Does Joao Pedro go straight in the Chelsea starting line up? | Can Raducanu claim victory over Sabalenka? | Daly faces Lions tour heartache
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making the headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm Chris Latcham and joining me are a couple of chief football writers, Miguel Delaney from The Independent and John Cross from The Mirror. Welcome to you both.

We're going to start with João Pedro to Chelsea. It's been bubbling away for a while, but there's been real urgency this week because Chelsea want him to play in the Club World Cup on Friday night against Palmeiras. How well does he slot into this Chelsea team, do you think, Miguel?

I think he's an upgrade on what they've got there. I mean, it's an interesting one because I wouldn't necessarily have said João Pedro is absolutely the position that they needed to upgrade. But obviously, a lot of Chelsea's business has felt over the last three years about constantly, incrementally improving the team. Also, to be fair, he offers a bit of... He's able to break the lines and offers a bit of...

impetus and urgency in a team that can occasionally be a little flat when they're supposed to pursue Maresca's football to the absolute, you know, to the absolute nth degree. So I think it's a good signing, if not an essential signing. And yeah, you would think he slots straight in because he's obviously a player that all the major clubs wanted after what had been a brilliant season for Brighton. They've got so many options in attack, John. Does Joao Pedro go straight into a starting team for Chelsea for you?

I'm not sure, to be honest, Chris. I really don't. It's really interesting, isn't it? I mean, I'm at the Club World Cup and I'll be there watching the game and covering the game on Friday night here, early hours of Saturday.

back in UK. And it's remarkable, actually, that they kind of got this mini window between sort of kind of knockout and then sort of, sorry, between group stage and then knockout. And they're able to kind of close off this bit of business for Jao Pedro. Look, I like him. I really like him. I think he's a good player. I think it's a fine sign in basically for 60 million quid, proven Premier League player, very versatile across the front.

you know, in his club interviews today, he was talking about his preferred position is as the main striker. But I do think also he can play from, particularly from the left, I think. So he has got that versatility. And frankly, he'll need it because Chelsea have got so many strikers. So,

so many forwards that you can't limit yourself to one otherwise you won't get a game and I have to say that's part of my issue with Chelsea right now what's their identity what is their best starting line-up can you really feel a familiarity with Chelsea and that's part of the problem I think for Maresca having to really juggle all these players trying to get them all in one starting line-up

And I don't know whether we know what Chelsea's best starting lineup, apart from seeing Casido, I think he's absolutely fantastic. Cucurella, you know, he's really proven himself out here. I love Lavia alongside Casido. And there's other bits and pieces like that. But really, I just feel that if you've signed Cole, Will, and, you know, they've got this guy coming in, they've got that. You honestly lose track of how many forwards they've got.

I mean, I see a few pieces today saying that they're basically aiming to start the season with eight forwards, eight forwards. We're back to kind of, you know, not everyone squeezing into the Chelsea home dressing room. So, yeah,

I hope it works out for Jair Pedro, but I hope also that he doesn't get lost because he's far, far too good for that. Yeah, it seems curious, doesn't it, Miguel? Because when Enzo Maresca took charge a year ago, he had too many players. He had to get rid of loads. And Chelsea did that and they did that well, got back into the Champions League. But now all of a sudden, it seems like they're in the same boat again.

Yeah, I mean, it does raise the question. I mean, I totally agree with John on that. But it raises the question on how, I mean, for a club that may be, one of the clubs in the Premier League that have had more noise about PSO than most, by kind of two or three exceptions.

And yet you do wonder, given that obviously they'd solved a lot of these issues, you do wonder whether this Chelsea hierarchy, do they just love the kind of, the trading of players? Because I mean, that's what it looks like it comes down to. And actually, so there's a phrase in the Premier League now called,

PSO or churn that a lot of officials use because it's about how in order to meet the restrictions you have to constantly kind of keep bringing players in and out just to ensure there's always kind of this in terms of how contracts are amortised and all that to ensure clubs always stay in the limit

And you do wonder whether Chelsea have taken that policy to extreme degrees because, I mean, because even it's even the kind of type of signings they make, it feels like they've become almost addicted to making this certain type of kind of 30 to 60 million purchase. That isn't necessarily an absolute guarantee that's going to like...

that's going to be guaranteed to improve the team. Like, say, for example, a Wurz at Liverpool or a Declan Rice at Arsenal. One of these really kind of top bracket signings. Instead, they're going for a lot of players and maybe two brackets below. A substantial price, but not kind of an outstanding price. And it just kind of creates this constant flow. And of course, the other side of it is, they are going to need to make exits now before the season even...

John's eight forwards notwithstanding because there's just so many bodies there. Yeah, I wonder what it means for Nicholas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, ones that were already at the club before all these signings coming in. Staying on Chelsea, the focus in the sun is that João Pedro wants to win trophies. John, you've done a feature on Levi Colwell who talks about the rich tradition of trophies at Stamford Bridge.

Yeah, a few of us spoke to him the other day and he was really, really impressive, Levi Caldwell. As impressive a talker as he is quite often as a player on the pitch, very classy player. Really talking about this winning culture, though, that was the thing. And Chelsea is a club only for winners. And he basically says it's now down to us. And bearing in mind, I think, what is he still kind of 23 himself? He's...

he's setting the standard basically he's saying this generation of older players has to welcome in the younger players bring them through and make sure that they have it in their DNA basically that the club is all about trophies and success we've had a long history of it and they have to be welcomed into that he was incredibly gracious about the fans as well saying that fans expect more but also the fans really lay down that law he's also talking about his own perhaps

as a player and saying that he can get lazy, maybe hinting towards a lack of concentration at times. He has to up his game. I really enjoyed it. I think it was a really interesting interview, actually, that sort of kind of, you know, it's nice when a player really thinks about what he wants to say and kind of really articulates it well. Cole Will is sort of kind of a deep thinker, loves his Lego, has brought lots of Lego out here to the States to kind of fill the time, but also says, look, we're in it for the long haul.

And now if you look at the way that the, the draws opened up for them, what have they got? They now got a quarterfinal with Palmeiras, you know, in Philly on Friday and basically then, you know, potentially Al Hilal, you know, next up sort of in the, in the semifinal, if you like. So,

They do have the easier side, easier side, looking side of the draw and a real opportunity to go here and basically sort of potentially win the trophy, win the Club World Cup, which not only means silverware, but a £97 million jackpot, which will probably mean another striker.

It would be nice, wouldn't it? It's interesting, a rare honesty from Levi Colwell to talk about his own frailties. The defence, to me, seems to be the frailest unit within the Chelsea squad, Miguel. But him personally, Levi Colwell, big season, especially in a frail defence with a World Cup on the horizon. Yeah, absolutely. And that's come into context where maybe it hasn't felt like

Tuchel with England has been completely willing to throw him in and he's obviously kind of he's already in Tuchel's few games so far it looks like he's had a few favourites at centre half but as you say there's a World Cup on the horizon and

I mean, fair to Caldwell. He's obviously kind of, he's almost put a little bit of pressure on himself for what he said. He's taken admirable responsibility, at least with his words, and now kind of almost created that incentive to step up. And if he does that, yeah, at the end of the season, there is the potential of not just a return to America, but actually a return as, like with Chelsea, a starting centre-half, and I suppose he would hope maybe a trophy-winning centre-half in all senses. I mean, I think that's another really interesting element from the interview, because I suppose it speaks to

the evolving identity of Chelsea, exactly what John was getting at there. But, I mean, right up to the end of the Abramovich era, which of course now, I mean, it ended because of a lot of serious non-football issues. But throughout his period, throughout that Abramovich ownership, the club had obviously become associated with just constantly knowing how to win trophies due to the culture set in the dressing room, set by some very expensive players. And even in seasons when Chelsea hadn't had their best, like 2012,

they still had this capacity to go on and claim silverware. It's obviously something that's kind of been in the ether a little bit in the three years since Abramovich was sanctioned and had the change of ownership. And it's interesting that Colwell now has such a focus on actually bringing that back, that that's specifically what he's honed in on, especially as Maresca has obviously been such a kind of a tactical ideologue in terms of his running of the team.

Yeah, it's a nice piece, John. I enjoyed reading that about Levi Colwell. I know even though you're out of the Club World Cup in America, you still have one eye on the All England Championships. You were watching Emma Raducanu earlier. She beat a former champion in straight sets. She called it one of her best matches. She was very impressive. Yeah, honestly, I thought it was fantastic. I'm a huge tennis fan and basically tennis is almost my second sport and I've absolutely loved it. And, you know, not just, you know, in the way that Raducanu...

dispatched her opponents that, you know, we are talking about a former champion here. We are talking about a serious player. And Raducanu, you know, up until what, two, three months ago, we were questioning fitness, we were questioning her, you know, by her own admission, she was having a few issues, kind of, you know, sort of kind of from a mental perspective and being in the right frame of mind for major tournaments.

And she just comes into Wimbledon. It was brilliant to hear the crowd so energetic, so behind her, so passionate, really on board with her. And I just thought she was absolutely fantastic today. Really on top of her game, really decisive, really strong, sharp and quick.

really looking excellent, playing some of the best tennis I think, you know, that I've seen since her, you know, famous US Open win, really. So, and then obviously sets up this incredible showdown in a couple of days' time against World No. 1 Sabalenka, which I have to say, if, if, if,

If Raducanu is all about momentum, is all about form, carrying into progress in major tournaments like Wimbledon, then this is a really good omen to actually give her a fighting chance. Listen, she's going to be the outsider. We know this.

But I really liked the way that she even talked and sort of kind of conducted the interview afterwards and said, you know, why not? You know, I feel really good. I feel in the best form that I felt in for quite some time. So I'll give it my best shot. And basically I feel really good, really confident. And you know, instantly when Raducanu kind of,

feels good because if she's not, she'll be honest and serenely honest enough to tell you whether that's a kind of, you know, in a state of mind or kind of physical issue that's troubling her. But at the moment, she looks absolutely great. I think there's few better sites

than Emma Raducanu on the back pages, smiling and looking victorious. You know, she put up a V for victory in sort of some of the best pictures on the back pages. And I just think it looks absolutely fantastic. That's the epitome for me of a brilliant British summer.

Let's start with the Telegraph. Elliot Daly picking up an injury in the Lions win over Queensland Reds. The Telegraph saying he faces Lions tour heartache. He's been sent for an X-ray on what is a suspected broken arm. We'll get into what it might mean for the Lions. But in terms of as an individual player, a tour that comes around once every four years, John, this is devastating.

Yeah, particularly for a player who's 32, you know, been out in the picture for a while and really it's a long way back from here. Really devastating from him from a personal point of view. You could see his reaction afterwards and, you know, clearly in some situations

discomfort and the fact then that he's gone for an x-ray really suggests that it is quite serious and you know could be a real blow someone certainly that you'd want in the squad to make it a stronger squad blimey the tour goes on for a long long time even before we kind of we get down to the serious business and and kind of keep players like that with experience really that that's what you need within a squad and so it's a huge blow for him personally yeah the guardian go with daily faces end of lions tour

It's a fresh fullback blow for Andy Farrell. So they've played two warm-up matches on Australian soil now. Thomas Williams, the Welsh scrum half, is out of the tour. Hamstring injury. Elliot Daly, who can play in three positions, may well be out with a broken arm. You can understand why a coach might think maybe you want to wrap up your key players in cotton wool, save them for the big dance. But the quandary is if you do that, they won't be match ready, Miguel.

Yeah, and this has been almost the internal tension with the Lions, although previously, or at least going further back in history, it always felt it was a bit more of a kind of demarcation between the two. But there's two elements to this as well, and like John's alluded to one. I mean, it's not just kind of the personal context that's

for Daly and kind of waiting for his opportunity where he is in his career but also in what has been a slow start to the tour he's probably been the Lions outstanding player so far so even within that context what it does for the team and what it does for his own sense of form as well and yeah as you mentioned I mean given the injuries Farrell's clearly going to look for versatility so you'd wonder if the worst does come to the worst as we expect he'll probably look for an equally versatile replacement you know Tom Jordan or Jamie Osborne to come in

Yeah, let's move back to the football. The women's Euros is now underway. And Miguel, you've done a really nice focus piece on Spain, who lost in the final to England last time, but then beat them in the World Cup. It was Germany who lost in the final. They beat England in the World Cup final a couple of years ago. But the kiss that changed football and how they want to try and rewrite some wrongs here.

Yeah, so Spain play their first game, the world champions. They play their first game tomorrow against Portugal. And the mood in the team, well, there's two overriding feelings. One is the sense the players want to actually have a victory separate to all of that controversy. Because, I mean, there's a brilliant new documentary that's come out that I actually touch on in the piece. It's called Se Acavabo, basically enough's enough. This kind of phrase that the rounds after the Rubiales controversy.

And like Aitana Bonmati, the best women's player in the world at the moment, she openly talks about how the World Cup was tarnished. Jenny Hermoso, the player at KISS, says she can't even think about the moment too much. Now, she's been controversially left out of this squad to show how some issues or some of the kind of themes have recurred a little bit. But generally, the players have mostly been listened to. There have been gradual changes. I mean, like...

One of the remarkable details is, I suppose, while men's players like Sergio Ramos were willing to ask Rubiales for Hublot watches as part of their kind of like work for the national team, the women's team up until very recently were just asking about, you know, fair flight times to allow them to properly prepare for big games. They have mostly been listening to that. Changes have been made. And the word around the squad right now is tranquility.

as they hope to kind of maybe build on that World Cup win and have a win that the players themselves will feel is truly separate from all that and one of their own terms. And even kind of previous Rebels, the 15 that spoke out about how the team was managed in 2022, two of them have come back

And they feel in a good place. I mean, the argument is they probably are the best team in the world right now. But obviously England, who start their own campaign on Saturday against France, another favourite, will be hoping to maybe rectify things, given how they went in Sydney. It seems like there's so much more than a football tournament to win for this Spanish national team, John.

Yeah, absolutely. It's, it's, it really is a story of redemption. I actually read Miguel's piece. It was really, really good piece, really interesting piece and really interesting read. And now he's made me want to watch the documentary that he's written about as well. Uh,

I mean, look, you know, for Serena Vigman and her players, it feels like it's been actually a long, long build-up as well. And so I think it has got so much potential. I mean, England is such a difficult group, the group of death, really.

really, you know, with France and Holland and obviously Wales in there as well. So I think it's going to be a really exciting tournament. But I do think because of what's happened with Spain and that history, you know, I know what Miguel's saying there, enough is enough, but there will be that angle still and kind of, you know, them looking to kind of almost, you know, sort of start a new chapter with more success in the future, really, to kind of right the wrongs

of that. I do think it's got such potential this tournament to kind of really grip the nation, get everyone watching as they were. You know, when England famously obviously had that wonderful day at Wembley and I mean, you know, that was a joy to cover and be there from my own point of view. And I'm sure that people will be watching this summer. And I do think that's the football tournament I think that will grip the nation hopefully this summer. Do you make Spain favourites, Miguel?

Yeah, probably just about, just given the way they play. But, I mean, they've had their own scare and actually an echo of 2022 where on the eve of that tournament when England beat them in the quarterfinals, their star player at the time, Alexia, she got injured and missed the tournament. On the eve of this one then, there were fears in the Spanish camp as if history was occurring because Etanabon Maddy actually contracted viral meningitis and was in hospital up until a few days ago. Now, remarkably, she returned to the Spanish camp yesterday to kind of suppose that

the optimum is around them. And yeah, I probably would make them favourites, although I think there is a strong field in this. I'm going out to Switzerland tomorrow. My own first game is England-France. And I think that match will actually tell a lot about both teams and how the tournament's going to go. That'll be a lot of fun. I'm sure you're going to enjoy that. Let's round off the show focusing on the Sun Sport, the top players

of the page story, Tyson Fury, my AJ call. Tyson Fury weighing up another comeback from another one of those retirements. He says it will be a travesty if he doesn't fight Anthony Joshua, John.

Yeah, I love it. You guys have been showing part of the interview, haven't you, tonight? And basically, I love Tyson Fury when he gets talking. He's such an engaging kind of listener. I mean, we've had so many retirements, so many comebacks. So every time he does it, I basically think, well, he'll come back.

I did think, I wonder whether the last one would actually be it, but of course he can't resist it. And the thing that there that he took, he trails apart from kind of talking up, you know, really wanting sort of a fair fight with Yusuke, you know, feeling wronged in the past is a matchup with AJ. I mean, come on, that is a fight that a lot of people would want to see. It would be a proper grudge match, I think.

and then also just something that the whole country would shoot into. I think he's got box office, an absolute sensational knockout fight all about it, really. I'd love to see that one. But let's be honest, when Tyson Fury speaks, we all listen and his kind of irresistible box office. And I hope that he gets back into the ring. I think he should and I think he will. Would it damage legacies for Joshua, for Fury? They've both got losses on their records, Miguel, and if they were to fight, one of them is going to lose.

Probably not, I'd say, just because, I mean, what they've actually done at the core of their careers is always there. But as John says as well, kind of like, it's the way they, and particularly Fury, can't appear to resist. I mean, that interview you showed just beforehand where I think he had about, what, five or six hypotheticals, if I were to come back, if I was to think about it. And then kind of, you know, the power broker in boxing at the moment and kind of representative of the kind of the Saudi state who has been such controversial for

what influential factors in this, Turkey Al Sheikh just basically comes out and says he will be back. Well, if Turkey Al Sheikh says it, Miguel, the money on the table usually means it happens, doesn't it? We are going to have to leave the programme there. John, Miguel, great to have you with us.