
Navy shipbuilders' union approves 3-year labor pact at Bath Iron Works
The largest union at Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works, located in Maine, has approved a three-year contract, averting another strike like the one three years ago
2023-08-21 02:19

How the Supreme Court student loan decision affects you
The Supreme Court has ruled the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loan debt, effectively killing the $400 billion plan
2023-06-30 22:47

Disney Plus sheds subscribers for second straight quarter
Subscribers to Disney Plus fell for the second straight quarter, the company said on Wednesday, though it stemmed financial losses as it...
1970-01-01 08:00

Harry Maguire confirms why West Ham transfer collapsed
Harry Maguire speaks about the collapse of a proposed summer transfer to West Ham from Man Utd.
2023-10-12 03:00

Here are all the best early Labor Day deals you can get right now
Labor Day is September 4 this year, but you can take advantage of some not-to-miss
2023-08-15 22:42

Jurgen Klopp wanted a midfield change at Liverpool – instead he got a revolution
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
2023-08-02 18:51

EU, Meta agree to July stress test on EU online content rules
Meta and the European Union (EU) have agreed on a stress test in July on the EU's online
2023-06-24 09:30

Alibaba Saw Singles Day Sales Growth, but Don’t Call It a Win for China’s Economy
Chinese e-commerce giants may have eked out another year of sales growth on Singles Day, but the data isn't all encouraging.
2023-11-13 16:20

Late night snacking could increase risk of diabetes and heart disease, study says
Eating a snack late at night carries significantly more negative health implications compared to snacking during the day, a new study has found. According to researchers at King’s College London, people who eat most of their snacks in the evening after 9pm saw larger spikes in their blood sugar compared to those snacked earlier in the day. The group who snacked later also had higher concentrations of fat in their blood compared to those who snacked earlier. The researchers studied data from 1,000 people who took part in the Zoe Predict study. The participants kept a food diary and wore blood sugar monitors in order to keep track of the impact of snacking. On average, they ate two snacks a day, with one in three “late evening snackers” eating most of their snacks after 9pm instead of between meals. High blood sugar and fat can lead to diabetes and heart disease, studies have found. People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that raise the risk of heart disease, such as high blood pressure. The Zoe Predict project is a group of in-depth nutritional research studies that aim to reveal how and why people respond differently to the same foods. Kate Bermingham, a postdoctoral fellow at King’s College London and lead author of the study, said: “Surprisingly little has been published on snacking, despite the fact that it accounts for 20 to 25 per cent of energy intake. “Predict followed a large number of people and captured detailed information on their snacking behaviours, allowing this in-depth exploration of snacking on health.” Researchers analysed the relationship between the number of snacks participants ate, the quality of the snacks and the timing with blood fats and insulin levels. Snacking on higher quality foods, which are described as foods that contain significant amounts of nutrients relative to the calories contained, was associated with better bodily responses. The study concluded that the most important factor in determining the body’s response is the quality of snacks, not how often or how much they are consumed. Foods like fruit or vegetables resulted in a better blood fat and insulin response compared to processed foods, such as biscuits and cake. Bermingham added: “Our study showed that the quality of snacking is more important than the quantity or frequency of snacking, thus choosing high quality snacks over the highly processed snacks is likely beneficial. “Timing is also important, with late night snacking being unfavourable for health. This may mean that, universally, snacking late in the evening and interrupting the overnight fasting window is detrimental to health.” The study was presented at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Read More My Taylor Swift exercise class has led me down a luxury fitness rabbit hole Husband fired from family business after wife roleplayed with reborn dolls MrBeast YouTuber Kris Tyson comes out as transgender: ‘I’m excited to authentically be myself’ Scientists share the 8 habits that impact your lifespan the most Cara Delevingne says her journey to sobriety has been worth ‘every second/ Bisexual people ‘experience worse health than other adults’
2023-07-25 18:35

Paris Fashion Week Street Style Was A Lesson In Transitional Dressing
Rounding out a busy month of street style inspiration and surprisingly wearable runway trends, Paris Fashion Week — the city that concludes Fashion Month — served us some of the season’s biggest shows yet. As A-list celebrities, models, and fashion editors filled Parisian streets for the likes of Saint Laurent, Dior, Valentino, and Chanel, photographers outside the shows have captured the best transitional style moments that are sure to help us with between-season dressing.
2023-10-05 03:00

Exxon CEO’s Quest for Mega Deal Is a Bet on Oil’s Staying Power
Exxon Mobil Corp. boss Darren Woods is poised to emulate his two predecessors with a career-defining mega deal
2023-10-07 23:00

AT&T Wears the Internet Connectivity Crown in Customer Satisfaction, While Amazon Prime Video and Peacock Surge Among Streamers, ACSI Data Show
ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 6, 2023--
2023-06-06 20:02
You Might Like...

Core Keeper Slime Oil: How to Get

Japan's emperor meets with Indonesian president on his first official foreign trip as emperor

Georgia fans in panic mode as team enters halftime tied with Auburn

Leipzig's Olmo, Orban to miss several weeks with injury

Driver arrested in Malibu crash that killed four students

Chelsea defender suffers injury setback on return to training

Facebook faces legal setback in EU court decision on data privacy and ads

What the cast of 'Never Have I Ever' will miss most after series finale