Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti told the press at Valdebebas that he would enjoy the week of preparation for the Champions League final before the nerves kicked in on the day. He also had a very specific matchday routine in order to beat those nerves.

“What do I like to eat? Salmon, broccoli and pasta. That’s what I’m going to eat. Then an hour of siesta, if I can… And then, all the thoughts of the game will come, all of the nerves. Then, before the team talk, my heart starts to go up, it reaches 110, 120 and it stays there until the game starts and then my heart returns to its normal rhythm.”

In his mind though, the best way to prepare his players to aovid the stress of the match was to give them as many tools as possible to beat Borussia Dortmund.

“There is a week to prepare for the game and we will do it well. We are going to focus on defensive and offensive work and be clear about what needs to be done. I am going to give clear information to the players and when they get to the game they will be clear about what they have to do.”

“It’s the best way to relieve stress. So you don’t think about other things that can give you stress. The important thing is that we give the players clear messages, and they feel prepared in order to deal with the rival.”

One of the aspects of Real Madrid’s incredible European runs of late is the lack of exactly that – stress. Most sides would have crumbled under the pressure applied by Manchester City in the quarter-finals, and few are able to impose their game with such clarity of purpose as Real Madrid did against Bayern Munich, with time running out to turn things around. Despite being heavy favourites, most would bet on Los Blancos being the more relaxed of the two sides coming out at Wembley.

The post ‘Salmon, broccoli and pasta’ – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti explains gameday routine for UCL final appeared first on Football España.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

#6 that Tottenham can sign for only £9m is merely a squad stabilizer option – Opinion
Soccer

#6 that Tottenham can sign for only £9m is merely a squad stabilizer option – Opinion

Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to dip into the market for a new defensive midfielder as Daniel Levy looks to bring in a new #6 in the current roster at Hotspur Way, and while many players have been linked and considered for a possible move to N17, Wilfred Ndidi has been an underrated prospect. With Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at Hotspur Way, the attention within the corridors has turned towards ensuring that the Dane head coach has players at his disposal who have the capacity to play within his framework. And this is where the long-serving midfield anchor at Leicester City comes into the picture, with the 27-year-old reportedly available to move for somewhere around £9 million following the Foxes relegation last season. Given the fee that Leicester are asking, it would definitely be a bargain considering the Premier League pedigree that Ndidi comes into the picture with. But the thing is, this is where the question comes up: is Ndidi a right fit for the North Londoners under Frank’s evolving system? Why Ndidi makes sense for Tottenham? We saw how Ange Postecoglou was experimenting with a few midfield combinations along the previous campaign, but let’s be honest, none of those have given the North Londoners that same elite ball-winning ability on a consistent basis that we have seen from Ndidi for years in the English top tier. And if we think about how Thomas Frank operated at Brentford, the Dane head coach thrived with Christian Nørgaard at the base of midfield, where he was looking to get the better of opponents sequences by clean tackles complemented by how he was tasked to cover up the wide spaces when fullbacks advanced. Moreover, he gives you that tempo from deep, whilst Ndidi brings similar ball-winning instincts, despite stating the fact that the Nigerian international has less on-ball finesse. But then when we start thinking about the defensive side of things, he has that tackling and intercepting ability which remains among the percentiles when compared with the best midfielder in England when he is fit. Moreover, he is still a dominant presence in aerial duels and ground coverage, showing his defensive instincts. And the most important thing for me here is that price; if you get him at £9m, Ndidi is suddenly a budget-friendly addition which can help Tottenham spend on bringing in maybe an attacking talent like Morgan Gibbs-White or possibly invest in a striker to complement Dominic Solanke. So even if Ndidi doesn’t end up being a starter at Hotspur Way, he still has that experience to play for a side in the Champions League. How will Ndidi tactically fit under Thomas Frank at Tottenham? If Thomas Frank thinks about using a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2 structure, then Ndidi will be tasked to play in that holding midfielder role in a pivot where he (very similar to Norgaard) is tasked to get the better of the opponents sequences while letting others like Maddison or Kulusevski carry the ball forward. But that being said, Frank likes to have a sense of press resistance and positional fluidity with the ball, especially in his midfield three, and this is where Ndidi would need to improve his on-ball play to thrive in a side that is looking to build from the back under pressure. Possible problems that could hinder his progress at N17 The first thing that comes to my mind with Ndidi is his injury problems, given that he has been dealing with recurring knee and hamstring problems, and while Tottenham really need his tireless energy in the midfield, the North Londoners will have to worry about long-term reliability. And as I mentioned above, when you play under Thomas Frank, you are expected to build through the thirds, and Ndidi has shown struggles under pressure in tight spaces and can be error-prone in possession, which, when you directly compare it with what Nørgaard was doing for the Dane head coach at Brentford, will be a notable downgrade given how the now Arsenal man has that passing range and tempo-setting ability with the ball. Author Opinion Ndidi is someone that comes at a cheap fee but that shows the ideal role that he should play in the current roster, which is a rotational role. And he is someone that Daniel Levy should be looking at as more of a squad stabiliser rather than a system-defining starter, and that is only how this signing could work, given it will give you smart depth, which can come in handy, especially with European top-tier football at N17.

Is Giants' Joe Schoen already having second thoughts about Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders decision?
NFL

Is Giants' Joe Schoen already having second thoughts about Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders decision?

The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.

Caitlin Clark drops mic on Kelsey Plum's Instagram post
WNBA

Caitlin Clark drops mic on Kelsey Plum's Instagram post

Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.

The Phillies need to replace this struggling bat at the deadline
MLB

The Phillies need to replace this struggling bat at the deadline

Another year, another shot at a championship. Since their last World Series appearance in 2022, a match in which they lost, the Philadelphia Phillies have slid backwards, falling in the NLCS in 2023 and the NLDS in 2024. This year, the Phillies are back on top of the NL East, holding a slim half-game lead over the New York Mets entering Tuesday. Still, their season has been far from spotless. The Phillies have gone through immeasurable difficulties from the bullpen without Jeff Hoffman (signed with Blue Jays), Carlos Estevez (signed with Royals) or Jose Alvarado (PED suspension), especially with Jordan Romano’s descent into the dumpster fire. But with new free-agent signing David Robertson in tow, we can expect some degree of stability from the relief corps going forward — though, not to insinuate that team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is done adding bullpen arms. Another sore spot that received plenty of attention the past few months is in the outfield, left field in particular. Among all qualifying left fielders, Max Kepler maintains the second lowest OPS. Much has been made about potentially replacing him, but as bad as he’s been, there is one Philadelphia infielder that has done even worse. Once a promising bat, second baseman Bryson Stott seems to be reaching rock bottom. Below, you can his stats in comparison to that of Kepler’s: (wRC+: weighted runs created plus represents the culmination of a hitter’s offensive achievements where a value of 100 is MLB’s average) Stott has been more proficient than Kepler at recording hits, but Kepler’s power and higher walk rate gives him the edge in overall offensive stats. It was only in 2023, his second year of MLB action, when Stott hit .280/.329/.414 with 15 home runs. Unfortunately, Stott’s productivity began to slide last season. This year, his slump halted in April when he hit .314 on the month, but it quickly resumed in May (.216), worsened in June (.202) and has reached a fever-pitch in July (.132). If the Phillies are going to claw their way back to the Fall Classic, it may be better if Stott’s bat isn’t in the lineup.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!