Having been hit for 1-31 by Derry on Sunday - the highest giveaway of any team in the 80 games played across all four divisions so far - one suspects that defence will be an early priority in the plush surrounds of the Quinta do Lago resort.
When looking at Gareth McAuley's signing at face value, it was an addition that appeared pretty underwhelming. The central defender had an established career within the EFL pyramid up to that point but was considered not quite good enough to make the jump to the Premier League. But McAuley would prove all the doubters wrong, improving season-upon-season to be such a valued and vital cog to the Albion machine.
We know that, if we keep a clean sheet, we generate a lot of chances, and we always score one or two goals. This is the path we have to follow. We have to continue with this ambition, with this enthusiasm, and we hope to give more joy to the fans.
I just think it was one of those nights where everything went great for us, and everything went wrong for them. But we did a lot to make that happen, you know, and obviously, we expect to see them potentially a third time. But I do want to move that Big East Tournament somewhere else because I think St. John's is too big of an advantage to play in the Big East Tournament at MSG now that their fan base has, you know, woken up and packs that place.
They looked every bit like the nation's best defensive team, keeping the Wolverines off the offensive glass and out of transition. And while the Blue Devils don't look as explosive on the offensive end as some of the other top teams, they sandwiched that Michigan win with two games against Syracuse and Notre Dame in which they scored 201 total points.
In 33 games this season, Nashville and its opponent have combined for more than 5.5 goals. These two teams score 5.6 goals per game combined, 0.1 more than this game's total. These teams allow 6.6 goals per game combined, 1.1 more than this game's total.
The Spurs extended their winning streak to nine games Monday night with a dominant victory over Detroit, marking their fifth win this season against a team that entered the day with the NBA's best record. That's the most such wins by any team since the 1992-93 New York Knicks and the most in Spurs franchise history.
New Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur will retain defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler. Rallis was brought to Arizona in 2023 by former head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was fired on Jan. 5 after a 3-14 season. Rallis will enter his fourth season as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator. Arizona also plans on hiring former Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial in the same role, according to reports.
In Saturday's game against Millwall Cleworth became the leading appearance-maker of Phil Parkinson's reign, surpassing Paul Mullin's 172 games under the English boss. Cleworth, still only 23, is Wrexham's final on-field survivor of the National League days, though Davis Keillor-Dunn and Ryan Barnett, who has played 12 times in the league this season, have recently returned. Since his debut while a 17-year-old academy player in the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2019, the Chester-born defender has made 175 appearances in red.
A lot of teams are looking at Konate, Brown told Football Insider. Chelsea were one of those, but the general feeling is, if he's making mistakes at the back for Liverpool, he's going to make the same mistakes for them. They want somebody who is more solid and dependable, maybe a younger option as well.
The difference between the teams that are left and the Dallas Cowboys is that all of these teams are capable of winning football games when the offense is not playing a high level. The Rams forced three turnovers against the Bears on the road, including an interception in overtime that set them up for a game-winning field goal. Props to the Rams defense. Three big 4th-down stops, three takeaways and a huge OT stand. They won that game for them.
It's been a rough last 11 games for Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo. The three-time All-Star was averaging just 11.4 points on a ghastly 37.1 percent shooting over that span, including just six points on 3-of-10 in the Heat's 12-point loss earlier this week to the reigning champion Thunder. Adebayo hasn't quite looked the same since suffering his foot injury in early November.
When the Boston Bruins made the Stanley Cup Playoffs 15 times in an 17-year span from 2007-08 through 2023-24, the foundation of their success was being a strong defensive team. Sure, having elite goaltending during much of that span helped a lot. But the Bruins were really tough to play against, and opponents had to earn every Grade A scoring chance. The B's allowed the fewest goals and ranked No. 1 in penalty kill percentage over that 17-year run.
After falling far short of expectations in 2025, the San Jose State football program will have a very different look next fall. The Spartans, picked to finish third in the Mountain West preseason media poll, went 3-9 and finished in a three-way tie for ninth place, finishing ahead of only Colorado State. San Jose State's unprecedented run of three straight bowl appearances was snapped, and head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who just completed his second season with the Spartans,
A surprise stat has emerged showing that Manchester City's new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, a big summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, actually looks like a major flop so far. The Italian shot-stopper was a world class performer at PSG, playing a key role in their Champions League success last season, particularly with so many match-winning saves in both legs of the semi-final win over Arsenal. Now Donnarumma is up against Arsenal in the Premier League with Man City, but he's not made a particularly convincing start.
The New England Patriots coaching staff is rich with experience. Mike Vrabel won Coach of the Year in 2021, and Josh McDaniels has two head-coaching stints and over a decade of experience as an offensive coordinator. Terrell Williams has been in the NFL since 2010 as a positional coach and assistant head coach, and pass game coordinator Thomas Brown served as the Bears' interim head coach last season.
Liverpool delivered a mature and composed performance against Europe's most decorated club, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring the decisive goal in the 61st minute. The result not only strengthened Liverpool's position but also sent a strong message to their continental rivals. Despite the narrow score line, the hosts dominated from start to finish. Liverpool registered 17 shots on goal, forcing Thibaut Courtois, the same goalkeeper who denied them in the 2022 Champions League final, into nine crucial saves.
As a 22 year old D-man, Owen Power came into the league as one of the most promising players, especially lining up with fellow first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. As a right and left defensive pairing, the Sabres would have one of the most exciting and promising blue lines, but four years in so far, Power doesn't loom first overall caliber.
Leverkusen have reached their top form under the new coach. They lost a lot of talent but also brought in talent. When you see how many chances they create and how many goals they score, they're still a dangerous team that's picked up results in the Bundesliga. So, this is still a top game in the Bundesliga. And we've got the rivalry of the past few years that still exists in our squad.
