Category: Sport

Ronald Koeman heaps praise three Barcelona youngsters – One was on the verge of leaving last year

There are so many exciting things about getting a new manager, but one of the more interesting things is seeing who suddenly steps forward to earn a chance under the new regime.

Barcelona youngster Konrad de la Fuente may be unknown to a lot of the fans, while he was also destined to leave the club last summer before a managerial change elsewhere.

READ MORE: Video: Lionel Messi scores with superb right-footed strike in friendly against Girona

It was reported that he had rejected a new deal and was holding out for a move to join Jurgen Klinsmann at Hertha Berlin, however the former USA manager was sacked and that fell through.

He eventually stayed at the Nou Camp, and it looks like Ronald Koeman is very pleased that it worked out like that:

… Read the rest

‘Dream come true for Weston McKennie’

Weston McKennie’s representative says the players move to Juventus is ‘a dream come true’ and he ‘is everything a modern eight  needs to be, and he still has so much more room for growth.’

Speaking to TuttJuve, David Müller of the Wassermann Group agency offered his thoughts over the USA international switch from Schalke to Juventus last month.

What does Weston say about his new adventure at Juventus?

“Weston loves this experience, day after day he shows more and more enthusiasm. It is a dream come true. He has always been a player who likes competition and challenges, we are sure he will become a better player in this environment. So far the club has been fantastic in the support they’ve showed. We are very happy.”

What are your goals for this season?

“Obviously he wants to play, and he has enough confidence in himself to claim his place … Read the rest

How Koeman can turn the Barcelona minefield into a midfield

As new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman looks to shake up his team tactically and individually, a new midfield set-up could be the key for Barça’s success.

As the years go by, football, like everything else in the world, continues to grow, change, and redevelop. The sport, as it stands, has trickled down from a time when the only method to score was to let the quick chap on the wing cross it to the tall, strong bloke in the centre so he could head it home. Well, now the swift man with a rusty beard and number 10 on his back just dribbles past five and bends it into the corner of the net.

These innovations have not been solely on the style of the game, or the rules, but has also seen the emergence, and modification in positions/roles. For example, ten years back, it would have been hard for … Read the rest

Review: Specialized Tarmac S-Works SL7 is a fairly well mannered road rocket

I’ll make this easy: If you’re looking for an all-out speed machine to make every ride faster, go get the new Specialized Tarmac SL7. And particularly, the S-Works SL7 with the Roval Rapide CLX wheels. I’ve set higher average speeds for every ride I’ve done on it and enjoyed every minute of it. If you’re […]

The post Review: Specialized Tarmac S-Works SL7 is a fairly well mannered road rocket appeared first on Bikerumor.

Source link … Read the rest

Kevin Harvick begins 2020 Cup playoffs with Southern 500 win

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs began with the historic Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Regular season champion Kevin Harvick kicked off the postseason in wild fashion, capitalising on late contact between leaders Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. to win his eighth race of the year, automatically locking him into the Round of 12.

Elliott started on the pole ahead of Denny Hamlin. Austin Dillon and Joey Gase went to the rear for unapproved adjustments, while Ross Chastain was sent back as his #77 Spire Motorsports team initially listed Reed Sorenson as its driver on the entry list. Ryan Blaney suffered an early blow in the playoff points when he was penalised for an improperly mounted ballast—a five-pound lead weight to test fluid weights that the team neglected to remove prior to inspection; he was docked ten points while crew chief Todd Gordon was suspended for the … Read the rest

Detailed explanation of how the regulation ‘freeze’ works, including Token System and Engine development

In an attempt to address costs Formula 1 teams have agreed to a system of freezing some components both within the 2020 season and heading into 2021, and the full details of how it will work have now emerged in the updated technical regulations for both of those seasons. Within a system of what are now called “homologated components” there is still some scope for development via a token system. In other words, teams can decide which elements they wish to upgrade, but they can only do it with the full knowledge and agreement of the FIA.

To understand what is being “frozen” we need to know why this system is getting into place and this is actually very simple, money. We all know 2020 has been an asterisk when it comes to normality, this has also affected several teams which are the ones with the lower budgets on the … Read the rest

18-Year-Old Italian Musetti Stuns Stan In Rome

#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti earned the biggest win of his young career Tuesday evening at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, stunning three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-0, 7-6(2) in the first round. This is the 18-year-old’s first ATP Tour victory.

Musetti had only played one tour-level match before facing the former World No. 3 in Rome. But the teen, who won three qualifying matches to reach the main draw, showed few nerves at the Foro Italico. He displayed an aggressive all-court game to oust Wawrinka after one hour and 24 minutes.

“I have seen him play on television and I know he is a very tough player,” said Musetti, who will play Kei Nishikori in the second round. “I’m going to enjoy the victory before I start thinking about my match against Nishikori.”

[WATCH LIVE 1]

After a first set full of unforced errors off Wawrinka’s racquet that led him … Read the rest

Gallery: Pogba and Van de Beek train ahead of Palace clash

Manchester United fans will be delighted to see how happy their stars look in training ahead of the team’s season opener vs Crystal Palace.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men didn’t play last weekend as they were given an extended break due to their exploits in the Europa League last season.

United went all the way to the semi-finals before they were disappointingly knocked out by a hard-working Sevilla side.

Much has been made of the improved atmosphere under Solskjaer and it’s clearly shown in the images below.

The Red Devils finished in third place last season but will know they will have to collect more points this time around, particularly with fans expecting a title challenge.

Manchester United’s summer has been a little disappointing so far but the hope is they can still make improvements before the window slams shut.

Solskjaer has managed to buy just Donny van de Beek but … Read the rest

Liverpool target 6’2″ Serie A centre-half as Klopp plans to reinforce defensive options

Liverpool have reportedly entered the race for Sampdoria centre-half Omar Colley, as Jurgen Klopp looks to increase his defensive options before the transfer window closes on October 5.

This rumour comes from SampNews24, who claim the Gambia international could be available for as little as £10.8million.

We can’t speak for the reliability of the source, but they’re well known and have amassed 40,000 followers across their stacked social media profiles.

Colley seems like a good fit for what Klopp is after before the window closes, with The Athletic’s James Pearce confirming the boss could move for a new central defender.

MORE: Brewster & Shaqiri involved in secret Anfield friendly as Minamino bags solo goal – report

The Sampdoria star would come in as fourth-choice centre-back and pretty much take over the role Dejan Lovren was occupying last season.

At the age of 27, Colley isn’t going to be a … Read the rest

Exclusive: Former referee Keith Hackett backs red card decision as Arsenal target Aouar shows the uglier side of his game

The presence of Houssem Aouar means there was more interest than usual in a Tuesday night clash between Montpellier and Lyon.

The Lyon star was a standout in their Champions League run last season, and the links to Arsenal keep coming with The Metro reporting that Mikel Arteta wants to build his team around him next season.

Watching Arsenal fans may have been interested to see his creativity and class for a whole match, but they actually saw an uglier side to his game – One where he was sent off and it ultimately cost his team the game.

It’s one of those challenges where you’ll often make an argument depending which team you support, but the ref has a good look at the replays thanks to VAR and deemed it was worthy of a straight red:

READ MORE: Video: Arsenal target Houssem Aouar shown straight red card for reckless

… Read the rest