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Worcestershire 593 for 9 (Roderick 151, Brookes 100, D’Oliveira 84, Taylor 66*, Edavalath 61) vs DurhamWorcestershire’s relegation was confirmed on day three of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham despite centuries from Gareth Roderick and Ethan Brookes.Worcestershire, whose fate was sealed after failing to pick up a third batting point, continued to frustrate a Durham side desperately seeking points to avoid the same fate.Roderick picked up his 12th first class century on a docile pitch after the morning session was washed out and despite a first Durham wicket for Afghan leg spinner Shafiqullah Ghafari, they continued to pile on the runs throughout the day.Brookes joined Roderick in the middle and he picked up his fifty, while Roderick passed 150, but a double-wicket burst from Sam Conners halted the Pears’ momentum.However, Brookes continued the onslaught and notched up three figures as the Pears finished on 591 for 9 at the close.Rain meant that play didn’t start until 1.20pm with 70 overs in the day and Roderick, unbeaten on 95, and nightwatcher Ben Gibbon resumed Worcestershire’s innings.Gibbon continued his good work from the previous night as he frustrated the Durham bowlers and Roderick finally got his first century of the season, coming off 180 deliveries.Gibbon continued to play his strokes, picking up a boundary on the offside off the bowling of Ghafari.Conners almost got the breakthrough as Gibbon edged one on 28, but Emilio Gay couldn’t cling on to it at second slip.Ghafari got his first Durham wicket, Gibbon lbw for 33, but it was too late for a second Durham bowling point.The Pears duo of Roderick and Brookes then guided their side to 400, however Raine nearly had Brookes caught behind, but Ollie Robinson couldn’t hold to a diving catch.The solid Roderick continued to frustrate the home side as he played a lovely dab off Will Rhodes to third region for four just before tea.Roderick resumed after tea as he slammed a Matthew Potts delivery through the covers for four, while Brookes produced a carbon copy in the same over.The Pears keeper continued his vigil in the middle by punishing a Rhodes delivery, but Roderick offered a rare opportunity as Rhodes couldn’t cling on to a caught-and-bowled opportunity. Milestones then followed for the visitors as Brookes passed fifty from 86 balls, while Roderick picked up his 150 from 276 balls.Brookes was dropped a second time, as he edged a Ghafari ball on 57, but Robinson spilled the catch, and Brookes made him pay as he picked up the first six of the game with a hit down the ground.Roderick finally fell for 151, as Conners got him lbw, his second of the match and he followed that up with the wicket of Matthew Waite for a three-ball duck.Brookes continued to pick up runs as he played a wonderful sweep shot for four off the bowling of Ghafari and he took his side to 500 later in the over.Tom Taylor got another life as he miscued one when he was on 15, but Gay couldn’t hold onto it.Brookes then picked up his second ton of the campaign from 130 balls and Taylor absolutely smashed one down the ground for four one ball later.Brookes departed for 100 as he was bowled by Potts after going for a big shot, but he completely missed it, however his team-mate Taylor got to fifty from 54 balls.Final pair Ben Allison and Taylor took Worcestershire to close and will resume unbeaten on 10 and 64 respectively in the morning.

Amid their 14-10, NL Central-leading start to the 2025 MLB season, the Cubs have made a trade for some pitching help.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Chicago is acquiring Drew Pomeranz from the Mariners. The 36-year-old has been pitching with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rangers, and over nine games (9.2 IP) this season, has struck out 14 with an ERA of 4.66.

Pomeranz has been quite the journeyman throughout his professional career, having had stints with the Colorado Rockies (2011 to '13), Oakland Athletics ('14 to '15), San Diego Padres ('16, '20 to '21), Boston Red Sox ('16 to '18), San Francisco Giants ('19), and Milwaukee Brewers ('19). His best season—and lone All-Star Game appearance—came in 2016 with both the Padres and the Red Sox. Pomeranz was also a member of Boston's 2018 World Series-winning team.

The Cubs are off on Monday before welcoming the Los Angeles Dodgers to Wrigley Field on Tuesday for a 7:40 p.m. first pitch.

Kalis strikes a blow for Tier 2 as T20 County Cup heads towards its final rounds

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2025
Sterre Kalis drove the agenda for Yorkshire with 83 not out to beat their Tier 1 opponents Essex by 11 runs and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality County T20 Cup.Kalis, the Netherlands international, was in imperious touch, hitting 14 fours and one leg-side six in Yorkshire’s total of 188 for 4 in 20 overs.Maddy Ward chipped in with a senior-best score of 43, as the pair shared an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 113 in the last 10.4 overs of the home innings.Essex’s bowlers failed to build any pressure, and their batters rarely looked like reeling in the target as Yorkshire made it six wins from six matches across all competitions.The Eagles finished on 177 for 8, with Beth Langston successfully defending 20 runs off the last over.Yorkshire will host either Devon or Warwickshire at Weetwood next Saturday afternoon in the last eight of a competition billed as the FA Cup of county cricket.Durham secured their own place in the last eight in thrilling style at Exmouth on Friday evening, beating Somerset in a Super Over after both teams posted 124 for 9 in their original 20 overs.Going into the final over of the contest, Somerset needed three runs with one wicket in hand. Katherine Fraser served up five dot-balls before Alex Griffiths scrambled two from the final ball to level the scores.Heather Knight then cracked the first ball of the Super Over for four off Mady Villiers, but after taking a single, Rebecca Odgers was stumped third ball, and when Knight went the same way, the final target was nine. Charlie Dean’s first two balls in reply were thumped for four by Bess Heath, and there was no way back from there.Surrey got the better of Hampshire in a compelling tussle at Beckenham, with Kira Chathli making 95 from 47 balls and Alice Capsey an unbeaten 89 from 45 in Surrey’s imposing 237 for 7. In reply, Maia Bouchier – newly dropped by England – made 53 from 29 balls but lacked support as Hampshire finished on 180 for 9.Kent continued their determined march through the draw, beating Cambridgeshire by 80 runs after posting 193 for 2 in their 20 overs, while The Blaze crushed Oxfordshire by ten wickets after bowling them out for 97.In Saturday’s other tie, Leicestershire had the better of a Midlands tussle with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, winning by 41 runs after a key innings of 52 from 39 balls by Francesca Sweet.On Sunday, Warwickshire confirmed their place in the last eight by holding off Devon at Budleigh Salterton. After opting to bat first, the Tier 1 side were kept to 136 for 8, Bethan Ellis top-scoring with 37 off 35 balls. In reply, Devon could only muster 98 for 4, despite an unbeaten 51 off 60 from opener Elle Golsworthy.

Queensland left-arm seamer makes use of UK passport to sign as a local player

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2025

Northamptonshire have signed Queensland left-arm seamer Liam Guthrie on a three-year contract. Guthrie, 27, holds a UK passport and will be registered as a local player.His arrival follows that of new head coach, Darren Lehmann, who described Guthrie as a “genuine pace” option who can swing the ball. The pair worked together previously during Lehmann’s time coaching Queensland and Brisbane Heat.”I’m truly excited about the opportunity to play for Northamptonshire.” Guthrie said. “Competing in the UK has always been a goal of mine, and I am eager to embark on this new chapter.Related

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“I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Darren Lehmann, whose influence on my cricket has been significant since our time working together in Queensland.”Guthrie, 27, made his first-class debut for Western Australia in 2018 but struggled for regular opportunities. He made his Big Bash League debut for Brisbane Heat in 2021, subsequently winning a state contract with Queensland.In 18 first-class matches, he has taken 50 wickets at 37.82, to go with 27 at 27.62 in List A cricket and six at 34.00 in T20s.Lehmann said: “We’re really excited about Liam joining us as a local player for the next three years. He brings left arm swing, genuine pace and having worked with him at Brisbane Heat and Queensland, his attitude is excellent and he has real wicket-taking abilities.”He’ll fit right in with the group who I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with so far.”

Marsh didn’t bowl in the game at the WACA while Khawaja looked in fine touch on the last day

Tristan Lavalette11-Oct-2024Western Australia 465 (Inglis 122, Whiteman 102, Connolly 79, Neser 5-68) and 263 for 6 dec (Marsh 94, Wildermuth 3-38) drew with Queensland 367 (Clayton 85, Labuschagne 77, McDermott 68, Gannon 5-57) and 120 for 1 (Khawaja 64*, Labuschagne 35*)Mitchell Marsh smashed 94 as a specialist batter before the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Queensland petered out to a draw on a sedate WACA surface.Set 362 runs off 62 overs, Queensland never went for the target and the match ended when the captains agreed to call it off midway through the final session on the last day.Opener Usman Khawaja looked in fine touch and finished 64 not out to ensure Queensland avoided any late nerves. Captain Marnus Labuschagne tuned up for the Test summer with an unbeaten 35 on the back of his 77 in the first innings.With Test allrounder Cameron Green facing a long stint on the sidelines due to a back injury, a number of players in the match were under the spotlight. Test aspirant Matthew Renshaw made an untimely double failure after edging behind to Matthew Kelly on 15 having scored just six runs in the first innings.WA counterpart Cameron Bancroft, another possible option to open for Australia if Steven Smith shifts down the order, fared even worse after making a pair earlier in the match.”He’s [Bancroft] so resilient. He’s been through so much in his career. He’ll be fine,” WA captain Sam Whiteman said after the match.Batting at No.4, Marsh top-scored in WA’s second innings of 263 for 6 dec after rescuing his team from a top-order collapse. He also scored 13 in the first innings, but did not bowl in the match.”Mitch is in for a big summer. His workloads are going to be managed very carefully by Cricket Australia. We are hopeful we might see Mitch with ball in hand for the next Shield match,” WA coach Adam Voges said after play on day three.Allrounder Aaron Hardie, who looms as a like-for-like replacement for Green, missed the match due to a quad injury but is likely to return for WA’s next Shield match against Tasmania starting on October 20 at the WACA.Quick Lance Morris sustained a minor quad injury during training and is pushing to be available for the One Day Cup game against Tasmania on 25 October.With WA resuming on 106 for 3, a lead of 204, there was intrigue over how they would approach the situation. Marsh had mostly been watchful late on day three, but was in a trademark aggressive mood as he reached his half-century with a push that rocketed to the boundary.Fringe Test quick Michael Neser threatened by targeting a crack, but Marsh was unperturbed as he put the foot down. His most belligerent shot was smashing a short delivery from debutant Tom Straker that thudded into the ground’s famous grassbanks.Marsh tried to reach his century with one mighty blow, but mistimed and holed out much to his chagrin as he threw his bat in the air.Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis backed up his first-innings century with a quick-fire 48 to claim Player-of-the-Match award. His confidence was obvious and he toyed with legspinner Mitchell Swepson, who had the last laugh but struggled to have much impact across the match.The pitch flattened considerably after tough early conditions when WA lost the wickets of Bancroft and Jayden Goodwin off the first two balls bowled by Neser, who was Queensland’s standout bowler with six wickets for the match.”Phenomenal bowler and I was very happy how he started the season,” Labuschagne said of Neser, who could also be in the Test mix.

Sam Billings fifty in vain as Kent lose fourth game on the trot

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2024

Sussex 201 for 7 (Ward 61, Lamb 40, Parkinson 3-31) beat Kent 170 for 7 (Billings 51, Bell-Drummond 37, Evison 34*, Lamb 3-37) by 31 runsSussex Sharks made it five wins out of seven in the Vitality Blast when they defeated Kent’s Spitfires by 31 runs at The 1st Central County Ground in Hove. But for Kent this was a fourth defeat in as many games.Kent’s challenge, to score 202, was always a daunting one, the more so after Zak Crawley was bowled by Ollie Robinson for 4 in the opening over – the England opener’s sixth consecutive failure to reach double figures. Robinson was also unlucky not to have Marcus O’Riordan lbw in the same over.But when O’Riordan was out in the second over, edging Nathan McAndrew to first slip, everything appeared to depend on Daniel Bell-Drummond and skipper Sam Billings, because there was a lack of experience in Kent’s late middle-order.Bell-Drummond and Billings looked the part as they added 93 for the third wicket. And when James Coles went for 19 in one over, and also dropped Bell-Drummond, a steepling catch, it looked a possible turning point. But Sussex captain Tymal Mills responded by bringing himself on at the other end and immediately bowled the Kent batter.That moved Billings firmly centre stage. But in the next over he sent a lofted drive to Robinson at wide long-off and the match looked over, despite a spirited knock from Joey Evison and a quick 18 from former Sussex player Harry Finch. Danny Lamb completed an impressive all-round match with figures of 3 for 37.Earlier Kent, who chose to field, made a good start when they conceded just three runs off the opening two overs. But the next four overs went for 19, 13, 16 and 17 as Sussex reached 68 without loss from the powerplay.In those six overs Daniel Hughes faced just nine deliveries. But Harrison Ward, showing form and confidence after his 68 at Chelmsford on Friday, made up for at the other end. He reached his fifty from just 24 balls, with some long hitting, both straight and to the short boundary on the left-hander’s leg side.Kent broke through in the seventh over when Hughes, who had swung Matt Parkinson for two sixes, was well caught by Bell-Drummond at long-leg as he attempted a third. Ward followed in the next over, caught by Finch on the deep midwicket boundary. He had made 61 off 28 deliveries, with six fours and five sixes.The Kent fightback continued when Beyers Swanepoel bowled John Simpson for three in the ninth and in the next over Tom Alsop was lbw to Parkinson for just 2, a very tight decision. When Coles gave Parkinson his third wicket, also lbw, for 21, Sussex had lost five wickets for just 36 runs.But some late hitting by Lamb, who managed 40 from 32 balls, saw Sussex past 200. Kent, for the most part, bowled well in discouraging conditions. But Swanepoel (1 for 53) and Grant Stewart (0 for 51) were disappointing.

Game 7 of the World Series unfolded in truly epic fashion on Saturday night and it resulted in an absolutely gut-wrenching loss by the Blue Jays to the Dodgers. Thanks to a Will Smith home run in the top of the 11th and a clutch double play in the bottom of the frame Los Angeles won its third Fall Classic in the last six years to officially establish a dynasty. Toronto, meanwhile, has a very long offseason of painful reflection ahead after coming close to its first championship in over 30 years.

It was as brutal a loss as you’ll ever see in sports and Sportsnet broadcaster Caleb Joseph was not happy about it. Appearing on the Canadian broadcast after the game, Joseph did not hesitate to declare he believed the better team did not win the series, even dropping a curse word on television as he memorialized the best Blue Jays season in decades.

“There were a lot of wet eyes and I don’t blame them for that,” Joseph said as he described the scene at Rogers Centre following the defeat. “It’s going to sound like sour grapes, and I don’t really give a s—, but I think the better team did not win this series. I think the Blue Jays are the better team. I feel like they played baseball a certain way, it was infectious, it grabbed the attention of the fans, and it’s disheartening to see that the better team did not win. That’s not to take anything away from the Dodgers, but the Blue Jays, they did so many things correct, so many things right.”

Joseph did spend the 2020 season with the organization and has followed their postseason run with Sportsnet. So the strong emotions are perhaps not a surprise.

But it ultimately doesn’t matter who was the “better team” in the way Joseph is talking about. The Dodgers won four out of seven games and thus they are the victor. The Blue Jays had their chances but couldn’t take advantage. Through that lens, the better team was from Los Angeles, and another World Series trophy belongs to the franchise as a result.

Joseph’s comments undoubtedly resonated with the Canadian audience who have loyally watched Sportsnet throughout this run. But no amount of lamenting who was the better team changes the outcome: the Blue Jays lost. The Dodgers won. And that’s how it'll be remembered forever.

Bangladesh clean swept Afghanistan 3-0 in the T20I series in Sharjah, as they successfully followed a chasing template in all three matches. Saif Hassan continued his good form with an unbeaten 38-ball 64 that powered Bangladesh to a six-wicket win in the third T20I.Afghanistan once again fell well short after being sent in to bat first. They had an ordinary powerplay, followed by an even worse middle overs. Only a late burst from Darwish Rasooli and No. 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman got them to 143 for 9 in 20 overs.Tanzid Hasan got Bangladesh off to a quick start before Saif took over with his big-hitting. He struck seven sixes and two fours, including several swings, flicks and sweeps on his way to his fourth T20I fifty. Bangladesh did lose a couple of wickets in the middle, but Nurul Hasan struck the winning runs to wrap up victory with two overs to spare.

Tanzid provides early fireworks

Azmatullah Omarzai provided Afghanistan with the early wicket of Parvez Hossain, when the left-hand batter skied him in the fifth over. Parvez looked good in the early exchanges, striking a four and a six in his innings of 14. But when he tried to loft Omarzai, he was caught at mid-off.Saif started with a six later in the same over, before Tanzid crashed two fours in a row off Rashid Khan in the seventh over.Darwish Rasooli’s innings of 32 propelled Afghanistan•ACB

Tanzid then belted Mujeeb for a six over long-on, before Rasooli dropped a sitter off Tanzid’s top edge in the 11th over. But thankfully, for Abdollah Ahmadzai, who was the bowler, Tanzid top-edged his next delivery, a slower one, to mid-off. But Tanzid’s run-a-ball 33, and his 55-run second-wicket stand with Saif, had given Bangladesh a good base in their 144-run chase.

Saif slays, Jaker flails

Like earlier in the series, Bangladesh, though, fell into the pattern of getting into panic mode after a good partnership. Captain Jaker Ali survived two lbw appeals in three balls against Rashid. Both times the ball pitched outside leg stump. Saif then laid into Ahmadzai with a 92-metre six in a 22-run over that should have made life comfortable for Bangladesh.Instead, with just 35 runs to get in 38 balls, Jaker fell to Mujeeb. Jaker took a second review in his 11-ball stay, but this time it didn’t save him. Mujeeb then had Shamim Hossain bowled for a golden duck to make things a little interesting.Saif, meanwhile, cleverly played out Rashid’s last over, the 15th of the innings, with forward-defensive shots, even as it meant giving away a maiden. It didn’t put much pressure on Bangladesh, however, although he made up for it by striking debutant Bashir Ahmad for two sixes in the 16th over. Saif reached his fourth fifty with the second six in the over, a slog sweep that went for 95 meters.Nurul, at the other end, remained not out on 10, including hitting the match-winning runs, a six off Ahmadzai, who had an evening to forget in Sharjah. Nurul thus ended unbeaten in all three matches of the T20I series.Mohammad Saifuddin got three wickets•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Saifuddin leads Bangladesh’s charge

Bangladesh’s bowlers continued their dominance in the powerplay in this T20I series. Afghanistan were 39 for 3 after six overs, with Shoriful Islam once again giving Bangladesh an early breakthrough. He removed Ibrahim Zadran in the third over, before Shamim took a screamer at cover to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Nasum Ahmed in the fourth over.Wafiullah Tarakhil’s wicket in the sixth over rounded off Afghanistan’s struggle in the powerplay. Sediqullah Atal looked good during his 23-ball 28, before Mohammad Saifuddin had him caught at deep point in the 11th over. Omarzai then skied Rishad Hossain for 3, before Mohammad Nabi and Rashid fell cheaply, and in successive overs.Bangladesh dominated with the ball till the 15th over, and with Afghanistan at 106 for 8, they might have expected to take the last two wickets rather quickly.

Rasooli, Mujeeb salvage some pride

Bangladesh almost had the ninth wicket in the 17th over when umpire Ahmed Shah Pakteen adjudged Mujeeb lbw, only for a review to save Mujeeb. Rasooli struck Rishad for a four and six later in the over, before Mujeeb got two fours off Shoriful in the 18th over. Rasooli, who scored 29, fell trying to slash Saifuddin, thus giving the latter his third wicket, and ending a 34-run ninth-wicket stand.New batter Bashir then survived a caught-behind chance, with the ball having dropped an inch in front of wicketkeeper Jaker. Mujeeb struck one more four to take Afghanistan past 140, thus giving their bowlers something to aim at.

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Durante a partida contra o Bolívar pela Libertadores, os torcedores do Flamengo aproveitaram para criticar o desempenho de Wesley na altitude. Para alguns rubro-negros o lateral-direito está dando um desgosto absurdo. Confira as reações abaixo.

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At one point during the international break, it appeared as if both Napoli and Atalanta would have new coaches in place for this weekend's meeting between the two sides at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. However, while the Bergamaschi inevitably sacked Ivan Juric the day after their shocking 3-0 defeat at home to Sassuolo, Antonio Conte remains in charge of the Partenopei – which is actually something of a surprise.

Conte may have led Napoli to just their fourth Serie A title six months ago, but his relationship with his players appears to be even worse than their results right now, with the coach comparing his team to a corpse after exhibiting zero signs of life in their latest loss at Bologna.

So, what on earth is going on with the Italian champions? Has Conte really lost the dressing room? Or is he simply trying to provoke a reaction out of his underperforming team by casting doubt on his future?

Getty Images Sport'Great knowledge of what football really means'

Conte is obviously no stranger to controversy. The notoriously combustible coach has repeatedly fallen out with his employers – and usually over perceived parsimony in the transfer market. His legendary lament at Juventus that "You cannot eat at a €100 restaurant with €10 in your pocket" has become a part of the lexicon of Italian football. Even by Conte's standards, though, it was jarring to hear him bemoaning a lack of investment before he'd even taken charge of his first match as Napoli coach last year.

In that particular instance, though, Conte did have some cause for complaint, as the horribly handled Victor Osimhen affair held up the club's summer recruitment for far longer than it should have done. The equally-outspoken Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis also acknowledged that last season's Scudetto success was made all the more remarkable for the fact that Conte had had to deal with the sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for financial reasons midway through their title challenge.

"He managed through incidents and injuries to make do with what he had, using not one, but four or five different tactical systems," De Laurentiis enthused at the trophy parade in May. "Conte showed the whole world that systems are useless and that all you need is a great knowledge of what football really means. So, for him who took us all the way to win the second Scudetto in three years, I ask for an applause, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'There had been errors'

However, in the very same speech that De Laurentiis used to thank Conte, he also wished him "continuing success in his professional life" – which appeared to confirm rumours that the coach had already decided to part company with the Partenopei after just one season in charge – and return to Juventus.

Conte insisted all along, though, that he wouldn't make a decision on his future until after he had spoken to De Laurentiis and, after showdown talks with the president, he revealed that he would continue as coach because the club had acknowledged that certain mistakes had been made over the course of the campaign.

"I think everyone is aware of what happened in January," Conte told in June. "During the season, some things didn't really make me happy. New players arrived only in the last week [of the summer window]: (Scott) McTominay, (Billy) Gilmour, (David) Neres and (Romelu) Lukaku. Honestly, I didn’t like that.

"But I believe I was good at accepting the situation and not giving excuses to my players and myself. When you sign [a contract], there are honours and duties. But when we spoke, they admitted there had been errors. It happens, though, in the first year of marriage, so once I was reassured on certain things, we agreed to continue and now we must defend the Scudetto."

Getty Images Sport'Nine new players are too many'

Unfortunately, this particular marriage could very easily end in divorce – but not because of any fresh tension over transfers between Conte and the club.

Napoli pretty much gave Conte everything they wanted during the summer, signing eight players for a combined cost of roughly €200 million (when the obligatory fees are taken into account), while at the same time making free agent Kevin De Bruyne their second-highest earner after Lukaku. By Serie A standards, this constituted a colossal spending spree – and yet Conte has used Napoli's recruitment as an excuse for his side's patchy performances so far this season.

"Last year we won a championship where the players pushed themselves to the limit; we had unity in every way," Conte told after a shocking 6-2 Champions League loss at PSV. "In my opinion, nine new players are too many.

"We opened the transfer window because we were forced to do so. We tried to strengthen the squad but it takes time and patience. Bringing nine new players into the dressing room isn't easy. The old guys, myself and those from last year, need to step up our game and find unity again."

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AFPDe Bruyne blow

However, while Napoli looked like their old selves in beating Inter four days after being embarrassed in Eindhoven, they've struggled ever since to score goals due to a general lack of cohesion and creativity.

The loss of De Bruyne to a serious hamstring injury sustained while converting a penalty in the Inter game has understandably had a devastating impact on Napoli's attack, and partly explains why the goals have dried up for Rasmus Hojlund in recent weeks – which is a major problem given Lorenzo Lucca is looking like a poor signing and Lukaku is still not back to full fitness. Indeed, Napoli have now failed to score in their last three games in all competitions.

However, what's really troubling Conte is his team's work-rate, as the Partenopei are not playing with anything like the same dynamism as last season. The obvious explanation is that a team unburdened by European football last season is still getting used to the added stress and strain of competing in the Champions League. Some supporters and pundits are pointing the finger at Conte, though.