With a significant new MLB rule on the horizon and a cheating scandal looming, we wondered how baseball's managers felt about two of the biggest issues surrounding the game.

We asked managers at the recent winter meetings about the new three-batter-minimum rule and the ongoing sign-stealing saga surrounding the Houston Astros, as well as the best advice they've given or received.

How will the three-batter minimum affect you the most?

Bud Black, Colorado Rockies: "I think the chess game still is going to be in play but ... the endgame decisions are going to be drastically different. You'll see from game No. 1. We're all going to have to learn a different type of strategy."

Joe Girardi, Philadelphia Phillies: "I think it can affect how you put a lineup together. Depending how many left-handers they have, maybe you spread your left-handers out. So if they have a guy that is efficient in getting left-handed hitters out, you surround him with two beasts that are right-handed hitters. So I think it does change."

Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox: "I don't think it's going to affect us that much. We don't mix and match that much. Our lefties, they're pretty solid. Darwinzon [Hernandez] and [Josh] Taylor, they get lefties and righties and do a good job against both of them. So I don't think to us it's going to affect us that much."

Chris Woodward, Texas Rangers: "It's different. There's going be some tricky situations. You bring in a guy with two outs, you're hoping this guy gets out, guy gets a flare for a hit, next guy is a lefty. OK, I can get through that guy, but the guy after that, significant right-handed hitter. I don't think it's going to affect anything to start our innings, because our bullpen isn't made up of just lefty or righty dominant, which helps us a lot. But for other teams, there are going to be significant advantages, right or left."

Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals: "Yeah, I've been kind of contemplating things in my head: What we want to do and what we want to see and the kind of pitchers we want in our bullpen. We talked a lot about it. We're still not done finalizing things, but we're going to look at a lot of different options."

Joe Maddon, Los Angeles Angels: "I don't like it. I haven't liked it from the beginning. I don't quite get it. My take on the whole thing is -- I'm all for messing with the pace of the game. I think the pace of the game can be messed with; I'm good. The thing I would never interfere with is strategy, and to me, that interferes with strategy, and that's the part I don't like. Pace and length of the game, I think, are interconnected, but strategy is sacred, I think."

Ron Gardenhire, Detroit Tigers: "Can we talk about that after a few cocktails? There was a lot of conversation about that three-batters rule. We've got a lot of managers still trying to figure out how it's going to work out. It's not one of those favorite things for a manager because it starts taking away a little bit of strategy. I know the game is tough when you walk out there and change a pitcher for every hitter; but at times, it's about trying to win a ballgame, and I think that's what we're all here for. Those are the arguments. But we're trying to improve the game, so we've got to give it a look before day one."

Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves: "I think it will become our new norm. There's something that you're always adjusting to in this game. It's players, the staff, the managers, the front office -- we're all making adjustments all the time in this game, trying to stay ahead."

Derek Shelton, Pittsburgh Pirates: "I don't know because I haven't done it the other way. The three-batter thing will be interesting, and it's going to be interesting for a couple of reasons for me. Never having managed in the National League, it will be interesting to see how that works out with the pitcher."

Girardi: "I worry about people possibly using their better relievers too much because there's youth in bullpens and guys that aren't ready for the eighth and ninth inning -- and sometimes you may want to use them to give those eighth- and ninth-inning guys a day off, and that's a concern of mine."

What's your take on the Astros sign-stealing situation?

Gardenhire: "It's always been part of the game, trying to pick up the catcher signs and stuff. That part has always been fine. When you get into the other stuff, that's when it gets out there. I think that's what everybody is trying to stop. Everybody is going to continue to look and see if you can get a catcher's routine and signs, but the other part of it we've got to get rid of. That's a little bit unfair, and I think baseball is taking care of it. That's what we've been told, and I believe them."

Snitker: "Guys have been trying to figure out an edge for as long as we've been playing. Whether it's guys tipping pitches, they study it. Some guys are better at it than others and getting advantages. I've never really spent a lot of time with it. I mean, I think a lot of it -- you know, it's been going on for a long time, the on-the-field type things.

Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays: "I can't speak on anything, other than what took place in the playoffs. I thought MLB did a tremendous job of monitoring everything. There were MLB supervisors, officials, two at one end of the dugout, two at the other end, one or two in the video rooms. I fully trust MLB did a really good job."

Bob Melvin, Oakland Athletics: "Yeah, we talked about it, prepared for those type of things. There was a lot bantered about, those type of things going on. It is what it is. There is an investigation going on, and at some point in time there will be ramifications for it. If what has been going on and what we're reading about is going on, that's a line that's been crossed."

Woodward: "I think we're all paranoid. I just know that I challenged all the teams that I was on. I came up in an era where the team I played on in Toronto, we were aware of signs and tips on pitchers, and we tried to find every advantage we could -- obviously without crossing that line into the cheating realm. But anything you can take advantage of, you do."

Maddon: "When you use electronic cheating, that's not good. It's almost tantamount to steroids in regards to an imbalanced playing field. If we could level that out and eradicate that and you get guys going out there naked every night just based on their own abilities, I'll take it. I'll take us against anybody under those circumstances."

Girardi: "[It's an issue] because that's not coming from the players on the field. The players on the field, it's their job to guard against the players on the field. You can't guard against technology and players off the field. So that is bothersome to me, and it's been why I've been like a headset guy proponent to where [stealing signs] can't be done. Then the only thing you have to worry about is if a pitcher is tipping."

Aaron Boone, New York Yankees: "Obviously, some of the stuff is, you know, eye-popping, eye-opening. We will see where it leads. We know, obviously, Major League Baseball is taking it seriously and going through a thorough process of talking to a lot of people and really trying to get to what truly happened, didn't happen, what was going on."

What's the best advice you've given or received as a manager?

Girardi: "Be yourself. Be who you are. You can't try to be someone that you're not. When I took over the Yankees in 2008, Joe Torre said, 'Be yourself. Don't try to be me'. And I've never forgotten that."

Woodward: "Enjoy it. Honestly, it's stuff you're going to go through. I got a lot of advice from friends of mine. Kevin Cash, he's one of them. [Also], don't be surprised by everything; expect everything you can imagine."

David Bell, Cincinnati Reds: "Creating that space around you just to be able to do the things that you care about and love to do. For me, it's having some time to communicate and get to know people better and hopefully make a difference that way. That would be my only advice, is to make sure you have that space around you."

Martinez: "For Carlos [Beltran], being his first year as a manager, my biggest thing with him is, stay in the moment and just be true to you. That's something that I learned from Joe [Maddon]. When things go bad, when things aren't right, just be true to who you are, because the players will follow you and believe in them."

Shelton: "The best advice I got was right when I got the job. I flew into Pittsburgh the next morning and had breakfast with Jim Leyland. I think the biggest thing was, be yourself. Be who you are. Don't try to be anything you're not. I think it was as much he was giving me advice about the press conference. You see press conferences, and people try to be something, and he's like, 'Be yourself.' So that's probably the best."

England meet France and Wales face mighty Egypt in last four
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

While Egypt, England and France secured semi-final slots as predicted by the seedings, it was 11th seeds Wales who created the headlines on day five of the WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship in Washington DC after beating British rivals Scotland to earn a place in the last four for the first time for 20 years.

Boasting three players in the world top four, Egypt are surely the strongest favourites the event has ever seen. Yet the title-holders were taken the full distance by Germany, the fifth seeds who suffered a surprise defeat to lower-seeded Spain in the qualifying rounds.

Egypt’s world No.3 Karim Abdel Gawad was first on court to face Raphael Kandra, the Germany No.2 whom he had never before faced. As expected, Gawad romped to a 2/0 lead against the world No.28 and looked set to open a one-game lead for the top seeds.

But underdog Kandra was far from overawed by the former world champion and hauled back the deficit, taking the next two games to force a decider. Gawad, a recognised five-game expert, soon regained the initiative, however, and after 58 minutes closed out the match 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 8-11, 11-4.

It was the number ones who were then on court – Egypt’s world No.1 Ali Farag boasting a 7/5 head-to-record over Simon Rösner and four recent wins in succession. But it was the German who was control in the early stages, building up a two-game lead.

Farag fought back to level the match – but the tall and imposing German, ranked 6 in the world, regained the momentum to reach match-ball at 10-3. With crowd on the edges of their seats, Farag clawed back point after point before Rösner finally celebrated his 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 8-11 upset after 73 minutes.

It was left to the Egyptian number four Mohamed Abouelghar, ranked 8 in the world, to clinch his country’s predicted victory when he beat Valentin Rapp 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 to put Egypt into the semis for the 12th time in a row.

“Before the match started, I was talking to Ali – we made sure that none of us relaxed, no matter what happened and I think that helped a lot,” said Abouelghar after the match. “Before Ali’s match, I knew that if he won that mine would be a dead rubber, but I didn’t go with that mentality and I warmed up and was ready for the match and I’m very happy to help the team get the win.

“On the squash court there are no favourites, on paper we’re the strongest but in a team event when things get tight the nerves are very high and I’m very happy to have held my nerves today.

“It’s a tough match with Wales and Scotland both of their No.1s are really strong, we will just watch and see what happens.”

Later, it was Wales who claimed the right to face Egypt – beating British rivals Scotland 2/0 to claim a semi-final berth for the first time since 1999.

Incredibly, the tie marked the first time the two countries had met in the championships since 1995 – when coach David Evans led them to a 3/0 win.

It was a 2/0 win over sixth seeds Hong Kong that propelled Wales, the 11th seeds, into the quarter-final clash with 9th seeds Scotland.

Second string Peter Creed, the world No.75, put Wales into the driving seat with an impressive 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 upset win over Alan Clyne, ranked 36 places higher. With the Welsh bench in vociferous support, the team number one Joel Makin, ranked 12 in the world, despatched Greg Lobban 15-13, 11-8, 11-5 to take his team back into the world semis after 20 years.

“Creedy played a joke there, he didn’t make many errors and was attacking,” said the jubilant Makin afterwards. “When he’s moving well like that he’s really hard to break down, so I knew I had to play well and wrap it up.

“I knew I just had to be solid and he was so broken up and it’s not the way you want to play but that’s what you have to do in these kind of situations is just get through them.

“Emyr (Evans) closed out a big win yesterday and Creedy did the same today. We back ourselves, we are a good team and we did well today.”

Welsh coach David Evans, a former British Open champion, was equally upbeat: “I’m very, very pleased. Coming here, we were looking for a top eight finish, for our funding, but when the draw opened up it was a massive opportunity for the boys – and they’ve taken it with both hands.”

On the fact that it is 24 years since the nations last met in the event, Evans said: “We play Scotland a lot in the Europeans – but on a three-man team, there’s a different dynamic. But they were probably thinking the same today, that there was a massive opportunity to get through to the semi-finals. And, luckily, now we’re here.

“We’re playing Egypt now, the number one seeds – but as you can see, Germany took them very close today – and with only three players in the team, anything’s possible.

“Joel, our number one is capable of beating anyone in the world at the moment. I know our boys will give it everything.”

Two crucial quarter finals took place in the evening session of the fifth day of action – and both went the full distance. Former champions England took on fourth seeds New Zealand, while third seeds France faced surprise opponents Spain, the No.8 seeds.

Seasoned campaigner James Willstrop, a 36-year-old veteran of seven previous campaigns, put England into the lead after seeing off lower-ranked Kiwi Campbell Grayson – but ‘Superman’ Paul Coll, the world No.5, restored the balance for New Zealand after a straight games dismissal of the English number one Adrian Waller.

On paper, the decider would be expected to go England’s way – but world No.21 Daryl Selby was given a scare as Kiwi Evan Williams, ranked over 70 places lower, took the opening game.

Williams moved ahead to game-ball for a 2/0 lead – but the gritty Selby (pictured above in action) recovered the initiative to draw level and after 56 minutes celebrated a mighty 8-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-8 victory.

England have now extended their remarkable record of never having finished outside the world top four!

“Obviously I’m feeling good after getting the win but also a little emotional,” said Selby later. “It’s tough because I know this is probably my last Worlds, so playing in a team environment again is always very special and different – you can see that in the way players play.

“Nothing is done until it’s played, on paper I probably should win without it being as tough as that but Evan showed what a good player he is. He played great squash, put me under a lot of pressure and I was probably a bit lucky to get it done in four.

“I always fancy myself to come back from two games down anyway, so that is a little safety net in the back of your head, but I’ve got a lot of experience and I need to use that at crucial times. I didn’t play great today, but that was probably a lot down to him because he nullified my game, but a win’s a win.”

Former world No.1 and World Champion Gregory Gaultier opened proceedings for France – but soon found the going tough as Spaniard Iker Pajares Bernabeu survived the marathon 84-minute encounter to win in four games and put the underdogs ahead.

But team-mate Gregoire Marche steadied the ship for France after beating Spanish legend Borja Golan 3/0.

It was left to experienced Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet to seal the win, beating Spain’s Carlos Cornes 3/0 to put France back into the last four after a shock 2017 fifth place finish in 2017 on home soil.

Twenty three nations are competing in the 26th edition of the championships, hosted by US Squash, at Squash On Fire, the new state-of-the-art eight-court facility in the US capital.

There was a notable achievement on one of the side courts at Squash on Fire when Nigeria, the 23rd seeds competing in the event for the first time for 20 years, beat higher-seeded Republic of Korea 2/0 to claim their first win of the tournament.

The four-man Nigerian squad, led by Babatunde Ajagbe, had planned to be in Washington for two weeks to acclimatise and prepare – but at the 11th hour were denied visas for two of their players, and were forced to replace them with two coaches based in the USA.

Despite not winning a match in the previous rounds, the Nigerians have impressed – on several occasions taking considerably higher-ranked opponents the full distance.

“I am pleased with way the guys have been playing – most of the matches have been close,” said Nigerian federation President Boye Oyerinde. “In our first match, our number one played Joel Makin, who is 12 in the world – and it was so close. And our No.3 played well in several matches, but still lost.

“I’m so happy that, despite everything, we now have something to smile about! Our number one is based in the States, he plays out of New Jersey and plays on the Tour. Our number two came in the day before the match, arriving in the evening after a 14-hour flight, so it wasn’t the best preparation. Despite that, he put in a good show.

“And the last two came in at the last moment when we couldn’t get the other two players in because of visa problems – and they are also based in the States, but are not really playing actively as they are coaches. We have two young players back home who we really wanted to be here to get the experience.”

WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship, Squash On Fire, Washington DC, USA.

Quarter-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt [5] GERMANY 2/1
Karim Abdel Gawad bt Raphael Kandra 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 8-11, 11-4 (58m)
Ali Farag lost to Simon Rösner 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 8-11 (73m)
Mohamed Abouelghar bt Valentin Rapp 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 (27m)
[11] WALES bt [9] SCOTLAND 2/0
Peter Creed bt Alan Clyne 11-9, 11-4, 11-8 (47m)
Joel Makin bt Greg Lobban 15-13, 11-8, 11-5 (57m)
[3] FRANCE bt [8] SPAIN 2/1
Gregory Gaultier lost to Iker Pajares Bernabeu 11-13, 7-11, 14-12, 10-12 (84m)
Gregoire Marche bt Borja Golan 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (37m)
Mathieu Castagnet bt Carlos Cornes 11-2, 11-4, 11-3 (31m)
[2] ENGLAND bt [4] NEW ZEALAND 2/1
James Willstrop bt Campbell Grayson 12-10, 11-6, 11-5 (48m)
Adrian Waller lost to Paul Coll 4-11, 9-11, 5-11 (37m)
Daryl Selby bt Evan Williams 8-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-8 (56m)

13th – 20th place play-offs:
[12] USA bt [17] JAMAICA 3/0
Andrew Douglas bt Lewis Walters 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (29m)
Todd Harrity bt Christopher Binnie 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (20m)
Christopher Gordon bt Tahjia Lumley 11-2, 11-5 (12m)
[16] ARGENTINA bt [13] COLOMBIA 2/0
Leandro Romiglio bt Ronald Palomino 11-5, 11-8, 11-4 (37m)
Robertino Pezzota bt Juan Camilo Vargas 3-11, 11-4, 13-11, 7-11, 11-8 (59m)
[21] KUWAIT bt [18] IRELAND 3/0
Abdullah Al Muzayen bt Arthur Gaskin 11-2, 11-7, 12-10 (30m)
Ammar Altamimi bt Sean Conroy 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 11-4 (47m)
Ali Alramezi bt Oisin Logan 11-4, 11-5 (20m)
[14] CANADA bt [19] SOUTH AFRICA 2/1
Nick Sachvie bt Christo Potgieter 11-4, 3-11, 11-3, 11-3 (42m)
Michael McCue lost to Jean-Pierre Brits 4-11, 5-11, 3-11 (34m)
David Baillargeon bt Gary Wheadon 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (29m)

9th – 12th place play-offs:
[10] MALAYSIA bt [6] HONG KONG CHINA 3/0
Ivan Yuen bt Yip Tsz Fung 12-14, 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (42m)
Eain Yow Ng bt Leo Au 11-2, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 (41m)
Mohd Syafiq Kamal bt Henry Leung 14-12, 11-8 (21m)
[7] AUSTRALIA bt [15] SWITZERLAND 2/1
Rex Hedrick lost to Reiko Peter 9-11, 9-11, 9-11 (54m)
Cameron Pilley bt Dimitri Steinmann 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4 (65m)
Zac Alexander bt Cédric Kuchen 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (29m)

21st – 23rd place play-offs:
[23] NIGERIA bt [22] REPUBLIC OF KOREA 2/1
Sodiq Taiwo bt Se Hyun Lee 11-3, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (37m)
Babatunde Ajagbe bt Ko Youngjo 6-11, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-8 (52m)
Ehimen Ehalen lost to Chang-Wook Woo 8-11, 12-14, 10-12 (31m)

Semi-finals line-up:
[1] EGYPT v [11] WALES
[2] ENGLAND v [3] FRANCE

5th – 8th place play-offs:
[5] GERMANY v [9] SCOTLAND
[4] NEW ZEALAND v [8] SPAIN

13th – 16th place play-offs:
[12] USA v [16] ARGENTINA
[21] KUWAIT v [14] CANADA

17th – 20th place play-offs:
[17] JAMAICA v [13] COLOMBIA
[18] IRELAND v [19] SOUTH AFRICA

Action from the WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship continues today (December 20) at 11:00 local time (GMT-5) with all matches shown live on the official Facebook page of the Men’s World Team Championship.

Pictures courtesy of WSF 

Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld has signed a new contract at the club until 2023.

"I am very, very happy. I think no words can describe," he said.

"I think another couple of years here at Spurs, there is no place I can be happier. I am honoured to play for this club and am a small piece of getting to the next level.

"I'm lucky to have a very good connection with the fans and the club. I couldn't see myself playing for another team."

Spurs triggered a 12-month extension on his contract last December to keep Alderweireld at the club until June 2020, and a clause was inserted to enable buying clubs to sign the player for just £25 million last summer.

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No club paid the clause, though, and now the Belgium international has committed his future to the club.

A Tottenham statement read: "We are delighted to announce that Toby Alderweireld has signed a new contract with the Club until 2023."

MANCHESTER -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has played down the prospect of Erling Haaland joining Manchester United in January despite reports on Friday the FC Salzburg striker is flying into Manchester for talks and insisted Paul Pogba will not be sold.

Sources have told ESPN that United made an enquiry over Haaland, who has also been linked with moves to RB Leipzig, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund and Solskjaer has travelled to Salzburg to meet with the 19-year-old's advisors.

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However, speaking at a news conference on Friday morning, Solskjaer tried to cool talks of imminent negotiations.

"I don't think he's en route here," Solskjaer said. "I can't comment on other team's players. It's just one of those things. In this job there are so many speculations.

"He's not coming to Manchester. I know the boy and his friends and he's on a Christmas holiday. You can't fly anywhere from Stavanger, you need to go via."

Solskjaer has overseen an upturn in United's form ahead of the trip to bottom of the table Watford on Sunday but the Norwegian said his squad is still in need of additions.

"As a manager you always hope that you can do something but then again it's not something that's nailed on," Solskjaer said. "It has to be the right player, the right age, that he's going to fit into this squad and for the right value.

"We're always looking and the transfer window is open but it might not happen."

United will face Watford on Sunday without Pogba while the France international continues his recovery from a foot injury.

Pogba is training again after more than two months on the sidelines and Solskjaer is adamant he will play for United again.

"He's not getting sold in January," the United manager said. "He's training, but he's not been training with us for long.

"He's training and that's a step forward for us. He's a fantastic player and a charismatic personality and for us we're happy that he's here."

Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka is in talks with Hertha BSC over a January move to the Bundesliga side, sources close to the Premier League club have told ESPN.

In 2016, Xhaka joined Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach for €45 million. However, three years on a fee in the region of €20m to €30m is being discussed.

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The 27-year-old was installed as club captain at the beginning of the campaign. However, following a dispute with the club's fans in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October, the captain's armband was handed to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Amid a relegation battle, Jurgen Klinsmann, Hertha's interim coach until the end of the season, has sketched out his vision for a "Big City Club" in recent weeks.

In November, the club sold 49.9% of its shares to investor Lars Windhorst for €224m and he wants to become a permanent fixture in Champions League over the next decade.

Peter Trego has signed a two-year contract at Nottinghamshire in a deal that will see him continue his playing career into his 40s.

Trego's departure from Somerset at the end of the 2019 season initially appeared to signal the end of his career, but he insisted that he wanted to play on and has been brought in to add experience to a young Nottinghamshire side.

"He's got 20 years of experience in the professional game and has a strong reputation as a player and how he goes about his cricket," said head coach Peter Moores.

"I've had good conversations with him about his passion to carry on playing, but also to offer something back to the game.

"He's an all-round player - batter, bowler and fielder - and he will also offer another layer of support to some of our younger players.

"We've lost a lot of experience from our dressing room, so Pete adds balance to our squad in terms of age and experience."

Trego played a leading role in Somerset's Royal London Cup win, hitting 389 runs in 11 innings at an average of 35.36, but was dropped from the side four matches into their Vitality Blast campaign.

He hit an unbeaten 47 off 31 balls in their opening game against Glamorgan, but could only manage 14 off 17 in a run chase of 185 against Sussex, and lost his place for the rest of the tournament.

His Notts deal spans all formats, though he last played a Championship game in 2018.

"It's an absolute honour to join Nottinghamshire," said Trego.

"Trent Bridge has been a great stomping ground for me on a personal level. It inspires me and it's brilliant to get the chance to play there week in week out.

"I'm coming into a new club and want to show people what I can do on and off the field, in the dressing room and be a match-winner.

"I'm a big believer in being judged on my performances and by mid-season I hope to be a fan favourite and someone who is seen as giving their all for the club."

Multiple world and European cross country champion says separate teams could boost athlete development

Two-time individual champion Paula Radcliffe believes the inclusion of separate home countries teams in the European Cross Country Championships rather than Great Britain could be of great benefit to athlete development.

The idea has been raised by Scottish Athletics, with the governing body north of the border keen to maximise representative opportunities.

The European Cross is an event regularly dominated by Great Britain, with the nation taking five out of a possible seven team golds at this year’s championships in Lisbon. And Radcliffe, who also won junior and senior world cross titles, feels that fielding teams from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland instead is an idea worthy of closer inspection.

“I absolutely think this idea could work for the Euro Cross,” Radcliffe told Scottish Athletics. “I guess it is kind of going back to where we were at one stage with Scotland and other home countries competing in the World Cross.

“With the depth of medals British teams have achieved, and the success there’s been over the recent years, it is fair to say the event has become dominated by GB.

“I think this way it would spread it out a bit and give a platform to other Scottish, English, Northern Irish and Welsh athletes
to move into teams and gain some experience of international cross country.

“And actually that is what the Euro Cross should really be about – an opportunity for athletes from European countries to gain experience of international competition before then looking to move up to the World Cross or to the Olympics and Worlds on the track.

“Clearly it would open that door for a number of other athletes from around Britain to get that chance and I think, fundamentally, that would be a good thing.”

The next representative cross country opportunity will come on January 11 at the British Athletics Cross Challenge event in Stirling, which will also incorporate the Home Countries XC International. Andy Butchart, team gold medallist with Britain in Lisbon, will lead the Scottish team at the King’s Park venue which is very close to his home town of Dunblane.

Fellow GB international, Mhairi Maclennan, will lead the Scotland senior women’s team in the match with England, Wales and Northern Ireland – with Run Stirling to be streamed live online by BBC and Vinco.

Individual entries for the Stirling Cross Challenge will close on January 2. Email Cliff Robinson at [email protected] if you have any queries.

British number one Johanna Konta is hopeful she will be ready to play in the Australian Open after revealing the extent of a knee injury.

Konta, 28, said the problem is similar to tendonitis and she has been managing it throughout a year in which she played three Grand Slam quarter-finals.

She plans to travel to Australia on 30 December to play Brisbane and Adelaide before Melbourne on 20 January.

"I can only listen to my body," said Konta, who is ranked 12th in the world.

"I'm not giving myself any deadlines. I will be ready when I'm ready."

Konta was ranked 38th at the start of 2019 and went close to falling out of the top 50 for the first time since October 2015 - before rediscovering her form on clay, a surface she had previously struggled for wins on.

That culminated in a run to the French Open semi-finals in June - losing to unseeded Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova - before she reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

She has not played since losing to Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina in New York in early September.

"I have been carrying a knee problem since the first week of the year and it was basically a case of just managing it through the season," Konta told reporters from several national newspapers at the LTA's National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

"Once we got to the grass it got worse, and then at the US Open it felt significantly worse.

"I have definitely booked my flight and I want to be on that plane. I am certainly hopeful that I will be ready."

Everything you need to know about this weekend's Premier League action, all in one place.

Jump to: Can Chelsea halt slide vs. Mourinho? | Will Man United show up against Watford? | Man to watch | Game not to miss | Stats of the weekend | Team that needs a bit of luck | One thing that will definitely happen | Predictions

The weekend's big questions

How weird is Everton vs Arsenal going to be?

At the time of writing, neither Carlo Ancelotti nor Mikel Arteta have been confirmed as Everton and Arsenal managers, respectively, but they might be by the time you read this. Yet neither will be in charge as the two sides face each other on Saturday, leading to the curious situation of caretakers Duncan Ferguson and Freddie Ljungberg in the dugouts, both knowing this will be the last game of their temporary spells as managers of clubs they both have plenty of affection for.

Ferguson, particularly, and Ljungberg, probably, knew that their time was limited, but there will still be a distinctly weird vibe to this encounter. And you wonder how that will impact the game: will both sets of players be less willing to follow their managers' instructions? Will they have half an eye on impressing the new boss? Where will their focus be? You would hope they will all be professional, but sometimes that can slip, consciously or otherwise.

Can Chelsea halt their slide against their old boss?

Chelsea's visit to Tottenham on Sunday is absolutely overflowing with narrative, from the basics of two clubs that really don't like each other facing off, to the first Premier League meeting of Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard as managers. But the brass tacks of this one are that Lampard leads a team that started the season brilliantly, but has now lost four of the last five and will drop out of the top four, in favour of their opponents, should they be defeated in north London.

And on the other side, Mourinho could be about to take his team into the Champions League spots having been nine points shy when he arrived a month ago. You get the feeling that this game could be pivotal for the seasons of the two teams involved, and not just because of who the two managers are.

Will Manchester United show up against Watford?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrated a year in charge of Manchester United on Thursday, and while his record so far is, to say the least, patchy, he's lasted longer than many assumed he would, both when he first arrived and at any number of points since. You can't ignore the many significant flaws in his leadership though, one of which is a curious inability to get the better of theoretically weaker teams, while faring much better against the big boys.

They face one of the former at the weekend, and it's arguably against the weakest team in the division: Watford looked much better against Liverpool last time out, but they're still stone bottom of the table and need something unlikely to happen for them to survive. So if United can't beat them, then what has hitherto been an odd quirk in their season will become a serious problem.

Man to Watch

Jamie Vardy

It was their trip to the Etihad that convinced everyone that Leicester were the genuine deal in their title winning season four years ago. They beat City 3-2 that day and the scoreline flamboyantly flattered the hosts: a similar performance and result this time, on a weekend when Liverpool are otherwise engaged, might provide some evidence that another miracle is possible this season.

And of course all eyes will be on Vardy, who will probably be licking his lips like a salivating lion at the prospect of facing Fernandinho, a fine player who has done a solid job filling in as centre-back, but who has never been fast and is getting slower. Vardy could run riot here.

The game you aren't planning to watch, but should

Brighton vs Sheffield United

It would be something of a stretch to call Chris Wilder and Graham Potter the best two managers in the Premier League, but they're certainly two of the most interesting. These are two bosses who fit their clubs perfectly, who have interesting tactical approaches and who, for different reasons, are always fascinating to listen to. Going by the form book this should be a Sheffield United win. They've lost only one of their last 10 and could go to the brink of the Champions League places with victory here, but it won't be as easy as all that with Brighton playing some fine football. Seek this one out.

Stats of the weekend

Information courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information group.

- Arsenal have won more Premier League games (33) and scored more Premier League goals (107) against Everton than they have against any other side.

- Leicester have won their last four Premier League away games, by an aggregate score of 17-1.

- Manchester United have won 11 of their 12 Premier League meetings with Watford (92%) - only against Wigan (2015/16; 94%) do they have a higher win rate.

- Chelsea have had 53 different Premier League goalscorers against Spurs (excluding own goals), more than any side has had against another.

The team that needs a bit of luck

Watford

You could call it bad luck, you could just call it bad finishing: against Liverpool last week Watford created so many clear chances that they almost had to try hard not to score. Of course, it's difficult to ascribe a team's failure to convert any of those opportunities to poor fortune when they have only scored nine goals all season, but luck probably does play a part. They need it pronto, too. No team has ever survived with so few points at this stage of the season, so unless their luck changes soon, they will be heading down.

One thing that will definitely happen

There will be a curious rash of needless yellow cards

The FA provides a very handy page on their website that lists all of the players who are one booking away from suspension. A quick glance at it ahead of this weekend's fixtures reveals 23 players potentially in action who are currently on four bookings, one away from a ban. Or, to look at it another way, one away from a having Boxing Day off, perhaps able to enjoy Christmas Day like something approximating a normal person. We're not pointing any fingers, but don't be surprised if a few of those players are a little slow in, for example, retreating 10 yards from a free kick this weekend.

Predictions

Everton 2-2 Arsenal
Newcastle United 0-1 Crystal Palace
Norwich 1-2 Wolves
Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton
Bournemouth 0-0 Burnley
Brighton 1-2 Sheffield United
Manchester City 2-2 Leicester City
Watford 0-2 Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Chelsea

Chennai Super Kings

Who they had: Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Monu Singh, MS Dhoni, M Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Suresh Raina

Who they bought: Sam Curran, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore

Money spent: INR 84.85 crore (US$ 11.9 million approx.)

ALSO READ: Talking points - Australia's lucky 13, Chawla's fat paycheck

Potential First XI: Watson, du Plessis, Raina, Rayudu, Dhoni (capt & wk), Jadhav, Jadeja, Bravo/Curran, Chahar, Chawla, Hazlewood/Ngidi

Analysis: The Super Kings got what they wanted - two very smart picks for the pitches in Chennai in Curran and Hazlewood. Some might feel that Chawla was not required in this line-up but the Super Kings probably felt the need for a little extra experience and an alternative to Tahir for better balance. Overall, they do not have any major issues other than the absence of a left-arm quick.

Delhi Capitals

Who they had: Ajinkya Rahane (T), Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin (T), Rishabh Pant, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer

Who they bought: Chris Woakes, Jason Roy, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Mohit Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Lalit Yadav

Money spent: INR 76 crore (US$ 10.7 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Dhawan, Rahane, Iyer, Pant (wk), Hetmyer, Stoinis/Woakes, Paul, Axar/Mishra, Ashwin, Rabada, Harshal

Analysis: Eoin Morgan, Glenn Maxwell, Curran, Pat Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat - the Capitals were outbidded on each occasion. As a result, they had to settle for second or third choices. They should look to play different sides at home and on the road to make best use of their squad. That none of their batsmen can bowl and the absence of a suitable back-up for Rabada might hurt the Capitals. Carey and Hetmyer are good long-term buys that could help them at the big auction next season.

Kings XI Punjab

Who they had: Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, K Gowtham (T), Hardus Viljoen, Harpreet Brar, J Suchith, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, M Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan

Who they bought: Tajinder Dhillon, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Sheldon Cottrell, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel

Money spent: INR 68.5 crore (US$ 9.6 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Rahul (capt & wk), Agarwal, Mandeep/Nair, Pooran, Maxwell, Sarfraz/Hooda, Gowtham, Mujeeb, Shami, Cottrell, Porel

Analysis: Kings XI ensured they got their picks for the first XI in place with the purchase of Maxwell and Cottrell. The likely playing XI looks very strong on paper. However, their bench and overall bowling strength are iffy. Having held on to some of their money, Kings XI had the option of buying more players but decided against it. Could they have bought a back-up opener for Gayle? Could they have paid a little more for Morris to strengthen their bowling more? Time will tell if they got their strategy right.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Who they had: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine

Who they bought: Varun Chakravarthy, M Sidharth, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Pat Cummins, Nikhil Naik, Pravin Tambe, Chris Green, Tom Banton

Money spent: INR 76.5 crore (US$ 10.7 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Tripathi, Narine, Gill, Karthik (capt & wk), Morgan, Russell, Rana, Cummins, Varun, Kuldeep, Warrier/Prasidh

Analysis: Like most teams, the Knight Riders have a good first XI in place - six bowling options with enough impact players. Morgan, Banton and Green are great additions to this side. But breaking the bank for Cummins could put a lot of pressure on the Australian quick, and barring Narine and Russell, the bowling attack lacks IPL experience. Their bowling performance will determine how they do in IPL 2020.

Mumbai Indians

Who they had: Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McCleneghan, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Rohit Sharma, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult (T)

Who they bought: Mohsin Khan, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary

Money spent: INR 83.05 crore (US$ 11.6 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Rohit (capt), de Kock (wk), Suryakumar, Kishan (wk), Hardik, Krunal, Pollard, Chahar, Coulter-Nile/Malinga, Bumrah, Boult

Analysis: Similar to the Super Kings, Mumbai had a limited purse and made best use of it. They got a back-up for Malinga in Coulter-Nile and Lynn was a replacement for Evin Lewis. Known for their scouting schemes, it will be interesting to see how Mumbai make use of the new domestic recruits. The only cause of concern is the spin department. Mumbai could look to use the trading window to pick up a spinner or two from other teams.

Rajasthan Royals

Who their had: Ankit Rajpoot (T), Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande (T), Rahul Tewatia (T), Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Steven Smith, Varun Aaron

Who they bought: Kartik Tyagi, Anuj Rawat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Singh, David Miller, Robin Uthappa, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniruddha Joshi, Andrew Tye, Tom Curran, Oshane Thomas

Money spent: INR 70.25 crore (US$ 9.9 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Buttler (wk), Uthappa, Samson (wk), Smith, Stokes, Parag, Jaiswal/Tewatia, Rajpoot, Markande/Shreyas, Archer, Unadkat

Analysis: The Royals went into the auction only to buy back-ups and low-key options since their four overseas players and first XI were set. They did end up buying some good reserves, and invested a lot in the Under-19 players. There are no gaping holes in their squad apart from the fact that the bowling attack lacks variety - four overseas right-arm quicks and three wristspinners seems a bit one-dimensional. Overall, they had a good auction and will hope it's reflected on the field.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Who they had: AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Gurkeerat Singh, Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal

Who they bought: Josh Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad, Kane Richardson, Isuru Udana, Pavan Deshpande, Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Aaron Finch

Money spent: INR 78.6 crore (US$ 11 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Finch, Parthiv (wk), Kohli (capt), de Villiers, Moeen, Dube, Morris, Chahal, Umesh/Sundar, Saini, Siraj

Analysis: Similar to the Capitals, the Royal Challengers were outbidded more than once, mainly by Kings XI and the Knight Riders. They were, therefore, forced to pick second- or third-choice overseas players towards the end of the auction. Kohli definitely has more bowling options than ever before, but the pressure on Finch and Parthiv will be a bit high - they need to take the load off Kohli and de Villiers. If the Royal Challengers have to play two overseas quicks, they have to sacrifice their opening slot otherwise they need to depend on Indian quicks. If, by chance, Morris is injured or not in form, their perennial problems will return. Identifying the best XI early in the tournament will decide how they progress.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Who they had: Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha

Who they bought: Mitchell Marsh, Fabian Allen, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Sanjay Yadav, Abdul Samad, Sandeep Bawanaka

Money spent: INR 74.9 crore (US$ 10.5 million approx.)

Potential First XI: Warner, Bairstow (wk), Garg, Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Sandeep, Allen/Nabi/Marsh, Rashid, Bhuvneshwar, Kaul, Khaleel

Analysis: Sunrisers had a very quiet auction, and got most of their players fairly easily. Warner and Bairstow have to do the bulk of the scoring again up front since their Indian core is relatively inexperienced. They might find it hard to play Williamson in the upcoming season. If they do decide to go that route, the Indian bowlers and middle order need to perform above par. Sunrisers will do well to replicate last season's performance.