All posts by h716a5.icu

Rafael Devers made his debut at first base for the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, and the move appeared to be a pleasant reset for the three-time MLB All-Star.

Despite Devers refusing to play first base for the Red Sox and serving as Boston's designated hitter this season until he was traded to the Giants, Devers was open to playing first base for the Giants once he landed in San Francisco.

Though Devers has spent the majority of his career at third base, the Giants already have a Gold Glove-winning third baseman in Matt Chapman. Instead, there was an open opportunity for Devers at first base, where he finally played for the first time in their second game of the series in Atlanta.

"I felt very comfortable [playing first base],” Devers said through interpreter Erwin Higueros, via Rick Farlow of MLB.com. “I’ve been practicing for a while. It’s really good that I was able to get out there, but most importantly we won the game.”

Devers explained after making his first start at first base that he likes playing in the field because it keeps him from getting inside his own head during a game.

"It keeps me active and it keeps my head out of just thinking of the next at-bat,” Devers said. “I’m the kind of player who likes to be active and likes to be on the field. I’d rather be on the field than be in the cage hitting all the time.”

Returning to fielding appeared to benefit Devers, who recorded two hits, two runs, and one RBI on five at-bats. His efforts contributed to the Giants rebounding from their offensive woes and a six-game losing streak with a huge 9-0 win over the Braves.

Overall, Devers feels playing third base is harder than first, but is still practicing to improve. "There’s not much difference,” Devers said, via MLB.com. “I think third base is a lot harder, but that’s why I’m practicing and that’s why I’m working every single day to get my grounders out there just to get adjusted to playing first base.”

Devers is not slated to become an everyday first baseman, but will continue to see time in the field in some games going forward. He will not play first base in Wednesday's game, and instead will potentially see time at first again versus the New York Mets this weekend.

With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, there's likely to be an influx of deals that come across the ticker over the next several weeks as teams attempt to load up—or unload—their rosters ahead of the postseason.

Occasionally, said deals will include a or PTBNL for short.

What's a PTBNL? I'm glad you asked. Here's a look at the often-used tactic in baseball trades, why they're employed, and a list of notable players who were once only dubbed a"player to be named later":

What Is a Player to Be Named Later?

A "player to be named later" is an unnamed player involved in a trade between two teams, allowing clubs to get deals done before officially finalizing it. PTBNLs are often chosen from a short list of players that the negotiating teams agree on prior to the trade being finalized. They are generally minor leaguers or journeyman MLBers.

Why Do MLB Teams Include Players to Be Named Later in Trades?

MLB teams include PTBNLs in trades for a multitude of reasons. Most commonly due to the team receiving the player either a) not being sure of the position they'd like to fill or b) giving themselves more time to evaluate the talent on the other clubs roster.

Having a PTBNL in your back pocket can help you deal with roster restrictions, as traded players must be placed on the receiving team's 40-man roster upon completion of the transaction. Additionally, players on the injured list cannot be traded, which allows teams to acquire them once they clear the list.

Ironically, on some occasions, a traded player has returned to the original team as the PTBNL of their own trade.

Who Are Some Notable Players That Were Named Later?

Some notable players in MLB history who were once acquired as a PTBNL include:

David OrtizTrea TurnerMoisés AlouMichael BrantleyScott PodsednikDmitri YoungMarco ScutaroJesse Orosco

Manchester United struggles to find a long-term replacement for David de Gea are over, according to ex-Chelsea keeper Mark Schwarzer. Since the imposing Dutchman left in 2023, Utd have tried unsuccessfully to fill his position with the likes of Tom Heaton, Dean Henderson, Altay Bayindir and, more recently, Andre Onana, but Schwarzer says Ruben Amorim has finally found a worthy replacement.

Keeper conundrum causes major headache

For over a decade, De Gea was the undisputed Man Utd number one, winning the Premier League Golden Glove in his final season, 2022-23. However, his limitations with playing out from the back led to his departure, which many felt was handled poorly, without a proper transition plan. 

His replacement, Andre Onana, was signed from Inter Milan for £47 million in July 2023 to fit a modern, ball-playing system. Onana's time at the club has been marked by high-profile errors that cost the team points and knocked the defense's confidence. Despite flashes of quality, his inconsistency led to him being dropped and eventually sent on a season-long loan.

The back-up situation has been equally turbulent. Academy graduate Dean Henderson was never given a consistent chance and eventually forced a move for regular first-team football. Altay Bayındır, signed for a low fee also looked shaky and unconvincing when called upon. 

But Schwarzer, who made 514 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, Fulham, Middlesbrough and Leicester, believes Senne Lammens, signed from Royal Antwerp for £18 million ($24m) in the summer, is the long-term solution to United’s keeper question. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSchwarzer: 'Old-fashioned goalkeeping'

Speaking to Joe Fortune, former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said: "I think Senne Lammens has done exceptionally well. It's an interesting one because I think anytime you go to a club of Manchester United's magnitude, there's going to be pressure, let alone at a time where the goalkeeping position has been a real big problem for them for a number of seasons. And of course, you've got Andre Onana, who's a massive personality, one that has really struggled in that shirt. He's always gonna feel pressure, but I think it was a little bit under the radar because no one really knew much about him. I think people kind of almost dismissed him before he started playing. So maybe there was a little bit less pressure on him, but it doesn't matter. He's performed really well. He's played with confidence. 

He added: "You know what it is for me? It's a bit of old-fashioned goalkeeping back in it again. He's catching the ball, he's taking crosses. He's doing the simple things well. I think we've gotten a little bit carried away with what a goalkeeper does and what the fundamentals of a good goalkeeper are. I think what Lammens has done is he's come in and he's just simplified things, he's been really consistent and by doing that, by dominating, taking crosses, not making mistakes, in particular, big mistakes, he's given his teammates confidence. The ball comes up high in the box. They know that the goalkeeper is going to come out and get it. Okay, there can be a mistake, there's no doubt about it, but so far, he's dealt with everything. So I've really enjoyed watching him play. 

"I've really enjoyed the simplicity of his game and the understated performances that he's had and I don't say that disrespectfully, I mean that in a really positive way. I mean that he's not trying to get limelight."

Stretford End favourite

Despite only being at the club a matter of weeks, his performances have earned him high praise from the Old Trafford faithful, who have likened him to legend Peter Schmeichel, and they’ve even coined a song in his honour. Lammens said: "It was really nice to hear it already in the first game (against Sunderland). I think it is a sign that the fans are happy with me. It feels really good that I can give them that trust."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportLammens faces Cherries test at Old Trafford

Manchester United have to wait until Monday for their next Premier League fixture and, if results go their way, they could find themselves back in the Champions League spots, heading into the busy festive period. United beat Wolves last time out and are expected to ease past Bournemouth. However, the Cherries have won their last two Premier League away games against Old Trafford, beating them 3-0 both times.

Aggressive maiden fifty ruffles England attack, before Smith, Labuschagne cement advantage

Tristan Lavalette05-Dec-2025

Jake Weatherald made his maiden Test fifty off 45 balls•Darrian Traynor/AFP/Getty Images

After Travis Head had hogged the attention in the build-up, fellow opener Jake Weatherald emerged from his shadow with a rollicking maiden Test half-century as Australia capitalised on a ragged England bowling and fielding effort in the day-night second Ashes Test.Australia ended day two well on top after half-centuries from Weatherald, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It was the first time in a decade that Australia put on 50-plus stands for the first four wickets in a Test innings but no batter has yet been able to kick on for a big score.Just a fortnight ago, England hustled Australia for 132 in Perth with hostile pace bowling that evoked peak West Indies but they have been undisciplined since and conceded 5.17 runs an over so far in this innings.Related

Australia wait to count cost of crazy floodlit passage

On the back of Weatherald setting the tone with 72 off 78 balls, including 59 in the first session, Australia moved into a powerful position at 291 for 3 and just 43 runs behind England’s first innings.Under major pressure after their first-Test humiliation, England appeared to be wilting amid a totally lacklustre bowling effort until Cameron Green and Smith succumbed in the same over to a short-ball ploy from Brydon Carse, who had been very expensive to that point.Leeds-born Josh Inglis was later clean bowled by indefatigable skipper Ben Stokes as England mounted an unexpected fightback after a totally underwhelming day. But Alex Carey and Michael Neser benefited from sloppy fielding – amid five dropped catches by England so far in the innings – as they finished with an unbroken 49-run partnership to steady Australia.After England were dismissed for 334 in their first innings early on day two, with Joe Root finishing unbeaten on 138, the focus immediately turned to Head following his extraordinary century in Perth as a makeshift opener.With veteran Usman Khawaja ruled out due to a back injury, Head is playing this match as a specialist opener – a role he had only occupied previously in South Asia.There was intrigue over how he would approach the situation on a ground where he bagged a king pair in the day-night Test against West Indies in January 2024.Head had no troubles negotiating the first delivery, with Jofra Archer spraying down the leg side in a sign of things to come for England’s attack. Archer could not find the right length but Head and Weatherald were circumspect as the innings started with three maidens.Weatherald was unruffled and smacked a boundary in the fourth over to open Australia’s account and the runs soon flowed. Crouching very low, watching intently and talking to himself as the bowler approached, Weatherald was compact early before growing in confidence with a trio of boundaries off seamer Gus Atkinson.Head, meanwhile, made a watchful start and did not score until his 15th delivery. He had only made 3 of Australia’s 30 runs when Archer finally got his length right and produced a cracking back-of-a-length delivery that angled in and nipped away to catch the outside edge.But wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, playing his first day-night match, was wrongfooted and dropped a straightforward chance much to the delight of an increasingly rowdy contingent of Australian fans in the terraces.Head crawled to 4 off 29 balls before finally scoring his first boundary in the 10th over, followed by a six off the wayward Carse. It ignited Head whose trademark cavalier style returned and he was matched by Weatherald as they knocked England’s quicks off their lengths. England were either too short or full with Weatherald punishing modest bumpers with several belligerent uppercuts.Jofra Archer reacts to a dropped catch•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesThe wheels were quickly falling for England, reminiscent of many horror shows at this graveyard site for them, but they had a brief respite when Head on 33 threw away his wicket, holing out to mid-on in a rare bright spot for Carse.Head’s wicket did not slow down the momentum of Weatherald, who notched his half-century off 45 balls – the fastest in a Test at the Gabba in a decade.Stokes resorted to spinning allrounder Will Jacks before the 40-minute tea break but his solitary over went for nine runs. After some soul searching, England’s quicks bowled better on resumption and were rewarded when Archer trapped Weatherald plumb lbw with a fierce full delivery that hit flush on the toe.Lacking support, Archer pushed through with a seven-over spell but could not produce another breakthrough as Labuschagne and Smith built a formidable partnership.Both reached their half-centuries in 67 balls with Labuschagne judging the length superbly and unfurling the pull shot when required as he became the first batter to reach 1000 runs in day-night Tests. But he fell tamely to Stokes when he feathered an attempted cut close to the body, ending his bid for a first Test century since the 2023 Ashes.Smith, sporting black adhesive stickers on his cheekbones, looked in control and combined in another half-century stand with Green, who batted one spot higher at No. 5 than in Perth.England hoped to rally under the lights but wickets looked unlikely until Carse, who sported macabre figures of 1 for 92 from 12 overs to this point, bluffed Green by bowling a full delivery that rattled the stumps after the batter had been backing away against the short ball.Carse then delivered a brute of a delivery that hit Carey on the glove but was dropped at gully by Ben Duckett. England’s spirits quickly lifted when Smith on the next delivery was brilliantly caught at deep backward square by Jacks as Stokes threw his cap in the air in celebration.But England’s momentum was halted by sloppy fielding and they appear to be staring down the barrel.England had started the day’s play in considerably better shape after a momentum-swinging last-wicket partnership between Root and Archer. Making Australia’s weary bowlers back up amid stifling humidity, England hoped to add more invaluable runs to their overnight total of 325 for 9.With his century jinx on Australian soil over, Root looked to cross 150 but was content in taking singles and there was no need for anything outlandish like his reverse scoop off Scott Boland that registered his first ever Test six in the country.In a madcap final stretch of play on day one, Archer zoomed past his highest Test score of 30 and his bid for a maiden Test half-century started well when he cracked a superb drive through the covers off Mitchell Starc. But Archer fell on 38 when a diving Labuschagne took a blinder of a one-handed catch at deep backward square to end the 70-run stand – the highest 10th wicket partnership for England on an Ashes tour since 1951.

Liverpool are already reportedly working on their move to sign a £100m winger to replace Mohamed Salah, who was left out of the squad entirely for their trip to face Inter Milan.

Thierry Henry: Salah "wrong" for public Liverpool spat

In truth, Liverpool’s dramatic 3-3 draw at Elland Road feels like an eternity ago such is the drama that’s unfolded since. Salah’s bombshell is still leaving shrapnel around Anfield and around the Premier League, with Jamie Carragher delivering a brutal assessment on Monday Night Football and Thierry Henry since adding to that in midweek.

The Frenchman said on CBS’ Champions League show: “Look, nobody is talking about what Mo Salah has achieved in the game. We’re talking about a moment in time that I think he got wrong.

“You do not talk about your personal situation openly when your team is struggling. You do it in a dressing room. I’ve done it. I went to the dressing room and smashed everything in. I went to the office of the boss and complained about stuff.

“When I was at Barcelona, I went away with the team. They put me in the stand. Did you hear me talking about it? No. There is a team. You need to protect your team at all costs, all the time.”

"Similar" to Semenyo: Liverpool in daily talks to sign £88m Salah successor

Liverpool appear to have turned their attention to signing a suitable successor to Mohamed Salah.

ByRobbie Walls 4 days ago

Arne Slot, meanwhile, is still awaiting an apology and has at least seen his side bounce back from the Leeds game with a professional 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro.

The Athletic believe that Salah’s outburst was either aimed towards securing an exit away from the club or to put pressure on Slot’s position. If it is the former and there really is no way back then the Reds could reportedly turn their attention towards Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola.

Liverpool begin "work" on Barcola move

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are already “working” on a move to sign Barcola in an attempt to replace Salah in 2026. The PSG man is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal in France, leaving the door ajar for those at Anfield to make their move.

Sources told Caught Offside: “Liverpool have already begun background work on replacing Salah. A player they really like, and have been following closely for some time, is Bradley Barcola.”

Even though he’s yet to sign a new deal, Barcola’s current contract doesn’t expire until 2028. That means Liverpool will likely have to pay a premium fee to secure his signature, with reports in the summer suggesting that PSG value their winger at as much as £100m.

Dubbed “special” by Como scout Ben Mattinson last year, it’s easy to see why Barcola has emerged as an option to replace Salah. In 1,274 minutes so far this season – the same as around 14 games – the Frenchman has scored five goals and assisted another three from out wide.

Replacing Salah will be one of the toughest jobs that Richard Hughes has had as sporting director, but he may already have an ideal candidate in mind.

He could be captain after Van Dijk: £35m star very keen on joining Liverpool

Pick between two Tests where teams overcame great odds to snatch victories

Hemant Brar08-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The NZ-ENG 2023 Wellington Test moves to the round of 16.New Zealand win after follow-on – Wellington, 2023New Zealand became only the fourth team in Test history to win after being asked to follow-on when they beat England by one run in Wellington. With Harry Brook and Joe Root scoring hundreds, England Bazballed their way to 435 for 8 declared. In response, New Zealand slipped to 103 for 7 before Tim Southee’s 49-ball 73 lifted them to 209.Following on, they put in a much more resolute performance, led by Kane Williamson’s 132, Tom Blundell’s 90 and Tom Latham’s 83. Chasing 258 with more than a day left, England would have still fancied their chances. Instead, they collapsed to 80 for 5. Ben Stokes then decided to drop the anchor, while Root did the bulk of the scoring. They took England past 200 but fell soon after.In the end, it came down to the last pair with seven to get. Jack Leach got off the mark with a single, as he had during the famous Headingley Test of the 2019 Ashes. But this time it was James Anderson, and not Stokes, at the other end. Anderson did smash a four but then edged Neil Wagner down the leg side for Blundell to complete a diving catch and the win.Australia hoodwink Pakistan – Sydney, 2010Pakistan were coming off a 170-run defeat in the first Test but had Australia on the mat here. Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sami shared nine wickets to bundle out the hosts for 127 before Pakistan posted 333 to take a first-innings lead of 206.When Australia lost their eighth wicket in the second innings, they were only 51 ahead, and a Pakistan victory looked like a mere formality. It is said that catches win matches. The reverse is also true, as Kamran Akmal and Pakistan found out. Akmal dropped Michael Hussey three times, each time off Danish Kaneria, and the batter went on to score 134 not out, setting Pakistan a target of 176.By then, Pakistan seemed to have lost all confidence. Imran Farhat and Salman Butt gave them a brisk start of 34 but it remained the highest partnership of the fourth innings. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually fell short by 36, with Nathan Hauritz causing the damage with a five-for.

For the second time in three months, Alex Verdugo is looking for his next stop.

Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday that the Atlanta Braves have designated Verdugo for assignment, clearing room for Jurickson Profar, who was suspended 80 games for a performance-enhancing substance.

Verdugo went unsigned for most of the offseason until he landed a deal with the Braves in late March. In 56 games with the Braves, Verdugo batted .239/.296/.289 with 10 doubles and 12 RBIs. His 65 OPS+ is by far the worst mark of his career.

Verdugo, once ranked as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, starred for four years for the Boston Red Sox from 2020 to '23 and batted .281/.338/.424 in 493 games. Boston flipped him to the arch rival New York Yankees ahead of the 2024 campaign, and he went on to struggle in pinstripes, logging a .233/.291/.356 slash line in 149 games.

Verdugo wasn't able to turn around his 2024 hardships in '25.

Profar, after serving his 80-game suspension, went 3-for-15 in three games with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers during his rehab assignment.

The Braves signed Profar to a three-year contract worth $42 million in January after his career year with the San Diego Padres in 2024 when he hit .280/.380/.459 with 24 homers. He was suspended by MLB in March after four games.

Stina Blackstenius came to the rescue as a beleaguered Arsenal limped to a nervy 2-1 win over Women's Super League basement side Liverpool on Saturday. Former Reds star Olivia Smith banged in a sublime individual goal before Beata Olsson levelled up for a well-earned first-half equaliser. The Gunners were poor for lengthy spells but substitute Blackstenius' quality finish gave the home fans a huge sigh of relief.

Much of the build-up to the game centred on Canada international Smith facing her old side, and, sure enough, the livewire forward gave Arsenal the lead with a 25-yard strike after beating three defenders in the 16th minute. But an all too familiar story played out on the pitch for the Gunners as they failed to grab a second and were punished on the half-hour mark when Olsson tucked the ball home for a relatively soft equaliser. The Swedish forward, who became the first WSL player to score in four of her first five starts, was the home side's tormentor-in-chief as the north London team were second-best for sustained periods. 

England forward Alessia Russo spurned some good opportunities in front of goal as Arsenal regrouped in the second half, and then substitute Stina Blackstenius was denied by some heroic, last-gasp defending by Gemma Evans. But the Swede grabbed the winner three minutes from time when she emphatically whacked a terrific finish into the top corner in front of nearly 35,000 fans. The result sees Arsenal climb up to third in the WSL for the time being, whereas Liverpool are rock bottom.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Emirates Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Anneke Borbe (4/10):

The pressure was on the keeper on her Arsenal debut but she didn't look convincing in between the sticks. She was flat-footed and didn't get a strong enough hand on the ball to keep out Olsson's goal. Not a good first outing.

Emily Fox (5/10):

Got into some dangerous positions but some of her decision-making at important moments wasn't quite good enough.

Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):

Probably should have given Arsenal an early lead but her header from two yards out somehow hit the post. However, she did make some good recovery tackles.

Steph Catley (5/10):

Was undone by Mia Enderby's through ball, but she was well out of position anyway. Her place could now be under threat.

Taylor Hinds (6/10):

Fired in some nice crosses into the box against her old team and didn't do much wrong before being taken off.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Frida Maanum (5/10):

The experienced campaigner didn't do a great deal on and off the ball and was hooked before the hour mark.

Mariona Caldentey (6/10):

The Spaniard was one of Arsenal's few lively players in the first half as her creativity and crosses into the box caused problems. But even some of her passing was downright sloppy.

Kyra Cooney-Cross (5/10):

Even though she isn't a defender, Cooney-Cross' slack marking allowed Liverpool to draw level – an opportunity they duly took. Not the Aussie's best day.

Getty Images SportAttack

Beth Mead (5/10):

The England stalwart provided some dangerous deliveries into the box but was part of an attack that was too cumbersome.

Alessia Russo (5/10):

Played with her back to goal on a number of occasions but when she did get into good positions, she wasted some big chances. 

Olivia Smith (7/10):

Was able to conjure something out of nothing as Arsenal's lukewarm attack uninspiringly huffed and puffed. Faded as the game wore on.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Caitlin Foord (4/10):

Initially added a bit more dynamism off the bench but made a right meal out of a golden chance after the hour mark and some of her passing was very shoddy.

Katie McCabe (6/10):

Didn't really have much to deal with as Arsenal turned the screw in the second half.

Stina Blackstenius (7/10):

The striker was caught offside on too many occasions, with the Swede not needing to make her runs so early. She should have made it 2-1 but wasn't clinical enough when one-on-one with the keeper, but spectacularly took her goal at the end.

Kim Little (6/10):

The captain was competent enough when she was introduced. 

Laia Codina (N/A):

Had no time to make an impact.

Renee Slegers (6/10):

Her second-half substitutes helped wrestle the game's momentum back to Arsenal but she will be worried how her players don't put away teams and have lengthy lulls. 

Wolvaardt and Beaumont’s fifties paved the way for a tense finish

AAP25-Nov-2025South African powerhouse Laura Wolvaardt smacked a half-century in Adelaide Strikers’ tense six-wicket WBBL win over battling Brisbane Heat. After Heat posted 169 for 5, Strikers nudged two a leg bye from the final ball in a thriller at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval.Wolvaardt set an ominous early tone with 51 from 33 balls in a decisive Tuesday night knock, while Bridget Patterson (32* from 22) played a cool hand in the frenetic finale. The Strikers required 31 from the last three overs, an equation reduced to seven from Nadine de Klerk’s final over. With scores tied on the last ball, Patterson tried a leg-side flick, the ball hitting her pads and running to a vacant fine leg.Heat remain winless from six games while Adelaide logged a second win of the campaign.Chasing the tricky total, Wolvaardt and opening partner Tammy Beaumont (51 from 33 deliveries) made early inroads. The pair put on 92 before Wolvaardt fell in the 10th over. She’d struck 10 fours and was caught on the midwicket fence attempting another from the left-arm spin of Jonassen (1-36). Tahlia McGrath (16 from 17) chimed in before Patterson’s final flurry lifted the Strikers to victory.Earlier, the Heat’s innings was powered by Lauren Winfield-Hill (47 from 36 balls), Georgia Redmayne (36* from 20) and Jess Jonassen (37 from 35). Winfield-Hill lost her opening partner Charlie Knott (11 from 14 balls) in the sixth over but attacked Adelaide’s bowlers. She struck a six, and six fours, and was on the cusp of a half-century when she missed a reverse swat and was out lbw to the spin of Jemma Barsby (1-13).Winfield-Hill’s exit left the Heat 87 for 2 after 11 overs and Jonassen continued the momentum until a late flourish. Redmayne and de Klerk (25 from nine balls) produced cameos against a Strikers attack led by legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington (2-31) and Sophie Ecclestone (2-36).

Manchester City moved to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, until they play on Wednesday night, with a thrilling 5-4 win over Fulham.

Supporters of their title rivals may have turned off the game when Phil Foden made it 3-0 before half-time, expecting a simple victory for Pep Guardiola’s side, but the Cityzens made hard work of their three points in the end.

Some questionable game management and defensive work from City almost led to them drawing the match, and there are several players who may not be too pleased with their own contributions to the result.

Ranking Man City's worst performers against Fulham

Whilst the likes of Erling Haaland, Tiijani Rijnders, and Phil Foden shone at Craven Cottage, some of Guardiola’s players failed to deliver quality displays on Tuesday night.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was one of those players. The Italy number one conceded four goals from five shots on target against him, letting in 1.95 more goals than expected, per Sofascore.

Full-back Matheus Nunes also failed to put in a convincing performance. The Portuguese defender was dribbled past twice, per Sofascore, and found defending the likes of Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kevin a bit too difficult at times.

1

Bernardo Silva

2

Matheus Nunes

3

Gianluigi Donnarumma

4

Nico O’Reilly

5

Savinho

The same was true of Nico O’Reilly, who lost ten of his 15 duels and was dribbled past once, on the other flank, whilst at the other end of the pitch, Savinho struggled off the bench, wasting several chances to counter and put the game to bed late on.

It was Bernardo Silva, though, who was arguably the worst performer on the night for the Cityzens, which is why Guardiola should ruthlessly drop him from the side.

Why Pep Guardiola should drop Bernardo Silva

The Portuguese central midfielder should be put on the bench for the clash with Sunderland at The Etihad on Saturday after an underwhelming display against Fulham.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Commentating for Sky Sports, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton described Bernardo’s flicked clearance that fell for Samuel Chukwueze to score his first goal of the game as “careless”.

A few minutes after that comment, Sutton added that he could not understand why the Portugal international was still on the pitch because he “doesn’t have the legs” that he once did, and that Fulham had “run around” him.

Those comments from the Premier League title winner are backed up by the fact that Bernardo failed to complete three of his four attempted tackles on the night, per Sofascore, which shows that he was a yard off the pace when attempting to challenge Fulham players.

Bernardo also struggled to get up the pitch to influence matters in the final third, with no key passes or ‘big chances’ created from 69 touches of the ball, albeit that was not as important on a night where City scored five goals by the 54th minute.

Minutes

90

90

Tackles won

3/5

1/4

Duels won

9/13

7/11

Ball recoveries

3

2

Pass accuracy

83%

86%

Key passes

1

0

As you can see in the table above, the experienced midfielder was even worse than Nunes, who won more tackles, more duels, and made more ball recoveries, whilst also making more key passes.

Bernardo did well in moments towards the end of the match with his ability to retain possession and calm the play down, but it was partially down to his struggles out of possession and defensively that City were in a position where they had to manage the game in the final minutes.

The left-footed star is, of course, still an important player for Guardiola, having started nine league games this season, but the clash with the Black Cats is one that he should be dropped for after this disappointing showing.

Guardiola could provide Rico Lewis with a chance to play in the middle of the park or play Lewis at right-back and bring Nunes back into his natural role in midfield to see if he can improve on his own underwhelming performance.

Man City now favourites to sign "incredible" £88m star, Pep's captivated by him

City have taken the lead in the race for a Premier League star, with Pep Guardiola a big fan.

ByDominic Lund Dec 2, 2025

A game on the bench for Bernardo could, also, keep him fresh ahead of the big match against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, which is another reason why this could be a good move by the Spanish head coach at the weekend.