List of All Articles with Tag 'ag'

Cubs rumors: Marcus Stroman makes progress towards a returnFor most of the season, Marcus Stroman anchored the Chicago Cubs rotation and was one of the best pitchers in the entire National League.But recently, Stroman ended up on the injured list with hip inflammation, obviously causing concer...

So this is what happens when you don’t have a midfield plan fully in place. In either team. End-to-end, sometimes intermittently and sometimes non-stop, but in either case when one side attacked, they invariably reached the final third to present some potential of danger. Perhaps Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp will be content enough to not have lost the opener of the season, perhaps both will feel they can win the upcoming off-pitch battle even though they couldn’t get over the line on it. On the balance of what we saw at Stamford Bridge, longer term that’s the more important confrontation to win and the one which can add the most points across the course of the season: landing the right holding player to add much-needed stability to these technical, speedy sides. Chelsea and Liverpool seem to both want the same two players, though at this point who wants which the most is anybody’s guess - even without considering the back-and-forth over which destination the players themselves want. What is certain: put Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia into the lineups here and it’s a very different chance of victory for whoever scores first, a very different task for one team trying to break down the other. Read this without having seen the game and it might seem to suggest Conor Gallagher and Alexis Mac Allister gave terrible performances – they absolutely didn’t. Both were aggressive, combative, tracked runners, made big tackles in key areas and passed out from deep with aplomb. But neither are true defensive midfielders, neither have the innate, automatic and natural instincts to be where they need to be at every moment: call it positional sense, spatial awareness or just an understanding of the team tactics; either way, neither have it right now and both are better-served playing elsewhere. Brighton’s hierarchy, we can be sure, watched on with a smile inching ever-wider each time either side scythed through on the counter-attack. The price tag for Caicedo surely won’t be coming down after this opening 90 minutes of the Premier League season, and Southampton too will feel utterly justified in sticking to their valuation for Lavia. For the Blues, Gallagher’s opportunity to start at the base of midfield came with notable knock-on considerations: he has been the subject of transfer interest this month to the tune of £40m or so - not enough for Pochettino to consider selling - while he also freed up Enzo Fernandez to play higher upfield. The Argentine was largely impressive, pushing forward to good effect in both link play and chance creation, amassing more touches of the ball than any individual other than centre-back recycler Thiago Silva. Gallagher scurried about relentlessly, not in his usual box-to-box manner but laterally, frustrating Mohamed Salah in the channel or nicking the ball away from Diogo Jota. Now 23, there’s still a question over whether Gallagher is good enough, consistent enough, impactful enough to command a regular starting role at Chelsea. This game showed the endeavour and intent to do so, if also the certainty that all that sprinting back to make recovery tackles was as a direct consequence of simply not being in the right position initially. Against that Mac Allister started life as the Reds’ newest No10 in a role most recently occupied by the former No 3. Such is the imbalance and upside-down nature of Klopp’s midfield after a total summer reset, the man who was signed to bring control and creativity from the middle has to initially be deployed as the principle defensive support – and this Liverpool side is one which really, really needs its holding players to do a lot of support work. Attacking-wise, they are excellent at times. In transitions and against direct passes or runners from deep, they remain a mess. As Fabinho showed toward the back end of last term, an in-form anchor can make a lot of difference; as he also showed, Liverpool now need one with far more athleticism and recovery speed than the Brazilian possesses. Mac Allister, like Gallagher, performed the job well in terms of both distribution and dirty work. The Argentine also has the added caveat to his game that he is merely weeks into learning a new team and system; the Englishman, for his part, is learning a new management approach. In spells, these two sides looked like what they are: tremendously talented, attack-minded big teams who will expect to win many matches and be among the top four in 10 months’ time – but also ones with gaping holes in the plan, particularly right through the heart of midfield where so many through-balls, so many dribbles, so many runners were able to penetrate. A draw on the road isn’t bad for Liverpool; a draw from behind isn’t terrible for Chelsea. But the manner of the game and its inherent uncertainty until the very final minute was nothing less than pitch-perfect for Brighton. Read More Chelsea and Liverpool trial football without defensive midfielders Chelsea vs Liverpool player ratings: Salah and Sterling sparkle in draw Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result and reaction Moises Caicedo transfer takes twist as Chelsea look to hijack Liverpool offer Liverpool offered hope in battle with Chelsea over Moises Caicedo transfer Jurgen Klopp urges caution over Liverpool’s move for Moises Caicedo

Chelsea and Liverpool are both in public pursuit of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, and the two teams met in the Premier League on Sunday. The need for Caicedo in both teams was abundantly obvious.

As expected, Shohei Ohtani survived the MLB trade deadline with the Los Angeles Angels. Now, all eyes turn toward the offseason when Ohtani, the best player in baseball, becomes a free agent.Another few months of guaranteed Ohtani-based revenue was too much for the Los Angeles Angels to pass up ...

Player ratings as Axel Disasi earns Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino a point against Liverpool in his first Premier League game in charge at Stamford Bridge.

As cigarettes are phased out, parents say new laws do little to address rampant vaping by young people.

Pittards are calling in administrators after failing to secure necessary funds.

Chelsea and Liverpool had disppointing seasons last year which resulted in plentiful changes at both clubs. Former Chelsea bosses, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, have been replaced with Mauricio Pochettino who hopes to ignite a new successful era at the club. Pochettino has plenty of options to choose from but his focus on passing, speed and improvement of young players offers Chelsea the opportunity to rebuild themselves as a big threat in the top flight. Nowhere is this more on display than 23-year-old Reece James being made captain of the club following the departure of Cesar Azpilicueta. Liverpool, meanwhile, have overhauled their ageing midfield with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both shipped off to Saudi Arabia. Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have been brought in to replace them but questions remain over the Reds’ defensive capabilities. Added to all this is the subplot of Moises Caicedo. Liverpool have had a bid of £110m accepted by Brighton for the midfielder but Caicedo prefers to join Chelsea with the Blues thinking about tabling an improved offer for the 21-year-old. The battle for Caicedo’s signature could play out on the pitch as the two clubs clash this afternoon. Follow all the action from Stamford Bridge as Chelsea host Liverpool: Read More Jurgen Klopp wants players to step up as ‘reloaded’ Liverpool look to hit stride Moises Caicedo transfer takes twist as Chelsea look to hijack Liverpool offer Why Axel Disasi could solve Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive problems at Chelsea

Josh Sargent and Antonee Robinson were among the standout performers on Saturday as English Premier League and EFL Championship action pushed forward this summer.

Real Madrid's upcoming matches in La Liga and the Champions League including a derby against city rivals Atletico Madrid

Today's USMNT gossipincludes Tyler Adams beinglinked with Brighton, DeJuan Jones could be on his way to Europe and Bologna have improved their offer for CadeCowell.USMNT gossip: Tyler Adams to BrightonTyler Adams' move to Chelsea collapsing could be a blessing in disguise, as the midfi...

After disappointing campaigns last time around, both Chelsea and Liverpool will be hoping for better as they meet on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. The Mauricio Pochettino era begins for Chelsea as the former Tottenham and PSG manager sets about transforming a squad that finished in the bottom half. Another slightly scattergun summer leaves Pochettino with plenty of options at his disposal, but forging a winning side quickly may be tough, particularly after the injury to Christopher Nkunku. Liverpool’s investment has been more targeted, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister brought in to refresh the midfield. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Chelsea vs Liverpool? Chelsea vs Liverpool is due to kick-off at 4.30pm on Sunday 13 August at Stamford Bridge in London. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 4pm. Subscribers can stream the game via the Sky Go app. Team news Chelsea have confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will be out for “an extended period” after undergoing knee surgery. Mauricio Pochettino continues to chase midfield reinforcements, but centre-half Axel Disasi has been secured to provide the manager with another defensive option. Reece James has been appointed as captain. Jurgen Klopp’s side are also said to still be in the mix for another high-price midfield recruit despite adding Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who could make competitive Liverpool debuts at Stamford Bridge. Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic continue to work their way back from injury lay-offs and may be absent. Predicted line-ups Chelsea XI: Kepa; James, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Gallagher, Fernandez; Sterling, Chukwuemeka, Mudryk; Jackson. Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gakpo; Salah, Nunez, Jota. Odds Chelsea win 83/41 Draw 11/4 Liverpool win 7/5 Prediction An entertaining score draw to start the season. Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool Read More Liverpool, Moises Caicedo, and the £100m bid that Jurgen Klopp said he’d never make Liverpool offered hope in battle with Chelsea over Moises Caicedo transfer Jurgen Klopp wants players to step up as ‘reloaded’ Liverpool look to hit stride Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Moises Caicedo transfer takes twist as Chelsea look to hijack Liverpool offer Liverpool offered hope in battle with Chelsea over Moises Caicedo transfer