Jurgen Klopp explains why touchline ban can be 'super helpful'
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp explains the benefits of being handed a touchline ban - the German will be in the stands against Aston Villa after recent comments made about referee Paul Tierney.
2023-05-20 01:45
Ajax in 'existential crisis' on and off the field
Once a giant of European football, Ajax is now mired in one of the deepest crises in its glittering 123-year history, 14th in the league, top officials...
2023-09-25 17:50
Bills' high-scoring offense takes flight in traveling to play Jaguars in London
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills' high-scoring offense is taking flight across the Atlantic for a “home” game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday
2023-10-07 00:17
3 teams regretting moves as playoffs unfold and one team that looks incredibly wise
The MLB playoffs feature some pretty big what-ifs that some teams are kicking themselves over. One team, though, can enjoy the show and know they're positioned well for the future.
2023-10-10 00:27
Najmul to lead Bangladesh in New Zealand ODIs, T20Is
Bangladesh on Thursday named batsman Najmul Hossain Shanto as the country's one-day international and Twenty20 international captain for a tour...
2023-11-30 23:22
Mariners fans use College GameDay to shoot their shot with Shohei Ohtani
The cheers for Shohei Ohtani in Seattle are getting louder.
2023-10-15 06:56
Ange Postecoglou keen to trim Tottenham squad after James Maddison fitness boost
Tottenham are set to have James Maddison fit for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, but head coach Ange Postecoglou has fired a warning to the players on the fringes of his bloated squad. Maddison trained for the first time this week on Friday after he sat out a number of sessions with a sore ankle sustained during last weekend’s impressive 2-0 win over Manchester United. Spurs have handed minutes to 18 members of their squad during the opening two Premier League games of the season but face a busy final week of the summer transfer window, with outgoings a priority for the club. Offers will be listened to for former captain Hugo Lloris, Djed Spence, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele while Davinson Sanchez, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil could exit if the right bid comes in. Youngsters Alfie Devine and Troy Parrott have departed on loan to Port Vale and Excelsior Rotterdam respectively during the past 24 hours, but Tottenham still have 31 players aged 21 or over and will need to submit a list of 25 to the Premier League on September 13. “At the moment you can see by doing the maths, we have got too many players,” Postecoglou said. “In terms of when we submit our final list, there will be guys here who won’t be on that list if nothing changes so I am pretty sure that will change. “From now until the end of the window I am sure there will be some movement.” Postecoglou was asked specifically if Lloris could remain at the club despite the Frenchman stating back in June his desire for a new challenge. The Australian did not completely rule it out but referenced the fact Guglielmo Vicario is his number one and Fraser Forster will be his back-up goalkeeper. He added: “You can’t just have any number of players you want. There is a list and it is unlikely we will have three goalkeepers on our final Premier League list.” Spurs look set to be boosted by Maddison’s presence for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at Bournemouth despite fears of a potential injury lay-off. The summer signing left Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on crutches and in a protective boot last Saturday night after he took a blow to his ankle during a challenge with Manchester United’s Antony in the second-half. But Postecoglou said: “Madders trained today unrestricted. We’ll see how he pulls up but at this stage it looks like he will be available. We’ll assess how he feels but, yeah, he trained. “I think it was the incident when (Cristian) Romero got brought down. He had a shot and it was a block-tackle. His ankle was a bit sore after that but the medical team looked after him. “There was no real push to have him available. It was down to him. “People would have seen him in a moon boot but it was more precautionary. He has felt good and probably could have trained yesterday. “He trained today unrestricted, so obviously nothing serious.”
2023-08-25 22:25
Bernardo Silva’s unique talents lead Man City’s evisceration of Real Madrid
There was a player whose goals were designed to transform Manchester City into Champions League winners. It wasn’t Bernardo Silva. “Bernardo has never been a top scorer,” shrugged Pep Guardiola in March, after one of his favourite footballers had scored at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since August. He sounded utterly unworried. Silva, as he said then, “is unique”. He was aggressive presser, rhythmic passer, the man who could speed the game up or slow it down, the player he has used as everything from the most unconventional of left-backs to a false nine but who could be relied upon to make everyone else play better. But then, after five goals in 51 games this season, came two in a quarter of an hour. Against Real Madrid. In a Champions League semi-final. Only Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski had scored twice against Real on this stage before, but they are more frequent scorers. Silva had delivered a winner of sorts against Carlo Ancelotti’s side in a similar occasion last year; but that was a first leg, and a 4-3 scoreline was overturned. Not this time. On City’s greatest European night, amid Real’s evisceration at the Etihad, he is the man who powered them to a final where they will be favourites. It can go wrong from here – the abiding lesson of Guardiola’s City in the Champions League is that it always can – but they will never have a better chance. They may never have a better team, either. The half-time statistics – 13 shots to one, 72 per cent possession to 28 – were stark, the final scoreline – 4-0 – still more so. This was Real, after all, perennial kings of Europe. And if there was something studied and strategic about their slow start, the team playing the long game allowing City to attack, if the intention was they may grow into the game after the first 20 minutes, Silva instead scored in the 23rd, and then the 37th. There was something symbolic in his opener, in the identities of the pair Kevin De Bruyne bisected with a wonderful pass. They were the men whose precision was at the heart of Real’s dominance of this competition over the past decade. There was perhaps a yard between Luka Modric and Toni Kroos but De Bruyne threaded the ball between pass masters. Suddenly, Silva was free in the penalty area. He steered his shot past Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian had done his best impression of Superman, with twin saves from Erling Haaland headers, but he was powerless to stop this. Yet if the Norwegian has given City another dimension with his aerial ability, the unexpected element was that the man to score with a bullet header was Silva, all 5ft 8in of him. After Ilkay Gundogan’s shot was blocked by Eder Militao, the ball flew up obligingly for Silva. Good fortune or positional instinct? Whichever, the finish was unerring. Rewind to March and Guardiola had suggested Silva’s contribution could not be judged by statistics. And yet a double meant that, of Silva’s last eight club goals, three had come against Real in Champions League semi-finals. He is the small man for the big stage. Guardiola, as he inferred, rarely judges players on their goal tallies. Perhaps he may deem that Silva’s real masterpiece in this season’s Champions League was his performance against Bayern Munich at the Etihad; it was an example of how to press three players at once which, in turn, shows the selflessness Guardiola loves. There was further evidence of it. Subdued as Real were, Vinicius Junior offered the possibility he could provide the explosive to alter the game. Gundogan was booked for fouling the Brazilian as he threatened to burst clear. But sliding in on him from the other side, in a pincer movement, was Silva. A man for many a job was tasked with helping Kyle Walker patrol Vinicius. If Silva is a central midfielder press ganged into a variety of other roles, he may be the best defensive right winger around. Guardiola has tried many a formation in his time, from the inspired to the overly experimental, but City defended in a conventional 4-4-2 shape, freeing up De Bruyne to raid in support of Haaland. The stamina of Silva and Jack Grealish, the flair players with the lungs of long-distance runners, permitted it. Go back to 2019, to what proved the title decider against Liverpool and Silva ran 13.7km in a tour de force. That willingness to keep on moving may yet bring his departure. There is an almost annual question if he will leave City; Barcelona seems to exert a siren call, though they invariably lack the funds to purchase a player of his class. But Silva has enough of an attachment to City to name his dog after John Stones. The defender’s name echoed around the Etihad after Eder Militao’s own goal put City 3-0 up. Unless, of course, they were paying tribute to Silva’s dog. He could be one exhausted animal because, long after a semi-final was settled, the man still running was Silva. Real Madrid could not keep up with him; perhaps his four-legged friend cannot either. Read More Man City vs Real Madrid LIVE: Result and reaction as brilliant City cruise into Champions League final Man City’s greatest Champions League night, Real Madrid need Jude Bellingham and five things we learned Man City vs Real Madrid player ratings as Kyle Walker dominates Vinicius Junior
2023-05-18 05:17
Yankees fans want John Flaherty fired after Rockies walk off
Yankees fans were ready to send play-by-play man John Flaherty packing after he called a game-tying home run a pop up and jinxed the Rockies walk off.The curse of the commentator is very real. Just ask the Yankees and play-by-play man John Flaherty, who had fans in New York cursing his name on s...
2023-07-17 07:51
4 people accused of hanging Vinícius Júnior effigy released from custody
Four people accused of hanging an effigy of Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior off a highway bridge have been released from custody while still under investigation for perpetrating a hate crime
2023-05-25 18:18
Owner changes retirement plans for Kentucky winner Rich Strike, colt won't hit sales block
The upset winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby won’t be on the sales block at Keeneland on Friday
2023-11-17 09:17
Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby watching best years slip away as Raiders again struggle
The Las Vegas Raiders at 3-5 are likely watching another season slip away
2023-11-01 08:28
You Might Like...
Rasmus Hojlund discusses 'proud' Man Utd debut & opens up on Casemiro incident
NBA rumors: LeBron, Shaq vying for Vegas expansion, Doncic pining for Real Madrid, Bjelica retires
Saints all-time sack leader Jordan agrees to 2-year extension
Premier League to clamp down on players harassing referees
Wembley revenge to seal place at Euro 2024? – England v Italy talking points
Favourable CAF Champions League draw for 11-time winners Ahly
NBA rumors: Hawks trying to trade for All-NBA player, adding one more weird element
Xavi expecting 'key week' for Barcelona transfer strategy
