On the TNT Sports panel for Liverpool’s Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, Steven Gerrard was hesitant to say that Arne Slot’s side are in a crisis.

But after being dispatched 4-1 by Peter Bosz’s Dutchmen, it’s difficult to argue anything even bordering the contrary. That was Liverpool’s ninth defeat in 12 matches across all competitions, and the crisis – yes, crisis – is deepening.

The most concerning thing is that there is so much talent in this side. Liverpool are chock-full of elite talent. But synergy and belief are in short supply at Anfield.

Slot is steadfast in his belief that he can craft an exit from this rut with the tools at his disposal, but sporting director Richard Hughes is gearing up for a January signing nonetheless.

Who Liverpool need to sign in January

There has been plenty of chatter relating to the need for a centre-back at Liverpool. It’s true. Despite Real Madrid ending their interest in Ibrahima Konate, the Reds are still short at the back after missing out on Marc Guehi last summer.

However, Slot has suggested that Liverpool have another area of the field on their mind, his frontline so imbalanced this season.

As per i News, Liverpool are leading the race for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, following initial enquiries, with David Ornstein previously confirming the Reds’ interest and that the Ghanaian winger has a £65m release clause in his contract that becomes active this January.

Semenyo is also courting intrigue from the likes of Manchester City, but Liverpool feel they have a good chance of bringing him over to Anfield after opting against signing a like-for-like Luis Diaz replacement this summer.

What Semenyo would offer Liverpool

It is promising to note the incremental progress Semenyo has made since joining Bournemouth from Bristol City in the Championship for about £10.5m in January 2023.

Last season, he was lauded for going to “another level” in the Premier League by teammate Lewis Cook, growing into his skin under the tutelage of Andoni Iraola, instrumental in the Cherries’ 56-point finish.

Ferocious and powerful, he has only gotten better since the summer, notching six goals and three assists across his first 11 matches in the division this term.

There is far more to the 25-year-old’s game than just goal contributions, but he has still managed to post more than all of his teammates at the Vitality Stadium.

Antoine Semenyo

27 + 13

40

Justin Kluivert

23 + 11

34

Dominic Solanke

21 + 4

25

Marcus Tavernier

10 + 11

21

Evanilson

13 + 6

19

His talismanic qualities and “world-class” form, as said by another teammate, Justin Kluivert, underscore Semenyo’s suitability at Liverpool, especially as his pace and power and burgeoning prolificacy has led Reds analyst Josh Williams to dub him “the closest you’ll find to peak Mane right now”.

This, and Semenyo’s big-game ability, suggests he could be one of the Anfield side’s finest signings in a long time, perhaps even since £60m was paid to RB Leipzig to bring Dominik Szoboszlai over from Germany.

Szoboszlai has had his ups and downs in a Liverpool shirt, but has bloomed into a superstar of a midfielder this season, stepping up and becoming a leader of men while applying his tireless energy and sharp technical skills at a time when ailing Liverpool desperately need them.

Liverpool’s Hungarian general is a masterful midfielder, cut and dry as the outfit’s best player this term; it is not even close.

While he is a wholly different type of player from Semenyo, they share an athletic likeness and have both established themselves as leading lights at their respective sides.

If Liverpool can both add balance to their side while infusing the squad with more in-form ability than has been on show this year, it will only be a good thing as Slot and Szoboszlai and the rest fight to steer the club out of the ditch they have slipped into.

Such a signing could be a catalyst for change, and at a comparatively shrewd £65m figure, Semenyo might just prove to be one of Liverpool’s best signings in a number of years.

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“When you have two of your seamers go down during a Test match, it’s never ideal,” Latham said of Henry and Smith’s injuries

Hemant Brar06-Dec-20251:36

Did West Indies think of going for the win on the last day?

Justin Greaves called it a “special, special day” for him and the team as he and Kemar Roach helped West Indies pull off an epic draw against New Zealand in the first Test at the Hagley Oval.After New Zealand set a never-chased-before target of 531, Greaves and Roach added 180 in 68.1 overs in an unbroken stand for the seventh wicket. Greaves scored 202 not out off 388 balls and Roach 58 not out off 233 as West Indies batted out 163.3 overs. Their 457 for 6 was the second-highest fourth-innings total in Test cricket, behind only England’s 654 for 5 in the timeless Test against South Africa in Durban in 1939.”[It was] just pretty much being resilient – the word we’ve thrown around in the dressing room a lot,” said Greaves, who also battled cramps towards the end of his innings. “So for me, to be there at the end was really important. So anything for the team at the end of the day.Related

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“I had a really long chat with coach Floyd Reifer. And he was saying, once you get in, stay in; it’s a good pitch. Rachin [Ravindra] and [Tom] Latham showed us in the second innings. So it was just for us to go out there and play ourselves.”It was not only Greaves’ highest Test score but also his best in first-class cricket. He became only the seventh batter to make a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test. Roach, who went 72 balls without scoring a run at one point, also registered his first-class best.”Special, special day for me; special day for the team,” Greaves said. “We were pretty much up against it. So, to come out here, batting the whole day after losing Shai [Hope]… We thought we would have probably pushed for a win. But then Kemar, the senior pro, guided me all the way. So pretty much happy for him being there at the end as well.”To be a part of history is ecstatic. But for me, one day at a time, continue to enjoy it. Probably it hasn’t sunk in just yet. Hopefully, over the next couple of days, it can.”West Indies were 72 for 4 at one point, before Shai Hope, who scored 140, and Greaves revived the innings. Hope and Tevin Imlach’s wickets in quick succession left them on 277 for 6, but when they entered the final session, needing 132 from a minimum of 33 overs, a win was not out of the realm of possibility. Eventually, they did not go for it.1:01

Chase: Roach is a modern-day legend

“For us, it was just about getting to the last session,” Greaves said. “We always spoke about 100 runs in the last session, probably with a few more wickets in hand. Obviously, losing Shai and then losing Imlach shortly after was a big thing. But I think we did really well in the end to come up with a draw.”West Indies captain Roston Chase later revealed that they took the final call when the last hour commenced, when West Indies needed 96 from 15 overs.”Going back at tea, the guys wanted to see if they could push for the runs,” Chase said. “But it didn’t quite work out the way they wanted. When the last hour came, when they came off for the water break, we had a discussion. They said they would just play out. And we didn’t think that was a bad idea at that time. So we were happy for them to just straight up play out and that’s what they did.”While West Indies put in an admirable effort, they were helped by the fact that New Zealand had lost Matt Henry and Nathan Smith to injuries. Henry bowled just 11 overs in the second innings and Smith none at all.

“When the last hour came, when they [Greaves and Roach] came off for the water break, we had a discussion. They said they would just play out. And we didn’t think that was a bad idea at that time”Roston Chase

“It was a Test match that sort of had it all, really,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said. “I think the way we were able to put ourselves in a position to win a Test match was what we were after and for it to head down to the final hour with kind of all three [four] results on the cards.”When you have two of your seamers go down during a Test match, it’s never ideal. I think the way the work that especially Zak [Foulkes] and Jacob [Duffy] put in throughout that innings, the amount of overs that they bowled, the way they kept coming, certainly never complained and just got on with it and threw everything that they could at West Indies. And also Michael Bracewell bowling 50-odd [55] overs.”We managed to create some opportunities, which is obviously what you want to do, but we couldn’t take them, unfortunately. Sometimes you have to give a little bit of credit where credit’s due, and the way that West Indies played in this fourth innings was pretty outstanding.”New Zealand dropped Roach twice off Bracewell. Still, Bracewell should have dismissed twice more – first lbw and then caught behind. On both occasions, the on-field umpire ruled it not out. Had New Zealand not burnt their reviews, they could have got those decisions overturned.”I guess [it was] one of those things that you have to deal with,” Latham said. “You look at many times before you’ve finished a game, and you’ve had lots of reviews left. You see your way out, what you think the best option is, and I guess at the time that’s what we thought was the best option.”

Glasgow Rangers failed to win in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since they appointed Danny Rohl in their 0-0 draw with Falkirk at Ibrox on Sunday.

The Light Blues failed to score a goal in a home game against Falkirk for the first time this century, and it was a disappointing all-round display from the hosts.

Rangers were unable to find the back of the net from three ‘big chances’ and 1.07 xG, per Sofascore, and had to settle for one point and no goals in front of their supporters.

Despite the underwhelming performance and result, there was a positive for Rohl to take away from the match, as Nedim Bajrami showed that he has something to offer.

Why Danny Rohl must unleash Nedim Bajrami

The Albania international came in for his first start of the league season, having made six substitute appearances before Sunday, and his performance on the left flank suggests that he has been underused.

Bajrami ended his 75 minutes on the pitch with four dribbles completed, two chances created, and ten duels won, per Sofascore, which shows that he put himself about physically, moved forward with the ball with intent, and looked to make things happen in the final third.

Last season, the former Sassuolo man scored two goals and created four ‘big chances’ in 15 starts in the Premiership, to go along with one goal and six ‘big chances’ created in eight starts in the Europa League, per Sofascore.

Chalkboard

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

Meanwhile, one of the summer signings, Thelo Aasgaard, has failed to prove himself to be an upgrade on Bajrami and now looks to be the biggest waste of time since Sam Lammers.

Why Thelo Aasgaard may be the new Sam Lammers

Rangers signed Lammers from Atalanta for £3m in the summer of 2022, to bolster Michael Beale’s attack, and the attacking midfielder produced two goals and two assists in 31 games for the club, per Transfermarkt.

The left-footed flop spent the second half of that season on loan at Utrecht before being sold to FC Twente for an initial fee of £2.5m that could rise to £4m one year after joining the Gers.

This shows that Lammers was more or less a waste of time for the Light Blues because he rarely contributed on the pitch and he left Ibrox for a similar fee to the one that he was brought in for.

Rangers paid £3.5m to sign Aasgaard from Luton Town in the summer, only £500k more than Lammers cost, and he is, unfortunately, treading the same path that the Dutchman walked.

The Norway international, whom Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar dubbed “rotten” last month, has scored one goal and provided one assist in 21 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which is an even worse return than the Twente star ended his Ibrox career with.

Aasgaard, who was handed a 2/10 player rating vs Falkirk by IbroxNews, has as many red cards as goals, after he was sent off against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup, and, as aforementioned, he has not proven that he is an upgrade on the player that he was brought in to replace, Bajrami.

Starts

15

8

Goals

2

1

Key passes

28

9

Big chances created

4

0

Assists

1

1

As you can see in the table above, the Liverpool-born midfielder has not scored goals or created chances at a more impressive rate than the Albanian did in the Premiership last term.

The same is true for their respective form in the Europa League. Last season, Bajrami scored one goal and created six ‘big chances’ in eight starts, per Sofascore, whilst Aasgaard has no goals and no ‘big chances’ created in five outings in the competition in the 2025/26 campaign.

If the 2/10 Norwegian flop’s dismal form at the top end of the pitch continues and Bajrami gets more chances after his bright showing against Falkirk, then his future may already be in doubt when the January transfer window opens.

Like Lammers, Aasgaard may have to look at his options in January and see if there is a loan or a permanent option for him to go elsewhere, unless he can turn his form around in the coming weeks.

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For now, though, the former Luton and Wigan star looks to be the biggest waste of time since Lammers because of the fee he was signed for and the lack of consistent performances on the pitch.

Having last played in India in 2015, he has returned with much more knowledge and skill, and it was on display on the second day of the Kolkata Test

Firdose Moonda15-Nov-20252:21

What did Simon Harmer do right?

Pretend you’re reading just this after both teams had batted once in the Eden Gardens Test. Pretend it’s the point at which South Africa have limited India’s lead to just 30 runs and the match is still evenly poised and bubbling with promise. Pretend that the most important talking point is how a South African attack did what South African attacks are known for and brought their side back into the game, this time without Kagiso Rabada, this time thanks to Simon Harmer.The offspinner made the most important incisions on the day when he removed Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja, all of whom threatened to bat South Africa out of the game, and finished with 4 for 30. He extracted more turn than anyone else in the match so far – including the Indian spinners – with an average of 4.3 degrees, and quickly assessed the right lines, length and pace to bowl for maximum efficacy.Harmer’s game plan developed in the solitary over he bowled on the first evening when he started off bowling quite full to Washington, then pulled back the length a touch, drew Washington forward and nearly took the edge. The ball spun away sharply and didn’t find Washington’s bat but Harmer knew he could use that to his advantage on day two.Related

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“From that first over last night over against Washington, it was quite evident that the ball was going to turn and you want to be testing batters on the front foot,” Harmer said at the post-day press conference. “If you allow them time to go back, it allows them to adjust and play the turn off the wicket. So you try to test batters on the front foot and test their front foot defence, which allows the ball to spin past the bat and brings in both edges. Then you also try and get one not to turn to bring in lbw, but overall, it was pretty evident that you needed to be fuller rather than shorter on that wicket.”Fuller but not entirely full. Harmer bowled 47 of his 92 balls on that length and was especially effective against left-hand batters. He only conceded nine runs off the 38 length deliveries he bowled to left-handers. He was also accurate with his line – 39% of his deliveries were sent down in line with the stumps, leaving batters little room to do anything but defend.That’s ultimately how he got Washington, an hour into the second day’s play. Harmer first went very full and then more on a good length, Washington stepped forward to defend and the ball took the edge as it turned away. He similarly challenged Rishabh Pant. Jurel also went forward and popped a return catch to Harmer and with Jadeja, it was the arm ball that skidded on.”It’s also about having the subtle variations of balls that don’t turn,” he said. “Sometimes you get onto turning wickets, you’re just trying to turn it more and more and more and the skill lies in bowling a ball that doesn’t turn on a wicket that is turning. Obviously, I’ve got a lot more experience since the last time I was here.”Simon Harmer rattled India•Getty ImagesIf there is a secret to Harmer’s success, it’s that he has returned to India a decade after first playing in the country, armed with much more knowledge and skill, and his bowling demonstrates his full evolution.Harmer’s international career can be divided into three parts: his emergence in 2015, his needs-must recall in 2022 during the late Covid-19 pandemic period when several frontliners were at the IPL, and his proper comeback now.In 2015, Harmer was a spinner who had been highly successful on the South African domestic circuit, but because it was not a place known to produce great spinners, he did not come into the national set-up with the reputation of a match-winner. He played one Test at home before tours to the subcontinent and he felt the weight of expectation to perform. “I was quite new to Test cricket. Ravi Ashwin was bowling like a jet and it was the expectation that I needed to do the same, so I was dealing with that and putting myself under even more pressure,” Harmer said.South Africa lost that series 3-0 (and would have lost 4-0 if not for rain in Bengaluru) and Harmer was one of the casualties of the tour that went as badly as it could. Looking back, he can acknowledge his own shortcomings. “When I got dropped from the national side in 2015 was when I realised that I wasn’t good enough,” he said.So he worked on it. “I came back to India in 2016 to work with Umesh Patwal in Mumbai and I discovered a lot about spin bowling that I didn’t know. That was probably the point of my career that gave me the ammunition to get better and develop and become a decent spinner.”That was only the start. In 2017, Harmer signed a Kolpak deal, which began a nine-season-and-counting stint at Essex, where he took his game to the next level. In those nine years, he has not once been outside the country championship’s top ten wicket-takers (he was also the leading bowler in 2019, 2020, and 2022) and the consistency of his returns shows a commitment to continual upskilling. “In the UK, bowling on flat wickets or when there are footmarks and nothing outside of those footmarks, you need to find a way to get the ball to spin quickly,” he explained. “It’s a skill that I’ve developed there by being able to bowl it a little bit flatter, not always just relying on the loop. Sometimes on slow wickets, it’s too slow and batters can play off the back foot. So it’s about understanding my game more and finding ways to be better.”Harmer picked up the key wicket of Washington Sundar•BCCIWhen the Kolpak system ended after the UK’s exit from the European Union, Harmer was available for South Africa, but Keshav Mahraraj was established as their No. 1. Harmer has understood that he will likely only be called on when South Africa need additional spin resources. And then, he can bring the wealth of experience he has gained on the county circuit to the national side.”I’m a lot more confident in my ability. I don’t have as many doubts as I did back then and I was fighting for a place in the team,” he said. “Now I feel like I have the skill set to compete. Whether or not it goes my way is sometimes the luck of the draw, but as long as I can look back and say that I put a good amount of balls in the right area, then I can be happy with that.”If the day had ended there, Harmer could have left the ground entirely satisfied with his work and where he had put South Africa. From a first innings blowout, they were in a position where they could put themselves in the driving seat but to think they did that, we’d have to pretend.South Africa finished effectively 63 for 7, with Harmer next in to bat. He will have to do the same job he did with the ball, and drag South Africa into the contest to give them, and mostly himself, a chance to bowl India out cheaply. He knows it won’t be easy.”In an ideal situation, you’ve got 300 on the board, and you can set attacking fields but it becomes quite intricate when you’ve only got 150 on the board, and you need to take wickets but you also can’t leak runs,” he said. “It’s quite evident that the pitch is going to do enough. It’s just about not getting carried away and making sure that you’re putting as many balls in the right areas as you possibly can. We all know that we need to be at our best but we have the belief that we can still pull ourselves back into this game.”Or, at least, they can pretend to.

India are massive favourites in their title defence at a home T20 World Cup, but a potential stumbling block is the T20 lottery of losing the toss and having to bat on a damp pitch on a dewy night. That scenario presented itself on the first night of their 10-match lead-in to the World Cup, and they responded emphatically.Hardik Pandya rose above the conditions to score 59 off 28 to take India to 175 in an innings where almost everyone else struggled, and the bowlers used whatever help they could muster from the pitch to bowl South Africa out for their lowest T20I score. A 102-run win after losing the toss should put other contenders on notice.India’s early strugglesFrom ball one, it was apparent India were in on a sticky pitch that would get better as the night went on. Shubman Gill, returning from his neck injury, and captain Suryakumar Yadav ended up lobbing shots to mid-off and mid-on off Lungi Ngidi.Lungi Ngidi struck in each of his two overs in the powerplay•Associated Press

India played three left-hand batters in the middle order to possibly delay the use of Keshav Maharaj, but none of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel got going. Tilak and Axar scored 49 between them off 53 balls as the tall South Africa fast bowlers kept drawing steep bounce from the pitch. Abhishek, starved of strike in the early goings, fell to another special catch by Marco Jansen on this tour to have his innings cut short at 17 off 12.Hardik carries IndiaWhen Hardik came in at 78 for 4 in the 12th over, there was a good chance of India ending up with a below-par total on a pitch that would get quicker and friendlier with the dew.Aiden Markram thought he could now bowl Maharaj with Hardik going only at about a run a ball against left-arm spin over his T20 career. On this night, though, he took Maharaj down for two disdainful no-look sixes to start India’s revival. The returning Anrich Nortje had been too hot to handle for the others but Hardik hit two fours off him: one using his pace, and one an off-drive after charging at him. He helped India take 30 off the last two overs as everyone bar Jansen had his figures rearranged. The ramp off Nortje to bring up his fifty made Hardik only the fourth India player to hit 100 T20I sixes.Arshdeep Singh took a wicket in the first over•Getty Images

Arshdeep sets the toneIndia needed to make the most of the brief period of new-ball movement if they were to compete on a pitch expected to get better. It did indeed look better from the way Tristan Stubbs timed the ball, but Arshdeep Singh got India off to just the start they needed. First he brought Stubbs in with Quinton de Kock’s wicket for a duck off an awayswinger that also seamed away. In his second over, Arshdeep began to bowl wobble-seam, which brought him Stubbs’ wicket for 14 off 9, giving Jitesh Sharma the first of three smart catches.Spinners drive home advantage, Bumrah caps it offHitting still looked easier than it had done in the first innings, but India never went more than 16 balls without a wicket. The 16-ball stand was the most threatening, with Dewald Brevis getting the better of Varun Chakravarthy in the fifth over, but Markram went back to an Axar length ball and was bowled leg stump.As if his batting was not enough, Hardik took the wicket of David Miller first ball: an inside edge onto the pad taken diving forward by Jitesh. Varun then took out Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen, one with a quick delivery, the other with a slower one.The procession continued and Jasprit Bumrah went to 100 T20I wickets and beyond, becoming only the fifth bowler in the world to have reached that milestone in all three formats. Shivam Dube, probably picked in the squad ahead of Rinku Singh because of his bowling ability, gave the team management one final reason to smile with the last wicket of the night.

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