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The holders weren't the only ones to underwhelm in what has been a continental campaign full of surprises

This season's edition of the Champions League may have been one of the best in recent memory, but it has certainly come with its fair share of disappointments.

Managerial casualties, players wanting out and the absence of many big names in the latter stages have all come as a result of this campaign's unpredictability, with the fall-out only continuing as the end of the season and the transfer window approach.

Including leagues, teams and much more, here are the 10 biggest disappointments of the 2018-19 Champions League season.

GettyMassimiliano Allegri

When Juventus, Champions League finalists twice in four years, completed the summer signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, it looked like they had found the missing piece of their European glory puzzle.

But Massimiliano Allegri’s defensive approach to European football ensured otherwise, with him unable to get the best out of a plethora of attacking options – including Mr Champions League himself, whose six-goal return was his worst since 2010-11.

Juventus were eliminated by Ajax in the quarter-finals – resulting in Allegri eventually losing his job – with the Bianconeri needing a more expansive coach if they are to end their 23-year wait for another European triumph.

AdvertisementGettyReal Madrid

Real Madrid’s bid for a fourth successive Champions League triumph ended in the most embarrassing fashion.

They just about kept their dignity coming out of the groups, where they lost twice to CSKA Moscow, before Sergio Ramos’ arrogance set up a last 16 exit.

His deliberate booking and suspension was felt significantly as, after VAR had rescued Los Blancos in Amsterdam, a Dusan Tadic-inspired Ajax ripped the champions to shreds in Spain.

The consequences? Madrid’s biggest ever home defeat (1-4) in the knockouts of European competition, their second managerial sacking of the season and the return of Zinedine Zidane; some impact.

GettySerie A

After Roma’s incredible semi-final run last season, just two Italian teams escaped the group stages this term – and both were eliminated in disappointing fashion.

Juventus’ quarter-final defeat to underdogs Ajax resulted in Allegri’s departure, while Roma were unable to navigate a very kind last 16 tie against Porto.

Still, both performed better than Inter and Napoli – the former failing to beat winless PSV to progress and the latter letting a firm control of Group C slip.

This season once again demonstrated the huge gulf in quality between Juve (who romped to their eighth successive Scudetto) and the rest of Serie A, as well as the league’s general low quality.

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GettyDefensive football

The shortcomings of conservative football were exposed this season, as protecting a lead in this season’s Champions League just didn’t work.

Ajax's comeback against Real Madrid, Juventus' against Atletico Madrid, Manchester United's against PSG, Tottenham's against Ajax and, of course, Liverpool's against Barcelona, made this the campaign for attacking football and nothing else.

With an average of over three goals per knockout game, the failures of more defensive coaches, such as Massimiliano Allegri and Diego Simeone, were damning.

The value of the away goal only encouraged attacking coaches more and helped produce one of the greatest Champions League seasons yet.

Goal looks at the form for each team in the knockouts for the last 10 games in all competitions…

Getty/Goal composite16. Roma | 12 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Shakhtar Donetsk

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 40/1

Roma's form has tanked in the last couple of months. They are no longer Serie A contenders and arrested a run of six winless league games only last weekend against Verona. 

Edin Dzeko might have stayed but Roma are a long way away from the team who put six past Chelsea in the group stages. 

AdvertisementGetty/Goal composite15. Chelsea | 15 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Barcelona

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 25/1

Time appears to be running out for Antonio Conte as Chelsea coach and the ties that could bring the axe down on his reign are against runaway Liga leaders Barcelona in the Champions League last 16. 

Failure to finish ahead of Roma in the group stage condemned Chelsea to a knockout tie against a top tier team. They got the worst possible outcome. 

Barca are powerful, fluent and in possession of the great Lionel Messi. Chelsea are in disarray. Consecutive three-goal defeats in the Premier League have left Conte on the brink; key players like David Luiz and Alvaro Morata are underperforming and last summer's transfer failures are haunting them at every turn. 

Getty/Goal composite14. Real Madrid | 18 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Paris Saint-Germain

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 8/1

Anything less than a third Champions League title in succession will cost Zinedine Zidane his job, the equation is that simple. Already out of La Liga's title race and the Copa del Rey, Europe is the only domain in which Real Madrid can salvage this wreck of a season.

They have made a habit of defying expectations in this competition in recent years and along the way proven themselves to be the most consistent side at this level in decades. They need to draw upon all of that experience and know-how though as they have neither collective nor individual form to fall back on.

Zidane simply can't get a tune out of his men while poor domestic form bled into their European campaign with a damaging 3-1 loss to Tottenham at Wembley. Cristiano Ronaldo has maintained his regular European output though and his scoring potential could mean the difference between success and failure against PSG. 

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Getty/Goal composite=12. Shakhtar Donetsk | 19 points

UCL last 16 opponent: Roma

dabblebet odds to win UCL: 100/1

Paulo Fonseca's side have proven their mettle with wins against Manchester City and Napoli in a group stage campaign which saw them pip the Italians to a knockout berth. 

A long, inactive winter won't have helped their cause but there is enough quality – and enough of a plan – for them to edge Roma. 

Napoli star Victor Osimhen has launched a furious rant towards Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's agent, after he claimed the striker will move to Saudi Arabia.

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Article continues below

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Kvaratskhelia's agent made claim about Osimhen futureStriker responds on InstagramSent furious messageWHAT HAPPENED?

Kvaratskhelia's agent gave an interview earlier this week in which he claimed that Osimhen "will go to Saudi Arabia next summer". The striker signed a new contract at the Serie A club in December, extending his stay until 2026 with a release clause worth around £113m ($144m), and he did not hold back in his response to Mamuka Jugeli.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT OSIMHEN SAID

Osimhen wrote on his Instagram stories: "Dear Mamuka Jugeli, you are a piece of filth and a disgrace. I'm embarrassed at your sense of reasoning. Dumbf*ck! KEEP MY NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!"

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Osimhen remains a key player for Napoli and has scored eight goals in 18 games in all competitions this season. He has been linked with a potential exit from the Serie A club, and both Arsenal and Chelsea have been credited with an interest.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR NAPOLI?

The Italian champions may need to mediate between their two star players as they prepare for a clash with Salernitana this weekend. Napoli are currently ninth in Serie A and have not won any of their last three games.

Shane Watson may yet play in the opening Ashes Test after scans showed his hamstring injury was only a low-grade strain, but his chances depend on how he responds to “intense treatment and rehabilitation” over the coming days

Brydon Coverdale06-Nov-2013Shane Watson may yet play in the opening Ashes Test after scans showed his hamstring injury was only a low-grade strain, but his chances depend on how he responds to “intense treatment and rehabilitation” over the coming days. Watson suffered the injury while bowling during Australia’s final ODI in India on Saturday, less than three weeks before the Gabba Test.His availability in Brisbane will have ramifications for the balance of Australia’s side, for if he is ruled out or unable to bowl, the selectors would need to consider another allrounder to provide an extra bowling option. Watson remains confident he will be fit to bowl during the Test, but Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris said much would depend on the next few days.”Since returning home from India, Shane has been assessed and had scans on his injured left hamstring, which confirm a low-grade muscle strain,” Kountouris said. “He will have intense treatment and rehabilitation in Sydney over the coming days and just how well he responds to this will determine how quickly he can resume full training and match preparation.”It goes without saying that Shane and the medical team will be doing everything possible to get him fit and available for selection ahead of the first Test. We’ll be assessing him on a daily basis and expect to have a clearer picture of his progress later in the week.”Whatever the case, Watson is unlikely to have any first-class cricket before the Ashes opener, given that New South Wales have only one more Sheffield Shield match – against Queensland in Brisbane starting next Wednesday – before the Test. Watson ended the Ashes tour of England with 176 at The Oval, which effectively locked him in as the incumbent No.3 for the start of the home series.If Watson is fit to bat and bowl, he would be expected to remain at first drop with another batsman, perhaps the Tasmania captain George Bailey, to slot in down the order. However, should Watson be ruled out it might affect Bailey’s chances of a Test debut, for he is considered a middle-order player rather than a batsman who could fit in the top three.In that case, Bailey’s Tasmania team-mate Alex Doolan might be considered for his first Test as the No.3, while James Faulkner may take the allrounder’s role and Brad Haddin could move up to No.6. However, as well as Watson’s recovery over the next few days, the coming week will also provide clarity on the form of several batting contenders, with three Shield matches and an Australia A v England tour game all starting on Wednesday.

Michael Clarke and Mitchell Marsh will be hoping to prove their fitness for the first Test against Pakistan during this week’s four-day warm-up game, while David Warner will nurse his groin problem on the sidelines

Brydon Coverdale in Sharjah14-Oct-2014Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, and allrounder Mitchell Marsh will be hoping to prove their fitness for the first Test against Pakistan during this week’s four-day warm-up game, while opener David Warner will nurse his groin problem on the sidelines. Australia beat Pakistan in the T20 and all three ODIs, but that momentum has been counterbalanced by injury clouds over key players.The squad trained in Sharjah on the eve of the their practice match against Pakistan A. With only eight days before the first Test in Dubai, the warm-up game looms as an important fitness test. Most important will be how Clarke comes through the match, having not played since the one-day tour of Zimbabwe, where he injured his hamstring.Clarke has only once missed a Test through injury, in Delhi in 2013. Two days out from the Pakistan A match, he said there was still “a long way to go before I’m 100% fit for the Test match”. A day later, his confidence appeared to have risen a little, but he will still need to show the physio Alex Kountouris over the next four days that his body is up to the rigours of a Test match.Michael Clarke will test out his injured hamstring during the four-day practice game against Pakistan A•AFP”I feel a lot better now than I did after Zimbabwe when I tore my hamstring,” Clarke said. “So I’ll be playing tomorrow in the four-day practice match. I’m just trying to take every single step along the way, and listen to the experts.”As soon as I walk onto that ground, I’m a hundred miles an hour. That’s an area that probably hasn’t been great for me … since coming back from Zimbabwe, Alex has had to hold me back in regards to trying to push myself too quickly to get back on the park. If I can prove to Alex that I can do everything that he asks [I’ll be fit for the Test].”I’ll play the way I’ve played over the past 12 years. If the ball is there to chase to the boundary, I’ll be sprinting after it. If I’ve got to run between the wickets as quick as I can, then that’s what I’ll be doing. That’s why I think it’s really important I take his [Kountouris] advice and guidance.”There were questions over whether Clarke came back into the side too soon in Zimbabwe after injuring his hamstring at the first training session of the trip. He came back for a game against Zimbabwe but was forced to retire hurt, and the Australians have been extra careful to avoid any such repeats in the UAE, where he has sat out of all three ODIs.While Clarke is Australia’s most important batsman, Marsh could be critical to the team’s team balance. He had appeared a certainty to make his Test debut in Dubai as a like-for-like swap for the injured Shane Watson, until he hurt his hamstring during the Champions League T20.Marsh bowled in the nets, but mostly worked of a shortened run-up and will not bowl in the first innings of the tour game. The match against Pakistan A is not a first-class encounter, so the Australians are free to use all members of their Test squad at different times during the match.”Mitch definitely won’t bowl in the first innings,” Clarke said. “Hopefully he can bowl in the second innings. His progress is slow and steady, but he was bowling in the nets today so that’s a real positive sign for us. The other side is I think his workloads are very good. He’s played a lot of cricket for this time of year. He’s played a lot of the Australia A stuff and got a lot of cricket under his belt.”I think as long as he’s fit to bowl, I don’t think he necessarily needs to go and bowl 10 or 15 overs to prove that he’s fit enough to do that. That’ll be dictated by Alex and the doctor and we’ll try and make the most of his batting in the first innings and then in the second innings, hopefully he’ll have an opportunity to bowl.”If Marsh plays in the Tests, his bowling will be important as he will offer an extra seam option in the UAE heat, which in turn would allow the frontline fast men like Mitchell Johnson to work in shorter and sharper spells. The make-up of Australia’s bowling line-up might not be apparent until shortly before the Dubai Test, with the potential for two spinners, or even a third if allrounder Glenn Maxwell is picked.Maxwell was among a group of Australia’s ODI players who did not train ahead of the practice game, while Warner was also not present. Warner suffered a groin strain during the third ODI in Abu Dhabi and will not play in Sharjah, although a Cricket Australia spokesperson said he was to be rested from the warm-up game in any case.On Monday, Warner said on Sydney radio that he was confident of being fit for the Test and a similar groin injury he had suffered in the past had taken only a week to heal. His absence from the tour game will provide another opportunity for the batsmen Phillip Hughes and Alex Doolan, who appear to be competing for the No.3 position for the first Test.As the incumbent from the tour of South Africa earlier this year, Doolan seems the most likely candidate to play in Dubai, but should Hughes score heavily in the tour game he might come into contention. Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe will be another player to watch against Pakistan A as he auditions for a possible debut, alongside Nathan Lyon.

Alex Hughes returned career-best figures as Derbyshire exploited helpful conditions before Glamorgan hit back as 16 wickets fell on the opening day

Press Association20-Jul-2014
ScorecardAlex Hughes claimed his first four-wicket haul in first-class cricket•Getty ImagesAlex Hughes returned career-best figures as Derbyshire exploited helpful conditions before Glamorgan hit back as 16 wickets fell on the opening day of the Championship Division Two match at the County Ground.The medium-pacer claimed 4 for 46 after Tony Palladino blew away the top order to finish with three 3 for 14 from 14 overs. Glamorgan were bowled out for 138 on a grassy pitch, with only Murray Goodwin and Mark Wallace offering any resistance.Goodwin survived two dropped chances to score 44 and Wallace made 30 but the rest of the batting had no answer to the swinging ball and Derbyshire also struggled despite a half-century from Wes Durston to close four ahead on 142 for 6.Glamorgan had failed to make 200 in five of their previous six innings against Derbyshire and they were soon in trouble after they were put in to bat on a morning made for seam and swing bowling. The Derby ground had been under water on Saturday but it was movement through the air on a humid, cloudy day that spelled trouble for the visitors who scored only 15 runs in the first hour and lost three wickets.Jacques Rudolph was caught behind off an inside edge in the second over to give Gareth Cross his 200th first-class victim and after 48 balls without a run from the bat, William Bragg was lbw playing half forward to Palladino. The paceman did not concede a run until the second ball of his sixth over and he took his third wicket when Ben Wright edged one that moved away to second slip.If Goodwin had not been dropped on nought at third slip, Glamorgan’s position would have been even worse as the clatter of wickets continued with Chris Cooke lbw half forward to Hughes for 11 and Jim Allenby edging a firm push at Tom Taylor to Cross.With half the side gone for 50 at lunch, Glamorgan’s hopes rested with Goodwin and Wallace who showed what was possible by batting for 19 overs but Goodwin’s dismissal sparked another collapse. The 41-year-old was caught behind off Hughes as he tried to take his bat away and Wallace quickly followed with a prod at Mark Footitt that ended in the hands of third slip.Glamorgan lost their last four wickets for eight runs in 31 balls and although the ball had zoomed around in the heavy atmosphere, it had not been a distinguished batting display by the visitors on a track cleared of any blame by pitch liaison officer Tony Pigott.James Harris celebrated his return to his home county on a month’s loan from Middlesex by having Derbyshire’s Billy Godleman caught behind in the seventh over and two big wickets followed in the space of three overs.Wayne Madsen was lbw falling across as he tried to work Allenby through midwicket and Will Owen struck with his third ball when he beat Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s tentative push to win an lbw decision from Nick Cook. Durston and Ben Slater lifted Derbyshire to 126 for 3 but Harris and Michael Hogan took three wickets in 28 balls to keep Glamorgan in the game.Glamorgan’s Wallace admitted it had been a tough start at the County Ground. “The last half-hour of the session has dragged it back for us,” he said. “It was tough this morning, it seamed around and swung a bit and Derbyshire bowled very, very well but it’s even Stevens on the scoreboard now.”Derbyshire’s elite performance director Graeme Welch was pleased with his side’s bowling performance, saying: “The lads are bowling well in tandem and the unit is coming on. You can get carried away on pitches like this but they bowled good lines and good lengths and got their rewards. If we had been four down it would probably have been our day but we’ve just let them back in with another couple of wickets.”

GOAL brings you a comprehensive list of the best young players to buy on FM 24

Football Manager 2024 is out now and, if you're anything like us, you're probably plotting your route to success in the game.

Get Football Manager 2024 now!Buy now

A major part of the fun of any Football Manager game is finding and then nurturing the best young talent around. Unearthing a largely unheralded wonderkid is one thing, but you need to manage them carefully in order to ensure that they mature into a world class player.

So you've decided who you will manage and to help you lay the groundwork for total domination in FM24, GOAL brings you some of the best wonderkids under the age of 20 to sign on the game.

GettyBest young strikers on FM24

Player Age Club Nationality

Endrick16SEPBrazilYoussoufa Moukoko18Borussia DortmundGermanyVitor Roque18ATPBrazilEvan Ferguson18BrightonRepublic of IrelandShaqueel van Persie16FeyenoordNetherlandsRodridgo Ribeiro17SportingPortugalMatthys Tel18Bayern MunichNetherlandsGabriel Silva16SportingPortugalEnzo Sternal16Marseille (OM)FranceTalles Wander19SPOBrazilSkye Vink17AjaxNetherlandsJamie Donley18TottenhamNorthern IrelandPau Sans18ZaragozaSpainIker Villar17SevillaSpainKarim Konate19RB SalzburgIvory Coast

Endrick is undoubtedly the highest rated young striker to buy in Football Manager 2024, with the SEP (Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, in case you are wondering) wonderkid being likened to Cristiano Ronaldo among others.

Brighton's Irish striker Evan Ferguson has been touted for a £100 million move so you'll need deep pockets to sign him, but there are other options too, such as Shaqueel van Persie, son of – you guessed it – Robin van Persie.

Countries such as Portugal, the Netherlands and Brazil can be happy hunting grounds for wonderkid strikers, but it is worth bearing in mind that Brazilian footballers cannot move abroad until the age of 18.

AdvertisementGettyBest young midfielders on FM 24

Player Age Club Nationality

Lamine Yamal15BarcelonaSpainWarren Zaire-Emery17PSGFranceStefan Bajcetic18LiverpoolSpainArda Guler18Real MadridTurkeyGiacomo Faticanti18SalentoItalyJunior Kroupi17LorientFranceEstevao16SEPBrazilNoah Darvich16BarcelonaGermanyRodrigo Mora16PortoPortugalClaudio Echeverri17RiverArgentinaShea Lacey16Man UFCEnglandBadredine Bouanani18NiceAlgeriaBen Doak17LiverpoolScotlandRoony Bardghji17KobenhavnSwedenYaser Asprilla19WatfordColombiaGianluca Prestianni17VelezArgentinaLorran16FLABrazilMikey Moore15TottenhamEnglandAndreas Schjelderup19NordsjaellundNorwayJoao Rego18BenficaPortugalKendry Paez16Independiente del ValleEcuadorGavi18BarcelonaSpainArchie Gray17Leeds UnitedEnglandAssan Ouedraogo17SchalkeGermanyJoao Neves18BenficaPortugal

If you are looking for a midfield wonderkid, be it a CDM, CAM, or winger, we've got you covered. Of course, there are a number of obvious candidates, such as Lamine Yamal, Warren Zaire-Emery or Arda Guler, but these players will require you to be in charge of a top quality team with a huge transfer budget.

Send your scouts to have a look at Brazil youngster Estevao, or Leeds United's Archie Gray, while Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez is turning heads so you need to move quickly.

GettyBest young defenders on FM24

Player Age Club Nationality

Alejandro Balde19BarcelonaSpainIvan Fresneda18SportingSpainRico Lewis18Man CityEnglandMichael Kayode18FiorentinaItalyGiorgio Scalvini19AtalantaItalyValentin Barco18BocaArgentinaAntonio Silva19BenficaPortugalJorrel Hato17AjaxNetherlandsOusmane Diomande19SportingIvory CoastEthan Butera17AjaxBelgiumLuka Vuskovic16HajdukCroatiaPau Cubarsi16BarcelonaSpainMilos Kerkez19BournemouthHungaryHarvey Araujo18FulhamEnglandAnders Borset17WolfsburgNorwayHector Fort16BarcelonaSpainMartim Fernandes17PortoPortugalXavi Grande18LevanteSpainThuto Mojanata16FeyenoordNetherlandsEmanuel15Real MadridBrazil

Barcelona boast a number of talented young defenders, including Alejandro Balde, but, depending on your budget and stature, you may have better luck trying to sign someone like Hector Fort.

If it's a tough-tackling centre-back you are after, you can't go far wrong with an Italian, such as Giorgio Scalvini, with Michael Kayode another option to consider.

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GettyBest young goalkeepers on FM24

Player Age Club Nationality

Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro19AZNetherlandGuillaume Restes18ToulouseFranceDennis Seimen17StuttgartGermanyDiego Callai18SportingBrazilBartosz Zelazowski18NicePolandSpike Brits16Man CityEnglandTommy Setford17AjaxEnglandChris Brady19ChicagoUSAFaaris Yusufu18SchalkeGermanyTommaso Martinelli17FiorentinaItalyJustin Joao Bengui17Lyon (OL)FranceCharlie Setford19AjaxEnglandFroilan Diaz17Union (SF)ArgentinaLuiz Turatto17ATPBrazilNorberto Bedolla17Club AmericaMexico

Traditionally, goalkeepers tend to hit their prime later on in their careers, but every now and then a precocious shotstopper emerges, like Iker Casillas or Gianluigi Donnarumma.

It remains to be seen if the likes of Dennis Seimen or Spike Brits will break through and become household names, but they have the potential to be star keepers in FM 24.

Claude Puel made a handful of shrewd signings during the 2018 summer transfer window and one of those players, Ricardo Pereira, is rapidly beginning to establish himself as one of the bargains of the Premier League season. 

Leicester secured the signing of Pereira from FC Porto last summer in a deal which cost them £19.8 million. Puel wasted no time in integrating him into the squad and he was immediately thrown into the first-team, providing an assist for James Maddison on only his second outing of the season.

Embracing one of the most fundamental characteristics of a modern day full-back, Pereira’s attacking prowess immediately caught the eye; his defensive quality, on the other hand, was less clear cut.

With the ball at his feet Pereira looked composed, confident and a constant threat in the final-third, regardless of whether he was dribbling towards the byline or lining up a whipped cross into the danger zone.

But perhaps the truest indicator of Pereira’s suitability for the demands of the Premier League arrived on Merseyside on Wednesday evening, where he was exceptional against Liverpool.

His reputation amongst the Foxes faithful was already beginning to snowball after he powered home an emphatic winning goal against Manchester City on Boxing Day, but the maturity of his performance against the league-leaders was a genuine indicator into the extent of his development this season.

Pereira was, typically, always available as an outlet moving forward, striving to support Leicester on the breakaway down the right flank, but his ability to contribute defensively to a stellar effort from the back-four would have delighted the supporters.

His attacking quality has always been obvious but, as is so often the case for full-backs in this day and age, his defensive attributes evoked cause for concern.

But, after undergoing a transition period at the King Power Stadium and adapting to the speed of a new style of football, Pereira has established himself as a reliable defensive asset.

While Manchester City are far from your average benchmark for transfer fees, that Pereira only cost £19.8 million – £30.2 million less than City paid for Walker, £32.2 million less than they paid for Benjamin Mendy and £6.7 million less than they paid for Danilo – justifies his status as one of the bargains of the season.

Leicester fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Kevin Pietersen has suggested that his fear of prolonged injury lay-offs was precisely the reason why last summer he wanted to retire from England’s one-day side

David Hopps21-Jun-2013Kevin Pietersen has marked his return to first-class action for the first time in three months by suggesting that his fear of prolonged injury lay-offs was precisely the reason why last summer he wanted to retire from England’s one-day side.There was no angry self-justification, no forceful opinion likely to incur the wrath of the England management, just a gentle acceptance in a chat on Talksport radio with his old England buddy, Darren Gough – billed as his only interview of the summer – that his injury might never have happened if he had been allowed licence to plot his own career.Pietersen’s disgruntlement over England’s refusal to let him retire solely from ODIs – he was obliged to give up T20 as well – to an outburst after the Headingley Test against South Africa, a rift with the England dressing room, a stand-off with officialdom, exclusion from England’s World Twenty20 squad and finally a triumphant return in the Test series against India as he agreed to continue in all three formats.Despite being rested for the T20s in India and both limited-overs series against New Zealand, he suffered a badly bruised knee bone in Queenstown, which has caused him to miss both the IPL and Champions Trophy. While England face India in the final of the latter competition at Edgbaston on Sunday, Pietersen will be engaged in the third day of a Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley. The English media he so mistrusts were out in force to watch him field on the opening day as he made a rare Championship appearance for Surrey.In the interview, Gough suggested to Pietersen: “Only last year you were talking about looking after your body; you don’t want to get injured playing all forms of the game. You went back on that, and ended up playing all forms of the game and got injured. So it highlighted what you were saying, that at some point every individual’s body is going to break down.””Exactly,” Pietersen responded. “You can feel it as a player. I probably didn’t go about it in the best fashion. You make mistakes, and you get over them, and that’s the way you grow as a human being, by learning from things that you don’t do well. So I take it on the chin, no dramas, it’s just a case of looking forward and making sure that you do the right things now.”Pietersen’s relationship with the English media has never been more strained. His disenchantment with the ridicule he received during his power struggle with England was deepened when it was erroneously suggested in New Zealand that his knee injury was not serious and that he was just trying to pick up an insurance payout from IPL.”It was really bad,” he said. “In New Zealand I couldn’t duck a bounce, I couldn’t sweep, I was in all sorts of trouble. I was on the strongest painkillers and eventually my stomach just gave up with me in the second Test match. I probably did it a lot of damage by playing, but I just tried to get through and played for as long as I could because I hate missing Test matches.”A bruising on your bone is a lot worse than breaking it. You know with a break it’ll be back. I’ve broken my arm, I’ve broken collar bones, I’ve broken my leg. I’ve broken plenty of bones and you know that within six, seven, eight weeks you’re firing again. The bruising has been really frustrating but over the last three weeks I turned a real positive corner.”I’m just going up to Yorkshire this week to get through four days. If I get runs, I get runs. If I don’t get runs, I don’t get runs. I just need to wake up on Tuesday morning or the day after being on the field knowing that my knee’s not an issue.”The professional in me will want to score as many runs as possible and that never stops, never fades, but the most important thing from this four-day game is to wake up every morning with no knee issue and to know that I’ve turned a good corner and I can handle a day in the field – because that’s the only thing that hasn’t been tested yet. I can bat in the nets, I’ve done all the fielding drills you can do but it’s not the same as fielding for 96 overs.Pietersen also dwelt upon the problems at Surrey which have seen Chris Adams sacked as team director and Alec Stewart, the former England captain, take temporary charge. He revealed for the first time – doubtless unintentionally – that Steve Davies’ need to take a break from the game after the death of his team-mate, Tom Maynard, in a tube accident, led him to turn down offers of at least one England tour last winter.If this was the case, it has never officially been made public.Pietersen said the tragedy had “moulded the dressing room”. He added: “The guys are really super-tight as they looked after each other so well last year. A lot of them took a big hit last year, but in terms of their performances, some of the guys have come back really well.”I mean Steve Davies for one. He was hit by the Tom Maynard incident really hard last year. He went away all winter, turned down a few England tours and he said ‘I need to go away, sort my head out’ and I’ve never seen Steve Davies play as well as he has this summer. I mean, he’s back and I think he’s back a better player.”Pietersen was in affable enough mood to express his love for county cricket, even if it is a love from afar. “It serves a great purpose, it’s a great learning facility. I learnt to be the cricketer I was through county cricket and the more you play it, the better you become. The more you do anything the better you become, so I love county cricket, it’s a great form of the game, and it looks like it’s still flourishing.”

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq hailed his team after they pulled off their second-highest successful run chase to level the series against Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jan-2014Sri Lanka’s captain, Angelo Mathews, has denied that negative tactics led to his team’s dramatic downfall in Sharjah and said his batsmen should have been “a bit more cautious” in the second innings, which he believes cost Sri Lanka the match.Sri Lanka had achieved an 87-run first innings lead, but scored at 1.87 runs an over on the fourth afternoon and evening, seemingly in an attempt to stall the game and preserve their 1-0 lead. Pakistan took Sri Lanka’s last five wickets for 81 on the fifth morning and completed a record chase to level the series. Their run rate of 5.25 on the last day was the highest for any successful chase over 300.”Last evening, five of our wickets had fallen for 100 and from there onwards, we had to take some time,” Mathews said. “Rather than going for runs and losing wickets, we defended at that stage, because we knew we were leading the series and we don’t need to take a big risk. On the fifth day there wasn’t much turn for the spinners. It’s still a very good wicket.”When we were batting we actually kept losing wickets and we never got a good lead. Prasanna Jayawardene responded to pressure and batted brilliantly, but I thought we should have been a bit more cautious because we’ve already won the series and we didn’t need to give them a sniff. That’s what happened in the morning today, when we let our guards down for a couple of hours. We just couldn’t bat for another hour. That’s all we needed.”Our batters were not very patient in the second innings and that brought our downfall.”Sri Lanka were also quick to spread their fields in the fourth innings, as Pakistan gathered three quarters of their 302 runs through singles, twos and threes. A slip was occasionally employed but there was no tight infield for much of the innings.”[Negative tactics] weren’t really to blame,” Mathews said. “We knew that the Pakistanis have to make a move, and they were desperate to win the game. And you know when you are desperate, you tend to make more mistakes than the others. We were actually not going overboard with attacking but we just wanted to make it harder and harder for them to win the game.”Pakistan required only 53 runs from the final 60 balls of the match and had six wickets in hand. Sri Lanka routinely placed at least seven – but up to nine – fielders on the fence during those overs, with Pakistan hitting 41 runs via singles, twos and threes in that time.”We wanted to get a wicket in that period,” Mathews said. “The ball was a bit old and also reversing a little bit. We actually knew in the last ten overs that they would go for the big shots. Even when we had our nine fielders down at the boundary, they still went for it. We wanted to get a wicket and when the newcomer comes in, to sort of bring in the field and put pressure [on]. They were going to go for it and it was getting dark. That’s why we had the fielders out.”Rangana Herath bowled well outside leg stump, with a packed leg-side field, throughout the match. The ploy backfired on the fifth evening, as Misbah-ul-Haq, in particular, used the reverse-sweep to good effect. But, like Kumar Sangakkara on day three, Mathews said the tactic was intended to bring wickets.”We bowled on leg stump because there was rough outside the leg stump,” he said. “We thought that something would happen for the spinners, and they’d get some help. We were trying to get wickets that way, but they batted really well.”Mathews directed blame entirely at the batting in the second innings, suggesting the bowling was hampered by the docility of the surface and could not have done much better. “We played really well in the last three-and-a-half days, but our batting messed it up for us today. It was never a 214 wicket to get all out, especially on a day four or five, when you could still hit through the line. We gifted them wickets and that was not good enough.”Sri Lanka’s run rate for the whole match was 2.34 – their lowest for any game in which they have batted at least 100 overs since 2000. “We scored 400 in the first innings and we had to work hard for that because Pakistan were not giving any loose balls. We had to wait for the loose balls and they did the same in the second innings. They bowled very disciplined lines and lengths.”Mathews found solace in individual gains and a drawn series, despite the dispiriting final result. “The way Kaushal Silva and the openers batted in the series was quite brilliant. Rangana Herath was good as always, and the two fast bowlers were also brilliant. It was a collective performance. Mahela batted well in Dubai and then again here, so we want to take all these positives and move forward.”