Ryan Gravenberch wants MORE: He's not satisfied
Ryan Gravenberch has been a revelation and he has rightfully been named the Premier League's young player of the season for his efforts in Liverpool's title winning campaign.
At the start of the season, the Reds didn't really know what to do with him, but Arne Slot's vision has allowed the midfielder to flourish in a new system. He's one of our most important players now.
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The traditional No. 6 role has been adapted this season at Liverpool, with the defensive workload spread across the entire midfield, allowing Gravenberch to focus on his strengths - carrying the ball forward and picking out clever passes to the wingers from deep while sitting alongside the defence.
His efforts have been paramount to Liverpool's success, finally plugging the hole left by Fabinho.
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Becoming a levelled-up defensive midfielder next season
Speaking to James Pearce at The Athletic, the Dutchman expressed his desire to not sit on his laurels and make improvements next season to become a more complete midfield option for Arne Slot.
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He said: "During a phone call in the first conversation I had with Arne, he said to me: 'I see you as a No. 8 [central midfielder] but I want to try you as a No. 6 [holding midfielder]'. From that moment, I only played as a No. 6. I didn't play a lot in that position before but this season, that position has made me who I am now.
"[But] I can still improve in goals and assists, and in demanding the ball more during a game. Sometimes, in a game, there's like five minutes when I don't touch the ball. In that position, you have to make the play happen."
As such, despite performing admirably in the role that Slot wanted him in, he's desperate to contribute even more to Liverpool's success as a team, with an attacking output.
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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
Inside Paris chaos: Violence and disorder prove familiar footnote to historic game
Desire Doue's deflected shot had barely had time to nestle in the net before the first firework broke across the sky in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil. Here, as across the French capital, fans piled into bars and cafes, squeezed themselves onto beer-garden benches and crowded around televisions in their sitting rooms to witness Paris Saint-Germain's historic 5-0 annihilation of Inter in the Champions League final. Advertisement It was a success that had been a long time coming: five years since PSG's only previous appearance in the final, 14 years since the club's agenda-changing takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, 32 years since hated rivals Marseille had claimed France's first — and hitherto only — men's Champions League success. PSG may be a young football club, having only come into being in 1970, but their supporters, young and old, had been waiting for this moment their entire lives. Expectation had turned into tension in the days preceding the game and the nearer it came, the greater the tension grew. But then, in the blink of an eye, the tension was gone. Doue's goal made it 2-0 after only 20 minutes and when he added PSG's third goal with half an hour remaining, shortly to be followed by a fourth, and then a fifth, the cork came off the bottle, turning the entire city into a riot of booming fireworks, bright flares, honking car horns and deliriously celebrating fans. Very quickly, however, and well before the game in Munich had finished, a darker note crept into the celebrations as disturbing videos began to pop up on social media. Cars burning in the streets. Bus stops smashed. Groups of youths flooding across the Peripherique ring road, bringing traffic to a standstill. A young man violently robbed of his scooter. A cyclist left slumped in the road after being knocked from his Velib rental bicycle by a car. 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There were crowds of people surging this way and that. People were trying to leave but the cops weren't letting people down the side streets — you had to walk back down the street towards the Place de la Concorde. 'It took a long time to get out and that killed the atmosphere a bit but we carried on towards Grands Boulevards, where there were loads of people, and it was much better.' At Place de la Bastille, east of the city centre, fans massed in their thousands to celebrate PSG's triumph. But a journalist from the German newspaper BILD reported having had to take shelter at the back of a restaurant after it came under attack from rioters. 'Paris made it 4-0. Again, there was great cheering. But this turned into hatred,' wrote Torsten Rumpf. 'The guests in the restaurant were attacked with fireworks and bottles, chairs and tables were thrown. Windows were broken. Fights broke out. 'I saw children and young women crying and heard loud screams. The air became stuffy with the smoke from the fireworks. After 10 minutes, the security guards brought the situation under control.' The French authorities reported that 491 arrests were made in Paris during the night of the game. Paris prefect of police Laurent Nunez told a press conference that 192 members of the public and nine police officers had been injured. In Paris, a 23-year-old scooter rider was killed after being hit by a car, while in the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. Investigations into both incidents are under way. Advertisement France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau posted on social media that 'barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris'. If it was a tragic footnote to append to a significant football match, it was also familiar. The following afternoon, a helicopter hovers in the overcast sky above the River Seine as PSG supporters exit the Invalides metro station and make their way across the Pont Alexandre III towards the Champs-Elysees for their team's triumphant trophy parade. Ousmane Toure, clad in a PSG home shirt and accompanied by his girlfriend, Angeline, had watched the match along with 45,000 fellow fans on the big screens at the Parc des Princes the night before. 'The atmosphere was incredible,' he says with a smile. 'Truly memorable.' But after setting out across Paris on his scooter after the game to revel in the festivities, he saw scenes that left him with memories that he will not look back on with any kind of fondness at all. 'I went out on the Periph (ring road) and it was a bit of a s*** show, to be honest,' he says. 'There were lots of people — I don't know where they'd come from — on motorbikes, blocking the traffic. They were trying to have a party but it wasn't very cool for the people in the cars. 'You'd go past certain streets and there were scenes of chaos. It was unfortunate because it gives a bad image of football and a bad image of the people of Paris. They should have been scenes of joy and they turned into scenes of horror.' On either side of the bridge, street vendors have opportunistically set up stalls offering refrigerated drinks. Cars speed past honking their horns, some twirling PSG flags and scarves from their windows, while youngsters in small groups nimbly dart and weave their way through the crowds on bicycles. Although the atmosphere is relaxed and festive, the sound of police sirens and the whir of the helicopter's blades serve as reminders that the authorities remain on high alert. Advertisement Eliot Nivet, strolling across the bridge with his friend, Pierre-Francois Kerbrat, says that the scenes that had marred the previous evening's celebrations were simply par for the course. 'It started kicking off during the match, which shows it can't have been connected to real supporters,' he says. 'We went to the Champs after and I was there from 11 o'clock until two in the morning. There were fires, like there always are; bikes that were set on fire but nothing out of the ordinary. 'Then the police did their job. There was a fair amount of tear gas. There were just loads and loads of people in every street. There was so much fervour and it's difficult to contain. We're not worried about today.' Arriving on the Right Bank of the Seine on Sunday, police have blocked off Avenue Winston Churchill, which leads straight to the Champs-Elysees. Three dark-grey police vans are parked across the street. Beside one of them, a black-clad police officer eyes the small crowd that has formed beside the crash barriers and mutters something into his walkie-talkie. The supporters there seem more concerned about missing the parade than inadvertently wandering into a riot. There were further skirmishes between supporters and riot police shortly before the trophy procession, as reported by L'Equipe. The clashes continued during Sunday evening, with Reuters reporting that police deployed tear gas when dozens of ticketless fans sought to enter the security perimeter, and again after supporters threw fireworks at police as the stadium emptied out. It was something of an achievement that it was even allowed to take place at all. Mindful of the scenes of serious disorder that had marred a previous PSG trophy parade in 2013 at the Place du Trocadero, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower, Paris authorities were initially minded to reject the club's request before being persuaded into performing a U-turn. Advertisement To cite a more recent example, Liverpool supporters will not need reminding of the carnage that took place before and after the 2022 Champions League final at the Stade de France, where fans were kettled and tear-gassed by police prior to the game, and then picked off by opportunistic muggers as they left the stadium afterwards. Patrick Mignon, a sports sociologist and author, says that eruptions of violence around sporting events in Paris reflect the underlying mistrust that exists between the police and disaffected young people from the city's disadvantaged suburbs. 'When you get events like this, which bring masses of people into the streets, they're an opportunity for people to display the tensions that exist within French society and the phenomenon of political polarisation,' he says. 'The conflict between young people from working-class neighbourhoods and the police is an old story. We also had riots here in 2022 and 2005. Paris is the place where all the tensions within French society are focused. 'We also know that any event that brings lots of people into the streets for a party also attracts young people who see these events as opportunities for all kinds of criminal activity: looting shops, pickpocketing, seeking confrontations with other young people or provoking the police.' Even at the most glorious moments in France's footballing history, tragedy has seldom been far away. After the great Saint-Etienne squad of the mid-1970s returned from beating Dutch side PSV in the European Cup semi-finals in 1976, one of the fans who rushed onto the runway at Boutheon airport to greet them was killed by the plane's propellers. When crowds flocked to the Champs-Elysees to celebrate France's victory over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final, a panicked driver drove her car into a crowd at the Arc de Triomphe, killing one person and injuring 35. Two men died in different areas of France during the celebrations that followed Les Bleus' triumph at the 2018 World Cup, which also prompted scenes of violent disorder on the Champs-Elysees. Advertisement Of course, excessive celebration, enormous crowds of people and alcohol have proven to be a deadly combination after all manner of sporting events across the world. But as they sweep away the broken glass and patch up the wounded in Paris, there is no shrugging off a troubling sense of deja vu. (Header photo:)
Yahoo
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Real Madrid 1st, Barcelona climbing: Updated list of Europe's most valuable clubs
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Order of play: Philippe-Chatrier
Catch up on the second day of action at Roland Garros, as the first round continued to play out in Paris Getty Images Let's take you through today's order of play, starting with the first-round matches on the high-profile show Court Philippe-Chatrier. Play is due to start in just over an hour… R. Šramková vs. I. Świątek (5) N. Osaka vs. P. Badosa (10) T. Atmane vs. R. Gasquet J. Sinner (1) vs. A. Rinderknech So that's three matches during the day with Jannik Sinner's first-round match coming in the evening session — meaning it will not start before 8:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. ET). Getty Images Reigning women's singles champion Iga Świątek is in action today — as a four-time winner of the French Open she knows what it takes to be successful at Roland Garros. So how does she feel coming into the tournament and her first round game today? Well, she spoke earlier in the tournament when the draw was made about her hopes for this year: "Every year is different, so you need to look ahead and have your goals for the future," she said. "But I am proud of my achievements here. I have great memories from past years and every tournament was a totally different story so I learned a lot, and it's always a pleasure to come back here and to play on these courts again. These are the best courts to play in. "Everybody is here to win. I am working hard to be as ready as possible and to play good tennis. This season has had more ups and downs than the seasons before but I know my game is there. I just need to figure out how to use it at the best moments in matches. Tennis is sometimes a complicated sport but we should make it easy in our head so I'll start, step by step." Getty Images No player has made themselves feel at home like Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. The Spaniard dominated the men's singles event for 20 years, picking up a record 14 titles along the way. It earned the now-retired Nadal his own statue outside the famous old venue, where he amassed a remarkable 112 wins and just three defeats in his career. And yesterday, we were treated to a tribute ceremony on Court Philippe-Chatrier to honour his career at this tournament. Here's a reminder of his French Open record: Record titles won: 14 Highest number of victories at a single major: 112 Longest winning streak in Roland Garros history: 39 matches (2010-2015) Seven finals won in straight sets Four titles won without dropping a set Getty Images They are the star of the show at the French Open: the dusty red courts that provide some of the most entertaining tennis on the calendar. For more than 50 years, the clay used at Roland Garros has come from a single factory in Oise, north of Paris and is made of bricks that are specifically used in France. Around 2,000 tonnes of bricks are needed each year to produce enough clay for tennis courts — 80 tonnes of clay is the usual order for courts at the French Open. The clay comes from new bricks with imperfections unsuitable for construction being crushed into a fine sand. Those particles of dust are less than one-tenth of a milimeter in size, creating the perfect surface for players to slide. Getty Images Roland Garros is famous for its red clay courts, which consist of crushed brick rolled over a limestone surface. Different clay courts around the world play differently and, as Venus Williams told the New York Times in 2010:''All clay courts are different. None play the same. This one (Roland Garros) plays the best.' Clay can be the most physically demanding surface for players, who can slide as they meet the ball, and is slower than hard courts or grass. That requires players to think multiple shots ahead and execute subtle moves by executing more spin. Countries where clay courts are common — France, Spain, Italy, the Mediterranean and Latin America — have produced players who have typically fared well at Roland Garros. Named after the French aviator, Roland Garros lies in Paris's 16th arrondissement and is the only major to be played on clay courts. The name of the stadium is used interchangeably with the tournament's official title of the French Open, with 20 courts making up the stadium complex. The biggest is Court Philippe-Chatrier, which has a 15,000 seat capacity. It was completed in 1928 as France prepared to defend its Davis Cup title at a peak period for tennis in the country dominated by the 'Four Musketeers' (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste). One stand is named after each of the tennis Musketeers at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Getty Images Every sporty kid dreams of the moment — lifting a trophy in front of adoring fans. Well, in the men's tournament at the French Open, that means lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires. The silver bowl-shaped trophy is named after four of France's famous tennis players known as the Four Musketeers (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste). As for the women's singles champion, she collects the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen — named after the female French tennis player who was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926. That's some history behind both trophies. It's a pretty tidy sum for those lucky enough to be crowned champions. Both the men's and the women's singles champions will take home an equal prize pot of €2.55 million (£2.33 million / $3.09 million). That's an increase from the €2.4 million (£2.02 million / $2.72 million) won by Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz last year. But the winners' trophy and a place in history is the real prize for most players. The story goes that Sabalenka started playing tennis by chance as a child — and it's a pretty good piece of fortune that she did. Three major titles, 20 WTA Tour titles and the current No. 1 WTA ranking later and it's safe to say her commitment to that moment of chance has paid off. Sabalenka's best French Open finish is in the semifinal in 2023, so she will be looking to go one further this year to put herself another step closer to a career Grand Slam. In a warm up for the competition at the Italian Open, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Zheng Qinwen in straight sets, but she advanced to the second round yesterday with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova. The Athletic It's a busy time in the sports world — and the calendar is only getting busier as we head into the summer. The Premier League season might be over but we have the Club World Cup and the Women's Euros to look forward to. Plus the Formula One and MLB seasons continue and Wimbledon isn't far away either. The Athletic is your one-stop shop to follow all those, and more, with our industry-leading sports coverage. So what are you waiting for? Sign up on an exclusive offer here. We'll be bringing you live updates and analysis throughout today's action (and plenty in the build-up, too) but if you want to catch Roland Garros live, here's all the information you need: U.S.: TNT Sports, Max TNT Sports, Max UK: TNT Sports TNT Sports Canada: TSN TSN France: Sport, Amazon Prime Getty Images The first round matches in both the men's and women's singles begin today at 11 a.m. CEST, which is 10 a.m. BST in London. That works out at 5 a.m. ET on the east coast of the U.S. and 2 a.m. PT on the west coast. This evening's session will start no earlier than 8:15 p.m. CEST in Paris, which is 7:15 p.m. BST, 2:15 p.m. ET, and 11:15 a.m. PT. Hello and welcome along to today's coverage of the second day of the French Open at Roland Garros! And what a tournament we should have in store at this, the second major of the year and the only one to be held on clay. We have a full slate of matches at this early stage of the competition in the men's and women's singles, so stick around for all the latest news, analysis, and match updates from around the courts as play gets underway.
