I lost a friend last weekend. That was for him: Brown
The 30-year-old Englishman revealed he lost a close friend last weekend, but he showcased composure of the highest level to card a flawless 66 to hold off compatriot Jordan Smith with a 22-under-par total in Munich on Sunday.
The pair, who were playing in the final group together, were locked at 20 under when they reached the turn, but a birdie at the 12th from Brown, coupled by successive bogeys from the 13th by his rival, saw the lead stretch to three.
Smith produced a brilliant bunker shot to pick up a shot at the 15th to cut the gap to two strokes, before both men found the par-five last in two and finish the tournament with a closing birdies.
Asked what his second DP World Tour victory means to him, Brown said: "A lot. The first one didn't really sink in, but that one straight away hit me.
"I lost a friend at home last weekend. I don't know what to say really, but that was for him.
"The last two days I've been thinking about him to try and take my mind off it, obviously try not to get too emotional in the process.
"I'm not too sure what happened today like all day, it was an out-of-body experience. Obviously nerves, and then thinking about the importance of winning a golf tournament.
"It sort of played it down with what happened, I suppose he was there with me and it made it a lot easier.
"This event being such a great event, and then the next two weeks, it's a nice three-week stretch and it's been made a lot nicer."
Smith finished as runner-up for the second straight year as he finished on 20 under, while Laurie Canter earned a share of seventh at 15 under.
Australia's Elvis Smylie finished 13 shots adrift of the leader.
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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
Leeds United's goalkeeper search: Perri and Zentner interest but net cast far and wide
Leeds United are shopping for a goalkeeper this summer. Illan Meslier is, after being dropped last season, not Daniel Farke's preferred No 1 as they return to the Premier League. Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns are perfectly serviceable back-up options that also aid the club's homegrown quota in the division's squad rules. In a season when United should expect their goal to be under a lot of pressure, they need a commanding presence. Advertisement Lyon's Lucas Perri and Mainz's Robin Zentner are on Leeds' shortlist but there will be more names that are not in the public domain at the time of writing. The Athletic is not presenting a list of the goalkeepers Leeds definitely want to sign. This is an analysis of who performed well last year across Europe's big five leagues and, of them, who United could realistically acquire. We started by looking at which goalkeepers prevented the most goals, a key attribute, last season. One way of quantifying goalkeepers' shot-stopping abilities is to look at their performance relative to post-shot expected goals (PSxG). This metric estimates the quality of on-target shots given their placement within the goal frame, the angle from which they were taken and the distance from goal. It aims to measure how likely the average goalkeeper will save each shot. Comparing post-shot expected goals with the number of goals actually conceded can help show how well they are keeping out efforts on goal, relative to the quality of shots they have faced. The goals prevented metric indicates whether they have underperformed or overperformed in line with expectation. So here are some possible goalkeepers that would suit Farke's squad. Lyon are in limbo around their league status for next season. Inevitably, someone of Perri's reputation is going to be far easier to acquire if his club drops into France's second tier. Perri conceded 44 goals in 33 appearances last season, but the data shows he should have conceded 47.8 — he prevented 3.8 goals. That ranked him sixth in Ligue 1. The 27-year-old, who is 6ft 5in, has only had that one season in Europe, which may put off some clubs but in his final season with Botafogo, in Brazil, he was exceptional, preventing 13.1 goals in a single campaign. Lyon's head coach, Paulo Fonseca, described him as 'the best goalkeeper in the world' in March. Perri has been called up by Brazil too, but is yet to make his debut. The other data available for Perri would suggest he is a goalkeeper who tends to stay on his line and tends to keep things relatively short with his distribution. In the images below, he makes three saves in quick succession against Nantes. He gets down low to his left to divert Moses Simon's cross, but it runs to an attacker. Matthis Abline has a shot, but Perri has recovered to parry again. Unfortunately, Nemanja Matic spoons his clearance into the air. Perri gets up again and leaps to claim the ball with Pedro Chirivella advancing on him. The other name The Athletic knows Leeds have on their list. Zentner is a good example of someone who performed exceptionally last season, but for several years he was fairly mediocre in the Bundesliga. The data shows he conceded 41 goals for Mainz against a PSxG of 45 and that had Zentner ranked fourth in the Bundesliga last season. There was a similar overperformance in 2023-24, at a lower 2.2, but between 2017 and 2023, Zentner consistently conceded more goals than the data suggested he should. The graph below plots the goals prevented metric with a rolling 50-save average. The statistics show he is a commanding goalkeeper, claims a lot of crosses and is generally happy to make sweeping actions far from his goal. Zentner ranked seventh of goalkeepers for the total number of defensive actions outside his penalty area last season. 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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Viktor Gyokeres is a battering ram of a striker with an absurd scoring record. Is he what Arsenal need?
At last, Arsenal are closing in on their No 9. As reported by The Athletic on Sunday, Mikel Arteta's side are in advanced talks with Sporting CP over a deal to sign Viktor Gyokeres. Discussions continue over the transfer fee but the situation is progressing towards a conclusion, with personal terms in place on a proposed five-year contract. Advertisement To say that Gyokeres' stint at Sporting has been a resounding success would be an understatement. Two seasons have passed in a blur of stomping channel runs and emphatic finishes, with the 27-year-old racking up 97 goals in just over 8,400 minutes — the equivalent of 93 full games. But with two league titles and two Silver Ball top-scorer awards safely wrapped up in his suitcase, the Sweden international is in search of a new challenge. Arsenal have emerged as the most likely destination, their lack of goals from a recognised centre-forward well documented as they chase an elusive Premier League crown. The numbers look sensational — his frightening physical profile and an unerring ability to thump a football immensely satisfying on the eye — but there are still burning questions. How does his all-or-nothing game translate to the Premier League? And if it does, can he be the kind of striker that Arsenal need? The Athletic analyses his time at Sporting to find out… Gyokeres' quality in front of goal is clear, but much of what he has been able to achieve in Portugal stems from relentless work without the ball. His approach to the No 9 role is uncompromising, centred on repeated intensity and power that most defenders simply can't match. Tracking data from SkillCorner can help us to quantify that movement, comparing the frequency with which he makes specific off-ball runs with strikers across Europe's top seven leagues. 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His touch is slightly heavy, but Gyokeres contorts his body to make sure he gets over the shot, beaming the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. It's one of the secrets to his success, hidden away in the biomechanics — a strong, powerful frame to barge into goalscoring positions, but springy and elastic when he needs to be, able to wrap his body around shots to consistently ensure the best connection all across the box. Just as above, Gyokeres will often drift over to the left with his team on the ball, something that could appeal to Arsenal. Last season, just 32.9 per cent of their attacking touches came in the left third, the lowest proportion of any Premier League team. They were unable to progress the ball with the same efficiency as they have managed with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White on the opposite side. The Swede probably won't inspire intricate football and touch-tight triangles, but his work rate and forward momentum will certainly give Mikel Arteta's side more of a presence down that side should they need to shake things up. Here's a fine example of his one-man channel running against Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Champions League, after another high-intensity, in-to-out run to ensure he provides the out-ball option. Gyokeres receives the pass from Zeno Debast, before rolling his man and driving inside, dodging the recovery runs of three defenders as he shimmies around the goalkeeper and scores. A goal from nothing, without a team-mate in sight. In similarly devastating fashion, Gyokeres is quickly on the move as Morten Hjulmand nicks the ball back in midfield against RB Leipzig. Gyokeres isn't fussy about where he likes his through balls, which allows Daniel Braganca to spin and release quickly after he receives the ball in frame two. This time, defender Willi Orban blocks the striker from cutting inside and shows him onto his left, but Gyokeres is still able to finish confidently on his weaker side at the near post, just seven seconds after his team-mate regained possession inside their own half. While he may not find as much open space to run into in the Premier League, up against the kind of deeper blocks that Arsenal routinely face, he can certainly help them to maximise transitional moments after a quick recovery in midfield. Only Bournemouth, Newcastle and Liverpool won the ball more often outside their own defensive third than Arteta's side last season, but as the graph below illustrates, only 6.7 per cent of those resulted in a shot within 10 seconds, the third-lowest rate in the division. Gyokeres at least gives them the option to speed things up and break quickly — able to chase down a long pass and barge his way into dangerous areas unlike any player that Arsenal currently possess. It's not just coordinated counter-attacks: Gyokeres' battling spirit keeps defenders on their toes, moving his team up the pitch by hook or by crook. Here he is underneath a booted clearance against AVS, for example, holding off his marker before chesting it across for Francisco Trincao to bring it forward. Having dragged a centre-back into midfield, he is then typically quick to target the space in behind, picking up the return pass on the edge of the box and side-footing into the corner. Against Benfica, Gyokeres creates a goal for team-mate Geny Catamo after ambling out to the flanks to receive a throw in. Arsenal often like to target the byline with their throw-ins, and seeing Gyokeres shield the defender, surge into the box and pick out a cross will have set-piece coach Nicolas Jover rubbing his hands together with glee. If Gyokeres is to succeed at the top of a possession-dominant, Premier League side, he'll likely need to be more than just a runner. Not only will he face some of the stingiest defenders in world football — some of whom are capable of matching him stride for stride — but there will be days that the opposition frustrate Arsenal, sitting deep and blocking out the spaces he likes to attack with his pace. Advertisement This is where his physicality and movement in the box comes in, having already shown in the Championship that he can mix it with the big defenders and create spaces to strike the ball cleanly. Here he is making a nuisance of himself against Chaves, grappling with 6ft 2in (187cm) centre-back Ygor Nogueira while a neat move unfolds down the right. Full-back Ricardo Esgaio makes a dart into the box, and pulls a cross behind Gyokeres, but the Swede has managed to pin his centre-back by the time the ball comes in. Again, he can go either way here, but lets it roll across his body and finishes with his left on the swivel, showing he can provide that presence in the box that Arsenal sometimes miss. In the Premier League last season, only four teams attempted more crosses from open play than Arsenal. Just one side — Leicester City — converted a lower proportion of those into chances (Arsenal's was 10.2 per cent, Leicester's was 10 per cent). Despite his flying runs across the final third, nearly a quarter of Gyokeres' touches last season fell inside the penalty area, his energy and anticipation to sniff out the chances allowing him to be the all-action runner and close-range poacher all at once. He can score the scrappy goals, with acceleration in tight spaces getting him into promising areas to bundle home from close range. Look how quickly he is able to escape from his defender in the clip below, punishing any lapses of concentration with sharp movement towards goal. One area where Gyokeres isn't prolific is in the air. He didn't score a single header in league action last season — unexpected given his imposing frame — although only around 12.5 per cent of his shots came with his head. It's not a glaring weakness — Gyokeres has seen some commendable efforts saved — but a few high-profile chances have flashed past the post, including this late opportunity to win it against Arouca. As with all high-volume strikers, Gyokeres isn't immune to an off day in front of goal, but there is a clear ability with both feet to find the corners with precision from all angles. This finish on international duty against Azerbaijan is the kind of goal that drives his healthy over-performance relative to his expected-goals numbers, invaluable if he can dig something like this out in a scrappy, congested game. Again, the off-ball movement is sharp to get in front of his man, but more impressive is how Gyokeres is able to find the corner with a crisp, low finish into the far corner on his weaker side. The elephant in the room, of course, is the quality of opposition. While the Primeira Liga was ranked as the eighth-strongest league in the world in the most recent update of Opta's Power Rankings, 11 of the 18 teams involved ranked outside the top 300 last season. Relegated Boavista, who Gyokeres put four past in April to practically seal the title, are down at 786. There's a comparative case study to be made with Erling Haaland, similarly emphatic in his final season at Borussia Dortmund, when he crashed home 22 Bundesliga goals with a similar mix of brute force and power finishing. The Norwegian is clearly operating with reduced space in English football — it's been a while since we saw his signature, breakaway goal — but Haaland has still been able to use his freakish physicality to outmuscle and outmanoeuvre defenders close to goal, maintaining an incredibly healthy goalscoring rate for a more controlled, pass-heavy side. Advertisement Gyokeres' success likely depends on his ability to scrap with defenders and find those yards of space in the box. Encouragingly, a two-year spell with Coventry showed that he has what to takes against tough centre-backs, scoring some breathtaking goals — such as this strike against Millwall below — after holding off a defender, shifting the ball and finding the corners. Gyokeres is a stampede of a centre-forward, full-throttle his only gear. He would give Arsenal something different, and if they are to finally end a 20-year wait for a title, a little variety can't hurt. (Bernardo)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
What can the Club World Cup tell us about the strength of leagues around the world?
For those unaware, FIFA has established its own Technical Study Group (TSG) to analyse the Club World Cup this summer. Led by their chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger, the panel contains former players and coaches — with Esteban Cambiasso, Aliou Cisse, Tobin Heath, Jurgen Klinsmann, Roberto Martinez, Gilberto Silva and Pascal Zuberbuhler unpicking the key insights from each game. Advertisement A recent media release from the TSG saw the panel offer their views on the tournament at the midway stage, and the conclusions were rather… jarring in places. 'The competition is much tighter than expected. We wanted to create this Club World Cup to give the big clubs from all over the world the opportunity to come here,' said Wenger. 'It looks like it's the start of something that will never stop again.' Yes, it is FIFA's job to promote the success of the tournament — even if some of what they are saying comes across as downright propaganda. In mitigation, the competition has not been without its significant moments — with Inter Miami's 2-1 group-stage victory over Porto soon followed up by Botafogo's 1-0 win over European champions Paris Saint-Germain (though the French club did heavily rotate for the match). The Brazilian sides have been particularly impressive this summer, with Flamengo seeing off Chelsea in the group stage, before Fluminense's last-16 win over Inter Milan and subsequent victory over Al Hilal further highlighting the fact that clubs from the biggest country in South America should not be underestimated. The most notable triumph was Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal's last-16 victory over Manchester City, in a game that accrued the highest cumulative expected goals (xG) in the competition so far — with 47 shots to feast your eyes on across the 120-plus minutes. Did Al Hilal deserve the victory? Yes. Does that make Simone Inzaghi's side a better team than Pep Guardiola's? Well, no — football does not work in a ladder system where rankings swap if one team beats another. Does it make the Saudi Pro League better than the Premier League? Again, not quite — even if Cristiano Ronaldo's recent comments might have you believe it. Al Hilal's celebrations were ultimately short-lived, after Renato Gaucho's Fluminense beat them 2-1 in the quarter-finals and in doing so became the only non-European team to make the last four of the tournament. Advertisement In some ways, this backs up FIFA's media release that states this summer's tournament has 'shown that high-quality football is played all over the world'. This is a sentiment shared by Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso. 'The (Club) World Cup is showing us the high level of competition in other leagues,' Alonso said ahead of Madrid's quarter-final with Borussia Dortmund. 'Maybe we Europeans are not so familiar with it. The Saudi, Brazilian and even the Argentinian leagues. Sometimes in Europe we are too 'Championsised''. That is true to an extent. We should not ignore how good certain clubs are across global football, but what these isolated cases in a summer tournament can teach us about the quality of leagues across the world is another question altogether. Do FIFA's conclusions live and die within the confines of the competition itself? Or can we extrapolate each team's performances as indicative of their league's strength? As The Athletic has previously analysed, footballing inequality can exist within any country, such that the strength of the best teams does not always represent the competitiveness, or quality, of the entire league itself — think Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. Using data from Twenty First Group, a sports intelligence firm that advises clubs, leagues and investors, we can look at the spread in quality across selected leagues whose teams have reached the latter stages of the Club World Cup — and we have thrown MLS in there for good measure. Twenty First Group's World Super League model uses a machine-learning algorithm to generate a single rating for every team in world football. League strength can then be calculated from the average rating of each team. As you can see below, there is plenty of spread across each league, but some clubs separate themselves from the pack more than others. The Brazilian league is an interesting case. 'We currently rate Brazil's Serie A as the sixth-best league globally, so we expected the four Brazilian teams to be competitive pre-tournament,' said Twenty First Group's Senior Data Scientist, Aurel Nazmiu. Crucially, it is not just the strength of the league but the compact distribution of teams within the Brazilian top flight that highlights the competitiveness of the division from top to bottom. As the strongest teams in the league, Palmeiras and Flamengo are not worlds apart from Juventude — the lowest-rated team. Advertisement This is made clear when comparing the 'standard deviation' of team ratings across each league. This statistical term simply looks at the variability of a set of numbers. The larger the standard deviation, the more spread out the ratings are within the respective league. Owing to the salary-cap system in the United States, MLS comes out with the lowest standard deviation and the highest competitiveness statistically. A close second is the Brazilian league, which can give us confidence that this summer's impressive performances by its four representatives at the tournament are proof of the quality of its league. By contrast, the Saudi Pro League has the highest standard deviation across the division, with the riches of Al Hilal — and their fellow three clubs controlled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) — dwarfing others within the country. 'Although we rate the Saudi Pro League as the 50th-best league globally, Al Hilal are significantly better than the rest of the league at the moment — ranked 132nd in the world in our models,' Nazmiu says. ' For context, the second-best Saudi team, Al Ahli, are much lower at 279.' Among the top 50 leagues worldwide, the Saudi Pro League is ranked as the fifth-most unequal in terms of quality. Contrast Al Hilal's global ranking of 132nd — sandwiched between the Bundesliga's Union Berlin and Spain's Las Palmas — with the lowest-ranked team in the Saudi Pro League in 2024-25, Al Orobah, who come in at 2,405th in the world. Al Orobah finished 17th last season with an average attendance of 2,307, lower than the average at Barnet (2,315) in England's fifth tier in 2024-25. So Al Hilal's success this summer does not yet prove that the quality of the entire Saudi Pro League is on the rise. Of course, European football is not exempt from such inequality, with Paris Saint-Germain dominant in France and the Portuguese trio of Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP dominating their top flight. You could very easily throw Bayern Munich in Germany into that argument across a 10-year window. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that 'a new era of football has definitely started' on social media after Al Hilal's victory over Manchester City last week — but is that an accurate declaration? Yes, there has been some excellent football on show and some memorable support from die-hard fans who have made the journey from around the world. There has been drama, shocks, and some notable upsets. However, to use this tournament as an advertisement for the increased competitiveness of the global game might just be a stretch too far.
