List of All Articles with Tag 'm'

If ever there was a night to try things, it was this, and so it was for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Playing in a role that was more quarterback than that associated with the No 10 on his shirt, the Liverpool star decorated an otherwise drab 4-0 win over Malta with a series of sublime balls. One of those was a brilliant strike to make it 2-0, as Alexander-Arnold at least gave Gareth Southgate something to think about from a game almost everyone else will instantly forget. There is of course a danger in reading too much into a game as utterly routine as this, but you might say it’s a start. That’s actually been rare enough with Alexander-Arnold for England, since this was remarkably only his 19th appearance. If these sort of matches have always provoked debate about whether they should even be taking place, such is the extent of the mismatch, the one element of tension is how long it will take the superior side to score. Southgate had direct knowledge of that given it was his last match in this stadium that was one of his most dismal nights with England. A goalless first half led to away fans booing and cries that the team were “sh*t”. “We’re not,” Southgate chuckled on the eve of the game here, and his players went out and proved that within eight minutes. The irony was the scoreline was exactly the same as that more miserable experience, even though England are a completely different team. The ability to use Alexander-Arnold like this showed that. He played one of many divine balls, Bukayo Saka hit it across goal and Ferdinando Apap just about denied Kane. The problem was that he denied the striker by putting it into his own goal. That was that, the game then effectively a training session, if maybe not quite as intense as the ones the players had this week. It was one of those where everyone could try things, as the circumstances led to some experimentation. James Maddison displayed real innovation with some of his touches, and it was one superb turn that set up England’s second. While the Leicester playmaker completely opened up the space around Malta’s box, he was then blocked down only for the ball to fall to Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool star showed another from his array of deliveries by driving a superb long-range strike over the stranded Henry Bonello. The goalkeeper was at the edge of his six-yard box, but it was still sublime for Alexander-Arnold to put it where he did. There’s almost an elite golfer’s quality to him, a player who can barely be called a defender at this point. Alexander-Arnold has every single shot in his bag. He went on to emphasise that with the next goal, again supplying the pass, only for Kane to this time be felled by Matthew Gullaumier. Kane of course supplied the finish for the penalty. That made it 56 international goals in 83 games, only adding to that all-time record. This game wasn’t going down in history, though. It had barely anything of note other than Alexander-Arnold’s deployment and a few interesting appearances, as well as Ebe Eze’s debut. The England fans evidently felt the same. By about midway through the second half, the away end had significantly thinned, with the majority of the fans headed out for the local nightspots of St Julian’s. You could probably add your own line about celebrations given how much Gareth Southgate was pressed on Manchester City’s festivities before the game. He did introduce Phil Foden in the second half, amid a raft of substitutes that included Eze. One of them, Callum Wilson, also ensured the trip was worth it. The Newcastle United striker hit his second goal for England, benefiting from a penalty after the ball had somewhat unluckily hit Steve Borg’s arm. It only displayed how misguided the current rules on that are. The idea of Alexander-Arnold as a playmaker or quarterback, though, now has that bit more logic to it. The case is growing, even if it will require a few more exacting tests. Read More Gareth Southgate urges players not to cross the line with celebrations England’s future is about to be defined – and it’s out of Gareth Southgate’s control Marcus Rashford reveals pain that is ‘relighting the flame’ inside him England fans soak up the Malta sun and discuss tactics ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier Marcus Rashford couldn’t stomach Man City celebrations but England remain united ‘Serial winners’ can help England finally celebrate silverware – Tyrone Mings

Rob Manfred is an absolute piece of sh*t. We all knew that before the Oakland A's relocation saga, but had it confirmed for us on Thursday during a press conference about the franchise's move to Las Vegas. At every turn, Manfred was smug, smarmy, a flat-out liar and, worst of all, heartless. He's a horrendous representative for the game of baseball and, if he had any sense at all, he'd walk away right now.

Rob Manfred does not seem to be brimming with confidence that the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to stay in Phoenix forever.During Thursday's owners meetings, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred opened up a new can of worms when it comes to potential franchise relocation rumors with the Arizona Di...

Looking at which teams are using youth to their advantage, we find an interesting story in the details.Proven MLB superstars, or youthful players with their ceilings yet to come? That's the question for every MLB general manager, among other things (like how much to pay the guys!).These...

Dejan Kulusevski will join Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent transfer from Juventus after the two clubs agreed to a €30m fee. Spurs have negotiated this number down from the €35m figure in his loan contract.

The Atlanta Braves could use a left fielder. Thankfully for them, the Colorado Rockies have one to sell at the trade deadline.The Braves and Rockies are currently in the midst of a three-game series at Truist Park. Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos has received an up close and personal lo...

The Chicago Bears still have a lot of work to do, but a few veterans on the team could be relegated to the bench because of rookies. For a team like the Chicago Bears that went 3-14 in 2022, there are still several holes to fill and opportunities to be seized. That includes the division and seve...

Rumors are circulating about DeAndre Hopkins soon becoming a New England Patriot, and a former Patriots star is only adding to that fire.The latest news on former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins pertains to his recent visit to Foxborough to meet with the New England Patriots....

In the latest NBA Draft rumors, three contenders are trying to get back into the first round, the Mavs want out and Ausar Thompson cancels on the Pacers.NBA Draft rumors: 3. Dallas Mavericks want to trade first-round pickAccording to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Dallas Mavs want to trade the...

San Diego State has informed the Mountain West that it intends to resign from the conference.As it turns out, conference realignment is not over, as San Diego State may leave the Mountain West after this season.ESPN's Pete Thamel broke this bombshell on Friday afternoon in somewhat of a...

The Minnesota Lynx are looking to build on their win over the Los Angeles Sparks in their last game when they take them on again on Friday night.Los Angeles, to its credit, bounced back with a blowout win over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night on the road.The Sparks enter this game with th...

The Phoenix Mercury are off to a slow start in 2023, going 2-6 through their first eight games of the season.Phoenix is down one of its top players in Skylar Diggins-Smith (maternity leave) and it also has Brittney Griner listed as dayto-day ahead of this matchup.With Diggins-Smith out, Phoe...