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Soaked Scheffler battles elements to make solid British Open start

Soaked Scheffler battles elements to make solid British Open start

Yahoo17-07-2025
World number one Scottie Scheffler blamed wild weather conditions for his wayward driving, but the American still shot a three-under-par first round at the British Open to sit one shot off the lead on Thursday.
Scheffler, playing alongside former Claret Jug winners Shane Lowry and Collin Morikawa, got caught in torrential rain midway through his opening round at Royal Portrush.
Scheffler only hit three fairways off the tee, but as the skies cleared, he produced two stunning approach shots to birdie the 16th and 17th and card a 68 to remain well in contention for his first British Open victory.
"When it's raining sideways, it's actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway. Thank you guys all for pointing that out," Scheffler told reporters.
"Really only had one swing I wasn't too happy with on maybe the second hole, but outside of that, I felt like I hit a lot of good tee shots, hit the ball really solid, so definitely a good bit of confidence for the next couple rounds."
Scheffler made headlines on the eve of the tournament when he said his life was "not a fulfilling" one despite his status at the top of the sport.
The 29-year-old said the "euphoric feeling" from winning a golf tournament lasts barely a few minutes before he moves onto his next target.
Scheffler said he has received nothing but support from the rest of the field over his comments.
"At times I feel like maybe I should be a little less honest. Maybe I shouldn't have said the stuff I said yesterday because now I'm going to get asked about it more," he added.
"But really it's just a matter of perspective, and I've had some players come up to me and say that they feel and think the same things.
"If anybody has disagreed with me, they haven't said it to my face."
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How do Manchester United's summer signings change Ruben Amorim's tactics?
How do Manchester United's summer signings change Ruben Amorim's tactics?

New York Times

time11 minutes ago

  • New York Times

How do Manchester United's summer signings change Ruben Amorim's tactics?

In early June, The Athletic offered the below starting XI as a suggestion of how Manchester United could play with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in the side. In late July, we want to explore how these two purchases impact the tactical dynamics of Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3. The arrival of Cunha and Mbeumo should bolster the attacking competency of Amorim's side, but that does not mark the end of United's possible moves in the transfer market. The club are still in search for a reliable goalscorer who could combine with the new duo, and the best type of striker for this role can be found in one of the pair's previous partners. Advertisement Cunha played alongside a variety of centre-forwards across his time in Wolverhampton, but his more successful periods last season saw him play off Jorgen Strand Larsen — a 6ft 4in (1.93m) striker who does the majority of his work inside the penalty area. He provides a soft blueprint as to how United may approach any future recruitment. The new United pair have a fondness for attacking the half spaces, reducing the need for the centre-forward to drift wide in search of the ball. Instead, the front three would be best led by a physical player who prefers to play on the last line of a defence. This hypothetical No 9 would push opposition back lines towards their own goal, giving Amorim's new signings – and Bruno Fernandes behind them – further space to exploit. The pace of Rasmus Hojlund and Chido Obi means they have some suitability for the role. However, the latter is only 17 and still adjusting to the rigours of senior-level football, while the former's movement in and around the penalty box suffered a confidence-related regression in 2024-25. Hojlund's 23.1 touches per 90 ranked among the bottom 10 per cent for Premier League forwards last season, and his 1.4 shots per 90 put him in the bottom one per cent. Hojlund didn't shoot enough last season, and there was a naivety to his off-ball runs that made him easy to defend against. It is hoped the summer break will allow him a period of reset and readjustment. A proper pre-season under Amorim may help him address previous frailties, but it is understandable the club is on the lookout for another forward. Joshua Zirkzee's tendency to drop deep and link up with team-mates should make him an intriguing second option for Amorim when needed. The Dutchman could serve as a target man, holding the ball up in the final third before Cunha and Mbeumo attack the spaces further forward that have been vacated. Amorim's new signings should reduce the need for Zirkzee to become a 10-15 goal striker, provided he can create space and establish attacking chemistry with his new team-mates. Amorim's two new signings mean Fernandes will likely spend 2025-26 playing in central midfield. The club captain's improvement in certain aspects of his play last season made him a more viable option when playing in deeper areas, but Amorim has a potential headache when deciding on who to best pair with him. Casemiro is the best player for the role among his current options, but he is now 33 and unable to cover space with the same intensity as in previous years. Manuel Ugarte has the mobility, but is not the kind of ball carrier nor passer Amorim seemingly desires. Advertisement The head coach may opt to change Fernandes' midfield partner based on the strengths/weaknesses of opponents. Teams that are likely to defend deep and frustrate may see Casemiro or Kobbie Mainoo entrusted with the role, while matches against more front-footed opponents may see Ugarte or Toby Collyer chosen for their ability to run, tackle and cover ground. United's pre-season 0-0 draw with Leeds United already saw the head coach discuss the importance of pace and energy in midfield. Given his preference for a two-player partnership, United will need to find an aggressive and athletic player who can help protect the centre of the pitch. Fernandes is not your typical box-to-box player, making it a challenging task to find a complementary partner for him. Head here for a look at players who could — theoretically — fit the bill. Mbeumo should serve as an amplifier of all that is good on the right side of United's attack. His arrival also requires a recalibration of the situation at right wing-back. Amorim's years in charge of Sporting CP saw him first convert full-backs into wing-backs, before later adapting more conventional wingers for the role. Early press conferences at United saw him occasionally refer to those in the wing-back positions as wingers, and his deployment of Amad in the role has differed from that of Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui. 'It's really important in the position that Garna (Alejandro Garnacho) played today (against Athletic Club), as a right No 10, to have a left foot. It can change the way you play,' said the head coach towards the end of last season. 'To have some wingers that are more offensive than defensive, that can change the way we play.' A look at Mbeumo's runs from last season reveals a player fond of hunting in the left half-space. Give him time and space on the ball, and he'll look to drive into the penalty area before cutting inside to shoot on his left foot. If he cannot do that, then the 26-year-old has the pace and the nous to beat a full-back on the outside before whipping a cross in. These are all good things that would be enhanced by playing next to an attacking wing-back who can provide frequent overlapping runs, either to give Mbeumo an easy ball on the outside, or to help drag away defenders and ease his forays into central areas. However, defensive solidity from the wing-back would be essential, given Cunha, Mbeumo and Fernandes' desire to get forward and start attacks. Advertisement Amorim faces a difficult decision about who to pair with his new forward. Dalot has the athletic capacity for the role, able to offer overlapping runs and sprint back to retreat when needed. However, he can be erratic when crossing, which limits his effectiveness when going forward. Mazraoui is a dependable performer, but is not a dominant one-v-one defender, which can cause issues further back. Amad at right wing-back, alongside Mbeumo at right-sided 10, carries a tantalising amount of attacking potential. The Ivory Coast international is also left-footed with a preference for cutting inside into central areas, but has shown his talents in wider areas in the past. Amad's hat-trick against Southampton in mid-January gave evidence of his attacking form when playing at wing-back; making late runs into the opposition area and causing havoc. His performance in a 4-0 win over Everton also demonstrated his defensive skills at wing-back. Amad may 'only' be 5ft 8in (1.73m) but he can be a clever, proactive defender, pushing up and snatching possession away from opponents whenever he senses a poor touch or bad pass. 'What does Mbeumo's arrival mean for Amad's United future?' is a question worthy of its own 1,000-word piece. It also requires at least one pre-season game where they play together before The Athletic can begin to answer. (We've chosen to focus on right wing-back for this section as Patrick Dorgu, Diego Leon and Luke Shaw offer enough variety in overlapping runs, ball progression and defensive nous to make Cunha's acclimatisation easier on the left.) The defensive alignment of Amorim's back three will go a long way in providing the proper foundations for the attacking work of Cunha and Mbeumo ahead. United have an abundance of centre-backs that can help in this regard. The attacking forays of an Amorim wing-back are best protected through the athletic endeavour of the wide centre-back behind them. Leny Yoro's recovery pace makes him the best United centre-back when defending large areas of space, so he is — theoretically — the best option at right centre-back behind. However, the Frenchman showed glimmers of attacking prowess when operating on the left towards the end of last season, something Amorim may wish to nurture in this upcoming campaign as a way of helping Cunha and others. If Yoro is deployed on the left, then Amorim might be inclined to play Mazraoui at right centre-back, given his experience and comfort when defending the wings. Last season, he developed a keen playing relationship with Amad on the right, which could be tweaked again, with Mazraoui offering overlapping runs from right centre-back as Amad and Mbeumo both look to attack the half spaces. Matthijs de Ligt also provides a no-nonsense, tough-tackling alternative from right centre-back in the event Amorim wants more defensive solidity in the wider areas. Cunha and Mbeumo have been signed, sealed and delivered to Amorim. Now begins the head-scratching tactical conundrum. There's a considerable risk that United could mutate into a top-heavy 'great entertainer' side: one capable of scoring goals, but unable to limit the quantity and quality of chances teams have against them. Advertisement A positive pre-season (and clean bill of health) will be essential to getting the best out of Cunha and Mbeumo early, as well as additional movement in the transfer market to address issues at centre-forward and central midfield. The arrival of the duo creates nice problems for the United head coach to address through rhythm, routine and developing attacking patterns. Cunha and Mbeumo, working in sync with the likes of Fernandes, Amad, and others, should be something for fans to get excited about.

Hughes admits Ellis impressed in surprise midfield role
Hughes admits Ellis impressed in surprise midfield role

Yahoo

time38 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Hughes admits Ellis impressed in surprise midfield role

Mark Hughes admits Jack Ellis impressed him in his surprise midfield role for Carlisle United. The Cumbrian defender was given a role in the centre by Hughes for the 2-0 win at Harrogate Town. And 21-year-old Ellis's positive display has given Hughes further food for thought. The head coach says he always felt Ellis's attributes could be worth testing in midfield. He got his chance alongside Callum Whelan on a day summer signing Josh Grant was out injured, while Ethan Robson started on the bench. 'You've heard me mention before that I think we probably lack a bit of physicality in there [midfield], and I thought Jack could come in,' said Hughes. 'I think he's been excellent in pre-season. I believe he's been one of our better players in the pre-season games he's taken part in, so I knew that he could go in there and do a job in terms of just breaking things up and getting us on the front foot. 'He certainly did that in the first half when we were on the front foot and jumping on those second balls. Hughes felt Ellis read danger well and gave United extra physicality in midfield at Harrogate (Image: Ben Holmes) 'From that point of view, for me, it was good to know that what I thought could happen actually did.' Ellis, prior to Saturday, had mainly featured in the centre of defence during Carlisle's friendlies so far. Hughes confirms Dutch-born midfielder who's on trial with Carlisle United Hughes went on to speak approvingly about the character of the home-grown player, who earned a new deal this summer after impressing at right-back in the closing weeks of 2024/25. 'He's very receptive. Jack is a good player,' Hughes told the News & Star. 'He wants to get better. At times, he'll sacrifice himself for the team. That's what you want. 'We've talked about it [using him in midfield]. We've looked at him in different areas. He's been centre-back, he's been a full-back, and now midfield [at Harrogate] was an opportunity to look at him because I just felt in the last few games, at times, we lost a little bit of control just because we didn't have that physicality. 'So I was pleased for him.' FLASH SALE: Get unlimited access to every Carlisle United article by subscribing to the News & Star for £6 for 6 months or a full year at half price - click for details

Morgan Gibbs-White's decision is the kind of ‘win' Nottingham Forest deserve to revel in
Morgan Gibbs-White's decision is the kind of ‘win' Nottingham Forest deserve to revel in

New York Times

time41 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Morgan Gibbs-White's decision is the kind of ‘win' Nottingham Forest deserve to revel in

If you want to know why Morgan Gibbs-White's decision to remain at Nottingham Forest matters so greatly to the club's supporters, you need to understand what has happened in the past and some of their experiences before Evangelos Marinakis felt emboldened to sum up the modern-day operation with the killer line: 'At the end of the day, we always win.' Advertisement It has not always been that way, as many Forest fans can testify. The lesson of history, in fact, is that the club have almost always ended up selling the players with whom the fans had the strongest emotional attachment, causing much heartache in the process. There was the time a young Roy Keane stood in the Old Market Square, posing for a front-page photograph in the Nottingham Evening Post, and declared his love for the city when, in reality, the process was already under way to move him to Manchester United. Younger fans have lived through an era when, season by season, one by one, the most valuable player to come out of the academy had to be flogged to stop the club from being financially shipwrecked. But the long-established pattern of Forest selling their most-prized assets has been shaped over many decades, from Brennan Johnson to Brice Samba, Stan Collymore to Neil Webb, Peter Davenport to Garry Birtles and many more besides. Nor is this the first time we have been disrupted by the kind of hidden release clause that emboldened Tottenham Hotspur to think their proposed acquisition of Gibbs-White was a mere formality. In October 1995, Forest had another brilliantly creative midfielder by the name of Lars Bohinen who, unbeknown to the fanbase, had a clause in his contract that he could leave if another club bid £750,000 for him. Blackburn Rovers, then Premier League champions, triggered the clause. Bohinen made a fortune from the deal and when a reporter asked Frank Clark, then Forest's manager, what had gone wrong, his response was brisk and to the point. Clark dug his hand into his trouser pocket, pulled out a handful of coins and tossed them across his desk. You will have to understand, therefore, why many Forest fans were overcome by an unhappy sense of deja vu when The Athletic broke the news on July 10 of Tottenham's move for Gibbs-White — and why, now the story has changed so dramatically, the mood has shifted for the better. This summer has already seen the departure of Anthony Elanga in a £52million transfer to Newcastle United that felt like punishment for Nuno Espirito Santo's team not holding on to a Champions League place last season. Yet the news that Tottenham had a medical booked in for Gibbs-White and that he, too, was seemingly on his way out of the City Ground was an even more unsettling development at a time when Forest's fans desperately want to believe their best season for 30 years was not merely a one-off. Advertisement To quote Marinakis, we are talking here about 'a special player — not just in terms of talent but character and mentality'. Gibbs-White, in the words of Forest's owner, 'represents what we want this football club to be: a winner, talented, ambitious, fearless and proud'. It's all true. Many supporters will make a case, indeed, that Gibbs-White has legitimate claims to be recognised as the best footballer they have seen at the City Ground since the turn of the century. 'Get it to Robbo,' used to be Brian Clough's instructions to John Robertson's team-mates during Forest's glory years. And, in a modern context, there is a bit of that here, too. Get it to Morgan: trust him, watch what he can do. Yes, it doesn't always come off. His touch is not always there and, if we are being picky, an argument could be made that a player with his gifts should weigh in with more goals. Overall, though, it is a lot of fun watching Gibbs-White trying to perfect his art. And those players are a rarity. Tottenham had offered to trigger Gibbs-White's £60million release clause and, in today's market, that would have meant getting him on the cheap. But what could Forest do to stop it from happening, given that it was a contractual agreement when the 25-year-old signed from Wolves three years earlier? Well, not much, it seemed initially. Even when Forest were putting out their 'not for sale' messages, there was an air of resignation. Nobody, to begin with, seemed to think there was anything they could do — nobody bar the owner, anyway. Mentality. Gibbs-White had also been on Manchester City's radar until they signed Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders. Arsenal were monitoring his potential availability. And, no matter how many times people point out Tottenham finished 17th last season, it was easy to understand the attractions for Gibbs-White. Advertisement Footballers are not bonded to their clubs in the way that you or I might be. Their careers are relatively short and Gibbs-White, as you can imagine, has aspirations to play in Europe's premier club competition. Earlier this year, when Angel Gomes was available on a free transfer from Lille, Forest thought long and hard about bringing in the former Manchester United midfielder. Gibbs-White was on the phone to Gomes, his close friend, trying to persuade him. 'Come join us,' was the message. 'We will play in the Champions League together.' So don't make the mistake of thinking that a move to Tottenham would have been a backward step for him. Yes, they finished 10 places behind Forest last season, but have you seen their squad? Have you seen their stadium? Or their training ground? Ignoring football loyalties, how many people in ordinary life would pass up the opportunity to work for a bigger organisation, in plusher surroundings, with more lucrative prizes to chase, and with a whopping pay rise on offer? Against that background, it is an exceptional triumph for Forest — and Marinakis, in particular — that they could persuade Gibbs-White he would be better off staying where he is. It also feels like the club have sent a wider message to the rest of the Premier League: that Forest, on Marinakis' watch, should be treated seriously, that they mean business and, just in case anyone was not aware, that their owner is not a man to blink in any staring contest. Daniel Levy, Tottenham's chairman, has found that out the hard way. And Levy is supposed to be one of the hardest guys to budge in the industry. 'He became a legend already,' Marinakis said of Gibbs-White. 'And we need to give a message to our supporters, and the supporters of other teams in England and Europe, that with legends, you need to treat them in an appropriate manner. Advertisement 'As long as I'm in charge of Nottingham Forest, all these actions and approaches (from other clubs) should take place in – I repeat – an appropriate manner. I would never let anyone from another team try to get a player from us, or make something (happen) that we don't agree with.' More than anything, the victory here is because it feels like Forest might finally be moving away from the days when the club would give up in these situations, accepting their position in the food chain, and the fans had to watch another talented player heading off for new adventures elsewhere. It happened with Britt Assombalonga and Michail Antonio. It happened with Teddy Sheringham, Andy Reid, and Michael Dawson, if we are talking about previous Forest-Tottenham business. And it happened with Kevin Campbell and Colin Cooper in one particularly grievous summer, culminating in the club's top scorer, Pierre van Hooijdonk, going on strike because he was appalled by the lack of ambition. It has happened, in short, too many times. It will happen again, too, because that is the nature of the business, and, unless you are Real Madrid, which football club can legitimately say they never sell their star players? It happened with Elanga and nobody can be sure what the outcome will be next summer, or maybe the year after that, if an elite club wants to take Gibbs-White away and can find a way of making a deal without rubbing up Marinakis like sandpaper. That was the problem for Tottenham: Forest's owner saw it as an affront that the London club had allegedly been tipped off about a release clause that was supposed to be entirely confidential. So the lawyers got involved, Marinakis dug in his heels, and once the initial anger had subsided, the charm offensive began to persuade Gibbs-White to stay. Club executives reminded him he was loved by the Forest crowd and part of something special. They knew he relished being the main man. Would he really get that at Spurs? They spoke to his father, Kirk, and they broke their pay ceiling for him. A new three-year contract was eventually sealed in a 30-minute chat with Marinakis at the team's pre-season training camp in Portugal. No other player in Forest's history has earned more. Advertisement Who remembers the last time Forest had such a victory off the pitch against one of the 'Big Six'? The answer probably goes back to Clough's time as manager when Manchester United wanted to sign Stuart Pearce, Forest's England international left-back. Alex Ferguson, United's manager, turned up on a whim in the City Ground car park. So Clough, being Clough, pulled the curtains in his office and refused to go out. 'Tell Mr Ferguson I'm busy watching the cricket,' was the instruction to his secretary. Clough could never be pinned down by a rival manager. For the most part, however, Forest have tended to come off second-best in these matters and, 35 years since a bruised and highly aggrieved Ferguson drove away from Nottingham, many fans still seem to be preparing for bad news. On social media, the assumption is that a new release clause must have been put in place, somewhere around the £85million mark, for Gibbs-White's admirers to return next year. But that is all it is: an assumption. There is no such clause, meaning Forest will not be vulnerable this way again. Marinakis wore the look of a contented man. His biggest battle, he has always said, was to change the club's mentality. So he smiled into the camera. 'At the end of the day, we always win' — it was a hell of a quote from Forest's owner.

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