The Guardian

It can take years to properly evaluate if a prospect works out. But here are a few early takes on the ups and downs from this year’s selection process Grading a draft immediately after it happens is an interesting concept – a bit like giving out marks for a meal in a restaurant right after you order. But the NFL Draft Industrial Complex will not rest until verdicts are handed out, so here we are.…

Sánchez plays long game for McFarlane, Southampton can take heart, Arteta tries to gain edge and Isak will come good One moment from their FA Cup semi-final to Chelsea will haunt Leeds. When Tosin Adarabioyo stretched for a through ball and couldn’t quite get there, quarter of an hour in, everything seemed to slow down. There was Brenden Aaronson with just Robert Sánchez to beat, with the chance …

Job is his to lose after closing in on Champions League but unknown is how will the manager cope with a dip in form Michael Carrick is the calm Manchester United interim manager who moves ever closer to being appointed the seventh permanent leader of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. To coin the cliche: it is certifiably the 44-year-old’s to lose. Having guided United to third place and eight point…

France remain on track for grand slam showdown with Red Roses, whose injury-hit squad depth is being tested Ireland sent out mixed messages from their camp before their game with France on Saturday: was this a revenge mission for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit or not? The head coach, Scott Bemand, had denied it but the captain, Erin King, admitted the World Cup game had added some “veno…

From preparation to game mode, the upkeep of Wembley’s pitch is carried out to an astonishing level of perfectionism Karl Standley and his assistant Cameron Hutcheon have gathered in their usual spot in the south-west corner of Wembley Stadium clutching hot cups of tea. Standley is a coffee devotee but on matchdays, as a nod to his mum who enjoys a brew whatever the temperature, he mixes things u…

Last year’s NRL grand finalists are in dire straits but their sharp decline is more about controllable factors than any bad luck that has befallen the club For over two decades, Melbourne Storm have been the standard for how an elite sporting organisation operates in Australia. Led by head coach Craig Bellamy and head of football Frank Ponissi, the Storm have known nothing but success. The only t…

‘Heartbroken’ Tottenham midfielder stretchered off in win at Wolves Netherlands star faces eight months out after scans confirm injury Xavi Simons has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for around eight months. The Tottenham midfielder suffered the injury in his team’s 1-0 win at Wolves on Saturday and will be unavailable for the remainder of the club’s Premier League surviva…

‘I had a feel for what they needed psychologically,’ he says Daniel Farke admits nerves got the better of Leeds Chelsea’s interim manager Calum McFarlane admitted they had to “break the momentum” of five straight Premier League defeats without scoring as they held off Leeds to reach the FA Cup final. A header in the first half from Enzo Fernández proved decisive as Daniel Farke’s side were frustr…

American led from first round at Memorial Park Korda leads rankings for first time since August Nelly Korda won the Chevron Championship on Sunday with a performance worthy of her return to the No 1 ranking in women’s golf. Holding a five-shot lead at the start of the final round, Korda was efficient as ever and no one could get closer than four shots all afternoon at Memorial Park. She closed wi…

Nikola Vlasic scores Torino equaliser in 2-2 draw Dortmund seal Champions League spot with 4-0 win Champions-elect Inter were held to a 2-2 draw at Torino on Sunday, with the Serie A leaders letting slip a two-goal lead and leaving the title race ticking over with four rounds left. Inter appeared to be cruising after Marcus Thuram put them in front in the 23rd minute and Yann Bisseck doubled thei…

The current season has become a meme-war without end, an endless rolling wall of gloat and taunt in which players and managers must try to block out the noise In his new book, Saved, Gianluigi Buffon talks about feeling crushed by nerves even at the peak of his playing career. The day before the 2006 World Cup final Buffon and Gennaro Gattuso walked past the French squad after training and were i…

American beats Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 Gauff struggles as virus spreads through locker room Coco Gauff described how difficult it has been for players to remain healthy at the Madrid Open this year after she reached the fourth round despite vomiting on court and struggling with a virus that appears to have torn through the locker room . “I think I got a little cocky because I’ve been at tour…

Hearts boosted their Scottish Premiership title hopes after Blair Spittal’s 86th-minute winner earned a dramatic derby victory over nine-man Hibernian, putting Derek McInnes’ side three points clear after Rangers lost at home to Motherwell. Hibs took an early lead at Easter Road, with Martin Boyle striking after just seven minutes – but seven minutes later, the game changed as goalkeeper Raphael …

Blues could begin and end the season with silverware, a bewildering prospect given the changes and poor displays Out of chaos comes trophies. It shouldn’t be so, but it’s been the Chelsea way for more than 20 years now: no matter how shambolic everything seems behind the scenes, no matter how many managers they burn through, no matter how scattergun the transfer policy, no matter how much discont…

The London Marathon is run over a mostly flat course that starts in Blackheath and finishes on the Mall. The vast majority of the more than 59,000 participants are raising money for charity or running for personal milestones Continue reading...