From Swansea setback to England international – Marc Guehi has come a long way
Marc Guehi is aiming to be England’s ‘Steady Eddie’ after overcoming doubts during a loan stint at Swansea to become a regular in Gareth Southgate’s squad. The Crystal Palace centre-back, 23, has seven senior caps and has featured in three of the previous four games ahead of the final Euro 2024 qualification double-header against Malta and North Macedonia. Having come through the ranks at Chelsea, where he credits Claude Makelele as a mentor, Guehi never made a Premier League appearance for the Blues but is now a fixture in the division in south London. Guehi was also capped at every England age group from Under-16s upwards until making his senior debut last year. Asked how he has dealt with every step up in his career, Guehi replied: “The trait is, that in my life everything has been quite steady. Growing up I was never pushed on too soon, or left behind. “It was always quite steady and my career has been exactly the same. In the academy, going out on loan, steadily playing game after game and gaining confidence. Getting the move to Palace and finding my feet in the Premier League and now coming here with England. “So when you talk about those steps and progression, everything for me has been quite natural. I just see things how they are and take things how they come. “When I said about the steadiness, along that pathway there is those setbacks. I think it’s your job as an individual to just learn from those as quickly as possible. And not allow them to drag you from behind. “There’s been many setbacks and always will be. It’s about learning from them and using those moments to prove yourself.” The main setback for Guehi was during his time on loan at Swansea, a move which coincided with the start of the coronavirus pandemic that shut down football for over three months during the 2019/20 season. Guehi was away from home and had fallen out of favour in the Swansea team, not featuring in the final four matchday squads before football was halted – although he returned to get back into the side before spending another campaign on loan at the Liberty Stadium. “Not many people know, it was tough for me at Swansea,” he said. Those moments were difficult, you take those moments, learn from them, try to move on and put them right Marc Guehi “I have not spoken about it, everyone thinks it was plain sailing, great. I played the first four games and then I didn’t play up until after lockdown. Being away from home, in Swansea, different country, on your own, there’s going to be challenges, going to be tough. “Those moments were difficult, you take those moments, learn from them, try to move on and put them right. I was just out of favour. Not anything in particular. I came from Chelsea, came with a lot of confidence, and my confidence almost gets knocked. “Thankfully, I did get back home, just in time before (lockdown), it was so strange to say it, for so many people around the world it was horrible, for my family, and so many people around. “For me, it was probably the best moment, I could get away from football, be with my family, and just focus on myself. How can I now if football does come back – thankfully football did come back – if we do get back to playing, how can I get back in this team? “I genuinely enjoyed Swansea. It was good. Swansea was a great place for me to play. I had a great view from an apartment looking out onto the beach although it was not sunny but it was still a decent view.” Guehi, who plays drums at his church when time allows and whose father is a pastor, has used setbacks such as his experiences in south Wales, to build a stronger mentality. “It is like building calluses but in your mind,” he added. “Going through those moments does help you in everyday life, everyday situations. You might have a bad game but you remember what you’ve gone through before, and you almost put that to bed and go I just need to prove myself the next game. Moving steadily.” Read More Anthony Joshua sees Otto Wallin as a stepping stone on his way to a title fight Rohit Sharma glad India ‘could get the job done’ against New Zealand Still plenty to play for – Scotland v Georgia talking points A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Virat Kohli hits record ton as India beat New Zealand to reach World Cup final Francis Ngannou ranked as top-10 heavyweight by WBC after impressive debut
2023-11-16 07:26
Notre Dame OT Joe Alt is a once-in-a-generation talent even for the No. 20 Fighting Irish
It might be the worst-kept secret around Notre Dame's campus
2023-11-16 07:23
South Carolina returns to familiar No. 1 spot in women's hoops with new faces, inexperienced roster
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is back at No. 1 in her first season without the core of the group that went to the past three Final Fours and won the 2022 national title
2023-11-16 07:16
Chelsea controversially held by Real Madrid in Champions League opener
Chelsea had to settle for a point in their Champions League opener as Olga Carmona’s penalty saw Emma Hayes’ side held 2-2 at Real Madrid. After Carmona put Real ahead in the 10th minute, the Blues turned things around via two headers either side of the break, Niamh Charles equalising and then setting up Sam Kerr. But moments later Carmona – scorer of Spain’s winner against England in the summer’s World Cup final – converted from the spot after Jessie Fleming was judged to have fouled Athenea del Castillo in the box. Chelsea substitute Lauren James rattled the crossbar before Charles controversially had an effort ruled out in stoppage time as the visitors were unable to secure a winning start to their final Champions League campaign before Hayes leaves at the end of the season and becomes United States head coach. The west London outfit – who have not won this competition among the glut of trophies they have claimed under Hayes, going closest as runners-up in 2021 – return to Women’s Super League action against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before continuing their Group D games by taking on Paris FC at the same ground five days later. Wednesday’s earlier game in the pool saw Paris FC beaten 2-1 at home by Swedish side BK Hacken. Real grabbed the lead with the first real effort on goal as Ann-Katrin Berger’s attempted clearance came to Claudia Zornoza and she passed to Carmona, whose strike from 25 yards flew in via a deflection off Chelsea skipper Millie Bright. While the hosts offered little more in the way of attacking threat for the rest of the first half, Chelsea looked increasingly likely to hit back. And after Kerr had seen a rising shot well turned behind by Misa Rodriguez just prior to the half-hour mark and Erin Cuthbert fired off-target, the equaliser four minutes before the break when Charles headed in from Ashley Lawrence’s cross. Further Chelsea pressure in stoppage time included a Cuthbert free-kick going wide off a white shirt and Sjoeke Nusken’s shot being caught by Rodriguez. The opening stages of the second half saw Rodriguez deal with a Kerr header and do superbly to divert a shot from the same player wide moments later. Hayes introduced James for Fran Kirby and after Charles blocked a Del Castillo strike, the substitute put a shot into the stand at the other end. Chelsea got themselves in front with Charles once again involved as her 74th-minute cross was nodded in by Kerr. But only five minutes later, the score was back level after Fleming made a challenge that started outside the box on Del Castillo, she went down in the area and – with no VAR in operation – referee Frida Klarlund pointed to the spot, with Carmona powerfully dispatching the penalty past Berger. As Chelsea pushed to regain the lead, Rodriguez produced another good save to deny Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and James sent a wonderful shot crashing against the bar. The visitors then had the ball in the net again deep in stoppage time through Charles’ finish, but the effort was chalked off – seemingly for offside, although replays showed she had not been – to leave Hayes looking frustrated and Real breathing a sigh of relief. Read More Jon Rahm says it is ‘mainly my fault’ that he cannot catch Rory McIlroy in Dubai Ex-Chelsea keeper Petr Cech joins Belfast Giants as ‘temporary emergency cover’ Sir Chris Hoy says Katie Archibald’s form ‘incredibly impressive’ ahead of Paris Emma Hayes: Winning Champions League would be fairytale end to time at Chelsea The issues facing injury-hit Newcastle heading into testing end to year The sporting weekend in pictures
2023-11-16 06:53
Sam Howell is the NFL's leading passer through 10 weeks. The Commanders hope he's their long-term QB
Sam Howell is the NFL’s leading passer with 2,783 yards, and his 264 completions are also the most of any quarterback through the first 10 weeks of the season
2023-11-16 06:49
F1 roars into Las Vegas with parties, concerts, celebrities and, eventually, an actual race
Formula One has arrived in Las Vegas for a week of parties, concerts, celebrity-packed events and eventually Saturday night's race
2023-11-16 06:21
Frank Reich retakes control of offensive play calls in Carolina less than a month after giving it up
Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich is retaking control of the team’s offensive play calling less than a month after handing it over to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown
2023-11-16 06:19
Ravens and Bengals meet in prime time in a matchup that could set the tone for the AFC North stretch
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens lead the AFC North through Week 10 for the fourth time in five seasons
2023-11-16 05:23
MLB team owners set to vote Thursday on proposed relocation of Athletics to Las Vegas
Major League Baseball owners are set to vote on the proposed relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas at the end of their league-wide meeting Thursday
2023-11-16 04:55
Granit Xhaka sets Switzerland record with 119th national team game in Euro 2024 qualifier
Granit Xhaka has set a Switzerland record by playing in a 119th game for the men’s national team
2023-11-16 04:26
Real Madrid vs Chelsea LIVE: Women’s Champions League score and updates Olga Carmona strikes
Chelsea travel to Spain to start their Women’s Champions League (WCL) campaign in what will be manager Emma Hayes’ last opportunity to win the European competition before she leaves the club at the end of the season. The WCL is the only piece of silverware that has eluded Hayes in her 11-year tenure at Chelsea but winning the tournament in her final year with the club will not be an easy feat. An opening clash against Real Madrid, runners-up in Liga F, will test the Women’s Super League (WSL) champions and the rise of Paris FC, who defeated Arsenal and Wolfsburg in qualifying, make a difficult tournament that much trickier at the group stage. Chelsea reached the semi-final stage last season before losing 2-1 on aggregate to Barcelona who went on to lift the trophy. Barca were also the team to stop the Blues on their only trip to the final, running out 4-0 winners in the 2021 showpiece to deny them the title. Adding the talented Ashley Lawrence and Catarina Macario this summer brings extra depth to Chelsea’s squad and they will need the experience of multiple WSL winners if they are to go far this time around. Follow all the action from the Women’s Champions League plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
2023-11-16 04:18
Joshua vs Wallin and Wilder vs Parker official for 23 December
Anthony Joshua will fight Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia on 23 December, on the same card as a bout between Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker. The fights are just two of several heavyweight clashes that will take place in the same ring in Riyadh, with Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic among the other boxers in action that night, while light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is also set to compete. The event was officially announced at a press conference in London on Wednesday (15 November). Joshua, 34, and Wilder, 38, have long been linked to one another, and there will inevitably be frustration among fans that the Briton and American will share a ring on 23 December but without boxing each other. Joshua will instead box Wallin, whose sole professional loss came against Tyson Fury in 2019. The Swede, 32, almost secured a victory that night after inflicting a severe cut over Fury’s right eye. Wallin has since won six fights in a row, and his professional record stands at 26-1 (14 knockouts). Meanwhile, Wilder will fight Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs), a teammate of Fury. The New Zealander is on a three-fight win streak, having bounced back well from a stoppage loss to Joe Joyce last year. Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) and Wilder (43-2-1, 32 KOs) both beat Robert Helenius last time out, with “AJ” stopping the Finn in Round 7 in August, after Wilder secured a first-round knockout in October 2022. Joshua’s victory over Helenius was his second straight win after his back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, who took the unified heavyweight titles from AJ in 2021 and retained the gold in their 2022 rematch. Meanwhile, Wilder’s win against Helenius saw him respond positively to back-to-back defeats by Tyson Fury, who won the WBC belt from Wilder in 2020 and retained it against the American in 2021. The pair previously fought to a controversial draw in 2018. "People are talking like I've peaked when they've never even seen a peak in their career, so I don't know what they're talking about,” Joshua said, referring to comments made by Wallin, whom he beat twice in the amateurs and with whom he later sparred. "I'm looking forward to relaying my message to Otto Wallin on 23 December. I can't predict the future, but I know where I wanna go, I know what I wanna do, and I'm sticking to my plan. “I'm a man of my word, and I believe in being a three-time champion of the world. This is what I like about the division: There's a roadmap with checkpoints, and I can't wait to get to the final destination. I'm fully focused on this fight, I'm determined to win, and I'm determined to get back to my 'peak'." Meanwhile, Wilder said: “Parker’s good at the end of the day, I think highly of him. He’s an amazing human being as a man, he’s a great fighter as well. It’s gonna be a remarkable feeling to finally share the ring with him. “The blessing is I have the ability to knock a single man out with one punch. This is something that’s been with me all my life, it’s not something I’ve developed. The curse is that it’s allowed people to shy away from me, to be fearful. Sometimes that can be harmful to the business of boxing.“ When asked whether any other fighter on the stage had ever ‘shied away’ from fighting him, Wilder said: “I don’t really have to say much, y’all have heard me many times throughout the years. I don’t feel the need to call out any names. At this time, my mind is focused solely on Joseph Parker. “It’s good to be in the same room [as Joshua], to see him face to face, it’s been a long time coming. I wish you nothing but the best, bro, and hopefully we can get in the ring some time soon.” Elsewhere on the 23 December card, Dubois will box Jarrell Miller, while Hrgovic fights Mark De Mori. Bivol will defend his WBA light-heavyweight title against Lyndon Arthur, and also in that division, Jai Opetaia fights Ellis Zorro. Meanwhile, Frank Sanchez will go up against Junior Fa at heavyweight, where Arslanbek Makhmudov boxes Agit Kabayel. Read More Boxing’s heavyweight saga sees biggest plot twist yet Joshua and Wilder in line to fight on same Saudi card – but not against each other Eddie Hearn makes surprising revelation about Anthony Joshua coach Anthony Joshua and Louis Theroux break into freestyle rap battle: ‘Fire in the booth’ Anthony Joshua relives fight with ‘six guys’ who attacked him in the street Anthony Joshua teases Tyson Fury fight during interview with Louis Theroux
2023-11-16 03:59