There are many things that Manchester City and Manchester United have in common - but one thing decisively separates them this season.
Based just five miles apart and united by a shared desire to return to the top of the Premier League, their gameplans are almost diametrically opposed.
The best teams in the world often play in similar ways, as demonstrated in last season's Champions League final between between Paris St-Germain and ******* nal - teams who use similar shapes, look to dominate the ball, and encourage rotations into fixed positions.
But looking ahead to Sunday's Manchester derby, expect to see City boss Enzo Maresca and his United counterpart Michael Carrick field teams teams that play in a totally different way to each other.
In short, City use a rigid structure with players precisely positioned, while United have a more fluid approach that has some positional guidelines but allows players the freedom to roam - here is how it works in detail.

#league #similar

When Sunderland were awarded a penalty following Ezri Konsa's impromptu wrestling match with Dan Ballard, it felt like a massive opportunity to break the deadlock against the notoriously watertight Gunners as Enzo Le Fée lined up his spot kick against David Raya.
There was little wrong with the Frenchman's attempt — firmly struck and aimed towards the corner — but the Spaniard made a superb save to deny Le Fée his second success from twelve yards inside a week. And when everyone's favourite villain Bruno Guimaraẽs duly fired a venomous dipping shot past Robin Roefs barely minutes later, it felt like the classic one-two punch and it ultimately defined the game.
Sunderland more than held their own in this contest; we looked sharp, combative and were able to fashion a number of decent chances against the defending champions, but the finishing touch eluded the Lads on this occasion and that somehow made the loss even more frustrating.
We know we're capable of giving the league's big guns a run for their money on any given day, and occasionally emerging victorious, but during what could easily be a "difficult second season", we need to find ways to bridge the gap and to continue to eke out points from tricky positions.
A disappointing outcome. The 0-2 scoreline might've felt slightly harsh and Reinildo's late red card was a sickener, but the way the game panned out wasn't entirely unexpected, given ******* nal's current status and Sunderland's ongoing attempts at evolution.

#second #ezri

Cardiff Devils opened the 2026-27 season with a 3-1 victory over Guildford Flames in the Challenge Cup at Vindico Arena.
The Devils fell behind when Cole Sandford - who left Cardiff in the summer - returned to score inside three minutes against his former club.
Josh MacDonald tied the game with a deflected shot midway through the first period and the game remained 1-1 going into the third.
Joey Martin became only the fifth player in Elite League history to reach 700 points with an ****** ist on Kohen Olischefski's go-ahead goal, and defenceman Nick Welsh sealed the win with just under two and a half minutes to play.
Devils netminder Ben Bowns was man of the match, saving 45 of 46 shots.

#devils

Is it possible to build hype around a new professional sport franchise if it does not play in its home city?
Those behind the Belfast Wolves, founding members of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), think 'yes it is' and they have ambitions to attract new audiences to the sport.
Stormont was packed during a summer of international cricket, but the Wolves are so-far playing exclusively on the road. Its owners hope Belfast will host matches next year.
Until it gets its ducks in a row, the franchise's backers are working hard to get the brand known and build a fanbase.
Large crowds enjoyed a summer of international cricket at Stormont [Getty Images]

#sport #summer #Cricket

Gia Corley and Melanie Barcenas scored and the San Diego Wave beat the visiting North Carolina Courage 2-1 on Saturday.
In the day's other National Women's Soccer League matches, the Utah Royals edged the Houston Dash 1-0 and the Seattle Reign defeated Bay FC 2-0.
Corley scored her first NWSL goal in the 23rd minute and Barcenas added a curling shot for a goal in the 72nd to give the Wave a 2-0 lead at Snapdragon Stadium.
Ashley Sanchez got her 19th goal of the season in the 82nd and North Carolina (12-9-3) avoided the shutout.
Sanchez leads the Golden Boot race with 19 goals this season, setting the record for most goals scored by an American player in a single season. She is one goal away from Temwa Chawinga's NWSL record.

#season

Coventry City host Brighton & Hove Albion in a Premier League fixture at the CBS Arena on Sunday, with Frank Lampard's side yet to collect a point this season.
A fourth straight defeat without scoring would match a mark Coventry have set only once before, in 1919-20, their first season in the Football League. Brighton, tenth on four points, have had a mixed start under Fabian Hurzeler, following a 4-0 opening win over Aston Villa with a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea and a 1-1 draw with Leeds United.
The Seagulls have lost each of their last three Premier League away games, and their most recent visit to Coventry — a 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win in February 2018 — remains the sides' last meeting. The match kicks off at 14:00 and will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League.
Date: Sunday, 13 September 2026
Kick-off: 14:00 BST

#sunday #season #defeat

Manchester United host Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday in the first Manchester derby of the season, with Enzo Maresca's league leaders looking to maintain a perfect start to the campaign against a United side sitting 11th on four points.
Both clubs arrive on the back of Champions League wins in midweek, City beating Porto 2-0 and United thrashing debutants Sabah 4-0. Michael Carrick, who took permanent charge of United since first winning this exact fixture as interim boss in January, has won nine of his 10 Premier League home matches in his second spell at the club and is looking to become the first United manager in 113 years to win both of his opening derbies in the league.
City, meanwhile, have won their first three league games this season and would set an outright record for most consecutive opening-day wins to a Premier League campaign with victory on Sunday. The match kicks off at 16:30 and will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Date: Sunday, 13 September 2026
Kick-off: 16:30 BST

#premier #sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- LAFC spent the first half of Saturday night looking like a team that had forgotten what was at stake.
Sporting Kansas City came into the match with the worst goal difference in MLS and 58 goals conceded through 23 games, yet it was LAFC that looked overwhelmed for long stretches at Sporting Park. By halftime, Sporting had built a 2-0 lead, and although LAFC fought its way back into the match after the break, a late defensive mistake turned what briefly looked like a comeback into a 3-1 loss.
Marc Dos Santos did not have a complicated explanation for what went wrong.
"The problem is in the first half we stayed in the plane," Dos Santos said. "I think in the first half we were still in LA, maybe very disappointing. We defended far from each other, passive. We didn't win any duels in the first half."
It was a startling opening from an LAFC team that had just set a club record with its 13th clean sheet against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday. Five days later, the Black & Gold were repeatedly exposed by a Sporting attack that had been among the league's least productive.

#first #half

(Table below reflects daily flows on September 10, 2026 and **** et totals as of that date.)
ETF Brand League Table
Welcome to the etf.com league table. On this page, you'll find the U.S. ETF market through different lenses: brand and issuer. What's the difference? The brand is what the ETF says on the tin. For example, "iShares" is the brand of issuer "BlackRock's" ETFs. Because many issuers license their ETF infrastructure to third parties, we present the data in both ways. The identification of the correct brand and legal issuer is done by our key data provider, FactSet.
Brand
AUM ($, mm)

#september

PHOENIX (AP) — Ezequiel Duran had a two-run single and Wyatt Langford hit a solo homer during a six-run fifth inning to lead the Texas Rangers over the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 on Saturday night to even the three-game series.
The Rangers improved to 73-76 and are just two games back of the final American League wild card despite a sub-.500 record.
Arizona fell to 79-70 and is 1 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final National League wild card.
The Rangers took advantage of a close replay call that went in their favor during the decisive fifth.
The D-backs thought they were out of the jam with the score tied at 1-all after turning an inning-ending double play, but first base umpire Bill Miller ruled Corey Seager safe at first, signaling that pitcher Brandon Pfaadt's foot was off the bag. Arizona challenged the call, but the video review proved inconclusive and Miller's call was upheld.

#final

Smith is expected to handle lead-guard responsibilities for Real Madrid, giving him an opportunity to play a much larger role for the EuroLeague club where Luka Doncic developed before entering the NBA. Smith celebrated the signing by posting a photo in his new uniform on Instagram, prompting several Lakers players to respond. Bronny James was among the first to congratulate him. "Damn thats fire bro be great!!!" James commented on Smith's post. Adou Thiero offered his support as well, writing, "Get to it brudda," while Jake LaRavia added, "Yea nick."
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "Damn thats fire bro be great!!!" James commented on …

#smith #great

The deafening roar of Kroger Field that fueled a 17-13 halftime lead eventually gave way to a much heavier, quieter reality. When the final whistle blew on a 45-17 loss to Alabama, the scoreboard reflected a fractured dream of an upset, leaving players and fans alike processing the sting of what could have been yet again.
For Will Stein, the immediate aftermath wasn't about pointing fingers; it was about raw accountability and a profound gratitude for a fanbase that delivered a championship-level atmosphere.
The fans showed up in full force, selling out Kroger Field for Will Stein's SEC debut, creating an environment that Stein described as "unbelievable," "loud," and "energetic." Recognizing the massive emotional investment of the crowd, he didn't mince words. "I apologize to our fans for the way that we finished," he admitted, fully aware of the collective heartbreak echoing through the stands and the locker room. "I know our guys are hurting."
That hurt can't carry on too long; the SEC is an unforgiving league, and the 2nd-half performance against Alabama can't bleed over to next week.
The first half offered a vivid glimpse into the program's potential that Will Stein spoke on before the season started. The defense hunted the ball, securing three takeaways, while the offense capitalized to carry a lead into the locker room. But the second half brought stalled drives and exhausted defenders. Pinned back by short fields, the defense was asked to hold back the Tide a few too many times. "When you're defending a short field virtually the entire half, and we weren't converting on third downs, that was tough on our defense," Stein noted, acknowledging the brutal physical toll.

#field #defense #room

Ravens news: Lamar Jackson, the NFL's first $70 million QB? Insider thinks it's possible appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Plenty of superstar quarterbacks garner massive contracts as some of the best players in the NFL. Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson may be on pace to make history with his next contract later down the line.
Jackson is starting the ninth year of his career with the Ravens. He dominates on the field as one of the best players in the league, often having Baltimore in serious playoff contention.
Jackson is secure under his current contract, ending after the 2027 season concludes. NFL insider Jeremy Fowler discussed Jackson's contract situation, bringing up the idea that a $70 million contract will be on the table for the superstar quarterback.
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#Ravens #lamar #clutchpoints

Red Sox's $60M Prospect Not Expected to Come Up Due to Tough Injury originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As the Boston Red Sox deal with multiple injuries on both sides of the baseball at the moment, there is certainly a path for some players to return to the big-league roster. One of those guys was Kristian Campbell, the former star prospect whom the Red Sox paid very early, a decision that hasn't exactly worked out to the fullest just yet.
However, it's also important to recognize that Campbell is very young, and with a ton of upside and what he's shown throughout the minor leagues this season, especially recently, there's a lot of hope that he can eventually be that guy.
While there seems to have been a possibility that he could have been called up over the past few days because of some of the injuries the Red Sox have dealt with, it's now being reported that because of his injury, it doesn't seem likely that he's going to get the call.
This is an unfortunate situation in what's been a tough past year or so for Campbell, but it's the harsh reality of Major League Baseball.

#campbell #injury #Baseball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A second straight game without Yordan Alvarez reinforced a reality. The Houston Astros need more consistent sources of offense, with time running short for them to emerge.
A lineup missing its leading threat mustered five hits in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, undermining a determined start by right-hander Peter Lambert and ensuring a series loss to the American League's first playoff entrant at Tropicana Field.
The Astros, who entered with the fifth-fewest runs in the majors since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, scored three or fewer for the 21st time in 35 games in that stretch. The offensive downturn might be presenting a direr threat to their playoff hopes if not for an inept division. The loss left Houston with a 2 ½-game AL West lead over the Rangers, who entered the day four games under .500, pending Texas' result.
The Astros are 75-74 with 13 games remaining on their schedule. Yainer Diaz had three of their five hits Saturday, including a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. Isaac Paredes' solo home run in the first against Rays starter Ian Seymour, who worked six strong frames, provided their only other run. Houston hitters were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded six men on base.
The first was Seymour's rockiest inning, as three straight batters reached. Daulton Varsho and Christian Walker struck out to defuse the threat. Richie Palacios' two-run single wrought the first blemish against Lambert in his six-plus innings. Nick Madrigal broke a 2-2 tie for the Rays with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.

#houston #astros #rays #lambert

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. homered to spark an eight-run fourth inning and Tyler Mahle turned in another stellar outing to lead the Atlanta Braves to their second straight victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, 12-2 on Saturday night.
The Braves had to rally three times in 11 innings to win the series opener between the two top NL East teams. This one was a lot easier.
Acuña hit a towering shot that barely cleared the wall in front of the Phillies bullpen off Brooks Raley (5-7), who took the loss for the second straight night. Acuña tacked on a run-scoring single to close out the big inning.
Philadelphia was one out from escaping the inning with no further damage. Ozzie Albies walked and Michael Harris II singled before the Phillies, going with a bullpen game after Jesús Luzardo was scratched with a tight shoulder, called in Grant Holman for his first big league appearance of the season.
Mauricio Dubón had a two-run single, Drake Baldwin brought in two more runs with a double off the wall, and some sloppy play by the Phillies led to five unearned runs in the fourth. Bryson Stott had a throwing error on a routine play that would've ended the inning, and another run scored on a wild pitch.

#philadelphia #fourth #night #wall

DUNDEE – This is Erin Down's fifth year as the girls swimming coach at Monroe.
She remembers having just five athletes for the Monroe County Championships her first season.
She has helped her alma mater build steadily over the years. The Trojans had 23 girls compete Saturday in the Southeast Michigan Independent Swimming League Relays on Saturday, Sept. 12.
That depth was crucial as Monroe held off Grosse Ile by 8 points to capture the championship trophy.
More: Monroe County Region high school football roundup for Friday, Sept. 11

#monroe #sept #girls #championships

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Yordan Alvarez was out of the Houston Astros' lineup for a second straight game due to a sore right ankle Saturday.
Alvarez turned his ankle running the bases Thursday in Philadelphia and was not used off the bench in a close game Friday against Tampa Bay. Manager Joe Espada said that he was hopeful Alvarez could return to the lineup for Sunday's finale against the Rays.
"He came out and moved around, hit in the cages, but still sore," Espada said before Saturday's game. "More when he swings the bat and he's got to turn that right ankle once he's going to spin. So it's still not there."
This marks the first time Alvarez has been out of Houston's lineup in back-to-back games this season. He started 145 of the team's first 147 games prior to Friday, with 123 starts at DH and 22 in left field.
Alvarez entered Saturday leading the majors with a 1.017 OPS. A Triple Crown candidate, he led qualified American League hitters with a .310 average and ranked second in home runs (38), after Junior Caminero (40) of the Rays, and second in RBIs (96), behind Pete Alonso (97) of the Orioles.

#alvarez #Friday #sore

Real Madrid returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 4-1 home victory over neighbours Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
José Mourinho would not have been happy with Madrid's second-half display, but they had enough of a cushion thanks to Kylian Mbappé's penalty and goals from Alvaro Carreras and Jude Bellingham in the opening period.
Sergio Camello pulled one back early in the second half, and Thibaut Courtois was a busy man for a period, but Mbappé made sure of the points in stoppage time.
Real suffered their first defeat of the campaign last Friday when they were beaten by Real Betis before they saw off Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek.
Diego Moreira scored twice in three minutes as AC Milan came from two down to draw 2-2 at Lazio, who dropped points in Serie A for the first time this season.

#second #half

If Carlos Correa is able to return to the Houston Astros lineup by the end of the regular season, he could play second base, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.
Correa, who turns 32 on Sept. 22, has been on the injured list since May 6 with a torn tendon in his left ankle that required surgery to repair. His 2026 season was believed to be over, as a result.
However, the 12-year veteran has been progressing well in his recovery and ran the bases earlier this week. The plan is for Correa to take up to 10 at-bats in live batting practice at the Astros' spring-training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida. If he doesn't deal with any setbacks, Correa could go on a minor-league rehab **** ignment with Triple-A Sugar Land next week.
Carlos Correa has reported to West Palm Beach and hit in the cages and took grounders there today, Joe Espada said. The plan is for Correa to start hitting on the field Monday.
In 32 games this season, Correa recorded a .279/.369/.418 slash average with 3 home runs, 8 doubles and 16 RBI. He played 23 games at shortstop and 14 at third base.

#season

Bruno Guimaraes's brilliant first ***** nal goal and David Raya's penalty save inspired the Gunners to a 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday to extend a flawless start to their Premier League ***** le defence.
Mikel Arteta's men have conceded just once in five games in all competitions but Sunderland had the chance to breach ***** nal's imposing rearguard when Raya tipped Enzo Le Fee's spot-kick onto the post.
Just over two minutes later Guimaraes silenced the Stadium of Light as the Brazilian smashed into the top corner from outside the box.
Bukayo Saka's penalty sealed the victory with the final kick of the game after Sunderland defender Reinildo saw a second yellow card for taking down the England international.
Despite the victory Arteta was still seething after the game at the award of Sunderland's penalty for Ezri Konsa's pull on Dan Ballard.

#game #gunners #saturday

Arsenal made it four wins from four in the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats played a gritty, physical game, but the Gunners gave as good as they got, and battled to the win. With a massive ***** ist from David Raya saving a, uh, generously awarded penalty that would have made it 1-0 for the bad guys. Minutes later, Bruno Guimaraes put one top bins. Raya made another brilliant save later in the half. Deep in added time, Bruno put Bukayo Saka in on goal, earning a penalty and second yellow to Reinildo. Penalty converted. Game over.
The Sunderland crowd greeted Bruno with a chorus of boos when he replaced Myles Lewis-Skelly at halftime. They take their rivalry with Newcastle seriously. Unfortunately, it was very much a "keep booing, it only makes me stronger" moment. You could see from the little smile on Bruno's face that he was loving it and using it to fuel him. His "I can't hear you" celebration to the crowd after he'd put one on postage stamp was absolute perfection.
Great call from Mikel Arteta to pull Myles Lewis-Skelly at the break. Everything was off from him — poor touches, cheap fouls — it simply wasn't his night. The manager also had to swap Jurrien Timber for Ben White, who appeared to have tweaked his groin. Because when ***** nal get one right back healthy, the other gets injured. That's how it works. Timber was excellent, by the way.
The ***** nal subs that came on later in the second half, Eze, Merino, and Zubimendi, were mediocre to poor. The depth is tremendous but Mikel Arteta has his work cut out for him to keep everyone sharp so that when they are called into action they don't, say, give the ball away the only two times they get on it like Merino did today.
The Gunners could have and should have been ahead at halftime, but once again, they were profligate with scoring chances. Bukayo Saka was caught in two minds on a leaping volley and only managed glancing contact. Kai Havertz shot over the bar from in close. The German striker also forced a smart save with a brilliant control, turn, and volley move. Saka also flubbed two chances in the second half — he picked the wrong pass on a 4-on-2 break and he shot too close to the keeper. The side could do with a bit better finishing, but if you believe (as I generally do) that finishing ebbs and flows, as long as they keep generated the volume of chances, someone is in for a real hiding.

#second

The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2026 NFL season as one of the league's most interesting teams. They failed to even make the playoffs last season, but after a great offseason, many have the belief that the team can end their 30-year drought to win the Super Bowl this season.
Last season, the Cowboys' offence was exciting and forced many to believe it was among the best in the league.
This was due to Dak Prescott, George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb leading the way on the offense. However, their defence was equally bad, conceding 30.1 points per game.
Owner Jerry Jones promised to revamp the defence, and as part of that, the likes of Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, and Von Miller were brought to the team. They also drafted Ohio State player Caleb Downs, and with these additions, many believed the Cowboys could be contenders.
However, Skip Bayless is not one of them, and he has his reason as to why.

#cowboys #many #defence #dallas

After a goalless opening 87 minutes, Joel Chima Fujita broke the deadlock in the 88th minute to finally give St. Pauli the breakthrough they had been searching for.
The result ends St. Pauli's wait for a first league victory of the campaign, having collected just three points from their opening four matches before tonight's meeting. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the season after beginning the campaign unbeaten.
There was plenty of attacking intent from both sides during an entertaining first half, although neither could find the breakthrough.
Wolfsburg came closest inside the opening five minutes when Fabian Reese struck the crossbar from a free-kick, while St. Pauli goalkeeper Ben Voll was then forced into action to deny Muhammed Damar.
The hosts responded as Connor Metcalfe tested Jakub Zielinski from distance before Abdoulie Ceesay came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute. The St. Pauli forward met a dangerous free-kick from close range but headed straight at the Wolfsburg goalkeeper.

#came

More than 30 years ago, all over the walls of a high school about an hour west of downtown San Antonio, the signs started appearing.
In breezeways, next to lockers, and around the cafeteria, the motivational slogans kept popping up, some scrawled in magic marker on poster board, and others printed out on long sheets of dot-matrix paper. They were hung by a D'Hanis baseball coach who wanted to remind students that they could win anything with the "RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE," and that "PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS," and that "WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING."
A bunch of clichés, maybe, but harmless ones. The coach meant well, and his team wound up winning state.
One of his colleagues, though, was a world-class wiseacre, and couldn't resist the opportunity to poke fun. Bill Lovett coached boys basketball and taught history. And above the chalkboard in his classroom one day, there was a long dot-matrix printout bearing a slogan of his own creation.
"AN ELEPHANT IN DISGUISE IS STILL BIG," it read.

#going #tough #matrix

This one started bowling shoe ugly and ended up Sam the Chinese Crested Dog ugly, with Bradley Hanner proving why he is the definition of the 26th man on a Major League roster. Gerrit Cole gave up more home runs, three of em while not making it out of the fifth inning, but Hanner wasn't any better, allowing two dingers while five men crossed the plate against him. All this is to say the Yankees were kicked around Saturday afternoon, losing 12-2 to the Mets
I don't know what it is about Gerrit Cole. He's always been a little bit homer ***** e, especially since coming to Yankee Stadium. Fastballs in the zone lead to some kinds of nasty contact, but the thing that's really been different about him since returning from Tommy John is how many pitches he's keeping in the zone. He's got the lowest walk rate of his career, and indeed he didn't walk a single batter today. He also has the highest Zone%, or, throws more pitches in the strike zone than any other season of his career.
In his last two starts he's allowed seven home runs. Only three today, though they still counted for four runs like last weekend against the Padres.
Part of this is just random variance, enough monkeys at enough typewriters for long enough. Any time you talk about two games' worth of data, you have to throw up your hands at the universe. He's also been stung by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Francisco Lindor…guys that have been around the block. Lindor especially looked keyed up to swing in the game's first AB, the first dinger Cole allowed today. Former Baby Bomber Luis Torrens and rookie Carson Benge also homered off Cole to build a 4-0 lead.
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#today #enough #lindor

For the second straight week, Aday Mara was in-person at Oklahoma's college football game. But for reasons that the football-crazy fanbase wants to know. The 7-foot-3 center made the trip to Michigan to cheer for his Wolverines and celebrate his collegiate year there.
Mara attended No. 11 Oklahoma's shocking 17-10 loss to Michigan on Saturday. At halftime, the Wolverines' men's basketball team was honored. They had a dominant 37-3 record and brought home the 2026 national championship. Alongside Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., Mara was part of a monstrous three-headed frontcourt.
Mara's decision to transfer to Michigan was life-altering. He became a household name and eventually the No. 12 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. He averaged 12.1 points on 66.8% shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 ***** ists and 2.6 blocks in his sole collegiate season there.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hope Mara can have a similar type of impact at the NBA level. The 21-year-old is one of the tallest players in the league already. Because of that, he should be a constant paint-scoring threat and be one of the best shot-blockers.
Now, the conditioning and shooting are the main areas of concern. The Thunder hope he can improve both aspects in his rookie season. In an ideal world, he won't be relied upon to help from the jump. Rather, spend the year working on his craft in low-leverage situations.

#year #collegiate #season

Barcelona star Alejandro Balde remains outside the plans of head coach Hansi Flick as things stand. This comes with the Spaniard having been knocked well down the left-back pecking order in Catalunya's capital.
Defender Balde was of course heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
After it was widely reported that the Spaniard had been made available for the right price, Premier League giants Manchester United were hotly tipped as a potential landing spot.
In the end, Balde stayed put, eager to fight for his place in the plans of long-time employers Barca. But as alluded to above, as of this moment, the 22-year-old has not managed to win back the trust of his manager.
As per a report from Diario Sport, following the breakout of youngster Xavi Espart, and permanent signing of João Cancelo:

#Barcelona #plans #back

Two Premier League matches at Anfield. Two draws.
For just the third time in 63 years, Liverpool have failed to win both of their opening home games of a league season - not exactly the flying start new boss Andoni Iraola would have been dreaming of.
After such an encouraging midweek performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, full of urgency, Saturday's goalless draw against Fulham was a flat follow-up, especially with the Cottagers lacking in confidence and having conceded seven goals in their first three league games.
The Reds looked physically and mentally tired and, to put it bluntly, like an entirely different team to the one that won against a Diego Simeone side that made it to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
On the first real look at how Iraola's style will cope with two games a week, this was certainly not what the Liverpool head coach, nor the Anfield crowd, would have wanted to see.

#league #games #champions #premier

There was a subdued atmosphere at the final whistle among Chelsea's players, staff and supporters.
They had watched the team's free-flowing attacking football come unstuck against a Hull City side who had not conceded a Premier League goal before kick-off.
Chelsea had previously beaten Fulham 3-2, won 4-3 at home to Brighton and lost 2-1 at ***** nal. They also overcame Leeds 6-3 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Having conceded twice here, Chelsea have now gone 20 Premier League matches without a clean sheet, a run stretching back to January. They have also conceded two or more goals in every match against Premier League opposition under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Although Chelsea are the division's top scorers with 10 goals this season, they have also conceded nine, more than all but two other Premier League sides.

#premier #brighton