Title favourite Liverpool rode its ‘luck’ in a touch-and-go win at Bournemouth, while Nottingham Forest has continued its charge towards a Champions League berth in a stunning display.
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REDS RIDE ‘LUCK’ AMID CONTROVERSY
Arne Slot admitted Liverpool rode their luck to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League as Mohamed Salah inspired a controversial 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday (AEDT).
Slot’s side took the lead in the first half when Salah netted with a penalty awarded after Cody Gakpo appeared to trip over his own feet rather than go down from Lewis Cook’s challenge.
Gakpo was barely onside as well, with Bournemouth left outraged after referee Darren England’s on-field decision was upheld by VAR.
Bournemouth’s David Brooks was denied an equaliser by an equally tight offside against Milos Kerkez in the build-up.
Salah added insult to injury for Bournemouth when he struck again late in the second half to extend Liverpool’s lead over second-placed Arsenal.
The Egypt forward has 21 goals from 23 league games this season, reaching the 20-mark for the fifth time in his English top-flight career.
Liverpool are unbeaten in 19 league games, winning 17 of their 23 top-flight matches in a remarkable run since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the close-season.
Pursuing an English record-equalling 20th title and their first in the competition since 2020, Liverpool can sit back and wait to see if old rivals Manchester City do them a favour against Arsenal on Monday morning.
“If you want to win here maybe you need a bit of luck because the margins are so small,” Slot said.
“Our penalty was just not offside, their goal on 1-1 was on the margin offside, they hit the post twice.
“We had our chances as well but it was a close call for us to win this game. We weren’t unlucky, let’s put it this way.” Bournemouth had already beaten Manchester City, Arsenal and high-flying Nottingham Forest at home this season.
Slot acknowledged the Cherries had given Liverpool one of their toughest tests this term, with Antoine Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier both hitting the woodwork.
Semenyo was also denied by a superb save from Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker as Bournemouth’s 11-game unbeaten run in the league came to an end.
“I haven’t seen it back but one of my players is on a clear one-v-one with the goalkeeper and he’s fallen down,” Slot said of the Gakpo penalty incident.
“So either he makes a dive or they touch him. If they touch him that for me is a penalty.
“I can come up with three, four, five examples where we didn’t have the luck or the decision we deserved this season.
“That’s always the difficult thing in football, people will always say there’s that luck for Liverpool or for the one that is the one that is number one at the moment.” Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off injured in the second half and Slot said he would be surprised if the defender is fit for Friday’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham.
Quadruple-chasing Liverpool will try to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit when Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side visit Anfield.
Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring Liverpool’s first goal during their Premier League win over AFC Bournemouth. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
FOREST PUTS SEVEN PAST GULLS
Chris Wood netted a hat-trick as Nottingham Forest thrashed Brighton 7-0 to reignite their charge towards next season’s Champions League at the City Ground on Sunday.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Jota Silva were also on target after Lewis Dunk’s own goal opened the scoring in an astonishing performance from Nuno Espirito Santo’s men as they bounced back from a 5-0 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend.
Victory takes Forest level on points with second-placed Arsenal and opens up a seven-point cushion on sixth-placed Chelsea.
Fifth place in the Premier League this season is almost certain to be enough for Champions League qualification due to a strong start by English clubs in European competitions.
Two-time European Cup winners in 1979 and 1980 during the club’s heyday under Brian Clough, Forest last played in Europe back in 1996.
But a run of 10 wins from their last 12 games has put them well on course to end that two-decade wait for continental competition.
Forest became just the second side in Premier League history to respond to losing a game by five or more goals by winning by that margin.
“That is exactly what we wanted after last week, and exactly what the fans wanted,” said Gibbs-White.
“Last week was no way near our standards and we have been working on things to put it right all week in training and the lads were incredible today.
“We completely nullified everything they did and caught them a couple of times on the counter. We were clinical in the final third.” Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler set out with a bold selection that included five forwards in his starting 11.
However, that backfired massively as the Seagulls were wide open and punished by Forest’s frightening pace and precision going forward.
The Premier League is just over a quarter of the way through the 2024/25 season, and it’s been a mixed bag so far.
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Arne Slot has his Liverpool outfit firing, and they’re fixed atop the ladder after 11 games, while their rivals Manchester United are rebuilding with a new manager, again.
Elsewhere, Ange Postecoglou’s up and down campaign is continuing, while Manchester City slumpt to a career first under Pep Guardiola.
Read below for the biggest Premier League Talking Points!
ANGE’S SPURS ROLLERCOASTER CONTINUES
It’s been and up and down season for Spurs, seesawing between brilliant victories and horror defeats, with the latest coming against Ipswich Town.
Ange Postecoglou’s men conceded two first half goals and failed to chase down their opponents, despite Rodrigo Bentancur netting in the 69th minute.
The defeat resulted in ugly scenes post-match, with Postecoglou stopping in the tunnel after a fan was said to have yelled at him, however it’s unclear what was said.
Regardless, it’s a sign of a fan base that’s beginning to become frustrated, and in true Ange fashion he put the onus on himself.
“It’s just down to me. I’m not getting consistent performances from the players,” he said to BBC post-match.
“It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility when their performances don’t meet the levels that they should.”
He also labelled his team “passive”, an interesting word considering the high line press that’s instilled by the manager, which sees his players constantly on the move.
“There are different reasons (to why we lost). Today was a bit different to other times. We were way too passive.
“If you give the opposition that much of a head start it takes a lot to claw it back.”
What made Spurs’ loss even worse was it marked Ipswich’s first win upon return to the Premier League, their first victory in the top flight in 22 years.
Tottenham have now lost five of their first 11 Premier League games, and went down to Galatasaray in their most recent Europa League tie.
It’s fair to say Tottenham are out of the running for the title, sitting 12 points behind Liverpool despite Postecoglou’s success in second seasons at his past clubs.
Spurs are yet to win two games in-a-row in the Premier League, and their season has been a true rollercoaster.
For former midfielder Jamie O’Hara, there’s potential for the fans to begin to feel sour around Postecoglou’s position at the club, despite the red-hot start they enjoyed last season.
“Spurs are all over the place at the back… defenders crossing over, not tracking runners,” he said on Sky Sports.
“You watch it and go, so easy, so easy. That can’t carry on. Eventually the fans will turn. OK, we like exciting football, but we don’t want to come back from 2-0 down every week.”
Tottenham fans will be desperate to finish in the Champions League placings, but their next run of five games will be a big test.
Postecoglou’s men face Man City, Fulham, Bournemouth and Chelsea in the league before facing off against Roma in Europe.
To stop his runaway train, Postecoglou will be desperate to some strong wins, and City could spark what could be a monumental comeback for his out of sorts outfit.
EPL Wrap: Ipswich sink Ange’s Spurs | 02:55
ARE ARSENAL OUT OF THE TITLE RACE?
Over the past two seasons, it’s largely been a two-horse title race, with Manchester City the frontrunners and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal trailing closely behind.
However, with the emergence of Arne Slot’s Liverpool, and a horror run of results, the Gunners are quickly slipping out of contention.
Arsenal are without a win in their last four Premier League games, dating back to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
They’ve also drawn with Liverpool, which could be considered a decent result, while going down to Newcastle and also sharing the spoils with Chelsea in their most recent fixture.
Arsenal sit in fourth on the ladder, on 19 points equal with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Brighton — tallying five wins and four draws.
At the same time last season, having played 11 games, Arteta’s side had won seven and drawn three, with only a single loss and five more competition points.
They trailed eventual premiers City by only three points. This season they’re behind current leaders Liverpool by nine, a margin that could be considered a mountain too high.
So where’s it gone wrong for a team that showed so much promise in their development towards a title? They have struggled to score goals without Martin Odegaard, who is clearly their most creative player in midfield.
Injuries, namely to Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, have also played a part alongside disciplinary issues including red cards to Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard.
Odegaard’s been sidelined since September, and only returned against Chelsea over the weekend, having scored only five goals across their last five Premier League games, whilst also conceding six.
For former Bright boss Graham Potter, Odegaard’s presence is a huge bonus for Arteta’s side.
“Especially with Odegaard missing, problems with centre-backs, build-up not as clean, Odegaard is huge miss from creative aspect,’ he said.
“It’s not as simple as him being fit and playing 90 minutes but he gives confidence to everyone else.”
Arsenal have also had the most red cards by a considerable margin since Boxing Day 2019, with 18 players being sent off.
The next most being Wolves and Everton who have received 13 red cards each.
But outside of those issues, after a horror run of results, former Premier League striker turned pundit Troy Deeney believes one more loss and the Gunners can kiss the title goodbye.
“Lose one more time and I think Arsenal are out of it. They are going to have to beat Liverpool home and away and beat City as well,” he said.
Arsenal’s Belgian midfielder #19 Leandro Trossard reacts after missing a late chance during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on November 10, 2024. The game finished 1-1. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP).Source: AFP
HOW ARNE’S ‘SLOT’TED RIGHT IN
It’s a tale as old as time itself. A new manager joins a Premier League club, struggle in their first season before the game plan embeds itself into the squad and they see the fruits of their labour.
But not for Arne Slot, who has begun life at Liverpool with a bang and the Dutch manager is priming his side for a title charge in his first season in Merseyside.
Liverpool are sitting five points clear of title favourites Manchester City after 11 games, winning nine and only losing once so far.
In fact you have to go back to September 15th to find their last loss, going down to Nottingham Forest, who are having quite the season themselves.
That result is the only time they’ve tasted defeat since the Premier League began, also enjoying a faultless Champions League campaign, having only conceded a single goals in ties with Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzeg, Bologna and AC Milan.
So what’s the secret? Because Manchester United will be desperate for their new manager to have even half the success Slot’s had at Anfield so early in his tenure.
For Slot, he believes his tactical approach wasn’t too far removed from Jurgen Klopp, the man who led Liverpool for a decade.
“My expectations were not about the amount of wins or those kinds of things. When you come into a new club you want the team to play, as soon as they can, to the standards you want them to play, getting across your ideas as soon as possible,” Slot said on TNT Sports.
“I inherited a team that did really well last season and for so many seasons before, so there was not a reason to change lots of things, just keep the things they do really well.
“In general, I think the things Jurgen likes his team to do, and I like my team to do, is press really high. Sometimes in different formations, but the idea is the same – and we both like to score goals.”
Liverpool were clearly a tasty outfit to take over, and the former Feyenoord boss has a staggering amount of talent at his disposal.
Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are world class, while the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahim Konate, Luis Diaz, Alexis MacAllister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota are top tier Premier League players.
However, each and every one of those were players signed by Klopp, and it’s often the case a manager wants to stamp his mark on his new club with signings.
But instead, Slot’s used what he had at his disposal and Erik Ten Hag could potentially take some notes.
No manager has won more points than Slot after their first 11 games, and Liverpool have only equalled their current total once. That year, the 2019/20 season, they won the title.
Is that a sign of things to come? It sure looks that way.
Liverpool’s Dutch manager Arne Slot (L) congratulates Liverpool’s French defender #05 Ibrahima Konate (C) after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on November 9, 2024. Liverpool won the game 2-0. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP).Source: AFP
CITY’S WOES CONTINUE… BUT CAN THEY BOUNCE BACK?
Manchester City are one of the most dangerous teams in world football, and in recent years have been the most dominant force in England.
But now Pep Guardiola’s men have lost fair games in-a-row. It’s the first time this has happened since 2006.
That was two years before the club’s financial takeover and 10 years before Guardiola stepped foot in England as manager of the blue portion of Manchester.
But what’s more is it’s the first time in the history of Guardiola’s career he’s lost four games on the trot. That’s quite staggering.
Their most recent loss came against Brighton, while the remaining three saw the City powerhouse go down to Sporting Lisbon, Spurs and Bournemouth.
All four teams are solid in their own right, but should have been light work for a team of City’s quality.
Following the loss to Sporting, Bernardo Silva said his side were in a “dark place” and now
Guardiola has been asked if the dynasty has came to an end.
“It’s what the people want, right?” he said. “That’s normal — we won a lot. I would just like to have all the squad (available).”
But City’s problems could simply come down to injuries, and the sheer amount of football they’ve played so far this year.
Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is sidelined with an ACL injury, and he’s pivotal in the defensive midfield role.
Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake were all also unavailable against Brighton, while Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Oscar Bobb and Kevin De Bruyne have also spent time sidelined.
With that amount of key players injured, any team in almost any sport would hit a rough patch.
“We cannot do it every three days, three days, four days, three days with the (injury) situation we have,” Guardiola said, before adding: “I would love to have the players (back).”
Dias, Stones, Walker, Doku and Grealish are all due to return in the coming weeks, while De Bruyne’s fitness will only build after the Brighton tie.
So with a host of big names nearing a return, City should be able to turn their current mess around. However, they’ve now got a five-point buffer to claw back on current ladder leaders Liverpool.
Brighton comeback sinks Man City | 00:50
HAVE CHELSEA FOUND THEIR SWEET SPOT?
Chelsea have been a peculiar outfit for a number of years now, purchasing a host of players for big money whilst not being able to deliver.
But now, under new manager Enzo Maresca, the Blues finally looked to have found a clear path and direction.
Chelsea have lost only one of their last 10 games and sit in third on 19 points, and Maresca has done what his predecessors have been unable to do.
He’s locked down a group of players he believes are his best, using them strictly in the Premier League and important games while youngsters and fringe players have been injected into their remaining Caraboa Cup and Conference League games.
Instead of chopping and changing, and attempting to keep everyone happy, he’s stuck to his guns and players like Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Nicolas Jackson and Wesley Fofana.
Throw in the mix Cole Palmer, who is arguably the most in-form player in all of world football, and there’s finally some stability at Stamford Bridge after a long period of uncertainty.
“When you look at that squad, you’re thinking how are they going to get any continuity?” Former Liverpool gun Michael Owen said on Optus Sport.
“But he really has stuck to his guns, stuck to a group of players and he’s been pretty consistent with who’s been playing.
“That’s exactly what the doctor ordered for Chelsea at this moment of time so it’s been impressive so far, the stability he’s brought, it’s exactly what Chelsea needed.”
Meanwhile, club legend and former legend Frank Lampard also weighed in on Maresca’s tough stance, sticking with his group of preferred players.
“I worked with that squad for a short time when I went back and they had 30 players which you would call frontline players, internationals, and it’s harder when you try and juggle it,” Lampard said.
“You’re trying to keep everyone happy. Sometimes you do have to be a bit brutal and I think they got to a tipping point in the summer of, ‘this is the direction’.
“Now the players that are the strong core of this team, I think now are going to develop without that problem.”
Chelsea’s Portuguese midfielder #07 Pedro Neto (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on November 10, 2024. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) /Source: AFP
UNITED’S SHOPPING LIST IN AMORIM REVOLUTION
Ruben Amorim is the man tasked with turning around Manchester United’s fortunes, and he is set to arrive at Old Trafford this week amid problems with his working visa.
During his tenure at Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese manager has implemented a 3-4-3 formation, but players are given a chance to roam.
While his striker is the main man, the wingers outside of him are given a pass to slot in behind and fill gaps, becoming makeshift attacking midfielders.
For goalkeeper Andre Onana, he believes his squad have what it takes to adapt to Amorim’s high intensity style of play.
“It’s a different system but my teammates are all pragmatic. I think everyone here is capable of playing in each system so I don’t think this will be an issue for us,” he said to the BBC.
“We have big players, they will step up.”
Amorim himself also said: I know how I am going to play in the beginning, because you have to start with a structure that you know.
“Then you will adapt with the players that you have, some injuries, or no injuries, what kind of players have the abilities to defend, attack, I will discover that in the next few weeks.
“We don’t have a lot of time to train, so I have to show something that I know very well. You can take whatever you want from that.”
So it’s fair to say Amorim will be implementing his tried and tested game plan, with Bruno Fernandes a perfect man to find gaps as his key No.10.
Another position that Amorim will desperately need to strengthen is the right wing slot, considering how important his wingers are in his formation.
Erik Ten Hang signed Brazilian Antony to fill that slot, however he’s endured a tough time at Old Trafford.
According to Teamtalk, United are keen on the services of Lisbon’s rising star Geovany Quenda who has been a revelation under Amorim.
Multiple clubs are also keen on his services, however the link to his former coach could be a crucial factor in any potential move for the 17-year-old.
However, the incoming coach has poured cold water on any moves in January for Sporting players, despite also hinting Pedro Goncalves could be another target.
The midfield gun has been a crucial figure under Amorim, and played a major role in the club’s pair of titles in recent years.
United have also been linked with Swedish marksman Viktor Gyokeres, however he’s also a target of a whole host of worldwide big hitters.
On the defensive end, reports emerging from Italy have claimed Amorim wants to recruit current Juventus captain Danilo, whose contract expires at the season’s end.
He’s on the lookout for a new club, and the Italian giants could be enticed to sell him to get a return before his time ends.
However, with Lenny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt being big money defensive signings this season, it remains to be seen whether more centre backs will be recruited.
Sporting Lisbon’s Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim gestures during the Portuguese League football match between SC Braga and Sporting CP at the Municipal stadium of Braga on November 10, 2024. (Photo by Miguel RIOPA / AFP)Source: AFP
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was once City manager Pep Guardiola’s assistant and the respect between the two men has previously softened the battle for supremacy between the two sides.
But after finishing second to City in each of the past two seasons, the Gunners were keen to make their mark on the champions.
Kai Havertz barrelled into Rodri within seconds at the Etihad to set the tone for a bad-tempered tussle between the title favourites.
Scroll down for more Premier League Talking Points!
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Arsenal felt harshly treated when Leandro Trossard was sent off at the end of the first half for kicking the ball away, receiving a second yellow card.
But as the visitors dug deep, tensions flared between the benches.
Arsenal’s attempts to waste time drew the ire of City players, coaches and fans.
Erling Haaland responded by throwing the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes’s head in celebration of City’s late equaliser — meaning they have still not been beaten at home since 2022.
Haaland also sparked fiery post-game scenes with his post game remarks to Arteta, telling the coach to “stay humble, eh” before having heated words with Gabriel Jesus who he told to “get the f*** away” from him.
“What you talking about? Get the f*** away from me you f***ing clown,” Haaland said before Arteta eventually difused the situation by pulling his players away.
Haaland won’t face retrospective punishment for throwing the ball into the back of Gabriel’s head, although he is still under fire.
“You know what really boiled me up properly? Haaland’s coward move – throwing the ball at Gabi’s head when he’s not looking, when his back is turned to him,” Arsenal legend Ian Wright wrote on Instagram.
“It’s a coward’s move. Gabi would look you in the eye.
“That’s what bothered me more than anything else. I thought you [Haaland] were bigger than that.”
Erling Haaland sparked fiery post game scenes.Source: FOX SPORTS
MAN CITY’S RODRI ‘OUT FOR SEASON’ AFTER ACL INJURY: REPORTS
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri could miss the rest of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, according to reports in Spain on Monday.
The 28-year-old limped off during City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday after going down holding his right knee.
ESPN and Spanish sports daily Marca reported that tests on Monday have confirmed an ACL tear.
Rodri’s loss would be a huge blow to City’s hopes of winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title and ambitions of reclaiming the Champions League.
The former Atletico Madrid player has lost just one of his last 84 games for club and country.
He has been touted as a potential Ballon d’Or winner this year after his influential role in City’s latest Premier League title and Spain’s success at Euro 2024.
“Rodri is strong. He leaves the pitch in this action because he felt something, otherwise Rodri stays there,” City boss Pep Guardiola said after the Arsenal match.
“He’s the best holding midfielder in the world, he is a potential Ballon d’Or winner. I would love for him to win (the Ballon d’Or).”
City were already light in cover for Rodri and his absence leaves a gaping hole in the middle of Guardiola’s midfield.
Mateo Kovacic has deputised in the holding midfield role early in the season as Rodri was bedded in slowly after his exertions in winning player of the tournament at Euro 2024.
Just last week Rodri had warned leading players could go on strike over an ever-expanding schedule.
He played over 5,000 minutes in 63 games for City and Spain last season. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s something that worries us because we are the guys that suffer,” he said on the increasing physical and mental demands placed on players.
“Someone has to take care of us because we are the main characters of this, let’s say, sport, or business, whatever you want to call it.
City face Watford in the League Cup on Tuesday, little over 48 hours after the Arsenal match.
Rodri could miss the rest of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.Source: Getty Images
ANGE ‘GETTING NARKIER BY THE GAME’
Ange Postecoglou eased some pressure on his position at Tottenham after Spurs beat Brentford 3-1 following last week’s loss to bitter rivals Arsenal.
Rumblings have been growing around the Australian’s job due to a poor start to the season, which has seen Spurs win just two of their opening five games, while they only snatched a late win over Championship side Coventry in the EFL Cup.
Heading into the weekend, Postecoglou insisted it would take time to leave a successful mark on Tottenham, telling fans to “embrace the struggle”.
Beating Brentford did little to lighten the mood of Postecoglou who cut an irritated figure postmatch as he was forced to take questions about goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario getting away with handling the ball outside the penalty area.
EPL Wrap: Ange’s Spurs bounce back | 02:28
“Okay, look I guess we were lucky to get the result,” a clearly irritated Postecoglou said in a sarcastic tone.
There’s little doubt Postecoglou would’ve preferred the press conference to focus around Tottenham’s improved performance, and the scintillating football the club is capable of under his mentorship.
Instead, he appears to be growing increasingly frustrated, drawing criticism from the Daily Mail’s Matt Barlow.
“If points were handed out for irritability Tottenham would not be wallowing in midtable. Not with Ange Postecoglou setting the tone,” he wrote.
“Getting narkier by the game, in a hurry to take umbrage, seemingly aghast there have not been more gushing reviews about his team’s performances.”
Beating Brentford did little to lighten the mood of Postecoglou who cut an irritated figure postmatch.Source: AFP
MAN UTD STADIUM REGENERATION COULD ADD £7.3BN TO BRITISH ECONOMY
A proposed regeneration of the area around Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium could generate £7.3 billion ($14.3 billion) annually to the British economy, according to an economic feasibility study commissioned by the club.
However, mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said on Monday no public money would go towards the project.
United are considering whether to pursue a £2 billion plan for a brand new 100,000-seater stadium or redevelop the existing 74,000 capacity Old Trafford.
Burnham has backed the ambitions to redevelop the stadium alongside a “mixed use” neighbourhood featuring apartment blocks, shopping centres and new public transport stations.
Global advisory firm Oxford Economics revealed the regeneration project could deliver 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes and an extra 1.8million visitors per year to the area.
“This could be the biggest regeneration scheme I’ve ever seen in this country,” said Burnham.
“We hope it’s the best football stadium in the world, which brings benefits to residents around it.”
The project is being spearheaded by United co-owner, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who bought a minority stake in the club earlier this year.
Although Ratcliffe initially hinted he could pursue government assistance in order to fund a “Wembley of the north”, that appears now to have been ruled out.
Last week United appointed globally renowned architects Foster + Partners to work on the plans.
Fans are being asked for their views on the redevelopment, with former United captain Gary Neville, part of an Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, urging supporters to take part.
A model of a new Old Trafford Stadium is seen on The Old Trafford Regeneration Stand on the first full day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, north-west England, on September 22, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)Source: AFP
US-BASED GROUP REACH DEAL TO BUY EVERTON
Everton announced on Monday that the US-based Friedkin Group has reached an agreement to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake in the struggling Premier League club.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval from the Premier League, the Football Association and the Financial Conduct Authority.
The group, led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin, had entered a period of exclusivity to negotiate a possible purchase in June, before Everton announced the following month that no deal would be struck between the parties.
American investment firm 777 Partners were unable to complete a deal earlier this year.
John Textor, who has a 45 per cent share in Crystal Palace, had appeared to be in the frame, but Everton’s statement on Monday confirmed an agreement had been reached with Friedkin.
“Blue Heaven Holdings and the Friedkin Group confirm that they have reached agreement over the terms of the sale of Blue Heaven Holdings’ majority stake in Everton Football Club,” the club said.
A spokesman for The Friedkin Group said: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement to become custodians of this iconic football club.
“We are focused on securing the necessary approvals to complete the transaction. We look forward to providing stability to the club, and sharing our vision for its future, including the completion of the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.” The club are putting the finishing touches to a new stadium and are preparing to leave Goodison Park, which has been the club’s home since 1892.
Friedkin, who also owns Serie A side Roma, has a net worth of $7.6 billion, according to Forbes.
“The potential addition of Everton to our portfolio does not alter our focus on AS Roma. If anything, the multi-club symbiosis will only help Roma,” Friedkin said in a statement published on the Roma website.
Sean Dyche’s side are second from bottom of the Premier League after four defeats in their opening five matches.
Everton have remained in the English top flight for the last 70 years but have survived a number of battles to avoid relegation in recent seasons.
Last season they were docked a total of eight points for breaching Premier League financial rules.
The Liverpool-based club posted losses of just under £400 million ($534 million) for the four years between 2019 and 2023.
British-Iranian businessman Moshiri first bought a 49.9 per cent stake in Everton in 2016, before increasing his holding to 94.1 per cent in 2022.
Despite their recent struggles, Everton are one of England’s most historic clubs. Only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have won more top-flight titles than their total of nine.
But the last of those came in the 1986/1987 season and the club have not won a trophy since 1995.
We’ve just about hit the quarter mark of the NBA season.
And the fortunes of several blockbuster trades — one in season — are proving to have a key impact on the title race and campaign at large, while significantly altering teams’ fortunes.
Below are foxsports.com.au’s winners and loser from the big moves that transpired.
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PG hits scintillating GAME-WINNING three | 00:43
CELTS RECONFIGURE IN THREE-WAY PORZINGIS SWAP
Celtics receive
Kristaps Porzingis (via Wizards), No. 25 pick in 2023 Draft (via Grizzlies), 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected, via Warriors)
Grizzlies received
Marcus Smart (via Celtics)
Wizards received
Tyus Jones (via Grizzlies), Danilo Gallinari (via Celtics), Mike Muscula (via Celtics), No. 35 pick in 2023 Draft (via Celtics)
Early winner
The addition of Porzingis to the Celtics has made the now title favourites even stronger and unlock a new level of Joe Mazulla’s side in the Jayson Tatum-Jalen Brown era. Having Porzingis at centre as a genuine floor spacer provides line-up flexibility and lanes the C’s haven’t had before, while the maligned Latvian big man has averaged a cool 18.9 points on 54 per cent shooting from the field, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Health is clearly the main concern with Porzingis — and he’s currently sidelined with a calf injury — but having him available at the business end of the season is clearly more important.
Early loser
Both Memphis and Washington have come away worse for wear. While the 5-14 Grizzlies can at least put their issues down to the absence of stars — including to Smart — they’re actually trying to contend, whereas the 3-15 Wizards are effectively in tank mode, even if J0nes has underwhelmed at his new side, and they could yet flip the guard for a long-term asset. So looking at it from a wider lens — and not necessarily a knock on Smart — Memphis has been the loser. And in Jones the Griz at least had a known quantity who knew how to run their system whenever Ja Morant was out. Memphis was of course simply trying to take itself to the next level to contend in the Western Conference, and while there’s ample time to turn things around, it’s been a grim first quarter of the season for the franchise.
Grayson Allen (via Bucks) Keon Johnson (via Blazers) Nassir Little (via Blazers) Jusuf Nurkic (via Blazers)
Early winner
A fair bit to unpack here. But any side that gets a multi-time All-NBA, All-Star guard has to be the winner, so it’s the Bucks (for now at least). Sure, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing integrating Lillard into the line-up amid a big drop off from the team on the defensive end of the court compared to having Holiday out front. But for all those concerns, Milwaukee sits third in the East at 14-6 and have claim of the league’s second-best net rating over the last 10 games. The Bucks are in the business of winning titles right now, so going all in on Lillard makes complete sense. The Suns are also a sneaky winner, with Nurkic in perhaps the ideal landing spot for his skill set as a throw in that’s proved to be an important piece — he just needs to stay healthy. Allen has also provided invaluable depth, particularly with Bradley Beal sidelined.
Early loser
The Blazers are the closest thing to a loser — not in terms of what they got in the Lillard deal, but more just from a holistic standpoint. When you trade a franchise superstar, you’re generally committing to a lengthy rebuild and accepting your current core doesn’t have what it takes to win a title, plus there’s no guarantees when going back to the draft. In terms of this deal specifically, Portland only got one first-round pick in addition to two-pick swaps, whereas the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert yielded much bigger hauls in terms of draft capital. Then there’s the DeAndre Ayton side of it, with the gun big man and former No. 1 pick still failing to live up to his enormous potential despite being in a opportunistic situation. In saying all this, the Blazers already have exciting young players in Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, so they’re well placed overall.
Ctrl+C+V for the above Porzingis point. Unlike Porzingis though, Holiday has taken more of a back seat in Boston and personally sacrificed the most of its four stars — at least offensively. No matter, the stud defensive guard remains a key piece that has it looking like the clear Larry O’Brien trophy frontrunner right now and will clearly provide a huge boost come the real stuff. He’s averaged 12.2 points, 5.1 assists and 0.7 steals per game, which would statistically be his worst season since his sophomore campaign. However the 33-year old provides elite defensively flexibility and a sturdy veteran presence, plus championship pedigree from Milwaukee.
Early loser
Can we say no one? It probably is Portland, but it’s not by a lot and more comes down to whether or not it could’ve got more for Holiday after acquiring him from Milwaukee in the Damian Lillard trade. There’s otherwise genuine concerns around Williams’ future after he suffered yet another knee injury likely to sideline the big man for the rest of this season. Missing him on the court aside — for Portland isn’t exactly trying to win games — the Blazers could’ve traded him to a contender for an asset ahead of the deadline, but that’s no longer an option really. Brogdon has been solid, but again, did they really want someone to help them now who will stand in the way of Scoot Henderson? And the picks of course compliment the Blazers’ direction.
Is Beal the piece that’s going to take Phoenix past any other team — or at least be the key factor to do so? That’s the big question here, and frankly, we still just don’t know as the star guard’s start to his Suns tenure has been ruined by injury. Considering the mega return Washington got for a player who’s never quite gotten back to his All-Star heights of several years ago and you’d have to give the Wizards the points right now. Plus Washington flipped Chris Paul for Jordan Poole (though more on the later) as another long-term piece to do add to its collection — even if he’s struggled to really ascend his game at his new team.
Early loser
To this point, it’s Phoenix, though it could change quickly. As mentioned, we just haven’t seen nearly enough of Beal yet in a Phoenix guernsey — only three times, to be specific. In fact, the team’s big three of Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant have combined for a total zero regular season appearances together as Booker has also battled injury in a worrying factor. The Suns have still cruised to a nice 12-8 start to the season, and they could yet reach an even higher level when Beal returns. But the big swing move for the 30-year old hasn’t yet lived up to what Phoenix gave up. And what if Beal’s injury lingers throughout the season?
Kings topple Warriors for Group C throne | 00:57
WARRIORS LAND CP3
Warriors received
Chris Paul
Wizards received
Patrick Baldwin Jr., Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, 2027 second-round pick, 2030 first-round pick (top 20 protected), Cash considerations
Early winner
Not that the Poole-Wizards era is necessarily going well, but the Washington is at least accruing long-term assets and what it’s doing makes sense, so it’s a soft winner. And there’s the potential for him to turn things around from an individual standpoint — or the Wizards move him elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, the franchise has gone into all-out tank mode and its No. 1 ambition might just be finishing with the worst record in the league, of which it’s not far off.
Early loser
The CP3 era in Golden State is off to a rough start. Nor does it appear to be the lever the team should’ve pulled given it’s clear need for a second offensive star alongside Steph Curry as opposed to solidifying its bench, plus you’d argue it was better off with Poole to Paul, who’s already suffered his first injury setback of the season and is hard to trust to stay healthy. There’s still the potential for the Warriors to trade Paul or one or more of their young players to change up the rotation. Because right now, instead of Golden State going to another level, it seems to have gone backwards in concerning signs for Steve Kerr and company.
‘Wait a minute!’ Smith blasts ‘idiots’ | 02:01
CLIPPERS PULL TRIGGER ON HARDEN
Sixers received
Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, 2029 pick swap, (all via Clippers), 2026 protected first-round pick (via Thunder)
Clippers received
James Harden, P.J. Tucker, Filip Petrusev
Thunder received
2027-first-round pick swap (via Clippers)
Early winner
Not only did Philadelphia rid itself of the Harden drama, it gave Maxey a clear runway to be a superstar and got better in the process. Usually it’s the team that acquires the superstar in a trade that wins — and while that could yet be the case — it’s been addition by subtraction for the 12-7 Sixers to consolidate their roster with other useful pieces as well as assets they could use to acquire another star by the deadline. Some now believe they can not only compete with the likes of Boston and Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference, but could be the premier team. It’s also crucial the team keeps winning games to convince Joel Embiid to stick around long term.
Early loser
Yes, the Clippers are starting to work things out with Harden after a gloomy 0-4 start to his tenure with the team. But if it hadn’t already, LA has now gone completely all-in with this roster and has basically no draft picks remaining for the decade as a result. Even if Harden has made the Clippers a better team overall, the deal simply has to take them over the top of the likes of Denver, Phoenix and potentially Minnesota and Oklahoma City to be considered a success — or at least even with such West powerhouses. From what we’ve seen so far, that’s not the case. While it could be argued the team was already chips in during the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, the franchise could’ve dealt both and pushed the reset button, but it’s gone all out the other way ahead of the opening of its new arena in 2024. It’s still a long season ahead though, and the Clippers are nearly back at .500, with the health of the aforementioned stars paramount to everything.
Sophia Smith scored twice and set up another as a new-look United States launched their bid to win a third Women’s World Cup in a row with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam on Saturday.
One of six members of the USA starting line-up making her World Cup debut, lively forward Smith finished a fine move to open the scoring in the 14th minute at Eden Park in Auckland.
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Veteran Alex Morgan was then denied from the penalty spot before Smith struck again deep in stoppage time at the end of the first half in front of a crowd of just over 41,000.
She then set up the third goal for captain Lindsey Horan in the 77th minute, after veteran icon Megan Rapinoe had come off the bench to win her 200th cap.
“I think it was a good starting point for our team in this tournament. I also know that we have a lot more that we can give, a lot more to do, little things to work on,” said the 22-year-old Smith.
Vlatko Andonovski’s title favourites missed a hatful of chances as debutants Vietnam avoided the humiliation that befell Thailand at the 2019 World Cup, when they were thrashed 13-0 by the United States.
There is clearly room for improvement for an American side who will also play Portugal and 2019 runners-up the Netherlands in Group E, as they aim to win an unprecedented third consecutive title.
However, this was a new experience for many of their side, and for Andonovski, taking charge of a World Cup game for the first time having replaced Jill Ellis as coach not long after their triumph at France 2019.
They also limited Vietnam to no shots or even a single touch inside the opposition box, meaning the Asian nation was the first to achieve the feat, if you can call it that, since at least 2011.
Sophia Smith celebrates after scoring for the USWNT against Vietnam. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Unfortunately we didn’t capitalise on all the great opportunities that we created and that is something we are certainly going to focus on in the lead-up to the next game, but the first one is in the books and the focus immediately shifts towards game two,” said Andonovski.
That will be against the Dutch on Thursday in a re-run of the 2019 final. With Rapinoe beginning her final World Cup before retirement on the bench, Smith and 21-year-old Trinity Rodman flanked Morgan in attack on their debuts at the finals.
Right-back Emily Fox, centre-back Naomi Girma, and midfielders Andi Sullivan and Savannah DeMelo also made their first World Cup appearances.
“I have to say I was happy with the way the team played. I think that if you look at the team it is the first time this XI have been on the field together,” the coach added.
“To see some of the connections and combinations was very positive.”
Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, needed lengthy treatment after suffering a knock inside the first minute before going on to have an impact on proceedings.
It was Smith who got the breakthrough though, controlling and finishing off a fine move expertly after Morgan flicked on a pass by Horan.
Alex Morgan missed a penalty against Vietnam. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
It was one-way traffic but it remained 1-0 until Rodman was clipped by Hoang Thi Loan in the area just before the break and the Moroccan referee gave a penalty after coming over to review the images.
Yet Morgan, playing in her 19th World Cup match, saw her poor kick saved by goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh diving to the right.
It continued the absurd streak of every game at the World Cup featuring a penalty, with two scored and four missed.
Instead Smith made it 2-0 towards the end of eight added minutes in the first half, firing through the legs of the goalkeeper and in after a Girma cross had been punched away.
The goal was initially ruled out before being given after another lengthy check confirmed there was no offside.
Rapinoe, her hair dyed blue, entered the fray to cheers just after the hour mark alongside Rose Lavelle, the two goalscorers from the 2019 final.
Teenager Alyssa Thompson also came on for her World Cup bow just before Smith pounced on a Julie Ertz ball forward and supplied a cutback for Lyon midfielder Horan to score.
Lavelle hit the underside of the bar late on as Vietnam escaped with a creditable scoreline on their World Cup bow.
The Sydney Kings are into their third grand final in four seasons after knocking over brave but outgunned Cairns Taipans 79-64 at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.
They will face the New Zealand Breakers after the No.2 seeds knocked off the Tasmania JackJumpers 92-77 in their own game three at Spark Arena.
The five-game Grand Final series gets underway on March 3 in Sydney.
With League MVP Xavier Cooks kept relatively quiet – though still clocking 11 points and 11 rebounds – Derrick Walton Jnr (10 points, nine assists), Tim Soares (three blocks) and Kouat Noi (11 points, 11 rebounds) were among their team’s best.
Yet the load was spread equally among the 10 players used by coach Chase Buford, and the home team will be confident heading into the grand final series.
The Taipans matched the home team in the first quarter and it was clear they didn’t care the Kings were title favourites. The visitors deservedly led by six at the first break.
In game one in Sydney it took a half-time video horror movie and spray by Buford to spark the home team into action.
In this game, however, with star of game two Tahjere McCall less effective for Cairns, Noi and Jordy Hunter landing threes, and Cairns guard Bul Kuol subbed off and playing to the crowd, Sydney ran over Cairns in the second quarter 28-13 to lead by nine at half-time.
McCall became a home crowd favourite when he missed two free-throws and everyone in attendance was awarded a hamburger.
Jackjumpers force Game 3 with Breakers | 01:36
Adam Forde’s unsuccessful coach’s challenge was also popular among home fans.
After Sydney led by four points heading into the last quarter, Shaun Bruce increased that to nine with a booming three-pointer. The crowd were then up as one when Taipans captain Sam Waardenburg fouled offensively. With time ticking down, each play was ridden hard by the home crowd, particularly DJ Vasiljevic’s booming three pointer with three minutes to play that stretched the lead to 14 points.
And from there it was a party.
Taipans point guard Ben Ayre (20 points) was his team’s best while Waardenburg (17 points, 12 rebounds) was again lion-hearted under the basket.
NICE CLUB
Following two physical, feisty and verbal games between the teams in the NBL’s best-of-three semi-finals series – in which Kings coach Chase Buford and forward Tim Soares were fined by the independent game review panel – Koaut Noi’s runaway dunk and stare down of Taipans big man Sam Waardenberg was as nasty as things got in the first quarter.
Indeed Waardenburg laughed.
There were words and barbs late in the second quarter after Bul Kuol fouled Angus Glover though at half-time DJ Vasiljevic said there was nothing personal. “It’s a play-off game,” he said. “We both want to win.”
NOT CROWDED HOUSE
Taipans’ fans – who numbered perhaps upwards of 37 – were among the most vocal in the crowd estimated at 5000.
It was curious why a sudden-death semi-final at the home of the title favourites couldn’t fill more than about half of Qudos Bank Arena – particularly after bumper home crowds in the regular season.
Increased prices for finals tickets, a double-header of NRL trial matches at Belmore Oval and the odd habits of Sydney sports fans are reasons in-part.
It didn’t deter Kings fan Lleyton Hewitt who told the television audience that the noise and atmosphere at Qudos Arena compared to a tennis match in New York.
NBL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES DETAILS
Sydney Kings v NZ Breakers (All times AEDT)
Game 1: Friday March 3, 7:30pm, Qudos Bank Arena
Game 2: Sunday March 5, 4:00pm, Spark Arena
Game 3: Friday March 10, 7:30pm, Qudos Bank Arena
Game 4 (if required): Sunday March 12, 4:00pm, Spark Arena
Game 5 (if required): Wednesday March 15, 7:30pm, Qudos Bank Arena
What an NBL23 season we‘ve just had. The finals are still to come over the next month but the regular season came down to the very last second to determine which six teams would take part in the post-season action.
Aron Baynes returning to basketball through the Brisbane Bullets and the Adelaide 36ers shocking the NBA‘s Phoenix Suns saw the NBL in the headlines before the season even started, and put those teams in the spotlight.
Watch every game live of the 2022/23 NBL Season on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Wildcats nick NBL finals spot late | 00:30
While their seasons never went to plan, the race for the top six positions proved fascinating with the Perth Wildcats needing to beat the Sydney Kings by 11 points in the last game of the regular season, and winning by 12 to finish sixth and knock out Melbourne United.
It was a fitting way to end an NBL season that delivered so much from the inaugural Christmas Day game, to record crowds around the country and outstanding play from everyone from Xavier Cooks to Mitch Creek to Bryce Cotton to Keanu Pinder to Milton Doyle to Antonius Cleveland and countless others.
Before the finals begin this Thursday night with play-in games featuring the Cairns Taipans at home to the Tasmania JackJumpers, and the South East Melbourne Phoenix hosting the Perth Wildcats, let‘s look at how each team performed in NBL23.
SYDNEY KINGS (19-9, First)
The defending champions had to replace all three imports for their title defence, but they‘ve done a terrific job and have been the standout team all season to claim the regular season championship and now are sitting back to find out their semi-final opponents.
What worked: Replacing championship winning import trio Jarrell Martin, Ian Clark and Jaylen Adams wasn‘t an easy task, but they did it well. Tim Soares has proven a more than handy centre, Justin Simon has been tremendous in that three spot at both ends and then Derrick Walton Jr has been more than adequate as point guard replacing MVP Adams. Xavier Cooks has gone to another level to be a strong chance to be league MVP but more than anything it’s how deep the Kings go. Jaylin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Angus Glover, Jordan Hunter and Kouat Noi come off the bench and they lose nothing. They play at the fast pace in the league, the second best offensive rating, third best defensive rating and rightfully are the regular season champions and title favourites.
What didn‘t: Their free-throw percentage of 72 per cent is only third worst in the league, but it remains the potential to be their undoing in clutch moments when they get their second most times out of any team. If that’s your biggest concern, though, you are in pretty good shape. There has been patches of the season where turnovers have been an issue and so have fourth quarters, but at 19-9, that’s nit-picking.
Xavier Cooks of the Kings shoots a free throw during the round 18 NBL match between Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings at RAC Arena.Source: Getty Images
The outlook: The immediate focus is freshening up and getting ready to host Game 1 of the semi finals on Wednesday February 15, and to make a run at back-to-back championships. They should be at full health too with Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr having plenty of time before that first semi-final game. They are going to be mighty tough to stop and it might only be themselves that can be their undoing if their free-throw and turnover woes rear their heads when it matters most. But if they play anywhere near their best, they are clearly the best team in the competition.
Potential award winners: Xavier Cooks is the favourite to win the MVP award while Chase Buford is right in the hunt for Coach of the Year. It was a shock to many that Justin Simon wasn’t nominated to be Best Defensive Player while point guard Derrick Walton Jr should be named in one of the All-NBL teams.
Final Grade: A. Whether it‘s an A+ or not will be determined over the next month and if they win the championship or not, because that’s the bar this team has set. But they haven’t put a foot wrong to claim top spot as defending champs despite swapping over three imports.
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS (18-10, Second)
After a horror two years thanks to COVID, the New Zealand Breakers didn’t have it easy again this season but what they have done is come together as a cohesive unit, built everything on defence and developed a tremendous spirit and culture, and now have earned an automatic semi-final berth.
What worked: Building back the chemistry and culture that was such a key part to the Breakers winning four NBL championships in five years between 2011-15. Coach Mody Maor deserves enormous credit in achieving that and by bringing in players that fit the character and mindset he wanted to be team first, defensively oriented players. They have had plenty thrown at them, but with the leadership of their coach and the players fully buying in, they‘ve overcome it all. They got the imports right to start with. Dererk Pardon is the ideal modern day big, Jarrell Brantley is a brilliant all-round four man and then Barry Brown Jr gives that potent scoring punch. Add in Will McDowell-White and Izayah Le’afa to the backcourt, the youth of Rayan Rupert and experience of Tom Abercrombie, and then strong roles played by Rob Loe, Cam Gliddon and Tom Vodanovich, and everyone’s played their role to a tee. They are the best defensively rated team in the league and that’s what they’ve based everything on, being physical and intense defensively, and then efficient offensively.
NZ Breakers lock in second spot in NBL | 00:57
What didn’t: Being healthy. It took until their 19th game of the season to have a full roster available. Tom Abercrombie suffered a freak eye injury in pre-season and from there, Barry Brown Jr, Will McDowell-White, Rayan Rupert and Rob Loe have all been sidelined for multiple games. They also had to deal with some horror travel schedule, a three-week COVID enforced break and even the recent Auckland floods, but nothing has denied them because of the spirit and culture in the group they’ve built.
The outlook: Finishing second was every bit as important in terms of what an achievement it was for where they‘ve come from, but also because it gave them almost two weeks to freshen up and get healthy for their semi-final series against either the Cairns Taipans or Tasmania JackJumpers. They will know who they play after Thursday night’s game in Cairns and then can get ready for that Game 1 on Sunday February 12 at Spark Arena. Barry Brown Jr will have time to get over his hand injury and they should be at full strength for just the seventh game all season long.
Potential award winners: Barry Brown Jr appears just about a lock to be named Best Sixth Man by putting up 19.5 points a game. Dererk Pardon is a good chance to take out the Damian Martin Trophy as Best Defensive Player while Mody Maor is a shot at Coach of the Year. Point guard Will McDowell-White is in the mix for Most Improved Player and Brown, Pardon and forward Jarrell Brantley are all good chances to find places in the All-NBL teams.
Final Grade: A+. Coming off two years of hell, nothing has come easy for them this season either. They‘ve had some horror travel schedules, rarely been at full strength, dealt with a three-week COVID break and still have finished second to be straight into the semi finals.
CAIRNS TAIPANS (18-10, Third)
Coach Adam Forde wanted to put his stamp on the group in his second season in charge and get a team to suit the style he wanted to play. He did that and got full buy in from the group, and the end result is they finished third, only narrowly missed second and will be giving this championship a real shake.
What worked: Dealing with adversity. Tahjere McCall missed five games early in the season. Keanu Pinder missed nine of the last 11 games and Sam Waardenburg missed three games too but even without key players they played tremendously with others stepping up. That‘s especially been the case without Pinder where they’ve won eight of nine games without him. What has worked started in the off-season. Coach Adam Forde knew how he wanted to play but needed to recruit players to suit that style. The Taipans backed him in to do that and he’s found the perfect pieces. DJ Hogg and Shannon Scott have been the cool and composed imports who deliver no matter the situation while Pinder’s gone to another and formed a potent front court with Waardenburg. Bul Kuol has had a terrific second season at both ends, McCall has been a tremendous leader with the energy and hustle he brings, and then Ben Ayre and Majok Deng have played key roles. As a result, they play at the second highest pace, shoot the most three-pointers and do it at 32.5 per cent and have the second best defensive rating.
Melbourne lose out in epic final NBL day | 03:09
What didn‘t: Surprisingly playing at full strength didn’t work too well for them. They found their groove early in the season and then blending Tahjere McCall back in didn’t immediately click. And then after winning six straight without Keanu Pinder, they lost both games with him before he got hurt again. That’s more than likely just a curiosity though rather than an issue. In the end, losing three of four games before Friday night’s breakthrough win in Perth is what cost them second spot and an automatic place in the semi finals.
The outlook: They gave themselves a chance to finish second with a stirring win on Friday night in Perth despite the absence of Keanu Pinder and Tahjere McCall. They could have used the extra time and automatically qualifying for the semi finals, but it wasn’t to be. Now they have a short turnaround from playing in Perth on Friday, spending all Saturday travelling, having to go to the NBL awards in Melbourne on Tuesday, coming home to practice on Wednesday and then hosting the Tasmania JackJumpers on Thursday night. Winning that will see them straight into the semi finals or else they have to back up to play either South East Melbourne or Perth on Sunday. Pinder won‘t be back unless they reach the Grand Final but McCall should be right to play Tasmania this Thursday.
Potential award winners: Keanu Pinder slipped from MVP contention with his two late season injuries but he remains the raging favourite to go back-to-back in the Most Improved Player award. Sam Waardenburg was also locked in as Rookie of the Year before that was scrapped in favour of the Next Generation Award, which he is a chance to win. Both DJ Hogg and Bul Kuol had cases for Best Defensive Player nominations while Adam Forde would be a more than deserving Coach of the Year winner. Hogg and Pinder should find spots on All-NBL teams.
Final Grade: A+. What a performance it‘s been to go from second last to third and to have done it by putting together a playing group perfectly suited to how coach Adam Forde wanted to play.
TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS (16-12, Fourth)
Nobody gave them a chance in their inaugural season and they shocked everyone by reaching the Grand Final. Even fewer people gave them a chance of backing it up in NBL23, but they have again finished fourth and played with tremendous heart and spirit, are coached outstandingly by Scott Roth and you wouldn’t write them off from going all the way over the next month.
What worked: It surprised many when the JackJumpers didn’t bring back Josh Adams after his playoff heroics last season, but his replacement Milton Doyle has been nothing short of brilliant. Then there‘s the continued growth of Jack McVeigh who has become an inspirational presence. Will Magnay had a rough first season and-a-half with the JackJumpers, but his back end of this season has been encouraging too and the growth of Sean Macdonald has seen him emerge has one of the more effective Australian guards in the league even though he’ll still be a development player in NBL24. More than anything it’s the spirit they have once again played with and heart they’ve shown. Not everything’s gone to plan this season, but they have bounced back strongly on each occasion. Their defensive rating is just fourth best in the league but they conceded the second least points a game at 81.7 and their offence has more potency.
Jackjumpers thrash Hawks in Wollongong | 01:12
What didn‘t: Captain Clint Steindl’s season has never quite got going after he missed the first 10 games while injury has also limited the impact of fellow key players Matt Kenyon and Sam McDaniel. Consistency has also been a bit of a problem with the JackJumpers never winning more than three games straight or losing more than the three in-a-row they started with, but they did close out winning eight of the last 12 to finish fourth. They also struggled more at home than you would expect given the incredible atmosphere they play in front of, going 7-7 between Hobart and Launceston. They are another team who only played six games all season with a full squad available and they will be missing Josh Magette likely for the entire finals series.
The outlook: The JackJumpers locked away fourth spot in Wollongong on Saturday, but it came at a cost. It looks unlikely now that point guard Josh Magette will play again this season with a facial injury while there‘s an injury cloud over captain Clint Steindl ahead of Thursday’s play-in match up with the Cairns Taipans. Rashard Kelly will return and both teams will have their injury woes and a win in that game to go straight into the semi finals and avoid a cut-throat match up on Sunday with either the Phoenix or Wildcats will be crucial.
Potential award winners: Scott Roth can consider himself unlucky to not be nominated to go back-to-back in Coach of the Year awards. Development player Sean Macdonald has been nominated for the Most Improved Player award and Rashard Kelly is in the running for Best Sixth Man. Milton Doyle wouldn’t have been far off an MVP nomination and will be in one of the All-NBL teams.
Final Grade: A. They might not have the same defensive grunt as they did last year, but they are a bit more offensively dangerous and in many ways this has been a better achievement this season to be fourth than it was last year.
SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX (15-13, Fifth)
At full strength, this South East Melbourne Phoenix team has looked a championship calibre unit. The problem is, they have rarely had everyone available and time will tell if that happens in the finals, but they‘ve at least made it and that’s the first box ticked for this team that is not short on talent.
What worked: Mitch Creek and Alan Williams up front proved to be quite the impressive one-two punch for the Phoenix. Creek had the best and most consistent season of his 316-game career to be in the MVP hunt while Williams became a powerful presence once he figured things out, averaging 16.6 points and 9.6 rebounds. Gary Browne when healthy became the ideal point guard for this team too and had the team running smoothly when at his best. They made it a focus to be an inside focused team and that helped them be terrific rebounding the basketball, being the strongest rebounding team in the league with 38.6 boards a game and 12.3 at the offensive end. Combined with the third fewest turnovers in the league and that helped them win the possession battle most nights, and give themselves a chance. They showed good heart throughout the season too. They had personnel issues the whole way, but rebounded from an early three-game losing run and late five-game losing streak to go on winning runs on both occasion to end up deservedly in the finals.
What didn‘t: Being at full strength has been their biggest problem. They started the season missing imports Gary Browne and Trey Kell III along with Ryan Broekhoff. Then the signing of Zhou Qi never paid off, he only ended up playing nine games and never returned after heading back to China for family reasons. He had the potential to be a real difference maker with his size and like to offset the powerful presence Alan Williams provided. They did struggle shooting from the outside going at just 32.3 per cent from three to be only ahead of the Illawarra Hawks while they did struggle at times to contain their opponents, giving up 89.7 points a game and having the fourth worst defensive rating.
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The outlook: They had a horribly nervous wait over the past week to find out if they would reach the finals or not, but things worked out as well as could have been expected by ending up in fifth spot to get to host the Perth Wildcats this Thursday night. They will be fresh having had the week off so whether or not they come off well after a break or not will remain to be seen, but their bodies should be healthier at least. Ryan Broekhoff is an outside chance to return to face the Wildcats while they‘ll be at full strength aside from that if you don’t factor in the continued absence of Zhou Qi. Their outlook is good because of how well they match up with Perth. They have a significant advantage on the Wildcats up front and should they win on Thursday, they’ll like their chances against the loser of the Taipans-JackJumpers match up with both those teams battling physically right now.
Potential award winners: Mitch Creek is one of three nominees in the MVP award and he would be a deserving winner after the best and most consistent season of his career. He should be named to the All-First NBL Team too but it might be slim pickings for the Phoenix at the awards night outside of that. Alan Williams deserves consideration in an All-NBL Team though.
Final Grade: B. They had to deal with plenty throughout the season and to steady the ship late to win three of their last four games before the nervous wait and now earn a home final is a good effort.
PERTH WILDCATS (15-13, Sixth)
What a ride it was for John Rillie in his first season as a coach in the NBL. The pressure was on for the Perth Wildcats to return to the finals after the streak ended last year, and they‘ve ended up doing that albeit only secured on the very last second of the regular season. However, now that they are there they have enough firepower to do some damage.
What worked: It might not have been John Rillie‘s plan when he took over, but this Wildcats team became quite the offensive threat. They averaged 92.1 points a season to be ranked second with the highest offensive rating across the league. They shot the fourth most three-pointers a game and did it well with a second best percentage of 36.6 as a team. You can’t ignore the brilliance of Bryce Cotton this season, leading the league in minutes played and points scored. He didn’t always get enough help, but Brady Manek continued to grow as a scoring threat as the season went on and Corey Webster proved his ideal sidekick once put in the starting group. Luke Travers also showed terrific three-point shooting improvement the longer the season went.
What didn‘t: Rebounding and defence proved their two glaring weaknesses as the season went on. They finished with the least number of rebounds of any team across the league with just 33.5 per game with the worst defensive rebounding rating, and second worst at the offensive end. Then there’s the defence, they just couldn’t stop teams scoring and at times looked decidedly disinterested at the defensive end. They conceded 91.7 points a game while having the worst defensive rating across the league. The longer the season went, the shorter coach John Rillie’s rotation became and that became horrible news for veterans Mitch Norton, Todd Blanchfield and Majok Majok who all saw their playing time almost shrink to zero with the trio all having the least productive and fewest minutes on court in their NBL careers (aside from Majok’s lone season in New Zealand).
Wildcats nick NBL finals spot late | 00:30
The outlook: Returning to the finals was the first goal of this season after the playoff streak ended a year ago and they‘ve done that – albeit just. Now that they’ve made it, they will like their chances of making the most of it considering they have the best player in the competition with Bryce Cotton, and the offensive weapons of Brady Manek, Corey Webster, Tai Webster, TaShawn Thomas and the emerging Luke Travers. The Phoenix loom as a horror match up for them because of how dominant they were inside against them last time, but if their front court can stand up, they are a chance to get through on Thursday and then throw everything at the JackJumpers or Taipans to earn a crack at the Sydney Kings in the semi finals.
Potential award winners: Bryce Cotton is every chance to win a fourth MVP award after being the league‘s leading scorer with 23.5 points a game to go with 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Luke Travers is in the running for the Next Generation Award too and Brady Manek can consider himself unlucky to not have been nominated for that. Cotton is just about a lock for the All-First NBL Team too but it might be a quiet awards night for the ’Cats outside of him.
Final Grade: C. They made finals so that‘s an improvement, but only by the slimmest possible margin. They never got going defensively or rebounding wise, but pure talent has got them into the top six.
MELBOURNE UNITED (15-13, Seventh)
What a rollercoaster ride this season was. At 5-10 they looked dead and buried, but they went 10-3 the rest of the way and it was one solitary basket that cost them a spot in the finals. They overcame plenty to become a standout team in the back end of the season so can take heart from that.
What worked: The way they finished the season deserves a lot of credit because at 5-10 things could have capitulated. However, coach Dean Vickerman released the shackles on the team from there and encouraged them to play at a faster pace with more offensive freedom. Finishing 10-3 over the last 13 games suggests they are just about the best team across the league across the second half of the season, but they left themselves too much to do. The backcourt combination to close the season of Chris Goulding, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Rayjon Tucker was exciting and just about unstoppable when the shackles were taken off. Marcus Lee‘s inclusion proved tremendous as well even if he didn’t get a lot of time with Isaac Humphries to show what a centre combination they could be. David Okwera’s emergence shows what a bright future he has and what they did over the last 13 games will leave them frustrated they missed out on finals – by two measly points.
What didn‘t: Things began to go wrong in the off-season when they lost Matthew Dellavedova and Jack White unexpectedly to the NBA. Then on the eve of the season, Next Star Ariel Hukporti ruptured his achilles and couldn’t be replaced due to not taking up a roster spot, so they would have been three of their five starters. There was plenty of faith put into Shea Ili to be the point guard without Dellavedova but on-going concussion issues limited his impact and he only played 14 games while Dave Barlow also missed the last five games through concussion. Jordan Caroline didn’t work out early in the season particularly as someone to step up to replace Hukporti, but Marcus Lee proved ideal. Had they had their team together for the full season, they will be left wondering what could have been had they managed to sneak into the top six. Ultimately blowing that eight-point lead with 45 seconds to go in Perth is what cost them above everything else.
Melbourne United star Chris Goulding.Source: Getty Images
The outlook: There will be a lot of dissection over what went wrong this season because Melbourne just isn‘t used to missing out on taking part in finals, but a lot of this can be put down to bad luck. Moving forward, they could do worse than bringing back the import trio of Rayjon Tucker, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Marcus Lee. They showed great heart and chemistry in the run home. Lee and Isaac Humphries up front for a whole season would be dominant, and another season of Tucker, Rathan-Mayes and Chris Goulding in the back court will be tough. The health of Shea Ili will be a big factor. If he looks able to play a full season, he can be locked in as the starting point guard. Otherwise they’ll need to go hunt a new playmaker. They’ll also need to find some added help up front and to bring in a strong power forward either as a marquee local or an import. Basically their two needs are in what they lost – Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova. They should feel good about hitting back strongly though.
Potential award winners: If Rayjon Tucker had started the season playing the way he finished, then he would be right in contention for both the MVP award and a spot on the All-First NBL team. If Xavier Rathan-Mayes had also played as well in the middle patches as he did at the start and finish, then ditto. If Shea Ili played more than 14 games, he would be a legitimate Best Defensive Player option too. Unfortunately for United, their season was basically split in two and as a result they might not be up on stage too often.
Final Grade: C. Their first half of the season was rough and being 5-10 left them in a hole they couldn‘t quite get out of. But going 10-3 the rest of the way is to be commended.
ADELAIDE 36ERS (13-15, Eighth)
The great disappointments of NBL23. They put together an exciting roster, shocked the world by beating the Phoenix Suns and then in the NBL season proper, just never clicked, never got going and the result is a fifth consecutive season out of the finals.
What worked: For everything this team promised when they beat the Phoenix Suns in the pre-season and with the roster put together, it‘s really hard to say too much at all worked given a team with such aspirations finished at 13-15. Perhaps the greatest positive was the remarkable home support they received, continually setting new records at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Antonius Cleveland lived up to his billing too, improving on what he did last season at the Illawarra Hawks. He played with great heart and defensive intensity, and his offensive game rose so he can hold his head high. Another positive was Anthony Drmic. In his second stint at the Sixers, he could very well have had the best season of his 199-game NBL career. But really, it’s not a season where they will feel much worked or went to plan at all.
What didn‘t: Bringing together so many potential stars always has the issue of developing the right chemistry, and figuring out how to play as a cohesive unit. Let’s be honest, that never happened with this Adelaide team. A lot of that early was blamed on Craig Randall but it never really improved after he left. While winning against the Phoenix Suns was a historic event, having to miss the first two weeks of the season as a result and the sideshow that created might have also done more harm than good. More than anything, though, what hurt them was an apparent lack of interest and effort defensively. With Mitch McCarron, Sunday Dech and Antonius Cleveland, this should have been a good defensive team. They finished as the third worst defensive team in the league. Coach CJ Bruton also wasn’t fully able to put his imprint on having a team play to his identity.
Adelaide 36ers keep finals hopes alive | 00:59
The outlook: Five straight years out of the playoffs and patience is wearing thin in Adelaide. The city couldn’t be more behind the team breaking attendance records game after game, but they deserve a winning team now. Robert Franks and Antonius Cleveland are locked in to return and so are Sunday Dech, Mitch McCarron, Kyrin Galloway and Nick Marshall. The writing is on the wall that Daniel Johnson‘s time in Adelaide is up and it would be unlikely for Kai Sotto and probably Ian Clark to return. Anthony Drmic was terrific and should be welcomed back. CJ Bruton has talked about wanting his team to more play to the identity of their coach next season so he’ll be recruiting to fit what he wants, but ideally a strong and powerful big man presence and then a quality point guard would be high on the agenda because they are well covered in the two, three and four spots. Without doubt it’s a make a break season in NBL24 not only for Bruton as coach, but the whole organisation.
Potential award winners: Antonius Cleveland holds the best hopes of anyone from Adelaide to grab the limelight on Tuesday night. He is nominated for the Best Defensive Player and is every chance to make it consecutive Damian Martin Trophy wins. He should also find a place in an All-NBL Team. Kai Sotto would have to be the runaway favourite to win the Fans MVP too on the back of having all of the Philippines voting for him again.
Final Grade: D. So much was expected of them but at no point did they come together as a cohesive team. They showed flashes, but equal flashes of disunity. Make or break time now in NBL24.
BRISBANE BULLETS (8-20, Ninth)
There was such excitement around them coming into NBL23. Many had them as championship fancies, but the season never got off the ground. They had three coaches in three weeks, import changes and for a while lacked competitiveness, but they at least finished off on a more positive note.
What worked: It‘s hard to say too much worked well but things really threatened to spiral out of hand with a record 49-point loss to Sydney, but they at least played with some pride and heart the rest of the season. They won three of four games directly out of that game to their credit. Bringing in Tyler Johnson proved to work well once he figured out the league and DJ Mitchell’s emergence was a definite highlight. Greg Vanderjagt’s performance as coach is something that must be commended too and he showed that he has a future as a head coach in the league either remaining with the Bullets or elsewhere. The home crowd support was also tremendous from the Brisbane locals despite the struggles of the team topped off by a sold out 5253 in their final game on Saturday against the New Zealand Breakers.
What didn‘t: The off-court turmoil in the first half of the season just got out of hand. James Duncan was unceremoniously dumped as coach just hours before the team flew out to New Zealand, with him replaced by GM Sam Mackinnon rather than one of the assistants. Then just as the team was flying to Cairns, Mackinnon was replaced by Greg Vanderjagt, it’s just unfathomable how it was all handled. Releasing Devondrick Walker was also baffling when it took them so long to bring in Andrew White III meaning they played eight games with Tyler Johnson their lone import. And as good as it was to see Aron Baynes back playing basketball, at no point did they ever fully get the most out of what he could have provided both through him not getting enough touches in the right spots and his frustrations with the officiating.
Aron Baynes.Source: Getty Images
The outlook: This is the biggest unknown out of every team. Firstly they need to decide on their coach. Do they back in Greg Vanderjagt to continue in the role after the players appeared to respond to him, do they appoint a quality local like Pero Cameron or Anthony Petrie, or look completely out of the box. That is going to be the biggest question and will determine where they go with their player personnel. Nathan Sobey and Aron Baynes are locked in contractually, but there‘s a lot to go under the bridge before Baynes is guaranteed back. That leaves them with three import spots to fill and they need to find a genuine point guard but the other two spots largely depend on Baynes. Should he not return, they’d need an import centre but if not, they could go for a three/four man as import and potentially try to lure Tyler Johnson back. They have great potential with DJ Mitchell, Tyrell Harrison, Tanner Krebs, Gorjok Gak and Kody Stattman as the core of locals to build around while it’ll largely be up to Jason Cadee if he wants to remain at the Bullets or not.
Potential award winners: It will be a quiet night for the Bullets at the Gazey‘s. Tyler Johnson has been nominated as Best Sixth Man and he deserves serious consideration for that award, but that might be about it in terms of anyone from Brisbane being recognised. DJ Mitchell made his point on Saturday night that he deserved a look in for the Next Generation Award too after putting up 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting tremendously in his first NBL season, but he wasn’t nominated.
Final Grade: D. This threatened to get out of hand with that record loss to Sydney on the back of the three head coaches in a matter of weeks and import changes. They finished the season better, though, to give some positivity.
ILLAWARRA HAWKS (3-25, 10th)
They might have finished with the worst record in franchise history, but that should be put in perspective of the fact they had a rookie coach, lost four imports to season-ending injuries and did a lot of good in the second half of the season building for the future.
What worked: They had every excuse in the world to think it was all too much for them, but the great positive is how hard they fought especially through the second half of the season. Sure, the wins didn’t come, but they gave themselves countless chances and made themselves hard to beat and provided hope for the future with that competitive spirit, and blooding fresh talent. Tyler Harvey was the almost complete defensive focus of opposition teams but he still put up 18.9 points a game including 10 straight late 20-point performances while Sam Froling had to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and strong so they provided impressive leadership as co-captains. Emerging guards Lachie Dent and Davo Hickey showed good signs while the return of Dan Grida from a horror injury run was encouraging and Deng Deng had his best career season with increased opportunities up front.
What didn‘t: The tone was set in the very first game of the season when Justin Robinson went down with a season-ending knee injury. He was ultimately replaced by Peyton Siva who only played 11 games before his own shoulder injury. George King didn’t pan out and left injured after nine games too and Michael Frazier II proved a tremendous replacement, but he broke his arm after playing eight matches. Losing four imports in one season to long-term injuries is unheard of. While they were competitive for the most part, they did struggle to close out games and execute late which is why they lost 14 games by 10 points or fewer. Ultimately they just didn’t have enough help for Tyler Harvey in the backcourt or Sam Froling up front with too much left to rest on their shoulders.
The outlook: It might seem strange to say after a team just went 3-25, but the outlook looks relatively bright. Tyler Harvey and Justin Robinson are locked in to be the import back court they were hoping to have this season before Robinson got hurt in the very first game. Having another quality playmaker alongside Harvey will only make him more dangerous. Sam Froling will only be better after the role he was put in this season and the minutes put into Lachie Dent and Davo Hickey should pay off. Michael Frazier II deserves the chance to come back but that likely depends on if they can find a quality local big man to be their marquee. If not that role would need to be filled by an import because Froling and Deng Deng need more help up front. Having Harvey, Robinson and Froling as the centre pieces, the potential of Frazier, a marquee big and then solid role players like Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Deng, Dent, Hickey and Alex Mudronja should ensure their competitiveness provided they get a better run with luck.
Potential award winners: It wouldn’t shock to see Tyler Harvey sneak in for a spot on the All-Second NBL Team after the way he battled through the season and averaged 18.9 points including 10 straight 20-plus point games. Sam Froling has to be favourite for the Next Generation Award having put up 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds so the co-captains could be recognised on Tuesday night in Melbourne.
Final Grade:C-. Sure, 3-25 looks horrible. But deeper investigation and losing four imports along the way, blooding plenty of young talent and the way they battled in the second half of the season deserves to be acknowledged.
