Spain boss to hecklers: Morata on par with Mbappe, Lukaku

Published

3 years ago

June 19, 2021

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4:20 PM ET

Alex KirklandESPN FC

Luis Enrique has backed Alvaro Morata to win over Spain’s fans who have whistled him, favourably comparing the forward’s goalscoring record to players like Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Romelu Lukaku.

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A section of the crowd at Seville’s La Cartuja stadium whistled Morata after he missed a chance during Spain’s 0-0 draw with Sweden on Monday in their Euro 2020 opener, while some fans sang “Morata, how bad you are” during a pre-tournament friendly with Portugal.

Luis Enrique has confirmed that the Juventus forward will start for Spain against Poland on Saturday, saying the team will be “Morata and ten more.”

“Coaches have access to a lot of information that fans and journalists don’t have,” he said in a news conference on Friday. “They don’t see the training sessions. I say ‘Morata and ten more’ as a stimulus to give him more confidence, but not just because he’s missed a chance… He does a lot of things well. It isn’t about gifting him anything.”

The coach went on to praise Morata’s scoring record for Spain since making his debut in 2014.

“After 41 appearances only one player in Spain’s history has scored more goals than him, and that’s David Villa,” Luis Enrique said. “Legendary players like Raul and [Fernando] Torres had fewer goals than him in their first 40 games… If we look at active players for international teams, only one player has more goals after 40 caps and that’s Harry Kane.

“The rest, top players like [Kylian] Mbappe, [Timo] Werner, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Karim] Benzema, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Romelu] Lukaku, [Gareth] Bale, all had fewer goals in their first 40 caps.”

Morata — who Juventus confirmed this week will return to play for them next season on loan from Atletico Madrid, after scoring 11 goals in Serie A last campaign — said he’d been “calm” this week.

“I’ve been working since the under-17s to be here, to play at the Euros,” he said. “You can’t please everybody. When you get criticism for your work, you have to accept it and respect it… I’m looking forward to the match tomorrow, not just for me but for the team, I believe we can do something great.”

The 28-year-old denied that his first-half miss against Sweden had been playing on his mind, but admitted he had struggled to sleep afterwards.

“They’re moments that happen so fast that it doesn’t give you time to think,” he said. “I don’t consider it a bad miss, the goalkeeper is fast and I had to try to place my shot towards the post. It’s part of the job.”

He added: “When you draw a game you deserve to win, it’s normal that it’s hard to sleep afterwards, with the adrenaline. I talk to [the team psychologist] a lot, about everything.

“He’s available to me just like all the players. I’ve had a lot of messages that I appreciate from people, but I’m fine. I’ve had a long career. People’s opinions don’t change my life or make me sad.”

Morata also called for a normalisation of discussion of mental health issues in football. He previously spoke about coming close to suffering depression during his first season at Chelsea and began to see a psychologist to help him cope with the day-to-day pressure ever since.

“I think it’s important, not just in football but in any job people might have,” he said. “It’s true that a lot of mental health issues, anxiety, depression, aren’t considered with the seriousness they should be. Sometimes someone with anxiety or depression is told to ‘cheer up’… I’d urge people to talk to specialists. It’s a problem.”

Sports

NHL draft lottery scheduled to take place May 7

Published

5 hours ago

April 27, 2024

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NHL draft lottery scheduled to take place May 7

Field Level Media

Apr 26, 2024, 03:06 PM ET

The 2024 NHL draft lottery will take place on May 7, the league announced Friday.

The San Jose Sharks own the best odds to land the No. 1 pick with an 18.5% chance.

The Sharks fired head coach David Quinn earlier this week after finishing an NHL-worst 19-54-9.

Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini, the Hobey Baker Award winner, is the projected No. 1 pick.

The lottery will be held at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.

2024 NHL draft lottery, odds of landing No. 1 pick:

San Jose Sharks, 18.5%

Chicago Blackhawks, 13.5%

Anaheim Ducks, 11.5%

Columbus Blue Jackets, 9.5%

Montreal Canadiens, 8.5%

Utah, 7.5%

Ottawa Senators, 6.5%

Seattle Kraken, 6%

Calgary Flames, 5%

New Jersey Devils, 3.5%

Buffalo Sabres, 3%

Philadelphia Flyers, 2.5%

Minnesota Wild, 2.0%

Pittsburgh Penguins, 1.5%

Detroit Red Wings, 0.5%

St. Louis Blues, 0.5%

Sports

Stanley Cup Playoffs Central: Bracket, schedule, game previews for the NHL’s postseason

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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Stanley Cup Playoffs Central: Bracket, schedule, game previews for the NHL's postseason

The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs are here! The NHL’s 32 teams are down to just 16 in the postseason, with the first round well underway.

Will the New York Rangers parlay their success in winning the Presidents’ Trophy to a championship — thus breaking the “curse” of that award?

Can the Vegas Golden Knights repeat, despite starting the postseason as the underdog in their initial series?

Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.

More: Playoff schedule
Megapreview
Lapsed fan’s guide
Wyshynski’s bracket
Top 50 players
Cup contender comps

First round

Atlantic Division

Regular-season records:

Panthers: 52-24-6, 110 points
Lightning: 45-29-8, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Panthers: Sam Reinhart, 94 points (57 G, 37 A)
Lightning: Nikita Kucherov, 144 points (44 G, 100 A)

Consensus pick: Panthers

Schedule: (FLA leads 3-0)

Matthew Tkachuk’s 2nd goal secures Panthers win

Matthew Tkachuk scores into an empty net to seal a 5-3 win for the Panthers.

Regular-season records:

Bruins: 47-20-15, 109 points
Maple Leafs: 46-26-10, 102 points

Leading scorers:

Bruins: David Pastrnak, 110 points (47 G, 63 A)
Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews, 107 points (69 G, 38 A)

Consensus pick: Bruins

Schedule: (BOS leads 2-1)

Brad Marchand immediately reclaims the lead for Boston

Brad Marchand gives the Bruins a 3-2 lead late in the third period after the Maple Leafs tied it up.

Metropolitan Division

Regular-season records:

Rangers: 55-23-4, 114 points
Capitals: 40-31-11, 91 points

Leading scorers:

Rangers: Artemi Panarin, 120 points (49 G, 71 A)
Capitals: Dylan Strome, 67 points (27 G, 40 A)

Consensus pick: Rangers

Schedule: (NYR leads 2-0)

K’Andre Miller gives Rangers’ 4-2 lead with shorty

K’Andre Miller rips a shot into the goal and puts the Rangers ahead by two goals after a shorthand score against the Capitals.

Regular-season records:

Hurricanes: 52-23-7, 111 points
Islanders: 39-27-16, 94 points

Leading scorers:

Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho, 89 points (36 G, 53 A)
Islanders: Mathew Barzal, 80 points (23 G, 57 A)

Consensus pick: Canes

Schedule: (CAR leads 3-0)

Sebastian Aho restores 2-goal lead for Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho scores to restore the Hurricanes’ two-goal lead vs. the Islanders.

Central Division

Regular-season records:

Stars: 52-21-9, 113 points
Golden Knights: 45-29-8, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Stars: Jason Robertson, 80 points (29 G, 51 A)
Golden Knights: Jonathan Marchessault, 69 points (42 G, 27 A)

Consensus pick: Stars

Schedule: (VGK leads 2-0)

Noah Hanifin puts Knights on top before third period

Noah Hanifin scoops the puck and makes a nice shot to give the Knights a 2-1 lead heading into the third period versus the Stars.

Regular-season records:

Jets: 52-24-6, 110 points
Avalanche: 50-25-7, 107 points

Leading scorers:

Jets: Mark Scheifele, 72 points (25 G, 47 A)
Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, 140 points (51 G, 89 A)

Consensus pick: Avs

Schedule: (Series tied 1-1)

Josh Manson scores goal vs. Jets

Pacific Division

Regular-season records:

Canucks: 50-23-9, 109 points
Predators: 47-30-5, 99 points

Leading scorers:

Canucks: J.T. Miller, 103 points (37 G, 66 A)
Predators: Filip Forsberg, 94 points (48 G, 46 A)

Consensus pick: Canucks

Schedule: (Series tied 1-1)

Colton Sissons finishes the rebound for Predators’ 3rd goal

Nashville extends their lead to 3-0 over the Canucks thanks to this Colton Sissons goal.

Regular-season records:

Oilers: 49-27-6, 104 points
Kings: 44-27-11, 99 points

Leading scorers:

Oilers: Connor McDavid, 132 points (32 G, 100 A)
Kings: Adrian Kempe, 75 points (28 G, 47 A)

Consensus pick: Oilers

Schedule: (Series tied 1-1)

Kopitar’s OT winner helps Kings even series

Anze Kopitar finds the back of the net early in overtime to lift the Kings to a Game 2 win over the Oilers.

Sports

Leafs’ Nylander nears return with game Saturday

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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Leafs' Nylander nears return with game Saturday

Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterApr 26, 2024, 01:51 PM ET
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William Nylander is closing in on his debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Boston on Saturday.

The Leafs trail the Bruins 2-1 in the best-of-seven.

Friday, the winger spoke with reporters for the first time since being sidelined by an undisclosed injury two weeks ago. The mystery ailment has held Nylander out of Toronto’s lineup for the first three postseason tilts against Boston and he’s been diligently working to get back in.

Nylander was a full participant in the Leafs’ practice on Friday, skating on a regular line with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok and taking reps on Toronto’s first power play unit. Both are signs that Toronto is preparing to have Nylander for Saturday’s game.

“We’ll see,” Nylander surmised of his potential availability. “I don’t know [for sure].”

Coach Sheldon Keefe remained optimistic Nylander was finally ready to go after an engaging practice session.

“He looked great to me on the ice,” said Keefe. “In terms of his status, we’ll have to determine that [on Saturday].”

Details of Nylander’s injury have been strictly guarded by the Leafs so far. Nylander followed suit when asked to confirm media reports he’s been dealing with migraines.

“That’s just personal, so I’m not going to get into that,” he said.

Nylander wasn’t worried either about stepping back into a series that’s been in full swing for a week either, citing there was “nothing” difficult ahead for him in a potential return on Saturday.

“I’ve been skating and everything; I’m fine,” said Nylander. “It is what it is. There’s nothing to really stress about. You can’t force yourself back into the game, so I’ll be ready when I’m ready.”

Toronto could use a boost like Nylander coming back heading into Game 4. He was a 40-goal scorer in the regular season with an impressive playoff resume (having collected 40 points in 50 previous postseason outings). Adding an offensive weapon like that to the mix can help the Leafs solve their scoring issues. Toronto’s managed six goals in the first three games against Boston and their misfiring power play is 1-for-11.

Having Nylander as an option makes the Leafs immediately more dangerous at both 5-on-5 and special teams. That’s paramount for Toronto’s hopes of tying the series again before it goes back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Bruins have been changing things up in their crease throughout the playoffs to date, rotating between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark as they did with good success in the regular season.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery wouldn’t confirm his Game 4 goaltender after Swayman backstopped the Bruins to wins in Game 1 and Game 3, but there’s a chance it’ll be Linus Ullmark getting the call despite Boston falling in his last Game 2 start.

“We’re following the plan we had in place,” said Montgomery, while confirming the decision has already been made.