List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

Premier League winner Danny Drinkwater has announced his retirement from football. The 33-year-old midfielder was one of the stars of Leicester’s shock title triumph in 2016, earning a big-money move to Chelsea the following summer. But he did not manage to establish himself as a first-choice player at Stamford Bridge and unsuccessful loan spells at Burnley and Aston Villa followed along with disciplinary problems. He pleaded guilty to drink-driving after crashing his car in 2019, suffered an ankle injury in an incident outside a nightclub later the same year and head-butted then Villa team-mate Jota on the training ground in March 2020. Drinkwater’s last appearances came on loan at Reading in 2021-22, following which his contract with Chelsea expired. Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, he said: “It’s been a long time coming maybe, especially with the last year, but I think it’s time to officially announce it now. “I think I’ve been in limbo for too long. I’ve been wanting to play but not getting the opportunity to play at a standard or a level where I felt valued. I’m happy not playing football but I’m happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport? It's been a long time coming maybe, especially with the last year, but I think it's time to officially announce it now Danny Drinkwater “It’s all I’ve known. It’s been my life since I was six, seven years old. It was never going to be an easy thing. “If I was playing week in, week out and I had to say I’ve got to stop, maybe through injury or through just age, not being able to get about the pitch like I’d like to, I think it would be trickier.” Drinkwater came through the Manchester United academy but did not make a first-team appearance before joining Leicester in 2012. He was called up for the first time by England in March 2016 and made three appearances but was one of three players cut from the squad for the European Championship. Read More On this day in 2008: David Beckham heads to Milan to boost England hopes The sporting weekend in pictures Joel Embiid scores 35 points in big win for Philadelphia 76ers

Lyon head coach Fabio Grosso suffered “serious” facial injuries after the French club’s team bus came under attack from fans throwing projectives before Sunday’s match at Marseille. The league fixture on Sunday evening was called off after the attack on the Lyon bus, which shattered windows as it arrved at Stade Velodrome. Footage on social media appeared to show that stones had been thrown and Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were injured by falling shards of glass. French football’s governing body took the decision to abandon the Ligue 1 fixture after an emergency meeting. Grosso, the former Italy international and World Cup window, was pictured on a stretcher with a bloodied face after the attack. The governing body, Ligue de Football Professionnel, said in a statement: “During the crisis unit meeting following the incidents that occurred outside the Stade Velodrome on the route of its bus, Olympique Lyonnais made known its opposition to taking part in the match given the circumstances.” OL issued a statement strongly condemning the attack, adding that they had initially looked for the match to go ahead, before realising the conditions of Grosso and Longo were "much more serious than expected" and due to the "mental state of the players". The club said: "This Sunday evening, at the entrance to the Velodrome stadium, several individuals violently attacked the Olympique Lyonnais bus, as well as its staff and players. "Six buses of Olympique Lyonnais supporters were also targeted. If in the past, attacks of this type had already taken place, which Olympique Lyonnais has always regretted, this Sunday, October 29, a new step towards the worst was taken. "In fact, several secure windows were broken by heavy projectiles of unknown nature. These same projectiles penetrated the interior of the bus. "Coach Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were directly hit and seriously injured in the face during this attack. Present with them on the bus, the players and staff were also deeply affected by the violence of this attack, which Olympique Lyonnais strongly condemns. "Initially, as indicated by the OL representative at the start of the crisis meeting, driven by their courage, the coach and the players wanted the meeting to be able to take place. "Subsequently, the OL representative was informed of the physical condition of Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo, much more serious than expected, but also of the negative medical opinions and the mental state of the players. She then announced a change in the situation, indicating the impossibility of playing the match." OL said it was "clearly impossible" for the match to take place, adding that they planned to "file a complaint in the coming days" before calling on the authorities to take action. They concluded: "Finally, Olympique Lyonnais regrets that this type of situation occurs every year in Marseille and invites the authorities to take stock of the seriousness and repetition of this type of incident before an even more serious tragedy occurs." Marseille issued a statement of their own, criticising the perpetrators and wishing 45-year-old Italian Grosso well. "Olympique de Marseille deplores the unacceptable incidents which took place this evening around the Stade Velodrome, against the professional team bus as well as Olympique Lyonnais supporter buses," the OM statement read. "The club wishes a speedy recovery to Lyon coach Fabio Grosso and strongly condemns this violent behaviour which has no place in the world of football and in society. "Due to a handful of mindless people, the game planned for this evening was spoiled and deprived 65,000 supporters of attending a football match. "The club complies with the decision taken by the LFP and remains at its disposal so that the match which was scheduled for this Sunday, October 29, takes place as quickly as possible and under the best possible conditions at the Stade Velodrome." Marseille have a recent history of incidents involving their stadium or supporters, including fans storming the training ground and setting a fire, enforcing a match being postponed in 2021. The Metropolitan Police arrested five people a year ago, “believed to be away supporters,” when Marseille played a Champions League game at Tottenham. And one Marseille fan faced an attempted murder charge over firing a flare into Eintracht Frankfurt fans at a game, seriously injuring one visiting supporter. Lyon manager Grosso scored the winning penalty kick for Italy in the shootout victory over France in the 2006 World Cup final. Both clubs have been under pressure lately. Despite replacing Marcelino with Gennaro Gattuso as coach in September, Marseille remain showing poor form with one win and three losses in their last four league games. Lyon are the only team still winless in the league. Replacing Laurent Blanc with Grosso as coach in September hasn’t paid off for Lyon, as they sit in last place. Includes reporting from PA Read More Lyon manager injured after team bus attacked en route to Marseille match How Wales fared at World Cup and what the future holds for Warren Gatland’s men Major military search begins after kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s father Major military search begins after kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s father On this day in 2008: David Beckham heads to Milan to boost England hopes Mauricio Pochettino insists Chelsea must rebuild trust with supporters

David Beckham joined AC Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy on this day in 2008. The then 33-year-old England midfielder agreed a two-month move to Italy to stay fit during the MLS close-season in the United States. England manager Fabio Capello, who coached Beckham at Real Madrid, said: “Milan have made a good addition. “At Madrid I left him out of the squad because he had signed a contract with Los Angeles but he continued to come on the field and train and I put him back in the team. “He is a very serious lad, very sensible, a professional. People think he is a playboy off the field, it’s not true at all.” The 108-times capped Beckham felt a move to Milan would boost his chances of England selection. Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said: “His reasons are to stay fit and to make himself available for England, and the only way he can do that is to be training and playing in a good environment. “This, on the part of David, was a purely technical rationale. He wants to continue to play for England and this is one of the ways to do that.” Beckham began his glittering career at Manchester United, where he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League. He joined Real Madrid in 2003 and spent four years in Spain before moving to LA Galaxy. Beckham had two loan spells at Milan and ended his career at Paris St Germain in 2013. Beckham went on to win 115 caps for England, a total only bettered by Peter Shilton and Wayne Rooney. Read More The sporting weekend in pictures Joel Embiid scores 35 points in big win for Philadelphia 76ers Rugby Australia chairman refuses to quit after Eddie Jones resignation

With the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season coming out on Halloween night, we need to prepare ourselves for some teams to be ranked higher, or lower, than what the AP voters decided over the weekend. Prepare to be battery-throwing mad.

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea must rebuild trust with their fans if they hope to reverse their woeful home form that has seen them win just one of their last 13 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge. That run dates back to a 1-0 win against Leeds in March, since then they have picked up a single home victory against newly promoted Luton in August. The 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Saturday was their third home loss in six this season, and saw them revert to the hesitant, goal-shy habits that have been a feature during owner Todd Boehly’s 18 months in charge. At one stage in the first half Pochettino was drawn into a confrontation with a supporter who challenged the contributions of striker Nicolas Jackson, and there was a notable souring of the atmosphere once Brentford took the lead just before the hour mark. In all there have been just three home league victories in 2023, with the team having failed to score on 10 occasions in all competitions. “The key is to create a good atmosphere,” said Pochettino. “I think you need to be in the right way with the fans, with the team. The team need to translate to the fans the idea that they can trust them. “I think it (takes) time. We have many talented players but still they are so young. I’m not talking about the mentality of the club or the badge because Chelsea is about victories and a strong winning mentality. “The team is young and we need to match this level of capacity to compete always at your best. “We can talk about Cole Palmer who arrived in the last moments (of the transfer window) who is showing character, taking the responsibility to take penalties. It’s always about getting a good balance.” Pochettino had 10 first-team players unavailable from the start against Brentford, with the in-form Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez joining a lengthy injury list before kick-off with minor knocks. Captain Reece James was for the second consecutive game fit only for a late cameo for the bench, whilst Ben Chilwell was also absent. “Not to complain or make excuses, but we need all the squad fit,” said Pochettino. “We have too many circumstances at the moment where we are competing but we are missing things. When we have all the players fit, I think the team is going to find its balance. “It’s not easy to build trust (with the fans) and be mature and to accept sometimes that the game is going in a direction that you don’t want. “You need to be calm in this moment to have the character, to be mature enough and to have the capacity to say ‘we play in (our) way’. You need time. It’s about the maturity that we need to get.” Read More Retiring Ben Youngs believes the future is bright for England England an incredibly tight-knit unit – Matthew Mott refutes ‘unsettled’ claim Unai Emery confident Aston Villa can challenge for top-four spot Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi staying positive after ‘frustrating’ Fulham draw Sir Bobby Charlton tributes – in pictures Old Trafford pays tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of Manchester derby

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz was left out of the squad for Sunday's Premier League home game against Nottingham Forest after his parents were kidnapped in Colombia, with manager Jurgen Klopp saying everyone at the club was worried. Colombia President Gustavo Petro said late on Saturday that Diaz's mother had been rescued after they were kidnapped in northern Colombia, but officials were still searching for his missing father, who may have been taken to Venezuela. “The game preparation was the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t expect that, I wasn’t prepared for it,” Klopp said after the 3-0 victory. “I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was, but definitely, we tried to help Luis with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help and we cannot really help. “So the only thing we can do is fight for him and that’s what the boys did.” Liverpool secured their fifth straight home Premier League win to move three points behind leaders Tottenham. But Klopp said: “How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult. I’ve never struggled with that in my life. “We heard late last night about it. We spoke to Luis, he wanted to go home...Then we got the news with his mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really. We are obviously the first people to get involved and we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don’t want to disturb in any way the important people there, we just want to support, that’s it.” Earlier, Liverpool issued a statement saying they were aware of the situation involving Diaz's family and were focusing on the player's welfare. Diaz, who has played 43 times for Colombia, was signed by Liverpool in January last year in a deal reported to be worth 45 million euros ($47.5 million). He has scored three times for Liverpool in all competitions this season. Colombia's Attorney General Francisco Barbosa on Sunday said it was possible that Diaz's father was being taken to Venezuela, and ordered an investigation to look into the motives of the kidnapping and find those responsible. "We have information that he could, at some point, be in Venezuela. If he ends up crossing the border and he's in Venezuela, we have to ask [Colombia] President Gustavo Petro ... to help us with freeing Luis Diaz's father," Barbosa told reporters. Colombia's national police also announced payment of $48,500 (£40,000) for any information leading to his rescue. Reuters, further quotes from PA Read More Nunez scores as Liverpool show support for Luis Diaz in win over Forest Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s parents kidnapped by gunmen in Colombia

Deion Sanders ripped his offensive line after loss to UCLA.

Manchester United’s abject performance in the derby defeat to Manchester City left former players Roy Keane and Gary Neville offering a damning assessment of the current state of the club, with players and hierarchy alike coming in for criticism. However, manager Erik ten Hag largely appears in favour with the ex-Old Trafford stars, despite overseeing a start to the Premier League campaign which has tallied five defeats in ten matches, leaving the Red Devils eighth in the table and and 11 points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur, past the quarter mark of the campaign. Keane offered the most immediate and radical propsed solution to the latest crisis at the club, suggesting that Bruno Fernandes should have the captaincy removed from him - despite only being officially appointed to the position in July after Harry Maguire was demoted from it. “The first thing I’d do, I would definitely take the captaincy off him, one hundred per cent. I know it’s a big decision but Fernandes is not captain material,” he said. “A talented player no doubt, but after watching him again today, we’ve discussed this before. “His whinging, moaning, throwing his arms up constantly - it’s really not acceptable. “When you make change you talk about boardroom level, but the manager can do this. The manager can hold his hands up and say I got it wrong - he’s the opposite to what I would want in a captain. “Man United have been built on great players and great characters. We haven’t seen that.” Keane also alluded to overspending and poor decisions in the transfer market. “We’re well aware United have to pay over the odds but it feels too much for some of them. They lack physicality, they’re like children out there. Too many who have come in for the fees involved haven’t done the business.” Neville, meanwhile, labelled it “unbelievable” that United still don’t have a sporting director - David Harrison is director of football operations and John Murtough is football director at the club. However, he also pointed to the impending propsed takeover or partial purchase of ownership shares by Jim Ratcliffe as a reason behind coaching staff not being able to perform as well as they otherwise might do and get the team playing to their maximium level. “It’s toxic, they all think they’re going to lose their jobs. That’s what’s happening and I believe the toxicity at this club eats alive every player and has done for years,” Neville said. Jamie Carragher, however, countered that “What [Ten Hag] is doing on the training pitch has got nothing to do with the club takeover,” but Neville reiterated that it wasn’t time to place the Dutch head coach under pressure by calling for change. “Of course there’s pressure, we’ve seen it before with [David] Moyes, [Jose] Mourinho, [Louis] Van Gaal. I think Ten Hag should continue, 100 per cent. Today wasn’t one of his best days in midfield [tactics] but the reality is the performances have been so poor for the last few months: battered by Brighton, lucky against Brentford and Copenhagen. “I can’t quite see a way out of it in performance levels but changing manager? That’s not where I am at. He’s hitting the same issues [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer did: doing well in a cup, signing players to go to the next level and [falling off].” United are next in action in the Carabao Cup against Newcastle United, before a trip to Fulham and a vital Champions League away game to FC Copenhagen. Read More Erling Haaland shadow continues to loom over Manchester United’s misfiring forwards Diogo Dalot ensures Manchester United honour Sir Bobby Charlton with victory Nunez scores as Liverpool show support for Luis Diaz in win over Forest Nunez scores as Liverpool show support for Luis Diaz in win over Forest Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United are ‘on the up’ despite derby drubbing Joao Palhinha’s stunning strike snatches Fulham a point at Brighton

Erik Ten Hag insisted Manchester United were still “on the up” despite being comprehensively outplayed by rivals Manchester City in Sunday’s derby. Erling Haaland struck twice – the first from the penalty spot – and Phil Foden added another as treble winners City eased to a 3-0 win in a one-sided Premier League encounter at Old Trafford. The result underlined City’s superiority over their neighbours – the gap between the sides now being nine points after 10 games – and emphatically ended any suggestion United might have turned a corner after winning their previous three matches. Manager Ten Hag nevertheless put a on brave face on what proved a chastening afternoon for the club’s fans. The Dutchman said: “The three games before we won and the spirit is very good. The fighting spirit is very good. “I think we are on the way up. The start was difficult, but now we are on a way up. “We have to be patient, but I’m happy some of our injuries are coming back and then our side will be stronger.” When you see first half, it's toe-to-toe. Just the penalty changes the game Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag Ten Hag felt United were competitive in the first half, which they ended trailing only 1-0 after Haaland’s 26th-minute penalty. He said: “When you see first half, it’s toe-to-toe. Just the penalty changes the game. “But even then we could have got back in the game, for instance with that shot of Scott McTominay just before half-time. “So, I think from chances it was very toe-to-toe.” Ten Hag did admit, however, the second half was “absolutely not” close. He said: “We were losing and I decided to bring more offensive power in and we made a mistake that was not according to the game plan.” Ten Hag repeatedly said he had “no comment” to make on the penalty decision, which was awarded for a foul by Rasmus Hojlund on Rodri following a VAR review. Opposite number Pep Guardiola claimed his side’s victory had not been as straightforward as it looked. City strongly asserted their authority in the second period as an unmarked Haaland headed his second and teed up Foden for the visitors’ third 10 minutes from time. Guardiola said: “It looks easy but it’s not, really it’s not. “We have a lot of respect for United, for what they do, but we were at our best, especially in the second half. “The second goal helped us a lot. We were saying at half-time they will be more aggressive and they were, but we made two incredible two build-ups. “Bernardo (Silva) and Jack (Grealish) made a good action and Erling scored the second goal. That was the key point of the game.” Guardiola admitted he did not anticipate his side dominating the local scene as much as they have when he arrived in Manchester in 2016. He said: “I know what we have done. I don’t know what United have done because I’m not here, but I didn’t expect it when I arrived here with Jose Mourinho, with (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, with the top, top players of (Romelu) Lukaku and the squad.”

VIDEO: Gavin Newsom fell on a kid playing basketball in Beijing.

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp said preparation for Sunday’s 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest had been “the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life”. Reds forward Luis Diaz did not feature in the Premier League clash at Anfield after reports that his parents had been kidnapped in Colombia and Klopp said the player had returned home to be with family members. Liverpool confirmed an “ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz” earlier on Sunday and Colombia’s president said Diaz’s mother “has been rescued” but his father remains missing. Klopp said: “The game preparation was the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t expect that, I wasn’t prepared for it. “I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was, but definitely, we tried to help Luis with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help and we cannot really help. “So the only thing we can do is fight for him and that’s what the boys did.” Liverpool secured their fifth straight home Premier League win to move three points behind leaders Tottenham. But Klopp said: “How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult. I’ve never struggled with that in my life. “We heard late last night about it. We spoke to Luis, he wanted to go home…Then we got the news with his mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really. “We are obviously the first people to get involved and we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don’t want to disturb in any way the important people there, we just want to support, that’s it.” Liverpool said in a statement that they were supporting the player. It read: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia. “It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.” Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.” The country’s football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz’s father. “The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” they said. “From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.” Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons. The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals. Diaz was an unused substitute for Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win against Toulouse after starting the Premier League victory over Everton last weekend. He was not in the 18-strong squad that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp named for Forest’s Premier League visit to Anfield. Read More Unai Emery confident Aston Villa can challenge for top-four spot Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi staying positive after ‘frustrating’ Fulham draw Sir Bobby Charlton tributes – in pictures Old Trafford pays tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of Manchester derby ‘That one was for Bill’ – Everton dedicate victory at West Ham to Bill Kenwright Sorry England slump to 100-run defeat against India to add to World Cup woes

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said there was still room for improvement after his side cruised to a 3-0 home Premier League win against Nottingham Forest. Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez scored within the space of four minutes before the interval to put Liverpool in control and Mohamed Salah struck his eighth league goal of the season in the second half. Klopp’s side made it five wins from as many league games at Anfield this season – their eighth in a row in all competitions – and sit three points behind leaders Tottenham. Klopp said: “If you’re chasing a game it’s obviously a completely different task, but if you are in complete control you should stay in control. “The last five minutes I think before half-time, all of a sudden we were a bit too deep and they just could chip the balls there and these are moments we have to improve, clearly. “In creative situations you can always improve because the boys have a lot of potential and we have to use it fully.” Once Liverpool broke the deadlock there was no way back for injury-hit Forest, but Klopp still remains wary of his side’s ability to protect a lead in front of their own fans. “You might remember three or four years ago, all of a sudden we became slightly more dominant and were leading at home and always came under pressure,” he said. “Like one-nil up meant nothing. Everybody thought ‘Oh my god, 1-0, 10 minutes to go!’ Maybe they saw the equaliser coming and that’s the situation you have to grow into and the boys showed wonderful signs in all aspects. “That’s now something we have to learn again because the key positions are obviously occupied by different players than that time, up front, midfield, last line. “So that’s the space for improvement. Creating without losing the compactness is pretty much the idea.” Forest’s winless league run was extended to six league games and head coach Steve Cooper admitted it had been a torrid 90 minutes. He said: “For sure it is a tough afternoon. Coming into the game, you know you have to play really well and commit to a plan in order to get some success in the game. “We were forced into some player selection, formation and plans through the unfortunate situation with attacking players. We had to go with a couple of players out of position.” Cooper was without a recognised central striker after Chris Wood (hamstring) was a late withdrawal, with Taiwo Awoniyi returning to the bench after a groin injury. “We only had one player who could play as a number nine in Anthony (Elanga),” Cooper added. “It’s a position which is a little bit foreign to him anyway and two days ago we didn’t think he would be available because of illness.”