Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has admitted his relationship with Alexander Isak became “difficult” after he went on strike in an attempt to force through his move to Liverpool.

The 25-year-old Sweden international missed the club’s preseason tour to Singapore and South Korea and was left training by himself on the squad’s return before eventually getting his wish with a deadline day move to Anfield which netted the Magpies £130 million ($176m).

Asked about his relationship with the man he signed from Real Sociedad for £63m during the summer of 2022, head coach Howe said: “Alex and I always enjoyed a great relationship. I loved working with him and I hope he loved working with us.

“It was mutually beneficial. We helped him become the player that he in part is today, and he helped us as a team achieve some unbelievable milestones. He was part of a very successful team.

“But to give you a bit more on that, the moment he went on strike, our relationship did change. I think that was probably a turning point in our relationship. Communication became difficult from that point onwards. I won’t go into any more detail than that.”

Isak’s departure prompted Newcastle to invest £69m in Stuttgart‘s Nick Woltemade and Brentford‘s Yoane Wissa, who joined in a £55m move, and the former could make his debut against Wolves on Saturday.

However, Wissa will not be involved after returning from international duty with DR Congo with a knee injury which could also rule him out of Thursday night’s Champions League opener against Barcelona.

Asked if the 29-year-old would be available for the Premier League fixture, Howe said: “Unfortunately not, no, so he won’t make this game.

“I saw him for the first time yesterday, he’s feeling the effects of the injury he sustained just before he came off, so we’re going to have to see how he is.”

Asked further about the severity of Wissa’s problem, Howe added: “I don’t know currently as I sit here. I think he’ll go away for tests and maybe see a specialist to see.”

Woltemade could get his first taste of St James’ Park on Saturday, and Howe has called for patience as the 23-year-old Germany international attempts to plug a sizeable gap.

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Howe said: “I think it would have been impossible to have replaced Alex like-for-like. There’s no other player like Alex, he was totally unique. He had his qualities and I think it’s important we don’t compare whoever we bring in to Alex, because I think that’s very difficult to do.

“I think each player that comes in is an individual in their own right and has their own strengths and weaknesses. There will be a process where we have to mould ourselves to them, and vice-versa.”

Wissa’s absence, coupled with that of fellow summer arrival Jacob Ramsey, who will be sidelined until after the October international break with an ankle injury, represents a significant blow to Howe, who is already without the suspended Anthony Gordon.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and head coach Mohammad Wasim voiced optimism over their side’s preparations for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup, stressing a spin-oriented strategy and collective harmony as central to their campaign.

The World Cup, to be hosted under a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, will see all of Pakistan’s fixtures staged in Colombo, with political tensions ruling out travel between the two neighbours.

Pakistan open their immediate run-in with a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Lahore from Sept 16, following the conclusion of a training camp at the National Cricket Academy and the Gaddafi Stadium.

“The conditions in Sri Lanka favour spin, so we’ve built our squad around slow bowlers while also strengthening the batting group to post competitive totals,” Fatima told reporters.

She termed the South Africa series a key opportunity to fine-tune combinations ahead of the global event.

ead coach Wasim, a former Test batter, said the camp had focused on building a supportive environment and ensuring equal opportunities across the squad.

While persistent rain in Lahore disrupted some practice games, he noted progress in all departments of play.

“Our emphasis has been on creating a positive culture, that’s crucial to performance,” Wasim remarked.

Asked about Pakistan’s high-profile Asia Cup final against India in Dubai on Sept 14, Fatima extended her best wishes to the men’s side.

“It will be a great contest. I hope Pakistan comes out on top,” she said. Wasim added that recent success in the tri-series had boosted confidence against the arch-rivals.

Looking further ahead, Wasim said Pakistan were determined to make a statement against India in Colombo.

“We’ve taken all necessary steps to prepare ourselves in every department,” he observed.

Fatima, meanwhile, avoided highlighting individual players, insisting every member of the squad would have a role to play.

She underlined the camp’s focus on improving batting partnerships and strike rotation.

The South African women’s side is due in Lahore late Thursday night, with the series expected to provide Pakistan a vital springboard before their World Cup challenge.

“Winning this series will give us the confidence and mindset we need for the global stage,” the skipper concluded.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Remember when the Green Bay Packers couldn’t beat any playoff-caliber teams?

They took care of that twice in a matter of five days to start the season. They defeated the Washington Commanders 27-18 on Thursday night at Lambeau Field after opening the season with a win over the Detroit Lions there Sunday.

Last year, the Lions won 15 games and the Commanders prevailed in 12 on their way to the NFC Championship Game. The Packers became just the fifth team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to win their first two games against teams that won 12 or more contests the previous season.

This after going a combined 0-6 last season against the Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.

It also gives the Packers a 2-0 start for the first time since 2020, when they started 4-0 on their way to a 13-win campaign.

The Commanders fell to 1-1 and returned home to play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Green Bay Packers (2-0)

What to make of the QB performance: Just think of the yardage the Packers will pile up when Jordan Love connects on the deep balls. He missed Matthew Golden deep twice in the first half, yet he still had 214 yards passing through two quarters — his most in the first half in his career and the most by any Packers quarterback since Aaron Rodgers in Week 4 of 2020 against the Falcons with 228 yards. Love finished with 292 yards.

The Parsons factor: Defensive end Micah Parsons faced multiple double teams — and even a triple team on one play — yet still managed a half-sack and three QB hits. He also drew an illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty and likely forced a false start against the Commanders. He was held on the sack he shared with Edgerrin Cooper, but that penalty was declined. Overall, the Packers recorded 12 hits on Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Most surprising performance: The surprising part about Tucker Kraft’s six-catch, 124-yard, one touchdown game was that it was his first career 100-yard receiving performance. As good as Kraft was last year in his 50-catch, seven-touchdown season, he did not hit the 100-yard mark in a contest. Kraft was a budding star going into this season, and he might be on his way to full-on stardom.

Trend to watch: Teams should know by now what’s going to happen when the Packers get near the goal line: Josh Jacobs is getting the ball and scoring. It happened for the 10th straight regular-season game Thursday, when Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run to give the Packers a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Jacobs got the ball on the play before, too, and rushed for 5 yards on first-and-goal from the 7. Jacobs extended his franchise record for consecutive games with a touchdown and became just the fourth player over the past 30 seasons with a rushing touchdown in at least 10 straight games, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (18 straight from 2004-05), Jonathan Taylor (11 straight in 2021) and Priest Holmes (11 straight in 2002).

Next game: at Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET, Sept. 21)

Washington Commanders (1-1)

The Commanders wanted to distance themselves from last season, preferring to look forward. Thursday’s game, unfortunately for Washington, will provide that distance.

The Commanders looked nothing like the team that surprised the NFL by reaching the NFC Championship Game in January.

Though the final tally was 27-18 and the Commanders were only down one score early in the fourth quarter, make no mistake: Green Bay dominated this game.

The Packers made Daniels look ordinary and held an offense that ranked seventh in yards last season to 230 overall.

They made Washington’s defense look pedestrian, gaining 406 yards and hitting numerous big plays.

Worse for Washington, it also lost multiple key players during the game — defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., (quad), receiver Noah Brown (groin), tight end John Bates (groin) and running back Austin Ekeler (Achilles) all left the game.

It was the Commanders’ first of five Prime Time games this season. But it was a forgettable performance — one they’ll want to distance themselves from as soon as possible.

Trend to watch: Matt Gay was once one of the NFL’s better kickers from 50 yards and beyond; in his first five years he made 25-of-36 from that distance. However, he has now made just 1-of-3 this season and is 4-of-12 since the start of last season. Washington had hoped he solved its kicking issues after using four place-kickers last season, but his inability to connect from long distance makes that questionable.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Take your pick. But Washington’s defense looked slow against Green Bay’s offense. Too often Packers targets were running open, which is why they had eight plays of 15 yards or longer — one for 57 and another for 37. The Packers hurt them by sending receivers in motion, who then beat the corners to the outside when Washington played man coverage, as well as with play-action passes down the field.

What to make of the QB performance: No team has made Daniels look as pedestrian as the Packers did Thursday night. Credit the Green Bay pass rush and its speed to chase him down when he scrambled. The Packers sacked Daniels four times and held him to 17 yards rushing. He threw for 200 yards, but most of that came when the Commanders were down 17. His offensive line provided little help, notably rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr., who has struggled in the first two games in pass protection.

Next game: vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Sept. 21)