March 2021 – Page 110

Man Utd legend criticises Ole for going against Fergie philosophy

Man Utd legend Andy Cole has criticised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for being too fearful in his approach to matches.

The Red Devils struggled to create chances against Chelsea as they were held to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Man Utd sitting second in the Premier League table.

Rio Ferdinand was frustrated by the manner Man Utd set up on Sunday, playing two holding midfielders to protect their defence and Cole wants to see Solskjaer get his side to “entertain” like Sir Alex Ferguson did.

MAILBOX: Why is Wan-Bissaka so far from England contention?

“Manchester United can’t play like that,” Cole told the Daily Mirror.

“It has to be a concern. If you think you can genuinely win the title or challenge for it, you have to score goals.

“Playing under Sir Alex Ferguson, the only thing he used to say to us was: ‘Go out and enjoy yourselves and entertain.’

“That’s what United are supposed to do, you’re supposed to entertain. You have to show your opponents respect, but you can’t fear them.

“Everyone wants to be tight, of course. You don’t want to concede goals, goalkeepers buzz off that and so do defenders. But if you concede a goal and you’re scoring goals yourself, I don’t think anyone’s that fussed, because you’re playing the way United should play.

“If you look back, United’s history is about playing good football, trying to win games playing a certain way, not being tight at the back and trying to nick a 1-0 win. United cannot play like that, and when they’ve tried to, they’ve come unstuck.

“Let’s get this straight – if you’re ever going to win the league, you have to knock over the big teams as well. Draws aren’t going to do it.”

Jon Moxley vs. Josh Barnett set for April's GCW Bloodsport 6

Much like when certain UFC fights keep falling through, GCW is going to try to make the Jon Moxley vs. Josh Barnett match happen once again at Bloodsport.

At the end of Saturday’s Bloodsport 5 following Moxley’s main event victory over Davey Boy Smith Jr., Barnett’s voice could be heard saying, “Jon Moxley is always searching the world for fights to make him feel truly alive.” Barnett then said the match more than a year in the making will happen at Bloodsport 6 on Thursday, April 8th at The Cuban Club in Tampa, Florida. The show will feature live fans and be held during WrestleMania weekend as part of GCW’s The Collective.

The two were originally set to square off in September 2019, but a MRSA infection in Moxley’s elbow put that on the shelf. It was then rescheduled for WrestleMania weekend last year, but didn’t happen due to the pandemic shutting everything down.

Barnett is 1-0-1 in Bloodsport action, going to a draw with Minoru Suzuki in April 2019 and knocking Chris Dickinson out in September 2019. Moxley defeated Dickinson in his October Bloodsport debut.

Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis set for WWE NXT

North American Champion Johnny Gargano is set for non-title action on this week’s episode of NXT.

WWE has announced that a non-title match with Gargano facing Dexter Lumis will take place on NXT this Wednesday night. Gargano retained his North American Championship against Kushida at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day earlier this month, but Austin Theory was abducted by Lumis as The Way (Gargano, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, and Theory) were coming out to the ring.

WWE followed up on the abduction angle with The Way looking for Theory on NXT last Wednesday. A white van was shown arriving during LeRae & Hartwell’s match against Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon on the episode. Gargano went outside and approached the van and then returned with Theory, which led to Moon pinning Hartwell as she was distracted. In a post-show interview, Theory said he thought he was on vacation for three days during the time that he was abducted.

Here’s the updated lineup for this week’s NXT:

After turning against Kyle O’Reilly and attacking NXT Champion Finn Balor, Adam Cole explains his actions
No DQ match: Karrion Kross vs. Santos Escobar
Non-title match: NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis
Xia Li vs. Kacy Catanzaro

Diriyah E-Prix: De Vries enjoys opening round clean sweep

Mercedes’ Nyck de Vries clinched his maiden Formula E win with a dominant display in the Diriyah E-Prix night race on Friday, leading home Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara and Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans.

The small Dutchman left only crumbs for his rivals in Riyadh, topping free practice, his qualifying group, the superpole segment and the 32-lap race.

It all started with a clean getaway and a commanding lead into Turn 1, after which de Vries was able to build a cushion over his rivals, although successive Safety Car periods kept the Mercedes driver on his toes throughout as he carefully managed his energy consumption.

Behind, a spat between Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein and Audi’s René Rast saw the latter gain an upper had over his countryman, but the Team ABT charger was unable thereafter to make any real inroads into de Vries’ advantage.

Meanwhile, Mortara was on a tear, making a productive use of his attack mode to put one over on Evans and Wehrlein thanks to a wicked double-pass maneuver.

After the second Safety Car intervention sparked by a heavy crash by Andretti’s Maximilian Gunther, Mortara again made good use of his attack mode on the restart to pass Rast and ensure his runner-up spot behind de Vries while Evans claimed the final spot on the podium.

Rast and Wehrlein completed the top-5 ahead of DAMS’ Oliver Rowland, Mahindra’s Alexander Sims, Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne, Audi’s Lucas di Grassi and NIO’s Oliver Turvey who rounded off the top-10.

©Mercedes

“My first victory in Formula E! What a fantastic result and a perfect start to our second season,” said an ecstatic de Vries. “I don’t know why, but I was quite calm after the race despite the pleasure of winning.

“It’s been a great weekend for me so far, setting the fastest time in every session and then winning the E-Prix itself. That’s obviously a very nice feeling, but it was by no means an easy race.

“There were so many safety car deployments, and it was difficult to always select the right energy management. It took a lot of communication with the team, but it’s great that I was able to come home with the win in the end. Many thanks to the whole team.

“I know it sounds like a cliché, but everyone in our team has worked very hard over the winter to get us up here on the podium today. So again, a huge thank you to the whole squad for their tireless work. You’ve earned this victory.”

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New Balance links with baseball star Francisco Lindor for signature shoe

Global footwear brand New Balance has linked with Baseball star Francisco Lindor to launch the brand’s first-ever baseball signature shoe and apparel collection.

The collection includes footwear, apparel, and accessories such as headbands. Each piece is decorated with colorful design motifs representing Lindor’s journey from growing up in Puerto Rico to becoming a shortstop for the New York Mets and a New Balance ambassador.

‘The Lindor 1’ shoe is a classic baseball cleat in two colors. There is also a lifestyle silhouette available in three colorways. Each shoe features floral patterns inspired by the Flor de Maga, the official national flower of Puerto Rico.

Lindor’s mantras of ‘Be Consistent’ and ‘Stay Postive’ are incorporated into the collection and can be found on apparel and the tongue of all footwear.

In addition, the brand said ‘The Lindor 1’ features two signature straps, one on the midfoot that helps lock the foot in and then a state-of-the-art detachable strap that provides additional ankle support.

According to the brand, the detachable ankle strap is a first of its kind for New Balance cleated products. Lindor personally requested for all footwear in the collection to include the strap in order to be worn as a low or mid-top, giving consumers versatile support on the field without compromising style.

The apparel collection comes in black and white or a colorful tie-dye-inspired design that reminds the star athlete of his Puerto Rican roots: ocean blue, bright green trees, and golden yellow representing the sand and sun.

“I hope everybody will feel inspired to boldly express themselves when they see ‘The Lindor 1’ and this collection,” said Lindor in a press release.

photos: courtesy of New Balance