Alec Stewart back as Surrey director of men's cricket

Club legend had taken on high-performance advisor role while supporting his wife’s battle with cancer

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2025

Alec Stewart is a much-loved figure at the Kia Oval•Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Alec Stewart is to resume his role as Surrey’s director of men’s cricket with immediate effect, the club have announced.Stewart, 62, stepped back from working full-time at the Kia Oval after the 2024 season, in order to help care for his wife, Lynn, who died of cancer in April. He remained involved in a new role as high-performance advisor, with Surrey opting not to appoint a successor.However, after one season away, he is set to retake the reins in the pursuit of more success. Stewart, who returned to the club where he spent his playing career as director of cricket in 2013, oversaw a strong player development pathway alongside four County Championship triumphs, including three in a row at the end of his first stint.”Surrey has always been my home and I am now ready to return to full-time duties with the club again,” Stewart said. “My priorities have always been to support the cricket management team and the squad to be the best county in the country, to bring cricketers into our professional squad through our pathway system and help players to fulfil their dreams of representing their country.”Related

Batty praises 'irreplaceable' Stewart as Surrey seal three titles in a row

Alec Stewart takes up new advisor role in extension of Surrey career

Rory Burns reaps the benefit as Surrey set sights on four in a row

Lynn Stewart, wife of Alec, dies after 12-year cancer battle

Surrey remained the team to beat in 2025, but were pipped by Nottinghamshire in the final rounds of the season to end up second on the Division One table.Stewart will be reunited with head coach, Gareth Batty, and captain, Rory Burns, as they look to re-establish their dominance of county cricket’s oldest competition.Oli Slipper, Surrey chair, said: “Alec is a legend of Surrey and we are looking forward to having him back in his role as director of men’s cricket. Alec’s record speaks for itself and he’s been the driving force in so much of the club’s success over many, many years.”Steve Elworthy, CEO at Surrey, added: “Alec’s commitment, drive and attention to detail has built the team into the side it is today and we know he will continue to progress the team as he resumes his role at the helm on the men’s game in the county.”Alec has remained an important part of the cricket management team over the last 12 months and he continues to drive the highest of standards across the club.”

Warwickshire retire Birmingham Bears moniker for revamped T20 Blast

Warwickshire have retired their Birmingham Bears moniker for T20 Blast matches, and will instead revert to being called Warwickshire Bears when the rebooted men’s and women’s competition gets underway in 2026.The club won their sole T20 title as Birmingham Bears in 2014, but have reverted to their county name after more than a decade, following feedback from members and in recognition of the women’s county competition that got underway this season.”Warwickshire has and always will be at the heart of who we are,” Stuart Cain, the county’s chief executive, said. “It’s our identity and has been for well over a century.”Over a decade ago, the club decided to be bold with a city-based name for our T20 team and it saw attendances grow to record levels and attract new fans to the Bears. But with our long-term future in mind, and following feedback from members through the members committee, now is the right time for change.”We represent the county and that’s what returning to Warwickshire Bears is about.”The announcement came ahead of the ECB’s unveiling of next year’s Blast fixtures – which, for the 14th consecutive year, will be hosted at Warwickshire’s home ground of Edgbaston (or EdgBLASTon, as per the club’s “bold and electrifying move” to rebrand the stadium for the duration of the tournament).The Blast schedule has been compromised in recent years, following the introduction of the Hundred in a mid-summer block in July and August. This year’s event featured a final on September 13, almost two months after the conclusion of the group stage in July, meaning that each of the four teams were missing key players – a situation described by Lancashire’s captain, Keaton Jennings, as “ludicrous”.The new-look tournament will take place in a tightened two-month window. The group stage for men and women will run from May 22 to July 12, with the men’s quarter-finals taking place three days later on July 15 and Men’s Finals Day on July 18. Women’s Finals Day will take place 24 hours earlier, on a Friday, at the Kia Oval.Related

  • PCA reiterates fatigue concerns ahead of county domestic review

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The men’s groups have been rejigged, with three groups of six teams replacing the long-standing North and South Groups, albeit with a retention of many of the more traditional rivalries – including Yorkshire versus Lancashire in Lancashire in Group A, Gloucestershire versus Somerset in Group B, and Surrey versus Middlesex in Group C.Each team will now play 12 group-stage matches instead of 14, which has allowed the schedulers to place 80% of these fixtures in fan-friendly slots on a Friday, Sunday or a Bank Holiday. Following feedback from the PCA, which warned of the dangers of player fatigue in a recent survey, the total number of back-to-back matches in the men’s competition has been reduced to six – which is down from more than 50 two years ago – while there is just one in the women’s competition.”The changes to the men’s and women’s Vitality Blast competitions for 2026 have been made in order to benefit fans and players alike,” Neil Snowball, ECB managing director, competitions and major events, said. “Every county will host a men’s and women’s double header, with 61 double-headers in total, while the significant reduction in back-to-back games gives players more opportunity to perform at their very best throughout the competition.Surrey’s Grace Harris poses with the Women’s T20 Blast trophy•ECB via Getty Images

“The narrative of both competitions will also be easier to follow with the knockout stages following on immediately after the group stages, culminating in a true celebration of T20 cricket with the women’s and men’s Vitality Blast Finals Days being hosted at the Kia Oval and Edgbaston on consecutive days.”PCA Chief Executive, Daryl Mitchell, said: “Throughout the past 12 months, the PCA has worked tirelessly alongside the professional game to improve standards for players across all formats. The Vitality Blast competitions for 2026 highlight considerable improvements with a real energy injected into them.”Players want to be at their optimum levels to perform at their best in county cricket’s flagship T20 competition and a significant reduction of back-to-back fixtures across the men’s and women’s Blast, alongside more men’s and women’s double headers and reduced travel in the men’s game will allow this.”The tournaments will begin with 16 men’s and women’s double-headers across the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Somerset, the men’s defending champions, will face Hampshire Hawks in a rematch of last year’s final at Taunton, while Surrey – the women’s winners – will face Lancashire.Yorkshire’s women, who will be embarking on their maiden Tier 1 season, will take part in their first Roses double-header at Old Trafford on 10 July.

Vitality Blast Men’s Competition

Group A: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire
Group B: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Somerset, Warwickshire Bears, Worcestershire Rapids
Group C: Essex, Kent Spitfires, Hampshire Hawks, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex Sharks

فرجاني ساسي بعد خروج تونس من كأس العرب: لم يحالفنا التوفيق.. وسنركز على الإيجابيات

عبر فرجاني ساسي لاعب منتخب تونس، عن حزنه لعدم التأهل إلى دور ربع نهائي بطولة كأس العرب، رغم الفوز على قطر. 

وفاز منتخب تونس على نظيره القطري، بثلاثية نظيفة، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من بطولة كأس العرب.

طالع.. فيديو.. بن رمضان يقود تونس للفوز على قطر بثلاثية ويودعان كأس العرب رسميًا

وفشل منتخب تونس في التأهل إلى ربع نهائي بطولة كأس العرب، بعد احتلاله المركز الثالث في المجموعة برصيد 4 نقاط. 

وقال فرجاني ساسي في تصريحات على قناة “الكأس”: “أهدارنا نقاطًا أول مباراتين، ولعبنا على حظوظنا لآخر لحظة، سنبني على الأشياء الإيجابية وليست السلبية”.

وأضاف: “شكرًا جدًا لجماهيرنا، كأس العرب بطولة مفيدة وتحضير لكأس أمم إفريقيا، كنا نريد تحقيق نتائج إيجابية”. 

وتابع: “لعبنا لآخر لحظة وآخر مباراة كان من الممكن أن نسجل أهدافًا أكثر أمام قطر”. 

Brasileirão sem rebaixamento não partiu de clubes do RS

MatériaMais Notícias

A ideia do Brasileirão não ter rebaixamento este ano não teria partido dos clubes do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Segundo o portal “ge”, a proposta defendida publicamente pelo técnico do Grêmio, Renato Gaúcho, nas últimas semanas teria sido levantada em conversas informais entre dirigentes da Série A nos bastidores.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos do Brasileirão

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A pauta será debatida na próxima segunda-feira (27), no Conselho Técnico da CBF. No entanto, parece difícil que não haver rebaixamento no Brasileirão deste ano não é uma solução viável aos olhos da entidade. Anteriormente, o presidente Ednaldo Rodrigues havia rechaçado a ideia de “proteger” os clubes gaúchos de possíveis quedas à Série B.

Por sua vez, o Grêmio entende que a isonomia do Campeonato Brasileiro está prejudicada, mesmo com o adiamento de jogos. O Imortal jogará longe de sua Arena por boa parte da competição, fato visto internamente como grande prejuízo técnico. Além disso, o Renato Gaúcho citou a condição psicológica e emocional de jogadores como fator de desiquilíbrio.

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– Tem muita gente que acha que as águas do (lago) Guaíba vão baixar e vai tudo voltar ao normal. Acho que muita coisa, infelizmente, vai continuar acontecendo. E a parte psicológica dos jogadores vai ficar afetada. (…) Acho que seria a melhor ideia (não ter rebaixamento no Brasileirão), mas não cabe a mim. Eu penso dessa forma – disse o técnico do Grêmio, em entrevista ao Sportv.

➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

Enquanto o Brasileirão não volta, o Imortal treina no CT Joaquim Grava, que pertence ao Corinthians, em São Paulo. Além disso, disputará as partidas restantes da fase de grupos da Libertadores, contra The Strongest e Estudiantes, no Couto Pereira, em Curitiba.

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Brasileirão

Andre Russell released by Kolkata Knight Riders

Russell has been a constant for the franchise since IPL 2014, and was among five players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction for INR 12 crore

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Nov-2025In one of the most high-profile releases in IPL history, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decided to let go of their star allrounder Andre Russell ahead of the auction for IPL 2026.Russell has been a constant for the franchise since IPL 2014 and was among five players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Though Russell had cost KKR INR 12 crore, releasing him has given the franchise an additional INR 18 crore for the auction, since he was Player 1 in KKR’s list of retainees last year, worth INR 18 crore, and that amount gets credited to the team’s purse now.A bona fide T20 great, Russell is also an IPL GOAT. Only two players in IPL history have scored over 2000 runs and picked 100 wickets. One of them – Russell – has been released, and the other – Ravindra Jadeja – has been traded, making the 2026 retention window among the most headline-making ones.Related

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While the development will surprise many, including KKR fans, the franchise had deliberated releasing Russell ahead of the 2025 mega auction before deciding to stall that call. Russell, who is 37, had retired from international cricket in July, having only played the T20 format after the 2019 World Cup.Russell, who was the Player of the Tournament in IPL 2019, was part of the KKR’s title-winning teams in 2014 and 2024. Russell also won 16 Player-of-the-Match awards at KKR and is only behind the other KKR great Sunil Narine. A powerful batter who is known to take bowlers apart, especially in death overs, Russell has hit the joint-seventh most sixes (223) in the IPL.It is understood that more than one franchise sought out Russell in trade. KKR, though, will have the biggest purse, INR 64.30 crore, at the auction and could look to even buy him back. The teams will also pay attention to Russell’s form in the 2025 season. With the bat in ten innings, Russell hit 167 runs at a strike rate of 163.72, including a 50. His bowling numbers, though, were under par: eight wickets in nine innings at an average of 27.12 and an economy of 11.94.

Paul Scholes claims Arsenal have 'no chance' of winning the Premier League until Mikel Arteta fixes one thing

Paul Scholes believes Arsenal’s title bid will falter once again unless Mikel Arteta finds a way to improve his team's record in the Premier League’s biggest fixtures. The former Manchester United midfielder issued a pointed critique after Arsenal were beaten in agonising fashion by Aston Villa on Saturday, leaving their position at the top of the table looking increasingly fragile.

  • Arsenal's lead cut after late collapse at Villa Park

    Arsenal remain two points clear at the summit, but the mood around the club noticeably turned sour after Emiliano Buendía struck deep into stoppage time to hand Villa a 2-1 win. Leandro Trossard had earlier cancelled out Matty Cash’s opener, and for long stretches Arsenal appeared destined to escape with an unconvincing draw. Instead, they left Birmingham empty-handed and with renewed doubts hanging over their title ambitions. Those doubts were amplified hours later when Manchester City dispatched Sunderland 3-0, a result that tightened the title race. 

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    Scholes believes Arsenal will falter again

    Speaking on podcast, Scholes was unequivocal. Arsenal, he argued, will not end their 22-year wait for a league title unless they begin winning the defining matches of the season.

    "Man City have a great chance now, don’t they?" the United legend asked. "I still don’t think they’re quite right but they always get better in the second-half of the season and the thing with Arsenal is they can’t win a big game."

    Scholes cited defeats to Liverpool and Villa, as well as draws against Manchester City and Chelsea, as evidence of Arsenal’s limitations.

    "Until they start winning big games they’ve got no chance of winning the league," he said. "They lost to Liverpool, they couldn’t beat Man City at home when they were struggling. Aston Villa are a good team, don’t get me wrong, but Arsenal just can’t win big games. They couldn’t beat Chelsea after they went down to ten men. If you’re going to win the league you’ve got to start winning some big games, you’ve got to beat your rivals, and they can’t do it. Historically Man City always get better after January. They were in the Club World Cup so they didn’t really have a pre-season."

    Scholes’ former team-mate Nicky Butt echoed those sentiments, predicting that Pep Guardiola’s side are building towards yet another late-season surge.

    "I did say I fancied Man City for the title about a month ago," Butt said. "They’re suddenly clicking. The reason I think Man City will win the league is Pep [Guardiola]. He’s got the experience. I can see him winning the league this year and then leaving."

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    Gvardiol fuels title talk

    City have overturned Arsenal’s advantage twice in the past three seasons. In 2022-23, Arsenal spent 248 days at the summit and were eight points clear in April, only to unravel in the final weeks. City thrashed Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad during the run-in and ultimately finished five points ahead. In the next season, things were closer, but the ending was familiar as City again found a higher gear, sealing the title with two points to spare. 

    However, Josko Gvardiol warned that the pressure will intensify for both teams as they approach the halfway point of the season.

    "I remember in my first season we were on the top and fighting for the Premier League and you go Fulham away, all the games, you need to win. If you lose or drop points that's it," the City defender told reporters. "First of all they have a good team. It's not just them, it's Aston Villa, Chelsea is good. Sunderland two weeks ago were there at the top. It won't be easy and the season is long. We're not even at the halfway stage. Still a lot of games to play. Two points behind so we are getting closer. We need to build it up like we have for the last two or three months. We will see at the end. Every game is important and we need to win every game."

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  • Arsenal look to regroup ahead of Wolves test

    Arteta has consistently insisted that his team are evolving and learning from narrow defeats, but the narrative of his side falling short in high-stakes clashes is becoming harder to ignore. However, Saturday’s home match against bottom-placed Wolves presents Arteta with an opportunity to steady the ship and reassert authority at the top of the table. 

Mexico 2026 World Cup draw reaction: Son Heung-min and South Korea pose toughest test in otherwise straightforward group

Mexico now know their path for the 2026 World Cup. El Tri will open the tournament at the Estadio Azteca against South Africa (61), marking the first time an opening match from a previous edition has been repeated. South Korea (22) and the winner of a European playoff round out a Group A that also spares Javier Aguirre’s squad from several higher-profile opponents.

Getty Images SportGroup stage opponents: South Korea, South Africa and TBD

Aguirre and the Mexican delegation that traveled to Washington, D.C., can feel relieved with the Group A draw they received for the long-awaited home World Cup. The Pot 2 pairing worked in their favor: Mexico avoided heavyweights such as Colombia and Uruguay. Instead, El Tri will face South Korea – still a difficult opponent, but far more manageable than those top contenders.

Mexico will open the tournament against South Africa, No. 61 in the FIFA rankings – a significantly easier matchup than Norway, who were also in Pot 3. Their final group-stage game at Estadio Azteca will be against the winner of a playoff between Denmark, North Macedonia, Ireland and the Czech Republic, a spot that will be decided in March.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport Must-watch TV: South Africa

The opening match between Mexico and South Africa will undoubtedly draw global attention, even if it’s arguably the most manageable opponent will face in the group stage. Despite the pressure that comes with playing in a World Cup opener, Mexico should be expected to start the tournament with a victory.

Getty Images SportDangerous matchup: South Korea

Against South Korea, Mexico will face their toughest match of the group stage. It’s the second game on the schedule and will be played in Guadalajara. If fail to pick up a victory in the tournament opener, the clash with the Asian side will largely shape the trajectory of their World Cup campaign.

The two teams already met during the September FIFA window, a match that ended in a 2–2 draw after Mexico salvaged a point in the final minutes thanks to a late goal from Santiago Giménez.

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(C)Getty ImagesKey opposition player: Son Heung-min

The biggest threat on the Group A will be South Korean and LAFC star Son Heung-min, which says plenty about how fortunate Mexico were in the draw. Despite leaving European football for MLS this year, Son remains a world-class force. Should Denmark emerge from the playoff bracket, Mexico could also meet Christian Eriksen — but even then, they would have avoided several far more dangerous stars from other national teams.

Elly De La Cruz Shows Off Impressive Reaction Time With Cool Game-Ending Double Play

The Reds entered the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday night locked in a tight battle with the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Fortunately, Cincinnati had the powers of Elly De La Cruz to lean on.

With the Reds up 2-1, the Pirates got a man on first, and Nick Gonzales came up to bat with one out. On a 2-2 count, he absolutely mashed a liner— right at De La Cruz, playing deep at the shortstop position. Without wasting even a second, EDLC then rifled a one-hop throw to first for the force-out that ended the game.

It was a very cool play that required remarkable reaction time and De La Cruz was all too happy to show off his.

That is a hard throw to make it to first on a bounce before the runner does. De La Cruz has done it again.

The win marks the Reds' 61st of the season, and it was arguably the most exciting ending yet.

Worse than Nunes: Pep must drop Man City star who "doesn't have the legs"

Manchester City moved to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, until they play on Wednesday night, with a thrilling 5-4 win over Fulham.

Supporters of their title rivals may have turned off the game when Phil Foden made it 3-0 before half-time, expecting a simple victory for Pep Guardiola’s side, but the Cityzens made hard work of their three points in the end.

Some questionable game management and defensive work from City almost led to them drawing the match, and there are several players who may not be too pleased with their own contributions to the result.

Ranking Man City's worst performers against Fulham

Whilst the likes of Erling Haaland, Tiijani Rijnders, and Phil Foden shone at Craven Cottage, some of Guardiola’s players failed to deliver quality displays on Tuesday night.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was one of those players. The Italy number one conceded four goals from five shots on target against him, letting in 1.95 more goals than expected, per Sofascore.

Full-back Matheus Nunes also failed to put in a convincing performance. The Portuguese defender was dribbled past twice, per Sofascore, and found defending the likes of Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kevin a bit too difficult at times.

Ranking Man City’s worst performers vs Fulham

Rank

Player

1

Bernardo Silva

2

Matheus Nunes

3

Gianluigi Donnarumma

4

Nico O’Reilly

5

Savinho

The same was true of Nico O’Reilly, who lost ten of his 15 duels and was dribbled past once, on the other flank, whilst at the other end of the pitch, Savinho struggled off the bench, wasting several chances to counter and put the game to bed late on.

It was Bernardo Silva, though, who was arguably the worst performer on the night for the Cityzens, which is why Guardiola should ruthlessly drop him from the side.

Why Pep Guardiola should drop Bernardo Silva

The Portuguese central midfielder should be put on the bench for the clash with Sunderland at The Etihad on Saturday after an underwhelming display against Fulham.

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

Commentating for Sky Sports, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton described Bernardo’s flicked clearance that fell for Samuel Chukwueze to score his first goal of the game as “careless”.

A few minutes after that comment, Sutton added that he could not understand why the Portugal international was still on the pitch because he “doesn’t have the legs” that he once did, and that Fulham had “run around” him.

Those comments from the Premier League title winner are backed up by the fact that Bernardo failed to complete three of his four attempted tackles on the night, per Sofascore, which shows that he was a yard off the pace when attempting to challenge Fulham players.

Bernardo also struggled to get up the pitch to influence matters in the final third, with no key passes or ‘big chances’ created from 69 touches of the ball, albeit that was not as important on a night where City scored five goals by the 54th minute.

Vs Fulham

Nunes

Bernardo

Minutes

90

90

Tackles won

3/5

1/4

Duels won

9/13

7/11

Ball recoveries

3

2

Pass accuracy

83%

86%

Key passes

1

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the experienced midfielder was even worse than Nunes, who won more tackles, more duels, and made more ball recoveries, whilst also making more key passes.

Bernardo did well in moments towards the end of the match with his ability to retain possession and calm the play down, but it was partially down to his struggles out of possession and defensively that City were in a position where they had to manage the game in the final minutes.

The left-footed star is, of course, still an important player for Guardiola, having started nine league games this season, but the clash with the Black Cats is one that he should be dropped for after this disappointing showing.

Guardiola could provide Rico Lewis with a chance to play in the middle of the park or play Lewis at right-back and bring Nunes back into his natural role in midfield to see if he can improve on his own underwhelming performance.

Man City now favourites to sign "incredible" £88m star, Pep's captivated by him

City have taken the lead in the race for a Premier League star, with Pep Guardiola a big fan.

By
Dominic Lund

Dec 2, 2025

A game on the bench for Bernardo could, also, keep him fresh ahead of the big match against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, which is another reason why this could be a good move by the Spanish head coach at the weekend.

Maresca must bench 3/10 Chelsea star who lost the ball 21x vs Leeds

Chelsea dropped points for the second game in a row, suffering a disappointing 3-1 defeat away to Leeds United at Elland Road. The Blues put in a lacklustre performance in a tough environment, and never really managed to get into the game.

It was a poor start for Enzo Maresca’s side, who went 1-0 down inside the first six minutes after a fast start from the Whites. It was slack defending from a corner, with Jaka Bijol making a darting run from the edge of the penalty box and heading home at the near post.

The home side doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time. It was yet more questionable defending from the West Londoners, who let Ao Tanaka have acres of space just outside the area. The Japanese international unleashed a vicious shot which nestled into the back of the net.

Chelsea did pull a goal back, with just 50 minutes on the clock. Pedro Neto managed to shake off his marker and pull to the back post, firing home Jamie Gittens’ cross.

It was all in vain, though, after a defensive error with 18 minutes to go meant Leeds scored a third and sealed the win.

It was a disappointing night for Chelsea, with some particularly worrying performances across the board.

Chelsea’s worst performers vs. Leeds

There were some notable bad showings from a few of Maresca’s men against Leeds. One of those came from Tosin Adarabioyo. It was his error which led to Leeds’ third goal and all but secured the three points for the West Yorkshire side.

The former Fulham man received the ball inside the penalty area and took a heavy touch before playing a five-yard pass back to Robert Sanchez.

It was a frustrating lack of awareness from the Chelsea number four, who put his goalkeeper under pressure from the Leeds press.

Another member of the Chelsea side who struggled was centre-forward Liam Delap. It was a night where the Blues’ number nine seemed isolated. Aside from a snapshot in the second half, which he fired over the crossbar, he did little to trouble the Leeds defence.

One person who was critical of Delap’s performance at Elland Road was Goal journalist Tom Ritchie. He gave the English striker a 4/10 for his efforts, and described him as a ‘bystander’ during the first half.

Those two Chelsea stars were not the only players to struggle on Wednesday night, though.

Maresca could boldly bench £180k-per-week Chelsea star

It was a night to forget for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine, who captained the Blues at Elland Road, struggled to get any sort of control in midfield.

Chalkboard

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

Perhaps that coincided with the fact that his usual partner in the centre of the park, Moises Caicedo, was suspended.

Chelsea’s number eight was arguably at fault for Tanaka’s goal. He was dispossessed in midfield, facing his own goal, with the ball breaking loose, a situation Leeds capitalised on.

This weighed into the 3/10 rating he got from Ritchie, who said he ‘looked rattled at times’. Indeed, Fernandez’s stats from the game show how much of a tough night it was.

Normally, so good on the ball, the £180k-per-week asset only had a pass accuracy of 77% in the Whites’ half, losing the ball 21 times. He also failed to complete a dribble or a tackle.

Touches

106

Opposition half pass accuracy

77%

Number of times ball lost

21

Unsuccessful touches

5

Ground duels won

1/4

Tackles

0

Dribbles

0

After a showing like that, it will be interesting to see if Maresca keeps Fernandez in the starting lineup for their next game against Bournemouth this Saturday. He certainly struggled without Caicedo next to him, and Reece James inverting from right-back.

There are options at his disposal, too. Cole Palmer is now back from injury and played 30 minutes at Elland Road on Wednesday. Whether or not he can play from the start remains to be seen, but he could slot into the side.

Alternatively, James could be brought back into the starting XI and operate in midfield, as he has done this season to a good degree of success.

Fernandez’s performance at Elland Road was disappointing, and it would not be a surprise if he dropped out of the side, especially with options at Maresca’s disposal.

As bad as Tosin: Maresca's 4/10 flop must never start for Chelsea again

Chelsea’s title hopes seemingly went up in smoke away at Leeds United.

ByRobbie Walls Dec 4, 2025

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