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“I have two titanium plates in my face, one near my chin, and one near my ear,” I said.

Beth Mooney, an Australian batsman, smiles as she discusses the severe injuries she sustained while playing for Australia in January 2022.

For the most part, damage like that, which included her jaw breaking during a “rogue” delivery by coach Matthew Mott, would make you consider switching to a gentler vocation.

Ten days later, Mooney was batting at three in a Test match, assisting Australia in achieving yet another Ashes victory.

At the age of 31, Mooney has won numerous individual awards, including four World Cups, a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and three Ashes series. She became the first Australian woman to record a century in each of the three game formats earlier this year.

With these accolades, you would be at the forefront of any advertising campaign, but Mooney is happy to be a little more reserved among the Australian team that includes stars like Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy.

“Perry and Healy] definitely kicked off the women’s game, which was once a little “pretty” back in 2015-16,” said Perry. They have, in fact, earned the right to serve as our generation’s beacons, according to Mooney.

I’m more than happy to be let go of the spotlight and let them do everything, and it’s no wonder no one is even scratching my nose.

A player who had to fight her way into the Australian team has the ability to do her job quietly and brilliantly.

There is no sense in a pitcher with close to 6, 000 international runs ever believing in herself as the main priority, despite the fact that all good batters need to have some degree of selfishness.

You have to be a little bit selfish as well, she said, “but I’d like to think I’m pretty selfless.” “I’m just happy that this generational Australian team has a way,” said I.

Few players are more capable of saving a team from 76-7 in a World Cup game than Mooney, as was the case with Pakistan this month.

It was a little gloomy, wasn’t it? “says Mooney”. You enter games with a little bit of a plan and an idea of how things will turn out, which I didn’t have when I woke up.

I “favor those situations, wanting to be the person who can influence the game’s outcome, and I enjoy the problem-solving element of it, having to adjust and adapt as the game progresses.”

This remarkable Australian side consistently embodies the need for unwavering hard work, if there is one thing. This attitude is exemplified by Mooney.

The Queenslander ran 54 of her 94 runs in the match-winning innings of Australia’s 16-0 victory in the 2025 Women’s Ashes. Before, no Australian player had allowed more than 100 non-boundary runs in a T20.

Before I left home, she said, “I probably didn’t really understand what it took to play at the elite level.” Knowing what it takes is one thing, but learning to work hard and not feel uncomfortable is another.

Australian players consistently push themselves to the limit.

Everyone does it because they understand how important it is, according to Mooney, “and people don’t have to be told that they need to run or work out.”

Sean Dyche, formerly of Burnley and Everton, has been appointed as manager of Nottingham Forest.

The 54-year-old Englishman becomes the Forest’s third successive manager this year, signing a contract that will run until the summer of 2027.

Ange Postecoglou, who only spent 39 days before being fired 17 minutes following Chelsea’s 3-0 Premier League defeat, is now Dyche’s replacement.

After taking over Nuno Espirito Santo, who was fired just three matches into the campaign, Postecoglu failed to win any of his eight games in charge, drawing two and losing six.

After claiming one win in eight games during a difficult start to the season, Forest are 18th in the league.

Forest’s global football head of football Edu Gaspar and global technical director George Syrianos led the selection process.

Roberto Mancini, a former Italian manager, and Roberto Mancini, a former manager of Fulham, both had a reputation for being admired by Forest.

Dyche, a well-known and accomplished Premier League manager, “provides the perfect blend of character, tactical acumen, and proven accomplishment to steer the club through its next chapter,” according to a statement from Forest.

Dyche, a former Forest youth player who now resides in the area, also has a thorough understanding of the values and sense of pride in Forest and its supporters.

His appointment provides the best chance for a successful and competitive season, both domestically and internationally.

Ian Woan and Steven Stone, both of whom played for Nottingham Forest, will serve as Dyche’s coaches.

It’s a mess, isn’t it? Before Dyche’s appointment was made public, BBC Sport football pundit Chris Sutton said on the Monday Night Club.

“If Dyche crosses the line, it means that they are considering their own survival and have something wrong with Ange Postecoglou,” Dyche says.

“Dyche has always run clubs where it’s difficult. He resisted the Burnley rule, benefited from the players he had, and established himself as a highly capable manager.

He stabilized the club by taking control of a struggling team at Everton. He had to deal with points deductions.

The Australian’s tenure at Forest, which came 39 days after his appointment on September 9, was the shortest ever tenure under the Premier League, was marred by a failed win.

In the late 1980s, Dyche was a member of Forest’s youth team, and Brian Clough was his manager, but he never made a first-team appearance.

Since taking over the Toffees in January, he was fired by Everton after just under two years in charge. He has not held a managerial position.

As Everton manager, Dyche led the club to 17th and 15th-place finishes, winning 21 games, losing 31 and drawing 23 of his 75 Premier League games.

Prior to that, Dyche served as Burnley’s manager for nearly ten years, helping the Clarets reach Europe for the first time since 1967, twice winning promotion to the top flight, and between October 2012 and April 2022.

Additionally, he served as Watford’s manager for the 2011–2012 season before losing his position as manager following a change of ownership.

Dyche’s arrival at Nottingham Forest makes sense, in contrast to Postecoglou’s appointment, because Nuno used a different style of play to bring European football back to the City Ground.

The Australian struggled to impose his unique footballing ideologies on a squad that was so used to playing a certain way with no pre-season and a slew of games coming thick and quickly at the start of his tenure.

The addition of a similar-minded, pragmatic coach to Nuno should in theory help Forest’s players, who were defensively strong and proved to be devastating on the counter-attack in 2024 and 25, stay in the game.

Declan Rice is regarded as one of the Premier League’s top central midfielders, but his current role for the Gunners is completely different from the one he once held when he first joined the club.

Before moving to a box-to-box role following a winter training camp in January 2024, Rice spent the first six months of his career as a more traditional holding midfielder when he signed for Arsenal from West Ham for £100 million in 2023.

His attacking numbers increased as a result of his taking set-pieces, which he carried with him into last season, when the 26-year-old recorded his career-best campaign for goal contributions with nine goals and 10 assists.

As they look to improve and win the title, Arsenal, who finished second for the past three seasons, have signed Spain international Martin Zubimendi for £60 million this summer.

One of Europe’s best deep-lying midfielders, Zubimendi, has allowed Rice to continue his transition to a fully fledged box-to-box midfielder, but in a slightly different way.

Rice has actually taken up a deeper role alongside him thanks to the Spaniard’s presence, but with a way that allows the Englishman to use his running prowess to join Arsenal attacks.

He has the most total ball carries this season for Arsenal, with 147 passes being played into the box (57), and chances being created (level with Bukayo Saka at 13).

This season, Arsenal host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday (20:00 BST). The club has changed its play to be more direct and play through defensive lines quicker, which has resulted in Rice moving more slowly alongside Zubimendi when starting attacks.

A top-level football recruitment specialist explained to BBC Sport how Rice’s game has been enhanced by Zubimendi’s signing.

He claimed that because of Ziubimendi’s arrival, his ability to be an all-rounder has increased. “It hasn’t changed what he can do.

He has already shown promise in the holding and attacking phases, according to his coach.

His first touch is always forward when he receives it, according to his ability to take the ball on the half-turn.

He hasn’t been irritated by his attacking propensity. You can tell from his very strong grasp that it is something he has always had.

In his 11 games this season for Arsenal, Rice has already contributed three assists and one goal.

Rice scored the opener for Arsenal against West Ham when he arrived late into the box to meet a bouncing ball and finish well.

The hiring manager believes Rice, despite his reputation for his running prowess, does not receive the praise he deserves.

He said, “Many people don’t really give him the credit he deserves for his athleticism. He moves well and is very athletic.

He is a great player and performs with the freedom he has been given, has great control over his holding, and is extremely talented at holding.

A good player with good passing, but also capable of being savage and causing a breakup. He plays midfield well and is dominant.

Rice’s evolution benefits both the national team and the organization.

Elliot Anderson will play the number six position to maximize the Arsenal midfielder’s running power, according to England manager Thomas Tuchel, who has also promoted Rice to a more forward position.

It’s a hot topic, I thought! Rice responded to a BBC Sport inquiry regarding his position following the 3-0 win over Wales at Wembley.

“It’s not bothering me,” I said. I believe I’ve reached my current level more like a box-to-box number eight.

The manager [Arteta] has slightly altered my position at Arsenal this year to give me more room to drop deeper and play inside whenever I can, and it’s the same with Thomas Tuchel.

Being able to get back really appeals to me on the left side of midfield. What I want to be is an all-around midfielder.

Tuchel and Arteta were both praised by Rice for empowering him to play in a more advanced role.

He said, “I think I ended the season really strong because you have unstoppable confidence in football.”

“I probably didn’t get as good as I wanted in my first or two games this year, but I’ve since picked up my form.”

The changes in Arsenal and Rice’s play have also been noticed by an analyst for a rival Premier League team.

With Rice playing the left number eight, he said, “It seems like they’re more of a 4-2-3-1 in their build-up than they were last year.

“I think his role is a little more hybrid, where he starts off more in the build-ups and then joins in the attacks from a higher position [box-to-box].”

The opposition’s defensive line is often overloaded, so against teams with a back four, they will need five players on their attacking line.

When Arsenal moved Leandro Trossard into a space off the left wing and pushed Riccardo Calafiori higher against Manchester City, an example of this happened.

“They’ve kept Rice further along with Zubimendi and played in 3-3-2-5 possession,” Rice said.

With just three goals conceded, eight clean sheets, and just one loss in their first eleven games, Arsenal have had a successful season. After eight games, they are three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.

World track cycling championships in 2025

Location: Santiago, Chile, October 22 through October

Matt Richardson didn’t choose Manchester over Australia for the weather, lifestyle, or traffic.

Instead, he focused solely on British Cycling’s “magic.”

He says, “The Australian program is like high school, and the British program is like Hogwarts,” in the best way.

When he announced he would switch allegiance from Australia to Great Britain, the country of his birth, the 26-year-old track cyclist, a three-time Olympialist at the previous year’s Games, sent shockwaves through the sport.

The sprinter quickly found a home at British Cycling’s high-tech headquarters after landing on British soil at the beginning of 2025 when the weather was “colder, greyer, and darker”.

With all this magic occurring, it’s incredible. It’s a bizarre place to be. He tells BBC Sport, “I can remember my first couple of weeks there being like wow.”

No stones are left unturned, as the saying goes, defines this place. I consider it very fortunate to have [experienced] two utterly different programs, and I believe having them as a real strength in utilizing two completely different philosophies or mindsets to try to find the quickest solution.

Since the swap, Richardson has been doing so well. He broke the record for the fastest cyclist under the nine-second barrier in the flying 200m in August, breaking the previous record in Konya, Turkey, to reach 8.857 the following day.

He is completely honest about his accomplishments.

The World Championships in Santiago, Chile, are what Richardson and the rest of the British squad are scheduled to attend on Wednesday.

He has won five world titles, but he has never won an individual gold medal at that level, as is the case with the Olympics. Harrie Lavreysen, a Dutchman who has won five Olympic medals and 16 world titles, has always been a hero.

When asked whether moving to the United Kingdom will help him close the gap with his “biggest rival” Richardson responded, “I think so.

I haven’t gained any slower in my training since my last training session. I have everything I need to become the best athlete possible.

Has it improved my cycling skills? Yes. Has it given me a little more perspective than I did a year ago? Yes.

I’m not sure whether that will lead to me beating Harrie.

“Every time I compete, I always aim to win.” I don’t put in the necessary effort to finish second in training.

Emma Finucane, her girlfriend and team-mate, won three medals at the same Olympics as Richardson did in Chile. Finucane became the first British woman to do so since 1964.

The women’s team won the first-ever gold medal in the event, joining Britain’s Katy Marchant and Sophie Capewell, for the first time.

She flew to Perth, Australia, with Richardson for two months for a “complete switch-off” following the Games and the previous year’s Worlds, where she won the individual sprint title and the team sprint gold medal.

She replaced her bike with a surfboard, and she immediately “felt so present,” but when she returned home, she realized she was no longer cycling.

Finucane is confident she can keep her distinctive rainbow jersey while riding all three sprint events this week. She maintains her goal of collecting a significant gold in the chaotic keirin, which she holds in Santiago.

Things are more ambiguous during the team sprint. Capewell chose not to compete this year while Marchant just had her second child.

With the addition of championship debutants Rhianna Parris-Smith and Iona Moir, Finucane, who is 22 years old, will be the team’s most experienced head.

A new team is a new challenge, according to Finucane. We are well-adjusted. Although the dynamic is unique, the depth of our relationship is what makes it exciting.

“The program currently has about eight girls, whereas it used to be just Katy,” she said. We won the Olympics through that internal battle.