List of All Articles with Tag 'foo'

Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was the most notable absentee from the travelling party for Manchester City’s UEFA Super Cup clash with Seville after being struck down by a hamstring injury. De Bruyne limped out of Friday night’s 3-0 Premier League win at promoted Burnley with a recurrence of the problem which prompted his early withdrawal from last season’s Champions League final, and City boss Pep Guardiola later revealed the 32-year-old Belgium international would be sidelined for “a few weeks”. The club is yet to provide an update on the severity of the damage, but the midfielder’s name was conspicuous by its absence from the 22-man squad list for Wednesday night’s game in Athens when it was published on City’s official website on Monday afternoon. De Bruyne has been one of City’s key performers since his £55million arrival from Wolfsburg in August 2015, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished midfielders in world football. There was no place either for midfielder Bernardo Silva, the only other member of the matchday squad at Burnley who was not included, or central defender Ruben Dias, who was not involved in the opening league fixture under concussion protocols. Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish, who were unused substitutes at Turf Moor, did make it, as did the versatile John Stones, who sat out on Friday evening through injury. Squad (in number order): Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Aymeric Laporte, Rodrigo, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Julian Alvarez, Sergio Gomez, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Ederson, Maximo Perrone, Scott Carson, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis, James McAtee. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Spain take on Sweden and England face co-hosts Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals. Here, the PA news agency looks at what the tournament statistics can tell us about the games ahead. Spain v Sweden The two top-scoring semi-finalists meet in Auckland on Tuesday, with Spain having scored 15 goals – matching eliminated Japan for the tournament high – and Sweden 11. The Scandinavians have actually had the fewest attempts on goal of any of the last four, just 62, but have the best conversion rate, having scored with 18 per cent of their shots. Four-goal defender Amanda Ilestedt is also the unlikely leading challenger to current Golden Boot leader Hinata Miyazawa, whose Japan side Sweden knocked out in the quarter-finals. Ilestedt aside, the statistics heavily favour Spain. Among the semi-finalists, they rank first and Sweden fourth for total shots and shots on target, ball progressions both attempted and completed, line breaks attempted and take-ons completed. Some hope for Sweden comes from Spain’s defensive record – their six goals conceded is at least twice as many as any of the other remaining teams. Japan scored four of those, and Miyazawa two, in a surprisingly one-sided final game in Group C – but having beaten the Nadeshiko, Sweden will be confident. They will also know they can respond if, as the statistics point to, they fall behind – Spain have scored nine goals in the first half of games but seven of Sweden’s 11 have come after the break. The two teams have each used 22 of their 23 available players, with only their respective third-choice goalkeepers Enith Salon and Tove Enblom yet to play a single minute in the tournament. Australia v England England and Australia, by contrast, have used only 17 players apiece and fatigue could be a factor in the second semi-final in Sydney. England’s 553 minutes played is the most in the tournament, closely followed by their opponents with almost 548 minutes. Five Australians and three England players have played every one of those minutes, with Australia naming nine of the same 11 starters in every game – goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and the back four of Ellie Carpenter, Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy and Steph Catley, plus Hayley Raso, Katrina Gorry, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord – and England six. Working in England’s favour in that regard could be the distance the respective teams have covered. Their 562.3km is 2.5km lower than any other semi-finalist, with Australia once more ranking second in that regard, and England also have the lowest proportion of that spent sprinting or “high-speed running” at 27 per cent, according to FIFA’s official statistics, and the highest proportion of walking at 39 per cent. England have scored 10 goals to Australia’s nine and are the most accurate shooters of the remaining teams, with 44 per cent of their efforts on target, while Australia are least accurate at 30 per cent. The co-hosts have had more total shots, 76 to England’s 68, but have allowed 64 at the other end compared to just 52 on Mary Earps’ goal. Expect England to have the bulk of the possession – they have attempted and completed over 1,000 more passes than Australia, 2,691 of 3,100 compared to 1,584 of 2,061. Australia are only the second country to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup as host nation, following the United States who won the 1999 final at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl and were also semi-finalists in 2003. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Kevin De Bruyne left out of Manchester City’s UEFA Super Cup squad Tom Pidcock says he is an ‘outsider’ on mountain bike circuit Will Jacks looking to force his way into England’s World Cup plans

Michael Bublé made a surprise appearance at a Foo Fighters show on Saturday in San Francisco.

Newcastle new boy Sandro Tonali announced himself in the Premier League with a stunning debut in Saturday’s 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa. However, the £52million former AC Milan midfielder is not the first Italian to make an early impact, for better or for worse, in England’s top flight. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how he and some of his predecessors fared in their first appearances. Sandro Tonali Newcastle invested heavily in 23-year-old Italy international Tonali this summer and he wasted little time in starting to pay off his fee. He scored six minutes into his competitive debut at St James’ Park and went on to produce a fine individual display to inspire the Magpies to a victory which suggested they picked up where they left off at the end of the previous campaign. Fabrizio Ravanelli Former Juventus frontman Ravanelli made perhaps the most eye-catching debut of all the Premier League’s Italian stars after swapping Turin for Middlesbrough in a £7million move. The man known as “The White Feather” plundered a hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool at the Riverside Stadium on the opening day of the 1996-97 season, in the process unveiling his trademark shirt-over-head celebration to a new audience. Attilio Lombardo Promoted Crystal Palace raised eyebrows with the £1.6million swoop for Lombardo, who had played a key role in Juventus’ Serie A title win the previous season, during the summer of 1997. Dubbed “The Bald Eagle” by Palace supporters, he made his Premier League bow on August 9 in a 2-1 victory at Everton in which he scored the opening goal and swiftly endeared himself to the Eagles faithful with an inspirational display. Massimo Taibi Goalkeeper Taibi’s arrival at Manchester United came amid an injury crisis following the departure of treble-winning Peter Schmeichel with Mark Bosnich and Raimond Van Der Gouw both unavailable. The £4.5m signing from Venezia endured mixed fortunes on his debut at Liverpool in September 1999, his error allowing Sami Hyypia to drag the home side back into the game before he made late saves to deny Vladimir Smicer and Robbie Fowler and secure a 3-2 victory in which Jamie Carragher scored two own goals. Bernardo Corradi Former Inter Milan, Lazio and Valencia striker Corradi arrived at Manchester City during the summer of 2006, but his career in England got off to a bad start and went downhill from there. He made his debut in a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea in which he was sent off for two bookable offences – and took 13 games to score the first of just three goals for the club before eventually being released with a year of his contract remaining.

Spain face Sweden in the first Women’s World Cup semi-final on Tuesday as both nations go in search of their first tournament crown. Sweden produced their best performance of the World Cup to defeat Japan 2-1 in the quarter-finals, knocking out the team of the tournament with a display of high-tempo pressing while continuing to take their chances at set-pieces. Centre-back Amanda Ilestedt is Sweden’s top-scorer with four goals so far, with the defender in the race for the World Cup golden boot. Spain required Salma Paralluelo’s extra-time goal to defeat Netherlands and have navigated a player mutiny under head coach Jorge Vilda to reach their first ever World Cup semi-final. The winner will play either England or Australia in Sunday’s World Cup final. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Spain vs Sweden? The first World Cup semi-final kicks off at 9am BST on Wednesday 15 August at Eden Park, Auckland. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, with coverage starting from 8:30am. What is the team news? Spain have not started two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas in their last two games, but La Roja did not need the Barcelona star in their victories over Switzerland and the Netherlands. Salma Paralluelo, the match-winner in the quarter-finals, may return to the starting line-up but Vilda may also decide to keep the Barcelona winger as asubstitute. Sweden were unchanged in their win against the USA and coach Peter Gerhardsson confirmed he has a fully fit squad to choose from, with winger Sofia Jakobsson expected to be available after recovering from a cold this week. How did both teams reach the quarter-finals? Spain (runners-up Group C) 3-0 vs Costa Rica 5-0 vs Zambia 0-4 vs Japan 5-1 vs Switzerland 2-1 vs Netherlands (after extra time) Sweden (Winners Group G) 2-1 vs South Africa 5-0 vs Italy 2-0 vs Argentina 0-0 vs United States (Won 5-4 on penalties) 2-1 vs Japan Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: England news as Lionesses prepare for Australia semi-final Who and when do England play next? Lionesses’ route to the World Cup final How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card? England not focused on spoiling Australia’s World Cup party, says Keira Walsh Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s World Cup golden boot: Who’s leading the top-scorer standings?

Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings is facing a long spell on the sidelines as he is set to undergo an operation on a “significant knee injury”. Mings was carried off on a stretcher in some distress in the first half of Villa’s season-opening 5-1 defeat at Newcastle after a seemingly innocuous tangle of legs with striker Alexander Isak. Villa have not put a timescale on Mings’ recovery but expect a “lengthy rehabilitation”, with his setback coming days after the club lost Emiliano Buendia to a knee ligament injury for up to eight months. The club said in a statement on Monday: “Aston Villa can confirm that Tyrone Mings has sustained a significant knee injury. “The England international was stretchered off from the field after damaging his knee during the first half of Villa’s match at Newcastle United on Saturday. “The defender has undergone scans and will unfortunately require surgery ahead of a lengthy rehabilitation process.” Newcastle posted on Twitter in response to Villa’s update: “Wishing you a speedy recovery, @TyroneMings”. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe signed Mings for Bournemouth in 2015 only to lose the centre-back for 15 months when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament on his Cherries debut. Howe said at the weekend: “I have to say he faced that period out with incredible courage and resilience, and what he’s done since that moment, to go on and play for his country and be outstanding in the Premier League, is testament to that resilience. “We certainly wish him well and I send him all my love.” Read More Eddie Howe reveals his admiration for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali Sandro Tonali inspires Newcastle to stunning Premier League start Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest news as England prepare for Australia semi-final

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has completed a season-long loan move to Real Madrid. The 28-year-old Spain international, who joined the Blues in a £71.6million switch from Athletic Bilbao in August 2018, is contracted at the Bernabeu until June next year. Real needed a new keeper after Thibaut Courtois was ruled out for the majority of the season with an ACL injury. A statement on Real’s official website said: “Real Madrid CF and Chelsea FC have agreed on the loan of the player Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is linked to the club this season, until June 30, 2024. “In his five seasons at Chelsea, he has won one Champions League, one Club World Cup, one European Super Cup and one Europa League. “This year, he has received the award for the best save in the Premier League for the 2022-2023 season. “Kepa is an international with the Spanish team, with which he has been proclaimed champion of the 2023 Nations League. With Spain, he also won the U19 European Championship in 2012.” Kepa will be formally presented as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday afternoon. His return to Spain follows the arrival of 25-year-old compatriot Robert Sanchez at Stamford Bridge. Sanchez made a £25million switch from Brighton earlier this month and started Sunday’s 1-1 home draw with Liverpool as youngster Lucas Bergstrom provided the back-up on the bench. Kepa has 163 Chelsea appearances under his belt and was handed the captaincy last season. However, he has become surplus to requirements under new boss Mauricio Pochettino and will now work for a season under former Chelsea head coach Carlo Ancelotti. A statement on the club’s official website said: “Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has completed a season-long loan move to LaLiga side Real Madrid. “The club wish him well for the season ahead in Madrid, where he will work with former Chelsea head coach Carlo Ancelotti.”

Neymar’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal is set to be completed in the next 48 hours, the PA news agency understands. Sources close to Paris St Germain say the club are set to receive up to 100 million euros (£86.3m) from Al Hilal for the 31-year-old Brazilian as they rebuild their squad around younger, up-and-coming players. The deal has been sanctioned by PSG because Spanish coach Luis Enrique was open to letting Neymar leave. Selling Neymar would also shift his 25m euro annual wage off the club’s books, with his existing contract due to run until the summer of 2025. News of Neymar’s imminent exit comes less than 24 hours after the club confirmed striker Kylian Mbappe had been reinstated to first-team training. Mbappe is understood to have indicated his commitment to the club, who have offered him a contract with a “guaranteed sale” clause in it allowing him to seal a move to Real Madrid next summer for a fee. The club had been convinced Mbappe was preparing to let his current deal run out, which would have allowed him to leave Paris and join Real on a free transfer next year. The club acted by omitting the player from the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea and forcing him to train away from the main first-team group, until the thaw in relations confirmed on Sunday. They had also granted Mbappe permission to talk to Al Hilal after receiving a world record £259m bid for the player in July, but it was reported the 24-year-old refused to even meet with a delegation from the Saudi club. The imminent exit for big money of Neymar and the news on Mbappe marks a major and positive turnaround for PSG. The French champions are consciously moving away from what their president Nasser Al Khelaifi has called their “bling bling” era, with Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi also exiting the club earlier this summer. Neymar’s signing for a world record £200m fee in 2017 arguably marked the start of that era, but the club’s incomings this summer indicate a difference in approach, with the likes of 22-year-old Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos changing the profile of the team. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists Eric Dier remains “part of this team” despite his absence from Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Brentford. Dier was one of several senior players left out of the Spurs squad along with Hugo Lloris, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele. Postecoglou has been honest about the need for Tottenham to offload players during the final weeks of the transfer window, but he suggested nothing should be read into Dier’s absence. Reports on Sunday which linked Dier with a move to Saudi Arabia were later shut down and he trained at Hotspur Way earlier that day, but he may have to assess his playing options now he seems to be fifth choice at centre-back. “Eric is part of this team. We left a few out,” Postecoglou said. “We left some players on the bench that are very good players. We need a strong squad, it’s not about 11 players. “Eric is in the same boat as all the other boys. He’s working hard in training and available for selection. “My decisions then are what I think will give us the best chance of success for any given game and then we reassess the week after. Nothing really unusual there.” Dier was a regular under Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte and made 42 appearances last season. The summer arrival of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg has pushed Dier down the pecking order and despite featuring in pre-season, Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez appear to have also moved ahead of him. Dier joined Spurs in 2014 but was snubbed for the captaincy roles with Son Heung-min named skipper and James Maddison and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero listed as vice-captains. Romero was part of a new-look defence at Brentford with debuts handed to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, Van de Ven and left-back Destiny Udogie. Postecoglou added: “Obviously we had Micky, Destiny and Vic, three of our back five, making their debut for the clubs and anyone will tell you when it comes to the defensive side of the game, the more understanding you have, the better you are. “We obviously took a bit of a gamble throwing them all in but I thought all three handled themselves really well. It is not an easy place to come, you get put under pressure with balls coming into the box and I thought they all handled themselves really well. Eric is in the same boat as all the other boys. He's working hard in training and available for selection. Ange Postecoglou on Eric Dier “Micky has only had three sessions with us so I could have waited to put him in there, but my feeling is he will be a very good footballer for us and the quicker we introduce him to Premier League football the better he will be.” Sunday marked the start of the post-Harry Kane era for Tottenham, but his departure to Bayern Munich on Saturday night did not alter the plans of Brentford too much. Bees boss Thomas Frank said: “No, that is the short answer. Of course he is a different type to Richarlison. He is the England number nine compared to the Brazilian number nine. “That we know and the only tweak would have been that if Kane drops down deep, we would have needed to be aware of his fantastic passing skills and get closer to him. “Richarlison is more about the runs but our game plan is our game plan with the things we believe in.”

West Ham have announced the signing of midfielder James Ward-Prowse from Southampton. The 28-year-old made 410 appearances for Saints and was captain as they were relegated from the Premier League last season. He has made a swift return to the top flight after joining the Hammers for an undisclosed fee – reported to be in the region of £30million – signing a four-year contract at the London Stadium. Ward-Prowse told the club’s official website: “I’m buzzing to be here at West Ham United. It’s great to be here and I’m looking forward to getting going. “From the outside looking in, this is a club that has been on the rise for a number of years now and coming off the success in the UEFA Europa Conference League last year, you can feel there is real momentum around this club. It’s great to be a part of it and I can’t wait to play my role in the games to come. “When I think about my game, it is based on hard work, graft, and giving 100 per cent. West Ham United has always been a club that epitomises that. You can feel that from the fans and you can see it in the players who are here and the lads that have come through the academy too. “I feel as though I will fit straight in and I can promise I will give my all for this football club in my time here.” Ward-Prowse spent two decades on the south coast having joined Southampton’s academy at the age of eight. During his time at St Mary’s, he earned 11 senior England caps and scored two goals for his country. Ward-Prowse scored 17 Premier League free-kicks for Southampton and needs just one more to draw level with the record, held by David Beckham. He becomes West Ham’s second major signing of the summer following the recent acquisition of fellow midfielder Edson Alvarez from Ajax. Manchester United defender Harry Maguire could be the next player in at West Ham as manager David Moyes looks to improve a team that finished 14th last season but went on to lift the Europa Conference League. They opened their season with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday and lost former captain Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105million in July.

The disconsolate trudge is becoming a disconcertingly familiar sight. Kevin De Bruyne has limped out of grander games than the curtain raiser to a Premier League. He has made an early exit from bigger occasions this summer. His Champions League final, like his evening in Burnley, came to a premature conclusion. A focus on De Bruyne’s body can concentrate on the remarkable right foot he uses to unlock defences, to pass and cross with an ability most can only envy. It may switch to his increasingly fragile hamstrings. For De Bruyne, Inter Milan may be bracketed alongside Burnley in the memory. His last two starts, two months apart, ended with him hamstrung. “He was injured again, unfortunately. A problem in the same position, he said to me as in the final of the Champions League,” rued Pep Guardiola. “It depends on the magnitude of the injury but it will be a few weeks out.” There will be no De Bruyne against Sevilla in the European Super Cup or against Newcastle in the first major test of Manchester City’s defence of their Premier League title. He could sit out the start of their Champions League campaign. A summer sandwiched by injuries suggests De Bruyne was rushed back. He had said after the Community Shield he was way ahead of schedule; he had targeted the Super Cup for his comeback. “It’s a pity because he had recovered well,” Guardiola said. “Maybe it was my mistake [to pick him] but if he is injured after 15-20 minutes it is not something wrong, when it is 65 or 70 it is the fatigue of the muscle. We have to talk with the doctors and him.” His plan, he had said, was to give the Belgian 50 or 55 minutes, rather than the cameo he had at Wembley. Which, as that culminated in the penalty he slammed against the underside of the bar in the shootout, has completed an ill-fated start to the season. “He is disappointed but he is strong and will be back,” added Guardiola. Yet for how long? De Bruyne may be increasingly injury prone. For a player who has never looked like a natural athlete, a red-faced figure who can seem a throwback to earlier eras, he has shown great durability. He has won 99 caps for Belgium – he would have brought up a century in the summer but for injury – and this was the 587th game of his club career. His 32nd birthday only came in June but to play almost 700 matches by that stage means he has plenty of miles on the clock. Or miles on the hamstring. He revealed after the Champions League final he had played for two months with the risk it could snap. By the time he is fit again, he will have spent the vast majority of six months with a hamstring problem of some description. It has prompted fears it will be a constant for the rest of his career. A reunion with City’s other talismanic Belgian could illustrate it. Vincent Kompany, a colleague for club and country, still made huge contributions in the latter years of his time at the Etihad Stadium but did not make 30 appearances in any of the last four campaigns. He played his final game at 33. De Bruyne should show greater longevity but his appearances will have to be rationed. All of which could create a problem, even in a squad as gifted as City’s. De Bruyne is a unique talent – “what a player he is,” gushed Kompany – and, as his total of 29 assists last season shows, reaches extraordinary levels of creativity. He is Erling Haaland’s supplier-in-chief and the shifting dynamics in the City squad has rendered his qualities perhaps still more significant. The departures of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan have stripped them of two of the likeliest providers of goals and assists amid the band of attacking midfielders and wingers. Mateo Kovacic won’t deliver as many as the German; should Lucas Paqueta arrive, another able technician won’t replicate Mahrez’s contribution in the final third. De Bruyne is irreplaceable in various respects: no one is a like-for-like alternative and, as he ventures further into his thirties, City will have to ponder the question of who his long-term successor is. In the short term, they can console themselves with memories of Phil Foden’s impact when he came on for De Bruyne in the Champions League final and that, when he was sidelined for much of the 2018-19 campaign, they did a domestic treble. But now each injury comes with the sense that it will not be the last, but that De Bruyne is nearer the end. A man who has illuminated many a game may miss more and more. Read More Kevin De Bruyne faces ‘a few weeks out’ after suffering another hamstring injury Pep Guardiola reveals extent of Kevin De Bruyne’s hamstring injury Erling Haaland at the double as Manchester City kick off new campaign in style

What the papers say Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, according to the Daily Mail. Juventus are also said to be monitoring the 21-year-old Belgium international, who caught international attention during the Qatar World Cup. The Nottingham Post reports Nottingham Forest have had a bid for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare rejected. The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time, but citing ESPN Netherlands, the paper says Forest’s approach was below PSV’s expectations, with Sangare believed to be valued at £32m. The Daily Mail, via Sky Germany, says Bayern Munich have turned down an initial bid from Manchester United for defender Benjamin Pavard. The Daily Mail also reports that Everton are close to signing Leeds winger Jack Harrison on a season-long loan. Social media round-up Players to watch Neymar: The Paris St Germain forward has agreed a two-year deal with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, according to L’Equipe. Folarin Balogun: Tottenham are considering a move for the Arsenal forward to replace Harry Kane, reports Gazzetta Dello Sport. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live