'We make you cry, and then we pick you up': Matthew McConaughey assures fans all is good between his mom Kay and wife Camila
'We test you. My family, we humbly wait, we make you cry, and then we pick you up,' Matthew McConaughey said, referring to his mom's initial behavior with Camila
2023-10-04 09:19
In Costa Rica, climate change threatens 'cloud forest'
The "cloud forest" of Monteverde, in the center of Costa Rica, will soon no longer be worthy of the name: climate change threatens this unique ecosystem, and its fauna and flora face an...
2023-06-03 00:28
BetMGM Bonus Code: Win $200 INSTANT Bonus Betting $10 on ANY College Football Game Today!
BetMGM is giving new users an instant $200 bonus betting just $10 on any game today. See how to claim this bonus here.
2023-11-18 19:00
The Bose QuietComfort 45 noise-canceling headphones just hit a new all-time low price for Prime Day
SAVE $130: The Bose QuietComfort 45 noise-canceling headphones, our favorite noise-canceling headphones for flying, are
2023-07-11 22:29
How to watch NASA's Antares rocket launch livestream
Hey you. Yeah you! Wanna see a rocket launch? Tonight, millions of people on the
2023-08-02 06:12
'It's wonderful': Billy Crystal praises Robert De Niro on fathering a child at 79 in recent interview
'I was with him two weeks before the baby was born,' said Robert De Niro's friend Billy Crystal
1970-01-01 08:00
MLB Rumors: Justin Verlander throws cold water on Mets trade rumors
Mets veteran ace Justin Verlander finally addressed the ongoing rumors swirling around his potential trade at the August 1 deadline.What do you do when the media starts spreading rumors about your potential trade? Sit down with one of them and set the record straight. That's what New York M...
2023-07-19 22:41
'Narcissistic misogynist': Robert De Niro shredded after another outburst in court as PA's lawsuit gets ugly
On the second day of trial, Robert De Niro had an outburst while defending himself against Graham Chase Robinson's allegations
2023-11-01 14:22
'We'll definitely be watching!': Barbz hail Nicki Minaj as she's all set to host and perform at MTV Awards
Nicki Minaj performed in 2022 as well and even bagged the coveted Video Vanguard award
2023-09-09 03:45
European Gas Prices Fall to Lowest in Four Weeks on Tepid Demand
European natural gas prices fell to the lowest level in four weeks, due to weak demand and the
2023-07-12 00:32
N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football
First the romance, then the new reality. N’Golo Kante’s eight years in England were bookended by two phenomena, two dramatic shifts in the footballing world. In his debut season, came Leicester’s improbable Premier League win, powered by Kante, destined to be a one-off. As he goes, it is to Saudi Arabia, to Al Ittihad, to a project that has greater funds and may have more longevity. Kante, the footballer who famously drove a Mini, will get a supersized salary, reportedly £86m. Selfless running has proved to be a profitable business. That it came in the same summer Leicester were relegated is a coincidence. Yet an era has ended: the three catalysts for English football’s greatest fairytale may not play in the Premier League again, with Jamie Vardy going down with the Foxes and Riyad Mahrez perhaps destined to join Kante in Saudi Arabia. A new force in the global game now is in the Middle East, not the East Midlands. Kante goes as Leicester and Chelsea’s likeable legend, the unassuming and perhaps inimitable – though maybe Moises Caicedo will be charged with emulating him at Stamford Bridge – architect of unexpected triumphs. If xG has been a factor in football in recent years, so has ‘NG’; the latter was a way of confounding predictions. It says something that winning the World Cup may not rank in Kante’s top three achievements; not given the context, anyway, because France were at least among the favourites in 2018. Their prowess, however, relied upon a recurring theme in Kante’s career: his ability to do the work of two men, which in turn released Paul Pogba to adopt a more attacking brief. But the Kante hat-trick consisted of his back-to-back Premier Leagues, with Leicester and Chelsea, who had finished 14th and 10th respectively the previous seasons, and then the 2021 Champions League. Arguably, he was the outstanding player in each competition. In 2015-16, the individual honours went to Vardy and Mahrez, before Kante was named both PFA Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year the following season. Aided by Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020, Jorginho won Uefa’s Player of the Year for 2020-21; it is no slight on the regista to say he was not even the best player in Chelsea’s midfield. Kante, man of the match in the final and both legs of the semi-final, was the small man who doubled up as a big-game player, and not merely because a disproportionate share of his few goals came against Chelsea’s peers. Chelsea won the Champions League by conceding two goals in seven knockout games. Thomas Tuchel branded Kante “our Salah, our Van Dijk, our De Bruyne”. He was right: Chelsea’s x-factor footballer was a runner who was playing in France’s third tier when he turned 22. Kante’s defining attributes seemed prosaic: running – he could cover 13km in a game – tackling and intercepting, which he did more than virtually anyone else. But he felt flawless: the king of tackles was never sent off for either Chelsea or Leicester. And his brilliance was illustrated by his uniqueness: as others sought their own Kante, players who had similar statistics for regaining possession, such as Idrissa Gueye and Wilfred Ndidi, were acquired, but no one else had the full package. Instructive as Tuchel’s tribute was, it was not the most pertinent praise of Kante. That came from the man who brought him to England, Steve Walsh, who took to whispering “Kante” to a sceptical Claudio Ranieri when their paths crossed in corridors and in ultimately successful attempts to persuade the manager to sign him. A year later, with Leicester champions, Walsh reflected that City played three in the heart of midfield in their seemingly anachronistic 4-4-2 formation: “[Danny] Drinkwater in the middle with Kante either side”. And Kante, with his extraordinary energy, held back trends in tactics. There was a sense that teams with him had 12 men. A central-midfield trio tends to be a prerequisite at elite level these days: unless, that is, one of a duo is Kante, covering the ground of two men, compensating for the times he was actually outnumbered. The last two teams to win the Premier League with a central-midfield duo are Leicester and Chelsea; the first as a low-possession team, the second sometimes with the immobile Cesc Fabregas alongside the all-action Kante. In the last decade, only one team has won the Champions League with just two out-and-out central midfielders: Chelsea in 2021. Factor in France in 2018 and Kante made tactics and teams work. Al Ittihad will have to confront the question if such feats are consigned to the past, if a man whose physicality – along with his reading of the game – made him so good is now in decline. He only made nine appearances for Chelsea last season. Graham Potter is entitled to feel himself luckless in at least one respect: Kante was only able to play 33 minutes in his ill-fated tenure. Frank Lampard rather strangely used him as a No 10 against Real Madrid and Brentford. It was a glamour position but Kante was the man who long excelled at the unglamorous. He became a miracle worker by being the greatest worker of his generation. Read More Man Utd see £50m bid rejected for Mason Mount as Chelsea set asking price Ryan Porteous not too envious of Scotland team-mates as he heads back to Watford Almost two thirds of football fans oppose VAR, survey finds
2023-06-21 22:46
Pharma CEOs to testify in U.S. Senate hearing on insulin prices
By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON The leaders of major insulin makers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are set to
1970-01-01 08:00
You Might Like...
Is England vs Malta on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Euros qualifier
Trump's legal travails anger some GOP voters, but that doesn't guarantee that they'll vote for him
Hogwarts Legacy Available Platforms
Hazard ends frustrating stint at Real Madrid, Asensio also leaving
JPMorgan increases stake in Brazilian digital bank C6 to 46%
'Inappropriate': Kody Brown feels 'uncomfortable' with daughter Truely, 13, living with ex Christine Brown and her fiance David Woolley
Former Tim Scott Donor Plans a Fundraiser for Nikki Haley
Xbox Design Lab Ideas Based on Video Game Characters
