Watson makes Premiership TOTW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Viktor Gyökeres labours as Arsenal fall short against Villarreal and Pépé
New season, same old Arsenal? On an evening when Viktor Gyökeres was meant to announce himself as the solution to all of Mikel Arteta's problems, instead it was a figure from Arsenal's past who stole the show. At £72m – £8m more than they may end up paying for the Sweden striker – Nicolas Pépé remains Arsenal's record signing, a few months before Arteta replaced Unai Emery in 2019. Most of the fans who packed out the Emirates Stadium for this pre-season friendly will not have many fond memories of the Ivory Coast international's spell in north London, but he clearly had a point to prove here. Pépé's early goal and strikes from Karl Etta Eyong and the former Tottenham loanee Arnaut Danjuma sealed an impressive win for Villarreal, and left Arteta with plenty of questions to resolve before Arsenal's opening game of the season next weekend against Manchester United. Gyökeres, who is the headline act of a spending spree that could exceed £200m, looked short of match fitness as he toiled up front for 62 minutes. Only the introduction of the 15‑year‑old Max Dowman for his first senior appearance at the Emirates Stadium could lift the mood as he won a penalty that allowed Martin Ødegaard to make the scoreline more respectable. But there were more reasons to be fearful for Arsenal's fans as they aim to improve on finishing as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season. There had been a sense of anticipation in the late summer air as they queued patiently at the club shop before kick‑off, with several already sporting Gyökeres's new replica No 14 shirt. Having made his debut last week as a substitute against Spurs in their 1-0 defeat in Hong Kong, the Sweden striker is still playing catch‑up having stayed away from pre-season with Sporting as he attempted to force through his move. But he was included in a strong starting lineup, with Ethan Nwaneri deputising for Ødegaard alongside the new signing Christian Nørgaard and Mikel Merino in midfield. The match programme featured pictures of all six of Arsenal's summer arrivals on the cover, with Martín Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga on the bench. Arteta used his programme notes to express his belief they 'will add quality and depth to the squad, which is what we are going to need throughout the season'. Arteta added: 'We know what our targets are and what we want to achieve this season – there is a big belief in our ability to achieve that. We have been very, very close the last few seasons and the whole team is going to determine whether we achieve that or not.' It was Nwaneri, who has signed a new contract this summer, who caught the eye early on. A cross from Merino that was meant for the forehead of Gyökeres instead found Bukayo Saka at the back post and he could not direct the ball on target. But with only Gabriel Magalhães missing from his first-choice back four, Arteta will be concerned with how easily Villarreal established a 2-0 lead. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Pépé, who joined Villarreal last year on a free transfer and is set to be joined by the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey after he agreed an initial one-year deal, was unlucky when his shot came back off the post before he eventually forced the ball past David Raya when Arsenal failed to clear. The Spaniard was left fuming with his defence when Etta Eyong doubled the Spanish side's lead just after the half-hour, although Nørgaard immediately pulled one back from a corner. Like last season when they struggled from a lack of creativity, that seemed to be Arsenal's best chance of scoring as Gyökeres was forced to live off scraps before the break. Mosquera and Zubimendi were summoned for the second half and there was an immediate improvement. Gyökeres finally had a sight of goal when played in by Merino but his shot was well saved by Luiz Júnior. It needed Dowman, who has been hailed as a 'special talent' by Arteta despite his tender years, to save some face after Danjuma had raced clear to make it 3-1, although Madueke missed the decisive penalty in a post‑match shootout.
The Sun
2 minutes ago
- The Sun
Benjamin Sesko boasts Cristiano Ronaldo-esque leap set to strike fear in Premier League defenders upon Man Utd move
BENJAMIN SESKO is finally making the leap into the Premier League. After choosing Manchester United ahead of Newcastle, the RB Leipzig striker will be delighted if he can make half the impact of another forward known for gravity-defying jumps at Old Trafford, namely Cristiano Ronaldo. 9 9 9 Eight years ago, when still in his native Slovenia, Sesko posted an incredible video of him flying so high he could kick out at a basketball hoop — the global standard height is TEN FEET or just over three metres. In slow motion, the footage shows him jumping towards the backboard and dislodging a ball from the rim with his foot. This video eventually came to the attention of the recruitment department at Red Bull Salzburg and they started tracking this freak of nature. Aged 16, Sesko would eventually head to Austria. He spent four years there then moved to Red Bull stablemates Leipzig to become one of the most feared strikers in Europe. Sesko now stands at 6ft 5in and can jump not far off a further four feet, which is extraordinary. He is literally head and shoulders above his peers. United boss Ruben Amorim will utilise Sesko's super-human strength this season to finally help the Red Devils restore their bite in front of goal. Sesko's aerial ability, speed and power make him a real threat. He will certainly give defences food for thought — fuelled by plenty of protein. His breakfast consists of FOUR fried eggs, yoghurt with berries, muesli and freshly-squeezed fruit juice. For lunch, Sesko has chicken, rice, carrots and broccoli, with two slices of bread, followed by a fruit salad featuring mango, watermelon and pineapple. Bruno Fernandes branded 'proper captain' for his miserable trophy 'celebration' after Man Utd win Prem Summer Series Dinner is salmon with potato and a tomato and cucumber salad, before finishing the day with yet more muesli, this time livened up with some Quark cheese, cashew nuts, kiwi fruit and blueberries. His approach is bearing fruit, and although Sesko's shot accuracy and conversion rate need to improve with experience, he could be a huge success for the Red Devils over the next few years. It is turning into a nightmare for Newcastle, especially with star striker Alexander Isak looking to leave with Liverpool heavily linked. Meanwhile, the Old Trafford side will get a player who at Salzburg was known as the 'new Erling Haaland', with Manchester City's Norwegian star having made his mark at the club before leaving for Borussia Dortmund. 9 9 9 9 Sesko's leap only became famous a few years ago and until he began to flourish in Salzburg, was largely unknown. Yet as he found his feet in Austria, he moved to Leipzig and then started to terrorise Bundesliga defences. Sesko has remained a shy person and rarely gives an insight into his private life on Instagram unlike other players. Right now, you could argue, Sesko's possible future brother-in-law is actually more famous across the UK than him. His girlfriend, Anita, is the sister of Boris who has recently starred on Love Island. Sesko will form part of a new, three-pronged attacking dream team with £62.5million Matheus Cunha and £65m Bryan Mbuemo. The three scored 48 league goals between them last season, which is more than the entire United team managed in the Prem (44). Amorim opting for this line-up would mean skipper Bruno Fernandes dropping back into a deeper midfield role instead of occupying a No 10 spot himself. 9 9 Since August 2023, striker Sesko has been the top-scoring player in Europe aged under 23. He has struck 39 times, one ahead of midfield pair Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and five more than Liverpool new boy Florian Wirtz. After Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich (33) is Rasmus Hojlund with 26 goals. Yet United have been willing to listen to offers for Hojlund, and are ready to accept as little as £30m for the player they paid £64m for in 2023, although the Dane still wants to fight for his place in Manchester. Born just a few months before Sesko in 2003, Hojlund still has work to do but it might not be the worst thing for United — if they can afford to keep him — to allow him to grow alongside Sesko. You could see why joining Newcastle would have been a good option for Sesko. A side featuring in the Champions League this season and one where he could become a hero. Yet United are the biggest club in England and while they are not in European competition this term, their time will come again. With his three-pronged strikeforce and the genius of Fernandes pulling the strings behind them, Amorim's men could be a force in the Premier League this season.
Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Aaron Rodgers said he will play preseason opener if asked
August 6 - Aaron Rodgers rarely participates in preseason games, but the first-year Pittsburgh quarterback is willing to step up if Steelers coach Mike Tomlin asks. Pittsburgh opens its preseason schedule at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, and Rodgers said he expects to have "an interesting conversation" with Tomlin regarding his reps in the matchup. "I don't think it's in the plan for me to play this week," Rodgers said, "but whatever Mike wants to do, I'm fully on board." The NFL's oldest active player, Rodgers, 41, appeared in an exhibition game for the New York Jets two years ago. But you would have to go back to 2018 to find his previous performance in a game that did not count. Pittsburgh has four quarterbacks on its depth chart, with Mason Rudolph backing up Rodgers, who ranks fifth and seventh in career passing touchdowns and yards, respectively, and signed a one-year deal in June. Rookie Will Howard is listed as the third-string QB, although the national champion from Ohio State will not be available on Saturday with a hand injury after smacking it against a helmet in Tuesday's practice. Skylar Thompson is QB4 on the depth chart. While Rodgers said he's "totally on board" with playing preseason reps if Tomlin requests him to, he told 93.7 The Fan that "preseason football is not necessarily real football, because defenses don't really do a lot." For his part, Tomlin was non-committal about Rodgers' participation in the exhibition opener. "I can't see past Wednesday at this juncture," Tomlin told reporters. "At this stage of development, Saturday is a long way away. Seriously, we're just trying to have good days." --Field Level Media
