List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

Justin Fields is garnering all the bad headlines in Chicago, but the Bears have lots of problems to fix heading into Week 3.

Key takeaways and analysis from Liverpool's 3-1 win against LASK in the Europa League.

David Haye expects Joe Joyce to come through his latest test with Zhilei Zhang, but has warned that the British boxer could be frozen out of the heavyweight division if he loses again. Joyce had been mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight belt before he lost for the first time in the pro ranks, to China’s Zhang in April. Referee Howard Foster called off the bout at the Copper Box Arena in the sixth round, due to Joyce’s right eye being almost completely swollen over. Joyce opted to immediately activate his rematch clause with Zhang, and he will try to win back his WBO interim heavyweight belt at Wembley Arena on Saturday. However, TNT pundit Haye echoed the sentiments of the Chinese powerhouse when he looked ahead to this contest. Zhang promised to end Joyce’s career during Thursday’s press conference in London and ex-world heavyweight champion Haye admits it could be curtains for his compatriot if another loss is added to his record. “I believe Joe has enough to find a way to win, if he boxes smart. If he doesn’t do that, he probably will get frozen out of the heavyweight division,” Haye told the PA news agency. “What manager or promoter would want to risk their guy fighting Joe in a minor eliminator or in a 10-rounder. “Look at his opponents, Joseph Parker, [Christian] Hammer, Lenroy Thomas, Carlos Takam; he has fought real live fighters who most people try to avoid. His record isn’t padded out with bums. “He is a very world-class fighter, so young fighters coming through, he would be too much for them. No manager or promoter in their right mind would chuck their young fighter in with Joe if he loses this fight. It would be a long road back, and a long road back you can’t afford at the age of 38.” Haye felt it was “crazy” for Joyce to take the initial fight with Zhang (25-1-1, 20 knockouts) in the first place, owing to the size and power of “Big Bang”. At the time, Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) was one of the next in line to face Usyk, but the gamble backfired, with the Briton short of ideas against southpaw Zhang, but Haye is confident a better gameplan will be implemented this time. “I definitely want to see big improvement in terms of the technical side of things going in against Zhang this time, because he would need it moving up against some of the big names of the sports,” Haye admitted. “Joe is an athletic man, he can do a standing backflip, he can do acrobatics, he is very explosive and dynamic. He does have quite good reflexes, but for some reason in that last fight, he chose not to use them and he come a cropper. “On paper that was a crazy fight to take in terms of a fight before the big fight, the one that would give him the big paycheck he hasn’t had. I respect the bravery of doing so, because Zhang is a southpaw, so if he fights a 6ft 6in southpaw, it is good preparation for a 6ft 3in southpaw in Usyk. “Maybe if Joe had taken the fight against Usyk, he would have applied the same tactics of, ‘I’m the bigger man and I will walk through you,’ so maybe this has forced him to get a new gameplan together. “Move that head, come off the line, throw some punches from nice angles against a southpaw and work the body. That he could apply against Usyk, so fingers crossed Joe wins and not too much damage has been done.” Watch Zhang v Joyce II live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+ from 7:30pm on Saturday 23rd September. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxing

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has signed a new five-year contract with the club. The influential Norwegian midfielder, who was Arsenal’s player of the season last campaign, has committed his future until 2028. The 24-year-old initially joined on loan from Real Madrid in 2021 and said he has found his “home” at the Gunners. Odegaard becomes the latest young Arsenal star to sign a new deal with the club, following Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba. “Signing a new contract was a really easy decision for me for lots of reasons,” Odegaard said. “Mainly what we are doing right now as a club is special, and I want to be a part of that. I’m really excited for what’s to come here. I’ve found a place where I can be really settled and call my home. "My story is a bit different maybe, as I moved around different clubs since I was 16. At Arsenal, since the first day, I’ve felt great and this is definitely my home now. “I just want to say thanks to everyone working at the club and of course, our fantastic supporters. I will continue to give everything to bring success to this club in the years to come.” Odegaard scored 15 Premier League goals last season as Arsenal finished second to Manchester City, and the Norway captain says he is determined to help Mikel Arteta’s side take the next step. He scored the fourth goal of Arsenal’s 4-0 win over PSV on Wednesday as the Gunners marked their return to the Champions League with a commanding victory at the Emirates, six years after their last appearance in the competition. “It just shows what we’re doing as a club. People want to be here as part of the project. “What we’re doing is really special and the players see what the manager wants to do and how the club is progressing, the connection we now have with the fans. “I think it’s a no-brainer for the players to be part of that. With so many hungry young players, it’s a great place to be. “Of course, it’s a good thing. You see the players around you want to be a part of what we’re doing and it shows just how connected we are as a team. “All the players want the same thing, they want to stay for a long time and really fight for the club and win things together. It shows the family feeling we have.” Read More Arsenal are back in the Champions League — and they look like contenders too Jack is back – Pep Guardiola provides positive update on Man City star Grealish North London derby the headline act this weekend – Premier League talking points Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praises Ange Postecoglou ahead of Tottenham’s visit

Jack Grealish could return for Manchester City as the champions host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday. The England midfielder has missed the treble winners’ last three games with a knee injury and was also unavailable for international duty earlier this month. The 28-year-old is now back in training, easing manager Pep Guardiola’s injury concerns after Bernardo Silva this week joined a casualty list that also includes Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic. Guardiola said at a press conference: “We need the injured players back because we have a lot of games and we cannot play with the same players. “Jack is coming back. He has trained well and maybe he will be ready for some minutes. Kova is almost there, he’s in the last part of the recovery but now we’ve lost Bernardo. John and Kevin are still out.” Silva left the field in little obvious discomfort towards the end of the first half of Tuesday’s Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola has since given little information on the nature of the Portugal international’s problem other than to confirm he faces a short spell on the sidelines. He said: “He has a little injury. It is nothing much. The clinical development is good but it could be one week, 10 days, two weeks that he will be out.” A fortnight’s absence could mean Silva would also miss the Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle, a Premier League game at Wolves and the Champions League clash at RB Leipzig. City then travel to Arsenal on October 8. City’s immediate task is trying to extend their winning start to the campaign against Forest. City were held to a draw by Steve Cooper’s side last February and Guardiola has been impressed by their progress. He said: “When he took over two years ago in the Championship it was not good at Nottingham Forest. “But he made an incredible run, got them promoted. They struggled last season but in the end they finished well. “There were a lot of good signs and this season they have started really well. They have made more points than last season. “They are physical and well organised. We have to be careful but we are optimistic we can do what we have to do, with our people, to make the sixth win in a row.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik Ten Hag: Man Utd players are fighting together to turn around poor form 5 talking points ahead of England’s World Cup clash with Chile North London derby the headline act this weekend – Premier League talking points

Erik Ten Hag insists Manchester United are fighting together to try to turn their season around. The Red Devils have lost four of their first six matches, with Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League following a 3-1 reversal against Brighton, leaving Ten Hag embattled little over a month into the new campaign. The Dutchman said: “It’s my second year. I know it’s not always only going up, you will have your gaps and you get stronger from it as long as you stay together, and that’s what we’re doing. “The dressing room, staff, all the staff, coaches, medical, everyone is united and at United you fight.” Stories of disgruntlement in the dressing room have begun to appear while the attitude of players has also been question. Ten Hag tried to paint a positive picture, saying: “I don’t know if it’s a leak but I know opinion, I know my players. Everyone can make suggestions, we are OK with it.” There have also been suggestions of unhappiness at the influence of Ten Hag’s agent, Kees Vos, and his Sports Entertainment Group on transfer dealings. When one or two are not doing their job, it's like a pack of cards. Erik Ten Hag on United's defence “It can’t be because we make very good agreements about it from the start, how we cooperate in that manner,” said Ten Hag. “For player decisions, transfers, it’s always 50-50, we both have a veto – the club, represented by John Murtough, and me. So there can never be a distraction.” United’s poor form has made Saturday’s trip to Burnley a high-pressure occasion, and they will again be without Jadon Sancho, who remains absent from the squad. “It depends on him,” said Ten Hag. “For the rest, we are preparing for Burnley and that’s our focus. He will not be in the squad.” United have not been helped by a multitude of injuries but could have Raphael Varane, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat and Harry Maguire back for the clash at Turf Moor. Central to United’s problems has been a lack of defensive solidity, with 14 goals conceded in their last five games. Goalkeeper Andre Onana held his hands up after making a mistake for Bayern’s first goal but Ten Hag believes the problems are collective. “It’s about team and, as a team, we don’t have the results in this moment so then also individuals don’t bring the performance you expect, not only one player, there are more, including the manager,” he said. “I always tell my players we attack with 11 and we defend with 11. When one or two are not doing their job, it’s like a pack of cards, so that is not only one or two players.” Burnley picked up their first point on their return to the Premier League against Nottingham Forest last time out and Ten Hag is a fan of their style of play under Vincent Kompany. He said: “As always, it’s about how we play against Burnley. There’s no easy games, definitely not against Burnley. “We know how intense they play football, we know their approach. I like the approach from them, the adventure, high intensity and dynamic in their game, so we have to play our best.”

Following a host of midweek European action, the Premier League takes centre stage this weekend. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key talking points heading into the forthcoming round of fixtures. North London derby tops bill Arsenal and Tottenham will lock horns at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in the pick of this weekend’s matches. The Gunners host their north London rivals following an impressive 4-0 home victory against PSV Eindhoven on their return to the Champions League, and are boosted by the news that captain Martin Odegaard has committed to the club for another five years. For Spurs, they will be looking to continue their post-Harry Kane bounce under new boss Ange Postecoglou. The Australian’s side extended their Premier League winning streak to four matches last weekend following two stoppage-time goals in a 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United. There is little to separate the arch enemies ahead of Sunday’s blood-and-thunder clash with both clubs on 13 points. Expect a frenetic Emirates atmosphere in what should be a pulsating clash. Manchester United bidding to reverse slump Erik ten Hag’s United are in crisis mode following three straights defeats, but they will hope a trip to Burnley will provide them with the opportunity to stop their alarming slide. Successive 3-1 defeats against Arsenal and Brighton have left United 13th in the table, already nine points behind leaders Manchester City, and a midweek Champions League loss at Bayern Munich will have done little to improve the Old Trafford gloom. On their return to the top flight, Vincent Kompany’s Burnley have already suffered heavy home defeats to Manchester City, Aston Villa and Spurs, but they finally got off the mark with a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest. And with United in turmoil, and the Burnley supporters likely to create a hostile welcome under the Turf Moor lights, Saturday night’s match could prove a banana skin for Ten Hag’s stuttering side. Will City retain 100 per cent record? Over on the other side of Manchester, there are no such concerns for Pep Guardiola’s high-flying side despite injuries mounting up. City, who have been slow-starters in recent seasons, have won five from five and will be looking to retain their unblemished record when they host Forest at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Indeed, they could become the second team – after Chelsea in 2005/06 – to start their Premier League defence with six straight wins. Forest have started the campaign in positive fashion with a respectable seven points so far. But Steve Cooper’s men will upset the form book if they manage to take anything away from the Etihad. Everton looking for first win The Toffees have endured a miserable start to the season. Following four defeats and one draw, Everton head to Brentford off the back of their joint-worst start to a campaign since 1994. In years gone by, Everton will have been expected to swat away the Bees, but Thomas Frank’s side – who have tasted defeat just once this season – will start as favourites to heap more misery on Sean Dyche’s men. The Toffees, who have failed to score in four of their five matches so far, are winless in their last four away games against Brentford and recent history is against Dyche, too. The former Burnley boss has not won a Premier League match in August or September for four years. Can Luton get off the mark? Only newly-promoted Luton have fared worse than Everton so far, but boss Rob Edwards may hope his troops can finally get off ‘nul points’ when they entertain fellow strugglers Wolves. The Hatters fell to their fourth straight defeat against Fulham last weekend and are the only side in the top division without a point. They could become only the sixth team in Premier League history to start a season with five consecutive losses. However, Wolves head to Kenilworth Road with only thee points from a possible 15, and have won just four of their last 29 Premier League matches. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ireland need ‘a big performance’ to beat world champions South Africa Rory Sutherland hopes strong show against Tonga helps him find a fresh challenge Europe suffer nightmare start to Solheim Cup bid