List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

Take three talismanic attacking midfielders out of a treble-winning team and even Manchester City might struggle. Or so the theory went, anyway. Even as they paraded the trio of trophies they secured last season, it was in the absence of a triumvirate with rare and complementary gifts, in the departed Ilkay Gundogan, the injured Kevin de Bruyne and the ill Bernardo Silva. And yet as they overcame the opening weekend’s most impressive side, the rising force, perhaps the pretenders to their crown, it was their replacements who proved decisive. Mateo Kovacic to Phil Foden to Julian Alvarez. Goal. Newcastle were defeated and, even at this early stage, it could be a six-pointer of a strike. Kovacic was the first summer signing, Foden and Alvarez the world-class talent and World Cup winner who started finals on the bench last season, the deluxe deputies waiting for an opportunity, and then seizing it. It is a fallacy to say City have the biggest squad – their bench against Newcastle included Oscar Bobb, James McAtee, Sergio Gomez and Maximo Perrone – but they have a core with quality. Even when short of players, they had just enough. Three days after overcoming Sevilla to win the European Super Cup, when Pep Guardiola made a solitary substitution in Greece’s 30-degree heat, Eddie Howe made all five changes while his City counterpart made none. If it was fatigue against freshness, City had the resilience and resolve to restrict Newcastle to one, 70th-minute shot on target. There was a winning mentality in their refusal to cede ground. Even as Newcastle applied pressure, they encountered an immovable force. Nine of the players who completed the Sevilla game got the full shift against Newcastle 72 hours later. It was a triumph of willpower and of 11 starters. The goal, admittedly, came from a man confined to the bench for 84 minutes in Athens. But Alvarez has started City’s other three matches this season. The reinvention of the Argentinian as an attacking midfielder can seem an attempt to crowbar him into the team, to give Erling Haaland’s deputy enough outings to satisfy him. As an auxiliary midfielder, he is more runner than passer, but he scored from the inside-right position, his 13th goal in as many starts at the Etihad Stadium, and what is already something of a trademark finish, a rising drive towards the top corner. With De Bruyne out for much of the rest of 2023, Alvarez has scope for a longer run in midfield. After Cole Palmer staked his case for a place with goals in both the Community Shield and the European Super Cup, there is a recurring theme of the stand-ins stepping up. With Palmer demoted to the bench – Nathan Ake was the only other player to drop out – the Mancunian to catch the eye was Foden. He got an assist for finding Alvarez; arguably he deserved one more for picking out Haaland time and again. Three times the Englishman sent the Norwegian through on goal. That used to be De Bruyne’s job, picking him out, and a combination of uncharacteristically erratic finishing and a save from Nick Pope meant the usual scorer drew a blank, their burgeoning connection bodes well; indeed Foden almost doubled the lead from a pass by Haaland. If the striker was both relentless and, with a couple of stray touches, showed hints of tiredness, Foden was the man of the match. Then there was Kovacic. His capacity to take the ball in close quarters and find teammates makes him more of a quintessential Guardiola midfielder than either Alvarez or Foden. But he is scarcely a like-for-like replacement for Gundogan, lacking the German’s goals and assists, his was the sharp, line-breaking pass to Foden that brought the breakthrough. It caught Newcastle out. The most obvious culprit for the goal was Nick Pope, who got a hand to Alvarez’s shot but perhaps should have kept it out. Yet their workaholic midfield were trapped ahead of the ball, affording the Argentinian too much space. Sandro Tonali, spectacularly good in the 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa, was taken off after failing to exert the same impact. The winger Anthony Gordon, meanwhile, was brought off before he could be sent off: booked for raking his studs down Ruben Dias’ calf, a further foul on the Portuguese led to his swift substitution. Harvey Barnes, who took his spot and followed his teammate into the book mere moments after coming on, had that shot on target, but Ederson held it and Newcastle were beaten. Which may not surprise students of footballing history. There are barren runs and then there is Newcastle’s record at the Etihad Stadium, with no point since 2005. If there were reasons to believe this offered their best chance for quite some time, they ended up with a 15th consecutive league defeat at this ground. For Guardiola, it was a 12th win in 13 meetings with Howe. And from City, it was a message to their challengers. Read More Kevin De Bruyne facing up to four months out and may require surgery Manchester City’s Super Cup victory shows that Cole Palmer is a gem to be treasured Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola sets sights on Club World Cup

Julian Alvarez’s fine first-half strike handed Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle in their first home match since winning the treble on Saturday. The World Cup winner curled a shot into the top corner after 31 minutes of a tight Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium and it proved enough for the champions to claim all three points. Newcastle, buoyed by thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 in their season opener last week, had travelled in hope of claiming their first league win at City for almost 23 years. Yet the hosts, despite making just two changes following their draining European Super Cup venture in Athens in midweek, were too strong and successfully nullified Eddie Howe’s side. Pep Guardiola’s men were far from their fluid best, but they produced a professional performance to follow up their opening win at Burnley and in Alvarez and Phil Foden they had the brightest players on the pitch. Newcastle fought to the end but it ultimately proved a frustrating night for the visitors, who had five players booked. City started slowly but began to step up the pressure midway through the first half and threatened for the first time when Manuel Akanji curled a long-range attempt over. Alvarez then whipped in a low cross but failed to find Erling Haaland before Mateo Kovacic and Foden both had efforts blocked. Foden grew into the game and was a lively presence, having stepped into the playmaking void left by long-term injury victim Kevin De Bruyne. Foden was instrumental in City’s goal, finding space and darting into the area before pulling back for Alvarez. The Argentinian then did the rest, picking his spot from the edge of the area and firing a shot beyond Nick Pope. Foden threatened to seize control of the game and was crudely pushed over by Sandro Tonali after another dangerous run. He then slipped Haaland in on goal but the Norwegian’s low shot rolled narrowly wide of the far post. Haaland was close again early in the second half, first after holding off Sven Botman to shoot at Pope and then mishitting another shot wide, again from a Foden pass. City’s failure to kill off the game allowed Newcastle to come back into it in the closing stages. Harvey Barnes was presented with a good chance after a rare misplaced pass by Rodri, but he shot straight at Ederson from distance. Miguel Almiron also had a powerful effort blocked but City continually got numbers back and remained dangerous on the counter-attack. Both Foden and Rodri led late raids from deep, but neither could set Haaland free for the goal that would have sealed it. In the end, Alvarez’s strike was sufficient and City, who began the evening parading last season’s silverware, could celebrate a job well done. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Reece Prescod accuses UK Athletics of ’emotional blackmail’ after withdrawal ‘It is obvious why we signed a striker’ says United boss after loss at Tottenham Steve Borthwick hopes for quick outcome on Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell

Chiefs Rumors: Justyn Ross continues to shine in training campJustyn Ross is an early contender for the NFL's comeback player of the year. Although it's far too early to make such a declaration with any confidence, Ross continues to impress at Chiefs training camp, even forcing Patrick M...

The Vikings should look to get the most value out of these three players on the trade block but there's one player worth keeping around.The 2023 season is quickly approaching for the Vikings, who get things started on Sept. 10 against the Buccaneers.Before Week 1, Minnesota is going to ...

Aleksandar Mitrovic has completed his transfer from Fulham to Al Hilal.

Drew Weatherford expects for his Florida State Seminoles to leave the ACC in the next wave of college football realignment.We may not be done with college football realignment just yet, I'm afraid...While much of the attention has been focused on the carnage and aftermath of what was on...

Match report & player ratings from Almeria 1-3 Real Madrid in La Liga.

Ange Postecoglou oversaw a thrilling first win as Tottenham manager as Pape Sarr’s strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal settled a pulsating Premier League clash with Manchester United. Even by Spurs’ standards this has been a chastening year, with their struggles in the second half of last season compounded by homegrown star Harry Kane’s recent switch to Bayern Munich. But former Celtic boss Postecoglou has brought new hope to Tottenham and his entertaining, new-look side sealed a fine 2-0 win thanks to Sarr’s effort and a late Martinez own goal. Erik ten Hag’s men – playing under the cloud of continued talk about Mason Greenwood’s future – began on the front foot in north London and could have gone into the break ahead. United were aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty after the VAR reviewed a Cristian Romero handball in a half that saw Marcus Rashford and, in particular, Bruno Fernandes waste good chances. Those let-offs allowed Spurs to grow into proceedings, with Pedro Porro smashing an effort off the bar before Luke Shaw deflected a Sarr cross onto the post just before the break. Spurs returned with the bit between their teeth and took a 49th minute lead as Sarr reacted quickest to a deflected Dejan Kulusevski cross to score his first goal for the club. Antony struck the post as the sides traded blows in a thrill-a-minute start to a second period that eventually calmed down, with Martinez’s late own goal wrapping up a home win. The atmosphere was fantastic throughout as Spurs beat United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time, with Postecoglou receiving a fantastic reception before and after the match. The home fans – a number of whom had protested about ticket prices before the match – had to hold on tight during a bright United start. After some half-hearted chances, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spread himself to stop Rashford giving United into a 13th minute lead having been slipped in by Antony. Andre Onana’s stunning diagonal pass to Alejandro Garnacho deserved more than a driven cross being blocked, with an audacious Fernandes rabona cross headed over from close range by offside Rashford. There was anger that the VAR did not intervene after Garnacho’s shot hit Romero’s arm, with the proximity of the effort understood to be behind the decision not to award a spot-kick for handball. Another let-off soon followed. Smart play ended with Luke Shaw’s cracking first-time cross putting Fernandes behind, only for the unopposed skipper to head well off target from six yards. But Spurs had grown into proceedings by this point. Sarr was denied by Onana after being played through by skipper Son Heung-min and went closer still in the 40th minute. Son laid off for Porro to slam a thunderous shot off the crossbar and Sarr’s low ball back into the box deflected off Shaw and onto the post. Spurs had clearly settled into a more cohesive attacking unit and needed just four minutes of the second period to take the lead. Good team play ended with Kulusevski sending in a cross from the right that hit Martinez, with Sarr reacting quickest to slam home at the far post and spark wild celebrations. The opener added extra spice to an already entertaining encounter. Antony was allowed onto his favoured left foot just two minutes later and beat Vicario, only for his attempt to come back off the far post. Spurs immediately swept up the other end. Onana stopped a low Destiny Udogie attempt and penalty appeals for Martinez’s challenge on Romero fell on deaf ears. Vicario reacted well to tip over a Casemiro header and Fernandes saw a low shot pushed wide before the offside flag was raised. Yves Bissouma had efforts either side of a blocked Son attempt, before changes took the sting out of the game. Ivan Perisic and Ben Davies were among Spurs’ introductions, with the latter swinging at the former’s pass and getting the slightest touch before Martinez accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 83rd minute. United pushed to reduce the deficit but their play was stilted and frustrated, with an offside Raphael Varane denied by Vicario during nine scoreless minutes of stoppage time. Read More Many Brighton players capable of scoring like Kaoru Mitoma’s stunner – De Zerbi Tottenham vs Manchester United LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Manchester United’s new-look midfield must click quickly – Erik ten Hag Ange Postecoglou promises to bring Spurs fans joy after Nick Cave inspiration Chris Wood heads home late winner as Nottingham Forest see off Sheffield United Ange Postecoglou insists Tottenham have to be ‘united on and off the field’

While the Atlanta Braves are focused on winning a World Series in 2023, Alex Anthopoulos must keep an eye towards the future.Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves have plenty of questions to answer this coming offseason. With most of their roster signed long-term, it gives Anthopoulos the flexibility ...

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said plenty of players in his squad were capable of scoring goals like Kaoru Mitoma’s stunning effort in his side’s 4-1 Premier League win at Wolves. The Seagulls sit top of the table after a clinical display at Molineux, with Japan winger Mitoma, Pervis Estupinan and Solly March’s double making it eight goals in two league matches. De Zerbi, who dedicated his side’s win to former Italian coach Carlo Mazzone – who died on Saturday aged 86 – said he was not surprised by Mitoma’s mesmeric run and finish, which gave his side a slender half-time lead. The Italian head coach said: “Mitoma is a top player and when you have a top player you can expect goals like today. “We have not only Mitoma. We have Joao Pedro, (Julio) Enciso, (Danny) Welbeck, (Adam) Lallana, (Evan) Ferguson, (Simon) Adingra, (Solly) March, (Facundo) Buonanotte. I think we are in a very good condition in attack.” Winger March converted two crosses by Paraguayan teenager Julio Enciso after lung-busting runs into the box and now has three goals in two games. De Zerbi said: “I spoke with him (March) last season and the beginning of this season. I want him to score more goals. For him and for us. “If the winger can score a lot of goals, if you check the teams at the top of the table anywhere, the big teams, they have wingers able to score 10 or 15 goals.” Brighton put Wolves to the sword with three goals in nine minutes at the start of the second half and do not appear to be missing midfield pair Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, who have departed to Chelsea and Liverpool respectively. But De Zerbi said he hopes to sign a new midfielder, plus one other player before the transfer window closes on September 1. “I think we have to go into the transfer market,” he added. “Without Caicedo, we have to play in different ways.” Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has lost both matches in charge of the club after replacing Julen Lopetegui earlier this month. O’Neil’s side began brightly after impressing in their narrow 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in their opening match, but were brutally punished by Brighton for failing to take their chances. The former Bournemouth boss said: “I didn’t think it was worlds apart. The scoreline will obviously make most people believe it was, but it wasn’t miles apart. “Look at the numbers, shots, chances created. But yeah, you can’t miss that many chances. “It was an aggressive gameplan. We tried to go after Brighton when we could, pressed high and managed to regain the ball a few times. “There’s risk attached to that, so when we win the ball back and have our chances, we need to score because when it goes to the other end, Brighton were extremely clinical with theirs.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Marco Silva confirms Aleksandar Mitrovic is joining Al Hilal Jurgen Klopp to consider appeal against Alexis Mac Allister’s red card Reds hit back after shaky start, while Brighton and Brentford also win

Previewing Crystal Palace's Premier League clash with Arsenal at Selhurst Park, including how to watch on TV, live stream, predicted lineups & prediction.

The Chicago Cubs have some tough decisions to make, including trade calls from president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.The Cubs bought at this season's MLB trade deadline, which was a stark contrast from years past. However, this offseason could be a different story depending on how this...