List of All Articles with Tag 'pp'

A few years ago, Declan Rice said he would have passed. Now, however, the £105m man assumed responsibility, shot and, via a deflection off Jonny Evans, gave Arsenal a 96th-minute lead against Manchester United. As Gabriel Jesus scored an even later goal, it was not technically the winner. But Rice was the scorer of the de facto decider in the sort of match that can define seasons and establish reputations. Perhaps particularly for central midfielders, given that it is a fixture that evokes memories of Patrick Vieira against Roy Keane. Vieira scored the winning penalty in an FA Cup final shootout against United; Keane scored a disproportionate number of his United goals – five, almost 10 percent – against Arsenal. Rice’s first in Arsenal colours came at United’s expense. The most expensive Englishman ever can appear something of a throwback player: called a defensive midfielder, but often an all-rounder, in the way the Frenchman and the Irishman were. His post-match interview was conducted next to Keane who, like Graeme Souness, a similarly dominant and brilliant midfielder and another whose punditry could focus more on personalities than tactics, subscribes to the great man theory of history: as a footballing great himself, he tends to argue that matches are determined by the determination of individuals, by a willingness to seize the moment, by winning a personal battle. It suits him to argue games are won by warriors, not formations involving inverted full-backs or box midfielders. Football has grown more complex, the tactical intricacies of managers such as Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola reducing the significance of going mano a mano with the opposition’s alpha male. And yet, in the age of the £100m midfielder, perhaps Rice has a responsibility to be more than just another cog in the wheel, to be the match-winner at least sometimes. If it is simplistic to demand a tangible impact that always equates with his price tag for a player whose contribution stretches far beyond goals and assists, he is nevertheless charged with improving Arsenal. Turning one point into three and winning a game against rivals is a way of doing that. And if philosophies and systems seemed to have reduced the reliance on the individual, there is evidence in the midfields of Arteta and Guardiola that football can still come down to big players producing big deeds at big moments. Ilkay Gundogan spent the first half of his Manchester City career as a neat passer. In the second half, he was transformed into the man for the big occasion, the scorer supreme who could use his footballing intelligence to find space and his technique to finish. It was, in part, why he became captain; by the time of his FA Cup final brace, he felt more Roy of the Rovers than Sergio Busquets. As the defensive midfielder, Rodri’s primary responsibilities were to engineer perpetual possession and to cut off counter-attacks. Yet as the Spaniard grew in stature, he has tended to deliver crucial contributions: most obviously the Champions League final winner and most recently the superb late decider at Sheffield United but a pre-Rice Arsenal can probably still remember and regret his injury-time winner at the Emirates Stadium on New Year’s Day in 2022: if the sense is that managers like Guardiola and Arteta want their midfielders to be elegantly robotic, executing a strategy with practised excellence, the importance of individual interventions is still apparent. Rice need only gaze across the Arsenal midfield to see. Martin Odegaard joined with certain similarities to Gundogan: obviously an assured passer, he has turned himself into an accomplished scorer as well as a regular skipper. The Norwegian’s two goals this season, a nerveless penalty at Crystal Palace and a swift equaliser against United, were signs of his substance, of a capacity to deliver when it matters. That Rice did likewise feels auspicious. He has cost the sort of sum that used to be reserved for attackers. Chelsea created the £100m midfielder and now have two of them, a £222m double act. That can seem the product of a shift in thinking, recognising the significance of dictating a game. But there is still the need to decide it. Enzo Fernandez has shown his incisive passing as he has become increasingly creative: that he only has two assists in their colours is in part a reflection of others’ poor finishing. But the Argentinian has a lone goal himself, and that was against AFC Wimbledon of League Two, while he missed a penalty at West Ham. Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea career has only spanned 205 minutes on the pitch and, while Fernandez has been used as a No 10 of late, the Ecuadorian’s deeper role means he is likely to score fewer goals than the World Cup winner or Rice. Nevertheless, at such a colossal cost, each was bought to make a difference. And when, deep into added time, it seemed Arsenal would drop two points, Rice did. Read More Arrest after Roy Keane allegedly headbutted at Emirates Stadium Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus hopes he has seen the last of knee niggles Declan Rice rises to the moment as Arsenal avoid disastrous slip-up

Today's Saudi Pro League news includes Al-Ittihed being set to make a last ditch attempt to sign Mohamed Salah. Jadon Sancho could avoid spending a season on Manchester United's bench if he moves to the division and Jamaal Lascelles has been linked with A

Tamara Lich and Chris Barber face mischief charges related to the 2022 truck protests in Ottawa.

South Africa coach Rob Walter said on Tuesday that Quinton de Kock has "unfinished business" after it was announced that the wicketkeeper will retire from one-day international cricket after the World Cup...

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the US regional banking crisis that followed earlier this year had major economic and regulatory repercussions for lenders across the globe, some of which may be felt for years to come. But now that the more immediate threat of the crisis has dissipated, some clear winners have emerged.

KL Rahul has been named in India's Cricket World Cup squad despite the wicketkeeper-batter not playing in an international game since May

Jude Bellingham is a generational talent, and the wonderkid has made a brilliant start to life at his new club Real Madrid. However, it looks like there are still a few teething problems with the language barrier – after the Spanish club spelled his name wrong in their own locker room. Bellingham was reacting after scoring yet another goal for his new side after moving from Borussia Dortmund when people noticed an unexpected detail in the background. The player, who is still just 20-years-old, scored the winner for Real Madrid against Getafe on Saturday (September 2) and cameras captured his reaction to the result. "I've never heard a stadium sound louder in my life,” Bellingham said, before celebrating with his fellow players. Only, people on social media seemed a little more concerned with his locker, which featured a big spelling mistake. The big letters behind him actually spelled out “Bellimgham” and not Bellingham. "Can’t even spell his name right on that locker," one football fan posted. However they spell his name, Real Madrid fans have definitely already taken him in as one of their own. He’s enjoyed an incredible start, having scored on his debut against Athletic Bilbao. He then scored two and scored again against Celta Vigo before scoring against Getafe. In fact, he has equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record set in 2009, having become only the second Real Madrid player in history to score in their first four games for the team. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Villarreal coach Quique Setien paid the price for a slow start to the season as the La Liga club announced...

Sergio Ramos has revealed he turned down offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS in order to return to Sevilla.

Jadon Sancho’s future at Manchester United appears uncertain after a public falling-out with manager Erik ten Hag. It is the latest instalment in what has been a frustrating spell at Old Trafford for the England international. Here, the PA news agency looks at where it has gone wrong. What has happened? Ten Hag did not include Sancho in his squad for Sunday’s game at Arsenal, saying the player had not reached the required “level” in training. This was quickly disputed by Sancho in a strong statement on social media. The 23-year-old claimed he had been made a “scapegoat” for a long time and that claims about his conduct in training were “completely untrue”. Coming after two difficult years at the club, it raised questions over his future. What were the previous issues? Sancho’s United career does not seem to have ignited. Considered one of England’s brightest young prospects, he arrived amid much fanfare in the summer of 2021, but illness initially restricted his involvement. Then there was the turbulence of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being replaced by Ralf Rangnick before Ten Hag’s arrival last summer. Confidence clearly suffered and Sancho was unable to find any consistent form. What has happened under Ten Hag? Sancho’s performances did not significantly improve after Ten Hag’s arrival last summer and he was consequently overlooked for England’s World Cup squad. Ten Hag went on to criticise his “fitness state” and revealed he spent time training away from the squad on an “individual programme”. Since then opportunities have been restricted by the form of Marcus Rashford and further competition from Antony and Alejandro Garnacho. Is wasn’t meant to be this way was it? Absolutely not. Sancho was highly rated in Manchester City’s academy and the club were disappointed to lose him when he opted to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017. Some questioned whether that move was wise and suggested he should have stayed to work under Pep Guardiola, as Phil Foden did, but it seemed to pay off. Sancho had four highly fruitful years in Germany and became an established international. He seemed ready for the move in 2021, but it has simply not gone to plan. What happens next? After going public with his grievances in the way he did, it seems unlikely he will be back in the United side any time soon. He would need to settle his differences with the manager and then convince him he is playing well enough to be selected. That could take time. There have been suggestions a Saudi Arabian club could offer an immediate way out, but there has been no firm interest reported. It could be a quiet few months ahead. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Leeds release prop Zane Tetevano to return to New Zealand after heart surgery Chris Dobey keen to bring major darts trophy to St James’ Park Artificial intelligence could replace referees within 30 years – expert

She is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House says, while President Joe Biden tested negative.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Speaker Kevin McCarthy aren't typically aligned on many issues. But they were kindred spirits in a recent phone call on one key priority: boosting pay for wildland firefighters.