been very dominating. They have played well all over the world and dominated. But we are also at a stage where, as a captain, we have the belief we can beat them on any day. The processes in the last one and a half years has been good, we have improved quite a lot. Even in England, we beat one of their best sides. These show that we are on the right track.”
“This is the most stable Indian team I’ve seen and I think they’re in a really good place heading into this World Cup, so I’m looking forward to that challenge. The rivalry continues to grow. I know how much they love beating Australia and I know how good they are in their home conditions and that’s really a challenge for us. I think it’s going to be a really enjoyable, hard-fought series.”

There might not be a more creative double play turned during the 2025 MLB season that what Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero pulled off Saturday afternoon.

With the bases loaded in the top of the first inning and no outs, Caballero fielded a ground ball at shortstop off the bat of New York Yankees slugger Paul Goldschmidt. Caballero slid feet first to scoop it up, and when he popped back up on his two feet, he found himself with his back facing toward second base.

Thinking on his feet, Caballero did his best impression of an NFL center and snapped the baseball through his legs to second baseman Brandon Lowe, who threw it to first for the double play. Goldschmidt was initially called safe at first, but after a challenge and replay review, it was determined that he didn't actually step on first and he was out—making Caballero's highlight all the more remarkable.

In 14 games this season, Caballero is batting .294/.400/.500 with two doubles, one triple and a homer. He also added one of the most impressive highlights of the 2025 campaign to his resume on Saturday afternoon.

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network announced a new direct-to-consumer streaming option earlier this week for fans of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals that would allow for cord-cutters in both the Washington D.C. and Baltimore television markets to stream their favorite teams’ games.

Unfortunately for some Orioles fans, the price charged for the service was unexpectedly expensive.

According to a report from Sam Cohn of , a small subset of fans that paid for the $89.99 option to pay for an entire season of Orioles games were mistakenly charged $8,999 instead, which prompted the network to scramble and issue refunds to the affected customers.

"MASN is aware of the issue that affected a handful of subscribers," a MASN spokesperson told Cohn. "Those impacted were contacted on Monday and immediately issued refunds for the additional charge."

Fans of the Orioles and Nationals had to wait quite a long time for a streaming option for the teams' games. MASN is not offered on major streaming services, which prompted cord-cutters to miss many of the teams' games due to blackout while still living in the television market.

Now, with MASN+, fans can at long last stream the games of their hometown teams (hopefully at the appropriate price point).

Manchester United are keen to secure a new midfield arrival and could now be set to turn to a star who Sir Alex Ferguson once likened to David Beckham.

The Red Devils are probing in their hunt to climb the Premier League table under Ruben Amorim and will hope that they can attack their festive schedule now that the international break is over, even if they need to navigate injuries and absences along the way.

Benjamin Sesko is set to be on the sidelines, and the former Sporting boss has confirmed that his summer striker signing is set to return around the same time that Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui exit for the African Cup of Nations.

He said on his potential return: “He’s going to stay a few weeks out. I don’t know how long but it is not that serious. We have to be careful with him. He is doing the recovery, he is feeling better, so in a few weeks I expect to have Ben.

“I think it’s going to be more or less at the same time. I don’t want to say for sure but when they are going to the camp, I expect to have Ben back.”

While the goals have been spread for Manchester United this season, there is always a cause to add more expertise in front of the target to alleviate pressure on the strikers, something Mbeumo in particular has brought to the club since his summer move from Brentford.

With the transfer window fast approaching, Amorim and INEOS will have their list of targets in place and ready to go, either for the January period or even beyond into the summer.

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Now, they have added a surprise name to their shortlist who is a popular figure among supporters, and news that he could be set to move to Manchester would certainly make headlines.

Man Utd eyeing surprise Scott McTominay return

According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are eyeing a surprise return for Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, who is also on the radar of Arsenal due to his exploits for club and country.

His career revival since leaving Old Trafford hasn’t gone unnoticed, with the Scotland international striking 17 times and registering eight assists in 51 appearances for the reigning Serie A champions.

Of course, McTominay’s exploits for the Tartan Army have also drawn worldwide attention, especially after his incredible overhead kick strike to help his country edge out Denmark for a place at the World Cup finals.

Happy in Italy, it is believed that Napoli has set a £60 million valuation of the 28-year-old, and unless something drastic were to happen, a summer 2026 transfer move appears to be the most likely outcome.

Manchester United have been in the market for a midfielder to add to their existing pool of options, though it would be a surprise if they were to bring in a former academy star with such a strong connection to the club, where his ascent was even likened to Beckham’s at Old Trafford by Ferguson.

West Ham United sent one of their top scouts to watch Josh Sargent in action for Norwich City against Birmingham City in the Championship this weekend.

The Hammers have commenced their search for a striker amid rumours that Niclas Fullkrug is likely to leave the club in the January transfer window. The towering German arrived fresh from an impressive Euro 2024 not so long ago, but has since scored just three goals for West Ham in what has been an incredibly disappointing move.

The forward’s agent recently added fuel to the fire by saying when asked about a potential exit for his client: “This always has to happen in cooperation with the club, but I believe it can make sense to change something there.”

As much as he’s struggled, however, West Ham will still need to replace Fullkrug if he departs in January. His exit would leave them with just one out-and-out striker in Callum Wilson and it’s no secret that he’s had his injury struggles throughout his career.

If Nuno Espirito Santo is to stand any chance of keeping the Hammers afloat in the Premier League, then the club must simply back him in the January transfer window. To that end, the likes of Adama Traore have already been mentioned as early winter targets and his arrival would certainly be a good start this winter.

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Meanwhile, alongside Traore, West Ham have also set their sights on a key upgrade on Fullkrug, with their scouts sent to watch Norwich star Sargent this weekend.

West Ham send scouts to watch Josh Sargent

As reported by Football Insider, West Ham sent officials to watch Sargent against Birmingham City this weekend. The American has been the only bright spark in a disastrous few months for Norwich, scoring six goals in all competitions ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, and has more than done enough to earn a Premier League move.

Former Norwich boss Liam Manning was full of praise for the forward even as his short spell turned into a nightmare. He told reporters: “He’s a constant handful. I think he’s so intelligent with the positions he takes up, and he’s so sharp over the first metres. He’s the best nine at the level for me. We’re delighted to have him here, long may that continue.”

It’s hard to argue with Manning’s verdict, either. When fit, there’s not many better than sargent in England’s second tier and questions are gradually beginning to be asked about his potential ability to take that form into the Premier League.

West Ham need a consistent striker, Sargent has earned a big move in the face of Norwich’s struggles, and the January transfer window could now present an interesting saga as a result.

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Decision was taken after a meeting between selection committee and white-ball coach Hesson

Danyal Rasool20-Oct-2025Mohammad Rizwan has been sacked as Pakistan ODI captain, with Shaheen Shah Afridi replacing him. The decision was announced by the PCB shortly after the first day of the ongoing Test match between Pakistan and South Africa in Rawalpindi, a Test both Rizwan, 33, and Afridi, 25, are currently playing.No reason was provided for replacing Rizwan; indeed, the wicketkeeper batter was not even mentioned in the official statement. The decision, according to the PCB, was taken after a meeting in Islamabad between the selection committee and the white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.Rizwan’s removal was all but inevitable when the PCB put out a statement over the weekend, pointedly declining to confirm him as ODI captain ahead of the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour. Instead, it said Hesson had asked PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to convene a meeting with the selection and advisory committee to appoint a new captain.ESPNcricinfo understands the desire to replace Rizwan was not specifically at the behest of the head coach, but enjoyed wider backing at the highest level of the PCB’s decision-making process.Afridi’s last foray into white-ball captaincy was an unhappy one, when he was tapped to lead the T20I team ahead of a series against New Zealand in January 2024. Pakistan ended up losing 4-1 before he was replaced in similar circumstances to Rizwan’s sacking right now, with chairman Naqvi pointedly declining to confirm he would continue in the role. Afridi was replaced by Babar Azam a week later.While Pakistan had different captains for all formats – a situation that will continue – Rizwan was until recently perceived to be the most secure of a group that includes Shan Masood and Salman Ali Agha. Since becoming captain of the ODI side last year, Rizwan is four runs short of the highest scorer for Pakistan, averaging just under 42. He led Pakistan to series wins in Australia and South Africa in 2024, though results this year have dipped, most notably with an ignominious first-round exit at a home Champions Trophy.Afridi pulls on the armband in good form in the format; he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker last year in ODI cricket, and central to their away wins in South Africa and Australia. Since the start of the 2023 World Cup, no fast bowler from a Full Member nation has more wickets than his 45, which have come at more than two wickets a game.Afridi’s first assignment as ODI captain is the white-ball series against South Africa, which comprises three ODIs in Faisalabad next month.

Chelsea are now “crazy” about signing RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouedraogo, but they will have to do battle for his signature with one of their Premier League rivals.

Courtesy of a 2-0 victory against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, the Blues have now moved up to second in the Premier League table, but Gary Neville believes they are still some way off being genuine contenders for the title.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “They’ve got a lot of young players, spent a fortune, it’s probably not happening as quickly as they want,(and) I don’t think they’re anywhere near a team that can win the league to be honest. When I look at them, they look well short in a number of areas.”

As pointed out by Neville, the Blues have relied on youngsters a lot in the BlueCo era, breaking the record for the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League last season.

However, the west Londoners are yet to alter their recruitment policy, and they have now joined the race for another young midfielder.

Chelsea "crazy" about signing Assan Ouedraogo

In a new update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, it has been revealed that Chelsea are one of the Premier League clubs “crazy” about signing RB Leipzig midfielder Ouedraogo, alongside Man United.

Both English sides are now scouting the 19-year-old, who remains under contract at the Bundesliga club until 2029, and his main ambition is to secure a place in Germany’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The central midfielder remains under contract until 2029, and there is no release clause, meaning it is unclear how much the Blues will have to pay for the youngster, who is being targeted for next summer.

The German starlet may stand a chance of going to the World Cup next year, considering he impressed on his debut for his country, scoring in a 6-0 victory against Slovakia in the recent international break.

Not only that, but the Leipzig star would be a versatile option for Julian Nagelsmann, given that he is capable of playing in five positions, namely on both wings, central midfield, attacking midfield and even centre-forward.

The former Schalke man is off to an impressive start to the season in the Bundesliga, chipping in with three goals and three assists in 11 outings, and he has performed very well on some key attacking metrics over the past year.

Assan Ouedraogo’s key statistics (past year)

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.48 (99th percentile)

Assists

0.48 (99th percentile)

Progressive carries

2.58 (94th percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.77 (99th percentile)

As such, Ouedraogo could be an excellent addition for Chelsea next summer, and they should continue to monitor his development between now and the end of the season.

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Aston Villa are now lining up a January move for a “sensational” £50m striker, with Unai Emery looking to bring in a long-term replacement for Ollie Watkins.

Villa eyeing new striker amid Watkins' slow start

Watkins isn’t having the season he would’ve wanted ahead of the World Cup next summer, having scored just one goal in the Premier League thus far, and Donyell Malen has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Villa going forward as of late.

Indeed, Malen is in a rich vein of form at the moment, having scored a brace to secure a 2-1 victory against Young Boys in the Europa League, following on from an impressive cameo against Leeds United, assisting Morgan Rogers’ equalising goal.

However, given that Malen isn’t an out-and-out striker, Emery wants to bring in a more traditional centre-forward in the January transfer window, with one of the Premier League’s breakout stars recently being identified as a target.

That is according to a report from The Mirror, which states Aston Villa are now lining up a January move for Brentford striker Igor Thiago, although it could be a costly operation, with a £50m fee being touted.

Emery is a big fan of the striker, having been keen to bring in a new forward since last summer, while Villa may also need to refresh their forward line due to concerns over Watkins’ form.

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It is perhaps a little early to lose faith in the England international, as he is still only 29, but it is important to plan for the future, and the Brentford star has emerged as one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League this season, scoring 11 goals in 13 outings.

Most recently, the Brazilian bagged a brace to ensure his side overcame Burnley in a 3-1 victory, and he is now behind only Manchester City star Erling Haaland in the Premier League’s goalscoring charts.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews has been left impressed by the 24-year-old’s performances too, saying: “He has been pretty good, hasn’t he? He is growing in stature and confidence and he has been pretty sensational this season,”

Thiago is at the right age to be a long-term success at Villa Park, and having proven himself in the Premier League, Aston Villa should undoubtedly launch a January move.

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Emery has never really managed to replace Jhon Duran since the striker signed for Al-Nassr back in January, and with the Villans looking to compete in both the Premier League and Europe, it would certainly be beneficial to bring in another striker this winter.

Can Arsenal continue their unbeaten streak at Stamford Bridge?

The Gunners will make the seven-mile trip across the capital on Sunday, currently unbeaten in six away games against Chelsea, winning three of them, despite having lost eight of their previous ten Premier League fixtures at the Bridge; how times have changed.

Well, already this week, Mikel Arteta’s team have comprehensively beaten both Tottenham and Bayern Munich at home, and a victory on Sunday would move them nine points clear of the Blues at the top of the Premier League table.

So, if the Gunners are to beat another fierce rival, Arteta should unleash his attacker labelled “better than Bukayo Saka”.

Leandro Trossard latest injury news

Just when Arsenal were starting to get some attacking players back from injury, another could be heading for the treatment room.

38 minutes into Wednesday’s win over Bayern Munich, Leandro Trossard suffered a knock and was forced to come off.

Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Arteta said that “we’ll have to see” if the Belgian will be available this weekend, noting that he has avoided serious injury, but has not trained since the match.

Losing Trossard would be a major blow, considering he has already scored five goals and registered five assists across all competitions this season, most recently breaking the deadlock in last weekend’s North London derby.

However, does Arteta have a ready-made replacement, one who will be particularly raring to face Chelsea?

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Arsenal do remain without Viktor Gyökeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, but Arteta is now going to have some attacking options from which to choose once again.

Both Martin Ødegaard and Gabriel Martinelli made their returns off the bench in mid-week, while Noni Madueke has been introduced as a substitute in each of the last two matches, scoring his first goal for the club against Bayern Munich, connecting with Riccardo Calafiori’s cross at the back post.

Before being introduced for a late cameo against Spurs, Madueke hadn’t been seen since 21 September when Manchester City drew in North London, sustaining a knee injury that day, which was a real blow because he had been really bright up until that point.

Back in September, the winger also scored his first goal for England, on target as the Three Lions demolished Serbia 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier at the Marakana in Belgrade.

After the match, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker asserted that “I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka”, a bold take, but let’s compare the pair in the Premier League last season to test this hypothesis.

Goals

0.4

0.4

Assists

0.2

0.6

Shots

2.6

2.2

Shots on target %

56%

56%

Chances created

1.4

3

Big chances created

0.26

1.1

Big chances missed

0.6

0.4

Completed take-ons

2

2.2

Take-on success %

49.45%

52.56%

Touches

47.4

56.8

% of touches in box

18.48%

16.54%

Average rating

7.03

7.60

As the table documents, Saka does come out on top for the vast majority of metrics, but Madueke’s numbers are largely comparable across the board, superior in some key areas too.

The 23-year-old attempts more shots and registers a higher percentage of his touches in the opposition penalty area, underlining that he might just be more of a goal threat, with Saka excelling as the creator.

Also, Madueke’s direct running and fearlessness could be exactly what Arteta’s team need in this game, hoping to give Reece James, Malo Gusto or whoever else Enzo Maresca might deploy at right-back nightmares.

Having been cast aside by Chelsea in the summer, told he was surplus to requirements, Madueke will surely be ultra-motivated to show his former employers what they passed up on, so could he write his name into Arsenal folklore?

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تحدث مارك كوكوريلا، مدافع نادي تشيلسي، عن مواجهة مواطنه ونجم نادي برشلونة، لامين يامال، في لقاء الأمس الذي جمع بين الفريقين في دوري أبطال أوروبا، موضحًا أنه قام بعمله.

تشيلسي واجه برشلونة يوم أمس الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا لحساب الجولة الخامسة من مرحلة الدوري، حيث نجح البلوز في الانتصار بثلاثية نظيفة.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، واجه كوكوريلا يامال في مباراة ثنائية، تفوق فيها الظهير الأيسر بشكل تام على الجناح الشاب.

وأثنى كوكوريلا على يامال عقب نهاية المباراة، في تصريحات إلى “أمازون برايم”، موضحًا أن اللاعب الشاب يمتلك قدم يسرى مذهلة.

وقال كوكوريلا: “قدمه اليسرى مذهلة، إذا استطعت إدخاله إلى داخل الملعب فزملائي موجودون، تركت له مساحة ليلعب بقدمه اليمنى وهي القدم الضعيفة له، إذا فعل شيئًا بقدمه اليمنى، أقول حسنًا تهانينا”.

وعما إذا كان سيشعر بالحرج بعد رؤية يامال في منتخب إسبانيا، أضاف كوكوريلا في حديثه: “أعلم أنه قد يحدث ذلك، كان علي القيام بعملي اليوم وآمل أن تبقى هذه الأمور على أرض الملعب فقط”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. لاعب تشيلسي يستفز لامين يامال بعد الفوز على برشلونة وعن الفوز على برشلونة أوضح: “لعبنا بشكل رائع وكان لدينا شغف لتمرير الكرة وعدم فقدانها، نحن لاعبون جيدون حيث صنعنا العديد من الفرص واستحقينا الفوز”.

وأردف كوكوريلا: “كانت خطة اللعب واضحة ولقد أدينا المهمة بشكل جيد، لم أكن وحدي بل كان زملائي جيدين، لقد ساعدوني وهذه هي كرة القدم، 11 لاعبًا ضد 11 في الشوط الأول، لقد بذلنا قصارى جهدنا لتحقيق الفوز”.

وعن منع لاعبي برشلونة من التسجيل، تابع كوكوريلا حديثه: “في آخر مباراتين تحسنا دفاعيًا وحافظنا على نظافة شباكنا وعززنا ثقتنا بأنفسنا، وهذه هي الطريقة التي نحتاجها للاستمرار، نحن سعداء للغاية ولا يزال أمامنا طريق طويل، نأمل أن نحافظ على هذا المستوى”.

واستكمل: “لم تكن مسيرة كرة القدم سهلة أبدًا، دائمًا ما نمر بفترات صعود وهبوط، الأهم هو السعي للتحسين والعمل الجاد وبعد ذلك، يصبح كل شيء منطقيًا”.

وقال: “عندما نكون صغارًا، لا نستطيع فعل كل ما يفعله الشباب، بعد هذا الأداء الليلة كل شيء منطقي”.

وعن موهبة تشيلسي، إستيفاو ويليان، أضاف كوكوريلا: “إنه موهبة مميزة، يبقى سعيدًا ويلعب بابتسامة، دائمًا ما يحاول خوض المواجهات الفردية وأخيرًا، سجل بقدمه اليمنى لذا نحن سعداء”.

وعن الفارق بين يامال وإستيفاو أجاب لاعب برايتون السابق: ”أهم ما أحبه في هؤلاء اللاعبين هو أنهم لا يهم إن كانوا يقومون بحركة أو مراوغة جيدة، بل يطلبون الكرة، لديهم شخصية مميزة، الفارق أن إستيفاو وصل للتو إلى أوروبا”.

وعن تفوق الفرق الإنجليزية بشكل واضح في الكرات الثابتة ببطولة دوري الأبطال، اختتم كوكوريلا حديثه: ”الكرات الثابتة في إنجلترا مهمة جدًا، عندما كنت ألعب في الدوري الإسباني لم أكن أعرف شيئًا عن التدريب على الكرات الثابتة، هنا الأمر مهم”.