الفتح يُسقط النصر بثلاثية مثيرة في الدوري السعودي ويحرمه من التأهل لـ"أبطال آسيا للنخبة"

فجّر فريق الفتح واحدة من أبرز مفاجآت الجولة الأخيرة في دوري روشن السعودي، بعدما حقق فوزًا مثيرًا على حساب النصر بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في اللقاء الذي جمع الفريقين مساء اليوم.

بهذا الانتصار، رفع الفتح رصيده إلى 39 نقطة، معززًا موقعه في منتصف جدول الترتيب بعدما ضمن البقاء رسميًا في الجولة الماضية، بينما تجمد رصيد النصر عند 70 نقطة، محتلاً المركز الثالث، ليبتعد رسميًا عن حلم التأهل إلى دوري أبطال آسيا “النخبة”.

بدأ اللقاء بإثارة مبكرة، حين سجل النجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو هدف التقدم للنصر في الدقيقة 42 برأسية قوية أسكنها الشباك، ليختتم موسمًا فرديًا قويًا مع الفريق.

لكن الفتح رفض إنهاء الشوط الأول متأخرًا، فنجح ماتياس فارجاس في إدراك التعادل خلال الدقيقة الرابعة من الوقت بدل الضائع، منهياً الشوط بنتيجة متكافئة.

في الشوط الثاني، أعاد السنغالي ساديو ماني التقدم للنصر بتسجيل الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 75، ليشعل آمال الجماهير النصراوية في إنهاء الموسم بانتصار معنوي.

لكن الرد جاء سريعًا، وهذه المرة عبر مراد باتنا، الذي سجل هدف التعادل للفتح في الدقيقة 81، قبل أن يوجه ماتياس ماتشادو الضربة القاضية بهدف ثالث قاتل في الدقيقة 96، مانحًا الفتح انتصارًا مثيرًا في الثواني الأخيرة.

ترتيب الدوري السعودي 2024-2025

وشهد اللقاء إصابة مدافع النصر الجديد محمد سيماكان، الذي غادر الملعب متأثرًا بإصابته في الدقيقة 56، ليتم استبداله بالمدافع علي لاجامي.

ومن المنتظر أن يخضع اللاعب الفرنسي لفحوصات طبية دقيقة لتحديد طبيعة الإصابة ومدة غيابه المحتملة، خاصة مع اقتراب معسكرات الإعداد للموسم الجديد.

Botafogo lança nova linha de roupas focada no 'street'

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo lançou novos produtos focados no universo “street”. O clube produziu novos modelos de camisas, bonés, meias, bonés e chapéus casuais. Os modelos estão em pré-venda na loja oficial do Alvinegro.

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+ Erison diz que torcedor ‘pode ficar tranquilo’ sobre renovação: ‘Botafogo é minha casa’; veja o vídeo!

A intenção é trazer o ambiente da rua, do street. Tanto que o vídeo de divulgação foi feito nos arredores do Estádio Nilton Santos, perto da pista de skate e de uma praça.

Os preços variam. As camisas são R$ 99,90 ou R$ 129,90; os bonés são R$ 119,90 e os chapéus R$ 89,90; a shoulder bag– uma espécie de pochete – está R$ 119,90 e as meias variam entre R$ 24,90 e R$ 39,90.

+ Empresário pretende fazer investimento bilionário em empresa de John Textor, dono do Botafogo

Kayque, Del Piage e Hugo foram os ‘modelos’ escolhidos para estrelar o vídeo de apresentação do Botafogo. Em campo, o Glorioso enfrentará o Fluminense às 16h deste domingo, pelo Brasileirão.

Bayern Munich in talks for "brave" Man Utd ace who cost nearly £7m per goal

As INEOS look to raise some much-needed funds, Bayern Munich have reportedly opened shock talks to sign a Manchester United player who’s finally beginning to find form.

Man Utd transfer news

Ruben Amorim was once again forced to provide an honest and blunt answer when asked about Manchester United’s position to spend money when the transfer window arrives, telling reporters in the build-up to this Sunday’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur: “We know with the moment of the club, I have to understand these problems, but that problem is not new.

“You know the rules of (financial) fair play, we have a problem at the moment, but my focus is on that and not the other things. Here is simple, to do something we need to sell players. My focus is to prepare the game. The window is closed and we have to focus on the next game then in the summer we will see.”

Scouts wowed: Man Utd now closely monitoring £55m talent alongside Quenda

They believe he could be a future superstar.

ByBen Browning Feb 15, 2025

Of course, those sales failed to come to fruition in the January transfer window with those at Old Trafford forced to settle for loan moves to make room for Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven, which saw both Marcus Rashford and Antony leave.

When the summer arrives, however, those loan exits could prove to be fairly worthwhile for the Red Devils. According to reports in Spain, Bayern Munich have now opened shock talks to sign Antony amid his recent resurgence on loan at Real Betis – scoring twice in three games.

Manchester United'sAntonyduring the warm up before the match

Setting their valuation at a reported €50m (£42m) this summer after initially signing the Brazilian for close to £82m in the summer of 2022, Manchester United could at least make back half of what they paid out, which has often looked unlikely given he scored just 12 goals in a red, a return rate of nearly £7m spent per goal.

In what is becoming quite the trend, meanwhile, Antony has instantly found his best form since leaving Old Trafford.

"Brave" Antony now following Man Utd trend

Whether it’s been Alexis Sanchez or, more recently, Scott McTominay, the trend of Manchester United players finding top form away from an Old Trafford nightmare is only growing. In an instant, Antony has stolen the headlines at Real Betis – scoring a particularly impressive goal in their recent 3-0 victory over KAA Gent in the Europa Conference League.

It’s the type of finish that those at Old Trafford last saw the Brazilian unleash in the early days of his Manchester United career in a period which saw him earn the praise of Erik ten Hag.

The former United manager told BBC Sport in 2022: “I know what he can be. On the pitch he is brave. During the transfer window we looked for players with the right character, who can fight and battle.”

That bravery is now on show in Spain as Manchester United continue to struggle under Amorim and Antony potentially heads towards a shock move to Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window.

Ireland knock out West Indies with commanding victory

The result ensured Ireland’s qualification for the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup

Shashank Kishore21-Oct-2022

Paul Stirling scored an unbeaten half-century in Ireland’s victory•ICC via Getty Images

In Hobart, where it was supposed to rain all day, Ireland celebrated one of their most crucial victories in T20 cricket, storming into the Super-12 round of the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup and dumping two-time champions West Indies out of the tournament.Legspinner Gareth Delany and opening batter Paul Stirling were the heroes of Ireland’s stirring performance, full of confidence and bristling energy. After restricting West Indies to 146 for 5, a potentially nervy chase in a knockout game turned into a cruise as Ireland sprinted to the target in the 18th over, not giving their opponents a whiff of a chance.When Lorcan Tucker stepped out to loft Obed McCoy inside-out over extra cover to score the winning runs, the Ireland fans who had turned up in large numbers broke into trademark song and dance as they waved the Irish flag proudly in blustery Bellerive. It was only the second time that Ireland had qualified for the second round of a T20 World Cup, after the 2009 tournament in England.West Indies’ early struggle
West Indies started poorly, losing Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles to big shots inside the powerplay. It could have been worse had offspinner Simi Singh clung on to a sharp return chance to dismiss Brandon King for one in the fifth over.Brandon King dug in to consolidate West Indies’ innings•AFP/Getty Images

As the innings progressed it was increasingly clear that some deliveries, especially when dug in, held up a touch more than others and the batters had to recalibrate their approach. It wasn’t until the eight over that West Indies began to get going, when King crashed two boundaries square of the wicket as medium pacer Curtis Campher erred in length.After meandering at a run-a-ball, West Indies slowly regained a bit of momentum. Just as they were beginning to threaten, Delany broke a 44-run stand when he dismissed a struggling Ewin Lewis for the first of his three wickets. At 71 for 3 in the 11th over, Ireland were wresting control again.King fights, Delany strikes
King missed the Zimbabwe game due to an illness but he showed no signs of rust as he seamlessly switched into hitting mode. Right from the moment he lunged out to drill an extra-cover drive to the boundary off the first ball, he meant business.King played the field perfectly, targeting the short boundaries and nudging into gaps to keep turning the strike over, not allowing the bowlers to settle. For a while, with King and Nicholas Pooran around, there was a possibility of a West Indies recovery but Delany’s dismissal of the captain – Pooran reached out and hit one straight to sweeper cover – ended those hopes.Gareth Delany swerved the game away with skill and guile•AFP/Getty Images

In his third over, Delany deceived big-hitting Rovman Powell in the air and off the pitch. In trying to fetch a slog sweep from outside off, towards the longer boundary, he was out to deep midwicket in an over that went for just one. Delany finished with 3 for 16 off four overs, with West Indies struggling at 112 for 5 after 17 overs.King and Odean Smith eventually gave West Indies a late lift, even though there was a sense that they were at least 20 short of a competitive total.The Stirling-Balbirnie blitz
When Ireland came out to chase, their approach was evident. Stirling kept attacking the spin of Akeal Hosein with ferocious sweeps, while Andy Balbirnie took advantage of Pooran’s punt of bowling Odean Smith – and not Jason Holder – in the powerplay.Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling set up Ireland’s chase with a 73-run stand at the top•AFP/Getty Images

Smith’s record in this phase – an economy of 11.18 in 11 overs for just three wickets – was far from encouraging, and the Ireland captain hit him for 4,6,4 off his first three deliveries. McCoy’s slower variations proved expensive as well, and before West Indies knew what had hit them, Ireland had raced to 64 without loss in the first six overs.Farewell West Indies
When Hosein had Balbirnie caught at point for a 34-ball 37 in the eighth over, there was a ray of hope for West Indies. They didn’t concede a boundary between overs 7.5 and 10.2 – the only time when they appeared to have any semblance of control.Stirling broke free by carting Alzarri Joseph over the grass banks at deep midwicket and brought up his half-century off just 32 balls when he slashed Smith for four behind point in the 12th over. By now, West Indies were running on fumes.Smith had Lorcan Tucker caught and bowled in the same over, only to find out he had overstepped. It summed up West Indies’ day, as the prospect of an early departure from Australia became a reality.

عبد الحفيظ: الأهلي يُساعد الإسماعيلي في الرواتب.. وصفقة عمر الساعي خير دليل

حدث نقاش حاد بين أحمد سليمان، عضو مجلس إدارة الزمالك، وسيد عبد الحفيظ، مدير الكرة السابق بالنادي الأهلي، حول علاقة المارد الأحمر بالأندية الأخرى، لا سيما الإسماعيلي.

وقال أحمد سليمان خلال برنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “MBC مصر”: “الأهلي دائمًا لديه مشاكل مع عدد من الأندية، منها المصري والإسماعيلي”، وهو ما اعترض عليه سيد عبد الحفيظ على الفور وأكد: “لا، هذه معلومات خاطئة”.

وأوضح سيد عبد الحفيظ: “من أكثر ناد يُعطي الإسماعيلي لاعبين؟ ليس منة على الدراويش، لكن كابتن عماد سليمان وكابتن صلاح أبو جريشة، جلسا معي في المكتب بتعليمات من الكابتن محمود الخطيب، بأن أعطيهما كل اللاعبين الذين يحتاجونهم، بل ويساعد النادي أيضًا في رواتبهم في بعض الأوقات”.

طالع أيضًا | عبد الحفيظ: لـ4 أسباب.. الأهلي معه الحق في عدم تهنئة بيراميدز على لقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتابع: “بكم اشترى الأهلي عمر الساعي من الإسماعيلي؟ بـ50 مليون جنيه، هل يستحق هذا المبلغ؟ الأهلي كان يُساعد الإسماعيلي، وجهة نظري الشخصية إنه ممكن يكون لاعبًا جيدًا، لكن لا يُساوي هذا المبلغ”.

واختتم: “أنا كسيد عبد الحفيظ، أوقات لا أحب هذه الأمور، أنا قد أساعدك كناد لكن لا يأتي ذلك على حساب جزء من حقوقي أو أموال النادي”.

Zampa gets chance to push Test claims in rare Sheffield Shield appearance

The legspinner will make his first first-class appearance since 2019 if selected against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2022

Adam Zampa last played Sheffield Shield when he was with South Australia•Getty Images

Adam Zampa is in line to make his first Sheffield Shield appearance since 2019 and have a chance to push a claim for a spot on the Test tour of India after being named in New South Wales’ squad to face Victoria in Melbourne.Zampa has not played first-class cricket since moving back to New South Wales two years ago but a window has opened up for him to feature in one game before the Shield breaks for the BBL.There is a chance that he will be considered as a left-field option for the Test series in India during February and March, although he will only have the one game to showcase his long-form skills.”My dream is still to play Test cricket,” Zampa told before the third ODI against England in Melbourne last week. “I feel like my game’s evolved over the last few years, it’s just about the workload and seeing how my body will cope. I’d love to throw my hat in the ring [for the India tour].”Zampa’s overall first-class record is modest with 105 wickets at 48.26 from 38 matches, the last of which came for South Australia against Western Australia in late 2019. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 2012, taking five wickets in the match against Queensland.Mitchell Swepson has been Australia’s legspinner on their last two overseas tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, so far taking 10 wickets at 45.80 in four outings.”It’s rare that Adam is available for Sheffield Shield, given his taxing white ball schedule but he has this week free and has always maintained his desire to play red-ball cricket,” New South Wales’ head of male cricket Michael Klinger said. “For us to be able to bring in a player of his calibre and experience is a welcome one.”Offspinner Todd Murphy and left-armer Ashton Agar, who both played for the Prime Minister’s XI against West Indies in Canberra, are also in the frame. Agar would have played the Tests in Sri Lanka if he had not suffered a side strain

Perto do Botafogo, Zahavi é versátil e pode jogar ao lado de Erison

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo tem Erison como um dos destaques da temporada e, por outro lado, vê Eran Zahavi como um dos grandes sonhos de consumo para a próxima janela de transferências. Apesar de serem jogadores da mesma posição, o encaixe de uma possível dupla – já que o israelense está perto de um acerto – não deve ser difícil.

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+ Botafogo se aproxima de Eran Zahavi e tem contratação encaminhada

O israelense, apesar dos 34 anos, tem a mobilidade como uma das características marcantes no estilo de jogo. Não é o centroavante fixo, parado dentro da área. Pelo contrário: prefere se mexer para fora da área e abrir espaços aos companheiros.

As ações vão de encontro com Erison, outro atacante que não fica preso dentro da pequena área. Apesar de ser a referência do Botafogo, é comum ver o ‘El Toro’ recuando para os lados da área na intenção de ajudar e dar suporte na construção do sistema ofensivo.

+Saiba onde assistir aos jogos de ida das oitavas da Copa do Brasil

Zahavi também atua como segundo atacante – principalmente – ou partindo do lado esquerdo, posições que ele exerceu na última temporada pelo PSV-HOL. Quando o time atuava com Carlos Vinícius, outro centroavante de ofício, geralmente o israelense caía mais pelas pontas ou recuava para que o brasileiro ficasse na referência.

+ Virada épica e aplicação tática: Botafogo faz jogo histórico e aumenta confiança para sequência do ano

Tudo era ainda mais intenso por Israel. Zahavi quase sempre atuava como um segundo atacante, tendo que recuar sempre para fora da área, dando suporte a Shon Weissman ou Munas Dabbur. Vale lembrar que o atacante marcou cinco gols em seis jogos na Nations League de 2020 – ele não atuou na edição dessa temporada porque se aposentou da seleção.

O mapa de calor de Zahavi na Nations League (imagem acima) mostra um foco na entrada da área, maior zona de atuação do jogador, tendo um companheiro de ataque ao lado. Também é possível identificar movimentos perto do círculo central, sempre com um maior eixo partindo do lado esquerdo.

+ VEJA A TABELA DO BRASILEIRÃO

Diferentemente do PSV, Zahavi passou pouco tempo nos lados do campo, tendo realmente o foco pelo corredor central do gramado. Foram seis participações diretas para gols em seis duelos.

Apesar da força física, o mapa de calor de Erison no Brasileirão (imagem acima)também indica movimentações longe da grande área. O camisa 89, diferente de Zahavi, tem uma tendência de entrar mais na área.

Vale ressaltar, contudo, o contexto da amostragem de Erison ser em um esquema onde ele é a referência do ataque – enquanto o de Zahavi há alguém formando uma dupla.

برشلونة يعلن خضوع لاعبه لعملية جراحية.. ومدة غيابه

أعلن نادي برشلونة، في بيان رسمي، خضوع أحد لاعبيه لعملية جراحية، ومن ثم غيابه عن الفريق الإسباني لفترة محددة من الوقت، تم الكشف عنها.

كان برشلونة قد حسم لقب الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2024/25، وتوج رسميًا في وقت سابق من ذلك الشهر.

وأنهى برشلونة، بقيادة المدرب هانز فليك، الموسم بطريقة مثالية بعدما توج بالثلاثية المحلية المتمثلة في الدوري الإسباني، كأس ملك إسبانيا والسوبر الإسباني.

في حين أن برشلونة لن يشارك في كأس العالم للأندية، البطولة التي ستنطلق بشكلها الجديد في أمريكا الشهر المقبل.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رافينيا: لاعب برشلونة لديه كل المقومات والجودة اللازمة ليكون الأفضل

من جهة أخرى، قال برشلونة في بيان رسمي أن اللاعب هيكتور فورت خضع لعملية جراحية في الحاجز الأنفي.

وأوضح النادي أن تلك العملية جاءت لحل مشكلة الجهاز التنفسي والاحتقان المزمن الذي أثر على اللاعب الشاب خلال الموسم المنصرم.

وأفاد برشلونة أنه من المتوقع غياب هيكتور فورت، إثر العملية، مدة تصل إلى 4 أسابيع.

وانتشرت تكهنات مؤخرًا حول مستقبل هيكتور فورت وإمكانية رحيله عن برشلونة في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي.

وشارك اللاعب صاحب الـ18 عامًا في 20 مباراة رفقة برشلونة في الموسم المذكور، ولكن ليس بشكل أساسي.

Wow: Man Utd chiefs are now willing to pay the £49m fee for Barcelona star

Manchester United are keeping a close eye on a “leader” and INEOS are willing to spend big to secure his transfer, according to a recent report.

Man Utd transfer news

Ruben Amorim knows that while he has the understanding and support from the fanbase, he also needs to start winning games despite the injury crisis he now finds himself in. The Red Devils still have the FA Cup and Europa League to play for, but he is fast losing the leeway he was afforded on arrival.

INEOS now consider hijacking transfer to sign £40m playmaker for Man Utd

Man Utd are weighing up whether to join the transfer battle to sign a talented midfielder.

ByBrett Worthington Feb 19, 2025

And as the season draws closer and closer to the end, transfer stories are starting to heat up and the summer is expected to be a busy time for the club, with the boss in desperate need of players who suit his system.

Signing a new attacking midfielder could be on the agenda for Amorim and INEOS this summer, as it’s been reported that United are considering making a move to sign Charles De Ketelaere from Atalanta. Man City are looking at the playmaker as someone to replace Kevin de Bruyne, but United are also interested and could look to beat their rivals to his signature.

However, De Ketelaere is not the only attacking midfielder being looked at by the Red Devils, as according to reports from Spain, United are willing to spend significant money to sign Arda Güler from Real Madrid.

The Turkey international has struggled to make an impact in Spain and, given his lack of game time, a move could be on the cards this summer and United are interested in a deal.

Man Utd taking a closer look at £49m "leader"

But Guler is not the only player United are looking at from La Liga, as according to a report from Spain, Man United are taking a close look at Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, who could be available for a transfer if a suitable offer arrives.

Barcelona'sRonaldAraujo

Araujo only signed a new contract with the Catalan giants in January, a deal that now runs until 2031, but given Barça value the player between 60-70 million euros (£49-57 million), a fee that isn’t a problem to United, he could still leave the club after his career in Catalonia stalled somewhat due to injuries.

The 25-year-old, who has been hailed as a “real leader” by manager Hansi Flick this season, has been at Barcelona since August 2018. It wasn’t until 2020 that he was promoted to the first team and, since then, he has become an integral part of their defence under the various managers they have had in that time.

This season has been a bit disappointing for the centre-back, as a hamstring injury has seen him miss the majority of the campaign up until recently.

Ronaldo Araujo’s 24/25 La Liga stats

Apps

3

Starts

3

Minutes per game

52

Passes per game (accuracy)

60.3 (92%)

Interceptions per game

0.7

Tackles per game

0.3

Clearances per game

1.3

Despite his injury problems this season, United are obviously impressed with what they have seen of Araujo, and they believe he’ll improve their backline, so much so they are willing to meet the reported price tag.

Given Lisandro Martínez could be out for the rest of the year, Victor Lindelof looks set to leave at the end of the season and Jonny Evans is expected to retire, then a new centre-back may be needed to help Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire, all of whom have had their own injury problems.

Perfect for Tavernier: Rangers looking to hire one of Klopp’s "best friends"

The Glasgow Rangers board opted to make the decision to part ways with Philippe Clement after more than a year in charge at Ibrox for the Belgian tactician.

A 2-0 defeat to St Mirren at the weekend was the final straw for the Ibrox bosses and the ex-Monaco and Club Brugge chief was removed from his position in the dugout.

Clement made a perfect start to life in Glasgow when he replaced Michael Beale during the 2023/24 campaign, as his side beat Aberdeen to win the League Cup.

However, the Belgian tactician went through the rest of his career with Rangers without winning any trophies as he failed to get the better of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

The Light Blues were embarrassingly dropped out of the SFA Cup by second-tier outfit Queen’s Park and the loss to St. Mirren shortly after left Clement with a win percentage outside of the top ten in the club’s history.

Barry Ferguson has been confirmed as the interim manager until the end of the 2025/26 campaign, so it still remains to be seen who will take charge of the club next season.

Rangers already eyeing Ferguson's replacement

Rangers already know that the former central midfielder and Scotland international will not be in the dugout in July and that means that work will be underway to identify a long-term replacement for Clement.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, the Light Blues are ‘likely’ to be under new ownership, as a takeover involving the San Francisco 49ers’ investment wing is expected to be completed by June.

Jacobs claims that current Aberdeen head coach Derek McInnes is one of the names on the club’s radar, despite the fact his team have lost 12 of their 27 matches in the Premiership this season.

Manager Focus

The 53-year-old manager has never won a top-flight title in his career and may not be a particularly inspiring appointment, given his lack of tangible success managing a top team.

Jacobs, however, also claims that David Wagner, who is currently out of work, is another name under consideration by the Rangers board with a view to him potentially replacing Ferguson in the summer.

David Wagner Huddersfield Town

Said to be one of Jurgen Klopp’s “best friends” by the former Liverpool boss, the German tactician was sacked by English Championship side Norwich City at the end of last season after his side were beaten 4-0 by Leeds United in the play-offs.

This means that he could be a cheap option for the Gers as they would not have to negotiate a compensation fee with another club.

David Wagner's managerial career so far

The 53-year-old boss, who favours a 4-2-3-1 formation, is best known in the United Kingdom for leading Huddersfield Town to an unlikely promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in the 2016/17 campaign.

Wagner then led them to survival with a 16th-placed finish in the top-flight the following season, only to move on from the Yorkshire-based outfit in the 2018/19 campaign after a dismal run of 15 defeats in 22 Premier League games.

David Wagner’s senior managerial career

Club

Matches managed

Points per game

Norwich City

75

1.47

Young Boys

40

1.73

Schalke

40

1.20

Huddersfield

154

1.23

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, he has had an inconsistent coaching career, and he has yet to manage a team that wins consistently, never averaging more than two points per game at any point.

Wagner, who has not won any major trophies in his career, has also not been one to shy away from controversy with his supporters in his career.

Last season, he told some Norwich supporters to “stay at home” after a negative reaction, that he deemed “unacceptable”, to him substituting Onel Hernandez and Josh Sargent in a match his side went on to win 4-2 against Watford.

Wagner is a fiery character who is not afraid to speak his mind, as shown by that incident, and his record may not be exceptional, but his style of play could make him perfect for club captain James Tavernier.

Why Wagner would be perfect for Tavernier

As aforementioned, 4-2-3-1 is his favoured formation and that is the system that he started with in matches at Norwich but it looked very different at times in possession.

The holding midfielder, ex-Rangers target Kenny McLean or Marcelino Nunez, would drop between the two centre-backs and operate as a quarterback, always looking for runs from deep from the full-backs or the centre-forward.

Norwich City'sKennyMcLean

Wagner would task his wingers, often Borja Sainz and Jonathan Rowe, with dragging opposition full-backs infield to create space for his own defenders to make runs beyond the last line to create chances in the final third.

As you can hear in the clip above, former Norwich forward Christian Fassnacht explained to TalkNorwichCity that he, as a right winger, felt like a holding midfielder at times because of the right-back – Jack Stacey – being ahead of him most of the time.

Stacey ended the 2023/24 campaign with nine ‘big chances’ created and six assists, compared to Rowe’s return of one ‘big chance’ created and two assists, and this shows how productive the manager’s full-backs can be.

This could mean that Wagner would be a dream for Tavernier, who has racked up 139 assists for Rangers, because the English veteran would be in a system that is designed to create openings for him at the top end of the pitch.

The Gers skipper, who has 268 goal contributions in his Rangers career, could, then, utilise his quality on the ball to be an outstanding attacking force for the German tactician.

Wagner’s Norwich side also ranked third in the Championship for set-piece goals (18) and this suggests that he and his coaches could draw up enough plays to help Tavernier add even more assists to his name from his free-kicks and corners.

Expert drops update on new contract for "sensational" 26 y/o Rangers ace

This would be great news for the Gers.

1 ByHenry Jackson Feb 25, 2025

Overall, the out-of-work head coach could be perfect for the right-back, due to his system, but his overall record as a manager suggests that it would be a gamble by Rangers to appoint him as Clement and Ferguson’s long-term successor in the summer.

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