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As they come to terms with another World Cup heartbreak, India may wonder if their middle order could have taken a few more chances

Sidharth Monga19-Nov-20233:38

‘We kept losing wickets at critical intervals’

Rohit Sharma looked like he was trying to hold back tears. Mohammed Siraj couldn’t. Jasprit Bumrah, who doesn’t let results sway his emotions, consoled him. KL Rahul sank to his knees. Virat Kohli hid his face in his cap. Mohammed Shami walked back dejected.The spirit had left them.It hurts. The ones who will not play another World Cup will be hurting even more. The morning after will be even worse. It is good they have their families with them. There’s more to life than a World Cup. They will need that reinforced come Monday morning when there is no training to go to. The ones who don’t have families with them will need their team-mates to do the reinforcing for them.Related

• Rohit: 'It was not so easy to just move on' from World Cup final defeat

• India's heartbreak is most poignant in the dashed hopes of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid

• Advance Australia, inevitably

• Rahul Dravid: 'We haven't played any fearful cricket in this final'

• Head hunts down victory as India fall prey once again

That is the cruel nature of a league-knockout hybrid format. It will hurt India more than any team knocked out earlier in the tournament. That’s the price you pay: to fight for the biggest joy, you must risk the biggest heartbreak. It will hurt them more than it can hurt anyone on the outside.All those runs and wickets will feel empty, just like the seats emptied by people who had moved on to more mundane things like avoiding traffic jams well before the last ball had been bowled. All the joy and the noise they had bathed in for a month-and-a-half suddenly gave way to a hollow hum. Rohit scored more runs than any captain ever has in one tournament. Kohli scored more than any batter ever has. Shami was the highest wicket-taker despite not playing four matches. These facts mean nothing to them in the moment.However, in a cricket world with so much professionalism, with the top-three sides having equal access to knowledge, facilities, technology and talent, it is still rare that you can beat the conditions. In the league match against Australia, India were on the right side of the conditions. In the final, they lost to the conditions.The many faces of despair – India’s World Cup dream goes up in smoke•Getty ImagesAn example of how much the pitch changed is how often Marnus Labuschagne dabbed the ball gently behind square for singles; those easy singles hadn’t been available to India. The pitch had been so slow in the afternoon that there was risk involved in manipulating the bat face to pick up singles once the field spread out and the ball became old. Kohli was dismissed in exactly this manner, inside-edging Pat Cummins on to his stumps.If Rohit’s words at the toss – he said he would have batted first had he won it – actually reflected the team management’s thoughts (sometimes a captain’s words can be just a front), it would be fair to say India misread the conditions. That didn’t matter because Australia won the toss, and they decided to play a different game.India expected the pitch to keep getting slower and offer more turn, which happened in the Kolkata semi-final. They hoped they could capitalise on the brittleness of Australia’s chasing.Australia went by recent trends. During this World Cup, batting has consistently become easier under the lights in Ahmedabad. They banked on the pattern continuing, and expected a drier-than-usual pitch to be at its most difficult in the afternoon. They wanted to exploit India’s relative weakness on slow pitches.The second ball he faced from Josh Hazlewood, who had dismissed him in the teams’ league meeting, Rohit charged and crashed the ball through the covers for four. Rohit was playing the World Cup final like it should have been: just another game. All through the tournament, he had made it easy for India’s middle order by scoring quicker than anyone else in the first powerplay.5:24

Dravid: ‘We gave it everything we had’

It was even more important that Rohit did it here. Kohli got off to a great start too. Having seen Shubman Gill get out early, Kohli stuck to the team plan and ditched the risk-free game that had brought him 700-plus runs in the tournament. He took a risk off the ninth ball he faced, dragging Mitchell Starc over wide mid-on. It wasn’t a perfect shot, but Kohli knew he needed to take that chance during the powerplay.With the ball, India had their early plans spot-on. They got Shami to open the bowling because of his superior numbers against left-hand batters. They would have been pleasantly surprised by the help Bumrah and Shami got but that zip and that movement came at a cost. In the evening, as it most noticeably happened for New Zealand against England in the tournament-opener, the pitch had quickened up, and the ball gripped much less.Once Australia weathered the early storm, once the movement died down, only a genius delivery from Bumrah, a final reminder of the magic India have created through this tournament, got them a wicket, that of Steven Smith with a viciously dipping slower one. The rest of the story we have heard before in many a chase in India. Would India have won at the Wankhede 12 years ago had there been no dew?There will of course be a review within the team. Perhaps Rahul could have been braver through the middle overs. Kohli has the game to keep scoring at the strike rate of 80 to 90 without having to hit boundaries. Kohli got a delivery that lifted on that slow pitch and got big on him. On another day the inside edge could have run past the leg stump. Not in this final.Others have to take risks. It is no rocket science why Rahul didn’t take risks. India’s batting is shallow. I have asked the coaches on more than one occasion at press conferences how the batters have reacted to India not having any batting after No. 7. Particularly now their outlook to risk has changed. The coaches have maintained that they don’t even want to think about it because the top seven are good enough to do the job. It didn’t look like that at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.1:37

‘Rohit and Kohli stood up for India in every moment – Anil Kumble

They will look back at just the nine boundary attempts in 180 legal balls in the middle overs and wonder if that was sufficient. It meant India scored just four boundaries outside the first powerplay, the joint-lowest in any ODI since 2005. On a slower pitch, bowlers do have a larger margin for error, but only India can answer if they couldn’t have tried to push the bowlers off their lengths a little harder.It is not like no batting lower down the order was a selection error. What Shardul Thakur brings at No. 8 is often notional. There is no reason to believe Siraj doesn’t offset that notional depth with what he brings with the ball as compared to Thakur. The problem is, none of India’s first-choice bowlers bat as well as even, say, Starc and Pat Cummins.You might look back and say the India fast bowlers could have bowled more cutters, perhaps the spinners could have gone slower in the air to try to get the ball to turn because the pitch had something in it not too much earlier. They could have perhaps trusted Suryakumar Yadav more and not promoted Ravindra Jadeja to face a poor match-up against spin, as a result of which overs 30 to 36 featured no intent at all.However, these are marginal issues. Had Rahul taken more risks, they might have come off but we also know the flip side of it. The players will not say it, but the change in the conditions from afternoon to evening was the biggest deciding factor. It doesn’t make them chokers or mentally less strong or less courageous. They have played so much cricket that they know they just have to roll with it.And yet it will be the toughest thing for them to do. They have known this feeling before, but it never gets easier. And this time they came closer than ever since 2011. To fight for the biggest joy, you must risk the biggest heartbreak.

The home side have gone big on pace in their squad. Here’s a quick look at the seven who made the cut (and the two who missed out)

Firdose Moonda23-Dec-2021A series between South Africa and a side from the subcontinent is usually about showing off seamers, but in 2019 it didn’t quite go the way you might think. Instead of South Africa’s pace attack powering through India, it was the Indian quicks, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, who left Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi in the dust. And while the Indian pack may be licking their lips at the thought of being able to do that again, in seamer-friendly conditions, South Africa are pulling out all the stops to match them.Although the Covid-19 conditions under which this series will be played have necessitated bigger squads on both sides, South Africa have included not five or six but seven seamers, overseen by bowling coach Charl Langeveldt. They’ve covered their bases when it comes to genuine pace, skilful variations and out-and-out aggression.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The front runners

Kagiso Rabada
The most recognisable and celebrated member of South Africa’s attack is only 26 and carries the responsibility of leading them against India. Rabada is, by some distance, the most experienced international among the pace pack and is the only one in the squad ranked in the ICC’s Test top ten. His reputation precedes any explanation we can provide here, except to say he is known for his pace and aggression, especially in big moments against big players, which bodes well for the contests he will be part of against the likes of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. Over the last few years Rabada has also developed several impressive variations, including a well-disguised slower ball. Although collective achievement will be top of his mind in this series, there is a personal milestone for him to aim for: Rabada is nine wickets away from leapfrogging Vernon Philander as South Africa’s seventh-highest Test wicket-taker. Recent form: Rabada was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2018, with 52 wickets from ten matches, and he was South Africa’s highest Test wicket-taker in 2019, with 33 wickets from eight matches. He played just two Tests in 2020, and four so far in 2021; he has taken a total of 23 wickets in these two years.ESPNcricinfo LtdLungi Ngidi

With more time off the field than on it through much of 2021, Ngidi is desperate to get game time and re-establish himself as a regular in all formats. Despite lengthy absences from the game this year, he is not carrying an injury. He missed South Africa’s tour to Sri Lanka for personal reasons and was benched for the IPL and T20 World Cup, which gave him time to fine-tune his fitness. His task for this summer is to translate that into bowling success. Expect longer spells from him, if he plays, and more focus on accuracy than out-and-out fury.Recent form: Ngidi has not played competitively for five months but in the first half of the year he featured in four of South Africa’s five Tests. He has 14 wickets at 19.14 and has South Africa’s best bowling average of the year so far.ESPNcricinfo LtdDuanne Olivier

As the first of South Africa’s Kolpak returnees to be re-selected for Tests, Olivier’s challenge is to win hearts, minds and matches. Some South Africans still bear a grudge about his leaving and answering a question about whether he wanted to play for England in the affirmative. They may forgive him if he can replicate the fuller lengths that brought him success on the county circuit in home conditions that seem to cry out for short balls. Luckily Olivier already has practice and has been playing for the Johannesburg-based Lions since his return to the South Africa set-up. He has been the standout bowler in the first-class competition so far, was recalled at the first opportunity, and is tipped to make an international comeback in this series. Recent form: Olivier is the leading bowler in the domestic first-class competition, with 28 wickets at 11.14 and with two five-wicket hauls. He comes back into international cricket off a fairly successful run for Yorkshire over the last three years: 75 wickets in 25 matches for the county, but at a somewhat bloated average of 32.42.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The left-armers

Marco Jansen

Kohli is the reason Marco Jansen got his first big break. The India Test captain was impressed with the young bowler in the Johannesburg nets three years ago, which may have led to his name doing the rounds in India, and an IPL deal earlier this year. Jansen only played two matches in the tournament and has limited first-class experience, with only 19 caps, but in the absence of Anrich Nortje, and bowler-friendly conditions, South Africa may choose to unleash him. At close to seven feet tall, Jansen is expected to be the bearer of many bouncers, and will likely be tasked with making the visiting batters feel as uncomfortable as possible.Recent form: Jansen is 16th on the first-class wickets chart for this season, with ten wickets at 12.30. He was the fifth leading bowler in the series between South Africa A and India A, with six wickets at 31.83.ESPNcricinfo LtdBeuran Hendricks

It’s difficult to see any reason for Hendricks’ inclusion in this squad except as injury cover. He has played just one Test, in January 2020, but has been around the squad as cover in several series since. Hendricks has a wealth of first-class experience under his belt, with more than a decade worth of professional cricket, close to 400 wickets, and is known for his ability to swing the ball. He may feel he has missed out on a longer international career but he has operated among strong contemporaries and may have to content himself with only a handful of opportunities in the near future.Recent form: Hendricks has played three first-class matches this season, including two of the three unofficial Tests against India A. He has taken just one wicket, for Western Province against Boland, and went wicketless against India A.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The back-up

Glenton Stuurman

Stuurman, who some call the next Vernon Philander, may have thought himself in line for a debut last summer but an injury just ahead of the series against Sri Lanka ruled him out. If South Africa think someone who moves the ball in subtle ways and probes outside the off stump for extended periods of time is needed to both keep India on their toes and wear them down with persistence, they may turn to Stuurman, though that may only happen once the series moves away from the spicy surfaces of the Highveld. If they don’t, he could find himself on the sidelines again, but with a lot of Test cricket this season, including in New Zealand, where Philander profited, he may be capped at some stage.Recent form: Stuurman has taken eight wickets in two four-day matches for Warriors in the domestic four-day competition and finished as the third most successful bowler against India A with seven wickets from three innings at an average of 27.14.ESPNcricinfo LtdSisanda Magala

With an array of cutters and slower balls, and expertise at the death in limited-overs cricket, Magala is a bowler South Africa have been wanting to play since before the pandemic. A bunch of injuries meant they had to wait until 2021 to include him, and he might find himself picked as an all-format cap by the end of the year. Magala’s challenge is to stay fit through the summer, and if he plays, to live up to a domestic reputation that includes the ability to win matches. He is a crafty operator and makes up for what he doesn’t have in speed with skill.Recent form: Magala has played in three of four rounds of the four-day competition this summer and is seventh on the wicket-takers’ list. He has taken 15 wickets at 14.33, including one five-for.

Who’s missing?

Anrich Nortje

Ruled out of the series with a persistent hip injury five days before it starts, Nortje will miss out on the opportunity to add to his dozen Test caps and to establish himself as Rabada’s right-hand man. Although Nortje is known for being quick, he should be equally lauded for his consistency. He is difficult to score off and uses the short ball with discretion. For now he will remain three wickets away from 50 in Tests.Recent form: After finishing 2020 as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in Tests (16 at 32.50), Nortje is on track to possibly repeat the feat in 2021. He currently leads the pack, with 25 wickets from five Tests at 20.76, six ahead of his nearest rival, Keshav Maharaj. He also tied with Dwaine Pretorius as South Africa’s best bowler at the T20 World Cup, taking nine wickets at 11.55.Lutho Sipamla

After taking ten wickets in two Tests against Sri Lanka last summer, Sipamla has been overlooked for Test series against Pakistan and West Indies, and now against India. He was left out of the touring party to the Caribbean so he could spend time playing for South Africa A, and he was their second-most prolific wicket-taker against Zimbabwe A in a series played over the winter. Sipamla made his mark on the international stage for accuracy and keeping his cool – his first 12 overs in Test cricket cost 66 runs but his next 27.5 only went for 101 and yielded two handfuls of wickets – and he is likely to be called on in future.Recent form: Sipamla was South Africa A’s leading bowler in the series against India A, taking nine wickets at a shade over 33. He has played only two matches in the domestic first-class competition but took 12 wickets at 13.50, including a career-best of 6 for 34.

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O Corinthians e o zagueiro Raul Gustavo viveram uma noite para esquecer diante do Argentinos Juniors, pela terceira rodada da Sul-Americana. O defensor acabou expulso quando o time perdia por 1 a 0, no segundo tempo. Veja o momento no vídeo acima!

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O motivo da expulsão de Raul Gustavo no jogo do Corinthians foi inusitado: uma agressão ao bandeira.

No lance em questão, o zagueiro disputava jogada com o atacante Perello, na lateral do campo. Ele acabou empurrado pelo adversário e se chocou com a placa de publicidade.

Raul Gustavo levantou e tentou discutir com Perello, mas o assistente interrompeu o ato do zagueiro do Corinthians. Com isso, o jogador empurrou o bandeira e deixou o braço em seu rosto.

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Prontamente o árbitro chileno Piero Maza correu em direção aos envolvidos e apresentou cartão vermelho direto ao zagueiro do Timão. Nas imagens, foi possível perceber que o bandeira apontava em direção a Raul Gustavo denunciando a atitude.

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Após a partida pela Sul-Americana o Timão voltará a jogar no domingo (28), contra o Fluminense, pela quarta rodada do Brasileirão. O confronto será na Neo Química Arena.

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Blundell has been ruled out of the second Test against West Indies, with Mitch Hay in line for a Test debut in Wellington

Deivarayan Muthu05-Dec-2025

Tom Blundell has been sidelined from the second Test against West Indies•Getty Images

Injuries have severely depleted New Zealand in the first Test against West Indies in Christchurch, with their bowling spearhead Matt Henry and seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith joining wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell on the sidelines.Blundell, who suffered a hamstring injury while batting on the opening day in Christchurch, has been ruled out of the second Test, which will begin at the Basin Reserve, his domestic home ground, on December 10. Smith was not available to bowl or field on day four because of a side complaint while Henry left the field after the 35th over and didn’t bowl or field in the final session on day four. He subsequently headed to the hospital next door for scans on his calf. He bowled 11 overs on Friday for the wicket of Roston Chase.In the absence of both Smith and Henry, New Zealand turned to the part-time fingerspin of Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra. They were already without one of their middle-order mainstays, Daryl Mitchell, who couldn’t recover in time from a groin injury for the Test-series opener against West Indies. New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram said that they are awaiting the scan results of Henry and Smith.”They’ve had scans and it’s really disappointing for them,” Oram said. “I feel for them and I have a lot of empathy for them. We’re basically waiting for the report to come back to decide what we’re going to be doing not only this Test match but the series going forward. So it’s a wait and see and you always have your fingers crossed but with just one day left and a quick turnaround, we’ll wait and see.”Matt Henry and Nathan Smith’s injuries reduced New Zealand’s attack to two frontline seamers•ICC via Getty Images

Wicketkeeper-batter Mitch Hay is in line for a Test debut in the second game against West Indies. Hay, 25, has played 19 white-ball internationals for New Zealand so far, but is uncapped in Test cricket. He has a strong record in first-class cricket, with 1888 runs in 47 innings at an average of 49.68.Hay is currently in action for Canterbury against Central Districts in the third round of the Plunket Shield. He will turn out for Canterbury during the first two days of this round in Napier before linking up with the New Zealand side in Wellington, in the lead-up to the second Test against West Indies.In his second T20I against Sri Lanka last November, Hay effected six dismissals in Dambulla, a New Zealand record. Hay also has some exposure outside of New Zealand, having been on A tours to Bangladesh and South Africa, and to India to train at the Chennai Super Kings Academy.Rookie Jesse Frew, who had turned out for New Zealand XI against the West Indians in a tour game in Lincoln, last week, will slot in as Hay’s replacement for Canterbury during the third and fourth days of the Plunket Shield in the ongoing round.In the injury absence of Blundell, Tom Latham juggled captaincy with keeping across both innings at Hagley Oval. He took four catches in West Indies’ first innings, helping New Zealand claim a 64-run first-innings lead. Latham then stretched New Zealand’s lead, scoring 145 off 250 balls for his first Test hundred in three years. Along the way, he also became the fifth New Zealand player to reach 6000 Test runs.”[The body is] not too bad,” Latham told the host broadcaster after stumps on day three. “I’ll try to get the recovery but a really good day and pleased to be in the position we are.”I guess that [Smith’s injury] is another thing but that hampers the decision [declaration] but it was nice to see a little bit of spin out there when we were batting and that’s an encouraging sign. We’ll chip in when a man goes down and the guys are looking to put a big shift in.”New Zealand eventually declared on 466 for 8 on the fourth day, setting West Indies an improbable target of 531. West Indies, led by an unbeaten 116 from Shai Hope, finished day four on 212 for 4.Allrounder Glenn Phillips, meanwhile, could be in contention for the second Test in Wellington, having proven his match fitness in the first two rounds of the Plunket Shield. Phillips joined New Zealand’s side in Christchurch and pitched in as a substitute fielder after his team was weakened by injuries.

Tottenham are believed to be at the front of a queue for one of Europe’s most exciting strikers as we slowly head into the January transfer window, according to a new report.

Tottenham poised for active January after attacking struggles

Spurs’ struggles this season have exposed a glaring deficiency that threatens to derail their campaign — the absence of a reliable, clinical striker capable of converting chances on a regular-enough basis.

As January approaches, manager Thomas Frank faces mounting pressure to address what has become the most pressing issue hampering Spurs’ progress.

Since the start of 25/26, they’ve registered the second-lowest rate of shots on goal out of every Premier League team, and currently sit 17th in the division for expected goals per game.

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

Their lack of attacking edge was on display for all to see during Spurs’ 4-1 defeat to North London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, with the Lilywhites barely managing to lay a glove on the home side, barring Richarlison’s out-of-this-world lob from the half-way line.

Dominic Solanke’s persistent injury troubles have crippled Tottenham’s forward line since pre-season.

The England international underwent ‘minor ankle surgery’ in October and has managed just 47 minutes of football all campaign, depriving Frank of his primary goalscoring outlet.

The absence of Tottenham’s club-record signing has left a massive void that nobody has adequately filled. His latest setback follows multiple injury problems throughout last season, with the 28-year-old’s record proving a major concern for Frank.

This, combined with Randal Kolo Muani’s own fitness problems, Richarlison’s inconsistency and Mathys Tel’s rumoured unrest, means that Spurs have been repeatedly linked with a new centre-forward.

One of their chief targets, according to multiple reports, is FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa.

The young Spaniard is being targeted by Spurs ahead of the January window, alongside the likes of Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who has reportedly held direct talks with Frank over a move to London in the winter.

Aghehowa was once close to joining Chelsea in 2024 before he pulled out of the move to Stamford Bridge, and that decision has paid dividends.

The 21-year-old has scored 36 goals in 60 total appearances in all competitions since the start of last season, with Aghehowa now having his pick of Premier League suitors ahead of 2026.

Tottenham lead Chelsea, Newcastle and Arsenal in race for Samu Aghehowa

According to CaughtOffside and journalist Mark Brus, Tottenham are currently leading the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle in the race for Aghehowa as they show the strongest interest.

This follows a report from Tuesday that Spurs are prepared to strike a deal for the forward as early as January, but Porto apparently won’t budge on his £88 million release clause.

The former Deportivo Alaves sensation, who Brus describes as ‘one of the most exciting young strikers in the game’ right now, has also been revered as a ‘madman’ number nine by other members of the press.

Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, Spurs’ new co-sporting director duo, could have more funds to play with in January thanks to the Lewis family trust’s recent £100 million capital injection.

Some of these funds could be reinvested into their recruitment drive, and the signing of Aghehowa would certainly be a mid-season statement in Frank’s hunt for silverware and a top four finish.

They aren’t the finished project, but Chelsea have built an impressive squad over the last few years.

The likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, Estevao and Reece James, for example, would get into most Premier League teams.

However, if there is one weakness in the side, it’s probably at centre-back, as without Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana, the options at Enzo Maresca’s disposal aren’t all that inspiring.

Fortunately, Chelsea have been linked with an impressive defender who has been compared to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

Chelsea target defensive reinforcements

The transfer is over a month away, but Chelsea are already being linked with some incredible players from the Premier League and beyond.

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For example, the Blues have been among a handful of sides credited with significant interest in Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, and have even been linked with Juventus wonderkid Kenan Yıldız.

However, while both players would most certainly improve Maresca’s squad, they wouldn’t improve the centre-back depth, unlike Ousmane Diomande.

Yes, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Chelsea have reignited their interest in the up-and-coming Sporting CP star.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that the West Londoners are planning to hijack Crystal Palace’s move for the Ivorian international.

However, to do that, the Pensioners would have to match or even exceed the Eagles’ supposed bid of around £44m.

It could therefore be a complicated and somewhat costly transfer to get over the line, but given Diomande’s ability, potential, and the fact he’s been compared to Saliba and Gabriel, it’s one Chelsea should pursue.

How Diomande compares to Saliba and Gabriel

Now, while Chelsea fans might not want to admit it, and understandably so, Saliba and Gabriel have been the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League for at least a season now.

Therefore, it’s a huge claim to suggest another defender is like a combination of the two, a claim respected analyst Ben Mattinson made when he described Diomande as “a hybrid between Gabriel and Saliba” just last year.

Now, when it comes to the Brazilian, the similarities are rather difficult to miss, as while he’s just an inch shorter, the Ivorian international is still a titan of a player at 6 foot 3.

This stature allows the 21-year-old “monster,” in the words of Mattinson, to overpower opposition attackers and put in challenges that a more slight centre-back would find difficult.

How about the Frenchman, then? What makes the Abidjan-born star similar to him?

Well, despite his impressive physicality, the former Midtjylland gem is no slouch on the ball and has a passing range most defenders could only dream of.

Moreover, according to FBref, the Arsenal star was statistically the most similar centre-back to the Sporting man across last season’s Champions League.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.01

0.03

Progressive Carries

0.36

0.36

Passing Accuracy

93.2%

92.2%

Expected Assists

0.01

0.01

Live Passes

58.8

56.5

Interceptions

0.96

0.91

You can gain a better understanding of how FBref arrived at this conclusion by examining the underlying metrics that the pair ranked closely.

These metrics included non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, passing accuracy, expected assists, live passes, interceptions, and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while he is still young and untested in the top leagues, Diomande looks like an exceptional talent, and given his similarities to Gabriel and Saliba, Chelsea should be doing all they can to sign him.

Forget Delap: 18-year-old star is destined to be Chelsea's future number 9

The incredible youngster will be a superstar for England and Chelsea.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 21, 2025