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A year ago, Arsenal’s need for a new striker was exacerbated by injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

A year on, the two forwards are now back in contention to start games for the Gunners but arguably, they still need a striker.

Jesus did score his first goal back from a horrific ACL injury on Tuesday night, netting the fourth in their win over Aston Villa, but Viktor Gyokeres continues to struggle.

He may have netted from the spot in the 1-0 win over Everton prior to Christmas but he is now without a non-penalty goal since 1st November when he found the net from a header against Burnley.

It’s safe to say his performances are becoming all the more concerning.

How Gyokeres fared against Aston Villa

On paper, this was a game that suited Gyokeres. For most of his Arsenal career, the Swede has had to play against deep blocks.

That hardly suits his swashbuckling and quick style of play. He doesn’t get any room whatsoever. Yet, Villa, who play with a higher line and come at their opponents, looked like a good match.

Gyokeres did manage to have three shots, notably placing a header wide in the first half, but he continues to float through games pretty anonymously.

He managed just 16 touches of the ball against the Villans, producing only three accurate passes and winning one of his seven duels. While it was an improved performance on what we’ve seen in recent weeks, certainly as far as generating shots is concerned, it was another game in which he failed to find the net.

Gyokeres vs Aston Villa

Minutes played

77

Touches

16

Accurate passes

3/6 (60%)

Shots

3

Shots on target

0

Big chances missed

1

Possession lost

6x

Key passes

0

Ground duels won

1/6

Aerial duels won

0/1

Stats via Sofascore.

The fact of the matter is that Arsenal paid Sporting a lot of money for Gyokers to score goals. He is not doing that with enough regularity.

It was thought when the former Coventry City man arrived that he would be the player to fire Arsenal to the title. He may still do that but the early signs are damning. It said it all that Jesus, who had been on the pitch for a matter of moments, instantly found the net.

He certainly looks like a better option at the moment and it won’t be too long, surely, before Havertz leapfrogs the summer arrival in the pecking order.

Why Kai Havertz is still the main man

It’s funny how quickly things change in football, isn’t it? As we entered 2024, the debate was rife about Havertz.

Like Gyokeres, he was being branded as a flop. Why on earth did the Gunners pay £65m to sign him from Chelsea? Well, as 2024 played out, it quickly became apparent.

Initially signed as a central midfielder, it was as a centre-forward where he wove his way into the hearts of supporters inside the Emirates Stadium. His Arsenal journey is eerily similar to that of Mikel Merino.

As a striker, the big German has been sublime. In 2023/24, he netted just six times in 33 appearances as a midfielder but when leading the line, he scored eight and assisted eight in 18 outings. Nine of his 14 goals that campaign came in February and beyond.

On that evidence, there is hope for Gyokeres yet. However, in Havertz, they have someone who not only suits the system but, crucially, makes Arsenal tick. As we approach a busy stage of the term, his return from injury is timely.

This side are not used to having a striker who runs in behind and as much as they need to adapt better to Gyokeres’ style of play, it speaks volumes that some of Arsenal’s best performances this season have come with a similar player to Havertz in Merino leading the line.

The Spaniard was selected as the number 9 in the enthralling wins over Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur within a few days of each other.

While the Germany international isn’t yet ready to start games, his reemergence on the bench against Villa on Tuesday night was a very welcome sight. His array of qualities are going to be huge for Arteta and Co throughout the second half of this season.

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A summary from England boss Thomas Tuchel, who managed him at Chelsea, tells us a lot.

“I see a bit of Dennis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, [Dimitar] Berbatov kind of player. He can play in the half position because he has good runs, but also feels free from the nine and creates overload to one side. When I watched him at Leverkusen, I didn’t know that I would coach him, when I watched him at Paris [Saint-Germain], they made him play as a nine which was very interesting.”

He’s not the only one to make that sort of comparison. Former Arsenal man Paul Merson said at one stage that he was a “Bergkamp kind of player.”

He may not possess the same technical elegance as the great Dutchman but you can see where Tuchel and Merson are coming from. Like Bergkamp, he’s a selfless figure, someone capable of not just scoring but bringing others into play.

It will take a while for Havertz to get up to speed but if he can do it swiftly, it could be the end for Gyokeres in an Arsenal shirt.

	Anil Kumble and Gary Kirsten arrive for the selection meeting in Bangalore © AFP

Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa but the two Singhs – Yuvraj and Harbhajan – have been retained after the selectors named an expected 14-member squad in Bangalore.Murali Kartik was brought in as the third spinner, but an ankle sprain, sustained during the Deodhar Trophy game in Bangalore, has ruled him out for three weeks. Piyush Chawla, who was named as a back-up, thus finds himself in the squad.”It is a serious injury and will take a minimum of three weeks to heal,” Bangalore-based surgeon Chetan Rai, who examined Kartik soon after the incident, told .There are also question marks over Harbhajan Singh, the offspinner. He didn’t undergo the fitness test he was scheduled to undergo today and will have to do so on March 21.Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who suffered a sprain to a finger, will also have to clear a test on the same day, failing which Dinesh Karthik will take over the wicketkeeping duties.Ishant had suffered an inflammation to his big toe during India’s recent tour to Australia, apart from a finger injury, and was advised complete rest for three weeks. His selection for the second Test, starting in Ahmedabad on April 3, is subject to another fitness test.Yuvraj, who had a problem with his knee, underwent a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He had a poor run in the Tests in Australia, scoring just 17 in two matches, but retained his spot. Wasim Jaffer, another player who was dropped during the Australia series, also held on to his place.Sreesanth comes back into the side after recovering from a shoulder problem. RP Singh, who suffered a hamstring strain in Adelaide, also made the cut and showed his fine form with a five-wicket haul against North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy match in Bangalore. Zaheer Khan, who had said he needs more time to recover, wasn’t picked and Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, felt “he may miss the series”.Virender Sehwag, who made a match-saving hundred in the Adelaide Test, was retained and celebrated with a rollicking 81 in the Deodhar Trophy in Bangalore. The middle order has a familiar look to it.Anil Kumble will spearhead the spin department but it remains to be seen who his partner will be in the first Test in Chennai, which starts on March 26. The meeting, chaired by Dilip Vengsarkar, lasted an hour and a half. Kumble and Gary Kirsten, the newly-appointed coach, were present as well.Squad for the first two Tests Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth, RP Singh.Back-up: Dinesh Karthik

Manoj Tiwary hurt himself during the nets session and will miss the first one-dayer © AFP

Manoj Tiwary, who was expected to make his debut in the first one-dayer against Bangladesh, has been ruled out of the one-day series due to a shoulder injury. Tiwary is expected to take the flight back home to Kolkata shortly.Tiwary hurt himself at the training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today. Towards the fag end of the session that went on for a bit more than two hours, Tiwary landed awkwardly on his right shoulder, while diving to save a boundary during one of the out-fielding drills. That it was serious showed in the way he didn’t get up to stop the ball that was trickling down towards the boundary.Tiwary didn’t take any chance and lay put until John Gloster, the team physiotherapist, arrived and took charge. He was immediately taken to the dressing room even as the practice went on for 15 more minutes. He was immediately sent for investigations of the shoulder (MRI and X-Rays). These results were reviewed by an orthopedic specialist and in view of these findings, the mechanism of injury and from clinical observation Tiwary has been advised to go back home.Dilip Vengsarkar, Chairman Senior Selection Committee, will consult team management after reaching Dhaka and will pick a replacement. The first one-dayer is on May 10th.Tiwary was Bengal’s star batsmen in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy season. He scored 796 runs in seven matches at 99.50, with only one score between 50 and 150 – and crossed 150 three times. He cracked a fine 94 in the Ranji Trophy final against a national attack of Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar.

Ricky Ponting: “We just had guys who, if we were fair dinkum, probably shouldn’t have played” © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has renewed his demand that cricket’s administrators give their players a break, adding that the near-upset in the first Test at Fatullah was entirely down to the fatigue levels of his jet-lagged players.”We just didn’t have a break,” Ponting told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Two days between most Test matches that we’ve just played is not nearly enough. I think we just saw the effects of that day one in Dhaka. We just had guys who, if we were fair dinkum, probably shouldn’t have played. Shouldn’t have taken the field because they were just totally exhausted and fatigued.”Australia’s emphatic victory, by an innings and 80 runs, in the second Test at Chittagong, was a more apt reflection of the gulf between the sides ranked No. 1 and No. 10 in the world. But Ponting hoped that their poor showing in the first Test, where they scraped to victory by just three wickets after conceding a hefty first-innings deficit, would make the administrators sit up and notice.”For the last few years now we’ve basically been demanding more days – three days – between Test matches,” said Ponting. “One day might not sound a lot but coming here, if we had one more day before the first Test, we would have been a lot better off for it. I think we’ve played five in five weeks, in pretty extreme conditions here. That, as far as I’m concerned, is not acceptable.”Ponting’s comments will doubtless sound like sour grapes to Bangladesh’s supporters, especially after he was forced to backtrack on his earlier statement that their team should not be playing Test cricket. But the sight of Jason Gillespie helping himself to a Test double-hundred in the Chittagong fixture merely underlined the gulf that exists between the two nations.

Anand Vasu, an assistant editor of Cricinfo, has won the award for the Best Interview of the Year in the inaugural Indian Sports Journalism Awards held in Mumbai on Saturday night. The awards function, organised by the Sports Journalists’ Federation of India, was attended by Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Agarkar and several notable personalities from other sporting fields.Vasu, who has extensively covered both international and domestic cricket over the last six years, was nominated for the category for his Talking Cricket with Jonty Rhodes, which appeared in the February 2005 issue of Wisden Asia Cricket, and walked away with the prize ahead of Clayton Murzello from , a Mumbai-based tabloid, and G Krishnan from Deccan Herald, a Bangalore-based daily. Vasu was also nominated for the Best Cricket Writer of the Year but lost out to Kadambari Murali from Dravid, one of the guests of honour, spoke about the importance of journalism and how “good performances on the field turn into memorable ones once journalists write about it.” Michael Ferreira, the former billiards world champion who was one of the three judges, said that the standard of journalism had improved in the country and added that it was a very tough task to choose the final winners.

Despite dominating for the first two days, Sri Lanka ultimately capitulated rather meekly. Here is what Hashan Tillakaratne, their captain, had to say after the disappointing defeat:

Thilan Samaraweera: one of the batsmen who let the team down© Getty Images

His take on the match: We dominated the first two days and I thought they fought very hard and played very good cricket from the third day onwards. We shouldn’t get rattled; we must get together and pull up our socks in the next two games. The batsmen are experienced enough to come back and make a big contribution.On where the match turned around: We could have got more runs on the first session of the third day. I thought we played a little negative cricket [during that period]. The one-and-a-half hours [in the morning session] we just relaxed a bit as we knew we had 130 on the board before we started the third day.Our bowling in the second innings was not all that good. The support bowling for Murali wasn’t all that good, and we gave them too many boundary balls. The Australians adapted very well to the turning track.On Sri Lanka’s capitulation on the fifth day: On the fifth day the wicket was bad, there was so many rough patches on that track. The first session was very vital. We lost five wickets for 90. From there it was very difficult to save a Test match.However, I think we made the pitch look difficult to bat on. We needed one of our top three batsmen to play a big innings so that the others could bat around him but that didn’t happen. I totally blame the batting for not saving the Test. You can survive on this track, [it’s] just that we were so casual in our approach and gave it to them on a platter.On his unusually aggressive approach with the bat: I thought of playing positively because we had lost six wickets already. If I had defended it would not have made a difference. So I thought I should try and take Warne on.

THE CONTINUED ZCOYou may remember I emailed you when there was talk of the ZCO no longer existing. Well, I just wanted to say thank you very much for continuing to do such a sterling job. If I may just bother you with three quick questions.Firstly, I really cannot believe the selectors have been so quick to drop Carlisle. He has really improved these past few years and is certainly a more viable option than Matsikenyeri/Vermeulen/Campbell/ Ebrahim, etc. Are there any personality issues and do you think he will return soon?Secondly, I have been very impressed with what have heard of Strydom; what news of him?Thirdly, I am always keen to hear of young cricketers and two were mentioned in the past year or so Andrew Durham I think he was called and a chap called Lamb who has returned to Zimbabwe and was said to have lots of potential, so what has happened to them?Thanks for all your work.Rodney Juice (England)Reply: Carlisle did not score many runs until just before Christmas, but there may well be things behind the scenes that we don’t know about. Strydom has been accepted into the CFX Academy for this year. Durham does not have a Zimbabwean passport the last I heard, which rules out international opportunities, while Lamb is here only on holiday; he is currently taking up British citizenship.

Orissa qualified for the Wills Trophy after 16 years, defeating Bengal by eightwickets in their final East Zone Ranji Trophy one day league match at the EdenGardens today. As a result, Orissa finished with eight points, sufficient forthem to make it to the Wills Trophy.It was a wrong decision by the Bengal think-tank that proved disastrous for thehosts. After winning the toss, Bengal decided to bat on a pitch that had a lotof life in the initial period, an advantage that was used to the hilt byDebashis Mohanty and Ajoy Barik. Bengal lost their first seven wickets within 20runs and the match was as good as over during the first hour of the game. Thedecision to bat was all the more surprising because only on Saturday, Bengalskipper Devang Gandhi had said they would like to chase. It was the grave errorin reading the pitch that prevented the finalists of 1998 from qualifying thisseason.Bengal managed to reach three figures only because of a doughty knock fromWrichik Mazumdar. He scored 37 in 80 balls and with Shiv Sagar Singh added 42runs for the ninth wicket. Before that, it was simply a tale of going and comingback. The slide started when the Orissa wicket-keeper Gautam Gopal took anexcellent catch on the leg side to dismiss makeshift opener Lakshmi Ratan Shuklaoff the bowling of Barik. Then Mohanty got into the act. With his outswingerworking nicely, Mohanty cartwheeled Nikhil Haldipur and Rohan Gavaskar. Barik onthe other hand had Gandhi hooking, only to find the fielder at square leg.Bengal had then been reduced to only nine runs for four wickets. Mohanty thenonce more produced a lovely break back to bowl Deep Dasgupta in his third over.Then in his fifth over he had Utpal Chatterjee playing on and with the fifthdelivery of the same over, had Sanjiv Sanyal edging to keeper Gopal. Bengal atthis stage, were 20 for seven. Srikkant Kalyani, Mazumdar and Singh managed totake the total to over 100. However, that would not have been possible had notthe Orissa team given away 25 extras, 20 of which came from wides and no balls.When Orissa batted, BBCC Mahapatra was bowled by Shukla trying to pull a ballthat kept low. Immediately after lunch, Shukla had Gopal caught at point with aball that bounced a bit more. However, Sanjay Raul batting with elan on a pitchthat had dried up, quietly guided Orissa to victory without a fuss. His drivingwithin the `V’ was a treat to watch. He remained unbeaten on 42 with five fours.With Pradip Das, the other opener, Raul added 78 runs to take Orissa to aconvincing win.

Former Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has spoken to Newcastle target Charles De Ketelaere following links of a move to St James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Newcastle links

Nicknamed ‘King Charles’, the creative 21-year-old midfielder appears to be on Newcastle’s radar ahead of the summer transfer window.

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Reports have linked the Magpies with a move for the Club Brugge star, suggesting that they were in the picture for a potential €40m (£33.3m) deal at the end of the season.

De Ketelaere has been in fine form in recent months, contributing to 26 goals in 41 games in all competitions in 2021/22, with Pep Guardiola impressed by the Belgian’s display against Manchester City in the Champions League during the autumn.

The Latest: Mignolet’s comments

Sport Witness relayed comments from De Ketelaere in a story on Saturday.

The 6 foot 3 midfielder was told by former Sunderland goalkeeper Mignolet that ‘there’s not much to do in Newcastle’, with the 34-year-old possibly trying to put him off a move to England.

The Verdict: Shrewd target

De Ketelaere appears to be a star of the future and has impressed in the Jupiler Pro League with plenty of goals and assists.

The Magpies will have the funds for a big-money transfer following their takeover, so it could be a realistic deal to pursue, so long as the player isn’t put off by a move to Tyneside after Mignolet’s comments.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Newcastle have just two attacking midfielders on the books at this moment in time, so bringing in a third could be a shrewd move in the long run.

In other news – Deal agreed: Lee Ryder drops big Newcastle update during international break on ‘hard-working’ gem

	Aakash Chopra scored an unbeaten 130 off 140 balls in Delhi’s big win over Punjab © Cricinfo Ltd

North Zone
Unbeaten centuries from Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan gave Delhi a massive ten-wicket win over Punjab at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Ravi Inder, Uday Kaul and Ankur Kakkar scored half-centuries to take Punjab to a competitive 274. But Chopra and Dhawan scored at more than six an over to chase the total with 39 balls to spare. Punjab used six bowlers and none of them conceded less than five an over, with Manpreet Gony and Kakkar going for more than seven each.Vishal Bhatia took 4 for 32 with his left-arm spin as Himachal bowled out Haryana for 193 and chased the target with six overs to spare at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi.Jammu & Kashmir collapsed to a 96-run defeat against Services in Delhi’s Palam A Ground. After Jasvir Singh (73) and Soomik Chatarjee (71*) steered Services to 281 for 6 in 50 overs, Rakesh Kumar removed the openers in the first over. Ian Dev Singh and Huwaid Ronga led a brief recovery of 59 runs but after Ronga was run out for 21, J&K kept losing wickets at regular intervals. A Kush, playing in only his second List A match, took 3 for 37.East Zone
Bengal needed only 29 overs to wrap up a nine-wicket win against Assam at the North-East Frontier Railway Stadium in Guwahati. S Sharath scored an unbeaten 80 from 148 balls but with absolutely no support from the rest of the batsmen – the next highest score being 14 – he could only push Assam’s total to 147. Arindam Das and Anustup Majumdar added 89 runs in 19 overs but after Majumdar’s dismissal, Das and Wriddhiman Saha knocked off the remaining 59 required from 60 balls to gain a bonus point for Bengal.Sourav Dubey’s 106-ball 93 wasn’t enough for Tripura to get their second win in a row as Orissa chased Tripura’s 260 with four wickets spare at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. Pinninti Jayachandra and Preetamjit Das took three wickets each as no other Tripura batsman scored more than 39. Three half-centuries from top-order batsmen – Bikas Pati, Payas Ranjan Sinha and Halhadar Das – gave Orissa their second win of the tournament.West Zone
After chasing 358 against Baroda at the same venue just a day before, Mumbai fell 46 runs short of Gujarat’s 307 at the Deccan Gymkhana Ground in Pune. Mumbai bowlers Ajit Agarkar, Rohan Raje and Murtuza Hussain went for more than six and a half an over as four Gujarat batsmen helped themselves to half-centuries. Medium-pace bowler Abhishek Nayar was taken for 19 runs in his two overs. Mumbai were in trouble when they lost four wickets for 94 runs. Anup Revendkar and Aditya Tare got fifties but having lost those early wickets Mumbai couldn’t pick themselves up for a fightback.Kedar Jadhav ensured Maharashtra successfully chased Saurashtra’s 327 by hammering a 97-ball 124 at the PYC Gymkhana Ground in Pune. Cheteshwar Pujara added 68 with Sagar Jogiyani and 107 with Shitanshu Kotak to take Saurashtra to a big total in their opening game of the tournament. Maharashtra scored at 6.8 runs an over and lost only five wickets in getting to the target.