List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

Greg Olsen has skepticism on us being able to untie this knot we have created with college football realignment, and to some extent with unregulated NIL and transfer portal issues.Former Miami Hurricanes star tight end Greg Olsen certainly has some thoughts on NIL, the transfer portal, and espec...

As a shock to absolutely no one, former Michigan assistant Biff Poggi is defending Jim Harbaugh for his never-giving-in mentality when it comes to cooperating with the NCAA.It goes without saying that college football is way better with Jim Harbaugh and Biff Poggi in it.While Harbaugh is loo...

Pep Guardiola insists he has no doubts over the quality of Cole Palmer as he looks for ways to cover for the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, who could be out for up to five months with a hamstring injury. De Bruyne is due to go under the knife in his native Belgium after pulling up early in City’s Premier League opener at Burnley last Friday, and City had to do without their talisman in Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla, prevailing in a penalty shootout. Palmer started on the right wing in Athens and scored City’s equaliser just after the hour mark, following up his fine strike against Arsenal in the Community Shield, but that has not stopped speculation linking the 21-year-old academy product with a move away. As Guardiola revealed fears that De Bruyne may not return to full fitness until February, he said Palmer and others will need to provide the answers. “It’s not necessary to ask how good he is,” Guardiola said of Palmer. “You don’t need two goals in two finals to define how good he is. “Cole in the previous season arrived in an extraordinary moment, he defined the game in the FA Cup and then had injuries. He couldn’t be there. “Playing at City is not easy with Riyad (Mahrez, now departed), Bernardo (Silva) and a lot of players. “Last season our players in midfield were KDB, who will be four or five months out, (Ilkay Gundogan) who isn’t here, we have to adjust a few things. We’re not at our best, or our top, it’s normal and we adjust a few things but the spirit is there.” John Stones has been added to the injury list for Saturday’s match at home to Newcastle after sustaining a muscular injury in training, while Bernardo remains out through illness, but Guardiola expressed optimism that Ruben Dias could return after missing the Super Cup final. Following a late night in Athens on Wednesday and the journey home, Guardiola said his players would not train on Friday but instead focus on recovery with massage and sessions in the pool. “Of course we are ready,” Guardiola said. “We need these types of challenges. Everyone wants to beat us and we have difficulties for many reasons, many important injuries, the calendar. “It’s a challenge again, to see if we can make a step forward. If you want to win you need that. In football there are always problems, it’s how you overcome that defines if you’re a good team or not Pep Guardiola “In football there are always problems, it’s how you overcome that defines if you’re a good team or not… “We went to bed at 4am, arrived here late, today we cannot train – everyone in the pool, massage – we don’t have time. “We’d love one more day. We accept that this is the challenge. It’s why we won: we overcome these kind of positions. We always had less time to recover.” Guardiola has his eyes on winning the Club World Cup in December to “take all the titles” after last season’s treble and the Super Cup win, and said recent successes can inspire his players as they deal with the challenges in front of them. “The spirit is there,” he said. “I know how happy they are. Every day we arrive and see the four trophies in front of us. Wow, how nice is that? How difficult is that? We love it.” On Friday evening, De Bruyne posted a short message on social media following his surgery with a picture of him on crutches. “The news after the Burnley game was a really big blow for me physically and mentally,” the Belgian said. “Now the surgery is done I’m ready to heal my body and get back to work soon. Thank you all for the support.”

Here is why Auburn fans need to accept Hugh Freeze's decision to go with Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne over the incumbent Robby Ashford as the Tigers' starting quarterback.It is a dawn of a new day down on The Plains with Hugh Freeze is calling the shots at Auburn.Freeze an...

Tennessee football could have a Top 10 recruiting class again by Monday as Josh Heupel closes in on a coveted five-star edge rusher.Josh Heupel has Tennessee football on the rise both on the football field and recruiting trail. As the Volunteers gear up for the 2023 season with hopes of contendi...

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Portland is scheduled to face Miami after the trade deadline and the big question is this: which jersey will Damian Lillard be wearing?Here we go again! The NBA schedule has been released, and fans are buzzing. During the offseason, most players prepare for upcoming matchups, but f...

Paul Finebaum calls out Florida fans for dumbing down expectations in the Billy Napier era.Florida is a blue-blood college football program for a reason, so let's not lower our expectations.ESPN's Paul Finebaum caught up with his colleague Matt Barrie on The Matt Barrie Show to dis...

After the first below-.500 season in over two decades, Oklahoma hopes to sum up its Big 12 tenure with a final conference championship.Brent Venables' first full season in Norman as the head coach was not up to the Sooner standard. And more than one aspect of the team fell short of expectat...

Farewell, then, Neymar. He is only 31, but his choice to leave Paris Saint-Germain and join Saudi “giants” (his word) Al-Hilal – eight months after what was likely his last shot at winning the World Cup – feels like the beginning of the end for Neymar at the top of the game. It has, for the most part, been a joy. “He makes football a pleasure,” once said Pep Guardiola. Neymar would choose to dribble into a maze of defenders rather than play a simple pass, but invariably he would come out with the ball at his feet. His highlights reel is full of jinking runs and cheeky nutmegs, most of which lead to little, and often his skills seem pointless, like controlling a high ball wth a Cruyff-turn. But then what is pleasure if not acting without necessity, just for the fun of it? He has won almost everything – multiple league and cup titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Olympic Games – and yet looks set to end his career without the World Cup his nation expected or the Ballon d’Or his talent merited (he twice finished third). It would be easy to conclude that Neymar lacked application, particularly at PSG. His appearance record – never playing more than 22 games in a single season for the club – hints at a deeper malaise beyond the recurring injuries that dogged his time in Paris. PSG fans grew weary of Neymar, while his support for Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro made him even easier to dislike. But no one can ever say he didn’t care about football. Neymar wept in the dressing room before his final game for Santos. He wept when PSG lost the 2020 Champions League final to Bayern Munich in Lisbon. He wept on Lionel Messi’s shoulder after losing the 2021 Copa America final to Argentina. He wept when Croatia came back to win on penalties in Qatar. Expectation was the constant background noise to Neymar’s career, and the pain of defeat was visceral. His decade in Europe was played mostly in his friend Messi’s shadow. The only player on the planet better than Neymar in every facet of the game was on the pitch for most of his 359 matches for Barcelona and PSG. It must have been frustrating at times that his greatest accomplice was also a source of shade, even if they formed one of the greatest teams of all time – Barcelona’s treble-winning 2014-15 side – with that fantasy front three with Luis Suarez. They played with joy, and Neymar was the epitome of that. Like his club career, Neymar’s international legacy is framed by Messi. The 2021 Copa America final between Argentina and Brazil was billed as a fight between the countries’ two talismen, each with a chance to finally unload the burden they had carried for so long. Neither played particularly well that night in the Maracana, but it was Messi who celebrated and Neymar who needed consoling. Qatar 2022 was Neymar’s best chance to win the World Cup. He had sat in the stands injured watching Brazil lose 7-1 to Germany in the Maracana in 2014; he was powerless to stop a brilliant Belgium win in the quarter-finals at Russia in 2018. But Brazil arrived in Qatar as the pre-tournament favourites, ready to finally deliver on his destiny. So when he scored that mesmerising goal against Croatia in extra time of the quarter-final, weaving through an entire defence from a standing start to finally break the deadlock, if felt like that would be the goal to define his career, the one shown on repeat when future generations looked back at Brazil’s 2022 World Cup triumph. Instead Croatia came back and it was Messi’s goal a few days later that provided the tournament’s iconic moment, and Messi’s destiny which was fulfilled. That felt like Neymar’s last shot at the Ballon d’Or, which usually requires a Champions League or World Cup to convince its audience. And perhaps his move to Saudi is a tacit submission of sorts, a white flag in his long battle to transcend the Messi effect. The Independent has reported how Neymar tried to force a move to a Champions League club this summer, but couldn’t find a suitor. The footballing world stopped believing he could transform the most important games and the offers dried up. Instead he has accepted eye-watering paycheque along with his personal demands for three supercars, a 25-bedroom mansion, a very specifically sized swimming pool and a fridge permanently full of acai juice – the man loves his acai. And there is something ironic in Neymar leaving behind the giant profiles of Messi and Kylian Mbappe only to join Al-Hilal, a team with Cristiano Ronaldo. Perhaps he will be back in Europe before long. Perhaps the 2026 World Cup is still a realistic target – one last shot at winning the trophy he most craves, because really what can anyone possibly say once you’ve won that? But more realistic is that his move to Saudi Arabia erodes his already blunt edges, that other players overtake him in Brazil’s pecking order, that the European game moves on. His most famous goal remains one he scored aged 19 for Santos, which came after a dribble of unfathomable balance and control that requires rewinding like a magic trick. And perhaps, looking back, he could never have met the expectations he unknowingly set in that moment. Perhaps he did everything he possibly could have in the era of Messi. Read More Watch as PSG manager Luis Enrique holds press conference after Neymar departure Neymar departs PSG to become latest star signing for Saudi Pro League side Shots fired from Australia batter David Warner – Tuesday’s sporting social Neymar agrees Saudi move after only one European club showed interest Football rumours: Manchester United weighing up approach for Amadou Onana Kylian Mbappe set to return to PSG squad after ‘positive discussions’ – reports

With so much still unsaid around this Spain team, three statements over the last 48 hours stood out all the more, that illustrate much of the story of their Women’s World Cup run. One was Tere Abelleira immediately after the semi-final victory over Sweden in Auckland. “Now we can talk about a ferocious team spirit,” she said. It was as the midfielder was saying this in the Eden Park mixed zone that Jenni Hermoso was striding behind and shouting: “Come on! We’re in the final of the f***ing World Cup!” That is now the most important fact of all. It was amid this mood of jubilation, however, that the abrasive Spanish federation boss Luis Rubiales came out with something that was much more open to dispute. “What we have endured is a lot,” said Rubiales. “That questions have been asked of Jorge Vilda, who is a hard-working man, a world-class coach, who has turned down other federations that have offered more money and stayed with Spain. We have stuck with those who have always wanted to be here, that have valued the great work that he has done to grow, and we have forgotten the people with resentments. He has continued working with his people and not paid attention to those who wanted to destroy him.” It was the first time at this World Cup that anyone in the camp has publicly raised the squad mutiny that has shaped Spain’s entire run, since most of it has been set aside in an uneasy truce. The description of “people with resentments” sounds like the most cavalier way to blow all this up, especially as the biggest game of all remains. While that “ferocious team spirit” should be more than enough to keep Spain together through the build-up, there is still the possibility for a huge fall-out if this team is defeated by England on Sunday. Rubiales’ words only add another edge to a situation that is already hugely complicated, both in terms of how it came to this and how everyone is dealing with it. It is not just about Vilda, although he is the most public face, visibly ignored by some players in victory but embraced by others. The 15 players who last year sent the email resigning from the national team – with the tacit support of Alexia Putellas, Jenni and Irene Paredes – had several complaints. Most focused on how oppressively disciplinarian Vilda’s managerial regime was but they were also unhappy about how outdated the entire international set-up seemed. Some of the arrangements, like travelling long distances on bus or not having staff in certain key roles, fell well below their club standards. They did not feel any of this gave them the best possible chance of fulfilling a generation of talent. Unsaid but undeniably perceived by so many around the situation is that some of the players do not think Vilda is a good enough manager. There is at least a fair argument to this, even as Rubiales protested he is “a world-class coach”. Many would certainly dispute that. That Vilda has such a strong relationship with Rubiales is just another complication. With the federation risking the chance of a generation, and some players realising the same, overtures were made. Hermoso and Paredes returned, opening a way back. The federation’s director of women’s soccer, Ana Alvarez, met with every single player individually over May and June. All complaints were heard. Only some players were accepted back, and that involved having to send an email declaring their willingness to be called up again. They were Ona Batlle, Mariona Caldentey and – above all – Aitana Bonmati, perhaps the best player in the world right now. Vilda decided to stick with the players involved in preparation for this World Cup, just as Rubiales decided to stick with him. It has resulted in a squad that is partly made up of rebels and replacements. Some have set aside grievances for the greater good. Others are grateful to Vilda for persisting with them. All have overlooked this for the time being, which was why Rubiales so abrasively addressing it before the final is such a risk. It has only complicated already conflicted feelings around this Spain team. A growing view at this World Cup and back home in Spain has been that most support the players but do not want the national team to win because that is a vindication for the federation and Vilda. It doesn’t help Rubiales that he is not a popular figure, commonly seen as one of the most divisive in Spanish sport. There is also some inevitable backlash against the players, since there is the constant threat of the issue getting subsumed into the usual culture wars, but this is where the general public parking of the mutiny has at least offered something like a positive. One figure with insight into the situation spoke of how there can be internal conflict for some players, too. They want to do the best for themselves, but know that every success makes the federation and the manager look good. For the moment, at least, it has been a more unusual example of the classic dynamic of adversity creating success. There has also been compromises and common ground. Vilda’s staff have softened some approaches. The federation has listened and acted on other concerns, such as the willingness to move camp when the players were bored out of their minds in Palmerstown North. Some of Vilda’s calls have worked, such as bringing teenage sensation Salma Paralluelo on as a substitute to break games. Others would say that’s just an obvious move. There is also a more obvious fact here. In a historic football shift that long preceded Rubiales, and greatly influenced the English Football Association, Spain were one of the first wealthy western European football cultures to implement the kind of coaching revolutions that has characterised the modern game. The country industrialised talent production, while going further than most similar federations in underpinning it with a defined football identity. While that has almost come back on itself in the men’s game, creating this self-repeating and now almost self-defeating cycle of the ball endlessly getting circulated, the more developmental stage of women’s football means it can be much more effective. Spain are one of the few teams at this World Cup with such an ingrained style, made in Barcelona, that goes much deeper than any coaching decision. The wider national coaching structure has meanwhile honed the natural talent of stars like Putellas and Bonmati, producing elite athletes that also have that resilience that has been so apparent at this World Cup. The likelihood is that this supersedes any of Vilda's decisions. The squad’s mentality has helped, which is why they didn’t buckle after the collapse against Japan during the group stage. In a strange way, that 4-0 defeat might even have served them, helping to solve further tactical issues. Bonmati even said at the time “this is going to unite us more than ever”. It could mean Spain become the only world champions in either men’s or women’s football to have also lost by more than three goals in the same competition, other than West Germany 1954. Japan 2011 are the only previous Women’s World Cup winners to have even lost a game, adding one other little twist. There is then one final layer. It was the frustration at a defeat to England in the Euro 2022 quarter-finals that brought all this to a head. It is now an even bigger game against England that might fully illustrate how they have adapted. A lot may remain unsaid after Sunday but, to use an old Spanish football saying, some of the truth will be on the pitch. Read More Gustaf Lagerbielke set for Celtic bow after Stephen Welsh sustains knock Theo Walcott shares career highlights as he announces retirement from football Ange Postecoglou insists Tottenham have to be ‘united on and off the field’ Gustaf Lagerbielke set for Celtic bow after Stephen Welsh sustains knock Theo Walcott shares career highlights as he announces retirement from football Ange Postecoglou insists Tottenham have to be ‘united on and off the field’

FOX Sports' Joel Klatt wants to be all-in on Texas this year, but he can't, and for good reasons.When The Smiths penned "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", the iconic English rock band was so ahead of the curve that they saw the future and knew all about...