Latest news with #OlivierGiroud
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Teens arrested for Brad Pitt burglary targeted other stars, say LA police
Four teenagers have been arrested over a burglary that left actor Brad Pitt's home ransacked, police said. The suspects are allegedly behind a number of "celebrity burglaries" that targeted the houses of actors and professional athletes, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. He said the male suspects, two 18-year-olds, a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old, are street gang members, and property stolen in the burglaries was found when police searched their homes. Police did not name those whose properties were targeted, but celebrities including Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, LA Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and ex-LA Football Club striker Olivier Giroud have reported break-ins this year. The investigation started in late June after Pitt's home was raided by a trio of masked thieves. McDonnell said the group hopped a perimeter fence surrounding the Los Feliz home and shattered a window, hopping inside and taking items before fleeing. Police did not confirm the home belonged to the Oscar-winning actor, but the address matched that of a property Pitt bought in 2023. The large three-bedroom house sits just outside Griffith Park, where the famous Hollywood Sign sits. It is surrounded by a fence and greenery that shields the property from public view. Pitt was not home at the time of the burglary and was promoting his new film, F1. The BBC has contacted representatives for the actor. McDonnell said investigators found the suspects were part of a crew that "were burglarizing various high-profile residents throughout the city", which he said included homes of "actors and professional athletes". Last week, authorities followed the four suspects and were able to arrest them on burglary charges, he added. Police did not elaborate on what items were recovered after police searched their homes. McDonnell said burglars like this group had become increasingly smart in their crimes - planting surveillance cameras in nearby flowerbeds or across the street from homes they target to monitor a victim's routine. He said thieves had also been using wi-fi jammers to knock out home surveillance systems and cameras that could alert homeowners or police of a break-in. He noted that celebrities and athletes can be easier targets since their appearances and games are publicised online. He noted, though, that anyone posting on social media about their travels can unknowingly be alerting a potential thief to their location. "We don't really give enough thought to... [while] we want our friends to know where we are and what we're doing, you're telling everybody else then who may be looking to exploit your situation," McDonnell said. Brad Pitt's Los Angeles home 'ransacked', police say Man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston Brad Pitt hails Silverstone as F1 hits cinemas
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
West Ham beat Lillie on penalties to finish pre-season
West Ham defeated Ligue 1 side Lille on penalties after a 1-1 draw in their final pre-season campaign on Chelsea and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for his new club with a fine touch and finish in first half injury time but Niclas Fullkrug levelled late on when he slotted home from a Tomas Soucek the Germany striker missing his penalty in the resulting shoot out, goalkeeper Alfonse Areola saved two spot-kicks to give the Hammers victory.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How LAFC can get the most out of Son – and avoid another Giroud-like flop
When LAFC mutually parted ways with Olivier Giroud in late June, the only surprise was that they were willing to call it off so soon. To say the 38-year-old forward was a stylistic mismatch is a severe understatement. Even before he debuted, it was clear that Giroud's style didn't fit the team he was joining. Long known for being involved in build-up at multiple steps before making his mark in the box, Giroud was left lumbering behind LAFC's breakneck progression through counters and possession-generated short-field scenarios. Giroud's goal record was inevitably underwhelming, with just five tallies in all competitions across 1,969 minutes — his least prolific club stint since scoring just twice in 534 minutes for boyhood Grenoble before moving to Tours FC in 2008. Advertisement When Giroud and LAFC split, some wondered if it would also end LAFC's recent penchant for signing famous veterans beyond the age of 30, but Son Heung-min's arrival on Wednesday for an MLS-record transfer fee signals there's more to that method. Since Steve Cherundolo took over as coach in 2022, the club has gotten vital contributions from the stars of yesteryear. Its '22 MLS Cup triumph came after a last-gasp equalizer from Gareth Bale forced penalties, in what proved to be the final goal of his club career. Giorgio Chiellini and Hugo Lloris have provided sage wisdom and steady play in non-overlapping stints, with Lloris still keeping goal for the Western Conference contender. However acrimonious Giroud and LAFC's time together was, their uncoupling begat opportunity. For the player, it meant a return to France to finish his career closer to home. For the club, it meant having one less high-wage player on the books while still needing a new goalscoring threat. Earlier this summer, it wasn't a foregone conclusion that Son would leave Tottenham Hotspur. He had just lifted a long-awaited trophy as captain of the UEFA Europa League winner, an undeniable career highlight. He was the one who stuck around from the promising core led by Mauricio Pochettino. As Ange Postecoglou was shown the door and Thomas Frank walked through it as the next manager, it was an obvious time for a Spurs legend to take stock of his career, as Lloris had when Postecoglou first arrived two years ago. It's unlikely that LAFC could have made such an ambitious push to secure Son's services if Giroud was still in Tinseltown. He's a stylistic departure from Giroud, to state the obvious, but one who's a far better fit for how Cherundolo's team operates. Rather than gambling on an unproven youngster, LAFC is replacing a World Cup winner with another international icon. That's a maneuver usually reserved for a UEFA Champions League regular, not a team in MLS. There's just the small matter of where Son will line up. Throughout his time at Tottenham, much of Son's best work came from the left wing. It was common to see Spurs work the ball up to Harry Kane, who would play a cunning through ball into Son's stride. From there, the South Korea legend would either maze toward the box to set up his own look or reward Kane's continued progress with a cutback. No tandem has ever caused so many headaches for Premier League opponents, and they did so while sharing the line with stars as recast as supporting actors. Advertisement The summer of 2023 changed a lot around Tottenham, with the team losing its captain (Lloris) and top scorer (Kane) while working to identify a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte. Son was a natural successor for the two leading player responsibilities, while Postecoglou promised an entertaining system that could guarantee a trophy in his second season. Postecoglou asked his wingers to hug the touchline like throwback wide midfielders rather than the modern inverted deployment made famous by Son and Lionel Messi, among others. While Son was still encouraged to cut towards goal, the areas where he received the ball often left him with too much terrain and too many defenders to make his usual impact. In Conte's final season, Son had an even dispersal of his attacking-half touches across the left two-thirds of the field. Of his attacking touches, 28% came along the touchline, while 24% came in the half-space and 25% came in the central third the width of a six-yard box. As Postecoglou infamously committed to the bit throughout 2024-25, Son was left far from his most impactful areas: just 13% of his touches came in the central third, while a staggering 55% of his attacking touches came from the furthest left-sided zones. The resulting end product was uncharacteristically lean. For the first time in nine full seasons with Tottenham, Son failed to score at least 10 goals. His 0.3 goals per 90 clip was the lowest of his time in London, even trailing his first half-season after arriving from Leverkusen in January 2015. For the first time, his expected assists output (0.35 per 90) exceeded his xG (0.31 per 90) — he had a clearer way of making an impact with his chance creation given his utilization. While most forwards would be happy to match his 43.6% shot accuracy from last year, it was his lowest rate since 2018-19. It doesn't take much speculation that his shot selection became more speculative as opponents had more time to contain him given his more laterally withdrawn positioning. Advertisement LAFC is betting that there are still many goals left in his famous legs, backing that belief with a $26 million transfer fee — a price point made more attainable since LAFC took home $10.6 million from the Club World Cup. Versatile enough to work into varying roles due to his strong interplay and reading of the game, Son is also a clearer partner to operate alongside the club's leading man, Denis Bouanga. The 30-year-old Gabon international has been one of the toughest players for opponents to contain since joining LAFC midway through 2022. He's a one-man wrecking crew in transition, able to dribble past nearly any mark (as opponents found in the Club World Cup) to create his own shooting looks in stride. If Son's capable playmaking chops follow him from London to L.A., it's a terrifying prospect for other MLS Cup hopefuls. Bouanga's presence and cachet could also help avoid putting Son through a similar headache as the one stemming from Postecoglou's system, leaving too far afield from the mixer. While Bouanga is an out-and-out left winger with no clear second position, Son can make a mark from a central position. In theory, the clearest solution would be to lean into a base 4-2-3-1 with Son playing off of an out-and-out center forward, most likely MLS veteran Jeremy Ebobisse or homegrown striker Nathan Ordaz. The latter, a 21-year-old El Salvador international, has gotten the bulk of starts in 2025, with five goals and four assists in 1,105 league minutes. While Ordaz isn't much of a threat in the air, his movement could help create space for Bouanga and Son while he can bear the brunt of leading frontline pressing responsibilities with his youthful legs. There's just one problem: throughout his near-four-year tenure, Cherundolo has seldom experimented with an attacking midfielder or second striker in his lineup. In 29 games across MLS and the Club World Cup (including the playoff against Club América), Cherundolo has used a base 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 in 23 of 29 games this year. The other six instances saw him drop a midfielder to include a third center back, rather than including another more attacking role. His system prioritizes defensive stability to keep space open for those effective counters, while keeping ample bodies in the midfield third to retain the ball — averaging 54% of possession per game — while keeping the final third decongested until an opportunity to pounce presents itself. Advertisement The good news, perhaps, is that the 3-4-3 illustrated above functions as more of a 3-4-2-1. Those two players beneath the striker operate more as attacking midfielders than wingers, with width instead provided by wingbacks. The most recent usage of this system, perhaps tellingly, came Tuesday night with Son watching at BMO Stadium as LAFC faced Tigres in the Leagues Cup, possibly trying to present the new headliner with a look at what he's getting into from a tactical perspective. The most likely scenario would see Bouanga and Son tuck into those two half-space roles and one of Ordaz or Ebobisse to serve as frontline fulcrum. Even if Bouanga's instincts and reading of space lead him to run into true winger territory rather than staying in the half-space, that would only free up further space in the channels and central third for Son to operate. If Cherundolo instead decides to play Son up top, LAFC could deploy young Venezuelan right winger David Martínez alongside Bouanga to create a weaving and dynamic front-three, each capable of making an impact out wide as well as in the box. It should also be noted that Son's fit in the current system is a short-term consideration. In April, Cherundolo announced that he would step down at year's end to return to Germany, having spent his playing days with Hannover 96 while also beginning his coaching career in his adopted home. Undoubtedly, their next coaching search will now keep getting the best from Son at the fore. When preseason kicks off in January, every player will be learning anew, putting Son on level footing with longer-tenured teammates. Still, Son arrives as the only player in MLS beyond Lionel Messi whose own presence and reputation transcends the game itself. Even if he seems like an imperfect fit in Cherundolo's system, especially with Bouanga still in tow, the club has every reason to want to ensure a swift acclimation and immediate returns from a player who just turned 33 last month. Even as Cherundolo and his staff work out how to fit him into their lineup, Son is a far clearer stylistic fit than Giroud ever was. After spending his final year with Tottenham hugging the touchline, Son could be set up to spend far more of his time in the box. Opposing defenses, beware. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🎥 Video: Giroud scores his first two goals for Lille
It's Gi', it's S. This Wednesday afternoon, Lille will face Venice in a friendly match, ten days before the resumption of Ligue 1. Olivier Giroud, the star recruit of LOSC this summer, scored his first two goals with his new team during the first half of this preparation match. The first goal : The second goal : coming soon... This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here. 📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Son draws fans to airport even though MLS deal not official
South Korean star Son Heung-min has not even been officially announced as joining Los Angeles FC of MLS but excited fans are already waiting to welcome him. ESPN and The Athletic report that Son, who left Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, will sign with LAFC for an MLS-record transfer fee of $26 million. After press reports about Son's possible arrival on Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport, about 40 fans of Son went to see if they could get an autograph or photograph or even a glimpse of their idol. They were unable to see Son, however, after his sendoff in South Korea a few hours earlier. "Son is immensely important to me. I used to wake up at five or six in the morning to watch him play in England," Jun Kwon, a 19-year-old fan, told AFP. "He's going to change things here. My father and I, who had no interest in MLS, are already won over." He was wearing a gold and black LAFC jersey purchased Tuesday morning and printed with his idol's name. In a decade with Spurs, Son scored 173 goals in 454 matches. The winger confirmed his plans to leave Tottenham in Seoul last weekend after a final match with the Premier League club. At LAFC, Son will replace French striker Olivier Giroud, who was sold to Lille in July, and will share a dressing room with French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his former teammate at Tottenham. bi-rg/gbv/js/jgc
