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Date: 2023-12-07 01:37:25 | Author: Filipino | Views: 777 | 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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First came the crack in Alexander Volkanovski‘s defence slots
Then, the crack in his voice slots
If the first crack was consequential, allowing Islam Makhachev to skim his shin off the Australian’s head, the latter was a consequence in itself – a consequence of one of the best fighters alive staying silent on his struggles with mental health slots
That is, until now slots
Volkanovski would have emerged from UFC 294 with credit anyway; he stepped in on 11 days’ notice and moved up in weight to challenge a man who had beaten him eight months prior slots
Even in this surprising, first-round defeat by Makhachev, Volkanovski lost very little slots
His featherweight title still rests firmly on his shoulder, and he will soon return to that weight class where he has been unbeatable slots
But soon may be too soon slots
In his post-fight press conference, Volkanovski began the dissection of this defeat – his second this year, but just his third as a professional mixed martial artist, with his first having occurred a long decade ago slots
The 35-year-old started to dissect the technical reasons for this knockout loss, but it soon became apparent what was of greater importance: the psychological reasons for his presence in Abu Dhabi slots
“He’s not somebody you should be taking a short-notice [fight] with, but I needed it,” Volkanovski began slots
“Obviously a lot of people will say it’s for the money and all that, but it was much more than that slots
It is hard, it is really hard for athletes slots
slots
slots
Sorry, um slots
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I never thought I would struggle with it,” he continued, ignoring the blood over his eye, instead wiping a tear from beneath it slots
“But for some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp slots
slots
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F***, sorry,” he said, attempting a laugh, looking away and to the ceiling, then gently rapping his hand on the table to bring himself back into the room slots
RecommendedIslam Makhachev stuns Alexander Volkanovski with head-kick KO in first round at UFC 294Conor McGregor reacts to ‘illegal’ strikes in Islam Makhachev win at UFC 294Khabib explains why he wasn’t in Islam Makhachev’s corner at UFC 294“I was just doing my head in,” he continued, tears floating at the bottom of his eyes slots
“I needed a fight, and this opportunity came up slots
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t training as much as I should have, but I thought I had to do it slots
I had to take it slots
I’m telling myself, ‘It’s meant to be slots
’ I was struggling a little bit not fighting, doing my head in slots
I don’t know how; everything’s fine, I’ve got a beautiful family slots
But, I don’t know slots
slots
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I think you just need to keep busy slots
I need to be in camp, otherwise, I’m going to do my head in slots
“It’s weird, [it’s not that I] never ‘believed in that stuff’, but I never got it slots
It was something that – I don’t know – maybe the more and more I learn about myself, the more I understand slots
I talked about us having a smile on my face, me and my wife slots
My wife could see it does get hard, I don’t know why slots
”Makhachev consoles Volkanovski after their fight, the main event of UFC 294 (AP)Volkanovski pointed to the birth of his third child, in August, and surgery on an injury this summer as reasons why he had not been training slots
Clearly, the knock-on effect of those moments – as joyous as the former seemed to be – has led Volkanovski’s mental health to suffer slots
Last week, all the talk was of how brave the Australian was to face Makhachev on short notice; braver was this admission that he is struggling, which simultaneously offers a different lens through which to view his choice to fight slots
Keeping himself engaged and busy is healthy, but that is complicated by the inherent risk in his profession slots
“Maybe it was just a silly decision under the circumstances,” he admitted slots
Perhaps it was, though it was also understandable slots
Volkanovski’s next challenge, however, will come outside of the ring slots
It must slots
He naturally sees the antidote to his current struggles as a quick turnaround to fight again, likely against the dangerous Ilia Topuria in January slots
Yet, that fight could go the same way as Saturday’s against Makhachev, if the Australian does not first tackle these thoughts and feelings, and find the right balance for him slots
We knew Alexander Volkanovski was brave slots
That is even clearer now than it was last week slots
Now, however, he must be sensible, and get to work outside the ring before he can return to work in it slots
More aboutAlexander VolkanovskiIslam MakhachevMental HealthJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2Volkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental healthVolkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental healthMakhachev consoles Volkanovski after their fight, the main event of UFC 294APVolkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental healthVolkanovski, moments after suffering a knockout loss to Islam MakhachevAFP via 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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