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Gotham FC standout Imani Dorsey explains why she stepped back during the 2023 campaign, highlighting a mental health battle.

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Dorsey explains 2023 campaign absence from Gotham FCSays it was due to mental health battleNWSL CBA allowed her to be successful during absenceWHAT HAPPENED?

The 2018 NWSL Rookie of the Year – and one-time USWNT capped player – watched Gotham FC lift the 2023 NWSL championship trophy from the bench last weekend, just as she did all campaign. However, it was her choice, with the support of the club, staff and her teammates.

Dorsey shared via Instagram that during 2023 she stepped back from the game this past Spring due to a mental health battle. Her absence was also supported by the NWSL's collective bargaining agreement that was ratified in 2022; the agreement provides players with up to six months of paid leave to support their mental health.

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The 2022 NWSL CBA was ground-breaking for the league and the respective players who compete in it. For someone like Dorsey, who was in need of mental health support, she was able to rely on both the league and her team over the course of the campaign.

Over the course of the year, her social media post highlights different things she was able to do as a result of her break, describing it as 'unforgettable memories' and as a result of her choice, she walks away a 'CHAMPION.'

WHAT DORSEY SAID:

Her Instagram post reads in full: "My year looked a little different than my teammates. Back in April with the help of my family I made the really hard decision to step back from soccer to focus on my mental health. While I didn’t know where this journey would take me, the time I got to spend with friends and family, exploring aspects of myself I typically had little time or capacity to enjoy, helped me better understand who I am, what I love and what makes me, me – without soccer.

"When I took a step back in April I didn’t know if I would return, but I am grateful to say my time away helped me rediscover what I love about this sport – competing, being active, and being a part of a team – and am now so excited to continue playing. As grateful as I have always been to play as a pro, it often felt like a burden rather than the privilege and opportunity it most definitely is. I may not have known where I would be come November initially, but I am so happy to see where I have ended up – and how far I have come. I am so grateful to our CBA and all the work put in by players and our PA to advocate for mental health.

"Thank you to Gotham for supporting me every step of the way and welcoming me back with open arms. And thank you to my family, friends, and everyone who has shown me love and support this year – it is really hard to be vulnerable and with your help I was able to take care of myself in a way I didn’t know I needed.

"To everyone who is struggling, who doesn’t see an end in sight and doesn’t know what to do – know that it is ok to put yourself first. Lean on the people around you and confide in those you trust. Without my family and my faith, I don’t know where I’d be right now. It is really hard to do, but sometimes it’s ok and it’s the right choice to take a step back. It gave me the perspective and energy and confidence I needed. I would never trade this journey or my decision.

"Because of it, I walk away from this year a CHAMPION, incredibly proud of who I have become along the way, all the unforgettable memories I have made, and excited for what my future holds."

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WHAT NEXT FOR DORSEY AND GOTHAM?

The 27-year-old will now look to prepare for the 2024 campaign with the Bats, where she will hopefully make a return to the pitch. Coming off of their first-ever NWSL Championship, Gotham has high hopes for 2024 and now, they have the biggest offseason the in the history of their organization.

Pep Guardiola's side limped out of the competition after dominating possession but doing little with it before being overpowered in the second half

Kalvin Phillips was given a golden opportunity to play his way back into Pep Guardiola's thoughts when Rodri got sent off against Nottingham Forest, but he did not make use of his first chance as Manchester City were outthought and outfought by Newcastle and sent crashing out of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 defeat.

Phillips summed up City's first-half display, playing lots of nice passes and keeping control but without taking any risks or trying to genuinely put Eddie Howe's side under pressure. Newcastle finally came out of the blocks after the break and played with intensity and bravery and City, especially Phillips, had little response.

It was the first time Guardiola's side have lost a match in 90 minutes since May and arguably the first match that mattered since they were beaten by Tottenham in February. All good runs must come to an end at some point, however, and now City must make their peace with the fact that there is at least one competition they won't be winning this season.

GOAL rates Man City's players from St James' Park…

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Stefan Ortega (6/10):

Excellent on the ball, calmly passing out despite opponents breathing down his neck. Made the save of the first half to deny Murphy, could do little about Isak's goal.

Rico Lewis (5/10):

Culpable for the goal, not checking his surroundings when deciding to let Joelinton's cross go. Calm in possession in the first half but overpowered in the second. Came close to a late leveller with shot that just went wide.

Manuel Akanji (5/10):

Looked shaken just after Newcastle took the lead. Solid before then, and picked up the armband from Ake late on.

Josko Gvardiol (4/10):

Made a few sloppy passes, one which gifted Murphy his first-half chance, and didn't command the area well for the goal.

Nathan Ake (5/10):

Too passive in the second half.

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Mateo Kovacic (5/10):

Helped control the first half but rarely looked like making anything happen.

Kalvin Phillips (4/10):

Did not take the chance afforded to him by Rodri's suspension. His passing was imprecise and could not fight back Newcastle's waves of pressure after the break.

Sergio Gomez (5/10):

Too ponderous in possession and hardly got forward into good positions.

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Oscar Bobb (7/10):

An excellent full debut. Worked so hard off the ball and looked like one of few City players capable of doing something useful with it.

Julian Alvarez (5/10):

Not his day. Spurned City's best chance of the first half and barely threatened after that.

Jack Grealish (5/10):

His first start for a month and he looked rusty and uninspired. A shot down Pope's throat was his only attacking contribution.

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Jeremy Doku (6/10):

Didn't manage to make much use of his twisting runs and speedy dribbling.

Matheus Nunes (5/10):

Got pushed around when he came on.

Phil Foden (6/10):

Gave City more purpose when he came on but couldn't really help them.

Pep Guardiola (5/10):

Set a bad tone by complaining about City's travel options before the game. Still picked a strong team but didn't go all out to get back into the game, leaving Haaland and Walker on the bench.

Half-century stands for the first two wickets, Naman Ojha leading them both, helped Madhya Pradesh hold off Railways for a last-over victory at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.MP’s chase of 156 began with a 61-run opening stand between Ojha and and 22-year-old debutant MS Raghav (32 off 16, with seven fours). Ojha then put on 50 for the second wicket with Harpreet Singh (26) and it seemed like MP would cruise. Railways, however, hit back with four wickets for 24 runs, including Ojha’s for 54, to set up a tense finale. It took a timely cameo from Sohraab Dhaliwal at No. 7 (16* off 9) to take MP over the line with one ball and five wickets to spare.That left Mahesh Rawat on the losing side after he had cracked a 38-ball 63 with nine fours and a six. His innings was built on the foundation provided by a 53-run stand for the second wicket between Ashish Singh (32 off 23) and Faiz Ahmed (40 off 42). Despite their batting order banding together, though, Railways couldn’t put up a strong enough score.File photo – Sarfaraz Khan hit an unbeaten 31-ball 52 as UP defeated Chhattisgarh by eight wickets•BCCI

Chattisgarh made a bright start to their first T20 match, with a century stand for the second wicket, but it did not suffice as they ended up losing to Uttar Pradesh. After electing to bat, Chhattisgarh captain Mohammad Kaif was dismissed for a second-ball duck. Abhimanyu Chauhan (56 off 54) and Amandeep Khare (72 off 50) then put on 113 for the second wicket to lift them to 157 for 5. Medium-pacer Amit Mishra took 2 for 27 for UP. In their chase, UP got off to a solid start and were 70 for 2 in the tenth over when Sarfaraz Khan (52* off 31) joined Akshdeep Nath (58* off 45) to put on an unbroken 92 off 59 balls that took UP to an eight-wicket win.

A Chelsea fan has serenaded American owner Todd Boehly having been left excited by the recent managerial appointment of Mauricio Pochettino.

What’s the latest on Todd Boehly and Chelsea?

Back in May 2021, the 49-year-old billionaire led a consortium which completed a £4.25bn takeover of the Blues, ending Roman Abramovich’s 19-year ownership of the club.

While some may have expected a period of calmness to follow under the new ownership as they adapted to life owning a Premier League club, quite the opposite has happened.

Indeed, from that moment up until the end of the most recent January transfer window, Chelsea have spent a reported £556m on transfer under Boehly and more will no doubt be spent in the coming weeks and months.

What’s more, Thomas Tuchel was fired, as was his replacement Graham Potter, while Frank Lampard was questionably reappointed in a disastrous spell as interim boss – and now Pochettino has been handed the reins.

The Argentinian has a big job on his hands as he looks to steady the ship that sunk all the way down to 12th in the Premier League last season.

At least, though, it seems some supporters are more than excited for the new era and have high hopes for what Pochettino can achieve at Stamford Bridge.

In footage circulated on Twitter, a fan in Riyadh – the capital of Saudi Arabia – sang to Boehly and then told the American that Chelsea will win the league with their new head coach.

What is the Benoit Badiashile song at Chelsea?

Despite all the chaos and disappointment that has swept over Stamford Bridge since the 49-year-old arrived, this fan was delighted to meet the club’s owner.

He even sang a terrace song: “Todd Boehly went to France in a Lamborghini, brought us back a centre-back, Benoit Badiashile!”

The supporter then said: “I promise you Todd, that we’re going to get the league with Mauricio Pochettino,” to which Boehly replied: “Yes, Pochettino is going to be great.”

All in all, it seems as though there certainly are high expectations for Pochettino to bring back the glory days to Chelsea. Only time will tell whether the Argentinian will deliver, or end up suffering the same fate as Tuchel and Potter.

Cricket South Africa’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, has called on the ICC to clarify the laws around polishing the ball in the wake of the Faf du Plessis case

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-20162:51

Moonda: ‘Relief for South Africa’

Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat has called on the ICC to clarify the rules around polishing the ball, particularly with regard to what constitutes an “artificial substance”, after South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis was found guilty of ball tampering.A decision has not yet been made on whether du Plessis will appeal the verdict, which resulted in him being fined his entire match fee from the Hobart Test but cleared to play in Adelaide this week. During the Hobart Test, du Plessis shined the ball with saliva while he had a confectionery item in his mouth, which the ICC determined was in contravention of Law 42, which allows players to polish the ball provided no artificial substance is used.”At this stage we’ve advised Faf to reserve his position with regard to the match referee’s finding and wait for the full reasons of his decision before deciding his next step,” Lorgat said in Adelaide on Wednesday. “Very understable, Faf is obviously disappointed by the decision and I can fully understand.”In fairness to both him and the ICC, this is an unprecedented case involving unique issues of policy, science and performance that need to be carefully considered at the highest levels of the game. There are also issues relating to fair and just process, interpretation of the rules, and importantly, the consistent application of the Code of Conduct that needs to be considered.”CSA believes that the Laws of the game do not currently define the term ‘artificial substance’, leaving room for inconsistent application of the rules. For instance, the Laws currently prevent the use of ‘artificial substances’ to polish the ball, yet artificial cotton fibres from playing kit can be used to shine the ball.”Players also regularly chew gum when applying saliva to the ball, or ingest sugary drinks and sweets during short breaks in play before shining the ball. No action is taken in such circumstances by the umpires.””Test match cricket is a competitive sport at the highest level and players and fans deserve certainty around these issues. Integrity and consistent application of the rules are important for everyone. We’ll consult with our legal teams. We want to engage with the ICC in a constructive matter, and we want to deal with this properly.”The Code of Conduct charge was laid by ICC chief executive David Richardson, who is also a qualified lawyer. On Wednesday, Richardson said on Australian television that the ICC “drew the line” because du Plessis’ actions were “pretty obvious”.”Probably in this case in particular, we drew the line,” Richardson told the Nine Network. “We said, ‘we need to charge’ because in our eyes anyway it was pretty obvious that he was using the residue from the sweet directly on the ball.”I think the bottom line is if you want to change the condition of the ball by polishing it, in other words improving it, keeping it, retaining its condition, do so, but don’t use any artificial substance.”

Tottenham Hotspur are currently gearing up for what could potentially be a crucial encounter in their bid for Champions League qualification, with the Lilywhites set to take on top-four rivals Newcastle United later today.

That mouthwatering meeting at St James' Park comes with just three points separating the north London outfit from the Magpies in the third, albeit with the hosts also having the advantage of a game in hand.

While a defeat would not end Tottenham's hopes of finishing in those coveted and lucrative positions, it would certainly be a real setback for Cristian Stellini and co if they were to walk away from Tyneside empty-handed.

Ahead of this afternoon's crunch clash, the interim Italian may have a handful of selection decisions to make following the defeat at home to relegation strugglers Bournemouth last time out, with Spurs unable to afford a repeat showing this time around.

One man who could make way following that last-gasp loss to the Cherries is academy graduate, Oliver Skipp, with the 22-year-old having been 'outmuscled' in the midfield battle last weekend, as per 90min's Sean Walsh.

The young Englishman was rather ineffective in his 77-minute outing as he made just 36 touches and won just two of his seven total duels, with it perhaps time that Stellini hands a rare opportunity to Pape Matar Sarr in his place.

Will Sarr start against Newcastle?

The Senegalese international has endured a frustrating time of it at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to date, having been restricted to just 11 first-team appearances across all fronts so far this season.

Having been signed from Ligue 1 side Metz on a £14.5m deal in 2021 – before returning to France on loan for the following campaign – the 20-year-old has largely been on the periphery since coming back to his parent club in the summer.

When the youngster has featured, however, he has clearly caught the eye having been hailed as a player who "can do everything" by Stellini earlier in the campaign, while also being praised as a "top player" by former boss, Antonio Conte.

The 6 foot 1 gem was particularly impressive during the Champions League defeat to AC Milan back in February, having produced a 'standout display' in that 1-0, first-leg loss, as per the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick, due to his 'composure and crisp passes'.

Even despite the loss of Rodrigo Bentancur to a season-ending injury, however, Sarr has still been unable to dislodge the starting pair of Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with both Stellini and Conte showing a real reluctance to rotate in the centre of the park.

While it would be a bold move to thrust the 14-cap starlet back into the fold for such a high-profile fixture, the midfield maestro's previous display at San Siro should showcase that he would not be overawed by the big occasion.

Arsenal have been given a boost in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt's Djibril Sow, as the midfielder is now believed to be keen on a move, according to a report from Sport1.

Which midfielders could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners have their eye on a number of midfielders ahead of the summer transfer window, with it recently being reported they have opened talks with Leicester City's Youri Tielemans, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

The Belgian is one potential option, however Mikel Arteta may also consider a swoop for Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, as it has now been reported a summer deal is still possible, at which point the Seagulls would accept a £70m offer.

Of course, West Ham United's Declan Rice remains a key target, and it has been detailed that Arsenal are now willing to pay the "jaw-dropping" price tag of at least £100m, as Arteta is personally a huge admirer of the Englishman.

However, the Gunners have also identified a cheaper player to bolster their options in the engine room this summer, as Sport1 report Sow will now be available for the knock-down price of €15m (£13m), having previously been valued at €35m (£31m)

The price tag has fallen as the 26-year-old's contract is set to expire in the summer of 2024, meaning the upcoming window is the last opportunity Frankfurt will have to receive a fee for the central midfielder.

The Bundesliga club will not prevent the Switzerland international from leaving this summer, and moving to the Emirates Stadium would apparently be "exactly the next step he wants to take."

Should Arsenal sign Djibril Sow?

Given that Caicedo is valued at £70m, and Rice could cost more than £100m, the Zurich-born maestro could be a decent alternative option, should the Gunners be priced out of competing for their main targets.

Journalist Sam Smith has hailed the former Borussia Monchengladbach man as "progressive on the ball and combative", indicating he would have a lot to offer Arsenal in both an attacking and defensive sense.

That said, the Frankfurt ace ranks lower than Rice for interceptions, tackles and pass-completion rate per 90 over the past year, while he also has no experience playing in the Premier League.

As such, Sow should only be targeted if the Gunners miss out on their main midfield targets this summer.

West Ham United are reportedly still interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer and the England international's potential arrival at the London Stadium could allow David Moyes to finally ditch Tomas Soucek.

Could West Ham sign Conor Gallagher?

According to the Evening Standard, both Gallagher and Kalvin Phillips are high up on the Hammers' shortlist this summer as they consider how to replace club captain Declan Rice, who looks destined to leave in search of Champions League football.

With Phillips the more natural heir to Rice in the defensive midfield role at West Ham, Gallagher could prove to be a replacement for the struggling Soucek in Moyes' side, should the east London outfit spend big this summer and bring them both in, which of course would only be an option should they avoid relegation from the top flight this season.

It has also been an underwhelming season for the Chelsea academy graduate, who has failed to replicate his performances from his loan spell at Crystal Palace last season, where he became a key player for the Eagles and earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England side.

In 34 Premier League appearances for the Selhurst Park outfit, the young midfielder would manage eight goals and three assists with a strong WhoScored average rating of 7.09, which is comfortably more goal contributions and a better rating than anyone in the Hammers' squad so far this campaign.

Patrick Vieira sang the 23-year-old's praises after his brace in the 3-1 win against Everton, saying:

“Conor has this passion for the game when he is on the field like a Ray Parlour, but I would say he has maybe the quality finishing of a Frank Lampard.

“It is a manager’s dream to have a player like Conor because when he is on the field, he will give everything."

The comparisons with former West Ham and Chelsea favourite Lampard didn't end there however, as NBC Sports journalist Joe Prince-Wright described him as "like peak Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard rolled into one," which certainly bodes well for his future if he can rediscover his best form away from Stamford Bridge.

Could Moyes replace Soucek with Gallagher?

Given the huge sums of money being spent by Todd Boehly at Chelsea, Gallagher could become available this summer and could slot into a new-look Hammers midfield, which fans may well be hoping doesn't feature Soucek.

Despite featuring as a central midfielder, the Czech Republic international boasts one of the worst pass success rates in West Ham's squad with just 72.6% of his passes finding a teammate per Premier League game.

Gallagher also betters Soucek when it comes to key passes (0.7 vs 0.4), dribbles (0.7 vs 0.1) and crosses (0.4 vs 0.2) per game this season, which suggests that even though the young Englishman hasn't been at his best and has been limited to a lot of appearances from the bench, he has still performed better from an attacking perspective this season.

Therefore, surely the Chelsea man would be a preferable long-term option to the former Slavia Prague man in West Ham's midfield.

Antonio Conte and Spurs?

In their latest Premier League fixture, Spurs were unable to make the most of a two-goal lead as they conceded late on to drops two points in a 3-3 draw away at Southampton.

Indeed, Tottenham had led 3-1 thanks to goals from Pedro Porro, Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic but goals in the final 15 minutes of the match from Theo Walcott and James Ward-Prowse were enough to rescue a point for the Saints.

Speaking to the press after the match, a furious Conte delivered a few heated words aimed at his players and the club, saying: “They don’t play for something important, yeah. They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.

“It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench."

While talking about these claims on the BBC radio show 606, Sutton didn't seem to have too much sympathy for the Spurs manager as he said this poor form "is on him".

He explained (14:36): Basically, Antonio Conte says that he sees selfish players, players that don't want to help each other and put their heart into it.

"Hang on a minute, though, he's been there a while now he's not been in five minutes. He's been able to build a team, has brought a lot of signings in. This is on him."

After explaining what Conte had said, Sutton then added (15:46):

"I think his interview tonight, the words which he says tonight, stinks of a guy who wants out, who doesn't want to be there.

"I think a lot of Spurs fans feel the same way but, you know, it's coming to an unhappy ending, isn't it?"

Why did Conte seem so upset about Spurs?

Sutton certainly does have a point about Conte needing to take plenty of responsibility for the result. After all, he has been backed in the transfer market to shape the squad as he likes with Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, and Pedro Porro all involved against the Saints after relatively recent moves to north London.

And if the Italian can't help his team control a two-goal lead against the team sitting bottom of the league, questions should be asked of the manager.

However, it's also true that many other top coaches such as Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino have spent time with Spurs but nobody has been able to win a trophy since 2008.

All in all, it looks like there is plenty wrong with the club from top to bottom. But after these quotes, it's hard to see Conte staying on as manager for much longer.

After such a vicious attack on the club that employs him, you can't help but half wonder if he's trying to get fired.

There's rarely a dull moment in the transfer window for Chelsea these days, with their place as one of the Premier League's busiest clubs unlikely to go away any time soon.

The Blues endured a campaign to forget last season, despite spending a reported £600m, and have attempted to solve their problems by splashing the cash once more this summer, with plenty of departures along the way, too.

So far, however, things haven't exactly gone perfectly to plan, with Mauricio Pochettino's side drawing against Liverpool, losing against West Ham United, and beating Luton Town.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

Bidding farewell to a total of 20 players this summer, Chelsea have been absolutely ruthless, and wasted no time in finding replacements, spending an absurd amount of money yet again. You can see just how much money they have spent, and just how many reinforcements they have welcomed this summer below, per Transfermarkt:

As you can see, the Blues have not hesitated to spend big this season, and what may worry the rest of the Premier League is the suggestion that their business is still yet to end.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have now added Manchester City's Cole Palmer to their list of targets, as they look to welcome one final addition. The Blues are reportedly set to open talks with the Manchester club soon, and see Palmer as their best solution in attack.

"Chelsea add Cole Palmer to list of talented offensive players being considered for final addition! Chelsea are set to open talks soon as they see Palmer as best solution. It remains to be seen Man City position on Palmer but Chelsea really want him."

The transfer expert has since added that an agreement has been reached worth around £45m.

"Cole Palmer to Chelsea, here we go! Agreement in principle reached with Manchester City on £40m deal plus £5m add-ons Exclusive news revealed earlier today then quick resolution between clubs and green light from Palmer. Medical tests to be booked soon."

How good is Cole Palmer?

After his goals in both the Community Shield and the Super Cup, it's no surprise that Palmer is attracting interest. The winger has shown the potential to become the next best thing at Manchester City, though, and it remains to be seen whether the Premier League champions would sanction a deal this summer.

The statistics only further prove just how good the 21-year-old is, too. According to FBref, Palmer is in the top 92 percentile for shot-creating actions, with 3.85 per 90, whilst also maintaining a place in the top 99 percentile for progressive carries per 90, successful take-ons per 90, and progressive passes per 90. Every way you look at it, he looks destined to become a star.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

During his time at Manchester City, the winger has earned plenty of praise, including from club legend Paul Dickov, who previously said, via Manchester Evening News after Palmer scored against Swindon Town:

"I don’t care what the competition is or who the opposition is – that was just a world-class finish.

"He has created the first goal and was involved in everything that was good and positive about Manchester City."