Harry Maguire says he can deal with pressure after ‘banter’ from Scotland fans
Harry Maguire laughed off his Hampden Park hounding as a “little bit of banter” as the under-fire defender said he can cope with pressure from the stands and on his England place. Little more than two years ago, the centre-back was an ever-present for Manchester United and earned a place in the Euros team of the tournament after helping Gareth Southgate’s side reach the final. But a drop in form and club game time, including being replaced as United captain, has led pressure and criticism to ratchet up on Maguire to a point that his international manager snapped following Tuesday’s 3-1 friendly win against Scotland. Furious Southgate said the treatment of Maguire is “ridiculous”, “a joke” and “beyond anything I’ve ever seen” – a narrative that he believes led to home fans goading him mercilessly in Glasgow. Every pass Maguire made was met by an ironic cheer after being brought on as a half-time substitute at Hampden Park. “Well, it pretty much takes the pressure away from my team-mates and puts it all on myself,” Maguire said. “It makes them play better, for sure. “It is a little bit of banter and it is a hostile environment, coming away to Scotland. “We wanted to put on a performance and we have dominated from start to finish. We have given them a goal, which is a bit unfortunate you could say. “But, yes, it was a great reaction from us all. We stayed calm, we stayed composed. I think it was a hostile environment. “We knew coming here, when you hear the national anthem and the way they disrespect that, we knew it would be hostile and in the second half I got most of it. “I am happy to go with that, don’t worry about that.” Maguire was touched by the away support’s backing in Glasgow as Scottish fans attempted to rattle him. “No, I would not say I am a person who struggles with pressure mentally,” Maguire said. “I have been through a lot in the last couple of years and I have been Manchester United captain for nearly four years. “You take a huge lot of responsibility and everything that comes with it and that is a lot of bad as well as good. “But it was a huge honour and of course it is a hostile environment here, which is how I described it, and they piled pressure on myself. I would not say I am used to it but I can deal with it.” Maguire is grateful for the backing of Southgate, whose faith he believes he repaid with his performances in Scotland and away to Ukraine when he made his first start of the season on Saturday. The 30-year-old brushed aside suggestions he was rusty but wants the rhythm back of playing week in, week out, saying he is confident that “the luck will turn” if he keeps working hard. Maguire now turns his attention to the fight for his place at United, where a lack of minutes could put his place at Euro 2024 in jeopardy – something he says is “too far away” to worry about. West Ham did offer him a route to regular action in the summer but the defender said “we didn’t come to an agreement” and United were happy for him to stay. “Of course, my England career is a big priority,” he added. “And so is my club career. “I considered everything and I know, at the moment, when I have not started a game in the first four games of the season, the story comes to me. “I finished off last season with two very strong performances for England and I have played in all five matches to help put us where we are in qualifying, so I need to keep performing when I get chosen. “Listen, at club football, I want to play games, I want to play football. “The first four weeks were hard because it was one game a week and the manager didn’t select me but we have lots of games coming up now and I am sure I will play lots of games.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Great Britain make winning start with Davis Cup success against Australia That is not my story – Joe Marler and Danny Cipriani differ on rugby’s mavericks Ben Stokes apologises to Jason Roy after breaking his England ODI record
2023-09-14 06:26
Oklahoma football fans make threats against Lincoln Riley crystal clear, and it's ugly
Members of the Oklahoma football fanbase have made unbecoming and dangerous threats against former head coach Lincoln Riley, who is now with USC.
2023-09-14 05:50
NFL Week 2 picks and predictions for every game: Chiefs bounce back, Cowboys torture Zach Wilson
NFL picks for every Week 2 game on the slate from Thursday to Monday night with predictions for the Chiefs bouncing back, Cowboys harassing the Jets, Packers rolling on and more.
2023-09-14 02:16
Keira Walsh out of England squad with injury but Maya Le Tissier returns for Lionesses
Keira Walsh is missing from England’s first squad since the Women’s World Cup due to injury. As well as midfielder Walsh, forward Bethany England also drops out, ruled out after undergoing hip surgery last week. There is no recall at this stage for Beth Mead despite her returning to Arsenal’s matchday squad as an unused substitute in their Champions League qualifying games last week. And the same applies to Fran Kirby, who has been involved in pre-season with Chelsea - both sat out the World Cup because of injury. Sarina Wiegman‘s 24-player selection sees Maya Le Tissier, Lucy Staniforth and Jess Park brought back into the fold. Le Tissier and Staniforth were on the standby list ahead of the summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the latter replacing Park, who withdrew because of a shoulder issue. Wiegman‘s World Cup runners-up play Scotland at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light a week on Friday and the Netherlands in Utrecht four days later in the new women’s Nations League. Wiegman said: “By the time we play our first game, it will be little more than a month since the World Cup final. We have had little time to reflect on all we have achieved so far this year. “Instead, we will have to make sure the players are fresh enough and ready to perform straight away, if we want to go far in another competition. “We will play a derby match against Scotland and they have shown good development recently and are getting stronger and stronger, while we know all about the Netherlands of course, and the very talented players they have. “It is the first time we have had the Nations League in the women’s game, and it will mean even more competitive matches for us to test ourselves. “While the time to look back on a special period for us will come at the end of the year, it will be good to see the fans again in Sunderland. We have a great connection with the north east and I know they will give us tremendous support again.” PA Read More Sarina Wiegman ‘worried’ about schedule as England prepare for Nations League Pep Guardiola returns to work at Manchester City after back operation Richarlison to seek psychological help after tears in Brazil Sarina Wiegman ‘worried’ about schedule as England prepare for Nations League Pep Guardiola returns to work at Manchester City after back operation Richarlison to seek psychological help after tears in Brazil
2023-09-14 01:54
Sarina Wiegman ‘worried’ about schedule as England prepare for Nations League
England boss Sarina Wiegman has said she is “very worried” about the playing calendar after naming her squad for this month’s Women’s Nations League double-header. The Lionesses return to action, after their defeat in the World Cup final on August 20, by facing Scotland in Sunderland a week on Friday and the Netherlands in Utrecht four days later to open their campaign in the new competition. The Arsenal players in her squad – forward Alessia Russo and defender Lotte Wubben-Moy – took part in Champions League qualifying matches last Wednesday and Saturday. Wiegman, whose players started their pre-World Cup preparation camp on June 19, told a press conference on Wednesday when asked if she was concerned about the calendar and time off: “Yes, I am very worried. “I was worried before the World Cup, and we knew this was a very short turnaround. “It’s a bigger thing – we’re all talking about the calendar and we really have to get connected with FIFA, UEFA, the federations, and we have to make that better. “Of course the game is growing, which is really good. But it has to grow together and players need some rest too. “Next week they come in and some players only had six days off, which after such a high-level, high-pressure competition is not good for them. And that has been going on for a long time, because we have major tournaments in the summer all the time. So the urgency to solve it and make it better is really, really high. “The players will come in and we first have to see how they are physically, and we have to get them fresh, and do everything to do that. That’s going to be a challenge. “Of course you have the team and you want to perform at the highest level, and also you want players to be fresh. For me and my staff it’s balancing (the) two – is this player fit enough, fresh enough, to play the game? That’s balancing, it’s so intense, and players are not robots.” She added: “I’ve talked to coaches. I think everyone’s aware that we have to speak with each other and we can do a little better, and we all know it’s pretty complex. “But I think conversations are going on, and we just need to keep doing that and hopefully find better solutions than we had.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-09-14 01:15
Pep Guardiola returns to work at Manchester City after back operation
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has returned to the club after recovering from his recent back operation. The PA news agency understands the Catalan has now resumed duties after three weeks away. Assistant boss Juanma Lillo took charge of first-team affairs as the 52-year-old travelled to Spain to undergo a routine procedure last month. In Guardiola’s absence the treble winners beat Sheffield United and Fulham to maintain their 100 per cent start in the Premier League. City’s squad were beginning to reconvene on Wednesday following the international break. They return to Premier League action at West Ham on Saturday before their latest Champions League campaign begins at home to Red Star Belgrade next Tuesday. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-09-14 00:29
Thursday Night Football's Sam Schwartzstein Thinks Fans Can Handle the Truth
The Big Lead spoke to Sam Schwartzstein, Thursday Night Football's analytics expert, in advance of Amazon's sophomore year and couldn't help but notice that he
2023-09-13 23:59
Richarlison to seek psychological help after tears in Brazil
Tottenham forward Richarlison says he will “seek psychological help” after being seen in tears following his substitution during Brazil’s 5-1 win over Bolivia last Saturday. The 26-year-old says he his emotional reaction in the match was a release to help ‘get things happening off the pitch out of his system’. "I went through a turbulent time off the pitch during these past five months," he told Brazilian newspaper O Globo who reported that Richarlison has split with long-term agent Renato Velasco. "Now things are a bit more stable at home. People who only had their eye on my money are no longer close to me.” The Brazilian joined Spurs for £60m from Everton last summer but has only scored four goals in 40 games. However, he is determined to perform well for the north London side and is planning on seeing a psychologist to help improve his mental health. "Things are going to flow now and I’m certain that I will have a good run at Tottenham and will make things happen again,” he claimed, "I’m going to return to England and seek psychological help, from a psychologist, to strengthen my mind. That’s what it is about, to come back stronger.” Richarlison missed a great opportunity to score in the World Cup qualifier against Bolivia before being taken off the pitch. He explained that the pictures of him in tears were not down to his performance but off-field issues. "That moment of sadness wasn’t about having played badly," he said when explaining why he begin to cry. "In my opinion, I didn’t play a bad match in Belem. It was more about getting the things that were happening off the pitch out of my system, which had gotten out of control not because of anything I’d done but because of people close to me." Tottenham host Sheffield United on Saturday with Brazil’s next qualifier coming against Venezuela on 13 October. Read More Forest defender given suspended five-month suspension after 375 betting breaches Former Lioness Fara Williams on the sexist and homophobic abuse she gets online South Africa’s ‘X-factor’ will make them tough to beat claims Gareth Thomas
2023-09-13 23:23
Harry Toffolo given suspended five-month suspension after 375 betting breaches
Nottingham Forest full-back Harry Toffolo has been given a suspended five-month ban after admitting 375 breaches of Football Association betting rules. The FA said the 28-year-old had also been fined £20,956.22 by an independent regulatory commission. Toffolo was charged by the FA in July, and the player has admitted breaches of FA betting rules between January 22, 2014 and March 18, 2017. The ban is suspended until the end of the 2024-25 season. The FA said the written reasons in the case would be published in due course. The sanctions on Toffolo follow the imposition of an eight-month ban on Brentford striker Ivan Toney in May for breaches of FA betting regulations. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-09-13 23:22
Five contenders to replace Hansi Flick as Germany coach
Germany needs to act fast in its search for a new coach for its troubled men’s national football eam. The new coach is expected to be in charge by 14 October when Germany will face the United States in a friendly in Connecticut. And after that there is only eight months to put his stamp on the team before Germany opens the European Championship as host in front of 70,000 spectators in Munich on 14 June next year. Germany’s awful recent form — no wins in five games and a group-stage exit at the World Cup — forced out Hansi Flick following Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Japan. Rudi Voller oversaw a 2-1 win over France on Tuesday but is due to return to his post as sporting director. Without an obvious successor to Flick, the post of Germany coach appears wide open. That could result in Germany’s youngest coach in nearly a century. Or its oldest ever. Or the first foreign coach. Here is a look at some possible candidates: Julian Nagelsmann At 36 years old, the former Bayern Munich coach would be the youngest man to coach Germany since 34-year-old Otto Nerz was appointed back in 1926. Since Bayern replaced him with Thomas Tuchel in March, Nagelsmann has been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs. He knows the Germany team’s big Bayern contingent, and worked with other players at Leipzig too. However, Nagelsmann reportedly remains under contract with Bayern and the club could demand compensation from the German soccer federation, the DFB. Nagelsmann’s attack-first tactical style could win back fans who have soured on the team, but much like Flick, his teams aren’t known for their robust defending. Louis van Gaal The 72-year-old Dutch coach is a specialist in international tournaments and his lengthy resume — Ajax, Barcelona, Manchester United — includes two years at Bayern Munich, where he reached the Champions League final in 2010. His last job featured an impressive unbeaten run with the Dutch national team before losing on penalties in the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar to eventual winner Argentina. Van Gaal has notably not ruled himself out of taking the Germany job, telling broadcaster Sky Germany that he was “honored” to see his name mentioned. The oldest man appointed Germany coach until now was 61-year-old Erich Ribbeck in 1998. Oliver Glasner Glasner is another possibility if the team decides to appoint its first non-German coach, and the Austrian already speaks the language. Glasner is best known for winning the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt and qualifying the club for the Champions League for the first time. However, Frankfurt removed him as coach last season after a drop in form and Glasner hasn’t coached since. Matthias Sammer Well-connected from advisory roles at the DFB and Borussia Dortmund, Sammer has the backing of 1990 World Cup-winning player and prolific TV pundit Lothar Matthaus. He’d be the first Germany coach to have played for the former East Germany during the Cold War. One problem is that Sammer last coached a team in 2005 before taking on successful sporting director and advisory roles, including at Bayern. Health issues in 2016 caused Sammer to cut back on his workload. Stefan Kuntz Flick was fired after his team conceded four goals to Japan. Could his replacement be a coach whose current team just did the same thing? As a player, Kuntz won the European Championship in 1996 as a teammate of Sammer. His best-known coaching achievement is winning the European Under-21 Championship with Germany in 2017 and 2021. Kuntz is coaching Turkey but is under pressure following a 4-2 friendly loss Tuesday to Japan. Other candidates The former Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath put himself forward Monday, pointing to his record turning around “unsettled teams” in comments to local broadcaster NDR. The DFB has a history of promoting from within — Flick and Low each worked as assistants to their respective predecessors — but the three-man interim coaching team for the win over France doesn’t offer an obvious solution. Voller seems happy with his DFB director job, Hannes Wolf is a youth specialist with a mixed club record, and Sandro Wagner has only coached in the fourth division. AP Read More Germany beat France in first game since sacking Hansi Flick as Italy reignite Euro 2024 hopes Steve Clarke insists Scotland remain in positive mood despite England defeat Aaron Ramsey rolls back the years to keep Wales’s Euro 2024 hopes alive Germany beat France as Italy reignite Euro 2024 hopes Football rumours: Jadon Sancho looking to leave Manchester United Germany boss Hansi Flick under pressure following home defeat to Japan
2023-09-13 21:48
Aaron Rodgers Injury Reignites Fight Over Real Cost of Fake Turf
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2023-09-13 21:45
WNBA Playoffs 2023: 3 keys to the matchup between the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream
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2023-09-13 21:45