Mino Raiola has launched a blistering attack on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and warned the Manchester United manager he does not own Paul Pogba.

Solskjaer told a news conference on Friday that Pogba "is our player, not Mino's" amid fresh speculation surrounding the Frenchman's future.

And on Monday, just 17 minutes before United's 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, noted super-agent Raiola hit back by telling the Norwegian "he has other things to worry about."

"Paul is not mine and for sure not Solskjaer's property," Raiola posted on Twitter. "Paul is Paul Pogba's. You cannot own a human being already for a long time in the UK or anywhere else.

"I hope Solskjaer does not want to suggest that Paul is his prisoner. But before Solskjaer makes comments about things I say he should inform himself better about the content of what has been said.

"I am a free citizen who can think and express my thoughts."

Solskjaer was responding to previous comments made by Raiola that suggested Pogba, who has contract at Old Trafford until 2021 with the option of another 12 months, wanted to "escape" the club. The midfielder has been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid and a return to former club Juventus.

"Until now I was maybe too nice to him [Solskjaer]," Raiola continued. "Solskjaer should just remember things he said in the summer to Paul.

"I think Solskjaer may be frustrated for different reasons and is now mixing up some issues. I think that Solskjaer has other things to worry about. At least if I was him I would."

Pogba is currently sidelined with an ankle injury after undergoing surgery in January.

Asked about Raiola on Friday, Solskjaer said: "I've not spoken to Mino, that's for sure. No, I haven't sat down and told Paul to tell his agent what to say, but Paul is our player and not Mino's."

Missed any of the action around Europe this weekend? Have no fear: Gab Marcotti is here to catch you up with all the talking points in the latest Monday Musings.

Jump to: Lazio are in title race | Liverpool win again | Massive result for Barca | Juve look slow in victory | Arteta works wonders with Arsenal | Real's defense falters vs. Celta Vigo | Don't worry about PSG | Give Mourinho some credit | Schick shines for Leipzig | Lessons from Bayern's win | Why wasn't Marega protected?

Lazio are firmly in Serie A's title race

Yup, the eagle is flying. Contrary to what many had predicted -- including yours truly, as I seem to point out every single week -- Lazio's rise continues unabated and the 2-1 victory over Inter on Sunday night showcased most of the qualities of title-winning teams.

- Horncastle: Inzaghi brothers working wonders at Lazio, Benevento

Both teams' lineups (effectively a 3-5-1-1) mirrored each other, which is why for most of the first half the game turned into one of those tactical battles that purists love and casual viewers (especially on TV) find dull. That was the tactical side of Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi: above all, don't get beat, we'll take the stalemate if we have to but at the same time, allow the outstanding individuals in our team to improvise when they see an opening. Exhibit A was Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's thunderbolt that rattled the frame of Inter's goal.

Then, after going a goal down just before half-time, Lazio ratcheted up the intensity in the second half. We're talking flurries of pressure, accurate balls into space, screws slowly tightening. That approach was at the heart of Lazio's two goals. Daniele Padelli, standing in for the injured Samir Handanovic, failed to claim a ball into the box and on the botched clearance, Lazio were awarded a penalty, which Ciro Immobile converted. (Make that 26 Serie A goals and counting for Immobile this season.) The second was different in that MIlinkovic-Savic's prodigious control and snap-shot fooled the culpable Padelli, but it was the same in that it came after sustained pressure.

If football were gymnastics and games were awarded by judges on points, there's little question that Lazio would be best placed to win Serie A. It's not, of course: you need to win games and points on the pitch. The fact that they'll have a whole week to prepare for every game as they have no longer have European football commitments, unlike Inter and Juventus, no doubt helps them. (Remember Leicester's march to the Premier League in 2015-16? They also had no extra fixtures to get in the way.) What will help them more is Inzaghi's tactical nous and defensive solidity, as well as the quality of their individual match-winners. Luis Alberto has carried them in midfield for much of the season and now Milinkovic-Savic is coming on strong. It doesn't matter who it is from week to week as long as there's somebody to step up.

As for Inter, you can use Handanovic's absence as a crutch if you like. Odds are with him between the sticks, they don't lose this game because he commands his area much better than Padelli, but that can't be an excuse for some of Conte's choices on the day. Dropping Lautaro Martinez deeper to hound Lucas Leiva -- the Brazilian is great player defensively but hardly a deep-lying playmaker on the ball -- is hard to understand. After all, it robbed Romelu Lukaku of his natural partner and took him out of the game. Defensively, Milan Skriniar has regressed this season and opting for Diego Godin's experience ahead of Alessandro Bastoni's athleticism boomeranged badly. But most of the attention is reserved to the use, or limited use, of Christian Eriksen.

Inter got themselves into a protracted transfer negotiation before signing Eriksen and giving him a hefty long-term contract. When you do that, it's usually because you think a player is important. Yet Eriksen has started one game of the five in which he's been involved. Simply put, when neither Eriksen nor Stefano Sensi are on the pitch, there's no creativity this team apart from Marcelo Brozovic, who sits much deeper and has a different role.

Asked about it after the match, Conte's rationale was a head-scratcher. He said it was a question of "balance," which feels like code for "Eriksen doesn't work hard enough" to be in a midfield three, a surprise to anyone who watched him play for Tottenham last year. He added that "we got this far without him" and "one man doesn't make a difference."

Eriksen does make a difference when his skill set is different to the guys you have out there. And you obviously think so too, otherwise you wouldn't bring him on late in every game when you need something to happen. But if Eriksen doesn't make a difference, why move heaven and earth to get him?

Liverpool's tackling stands out amid title charge

Liverpool's 1-0 win at Norwich on Saturday means they've taken 76 points out of 78 available this season and it leaves you rooting around for something new to say. The time off probably did give them a boost, though we'll likely only see it down the road when it matters most. Not to the league obviously, but to their pursuit of the Treble.

- Norwich 0-1 Liverpool: Narrow win shows league's overall strength
- Ogden: Which Liverpool player deserves year-end honors?

An old colleague of mine, James Gheerbrant, provided statistical back-up to something I'd noticed, but hadn't fully appreciated. Remember when Jurgen Klopp first arrived and it was about "heavy metal football" and "Bring Da Noise?" In his first season in charge, only once did they make fewer than 16 tackles a game. This season, they're averaging 15.2 and yet, they are gaining possession in the opponent's final third of the pitch 6.62 times a game, the highest average since Opta began recording this statistic. That's up from 4.89 last season.

What this suggests is that Klopp has fine-tuned the side, making them above all more effective and focused off the ball. The intensity may be the same, but there is less wasted energy. That's coaching, folks, and it's a joy to watch.

A massive result for Barcelona

It was all set up for more Barcelona misery when Getafe visited the Camp Nou on Saturday. Standing across from Quique Setien was his nemesis, Jose Bordalas: not only are the two polar opposites in terms of style and approach, but they genuinely don't like each other, as evidenced by the way they didn't even acknowledge each other's existence pre- or post-game. More to the point, Getafe had won four games on the bounce and crept into third place, whereas Barca had lost two of their last five and received confirmation that Ousmane Dembele would not be playing again this season.

- Barca ratings: Messi 8/10 in hard-fought win
- Lowe: Valverde happier after Barcelona
- Hunter: La Liga race comes down to Zidane vs. Setien

Instead, Barca came away with the three points with a 2-1 win and, just as important, looked much better -- especially in the middle of the park, where Arthur started only his second game since Dec. 1. They moved the ball quickly and creatively against a tough, prickly opponent and could have scored more.

On the flip-side, Jordi Alba picked up an injury, we saw the usual defensive wobbles (once again, the result came down to Marc-Andre ter Stegen's late heroics) and, some would say, the Lionel Messi drought continues. I wouldn't. Yes, he's gone 362 minutes without a goal, his longest scoreless streak in two years, but he's also set up six of Barca's last seven goals from open play. This team has enough issues: Messi isn't one of them right now.

Juventus still don't look as good as they should

Juventus rested Cristiano Ronaldo for the visit of Brescia as part of some pre-planned physical recharge (he'll get a nine-day break between matches at a minimum, which he'll no doubt use wisely) and they beat Brescia at home, 2-0. Brescia aren't particularly good to begin with and even less so when they go a man down (Florian Aye was sent off after 37 minutes), so the result was par for the course. Juve's performance, on the other hand, continues to be a concern.

- Horncastle: Coppa Italia shows Juve's regression

Without Ronaldo, the hope was that we'd see more of the collective press and passing game that Maurizio Sarri was brought in for. Instead, Juve's build-up play was painfully slow and devoid of creativity, and not for the first time. You don't want this team to build up a Ronaldo Dependency, but that's where they're heading. And while Miralem Pjanic, who also got injured for his troubles, will be scapegoated for his poor game, it goes well beyond him.

Arteta rings the changes and Arsenal respond with big win

Like many, I raised an eyebrow when I saw Mikel Arteta's starting XI for the visit of Newcastle United on Sunday. Dani Ceballos, who is on loan and hadn't started since early November, was in midfield, with Lucas Torreira on the bench and Matteo Guendozui in the stands. (It was a "technical decision," said Arteta.) Alexandre Lacazette was also on the bench, as was the young buck Gabriel Martinelli: instead, up front we got Eddie Nketiah, just back from a loan spell at Leeds, where he scored three goals in 17 Championship appearances, all but two of them from the bench.

Arsenal hadn't had a game in two weeks, so presumably it wasn't a case of knocks or fatigue either. It felt like an audition, like some kind of Arteta trial-and-error. And indeed, they were humdrum in the first half, before scoring four after the break.

- Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle: Gunners put on a show
- Miller: Arteta's ideas finally taking root at Arsenal
- Arsenal ratings: Pepe 9/10 for star performance

Does this attitude mean that Arteta has written off the season and is now working towards the future, assessing what he has and what he wants to do? Maybe. What's encouraging is that he feels he has the freedom to put out lineups like this. After all, there's no point hiring a guy like Arteta if he's not going to be feeling entirely empowered.

Real's defense lets them down for a change

Eden Hazard returned to Real Madrid's starting lineup (alongside Gareth Bale, no less) on Sunday but Zinedine Zidane's side were held to a 2-2 draw by Celta Vigo, which sees their lead at the top of La Liga cut to a single point. It's only the fifth time this season that Zidane has been able to play the two of them with Karim Benzema and while they showed some ring rust -- understandable, as Hazard hadn't played since November -- it's not the reason they dropped two points.

- Real Madrid ratings: Hazard 8/10 in first game back

Nope, the reason comes from the unlikeliest quarter: central defence. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane were culpable on both of Celta's goals. I'm not going to apportion blame -- there was obviously a mix up that led to Varane being caught flat-footed and Ramos to react late -- but it's not something you expect from two guys who have been playing alongside each other for the past seven years. In both cases it was a very good pass (take a bow, Iago Aspas and Denis Suarez) but with the kind of chemistry Ramos and Varane have, you expect better.

It's not a concern as I see it. When mistakes like these come out of the blue from unlikely sources, best to take it on the chin and move in. You rationally don't expect it to happen again.

PSG's draw no big deal with Champions League ahead

I wouldn't read too much into Paris Saint-Germain's 4-4 draw away to Amiens. Jarring as it was to see them 3-0 down against a team that's second-from-bottom in Ligue 1, Thomas Tuchel left a host of players -- Marco Verratti, Marquinhos, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar -- out of his starting XI and played two teenagers (left-back Mitchel Bakker, center-back Nianzou Kouassi) at the back, with Ander Herrera as a makeshift right-back.

With a massive 10-point lead over Marseille at the top of the table, all the eggs are, understandably, in the Champions League basket right now. And that's fine. The only disappointment is that Edinson Cavani missed a sitter that would have been his 200th goal in a PSG shirt. You hope he gets there before he leaves in the summer.

Give Mourinho some credit for Tottenham's turnaround

Whatever you think about Jose Mourinho -- and I certainly have been critical when I felt it was warranted -- there's no denying that he took over Spurs in 14th place and they are now fifth, one point from the Champions League spots (though Chelsea in fourth have a game in hand). There is still plenty wrong with his Tottenham side: they concede plenty of goals, they have to ride their luck, they live off opposition errors. But they're right where they want to be in the table and he's getting buy-in from players, which is critical if his style of football is to work.

Throw out what you thought you knew about Mourinho's past, too. His career has been largely about physical number nines: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Benni McCarthy, Didier Drogba, Diego Costa, Romelu Lukaku. He had one of those in Harry Kane but now that he's hurt, he's had to rely on roadrunners like Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura. He's out of his comfort zone and he's still delivering results. Some didn't think he had it in him.

Schick shines as Leipzig thrash Werder

Werder Bremen, just one point above the drop and with seven defeats in their last eight games, were unlikely to offer much resistance against Leipzig and the 3-0 result was pretty much routine. It keeps Leipzig a point behind Bayern and all they can do right now is wait for a slip.

On the pitch, Christopher Nkunku was rested and we saw Patrik Schick up front. The Czech is one of those eternal enigmas, a player with size and unusual gifts who often adds up to less than the sum of his parts. But he set up one goal and scored another at the weekend. If Nagelsmann starts getting the best out of him, like he's done with Konrad Laimer, he's another added value for the club.

Bayern have no use for Coutinho

There was light and shadow to be found in Bayern's 4-1 away win to Cologne. On the one hand, this was a trip away to a team that had won five of their last six and Bayern were 3-0 up after 12 minutes. Thomas Muller is playing his best football in years, Sergne Gnabry had a monster game, Kingsley Coman scored in his first start since mid-December and Manuel Neuer made some outstanding saves. (Maybe the latter is the Alexander Nubel effect, knowing that the Schalke goalkeeper is joining Bayern in the summer.) And, of course, they remained top of the table.

On the other hand, it has become pretty clear that Philippe Coutinho (who stayed rooted to the bench) isn't a part of Hansi Flick's plans. That's fine, of course, but it does feel like a collective failure. At the back, Benjamin Pavard, Jerome Boateng and Lucas Hernandez all showed their individual limitations. Indeed, you dread to think where they'd be without Alphonso Davies' excellent run at left-back, a shift that allows Flick to play David Alaba centrally.

Questions must be answered about racism protocols in Portugal

Porto striker Moussa Marega was subjected to vicious abuse when his team visited Vitoria Guimaraes on Sunday. The abuse included both monkey chants and plastic seats thrown in his general direction. Marega, who played for Vitoria three years ago, was singled out for abuse at the start of the game and after scoring what turned out to be the winning goal just after the hour mark. He angrily asked to be substituted after being booked by the match official for remonstrating.

The images are hugely disturbing. My gut reaction is that his teammates should have followed him off. It would have been a powerful message: where racist abuse exists, there can be no football, so we walk off.

- Watch: Marega exits pitch after racist abuse

Equally, the message would have been more powerful if the referee had taken charge and applied FIFA's 3-step protocol -- stop the match (first warning), suspend the match (second warning) and abandon the match (third and final warning) -- straight away. (Independent observers at Kick It Out voiced their frustration at the referee's lack of action according to the video footage that went viral.) The protocol often gets derided, mostly by those who don't understand what it is, but the show of support from match officials stopping the game and saying "we as a whole recognise that this is unacceptable and this match is suspended" is far more powerful. It also removes the onus from the victim of abuse to determine what happens in that moment.

Marega's manager at Porto, Sergio Conceicao was "completely indignant" about the incident, saying "we are a family regardless of nationality, skin colour, hair colour. We are human, we deserve respect. What happened here is unfortunate." The league's ruling body, Liga Portugal, also issued a statement: "Liga Portugal does not agree and never will with acts of racism, xenophobia or intolerance that jeopardize the dignity of footballers or any human beings," said a statement on the organisation's website. "Liga Portugal will do everything to ensure that this episode and all other racist incidents do not go unpunished."

Personally, I'd apply Carlo Ancelotti's response as laid out when he was Napoli manager after Kalidou Koulibaly was subjected to monkey chants in a 1-0 defeat to Inter in which the protocols were also ignored by match officials: "If my player is racially abused and no immediate action is taken by the match officials, I'm taking my team off the pitch."

Chelsea's quest for UEFA Champions League qualification took a hit at Stamford Bridge on Monday as they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United in the Premier League.

Anthony Martial gave the visitors the lead on the stroke of half-time with a nice header, whereas Kurt Zouma wasn't quite so lucky as he saw his equaliser ruled out by VAR. Harry Maguire proceeded to make it a two-goal lead in the 66th minute, with substitute Olivier Giroud's late goal also being chalked off for offside.

Positives

There were points in which the quick one-touch passing style of the Blues got them into some nice positions and, in the first half especially, they were spreading the ball well from pillar to post. They created plenty of solid opportunities and had United backtracking on several occasions, and logistically speaking, they did manage to put the ball in the back of the net twice.

Negatives

Chelsea allowed Manchester United to slowly but surely work their way back into proceedings by allowing them to take control of the possession game. When Chelsea went forward, for all of their short bursts of pace, they just didn't have the final touch or piece of quality necessary to put the game beyond United. The hosts also need to work on maintaining their structure, especially through the middle of the park.

Manager rating out of 10

6 -- Frank Lampard had this starting XI playing with composure for the first 10 minutes or so in a structured 4-3-3, and then it all seemed to fall apart. He was relying far too heavily on the counterattack and clearly needs to work on getting these players into a spell of consistency with their positional play. His substitutions certainly signalled an attacking intent, but they just never followed through on that for the boss.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Willy Caballero, 5 -- While the backup's distribution was solid enough, he seemed to stumble in the big moments, such as the first United goal where he probably could've been more central.

DF Reece James, 5 -- For all of his searching balls down the wing and stern battles with Brandon Williams, James still feels like a defensive liability with his tendency to drift out of position and leave holes at the back.

DF Andreas Christensen, 5 -- The Dane's no-nonsense approach to getting the ball out of danger held up until Martial's header, which he failed to get up for -- although his nose injury, suffered moments beforehand, could be partially to blame.

DF Antonio Rudiger, 6 -- As time goes on, Rudiger seems to be reading the game better than he has in the past, with his towering presence in the air always coming in handy -- right up until he makes a vital error, as was the case for Maguire's header.

DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 6 -- It's all well and good being able to get in around the back but when the final ball isn't there, it doesn't mean a whole lot. With that being said, he was slightly unlucky to be blamed for Chelsea's first disallowed goal.

MF N'Golo Kante, N/R -- It was a short night at the office for Kante who went off injured within the first 10 minutes.

MF Jorginho, 5 -- From not tracking his man to rarely winning the ball in midfield, this highlighted why Jorginho isn't a natural central midfielder.

MF Mateo Kovacic, 7 -- This could've been a whole lot worse without Kovacic leading Chelsea in the middle and driving them forward time and time again.

FW Pedro, 6 -- The erratic nature of Pedro's insanely quick style causes some issues, but largely, it was a spirited display that showcased his desire to succeed in this team.

FW Michy Batshuayi, 5 -- Being a capable defensive forward is admirable but Batshuayi missed a handful of vital chances and just doesn't seem to have the sort of flair necessary to thrive in this Chelsea team.

FW Willian, 5 -- The Brazilian always seems to cope better when he's distributing the ball quickly as opposed to being exposed in high-pressure situations, which wound up being his primary issue on the night.

Substitutions

DF Kurt Zouma, 6 -- The defender's disallowed goal probably should've stood, and many will argue he should've started the game from the first whistle.

MF Mason Mount, 7 -- In one of his best performances of the campaign so far, Mount carried the ball well, added creativity when coming on and even struck the post.

FW Olivier Giroud, 6 -- The Frenchman got himself into decent positions and was narrowly offside for his disallowed header.

India batsman Manish Pandey will join Karnataka's squad for their Ranji Trophy quarter-final fixture against Jammu & Kashmir which starts from February 20, while KL Rahul will rest during the round. Both Pandey and Rahul have been with the Indian limited-overs sides since they helped Karnataka clinch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December. Neither has played in a Ranji Trophy match this season as a result.

Pandey captained Karnataka to both the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali titles this season, and is the designated captain in the longer format as well. But Karun Nair has been leading in his absence and will continue to do so against J&K.

Rahul, who has been in top form in limited-overs cricket, starting from the Vijay Hazare Trophy in October last year, has recently sealed a place in the Indian middle order in ODIs as well as at the top of the order in T20Is. He has featured in all of India's last 11 matches across formats, and done so as a wicketkeeper on each occasion, having filled in midway through a match for Rishabh Pant in the first ODI against Australia in January. That is eleven matches in just under a month with the additional duties of keeping wickets.

Elsewhere, Bengal have named fast bowler Ishan Porel in their 15 for their quarter-final against Odisha. Porel was on tour in New Zealand with the India A squad, alongside Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, but did not feature in their last match, in which Easwaran did.

South Zone escaped with a draw against Central Zone to book a place in the Bangladesh Cricket League final. They will now take on East Zone to have a shot at their fifth title, and third in a row, in the five-day final at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, in Chattogram from February 22.

South Zone, who had erroneously declared their first innings on 114 for 4 - 121 runs behind Central Zone's 235 all out - in a bid to deprive them of a bowling bonus point, had to bat out the final day and a half in Cox's Bazar to ensure that they at least drew the game. South Zone had thought they would deprive Central Zone from getting points for taking five wickets, which led to the declaration. However, when Central Zone took a massive lead, South Zone ended up having to bat for 144 overs to draw the game, since a loss would have not only given Central Zone more points, but also an additional bonus point for having won two matches in a row.

After Shamsur Rahman made 133 and Anamul Haque and Nasum Ahmed got out in the eighties, it was down to the last pair of Farhad Reza and Shafiul Islam to bat out the remaining 9.4 overs to ensure survival. South Zone finished on 386 for 9 in 144 overs, with Shamsur hitting 18 fours and a six in his 230-ball innings.

After South Zone's declaration on the first day, Najmul Hossain Shanto struck his maiden double-century to give Central Zone a massive 506-run lead. Shanto made an unbeaten 253 off 310 balls, with 25 fours and nine sixes. The match also saw Marshall Ayub reach 8,000 first-class runs during his 116 on the first day.

At the ground next door, Mushfiqur Rahim struck his eleventh first-class hundred but couldn't prevent East Zone from beating North Zone by eight wickets.

Batting first, North Zone were restricted to 272 runs with Nayeem Hasan taking 8 for 107, the second eight-wicket haul in an innings in his first-class career. Yasir Ali's 165 then gave East Zone a 59-run lead, and perhaps won him a place in the Bangladesh side for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam took 7 for 115, the fifth time he has taken seven or more wickets in an innings. North Zone were then bowled out for 269 runs, with Nayeem taking a second five-for, which gave him his best match bowling figures of 13 for 208.

Yasir then struck a second century on the fourth day, taking his team to a comfortable victory.

It takes an astute individual to know how much to share with others, especially those they don't know. Do you tell them about yourself, your hopes, your anxieties and your personal life? Or do you keep those things private and leave them to guess and Google their way around you?

Trust South Africa's most charismatic captain, Faf du Plessis, to have usually known the answer. (Spoiler alert: it's a bit of both.)

On debut, during his first press conference as an international player, du Plessis told the story of how his foot slipped out of his boot and he ended up tangled between shoelaces, his batting pads and the urgency of needing to get on to the park to avoid being timed out. He told it to a room full of mostly Australian media during a Test match South Africa were well behind in, and he told it with the refreshing honesty of someone new to the spotlight, who didn't mind a bit of self-deprecation even if defeat was looming. Then he went on save the game and set South Africa up for a series win and we all wanted to know a little bit more.

ALSO READ: Du Plessis steps down as Test and T20I captain

It took us four years to really find out.

Du Plessis' first period at the highest-level coincided with South Africa's last as the best traveling Test team around. His career began as Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith's ended and while AB de Villiers was positioning himself to take over the leadership in all formats. In that time, du Plessis became a reliable presence, sometimes stepping in to skipper the T20 side when de Villiers was being rested and many times stepping in to steady the Test side through his presence in the middle order.

While de Villiers yo-yoed between wanting to be the best batsman in the world to wanting to keep wicket, to having a bad back and not wanting to keep wicket, to wanting to support Hashim Amla as Test captain, to admitting to feeling let down that he wasn't named captain, to threatening to retire early because of his heavy workload, to taking a sabbatical, du Plessis was there, consistently being consistent. He took on the T20 captaincy when South Africa still treated the format like it didn't matter and turned it into something that did. Under du Plessis, South Africa talked about T20 strategy more than under any other captain.

He was organised and efficient in the way he led so when de Villiers had to miss a home Test series against New Zealand in 2016, it was not surprising that du Plessis was asked to act as a substitute. At that point, South Africa were in turmoil, although looking back, perhaps that is too strong a word, given what's happened in recent months.

The 2015 World Cup had ended badly and they lost back-to-back Test series against India and England, which saw them tumble from No. 1 on the Test rankings to No. 7. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander were going through the revolving doors of injury, and a transformation target policy was going to be implemented in a stricter way than ever before. It was not an easy time to take over but du Plessis has always preferred the hard way. He earned his national cap via a Kolpak deal, after all.

The series itself was unremarkable. A wet Durban outfield meant that the Centurion Test was a straight shootout and South Africa won easily. Du Plessis scored a century and something about the way he conducted himself made it clear that he was a better candidate to captain than de Villiers.

"Du Plessis mentioned a 'perfect world' in which he would lead the Test team for the rest of the season and also at the T20 World Cup, which suggests it was not entirely his decision to step down"

Fortuitously, de Villiers had not recovered from an elbow problem in time for the series in Australia three months later so du Plessis carried on, and how. That tour was his most memorable, as he absorbed the pressure of losing Steyn to a broken shoulder on the second day in Perth and the scrutiny of being caught with a mint in his mouth in Hobart. His hundred under lights in Adelaide turned boos into cheers and South Africa won a third, successive series Down Under.

By the end of the year, de Villiers gave du Plessis his blessing to keep captaining and we all knew the most important thing about him: he had the team.

South Africa played for du Plessis and he played for them. Their performances in Australia in 2016 and against Australia and India in the summer of 2017-18 are the best proof of that. Du Plessis led with dignity, especially when the Australia camp imploded in the aftermath of sandpaper gate, and South Africa's back-to-back series wins put them back on the track du Plessis wanted them on. He mentioned the No. 1 ranking often and it was doubtless a goal of his, but lack of resources let him down.

Series defeats to Sri Lanka, away in 2018 and at home in 2019, blighted his Test captaincy record but nothing would have stung as much what happened from the World Cup onwards, on and off the field.

South Africa's worst showing at the 50-over flagship was marred by selection controversy when de Villiers made himself available but was refused a comeback, and followed by administrative unraveling.

It was then that du Plessis' leadership was taken to its edge. It was then that it would have been easy and obvious to walk away. Du Plessis is understood to have had offers but turned them down because he felt a sense of duty to a team in transition. When Amla and Steyn retired, his own role only became bigger, as the last link to the golden generation and the only one brave enough to go back to India.

Despite not being consulted about the team director and being left out of the T20 squad, du Plessis ploughed through a three-Test series that got worse as it went on. The wounds from 2015 were reopened and South Africa were exposed as being more than just a team in transition; they were a team on the brink of falling apart. Again, it would have been easy for du Plessis to walk away but duty brought him back home to try again. And he started by sharing.

Du Plessis appealed, publicly and on multiple occasions, to CSA to clean house and provide clarity as it lurched through crisis after crisis. He went unheard, and it took sponsor withdrawal, board resignations and a hard-handed attempt at censorship to force a change at head office. Before that happened, du Plessis had already turned to humour.

He created a social media storm as captain of the Paarl Rocks, when he revealed a little too much about why fast-bowler Hardus Viljoen was not available for selection. "He is in bed with my sister," du Plessis said, straight-faced, explaining that Viljoen had married his sibling the night before. And that was where the fun ended.

The Mzansi Super League final, which du Plessis' team won, may have been the last time we saw him truly celebrate and be celebrated as a captain. While the two candidates being trialled as his replacement, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, led teams that finished last and second-last in the tournament, du Plessis took a team of nobodies to the title. That was the strongest statement he could have made that he was the man to take the national team to this year's T20 World Cup, something he maintained he wanted to do all summer and seems to still want to do.

In his statement on Monday, du Plessis mentioned a "perfect world" in which he would like to lead the team in Tests for the rest of the season and also to the T20 World Cup, which suggests it was not entirely his decision to step down. So who or what might have pushed him?

The evidence points to a perfect storm of loss of form, public and media pressure and politics, none of which are entirely his fault.

In seven Tests in the 2019-20 season, du Plessis averaged 20.92. Only the 2015-16 season, the one before he took over, was worse but that didn't collide with what he has faced this time.

In an increasingly racially polarised climate, du Plessis found himself swept up in sentiment following the dropping of Bavuma from the Test side. While no one could argue with du Plessis' logic that Bavuma, who averaged 19.4 in 2019, needed to force his way back in through "weight of runs", du Plessis' comment about the team "not seeing colour" was in poor taste for a country that sees little else. It is not for du Plessis to answer why the South African system has only produced one Test-ready black African batsman but it was his job to discuss transformation in more nuanced terms. He got that wrong, but it should not have cost him his captaincy. In all likelihood, it didn't.

Towards the end of the Test series, as du Plessis maintained his stance that he wanted to continue until the T20 World Cup, acting director of cricket Graeme Smith said he would have a "robust" discussion with du Plessis to discuss his future. Those talks are believed to have happened at length. Ultimately, the decision was taken fresh ideas were needed as South Africa enter a new era. De Kock will inject new energy into the white-ball teams and the Test captaincy successor will be named in the winter. But du Plessis remains duty-bound.

He has not given up the international game and is willing to share more of himself with a commitment to playing in all formats, mentoring the next generation and making it to that T20 World Cup. In all that, du Plessis has shared more than just his batting and leadership skills with South African cricket. He has shared his character, his compassion and the best years of his career and for that, this country should always be grateful.

The Lions have spoken with multiple teams about a trade involving Darius Slay, but Detroit will be adamant about what it will cost to acquire the Pro Bowl cornerback, a source told ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.

Conversations with teams include a new contract for Slay as part of the deal, Schefter reported. Slay, 29, is entering the final year of his contract in 2020.

Slay has been Detroit's best defensive player and made three straight Pro Bowls.

Slay's potential to be traded goes back to last year's deadline, when Detroit dealt safety Quandre Diggs to Seattle. Slay was bothered by the move and said he knows that "nobody's safe" from being traded.

"Anybody can go," Slay said after the Diggs trade. "So that's it. You know, at the end of the day, I just see it as there's no loyalty to nothing. No matter how much you put in, they feel like it's a little different, they can get rid of you. So I just play ball."

At the time, he said he would be OK if he got traded and OK if he stayed in Detroit.

Slay has been open on social media about wanting to get a new contract and recently said on Twitter that $15 million to $16 million per year might be too low when a reporter suggested that could be a fair deal.

With the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft, Detroit could be a destination for corner Jeff Okudah out of Ohio State. But the Lions have long searched for a reliable No. 2 corner opposite Slay, and if they traded him, they would have two cornerback spots to fill.

Schefter reported that other teams believe Slay will be dealt this offseason. The Lions' asking cost, though, will be something to watch.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The passionate reaction around baseball regarding the Astros' sign-stealing scandal continues to capture the attention of the sport, with stars like Justin Turner and Mike Trout speaking out against MLB's punishment of Houston on Monday, but Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez said he believes the discourse around baseball was "getting a little bit too much."

"I understand players' frustrations and stuff like that, but I think in my opinion, it's already getting a little bit too much," Martinez said. "We have to move past it at some point. We can't continue to talk about it. I know it's frustrating right now. People want to talk about it, this and that, but it's 2020. I think teams are aware of everything that's kind of happened.

"... From here on out, it's going to be a different message in the clubhouses and a different environment with people, like steroids. The punishments were so harsh that people weren't going to attempt to think about doing anymore. I think it will get to that point."

Martinez, 32, a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, also defended MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's decision to grant the players immunity, saying that the facts of the situation would not have emerged otherwise.

"One hundred percent they wouldn't have," Martinez said. "That's the way it is. There was never any hard core facts that were jumping out at you. If it weren't for players talking and getting that immunity, I don't think no one would have ever have said anything."

Martinez did, however, take issue with the announcement from Manfred that MLB is in talks with the players' union to further restrict in-game use of video, such as when hitters go to the clubhouse to review their at-bats before returning to the dugout.

"I think it's really important for us to send a message to our fans," Manfred said, "that not only did we investigate and punish, but we altered our policies in a way to help make sure it doesn't happen again."

The Boston designated hitter uses video extensively in his preparation, recording every swing during batting practice and routinely breaking down footage to check for any irregularities in his swing, playing a major role in his success following his release from the Astros before the 2014 season.

"He said there are going to be some restrictions, but I think to go out there and take all video out and you're not allowed to look at at-bats, I think is a little ridiculous in my opinion," Martinez said. "All of these kids now, when I was in the minor leagues, Double-A, Triple-A, we had video systems. ... You always go back and check something in your swing and it helps you throughout the game. To all of a sudden take that away is a little extreme."

Martinez continued: "The way the at-bat system works is like you're watching the game live from NESN. You watch it on NESN, can you steal the signs? It's too hard. It's cutting in and out. There's a guy eating a sausage and they're talking about him eating a hot dog and this sausage and then all of a sudden ... there's the pitch. I think it's a little bit extreme to say all of that.

"Maybe they should become more informed on what exactly you can do and talk to players who have played. 'Hey, does this help? How can we monitor it?' If you want to delay it, delay it, whatever you have to do, but to sit there and take that away, for me, it's what makes me, me. I'm a very analytical guy. I like to study what my back foot is doing, my elbow. There's a lot of guys who are like that, and that's the trend of the game and the way the game has gone."

Martinez also suggested that limiting access to video could diminish the offensive production on the field.

"You start taking angles away, you're just making it harder," Martinez said. "What does the commissioner want? More offense, more offense, but you're going to limit hitters for doing that? I think it's tough."

TAMPA, Fla. -- Did the Houston Astros' sign-stealing practices continue past the 2017 postseason? New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres has no doubt that it did.

"For sure. If you cheated in 2017 and you won, why don't [you] do [it] the next year, and the next year, too!" Torres said. "I'll use an example: If I play video games with you and we face the TV and I see your controller and I know what is coming and I hit really well and I win, if you tell me we play again, I'll do the same thing because I win. So [the Astros] did in '17 for sure, they did in '18 and they do '19. It's really easy."

Torres was referring to playing the video game "MLB: The Show" against Yankees pitcher Luis Severino, where he admitted to peeking at his teammate's controller to see what pitch was coming.

"When I face like Severino, I saw the controller and I did really well and he didn't know, and the next one I did the same thing and I win!" Torres added.

An investigation by MLB proved the Astros had cheated by using a camera-based, sign-stealing system during their 2017 World Series-winning regular season and playoffs, and during part of the 2018 regular season. The investigation specified that sign stealing did not take place in 2019, which Torres finds hard to believe.

"I heard many people say, 'Hey, Houston has something on the field,'" he said. "But I can't believe it because how would you know they have something like media, cameras, everything. But now, I saw the news. It's not fair."

In terms of whether sign stealing could have been a factor during the 2019 playoffs, where the Yankees lost in the American League Championship Series to Houston in six games, Torres fell short of blaming it on cheating by the Astros.

"I don't want to say they cheated and we didn't go to the World Series, because we lost because we missed too many opportunities, when we played at home, when we played in Houston too," Torres said. "But during the regular season and postseason they took advantage of the cameras and everything so for sure, I'm [upset] about that."

New Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was with the Astros in 2018 and '19. He said last week that he "had no idea any of it was going on and I didn't see any of it."

Manager Aaron Boone has repeatedly said that he wants to move forward from having to face questions about the Astros' cheating scandal, but said Torres, as well as many Yankees, will continue to feel the need to have a say in the matter.

"I'm not surprised," Boone said when told of Torres' comments. "My experience of it, my level of emotions that I've gone through personally, and not even having a total grasp of it all and not having even reconciled it all in my head, and I know some of the conversations that I've had with staff and coaches and people around the league, but our players as well, from their raw emotions when the news broke. And as the days unfold, I'm not surprised by what we've seen. Over the next couple of days, as our position players are here now, I think it's important for them to say whatever they need to say on the matter. If they want to talk about it or not, I'm respectful of that and encourage that. But there will be a time also as a club when it'll be time to stop talking about it, and lock in on the important business we have in front of us in 2020."

When asked whether he agrees with Dodgers' All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger, who claimed Jose Altuve "stole" the MVP award from Aaron Judge in 2017, Torres told ESPN that there is no way to know that now. Torres is a friend of fellow Venezuelan Altuve, and is close to him, though they have not spoken since the MLB investigation.

"In Venezuela, Altuve is a hero. I don't want to say that during the [2017] regular season he didn't put up his numbers or what he did is not real. I really believe that everything he has done is legal," Torres told ESPN. "But in some situations, I think about what the team did, and the use of a camera and everything, and it doesn't really feel very good."

"In 2017, I was injured; I wasn't in the big leagues. I can't say many things about that year. But Altuve had a tremendous season. He had tremendous numbers in the playoffs, but if you look at Judge's numbers, he also did very well. He had a tremendous season as well. But, of course, those are the things that get out of hand. But the personal relationship I have with Altuve will not change. Altuve is my friend, and he is a good person, a humble person. But when things like this happen, they affect baseball. This is what happens when you don't follow the rules."