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Date: 2023-12-01 12:37:52 | Author: Filipino | Views: 238 | Tag: slots
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As Manchester City became only the second English team in history to complete the treble last season, the remarkable feat somewhat passed Phil Foden by slots
Arguably the most gifted player to ever come through the City academy, the very definition of a generational talent, had little impact as his boyhood club blew everyone who dared step in their path away last term slots
Remarkably, given all he has achieved on our shores, there are some who have remained critical of how Pep Guardiola has underused Foden, insisting a young, English magician needs to be centre stage slots
This season, with several big personalities in the City dressing room having departed in the summer, Foden’s role in Guardiola’s squad has been catapulted from peripheral figure to integral leader, with only two players featuring in more games since the new campaign got under way slots
Like the rest of his City side, Foden faded badly in the second half of the champion’s edgy 2-1 win over Brighton, but the damage had been done in the first half at the Etihad slots
RecommendedPep Guardiola hails ‘exceptional’ Brighton after Man City return to winning waysPep Guardiola believes both Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi deserve Ballon d’OrThese are great times for England, says Phil FodenFurthermore, in such a dazzling first-half showing, as the world waits for Foden to morph into a David Silva incarnate, the 23-year-old instead showed, in glimpses, that the wide role Guardiola continues to deploy him evokes more Lionel Messi feels than Silva slots
When you are born with possessing your own gravitational pull over a slots football, just as the Argentine has, where Foden plays on the pitch is almost irrelevant slots
Like Messi, Foden had quite the stellar support act elsewhere on the pitch on Saturday to give him the freedom to leave supporters aghast with some of the mazy runs he went on against a Brighton side set up to go toe-to-toe with the champions slots
Manchester City’s Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring the opening goa (AFP via Getty Images)Another surprisingly regular starter this season, Julian Alvarez, got the ball rolling with a fortunate finish early on as City went in front, looking to avoid slipping to three successive league defeats for the first time since 2016 slots
The impressive Jeremy Doku had a huge hand in the opener and kept Brighton pegged back right from the off slots
Much had been made of the heir apparent to the Guardiola throne, Roberto De Zerbi, planning to upset the apple cart further at the Etihad, but his team were not allowed any time on the ball to do their thing, such was the hunger among the City ranks to get back to normality – winning games at a canter slots
One such player desperate for his own turnaround in fortunes was Erling Haaland, without a goal in his previous two games – very much drought territory for the Norwegian goal machine slots
His booming finish that proved decisive in the end was as emphatic an answer to his deluded critics as he could have possibly mustered, sweeping home an arrowing finish to make it two 19 minutes in slots
Phil Foden of Manchester City runs with the ball (Getty Images)While the game was being settled around him, Foden was busy picking out passes with the outside of his boot, sashaying past defenders as if they weren’t there, while bursting in the box at every given opportunity slots
Most importantly, a trait that often goes unheralded at City, Foden possessed that breathless desire in the first half that has enabled City to dominate the Premier League in recent years slots
No player in blue completed more sprints in the match than Foden, while only Doku had more touches in the Brighton box than Foden slots
So many recent losses are proving hard to shift psychologically for City, even with Rodri back at their heart of the midfield, with Kaoru Mitoma twice denied by Stefan Ortega in the City goal after the break, before Ansu Fati made one count and got the visitors into the match with 17 minutes left slots
There were some nervy moments late on for City, especially after Manuel Akanji’s late red card, but the champions stood firm to see out the victory to, temporarily at least, go back top of the pile slots
If they are to stay there this season, on the evidence of the early part of the campaign, Foden is going to have a much more prominent role in further glory slots
Consistency remains an issue, as his second half decline suggested slots
But what he did in the first half? Few, other than Messi, are capable of slots
More aboutPhil FodenDavid SilvaLionel MessiJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Foden shows why he’s more Messi than Silva for Man CityFoden shows why he’s more Messi than Silva for Man CityManchester City’s Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring the opening goaAFP via Getty ImagesFoden shows why he’s more Messi than Silva for Man CityPhil Foden of Manchester City runs with the ballGetty ImagesFoden shows why he’s more Messi than Silva for Man CityPhil Foden of Manchester City in action against Kaoru Mitoma of BrightonEPA✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today slots
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It landed in late August, rocking New Zealand like a flanker’s perfectly timed tackle to the ribs slots
The All Blacks were already on their way to France, finishing their final preparations for the Rugby World Cup when a panel conducting long-awaited review of governance released a damning report declaring the constitution and structures of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) “not fit for purpose” slots
The report did not paint a pretty picture slots
“In the panel’s view, New Zealand Rugby has too many professional players,” it explained slots
The NPC, New Zealand’s provincial competition, is “unsustainable in its current format” slots
The five franchises that play in the top-level Super Rugby Pacific competition “are struggling financially” slots
“New Zealand Rugby in the professional era is a large and complex business,” said chair of the review panel David Pilkington slots
“The structure it sits within was not designed for a business of this size and complexity slots
” The financial reports are anything but all black – NZR reported a financial loss of just over NZ$47m (£22 slots
5m) last year slots
Which is of deep concern not just for the union, but for rugby globally, too slots
The problems in New Zealand are reflective of a precarious global ecosystem: too many professional players being paid wages beyond that which their clubs and unions can afford, with revenues not growing to keep up with salary inflation slots
If a commercial behemoth like the All Blacks is not a sufficient money-spinner to sustain a professional structure, what hopes do emergent unions have?Rugby is embedded in New Zealand’s culture slots
It is a vital tool of trade for a land of only five million people, a small collection of islands in the south Pacific afforded global prominence by its ability to punch above its weight on the pitch slots
Australia coach Eddie Jones remarked this summer that New Zealand’s economy would suffer if his Wallabies beat the All Blacks; an analysis conducted by The New Zealand Herald found that there was some truth to the quip slots
The Taranaki Bulls won this year’s New Zealand National Provincial Championship (Getty)In terms of brand recognition, New Zealand’s national men’s rugby team ranks alongside the biggest sporting entities slots
Visit almost any inhabited corner of the world and mention rugby, and it is remarkable how often the words “All Blacks” will feature in the reply slots
“You have to understand, New Zealand is a very young country and rugby has put this country on the map,” 2011 World Cup-winning head coach Graham Henry once explained to The Guardian slots
“This country earned respect from the rest of the world for three things: what we did in two world wars, and to a lesser extent what we’ve done on the rugby field slots
So over time rugby has become a major part of our national identity slots
”Do the problems suggest that feeling is fading for some New Zealanders? There is perhaps a developing sense of apathy among domestic fans slots
Rugby union is no longer so certain of its place in Kiwi hearts slots
slots Basketball has surged in popularity in the country, while rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors have sold out Mt Smart Stadium regularly in 2023 as the NRL makes a long-awaited breakthrough across the Tasman slots
The Warriors’ average home attendance this season was 22,685; across town, Auckland’s Blues had short of 13,000 in at Eden Park for their Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final against the Waratahs slots
Eden Park’s stands were far from full for the Blues’ quarter-final win over the Waratahs in June (Getty)On the pitch, Super Rugby Pacific has lost its lustre, with South Africa’s move into Europe’s club competitions a blow even if the Fijian Drua have brought a breath of fresh air slots
The geographical realities of being so isolated mean New Zealand had little option but to re-up a deal with Australia, a rugby nation dealing with plenty of its own struggles slots
Rumours abound of renewed involvement from Argentina and Japan, or a new American venture, but growing the financial pot will not be easy slots
A number of senior figures will depart Aotearoa after this tournament for lucrative contracts in France and Japan, either permanently or on sabbatical slots
While new stars like Will Jordan and Cam Roigard are emerging, they do not seem to have the same cultural cut-through as the men in black who have come before slots
In the 20 years slots between 2000 and 2020, there was a 20 per cent drop in player participation in rugby union at New Zealand’s secondary schools slots
The “Baby Blacks” have not made any of the last three U20 Championship finals – is the world’s best rugby production line grinding to a halt?“I don’t know about falling out [of love] with the game but I think they’re falling out with a few things that are happening within the game, that’s frustrating people slots
It can be hard to watch at times,” Steve Hansen, who guided the All Blacks to the 2015 World Cup victory, explained to Newstalk earlier this year slots
“There’s no dispute that Super Rugby has to change slots
It’s pretty predictable and still stuck where it was four or five years ago slots
You go through the quarter-finals and it wasn’t that exciting as you knew who was going to win slots
“I haven’t stopped to think about where it’s going to be in 20 years, I’m more worried about where it’s going to be in five slots
slots
slots
I think we’re at the crossroads slots
Unless we make some strong changes and start listening to the people that want to come along and watch it then it will just be the participants playing it slots
”However rocky the picture beneath them, the All Blacks clearly remain big business slots
Last year, a stake in New Zealand Rugby (NZR) was sold to Silver Lake, an American private equity firm also involved in the City slots Football Group slots
The deal valued the commercial assets of NZR at NZ$3 slots
5bn (£1 slots
67bn) slots
The All Blacks are hoping to win a fourth World Cup (Getty)You suspect the investors will be pretty happy if, come Saturday night, Sam Cane has his hands on the Webb Ellis Cup slots
Certainly, the commercial landscape will look rather more pleasing if New Zealand’s men join their women back at the top of the rugby world – for the good of an ailing domestic game, the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might think slots
More aboutNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksSuper RugbyRugby World Cupprivate equitySteve Hansengraham henryJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Why the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe Taranaki Bulls won this year’s New Zealand National Provincial Championship Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkEden Park’s stands were far from full for the Blues’ quarter-final win over the Waratahs in June Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe All Blacks are hoping to win a fourth World Cup Getty ImagesWhy the All Blacks need a World Cup win more than you might thinkThe All Blacks will take on South Africa in the World Cup final Getty✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today slots
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsslots BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy slots
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply slots
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