List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Hunter Dekkers, the starting quarterback for all 12 Iowa State football games last season, is among several athletes who have been charged in Iowa district court in Story County in connection with an investigation into alleged student-athlete gambling at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.

Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the Premier League campaign after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the forward has undergone a minor operation. The Brazil international missed three months of last season after suffering a knee injury at the World Cup. Jesus impressed following his move from Manchester City last summer but now faces a short spell on the sidelines after going under the knife after “irritation” with the original knee issue. “Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s penalty shoot-out win over Monaco in the Emirates Cup. “He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it. It is not something major but he looks to be out for a few weeks I think. “It is a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona, and he was in good condition and we lost him. “But he has been feeling some discomfort in the last few weeks and we had to look at it, we had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quick as possible so we decided to do it. “It is something related to the previous injury that he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Manchester City are closing in on a 90million euro (£77.5million) deal for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to reports. Leipzig were said to be holding out for a fee of 100m euros (£86m) for the Croatia international. However, it appears City have been able to push the transfer through and Gvardiol is expected have a medical later this week. Gvardiol would add competition on the left side of City’s defence, having helped Croatia reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and then the final of the Nations League, where they were beaten by Spain. Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is so far City’s only summer signing, with the Croatian having moved from Chelsea during June. City saw captain Ilkay Gundogan leave for Barcelona on a free transfer and Riyad Mahrez last week completed a switch to Saudi Arabia club Al-Ahli in a £30m deal. The Premier League champions will take on Arsenal in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Lauren James headed into this summer’s Women’s World Cup having emphasised her desire to make a name for herself – and she has certainly done so with the performances that have followed. There was already a considerable buzz around the 21-year-old forward – the younger sister of fellow England and Chelsea player Reece James – in the build-up to her first major tournament as a senior international. And during the Lionesses pre-tournament preparations she spoke about wanting to carve out her own name, saying: “I do feel like that, a lot. “Even just, ‘that’s Lauren James, that’s Reece’s sister’ – I want to carve that out and be known as, ‘this is Lauren James’.” James also said the advice she had received from Reece was to “just enjoy it, have fun, try and score goals”. And she looks to be having the time of her life so far at the global showpiece in Australia and New Zealand, having registered three superb goals in England’s group-stage matches, plus three assists, to truly announce herself. The early stages of James’ journey to this point saw her spend time in Chelsea’s academy before moving on to Arsenal and making her debut aged 16 in October 2017. After a handful of appearances for the Gunners, she left to join Manchester United in 2018 when they were relaunched as a professional outfit in the Championship. And she went on to play a major role as the Red Devils secured promotion to the Women’s Super League at the first attempt, scoring 14 goals in 18 league appearances in the 2018-19 season. She netted the club’s first ever WSL goal at the start of the following campaign, was nominated for the Professional Footballers’ Association young player of the year award after it finished and a year later a reunion came about as she rejoined Chelsea. James had had injury troubles at United, and had limited game time in her first season back with Chelsea. She then impressed as a regular in the team last term as the west Londoners once again won a WSL and FA Cup double, and reached the Champions League semi-finals. And she has paid tribute to Blues boss Emma Hayes for helping her get “back to being myself again”, adding: “I had two years of just like constant injuries. She managed me well and it’s allowed me to find my feet again.” As well as scoring eight goals in all competitions for Chelsea in 2022-23, she also made an England breakthrough, having already represented her country at under-17 and under-19 level and been part of a senior training camp in 2020. Boss Sarina Wiegman handed James a debut off the bench in England’s first match after winning the Euros, the 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Austria last September. She then took the player of the tournament of award when Wiegman’s side retained the Arnold Clark Cup in February, scoring her maiden England goal in the 4-0 victory over South Korea that kicked the campaign off. Inclusion in the World Cup squad – and being named young player of the year at the inaugural Women’s Football Awards – followed in May, and it would be fair to say that James has since lived up her billing as one to watch at the tournament. After coming on as a substitute when England beat Haiti 1-0 in their Group D opener, James then came into the starting line-up for the second pool match against Denmark and scored a delightful winner, curling in what proved the only goal of the game with a shot from outside the box in the sixth minute. She then produced an even more eye-catching display as China were thrashed 6-1 on Tuesday, notching a brace with two more wonderful strikes, seeing another ruled out for offside, and setting three goals up. The youngster labelled “cheat code” by her team-mates became the first England player of either gender to be directly involved in five or more goals in a World Cup match – a rising star shining brighter than ever, who after the China game said that “for sure, there is more to come from me”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jose Maria Olazabal named as Luke Donald’s fourth vice-captain for Ryder Cup Jac Morgan leads Wales against England as Warren Gatland ponders captain options England docked 19 WTC points and players fined for slow over-rates during Ashes

The new football season is nearly upon us and it’s just over a week before the Premier League returns. After a poor season last year, which saw Liverpool miss out on Champions League football this term, the Reds have been undergoing a midfield rebuild this summer. Ageing players like Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have moved to the Saudi Pro League with manager Jurgen Klopp bringing in replacements in the forms of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. Liverpool have done there business early in this transfer window and will hope their new signings can hit the ground running. Szoboszlai and Mac Allister will form the basis of Liverpool’s starting XI this season and start alongside each for the first time in pre-season today. The Reds face their toughest test as they take on the Bundesliga champions and have named a strong line-up. Follow all the action as Liverpool take on Bayern Munich in Singapore: Read More Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit Klopp hits out at the Saudi Arabian transfer window length: ‘Not helpful’ Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours

Alessia Russo was thrilled to open her World Cup account as England’s attack came alive in their 6-1 victory over China to conclude the group stage. The 24-year-old, who joined Arsenal on a free transfer from Manchester United last month, has been boss Sarina Wiegman’s first-choice centre-forward so far this tournament to fill the void left by retired striker Ellen White. Russo netted the fourth-minute opener in Adelaide, one of five goal-scorers for an inspired England side, who sealed top spot in Group D and will now test their perfect record in the last 16 against Nigeria in Brisbane. “(I’m) Buzzing. I’m a striker, I like to score as much as I can,” said Russo. “(It was) a positive night, six goals as well, lots of chances created and lots of goals scored. “You’ve just got to go back to basics, work hard and that’s what I’ve been doing in training, hoping for a moment and when you get it you’ve got to take it with both hands. “Really pleased to get on the scoresheet but more importantly we topped the group and now we’re ready for knockout football.” Nigeria, 40th in FIFA’s global rankings, entered the competition as the top-ranked team from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and managed to outplay world number seven and Olympic champions Canada alongside number 22 Republic of Ireland to finish second in Group B and book a place in the last 16. Russo vowed that while the Lionesses were fully focused on China until they wrapped up Group D, they will “get rested, recovered and fully get locked into Nigeria”, who will be raring to stage another upset. “They’re a good side too, they’re a side that I’ve never faced – I have at youth level but not at senior level – so I’m excited for it, another good test,” she said. Russo, who had not scored in seven games, has so far been preferred to Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly, the 2023 Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner. Versatile Daly came on for Russo after 76 minutes of the Haiti match, started at left-back against Denmark and, in Wiegman’s 3-5-2 formation shake-up, took on the unfamiliar role of left wing-back and scored the last of England’s six against China. The dominant result, combined with her opening strike, perhaps alleviates some of the pressure on Russo, who knows Daly is waiting in the wings, after Wiegman made it clear that she is prepared to make changes in this World Cup. Pressure from the public, however, is another story. Russo added: “I think the media worry about that more than we do as players. We just want to win every game whether it’s 1-0 or 10-0. I think it’s amazing to score that many goals, but we just want to win and progress through this tournament as players.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ousmane Dembele wants to join PSG, says Barcelona boss Xavi Finn Russell to captain Scotland in World Cup warm-up against France Ireland out to change World Cup story after 2019 disappointment – Tadhg Beirne

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Rachel Daly revealed her pre-match premonition about England team-mate Lauren James came true on Tuesday night after the Chelsea prodigy scored twice and picked up three assists in the 6-1 victory over China at the World Cup. James, 21, became the first England player of either gender to be directly involved in five or more goals in a World Cup match as the Lionesses clinched top of group D to set up a last-16 meeting with Nigeria in Brisbane on Monday. Daly was one of five Lionesses who got their names on the scoresheet at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium, where boss Sarina Wiegman switched to an inspired 3-5-2 system in the wake of an undisclosed knee injury to midfield maestro Keira Walsh. Versatile Daly, who happily occupied an unfamiliar left wing-back role in the shake-up, said: “I will just say one thing, last night (Monday) we were walking round the pitch and we have come out of here and there’s the ‘player of the match’ sign as you walk out. I said: ‘Have a look at that kid, because that will be you tomorrow night’. “That’s how much we back her! She is unbelievable. I have got no more words to say about her. She is growing and growing and the most important thing is we keep around her. “She is a young player at the end of the day and she’s learning every day. She can pick up little bits from the older players, but she is LJ – and she’s brilliant. 'Cheat code' as everyone is calling her. That's what she is Rachel Daly on Lauren James “She has got great technical ability, but those (goals) come out in training all the time. It’s nothing new for us. “Like I said the other day, it’s just nice for the rest of the world to see how good she is. ‘Cheat code’ as everyone is calling her. That’s what she is.” England only scored once in each of their first two group-stage victories, first through Georgia Stanway’s penalty against Haiti before James netted six minutes into her first World Cup start, ultimately enough for three points against Denmark. Tournament veteran Daly – who started every game of England’s European championship-winning campaign – had called for patience earlier in the week over concerns that the Lionesses were not living up to their world number four billing, particularly in attack against a Haiti side 49 places below them in FIFA’s world rankings. Others joined her, often accompanying the call with a reminder that this was not the same squad that lifted the trophy at Wembley 367 days ago, following the retirements of Ellen White and Jill Scott and injuries to Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Leah Williamson. Walsh, who was also part of that triumph, remained at England base camp on Tuesday after it was determined she did not injure her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), though her status for the remainder of the tournament remains unclear. Daly said: “I think obviously there has been a lot of criticism about us not being ruthless enough. “I said we would grow into the games and it’s tournament football. It’s not about the first, second, third win, it’s how we grow into it. “We knew it would come and that it would only be a matter of time before we scored goals – and there were some unbelievable goals on display (against China). “I think (the formation change) is what tournament football is all about. We have got that in our locker now. “We know that we can do that system and keep growing and working on that. “We obviously can revert back to type with a 4-3-3. It’s another weapon in the armoury.”

Ousmane Dembele has told Barcelona that he wants to leave to join Paris St Germain, according to manager Xavi. The Ligue 1 side have made the 26-year-old an offer that Barca “cannot match” and he has informed his manager that he wishes to move. The France international has a £43million release clause in his contract which PSG have reportedly triggered, shortly before the terms of his deal stipulated the figure would rise to £86m. Talks have taken place between the parties and Dembele has made up his mind that his future lies away from Barca, whom he joined from Borussia Dortmund for £125m in 2017. “Dembele came and told me he wanted to leave,” said Xavi. “He has an offer from PSG that we cannot match.” He has played 185 times for the club and has won three LaLiga titles during his six-year stay. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

It transpires there are different kinds of problems involving the Liverpool midfield. Last season was a tale of the aged, the injured, the inconsistent and the incoherent, the malfunctioning midfield that meant a champion team suddenly looked disjointed and disappointing. If it was an exaggeration to say Liverpool didn’t have a midfield last season, in a sense they don’t have one now. Or not their old midfield, anyway. An exodus was partly planned, partly thrust upon Jurgen Klopp by Saudi Arabia’s injection of money and unexpected wish to acquire defensive midfielders. Perhaps Jordan Henderson and Fabinho will not be able to gegenpress in 45-degree heat, but it is not Klopp’s immediate concern; if the plan was for two new faces to feature in his first-choice midfield, a complete overhaul has become necessary. He wanted change and got a revolution instead. Of the six midfield departures, Arthur Melo – he of the solitary, 13-minute appearance – is still more of an afterthought now. Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are cases of what might have been, some of their potential left unrealised amid spells on the treatment table. But James Milner, Henderson and Fabinho were three of the quintessential Klopp midfielders: the fourth, Gini Wijnaldum, left in 2021. Between them, they played 1063 times for Klopp; they rank second, fourth, 17th and 11th respectively for most appearances in the German’s managerial career and, even including his days at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, no central midfielders have lined up as often for him. They were the men who made his teams work, the rhythm section of his heavy-metal football, leaving the glamorous jobs to others. There were always other midfielders, but they were usually those trusted for the big occasions. In the 2018 Champions League final, Milner and Wijnaldum flanked Henderson. Come the 2019 final, when Fabinho had joined, he had the anchor role, with Henderson and Wijnaldum either side and Milner deployed as a specialist finisher, using his experience to see out the victory. The Dutchman was a different sort of finisher on Klopp’s greatest night: initially benched for the second leg against Barcelona, Wijnaldum came on at half-time, as Milner switched to left back, to score twice in a 4-0 triumph. All of which was uncharacteristic. Those 1063 appearances produced just 71 goals, a total that would have been smaller still but for Milner’s excellent penalty-taking. There were 99 assists, too, but to put that in context, Kevin De Bruyne got 149 on his own for Manchester City since Klopp’s appointment at Anfield, plus 92 goals. It illustrates it is a comparison of opposites. The definitive Klopp midfielders were the selfless support acts, defined by what they did not do – score, for instance – and where they did not go: the penalty area, or not often anyway. The full backs usurped them as creators; the goals came largely from the front three; if most great teams have at least one goalscoring midfielder, and Klopp’s Dortmund protégé Ilkay Gundogan developed a potent streak for Pep Guardiola and alongside De Bruyne, his Liverpool were the exception. His core four at Liverpool were the masters of the unspectacular: workhorses who ran many a mile, though often in relatively short distances, experienced figures who were experts at positional discipline. They were a reason why, at their best, Liverpool were rarely caught on the counter-attack, even when Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were in the final third. Liverpool were never a pure possession team but Wijnaldum, in particular, tended to have very high pass-completion statistics. It was in part because they were rarely charged with playing the most ambitious balls but Wijnaldum, especially, made playing in a Klopp midfield look deceptively simple: as his far greater goalscoring return for the Netherlands showed, his was a self-sacrificial role, playing within himself with the intelligence to make the tactics of a narrow 4-3-3 work. In one respect, Fabinho is the anomaly. He was the specialist defensive midfielder. The other three were all multifunctional grafters, their broader skillsets equipping them for many a task (often playing full back in Milner’s case). None was an out-and-out playmaker, but they brought combativity and understated chemistry. It amounted to a triumph of all-rounders: whereas some midfields were combinations of players with contrasting attributes, Liverpool prospered with those with similar strengths. Maybe an ethos has changed now. Klopp’s first two summer midfield additions, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, offer the prospect of more goals than his quintessential quartet ever provided: after the shift in formation towards the end of last season, when Alexander-Arnold came to join Fabinho at the base of the midfield, Klopp referred to his more advanced pair as “two [No] 10s”. And if Wijnaldum could play as a genuine No 10 elsewhere, Milner and Henderson rarely did. Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, however, can meet the description. But maybe the newcomers will discover they are charged with copying their predecessors. Perhaps the beginning of the end for Klopp’s original midfield can be traced to the signing of Thiago Alcantara, to the sign he wanted something more stylish. But suddenly, an era has ended. Klopp’s four favourite workhorses are all gone. There may not be an all-conquering midfield quite like them again. Read More Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit Liverpool confirm Fabinho transfer in latest Saudi Arabia move Lauren James on song as England thrash China – Tuesday’s sporting social Sadio Mane’s swift decline reaches new low Liverpool make second Romeo Lavia bid as Southampton set transfer price

The group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup is almost complete, with just three more quartets needing to wrap up their opening games and discover which nations make the knockouts. On Wednesday it’s the turn of Argentina to try and force their way through to the last 16 as they face Sweden, while Italy play South Africa also needing a result to progress. Later, Brazil must overcome Jamaica to seal progression from Group F after being beaten by France - who are top and face minnows Panama. Meanwhile, Lauren James shone again on Tuesday with two stunning goals as England put in their best performance of the Women’s World Cup so far to sweep aside China 6-1 and march into the last 16. USA only just managed to sneak through with a draw against Portugal, leading to criticism from former stars. Follow all the latest news and match updates below: Read More Genius Lauren James takes over Women’s World Cup — but England must learn from rivals Sarina Wiegman’s brave England switch solves key Women’s World Cup problem USA’s narrow escape spells the end of Women’s World Cup dominance

When it was confirmed in mid-July that Wesley Fofana would face a significant period on the sidelines owing to an ACL injury, Chelsea started to be linked with a host of centre-backs to replace the Frenchman. Harry Maguire was a reported target, so too was Blues academy product Marc Guehi. However, on Sunday evening, reports started to circulate that Chelsea had an agreement in principle with Monaco for towering France international Axel Disasi. The 25-year-old has been on Premier League radars in recent months, with Manchester United and Newcastle both credited with an interest in the Gonesse-born centre-back. Chelsea have since taken the plunge on the defender, bringing him in for €45m. That in itself serves to highlight the extent of Fofana's injury, but even so; Chelsea couldn't afford to pass up the chance to secure Disasi's services. Even with his compatriot available, Mauricio Pochettino's top quality options at the heart of the defence are thin on the ground. Levi Colwill, who is set to pen a new deal at Stamford Bridge, should go on to become a mainstay in the Blues backline, but a partner for the 20-year-old was key. Trevoh Chalobah isn't quite of the standard expected for a club seeking to return to the Champions League, while the west London outfit can't rely on 38-year-old Thiago Silva to manage the backline for another season, particularly in a four-man defence. Benoit Badiashile will return sooner rather than later, but he'll need some time to get up to speed under Pochettino having missed much of pre-season due to a hamstring issue. For the right-sided centre-back role, Disasi can be viewed as a superb acquisition. Standing at 6ft 3in, the France international maximises his stature having won the second most aerial duels (97) of defenders in Ligue 1 last season. And he was consistent in beating opponents in headed battles, too. Of the 143 players to contest 50 or more aerial duels, Disasi's aerial success rate of 70.3% ranked ninth in the division. Considering Chelsea returned an aerial success rate of just 52.1% last season, Disasi's dominance in the air will certainly boost that return. There's also a willingness to get the ball forward quickly from deep. Not only did Chelsea struggle for goals last season, hitting the back of the net 38 times in the Premier League, but they were compounded by an inability to put an opponent to the sword at speed. No team scored fewer counter-attacking goals than Chelsea (1) in England's top tier last term, and even that came in a 4-1 defeat at Manchester United back in May. Disasi, though, is one willing to pick a pass from range, and does so to a decent standard to help quickly turn defence into attack. Indeed, 141 accurate long balls ranked 14th of outfield players in France's top tier last term, and this in itself played a part in Monaco scoring seven counter-attacking goals; only champions PSG (10) netted more. Dominant in the air and sound with the ball at his feet, Disasi seems the perfect fit for a Chelsea side that will seek to control matches where possible. Another key reason behind the drive to sign Disasi, though, will have been his versatility. Primarily a centre-back, he’ll line up at the heart of the defence with everyone fit in Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 setup, but players who can operate in multiple positions are a precious commodity in the modern game. As such, Disasi's ability to play at right-back as well as centre-back will have been another reason behind Chelsea's interest. The departure of Cesar Azpilicueta over the summer means the Blues needed another defender to operate in a couple of roles, and a defensive-minded right-back is a handy squad option. Pochettino has also previously used a three-man backline during his time at Tottenham, a system that does suit the full-backs at his disposal, so the ability to switch between two formations is ideal. Disasi's flexibility will help Pochettino's decision making when it comes to tinkering with his side, particularly in-play, and it cannot be overstated how important this positional interchangeability is for Chelsea. Given how often managers tinker with their setup across the 90 minutes, the potential ability to swap between a four-man and a three-man defence will aid the Blues, not just on a week-by-week basis, but across the season. There are concerns over the defensive side to his game, particularly when up against direct attackers in one-on-one situations, yet from an offensive perspective; Disasi will benefit Chelsea. Given the right protection in front of him, Disasi should be given the crucial time on the ball to help set the Blues on the front foot. Alongside ball-playing star-in-the-making Colwill, Chelsea will have a solid centre-back foundation to help in their quest to return to the Champions League. Read More Chelsea and Barcelona push for Kylian Mbappe player-plus-cash transfer deals Football rumours: Tottenham name Harry Kane price as Bayern Munich prepare bid Chelsea have a Conor Gallagher problem and Tottenham could be the perfect solution Chelsea agree fee with Monaco for France international defender Axel Disasi Football rumours: Chelsea make revised offer for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo England’s attack goes from tired to inspired as new-look front three devastates China