Alessandro Del Piero has announced he has officially completed all his coaching courses, prompting suggestions he could take over as Juventus manager.
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German media hailed Harry Kane after he scored on Bayern Munich's day of title celebrations with a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.
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German media hail KaneFans reacted to striker winning first titleScores in 2-0 win over MonchengladbachFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MATCH?
Kane opened the scoring for Bayern in the first half and Michael Olise then netted the clinching goal in the 90th minute as the newly crowned Bundesliga champions comfortably beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 in their penultimate game of the season. After the game, Kane joined his team-mates in celebration at the Allianz Arena as the England captain lifted the first-ever trophy of his career.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportHOW DID THE GERMAN MEDIA RATE KANE'S PERFORMANCE?
Appreciating the Three Lions skipper's performance, BILD rated it as a two out of five – with one being the highest grade – and wrote: "Celebrated his very first title in front of the TV on Sunday and was motivated to the core in the game afterwards. And he scored with them! He got a close shot on Olise's shot, goal number 25! He went full throttle, even clearing once at the back of his own penalty area!"
Sport1 meanwhile wrote: "On the day the championship trophy is handed over, striker Harry Kane scores again."
WHAT ARE THE FANS SAYING ON SOCIAL?
Bayern fans also celebrated Kane's success as they hailed the former Tottenham star for finding the back of the net on a momentous occasion.
An X user named @clockmeta wrote: "Classic Kane always finds a way to get that final touch."
@ademir2z wrote: "6 seasons with 25 or more league goals now for Harry Kane. Wonder how many players have more than that in big Euro leagues? Exceptional stuff."
Another fan with the handle @FL4_FCBM wrote: "Shameless but we understand bro."
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KANE AND BAYERN?
Kane and Bayern will play their final game of the Bundesliga 2024-25 campaign on May 17 against Hoffenheim. The team are then expected to take a short break before they start preparation for the Club World Cup in the US next month.
Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are making plans ahead of the summer transfer window, as they sense an opportunity to sign one highly-rated forward for free.
Postecoglou and Levy under pressure as Spurs prepare for Man United
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, despite his squad being blighted by injuries to key first-team stars, has been under mounting pressure in recent weeks.
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The same can be said for ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy, who face fresh protests from disgruntled supporters against United this weekend, amid claims that private Qatari investors are planning a phased buyout of Tottenham.
Spurs have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches, losing 13 in the league alone already, with Postecoglou’s side languishing in 14th.
Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures
Date
Man United (home)
February 16th
Ipswich Town (away)
February 22nd
Man City (home)
February 26th
Bournemouth (home)
March 9th
Fulham (away)
March 16th
The Australian appears to be walking a tightrope when it comes to keeping the Spurs job, and reports this week have linked the Lilywhites with a succession of potential Postecoglou replacements in Simone Inzaghi, Thomas Frank, Edin Terzić and Andoni Iraola.
“Managers have gone a lot quicker than Ange, and not done as bad as his results, and sadly you can only hide behind injuries for so long, irrespective of how much it’s affecting the team and how difficult it is to get through that period,” said ex-Premier League boss Sam Allardyce on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
“You’ve got to find a way to get results, and I think that as the game is today, his inability to change – and to provide a way of playing to win – is much more important than the style of play, and he doesn’t seem to accept that.”
Tottenham attempted to back Postecoglou in January, albeit mostly in dramatic last minute fashion. Antonin Kinsky, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel joined to bolster a number of key areas in the team, with Spurs also making a late attempt to sign Axel Disasi, who ended up joining Aston Villa instead.
Whether or not Postecoglou remains in the dugout for 2025/2026 remains to be seen, but Spurs are planning to bolster the squad again this summer.
Tottenham hold talks with Malaga winger Antonio Cordero's camp
As per The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Malaga winger Antonio Cordero is attracting Tottenham’s interest, with the highly-rated winger available for nothing later this year as his contract expires at the end of this campaign.
Tottenham have reached out to Cordero’s representatives for talks, but the north Londoners will have to beat off a host of other clubs to acquire his signature, with Newcastle thought to be in pole position right now.
Nevertheless, a transfer race is never over until the player officially puts pen to paper, so Spurs are still in with a shout of acquiring the Spain Under-19 international ahead of next campaign.
Cordero has scored four goals and registered six assists in all competitions for the Spanish Segunda División side this term, with football analyst Ben Mattinson calling him an “exciting” and “direct” forward player.
Saudi Arabia are reportedly trying to approach for Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who may be set to leave Los Blancos later this month.
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Carlo Ancelotti set to leave Real MadridSaudi Arabia want Italian for national teamBrazil also keen on signing AncelottiFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ancelotti was reportedly set to part ways with Real Madrid at the end of the season. However, following his side's humiliation at the hands of the Premier League giants Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final, it has been reported that the Italian coach may leave the club after their Copa del Rey final later this month.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The Saudi Arabian national team has now approached Ancelotti to take over as head coach after he departs Real Madrid, as per FootballTransfers. Journalist Duncan Castles revealed that Ancelotti is open to his next job being in Saudi Arabia. The signing of the Italian has also been requested by the president of the Brazilian national team as they look to revamp the fortunes of the Selecao following Dorival Junior's departure.
AFPDID YOU KNOW?
As per the report, Saudi Arabia's football federation is drawing up plans to improve their national team in time for the 2034 World Cup, which they will be hosting, and they want Ancelotti to play the first part of the developmental process.
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WHAT NEXT FOR ANCELOTTI?
The Italian's departure from Real Madrid after the Copa del Rey final is yet to be confirmed; however, if the news is true, Los Blancos' La Liga clashes against Athletic Club and Getafe will be his final set of league games as their coach.
Liverpool continued their strive for Premier League success in Arne Slot’s first season, with their 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town at Anfield over the weekend.
Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah made it 4-0 for Liverpool after 65 minutes, before Ipswich defender, Jacob Greaves, netted a consolation goal in the 90th minute to make it 4-1.
Currently sitting six points clear at the top of the table with one game in hand, Liverpool are firmly in the driving seat heading into the second half of the season.
However, a top-class January addition could further solidify their title hopes, and FSG (Fenway Sports Group) could look to provide Slot with that in the final week of the window.
Liverpool looking at midfield signing
According to reports from CaughtOffside, Liverpool are one of the clubs to have ‘made a move’ for Bayern Munich midfielder, Joshua Kimmich. The German is yet to agree a new deal with Bayern, opening the door to other clubs who are registering interest in him.
The reports state that Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are all keen on the 29-year-old. If he does not agree a new deal, teams could make a move on a potential free transfer or even look to pay a smaller fee for him to arrive this month.
Kimmich has made 29 appearances for the German giants so far this season, scoring one goal and providing eight assists.
How Kimmich could become Liverpool's answer to Rodri
For the past few seasons, Liverpool have been looking to make changes to their midfield department, with the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum all leaving the club.
In order to combat that, they have made signings such as Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, as well as Curtis Jones coming through the academy ranks.
However, whilst this midfield group has a variety of skills, their defensive acumen, experience at the highest level and ability to dictate the tempo of the game from deeper zones can be lacking at times. This has often been a key difference in recent years, as Manchester City have Rodri, who does all of these things at an exceptional level.
So, could Kimmich be the Anfield outfit’s answer to the great Spaniard? Let’s take a look.
Goals + Assists
0.32
0.48
Progressive Carries
1.92
2.88
Progressive Passes
10.6
12.4
Passes Attempted
113.0
114.7
Pass Completion %
89.0%
91.9%
Passes into Final Third
12.6
11.9
Key Passes
2.42
1.63
Tackles
1.62
2.10
Interceptions
0.67
0.73
Ball Recoveries
6.27
7.17
When comparing Kimmich to Rodri in 2023/24 when he was not injured, you can see how closely the German ranks in many metrics, which is no easy feat considering this was much of the campaign that won Rodri his Ballon d’Or award.
The ability to have a high volume of passes in a game, complete them with efficiency, progress play and even add some threat with key passes too, all whilst protecting the defence and leading in a central area of the pitch, makes them invaluable to their side.
José Mourinho has even praised Kimmich in the past as an “absolutely phenomenal” player, labelling the German as “intelligent” showing his ability to play both as a right-back and a defensive midfielder. This versatility could also come in useful, depending on the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation come the end of the season.
Kimmich would clearly bring that extra experience in the midfield, helping the likes of Gravenberch and Jones especially, who can provide the box-to-box legs in the middle, but could also use the hand on their shoulder, leading that midfield unit.
Liverpool can finally bin Nunez by signing one of the best CFs in the world
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ByAngus Sinclair Jan 21, 2025
On Wednesday evening, Arsenal revived their title hopes. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, not a lot about this season has been easy on the eye.
Alas, they were back in the title race, narrowing the gap to Liverpool to four points.
Well, they may well be out of it again after a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta’s side created plenty of chances – as they did against Manchester United a week ago and Spurs in midweek – but were ultimately undone by some poor defending.
Given the Gunners have struggled in attack it was refreshing to see them go 2-0 up but Villa rallied well and ran away from north London with a point courtesy of Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.
It wasn’t a great day at all for the Premier League’s second place side but there were some standout performers in red and white.
Arsenal’s best players against Aston Villa
After a wealth of criticism for his performances since Bukayo Saka got injured, Leandro Trossard has come up with the goods in consecutive games now.
The Belgian scored the winner against Tottenham a few days ago and was perhaps Arsenal’s biggest threat on Saturday evening.
Trossard created both of the home side’s goals, manipulating the ball well down the left before crossing for Gabriel Martinelli to prod home in the second half.
He was the provider in the second half too, crossing for Kai Havertz whose powerful effort couldn’t be stopped by former Gunner Emi Martinez.
While the attack looked as though it was starting to click, Arsenal nearly ran away with all three points but for VAR who ruled out a late goal. A long-range strike cannoned off Havertz’s arm and found the net.
A big positive from the night was that the German found himself back among the goals. Beyond him and Trossard, teenager Myles Lewis Skelly also starred once again and nearly clinched the game-winning assist, sliding the ball in behind for Trossard deep into injury time, only for the former Brighton man to put the chance wide.
In contrast, it was a pity that Arsenal’s chief creator, their captain, was not at the races.
Martin Odegaard’s performance in numbers
This has not been the greatest of seasons for Martin Odegaard.
Performance in Numbers
Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.
The Norwegian suffered an ankle injury on international duty with Norway back in September, a moment that led to a 12-game absence. Since his return, he’s not performed too well.
Notably missing a penalty last Sunday in the FA Cup, the skipper appears to be suffering from a lack of confidence, something that isn’t being helped by Saka’s injury.
Still, with the Englishman missing, someone needs to stand up and it should be Odegaard. He’s Arteta’s leader on the pitch but isn’t showing the qualities required both in a leadership department and on the ball.
His performance against Emery’s men was so bad that it was described as a “stinker” by Arsenal reporter Con Harrison, while GOAL handed him a lowly 5/10 match rating.
The stats told the story of a really poor evening for Odegaard who supplied just one key pass. Usually the conductor of chances within the Arsenal side, he really struggled to pick up pockets of space between the Villa lines.
Odegaard vs Aston Villa
Minutes played
90
Touches
61
Accurate passes
36/39 (92%)
Key passes
1
Accurate crosses
2/11
Shots on target
0
Shots off target
0
Dribble success
0/1
Ground duels won
0/5
Aerial duels won
0/1
Possession lost
18x
Stats via Sofascore.
What summed things up was his late free-kick, a moment that turned out to be the last kick of the game. Odegaard swung the ball deep and straight into the arms of Martinez.
That was one of 18 times he gave away the ball and to make matters worse, he didn’t win a single duel, a fact that Arteta will no doubt be concerned about.
He also had just one shot and failed with his only dribble attempt. This was easily one of his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt.
If the Gunners are going to have any chance of winning the league, they need their captain to improve quickly.
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Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership action this afternoon as they play their final game before Christmas.
Dundee are the visitors to Ibrox and Philippe Clement will be looking for his side to claim another three points.
The Dens Park side occupies seventh place in the league table and the Light Blues will be looking for a repeat of the result which saw them secure a 3-0 over the club in the quarter-finals of the League Cup back in September.
Remarkably, this is the first league meeting between the two clubs.
Rangers' last game against Dundee
Despite a poor start to the campaign, the Gers made progress into the last eight of the League Cup, which saw them take on Dundee.
Cyriel Dessers gave the home side a deserved lead, before James Tavernier netted a penalty and the Nigerian netted his second of the evening to seal a straightforward passage into the last four.
The previous league match against Dundee at Ibrox was a 5-2 victory which came during the dying embers of the 2023/24 campaign. The Gers found themselves 2-0 down before recovering to take all three points.
Date
Result
Venue
14/05/2024
5-2 to Rangers
Ibrox
17/04/2024
0-0 draw
Dens Park
09/12/2023
3-1 to Rangers
Ibrox
01/11/2023
5-0 to Rangers
Dens Park
All three points are all that matters this weekend.
Rangers team news vs Dundee
Clement spoke to the media on Friday afternoon ahead of the Premiership clash against the Dens Park side.
He praised the side after a strong performance in the League Cup final, despite the defeat, before discussing his options for the Dundee clash, saying: “There is some flu going around the building, but don’t expect anyone missing. No fresh injuries from the last game.”
Good news for the supporters, who will expect to see a full-strength side taking the field this afternoon as the club seek another league victory.
Rangers predicted lineup vs Dundee
Of course, Jack Butland will remain in goal while a back four of James Tavernier, Robin Propper, Leon Balogun and Jefte will likely be used once again.
In midfield, Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande did an excellent job throughout the League Cup final, with the latter even scoring to make it 2-2 deep in the game, and they will continue their partnership.
Ianis Hagi started that game on the left wing, but he could well be dropped to the bench to be replaced by Hamza Igamane. Nedim Bajrami and Vaclav Cerny should retain their places from the League Cup final.
Danilo must also be given the nod to lead the line against Dundee. The £6m striker will be looking to continue his excellent partnership with Igamane which has seen the pair both score in their previous two league clashes against Kilmarnock and Ross County respectively.
On the surface, this is a starting XI which has plenty of talent to record a fairly comfortable win today, one that could see the Light Blues return to second place in the table.
While a solid performance would be wonderful, all three points is what the fans want for Christmas.
Rangers predicted lineup vs Dundee in full – Butland; Tavernier, Propper, Balogun, Jefte; Raskin, Diomande; Cerny, Bajrami, Igamane; Danilo
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Super Giants are coming off four wins on the trot, while Titans’ momentum was hampered with two straight losses
Srinidhi Ramanujam09-May-20222:41
Do Gujarat need Hardik the bowler back?
Big Picture Eleven matches. Eight wins. Three losses. The two IPL newbies – Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans – are only separated by net run-rate on top of the points table, and a win on Tuesday will propel one of them to 18 points and help cement their playoffs spot.While Super Giants are coming off four wins on the trot, Titans suffered consecutive defeats against lowly-placed Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. Having lost the match against Mumbai by a small margin, there were a few positives for Hardik Pandya’s men, with Shubman Gill and the captain back among runs after failures in the recent games. A stable batter at No. 3 is still a concern for them, but thanks to match-winners like David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, Titans have managed to stay ahead in the playoffs race.Having played many games where the results could have gone either way, a third loss in a row might start to affect Titans’ confidence and their aim of a top-two finish in the group stage. With Wriddhiman Saha providing them with quick starts, Titans will want to seek consistency from Gill and Hardik.LIVE in the USA
You can watch the match on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.
Super Giants, on the other hand, will be brimming with confidence after crushing Kolkata Knight Riders with an all-round performance in the previous game. The addition of Mohsin Khan has only strengthened their bowling attack that comprises the likes of Avesh Khan, Dushmantha Chameera and Jason Holder. In Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya, they have reliable wicket-taking spin options.Their batting has primarily been taken care of by KL Rahul – who is also the leading run-getter for them with 451 runs at a strike rate of 145.01 – and Quinton de Kock at the top with Deepak Hooda now back to No.3 after they dropped a struggling Manish Pandey at one-down. A top-heavy batting has covered up for their underperforming middle order and this might be the one area that Titans would aim to exploit. In the news Avesh Khan came back into the XI against KKR after missing a few games due to a “small injury” and is expected to retain his place. Both teams are unlikely to change their playing XIs. Likely XIs Lucknow Super Giants : 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Avesh Khan/K Gowtham, 9 Mohsin Khan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Ravi Bishnoi Gujarat Titans : 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Pradeep Sangwan Strategy Punt Mohammed Shami will be key to Titans’ bowling plans as he has dismissed Rahul twice in three T20s. The fast bowler has also removed Quinton de Kock three times with the batter averaging just 14 against him.Stats that matter Saha has an average of 51.7 against seamers this season. Lockie Ferguson’s economy has jumped to 10 in the last six matches, after having conceded 7.7 runs an over in the first five matches. Chameera is two short of completing 100 wickets in T20s.
MatériaMais Notícias
Recuperado de lesão, o meio-campista Vitinho fez sua estreia peloVasco na última rodada da Taça Guanabara e já balançou a rede. Nas semifinais, diante do Flamengo, entrou no segundo tempo e mostrou que está pronto para ajudar a equipe na disputa da Série B. Em entrevista coletiva, o jogador destacou que está 100% recuperado.
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O atleta, de 22 anos, revelado pelo Corinthians, sofreu uma lesão notendão retofemoral da coxa direita no jogo treino contra o Audax dias antes da estreia na Taça Guanabara e só retornou na última. Mesmo com a frustração, ele elogiou o trabalho dos médicos do clube e se diz pronto para ajudar o Gigante da Colina na Série B.
Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW
– Estou 100% inteiro. Eu tive uma contusão muito grave no início da temporada, que não era esperada por mim e nem para a equipe. Os médicos fizeram um procedimento muito mais rápido do que era esperado. Estou 100% para ajudar o Vasco nesta temporada, neste Brasileiro – disse, e emendou:
– Desde o início quando me apresentei no Vasco foi um começo porque lesão faz parte do jogador. Então aprendi muito. Claro, ter ficado de fora do campeonato a gente não esperava, queríamos ter chegado à final. Foi um aprendizado, assim como para o time, para mim também. Mas estou pronto para ajudar o Vasco a atingir o principal objetivo que é subir para a Série A de onde nunca deveria ter saído – completou.
Após ser eliminado do Carioca e da Copa do Brasil, o Cruz-Maltino tem tido semanas de treino antes da estreia contra o Vila Nova. O meio-campista disse que o time não deve se lamentar pelo que passou, mas sim tirar como aprendizado e focar na Série B, que serão ‘trinta e oito finais’.
+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Carioca
– A gente não se envolve, serão trinta e oito finais. Independente do local que jogarmos teremos que entrar sempre para ganhar. Porque o nosso objetivo é sempre ajudar o Vasco a ganhar. Independente de estádio, se a gente vai entrar para ganhar não tem essa de onde for o jogo ou horário – afirmou.
The trees outside Matt Henry’s window were swaying in a stiff breeze against greyscale skies on a gloomy Christchurch evening. “It’s a bit of a whirlwind,” he said, smiling, not referring to the weather at all, but New Zealand’s innings and 276-run win inside seven sessions against South Africa.Henry’s is a rare Zoom interview which is not being done against the backdrop of white walls or interesting artwork disguised as decor. The lighting is soft, the outside is visible and he seems completely at ease. “I’m at home,” Henry told ESPNcricinfo. “The guys based in Christchurch are at home and the rest of the squad are at the hotel.”Related
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Two years ago, this piece of information would never have made it into a story. Now, with sports teams confined to bubbles, it seems an unusual throwback to the way things used to be, although they’re not entirely there yet. “We’ve still got some rules and we’ve got to be careful with what we do and don’t do. There’s guidelines to keep ourselves nice and safe,” Henry said. “But yeah, I am at home.”The South Africa players could be forgiven for feeling envious, especially after the 10-day quarantine period they served. It was the strictest restrictions they’ve had on a tour, and though they insist it’s not an excuse for their poor performance in the first Test, insiders say it had an enormous impact on their head space. Perhaps the opposite is true for New Zealand.Since March 2020, New Zealand have the best win ratio of any Test team, with victory in two-thirds of their Tests (8 out of 12). In that time, they’ve had just two wins away from home and six in their own backyard, five by more than an innings. On one hand, that may be an indication of how well the country has managed the health crisis; on the other it’s a measure of New Zealand’s highly successful attack, who have all the ingredients for big successes. “Everyone offers something slightly different and it creates a bit more versatility and balance for the captain. He can put people on in different roles and keep trying to put pressure on in different ways,” Henry said.It was the absence of easy run-scoring opportunities, rather than extreme pace, bounce or movement that allowed New Zealand to squeeze South Africa, and ultimately inflict their second-biggest defeat on them, according to Henry. “We managed to create pressure from both ends for a sustained period and I got the rewards at the one end.”But it is not as though Henry just got lucky. He became the first player to take seven wickets and score a half-century batting at No.11 in a Test, which takes more than good fortune. He also claimed the best figures by a New Zealand bowler at home and joint-third best overall and put his performance down to familiarity on his own turf, rather than form.”This is my home ground and I understand how to operate here. I knew how I wanted to bowl and going in with confidence helps,” Henry said. “At Hagley, especially on day one, there is always pace and bounce in the wicket. Most of us bowlers were pretty excited when we won the toss to have a bowl. But when you do get in that situation, it’s important to bowl in the right areas and get batters to play and make as many decisions as possible.”After more than a decade of playing Canterbury, Henry has learnt that it can be easy for bowlers to get carried away when they see the venue’s green surface, but that doesn’t necessarily mean things will simply happen for them. They have to know how to make best use of conditions and Henry, through years of playing on them, has some inside-knowledge. “I like to try and hit the strings and get as much bounce as I possibly can, as well as a bit of seam movement,” he said. “For me, I’ve got to come in with a good bit of intent and make sure I get batters to play as much as possible.”According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, South Africa’s line-up was made to play at a third of Henry’s deliveries and all but one of his nine wickets came when the batter was caught undecided between whether to go forward or stay back in his crease, moving late and making an error. Though Henry is not particularly quick, he moves the ball from short of a length and with Tim Southee swinging it at the other end, South Africa were completely at sea. “That’s the beauty of it. The bowling group has been together for a while and has quite a lot of strengths,” Henry said. “The boys are in a good space and everyone is confident and understands their game and we’ve got quite a nice balance as well.”Henry cracked a superb half-century in the first Test•Getty Images
Dynamic as they are, New Zealand’s attack has seldom had space for Henry, who has featured in just 15 Tests and has only twice – against England in 2015 and India in 2016 – played two matches in the same series. That should increase to three times with Boult ruled out of the second Test because his bowling loads are not quite where New Zealand would like them to be and there would appear to be no other reason to change a winning combination. Henry would not give anything away about whether he expected to get the nod save to say that he would “find out more at training,” an activity you may think he knows better than most.Henry has been part of several New Zealand Test squads and barely played, which must mean he uses his extra in the nets, right?”Maybe,” he jokes. “I guess there is a little more opportunity to train here and there but mostly I just don’t worry about selection and try to focus on being better as a player and growing; and understanding that if I do get the opportunity, I’m ready and in the right space.”That includes being ready with the bat. Henry is no regular No.11 and has only batted there in nine matches in his 79-game first-class career. He is much more of a No.9 and enjoys any chance to bat alongside the specialists. “It was pretty cool to go out there with Tom (Blundell) who was really settled at the crease,” he said. Blundell and Henry went on to share a 10th-wicket stand of 96. “When you’re batting with a batter, it’s always enjoyable because they peel things back for you and keep it nice and simple.”That is the way New Zealand have approached this as a collective, knowing that despite being World Test Champions, they could easily have been underdogs.”We are missing some key players (Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson and Boult) and there has been talk about South Africa being such a quality side and what’s happened in the past (New Zealand have never beaten South Africa in a Test series),” Henry says. “For us, it’s not getting too caught up in that and, it sounds cliche, but just doing our jobs and sticking to our roles.”