On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
As Manchester City have gone eight games unbeaten Pep Guardiola has turned to his experienced players to help his team regain their mojo. But amongst that, Manchester City’s young players have played a key role in City’s recent resurgence. In fact, the role of City’s younger players cannot be downplayed as Pep Guardiola’s side have come back to life in recent weeks.
Nico O’Reilly has been the stand-out youth player for Pep Guardiola’s side of late. He has made the left-back role his own and has added stability to Manchester City’s play. At Wembley yesterday O’Reilly was once again a key player for Pep Guardiola’s side. He again showed that he isn’t frightened of the big stage as he played a key role both going forward and defensively during Manchester City’s 2-nil win over Nottingham Forest.
Two more of Manchester City’s academy graduates have also stepped up of late. Rico Lewis was superb against Nottingham Forest yesterday. He scored City’s opener and showed that he belongs in midfield. James McAtee has also played an important role in Manchester City’s recent eight-game unbeaten run. With Erling Haaland injured, Pep Guardiola needed to find more goal-scoring options in his lineup. McAtee has helped in this regard, and if his finishing was a bit better, he’d likely have gotten the same high praise that Nico O’Reilly has received.
Summary.
Alongside Manchester City’s experienced players, their younger players have helped City come back to life, so to speak. It has been pleasing to see as O’Reilly, Lewis, and McAtee have the talent to play at Manchester City. But as those three have shone you can’t help but wonder if Pep Guardiola should have turned to youth earlier this season. But he has done that of late and the results have been clear to see.
More must-reads:
- Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens
- Browns GM makes wild statement on team's quarterback situation
- The '2024-25 NFL rushing touchdown leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Tottenham make moves for Championship star following Eberechi Eze heartbreak
Tottenham make enquiry for Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss who is wanted by Crystal Palace Tottenham Hotspur have failed in their attempts to sign Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze. The 27-year-old looks set to sign for Arsenal instead of Spurs despite links with a move to N17 being prominent throughout the summer. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was in direct talks with his Crystal Palace counterpart Steve Paris and had an agreement in principle with the south London club for the signing of the England international. However, Arsenal stepped up their efforts to sign Eberechi Eze on Wednesday night once Kai Havertz picked up an injury that could rule him out for months. Eze is a boyhood Arsenal fan and instantly gave green signal to join the Gunners, leaving Tottenham in the heap. Losing the Crystal Palace star to bitter rivals Arsenal has seen the Spurs fans go into complete meltdown on X. Tottenham enquire about Leicester City playmaker Arsenal making an 11th hour hijack for Eze has seen Tottenham shift their focus to alternative targets to address the creative void in Thomas Frank’s side. Eze was the dream target for Thomas Frank. The Greenwich-born talent would have been perfect to replace the injured James Maddison in the Tottenham XI, bringing flair, creativity, pace and experience in abundance. In a bid to sign a No.10, Bilal El Khannouss is one of the names on the Lilywhites’ wishlist. Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss has been a Spurs target in recent months. The Morocco international had a fine debut season in England last term and was one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise horrible campaign for Leicester City that ended up in relegation. He notably scored the winner against Tottenham away in January and has started the new Championship season well with two assists in two games. Now, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has revealed that Spurs have enquired about El Khannouss after missing out on Eze to Arsenal. “Tottenham have enquired about the situation surrounding Bilal El Khannouss, who Crystal Palace have agreed terms with to replace Eze,” Graeme Bailey exclusively told TBR Football. “However, despite El Khannouss agreeing to join Palace, the deal is not done.” Should Spurs hijack Palace’s move for El Khannouss? Palace have set their sights on El Khannouss to replace the outgoing Eze, but as the deal is not done, it gives Tottenham a window of opportunity to make their own hijack. The north London club making an enquiry for the Moroccan playmaker shows they still retain an interest in him. Signing the Belgium-born talent would certainly add some much-needed quality and depth to Tottenham’s attacking ranks. El Khannouss possesses immense talent and can only become better under Frank’s watchful guidance. He can operate on the left flank and through the middle as a No.10, and a versatile player like him could be useful in tight games. That said, if the Hotspur Way chiefs feel he is the ideal profile to improve the squad, we must hijack Palace’s transfer for the Leicester City man.
Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur Makes ‘Bittersweet Admission After NFL Preseason Win Against Seahawks
49ers pull off trade for disgruntled Commanders star
Brian Robinson‘s tenure with the Washington Commanders is coming to an end as expected. The fourth-year running back will spend the coming season in San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers and Commanders agreed to terms on a Robinson trade Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A 2026 sixth-round pick will head the other way as a result of the swap. San Francisco had been in the market for a backfield addition, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Efforts to pull off a move have now paid off ahead of roster cutdowns. Washington will retain a portion of Robinson’s 2025 salary ($3.4M), Garafolo adds. It recently became clear Washington was looking to move on from Robinson, who did not dress in the team’s second preseason game, with a trade looming. The team’s Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime has been open to a trade since last year, and with a swap now agreed to it will proceed with its other in-house RB options. Washington has veteran Austin Ekeler in the fold along with 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez and seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has enjoyed a strong training camp. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last year, and today’s deal indicates he will once again be counted on as a central element of the team’s ground game. Expectations are high after Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign. Robinson will not play a role in the team’s efforts to duplicate that success, though. Racking up 570 carries across his three seasons in the nation’s capital, Robinson was a key figure on offense with the Commanders. The former third-rounder saw his touchdown total and yards per attempt figure increase with each passing campaign. That included eight scores and 4.3 yards per carry in 2024. Instead of retaining Robinson on the final year of his rookie pact, however, Washington will proceed with a less expensive backfield. The Commanders will recoup draft capital in this swap, something which is needed given the number of veterans on their roster. For the 49ers, meanwhile, today’s deal marks another addition on offense for the 2025 season. A trade was worked out on Wednesday for Skyy Moore, giving San Francisco a healthy receiver option. Moore, like Robinson, is a pending 2026 free agent. The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey atop the RB depth chart, and all parties involved will aim for a healthier season this time around than 2024. After trading away Jordan Mason, the team was in position to have 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo handle backup duties. Now, he and Robinson will compete for playing time in the backfield (although using McCaffrey and Robinson on the field together could be an option, per Garafolo). Robinson’s market will of course be dictated in large part by the level of success he has with his new team. San Francisco entered Friday with nearly $49M in cap space. Taking on Robinson will eat into the figure, and it will be interesting to see how much Washington retained on his pact to finalize the trade. The Commanders, meanwhile, should see partial cap savings and thus add to their roughly $17M in available funds ahead of cutdowns. As both NFC teams prepare for the campaign in the coming days, they will do so with differences in their backfields.
Yankees' late implosion against Red Sox reveals bigger issues
If the New York Yankees are going to stay in contention for a postseason berth, the issues that surfaced in the ninth inning of Saturday's 12-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox must be resolved. Trailing 5-1 heading into the final frame at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox jumped on reliever Paul Blackburn for seven runs to turn the game into a laugher and put Boston in position for a sweep of the four-game series on Sunday. While the immediate reaction would be to point to Blackburn as the cause of New York's late struggles, a deeper look into the game reveals that the 31-year-old right-hander's teammates did little to help him escape from what became a 71-pitch outing. Playing right field, Giancarlo Stanton became an easy target for the aggressive Red Sox, taking extra bases when possible against the lumbering slugger. Playing just his ninth game in the outfield this season, Stanton showed that, at this stage of his career, his legs aren't going to get him to base hits quickly. Knowing Stanton would be slow to get to any kind of hit, Boston runners took advantage, including Trevor Story's ninth-inning single to right with Jarren Duran already on first base. With Stanton having to come up to field the ball, Duran didn't hesitate, going from first to third and beating Stanton's throw to the bag. What the Yankees saw from Stanton on Saturday should be an immediate reminder and warning sign that his days of doing anything productive outside of hitting are likely past him. Another problem in the ninth was a wild overthrow from Anthony Volpe on David Hamilton's grounder. While Volpe's throw went way over the head of first baseman Ben Rice, a closer look at the replay showed that Volpe hesitated and might have had a play at second base had Jazz Chisholm Jr. been covering the base. The loss was the third consecutive win by the Red Sox in the Bronx, a problem in and of itself for a Yankees team that is battling with Boston in the American League wild-card race. But the bigger problems are the optics of that ninth inning as well. With Yankees fans already frustrated with manager Aaron Boone, watching their arch-rival play fundamentally sound baseball while the Yankees botch the small things that become big innings will only make the temperature rise in the Bronx. While Yankees batters may have hit an MLB-leading 210 home runs this season entering Saturday's action, it's not just about the long ball. As Saturday showed, if New York can't do the little things right, not even the big hits may be able to keep the Yankees alive in the postseason hunt.
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave’s Wife’s Stunned Reaction to Jordan Love’s Wife’s Personal Post
The Green Bay Packers are about to kick off their 2025 NFL regular season, so it feels like a good time for some of the players to look back at some of the key moments and experiences they’ve had in the offseason. For quarterback Jordan Love and tight end Luke Musgrave, the 2025 NFL offseason will always be one that they’ll cherish — and not just because of anything that’s football-related. Love and Musgrave both got married to their respective longtime girlfriends in the offseason. The signal-caller tied the knot with Ronika Stone in June, while Musgrave and Madi Weisner exchanged vows in July. Ronika Stone’s wedding lookback gets Green Bay tight end’s wife’s reactions Mrs. Love recently shared a post on Instagram that shows a series of snapshots from her wedding with the Packers’ signal caller. “Every detail was SPECTACULAR ,” Ronika wrote as a caption for the post. She clearly is still awed by how her wedding looked that day, with several beautiful flower arrangements adorning the special day. Ronika’s post drew plenty of comments, including one from Mrs. Musgrave, who wrote “UNREAL.” It’s great to see Packers players’ wives showing support for each other just as Love and Musgrave do on the field. For Musgrave, he is looking to have a big rebound in 2025 after only appearing in seven games and coming up with 45 receiving yards with zero touchdowns and only a couple of first downs on seven receptions and 10 targets. The Packers, who will play the Seattle Seahawks at home this Saturday for both teams’ 2025 NFL preseason finale, will face the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
