#i miss keita but lineup is still good | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

engekihaikyuu · 6 years

Text

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Start of the Giant

Final show curtain call!!!

Full description under the Read More~

At this point I think Engeki Haikyuu curtain calls are semi-cursed lolol each one is slightly more of a mess than the last.

Very unexpectedly, I ended up in the 5th row from the stage (center section, left aisle) for the final night’s show, and got a wonderful clear view of everyone’s expressions for the curtain call. I’m just gonna recall everything as best I can and just go in order. So this is going to be loooong.

First up, Mart-san. He had his usual standard curtain call message, no misses, always a strong start to the lineup, and ended with another round of cheering for Karasuno, yelling K-A-R-A-S-U-N-O!!! Then Momo, who got to play not just Saeko-nee but also Hana, the manager for Johzenji. On the far right of the stage, she actually stands between Mart-san and Johzenji, so she’s closest to them and a little more removed from the other Karasuno members. She said it was a great privilege to be able to play both characters, and that one of the great things was that she could cheer wholeheartedly for both Karasuno and for Johzenji. Then moving all the way stage left, we move to Shungo (Akaashi). One of his lines from the NekoFuku match is asking Bokuto, “Was that OK?” (OKですか？） He says this when Bokuto’s making a comeback out of his slump, and he wanted to say it to the audience and have us reply with, “OK!” （OKです！） Takumi (Bokuto) was after that. Takumi was actually quite teary-eyed when they came out for the curtain call bows, but he recovered by the time it was time for his message, so he was ok when talking. He kept it pretty short and simple, but of course, he wanted us to shout, “Hey hey hey!!!” when he gave us the cue: “We really are the best!” Then onto Shouri (Kuroo), who also kept his message relatively short and simple, but said, “I really want to play the battle at the trash heap.” Takato (Kenma) was the one who dragged out their segment by trying to steal Shouri’s captain thunder. Traditionally, each member of each team will give a message and then the team captain closes them out by saying, “Thank you for supporting X school.” Takato tried to say, “Thank you for supporting Nekoma High” but Shouri stopped him like, “Hang on, that’s me! That’s my bit!” Then Takato called him Shiro (with Shouri going, “Wrong color!”), and eventually they settled down into asking if they could do the Nekoma chant with the audience again. So we did, I definitely tried to yell it EXTRA loud, and then Shouri shouted, “Thank you for supporting Nekoma High!” Then we would’ve moved onto Ariken except Kenta stepped forward and reminded Takumi that he forgot to do that for Fukurodani. Takumi was very flustered by it and kind of meekly started saying it, but Kenta was like, no no no. Stand up tall and do it in a big voice! So he stood up a little straighter and yelled, “Thank you for supporting Fukurodani Academy!” and then he and Shungo bowed again.

Then we moved onto Arita Kenji (Ushijima) (stage right next to Momo), who gave a very serious, mostly very formal message at first... and of course mentioned how he’d be returning in the autumn show with the rest of his team, but he slipped and sort of said that they’d start working immediately, and Kenta was like, “That was fast! Geez, don’t we get a break?!” Kage-chan chimed in too about wanting a little break lol. And then Shouri yelled from his side of the stage to remind Ariken to do his captain message. And he seemed a little unsure, since he has literally no one else from his team, but he did it anyway (and finally broke out a smile~) and said, “Thank you for supporting Shiratorizawa!”

Then we move back to stage left to go through Wakunan, and most of them were in tears. I definitely ended up tearing up with them. Yuma (Akiu) was first up, and he was so in tears he had a lot of trouble speaking. We the audience cheered him on, clapping and telling him to do his best, and eventually he got out his thank you. Mossan (Naruko) took over then, and he was all smiles as he gave his message, patting Yuma to try and cheer him up. But then next was Goku (Hanayama) who was also so in tears he was very nearly unintelligible. But even while crying, he snuck in some humor. He said thank you to the wonderful cast, the staff, Ryoutarou-- At which point half the stage fell over laughing and Kenta interrupted like, “Normally you stop after cast and staff! What is this?! Cast and staff and Ryoutarou?!” And Ryoutarou looked very bashful but he was also laughing. Then Masa (Shiroishi), who had been in tears when they were initially lined up for curtain call, but like Takumi he recovered in time when it was his turn to speak, so he rushed through his thank you, spelled out his name energetically in English: K-I-M-U-R-A and passed it on to Nao (Kawatabi). Nao had been pretty sniffly, and was still a little bit during his message, but he got through it ok. And then Rin (Nakashima Takeru). Oh my goodness my heart went out to Rin. Rin had basically started crying towards the end of the Wakunan match, crying at the end of it, crying throughout the scene where he’s sitting outside talking about how the last few moments of that match were in slow motion, but he wanted to keep playing. And I saw him teary-eyed throughout the closing sequence, his bows, and as they lined up. He was just a constant flow of tears. He said how much the show meant to him, how wonderful everyone on Wakunan was, and how wonderful everyone was on the cast and staff. Kenta had to remind him to do his captain message, and he too, was a bit timid about it so Kenta had to urge him to do it properly lol. But by the time he said, “Thank you for supporting Wakutani South High!” the rest of his team was supposed to follow by saying, ‘Thank you very much’ but they didn’t because they were unsure when to start, so everyone erupted in laughter and the team just bowed anyway lololol.

We move to stage right to Johzenji, where literally all of them, from Rin to Aiji to Shihou to Youta to Ayato to Funakki all gave near flawless messages without a single miss. Funakki (Terushima) said, “I hope that Johzenji left an impression and that something of us will carry on into future shows” and in response to that, Kenta made the Johzenji party hands gesture lol. Then Funakki started going, “Thank you for supporting Johzenji High!” and Kenta was just like “How is it that Johzenji is doing everything properly? Aren’t you guys supposed to play around more?”

Ami (Yachi) and Shizune (Kiyoko) kept their messages short and simple and sweet, albeit ADORABLE, and Ami mentioned how happy she was to be able to do the Karasuno cheer with everyone. Shizune got a bit nervous and fumbled over what she wanted to say so she just cut it short, and the two turned and nervously laughed at each other.

Then Shige-san (Takeda-sensei), who got a bit nostalgic, remembering that they’ve been working on this production for 3 years. For him personally as an actor, he said it was the longest he’d ever worked on a single show, but as he struggled to come up with the exact number of shows they’d done, Tsuyoshi-san answered for him, “We’ve done 212 shows! Remember it better!” For Tsuyoshi-san (Ukai both younger and senior lol), he actually told us the trick behind switching between the younger and senior Ukais. He’s actually wearing TWO wigs lol. He wears his blonde, young Ukai wig over his grey, old Ukai wig, and basically swaps between the two by ripping the blond on and off backstage. Takato yelled from the other side of the stage, “Take it off! Show us!” so he did actually lift the blond of his wig to show us the grey underneath!

On to the Karasuno players!!!

Justin started his message on a serious note, thanking cast and staff, commenting on the new third-year unit, and then promising to do his best for their graduation in the fall. Then he turned to Naoki and said it was time to do his usual, and everyone in the audience hooted and cheered. Naoki was like, oh no. What? And Keita laughed and held his shoulder like, ‘It’s your turn now.’ So Justin yelled SUGAAAAAA as he’s always done, and told him he needed to do an Egashira 2:50 impression later (Egashira is a comedian who usually appears shirtless in black leggings). Naoki took after Hiroki very well and screamed, “Nooooooooooooo!!!” and ran to the back of the stage lol. (He did do it though, and I’ll post the video later) Naoki for his message mentioned how nervous he was to take on the part of Sugawara after Hiroki, and he hoped that he did a good job keeping the parts of Hiroki’s Suga that were best while also putting himself into Suga. Where Hiroki used to make the audience shout, “We love you!” (大好き！), Naoki wanted to change it up just a little, and have us shout, “We love you lots!” (いっぱい好き！） Kenta laughed, “It’s only a little different!” Keita of course mentioned the fact that he had been Daichi in the first show, but then left while Akisawa Kentarou played the role for two years before he came back, and that he was very glad to be able to come back to the production. As he said this, Ryoutarou started tearing up and crying on his side of the stage, and Kenta was like, “It’s not even your turn!” He was obviously also very emotional about Keita’s return to the production, and after Keita wrapped up his message, he walked across the stage to give Ryoutarou a hug. Moving stage left, we have Kazuma who said that he wanted to keep things light, especially after the emotional message he gave after the show last night. He gave his thanks and then asked us to clap as always in rhythm for him to do that weird pose he’s always done in curtain calls and then he turned to Fucchi and said, “Give us the Super Deluxe Rolling Thunder!” So Fucchi just ran to the back of the stage and started rolling and tumbling around screaming Super Deluxe Rolling Thunder, but since there was literally nothing for him to receive, he just fell over at the end, and everyone laughed. Then he gave a very fiery, energetic thank you to cast and staff, and said the second-years really are the best, asked Ryuu to agree, then the two of them did the SOI SOI SOI we so love. For Kouhei’s turn, he wanted us to shout “Tanaka-senpai!!!” as always. Who’s the coolest? Tanaka-senpai!! Etc... But then he got very serious after he made us do that a few times and said, “Even though... Tanaka in this show caused injury to Daichi-san... and got depressed and troubled his teammates... and needed saving from Ennoshita...” And then he pretty much dedicated his curtain call message to Ennoshita, and he almost made Kazuma cry. Kazuma had to step back from the line-up, turn his back to the audience to collect himself. Kouhei reiterated how amazing all the second-years are, and then it was on to Kairi. Kairi began by stuttering, “P-p-p-playing Y-Y-amaguchi--” and Ryoutarou turned to scold him in the same way that he does during the show. During the show, when it’s Yamaguchi’s turn to serve and he’s a nervous wreck about it, Tsukki tells him, “It’s not like before. If you happen to score a point, everyone will just think, how lucky, that’s all.” So for the curtain call, he tells Kairi, “It’s not like last time. As long as you say anything, the audience here will think they’re lucky to hear it.” And Kairi replies with, “Thanks, Tsukki!” as he does in the show, and then gives his thank you message. To introduce Ryoutarou, he puts on a nasally voice and goes, “Next, next is... Tsukishima Keiiii...” Then Ryoutarou mimes doors opening, steps forward, and then anti-climatically bows and says, “If you please.” (お願いします。） Which makes a bunch of people laugh and fall over because of how anti-climatic it was lol. Ryoutarou then said that he swore to himself that he wouldn’t cry, but he ended up crying anyway, and reiterated how happy he was to have Keita return to the production. For Kage-chan’s turn he kept it serious and straight-forward, bringing up how hard they’d be working toward their graduation, and how they’d be sure to carry on the spirits of everyone who wouldn’t be joining them for that show. He looks at the Wakunan and Johzenji members as he says this. He recalled how during the Summer of Evolution curtain call he’d felt relieved when it was all over, he’d been so nervous, but now he’s really glad to be here and all he wants is to keep going. Finally Kenta, who started by pointing out just how carefree everyone else had been with their messages even though they didn’t really have the time to do so because of the Live-Viewing audience. He told us that the staff were in his earpiece trying desperately to hurry them along, but that this carefree attitude is one of the wonderful parts of the Haikyuu family. He then said, that although he’d been trying really hard not to think about the fall production and their upcoming graduation, his head was now full of it with this show being done, and he just couldn’t help but feel, “Let’s do it one more time,” quoting Hinata. (もう一回）

They bowed, they left, we all stood to give them a standing ovation to return to, Kenta thanked us for the ovation, the entire cast bowed once again... This time Kazuma lingered a bit in the back of the stage, and gave another bow before he left. Then Kage-chan, then Kenta, then they were gone.

For the final entry, which is always just Kage-chan and Kenta, they came out to us all smiles and off-the-cuff as usual, and making weather references again lololol. Because although Engeki has a history of bad, rainy weather during the last show, we actually had very nice weather today, so Kenta was feeling really good about that. Almost as if some... sun-like figure... had something to do with it... (referencing Hinata of course). Kage-chan halfheartedly scolded him, but also mentioned how nice it was to not have to carry an umbrella lol. They joked it was the perfect weather for flying, and how they wanted all of us in the audience to fly too. “But only until you get to the station. Not inside the station.” They didn’t linger too long this time. I think this third curtain call was shorter than the one they had during Summer of Evolution. But they promised to work hard in the fall show as well, and then it was time for final bows and for the staff to shoo us out of the theater lol.

#start of the giant #review #curtain call #Final Show #haisute #this is the longest curtain call summary I've ever written oh wow #I spent over 2 hours writing this what #oh god I need to go to bed #GOOD NIGHT #I'll answer more questions and try to post after show photos after I get some sleep

238 notes · View notes

fmlfpl · 4 years

Photo

Lineup Lamentations - GW38+

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week!

—

WALSH ON FREE HIT

TRANSFERS:

OUT: free hit

IN: free hit

Free Hit (subject to leaks and shit on Sunday morning obv)

GK:

Lloris (cry)

We fucking suck with nothing to play for I expect us to just turtle and limit the damage. Season can't end fast enough. Mou has them Mouing their lives away and we have scored like two goals in the last bunch of games....hard to see us scoring. French guy in.

DEF:

Alderweireld & Aurier (cry)

Going with the treble up on Mou's defense.

I feel like we have looked completely all out of sorts in our set piece defending lately. Missing Benteke and Gazza...now Mom is out...if we run Dann and Kelly out and also Millie might still be fucked...suddenly we are a team of mainly little people. I'd expect them to get their fair share of corners and shit this game so maybe I spike one with Toby, who knows.

Really not a huge fan of Serge but making a last-minute switch for him in for Davinson. Totally forgot about Dier being back and also Vert's last game fuck I don't really know who he will pair with Toby even though I think it should be Davinson after some solid wins.

Aurier doesn't have such question marks and at least he gets to go attack down the side of baby Mitch. Bleh. Couldn't really justify Bavies over Serge even though I wanted to.

Alonso (WOL)

Feeling anxious that if he goes in the offseason this might be the last Marcos A game available to us in FPL. As such, I feel like I owe the man and he well deserves a spot in my free hit. I expect this game to be cagey and even though Chelsea don't really do clean sheets...maybe they'll dig deep for this one. Put to boot he's got those direct frees and has been roaming up lately maybe he gets something here. I'm anticipating Franklin will just match formation and although going up against potential Adama feels not greattttt.......I don't really see loads of other defenders jumping out at me. Fun punt, ok Marcos A.

MID:

Silva & Sterling (NOR)

Pretty straightforward here...Razzy been in form so he is an easy pick. I'm expecting Dilv to get the whole game and the lads will be looking for him so that he may go out in style.

Norwich are banter, and in a fixture that means nothing, the score should get run up. Just trying to get as many pieces of the pie as I can.

Salah & Mane (new)

A switch...after doing more digging and seeing Keita not in many predicted teams with Mane seemingly with a nothing to have missed yesterday I'm going to put him back in as I had originally planned. Newc defense is really in tatters and even though Livp guys could be rotated and drunk still think there could be a lot a lot of goals in this game.

Redmond (SHU)

Redderz, alongside Woodman and Dilv, were the first three names in my team. Another sentimental emotional pick needing to have a twirl with Redderz in the late stages of the season.

He's low key been returning 4 in 8 at a 1 in 2 clip..pretty fucking good. Soton have been hitting stride since the restart and even though it feels like a bad on paper fixture it is one of the very few games with both teams having nothing to play for. I like goals in those sorts, so let's do it Redderz.

FWD:

Jesus (NOR)

There aren't a ton of forwards I like and so Jesus kinda picks himself. Mahrez or Kevin or whatever would be fine but again, in the absence of forwards that I really want to go for Jesus feels like a strong option. Stats been great and been looking good on the eye as well - hoping he's involved in their goals.

Greenwood (lei)

Don't really love this pick but fancy him over the other cheap forwards.

Gayle would've been more fun but I haven't danced with Ladwood all year and even though this is a game with both teams to play for, in which I would ideally not have an attacker, but he just seems the best option.

I looked at Gayle for a fun punt but feels a little bit too insane even for me. I'll prob be watching this game out of the ten on offer so maybe having a guy in it is okay in the end.

CAP:

Silva (NOR)

Raz is probably the "right" pick here but I would like to have fun with El Mago.

He's one of my favorite players to watch since I got into the prem and has been on and off my fpl team more times than I could possibly count. An era is coming to an end and it will be strange to watch the prem without him, but for one last day he'll be my captain.

—

ALON ON FREE HIT

TRANSFERS:

OUT: free hit

IN: free hit

Free Hit (subject to leaks and shit on Sunday morning if I wake up).

I didn’t make any changes (yet?) from the team I ended up with on the Twitch stream.

GK:

Martinez (WAT)

I duno. Can Arsenal clean here? They can. But it’ll be tough with Watford sending the kitchen sink at’em but I think that gives Martinez a nice high floor of save points and maybe bonus points with the potential high ceiling if a clean comes in.

I like it and he’s cheap as hell.

DEF:

Alderweireld & Aurier (cry)

Palace is the best or second best clean fixture in the league at this moment in time and a Mou team should do a job here.

Alonso (WOL)

Reasoned out ‘Zo on the aforementioned stream before even seeing Pod Partner’s lambs and then here we both are with him in the side.

Feels like somewhere to punt and spend money and super high ceiling. We expect Chelsea to match Wolves’ back three and Alonso to push up at wingback. A clean is unlikely but certainly possible and assists and goals are both possible too.

MID:

Sterling & Silva (NOR)

Yeah Mahrez probably better if he’s starting over Daveed but fuck it. Everything Walsh wrote above about Dilv as his cap is all the emotions right there. I cannot add anything to it. And watch Mahrez get subbed off on 50ish minutes again... Lol...

And Raz yeah Raz is obvious.

Salah (new)

Haven’t had any Liverpool guys in a while will be cool to have Mo in there. He said it himself he just wants to play 90′ all the time forever he haaaaaates getting subbed off. Go on Mo <3<3<3.

Redmond (SHU)

I don’t have the feels personally for Redderz in this moment but I’m trusting Pod Partner and trusting the lore. End of season Redderz turns into Henry. (Henry not Henry).

FWD:

Kane (cry)

Spoken about Harold ad nauseam and don’t have enough fucks to type out the reasoning behind it but I trust him here. Feel good about it.

Gayle (LIV)

My shout for highest xChaotic match is NEW vs. LIV and I’m purely backing that fact. Liverpool haven’t been playing defense for about a month straight or so and I think it happens exactly one more time in this extended preseason.

Jesus (NOR)

Making up my City triumvirate in what should be about an 8-0 or so. Seems good.

CAP:

Sterling (NOR)

Don’t feel very strongly about something else so just going with the clear best pick. Feel meh about it.

We’ll see what fuckery I get up to at about 9am if I wakeup in time lol... Good luck have fun everyone.

Slackers... see ya there <3

#Lineup Lamentations

0 notes

jodyedgarus · 5 years

Text

Sorry, Man City — The Premier League Title Is Liverpool’s To Lose

The Premier League season is barely halfway over, but the title basically could be decided this week. Right now, Liverpool has a 7-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table.1 The two teams face off Thursday at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, and a Liverpool victory would result in a likely insurmountable 10-point gap.

Only two weeks ago, Liverpool’s lead was just 1 point, 45 to 44. And at the beginning of December, it was Manchester City in front, with a 2-point cushion. But the holidays were a nightmare for City. Manager Pep Guardiola saw his team lose easily winnable matches at home to Crystal Palace and away to Leicester City, while Liverpool swept its holiday fixtures. If you had watched these events from the perch of FiveThirtyEight’s Soccer Power Index projections, you would have experienced severe whiplash. Not only did Liverpool open up a lead out of nowhere, but the projections remained extremely bullish on City’s chances right until the bottom fell out.

Before City went into a slump, what made the team such a dominant title contender? And what happened to drop its chances so dramatically?

Through October and into November, Manchester City’s underlying statistics were otherworldly good — they had analysts wondering whether this might be the best team in Premier League history. The Soccer Power Index projections are based on precisely these underlying numbers, and they reacted proportionately. The expected goals differential — the difference between expected goals for and against — shows Manchester City more than plus-2.5 per match in October and solidly more than plus-2.0 right until mid-December, based on data from analytics firm Opta Sports.

This slowdown appears to be driven by two related factors: a decline in performance by the team’s aging midfield stars and injuries to key players.

During Manchester City’s record-breaking title season in 2017-18, the team’s preferred midfield used Fernandinho as the defensive midfielder at the base and David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne as “free eights,” more advanced midfielders with the freedom to make runs in and around the penalty area but who are ready to lead the press should possession be turned over. The trio played together for more than 50 percent of City’s minutes in the league, and at least two were featured in more than 90 percent of the team’s minutes.

De Bruyne has been unavailable most of the year because of two successive knee injuries. He has not fully recovered, missing the Southampton match this weekend. With the Belgian playmaker out, City has been able to play its first-choice midfield for only 35 total minutes this season, compared with more than 1,800 last season. And Silva and Fernandinho, as important as they are to City’s chances, are 32 and 33 years old respectively. Both have needed rest, and both suffered muscle injuries in late December. In City’s losses against Crystal Palace and Leicester City, neither Silva nor Fernandinho made the starting lineup.

City’s biggest problems, then, seem to boil down to personnel. The heavy workload already had strained Fernandinho in his difficult role as the lone defensive midfielder, and then injuries left Guardiola with almost none of his preferred midfielders. Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva are good players, but they have not been able to properly replace Fernandinho and David Silva.

This is good news for City fans: Fernandinho and David Silva are back, and they dominated Southampton en route to a 3-1 win. De Bruyne may even be ready to join them Thursday. We should expect a Manchester City with a fit midfield to be more than good enough to win a home match against Liverpool and keep the title race going.

At the same time, City fans still have cause for concern. Given the ages of David Silva and Fernandinho, another slowdown or injury is hardly unlikely. And with City looking at a deep run in the Champions League,2 the team’s performance level cannot be expected, on average, to remain in its early season stratosphere. Expected goals differential still shows City as the best team in the league, but the margin of its advantage over Liverpool from October is unlikely to return.

This gives Liverpool every chance at its first league title in decades. And the Reds are here because they have become the smartest-run team in England. Liverpool lost a key creative midfielder, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, to a serious knee injury at the end of last season. But high-level replacements were already lined up. The club had reached an agreement with RB Leipzig the previous summer for the transfer of creative dynamo Naby Keita, and over the summer Liverpool added another creator in Xherdan Shaqiri as well as Fabinho for defensive midfield depth. Keita has struggled with his fitness; for a player who was clearly the best dribbler in Germany, his 0.2 progressive runs per 90 minutes show that Liverpool still hasn’t seen his best. But the Reds’ clever business strategy means they could weather a slow start. Shaqiri has been revelatory — with six goals, two assists and a team-leading 4.1 progressive passes per 90 minutes — and Fabinho has settled in solidly at defensive midfielder.

Liverpool has made steady improvements as the season has gone on. The Reds continued a trend I noticed last year, in which the team has gradually pulled back on its high press while improving defensively. This year, while the team’s mere eight goals conceded reflects some good fortune, its average of 0.81 expected goals conceded per match (about 16 expected goals allowed total) is the best of manager Jurgen Klopp’s tenure. And Liverpool has done it with its least aggressive midfield press of the last four seasons, breaking up less than 49 percent of new opposition open-play possessions within three passes.

Klopp has acknowledged this somewhat more pragmatic style as a tactical choice to get the most out of his team over a full season. Against Manchester City away, coming off a full slate of holiday fixtures, Liverpool will need to draw on this newfound defensive pragmatism. City should look to dominate possession, but Klopp’s tactical developments at Liverpool have helped build a team that can control matches without the ball. And if City’s aging midfield makes a misstep or if Fernandinho finds himself isolated or out of position, Liverpool’s devastating forward three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah will make him pay. The quality of Liverpool’s attack, especially in the open field on the counter, is such that even a fully recovered Manchester City could be caught out and defeated.

City is favored on Thursday for good reason. But over the full season, City looks more fragile than Liverpool, which has been built into a deep and tactically variable unit with smart analytics and coaching. If City can maintain the fitness of its 30-something midfield stars, it has the advantage, but that’s a big “if.” With just more than four months remaining in the season, another dip in form or fitness from City’s midfield is likely, and that plus a lead of at least 4 points would probably be enough for the Reds. Klopp’s side could put the title to bed Thursday, but even if City gets the win, Liverpool should still be favorites to lift the trophy.

Check out our latest soccer predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/sorry-city-the-premier-league-title-is-liverpools-to-lose/

0 notes

cryptnus-blog · 5 years

Text

Micah Potter's transfer sends ripple effect through Ohio State

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/11/micah-potters-transfer-sends-ripple-effect-through-ohio-state/

Micah Potter's transfer sends ripple effect through Ohio State

Ohio State was dealt a blow on Monday, just two days before the start of the 2018-19 season, when it was announced that junior big man Micah Potter will transfer from the program. While he started each of his two years with the Buckeyes as the starting center, injuries forced Potter to miss time and each season he lost his starting spot.

While Potter averaged only 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game in his Scarlet and Gray career, his loss will still be felt by Ohio State. Potter was expected to be the primary backup once again to starting center Kaleb Wesson and provide crucial minutes off the bench. Now his departure will have a ripple effect among the team that could be an issue for the Buckeyes, especially during a tough stretch to start the year.

“I think it’s something we’ve got to continue to look at,” head coach Chris Holtmann said of how Potter’s decision impacts his lineups and rotations on Tuesday. “I don’t know that right now I can give a definitive answer on how that dynamic is going to (play out). Obviously he was a guy that was going to be a significant part of our rotation. So how that dynamic changes our rotation moving forward, I’ve got to continue to look at it.”

With the departure of Potter, Ohio State has just three players on the roster taller than 6-foot-6. Wesson, at 6-foot-9, will be the starter at center but after that, there are a lot of question marks at this time. Sophomore forward Kyle Young, 6-foot-8, is the next most experienced big man on the roster but averaged just 8.6 minutes in 25 games in as a freshman.

Could Young’s role, which was already expected to increase this season, become even more important with him seeing time at both the four and the backup five? Young did see limited time at the center spot last year, so that could be one direction the Buckeyes could go.

“I’m sure, as we go along, coaches will figure that out,” Young said. “But it’s just our job to come in every day and just focus on what’s in front of us. But I’m sure they’ll figure that out as time goes on.

“I think the four and the five in our system are pretty interchangeable with how we run flow and a bunch of our plays. So just really knowing the sets and staying along with that, it should be good.”

Another option would be Jaedon LeDee. The freshman was a four-star prospect and the 22nd ranked power forward in the 2018 class according to the 247Sports Composite. Listed at 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, LeDee seems to fit the part, but the question with him is if he is ready to play a large role on a Big Ten basketball team so early in his career.

“We’ll see,” Holtmann said of LeDee. “I think his attitude has been tremendous. He’s got to get in better shape and he has to continue to learn kind of what our expectations are and how we want him to play on both ends.

“The thing that translates for Jay right now is his ability, he goes and pursues the ball at a really high level. He always has. And he goes and pursues it with two hands. We all know the adage that rebounding typically translates, it transfers levels typically to some degree. And that’s, I think, the case with Jay. But we’ve got to expedite his development.”

The other option, and something fans will probably see, especially early on, is for the Buckeyes to play small ball and go without a center when Wesson is off the court. At times last year, the Scarlet and Gray used Keita Bates-Diop, who is now in the NBA, or Andre Wesson at the five and put shooters and guards around either player. That is something that could be an option while the team figures out how to play without Potter.

Given the close-knit nature of the Ohio State team, it came as a surprise to the players, who found out on Monday as well, that Potter was transferring. Holtmann did not want to go into specifics about his conversations with Potter, but call him and “a great kid” and alluded to playing time as an issue.

What’s next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you’re in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!

Want the latest scoops and news on the Buckeyes? Try our 7-DAY FREE TRIAL AND BECOME A BUCKNUTS SUBSCRIBER!

The Buckeyes do not have time to worry about Potter’s decision, or really make many adjustments after going through nearly 30 preseason practices with him. The Scarlet and Gray will be tested on Wednesday night when they travel to Fifth Third Arena to take on a Cincinnati team that has made the NCAA Tournament and is projected to do so again this year.

The departure of Potter won’t make things any easier against the Bearcats, but Ohio State will play the cards their dealt and figure out the big man position as they go.

“We wish him the best with what he plans on doing,” Young said, “but we’ve just got to focus on our next step and getting better with every day.”

0 notes

mayramoss-blog1 · 6 years

Text

Transfer Talk Real Madrid to smash world transfer record for Neymar

The transfer window is open, and Transfer Talk has the latest rumours making the rounds. Follow live with our daily blog throughout the summer.

TOP STORY: Real Madrid to break bank for Neymar

The Sun claims to have a source close to Real Madrid that says Florentino Perez is willing to pay £307 million to bring Neymar to the Bernabeu this summer before a £263m release clause kicks in with PSG as soon as the window closes at the start of September.

The report claims that "Real are unwilling to wait until January for their Galactico" and that the "free-spending suitors would break the current transfer record by £109m to get him before the new season begins."

PSG reportedly put the Sept. 1 release clause in place to prevent Neymar leaving before 2019, but the rumour mill continues to swirl around the Brazilian's future after returning from injury with the whispers surrounding a move to Madrid refusing to go away.

LIVE BLOG

14:56 BST: Patrick Kluivert learned that leaving Ajax early in his career wasn't that simple and he hopes his son Justin won't make the same mistake.

Kluivert said he has advised Justin to stay with the Dutch club for another year even though the winger closes in on a reported €18m (£15.8m) move to Roma.

"If he's got the feeling to leave then he's got to do that, but he needs to know what things are coming on his way," Kluivert said.

14:42 BST: The Nabil Fekir saga has drawn on long enough for many people -- and the wife of Liverpool owner John Henry seems to be among them.

Linda Pezzuti Henry, the managing director of the Boston Globe, had a bit of a laugh with Liverpool fans on Twitter when a user replied to a post about an honour for Globe reporters:

Same.

— Linda Pizzuti Henry (@Linda_Pizzuti) June 9, 2018

Of course, this means the Liverpool communications team will really have to step up with their announcement should it ever arrive.

14:18 BST: Developing the Top Story, Marca is reporting that Neymar met with a Madrid representative in Liverpool while Brazil were training there last week.

According to the newspaper, Neymar reiterated that he is interested in joining the club to the official, who was in the city to make progress on the signing of Santos forward Rodrygo.

13:44 BST: Wayne Rooney's move to D.C. United has taken another step forward as the Everton midfielder and former England captain has applied for his United States visa.

According to The Sun, Rooney flew to Belfast on Friday to visit the U.S. Consulate and fill out paperwork that would allow him to complete the transfer.

Sources told ESPN FC on Friday that Rooney remains open regarding his future and still hasn't ruled out a return to Everton despite meeting with the United club hierarchy last month.

13:18 BST: Jack Wilshere may not just be leaving Arsenal this summer but possibly England altogether.

That's according to Tuttomercatoweb, who report that Wilshere will be offered a salary of €4.5m a season by the Serie A champions.

New Arsenal manager Unai Emery wants to keep the 26-year-old with the club, but Wilshere could potentially seek a fresh start abroad.

ESCLUSIVA TMW - Juventus, accelerata su Wilshere: ecco l'offerta per l'inglese https://t.co/zYDK51VrTa

— Tuttomercatoweb (@TuttoMercatoWeb) June 9, 2018

13:04 BST: West Bromwich Albion have made a £7m bid for Bristol City forward Bobby Reid, according to Sky Sports.

Reid, 25, scored 19 goals in 44 appearances this past season, and City have the option of exercising a third year on the two-year contract he signed after the 2015-16 season.

He may not be the only City player heading to West Brom, as the Bristol Post reports they are in on defender Aden Flint after Jonny Evans finalised a move to Leicester City on Friday.

12:48 BST: Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been linked to a number of clubs in recent months and now Robert Pires hopes the Belgium international will make the move to Arsenal.

Fellaini is out of contract this summer and with Arsenal's recruitment budget limited, a move to north London would make sense, according to Pires.

"If he wants to join Arsenal, I think it would be good news," Pires, the former Arsenal defender, told Sky Sports. "He needs a new start and I think, with his quality, I think he can help Unai Emery and he can help the Arsenal players in the squad."

12:37 BST: Could Everton be looking to add competition for Jordan Pickford this summer?

Finding someone capable of challenging the expected England No. 1 may be difficult, but that's what new manager Marco Silva intends to do, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Silva said he wants two players competing for every starting place, and with Joel Robles set to leave as he is out of contract this summer, 35-year-old Maarten Stekelenburg is currently Pickford's only challenger at the club.

12:28 BST: Liverpool's move for Lyon captain and France international Nabil Fekir has stalled, a source has told ESPN FC Liverpool correspondent Glenn Price.

Liverpool were hopeful that they would be in a position to announce the completed transfer on Friday after positive discussions with Lyon, and an image of Fekir's introductory interview with Liverpool's TV channel was leaked on social media.

But, amid reports of Liverpool having reservations about the 24-year-old potentially possessing an underlying knee issue, a source said the club are not expected to confirm any incoming transfers for the time being.

11:58 BST: There are plenty of reports in Spain on Saturday that Barcelona have decided to sign Clement Lenglet. Mundo Deportivo lead with it on their front page and say the 22-year-old will come in as back-up to Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti, with Thomas Vermaelen and Yerry Mina's places in doubt.

ESPN FC reported on Thursday that Sevilla defender Lenglet will take a decision regarding his future by the end of the month.

Las portadas del sábado 9 de juniohttps://t.co/HY39dmdRBU pic.twitter.com/Sxy0QHHrYT

— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) June 9, 2018

11:32 BST: Tottenham are weighing up a move for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish, sources close to the Premier League club have told ESPN FC.

Leicester City are also keeping tabs on Grealish's situation, but Tottenham are the front runners, with Pochettino viewing the 22-year-old as the type of player he can help develop into a better player while also strengthening the core of young English talents at the club.

11:10 BST: In case you missed this one on Friday, Manchester United and Tottenham are around £20 million apart in their valuations of Toby Alderweireld, sources have told ESPN FC.

United have been quick to move in the transfer market this summer, already snapping up Fred and Diogo Dalot.

Sources have told ESPN FC that United are willing to pay around £50m for Alderweireld, but negotiations have hit a sticking point with Tottenham valuing the 29-year-old at closer to £70m.

10:29 BST: When Mario Gotze left Bayern Munich to rejoin Borussia Dortmund in 2016 there was plenty of speculation that he could move to the Premier League. Now, he has revealed how close a move to Liverpool was.

"I decided to leave Bayern and Jurgen Klopp was interested in getting me to Liverpool. And I was also interested in working with him again," he told DAZN as part of a four-part documentary about his career so far.

" still exists. He is a world-class coach and that's why it's always an option. I decided to join Borussia Dortmund, but it was not a decision against Liverpool or Jurgen Klopp."

10:05 BST: While there is still the chance that these players may be offered a new deal, here are 10 players who are available on a free transfer, including Marouane Fellaini, Jack Wilshere and Emre Can.

09:30 BST: In Italy, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Inter Milan are set to offer Mauro Icardi a bumper pay-rise so they can keep him at the club.

Under the terms of the new deal the striker will get €6.3m basic annually and the potential to earn up to €8m with bonuses.

Sulla #Gazzetta in edicola oggi ⚽ Icardi, safari d'oro. Ma Wanda... ⚽ Milan, 21 giorni per il nuovo socio ⚽ Nazionale, le ragazze al Mondiale! E molto altro... pic.twitter.com/sN9clPstEv

— LaGazzettadelloSport (@Gazzetta_it) June 9, 2018

09:00 BST: Danny Murphy has told ESPN FC that Liverpool's fast start to the transfer window will help Jurgen Klopp build on this season's success. The Reds have already signed Fabinho from Monaco and Naby Keita is incoming from RB Leipzig, meanwhile Lyon's Nabil Fekir is rumoured to be joining.

"I like the fact they're getting their business done early," said Murphy. "I still think the keeper thing needs addressing and I think it will be, and maybe another centre-back. But in terms of attacking areas, I think they're alright. Strength in depth is a question mark maybe, in terms of when you look at the benches of United and City. If you look at United's front six it's incredible really. But I'm pleased. They're close."

Herrera set for Bilbao return?

Ander Herrera could be headed back to the club he joined Manchester United from, with AS suggesting Athletic Bilbao are ready to make their former midfielder the team's highest-paid player to lure him back to La Liga.

The 28-year-old was United's player of the year two seasons ago, but was in and out of the lineup in the latest campaign and his place could be further complicated by the arrival of Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk.

But even if Herrera were surplus to requirements in Jose Mourinho's midfield, the story says that the Portuguese boss is hesitant to let him go without a like-for-like replacement in the team.

Finances could further complicate the move as "Bilbao are also unlikely to be able to have the money to tempt United to sell," meaning both club and player might have to wait until Herrera's contract expires at the end of next season to be reunited.

Fekir deal hits roadblock

Just when it seemed like a deal to bring Nabil Fekir from Lyon to Liverpool was all but done, the Reds have pulled back following the player's medical evaluation in France, reports the Telegraph.

With the clubs in agreement on a £53 million fee and Fekir ready to sign off on contract details, the outlet says "enough concerns have materialised over the last 24 hours to ensure the signing has not gone ahead as planned" and "Liverpool are offering no indication as to the nature of the problem."

The France international, who is ready to head to Russia to take part in the World Cup next week, was meant to be the third piece of high-profile business for Jurgen Klopp's side this summer along with Naby Keita and Fabinho. Instead, it might be a case of Liverpool having to "switch to alternative targets as they continue the hunt for a new No. 10," says the report.

Tap-ins

- Harry Kane has penned a new deal with Tottenham and, according to the Mirror, that will have a knock-on effect and persuade both Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen to follow suit. The England frontman has committed himself to the club until 2024 and the Mirror says his two teammates "are the next in line to get bumper new pay deals."

- Benfica forward Anderson Talisca has opted to join Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande on a six-month loan following links to Manchester United.

The Brazil youth international had been linked to a move to the Premier League, with Portuguese outlet O Jogo claiming last month that United submitted a £35 million offer for the 24-year-old.

- Juventus have signed Italian goalkeeper Mattia Perin from Serie A rivals Genoa for an initial fee of €12 million after he successfully passed a medical on Friday.

Source link

http://www.manutdnews.online/transfer-talk-real-madrid-to-smash-world-transfer-record-for-neymar/

#madrid #neymar #real #record #smash #talk #transfer #world #mainposts

0 notes

zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

Text

what makes Barcelona vs. Chelsea so special

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/what-makes-barcelona-vs-chelsea-so-special/

what makes Barcelona vs. Chelsea so special

Barcelona vs. Chelsea isn’t a “European Clasico” simply because every time they meet, the pitch is decorated with some of Europe’s most sumptuous talents. For a fixture to truly sizzle and fizz in the days and weeks before it is played, there needs to be some degree of a revenge or bad-blood narrative, a rivalry that turns an infrequent continental match-up into the kind of “must win at any cost” derby like Milan vs. Inter, Rangers vs. Celtic, Manchester United vs. Liverpool or Madrid vs. Atletico.

This one has all that and more, a fact that can be traced back to an overnight flight back from Moscow to London in early November 2004.

Jose Mourinho’s “Blue Machine” had just guaranteed qualification for the knockout round after only four months of his reign and four straight Group H wins. This was when the Special One truly was special. He had back-to-back European trophies with Porto while Chelsea had tripped up, inexplicably, on the verge of the Champions League final the previous season.

Jaunty Jose had the Midas touch, in word and deed. Earlier that night, Damien Duff had set up Arjen Robben for the 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow that guaranteed Roman Abramovich’s new European force would reach the last sixteen. Duff, a huge admirer of the modern Barca school, takes up the tale.

“Right from the first moment, Mourinho wanted the draw to pair us with Barca,” recalls the brilliant Irish winger. “We were flying back from winning in Moscow and the lads were all just having a bit of fun with Jose.

“We knew we were going to top our group so we were saying: ‘Who do you want in the next round boss?’ He immediately goes: ‘Barcelona!’ Our instant response was: ‘Are you for real?’ But Jose just told us: ‘It’s simple: We stop them playing and they let us play.’ Simple as that as far as he saw it.”

Mourinho knew two things. Barcelona, although on the rise, were still the wobbly-legged Bambi of European football. Reborn, but shaky on their feet having not won any trophies for five years and no UEFA title since 1992. They were ripe for a football predator to rip into them.

Secondly, Mourinho knew that in 2004, there was still an ideological war being fought within the Camp Nou. Nominally, Joan Laporta, fueled by his ultra-Cruyffist beliefs, was in charge. But the president had enemies within his board, most notably vice president Sandro Rosell and current president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Those latter two, among others, wanted Barcelona to be pragmatic, mirroring Chelsea by signing big, strong, athletic footballers and to dump Frank Rijkaard so that (future Chelsea coach) Luiz Felipe Scolari could take over.

Mourinho viewed Rijkaard’s Barca, where the Ronaldinho-Samuel Eto’o partnership was young but promising and Andres Iniesta had recently been the subject of a hugely fierce debate about whether he should be played or loaned out, as not quite ready to repel his brand of footballing fire and fury.

Sean Dempsey – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

Essentially, Mourinho was correct. The desire that this quixotic, remarkable, talented and ruthless man has had to inherit the good life as Barcelona coach stemmed from the coaching duties he undertook as understudy to both Sir Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal in the late 1990s. And it was evidenced most starkly in the “clasico wars” of 2010-11 when he was Madrid coach in opposition to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

But the first time Mourinho caught a whiff of him being able to power his way past a “Cruyffist” Barca and potentially leave himself as the top candidate when the job became vacant was when this rivalry took bitter root back in Spring, 2005.

What followed over the next four matches was a flow of simply extraordinary events, landmark in fact, which set the tone for years of battles between the new, emerging Barca philosophy and the modern Premier League ideal which blended traditional English football beliefs with many of the best imported coaches, players and ideas. A battle that will rage again this week.

Back in 2004 the tone, belligerent and streetwise, was set immediately. Before the match, one Catalan journalist goaded Mourinho about his past as “merely a translator” at the Camp Nou under Sir Bobby Robson and he “bit his head off,” nailing what was, quite clearly, a false reputation. Then Mourinho offered to finish the press conference in remarkable style: by naming all 22 players who’d take the field the next night.

First he (correctly) listed the Barca XI before carrying on, “giving away” his Chelsea starting lineup. The move was aimed at taking charge of the pre-match psychology, to tell Barcelona’s staff and players “you have nothing I’ve not anticipated: I’m the boss.”

It was fun at the time but better still in the knowledge that he actually fooled his own players.

“I remember Mourinho telling me I was definitely starting but then he played a few ‘mind games’ with the press,” said Duff. “He’d taken me aside and said: ‘You are in the team tomorrow but I’m going to give them a different lineup in the press conference. I think he announced Eidur Gudjohnsen was playing instead of me.

“When I saw him name the team on TV, I started believing it and had to wait 24 anxious hours to discover that, lo and behold, I was in it.”

Of course, the fun stopped there. Chelsea significantly out-strategized Barcelona: Duff forced Juliano Belletti’s own goal and also crossed the ball for the moment when Didier Drogba’s challenge on Victor Valdes brought a second yellow and, thus, red card. Eleven men duly beat 10 but Mourinho’s accusations of collusion between Rijkaard and referee Anders Frisk led to death threats for the Swedish referee and his retirement out of fears for his family.

The return leg epitomized two schools of football. Barcelona, still delicate and pretty rather than streetwise and the steely competitors they’d become, were blown away by one of the most superb 25-minute power-plays you could ever wish to see.

“Barça were world-class even then but not a patch on what they are now,” said Duff. “We gave an incredible performance and it was down to us believing Mourinho when he said that we cold stop them playing.”

What about the unpenalized foul Ricardo Carvalho committed on Valdes so that John Terry could head home the winner from Duff’s cross once Ronaldinho’s hip-shaking goal that shook the world had put Barca in a winning position on away goals?

“Just a little nudge. The dark arts we learned under Mourinho,” is Duff’s verdict. The fact that Chelsea merited going through back then isn’t in much dispute.

Sean Dempsey – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

Exactly one year later, when paired again, the story was different, but similar. Barcelona had wised up. In winning 2-1 at Stamford Bridge they gave one of their most determined and most impressive away performances ever. Asier Del Horno’s horrific lunge with studs extended hasn’t prevented Lionel Messi seeing the birth of his third son this week, but it might have done. It was that badly judged, as were Mourinho’s words about Messi’s reaction being “theatrical.”

Then there was born the genesis of what makes Wednesday’s tie important not just to discover which previous winner (three of the last seven) emerges, but because it will form a new part of an epic modern dynastic rivalry.

Barcelona and Chelsea had four ties between 2005 and 2006 with two red cards, three own goals, one of Ronaldinho’s all-time sublime moments of creative invention, the birth of Messi as a great European power, Mourinho goading the Spanish media and Barcelona as a club, the ultra-controversial retirement of a top quality referee, a total of 14 goals, an owner (Abramovich) who coveted the admiration that went hand-in-hand with beauty of Barcelona’s play and Camp Nou board members who coveted the “bigger, stronger, faster” ethos when it came to Mourinho’s transfer market outlook.

We, the neutral football lovers, are the beneficiaries of the way this meeting of two ideals has become a European clasico. But I’d also argue that Barcelona have benefitted from Chelsea repeatedly being a thorn in their side.

Can anybody really argue that, over the years, Barcelona signing Eidur Gudjohnsen, Thierry Henry, Eric Abidal, Gerard Pique, Yaya Toure, Seydou Keita, Zlatan, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez hasn’t been evidence of the Camp Nou club trying to blend what they cherish most — technique, passing, control — with what they fear most, namely pace, power, height, competitive aggression?

Roll up, roll up, roll up: On stage on Wednesday night, the umpteenth episode of a bitter, intense but beautiful and thrilling European clasico. Don’t miss a moment.

#Football

0 notes