#physicality

#physicality

And for large portions of Arsenal's 3-2 win at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg on Wednesday, it certainly was not. But for Mikel Arteta and his players, there was a beauty in the physicality, the remorseless levels of aggression. Arsenal won because of what they did without the ball. Yes, there were nice moments from them in possession, most obviously Martin Zubimendi's goal for 3-1.

"His teams play like he played," Harbaugh said of Vrabel Monday afternoon. "Tough, gritty, physical, smart, fast. They kind of like to hit like he liked to hit. That's what I've noticed."

What Mac does for us, and what he does as a player, and what he's done through his career goes so much further than the physical part of the game. There's so many things that he brings to our group. And I'm not even talking about on the ice. I'm talking about in the locker room, his energy, his buy-in, how much he cares, how hard he competes. So that's evaluated every day.

There was nothing whatsoever in this regard from the Catalans to get excited about on the night. The lacklustre showing was due in part to Chelsea's energy, intensity, physicality and tempo throughout; however, that shouldn't even be a talking point from Barca's point of view. Players were routinely bullied off the ball, consistently threw up their arms when not getting every decision, and were more often than not second-best to the ball.

"That we're defending as a five-man unit a lot better than we have been. We have numbers around the puck, and we are breaking pucks out easier. We are not stretched out. We are connected in the zones. That's what I see. In the neutral zone, we have done a pretty good job with our defending. Offensively, we have done a pretty good job of creating chances. I liked our power play; it created some opportunities that didn't go in."

The peace and quiet of their base in the countryside, in a small, sleepy village 20km away from the bustle of the capital Budapest, was in stark contrast to the fighting talk from the Hungary camp as they are preparing for football's version of war when they collide with the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

First five minutes, he just kept on pushing me, so I was thinking, All right, let's have it', Haaland revealed to the Sky panel. So, then I started pushing him back, and for me, this is a proper goal. I was a bit tired before the game. Going into the game, I was thinking, It's going to be a tough game'. But then after 10 seconds, he starts pushing me, and he starts motivating me, so all praise to him, honestly, he made me want to do that.

Matthew Knies is no stranger to Olympic hockey but despite that, he will face some tough competition for a roster spot on Team USA's final team. But, he can bring something more than any one of his peers. All of the 44 players that Team USA decided to bring to their Olympic orientation camp were present and participating earlier this week, with both Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies seen together.

Under Manager Eddie Howe, Newcastle's strongest attribute is its tough, aggressive defense. This approach has allowed the Magpies to seal games and change their narrative in recent years, while also fostering a hostile relationship with many Premier League teams, including Liverpool. Without Darwin Nunez's heroic off-the-bench performance two years ago, Liverpool's vulnerability at St. James' Park would be even clearer.

"I think pass pro gets physical. It's a man's game and things happen out there ... there's a time where obviously you don't want to go out there and fight and get in trouble but you also don't want to back down from nobody."

What I understood from a young age is that art and exercise went hand in hand and that muscle was beautiful in form and function.