LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 2019 Easton/NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year recipients were announced on Tuesday afternoon. Garnering honors this year are Sara Michalowski-Marino (DI / Missouri), Nat Wagner (DII / Augustana), DeeDee Morris  (DIII / Mount St. Joseph), Gene Reardon (NAIA / Central Methodist), Melanie Jaegers (NJCAA DI / Odessa College), Michael Bridge (NJCAA DII / Madison College), Tony Kurucz (NJCAA DIII / Herkimer College), Terrell Jones (Cal JC / San Jose City College), and Katy Wagner (High School / Columbia HS [Texas]).

These awards salute the efforts of coaches from the various NFCA membership categories for their tireless dedication to the sport of softball and to the continued education, growth and development of young women, both on and off the playing field.

The winners were nominated by NFCA member coaches and selected by a panel of their peers on the NFCA Awards Committee.

NCAA Division I: Sara Michalowski-Marino, University of Missouri

Michalowski-Marino enters her second year on the Tigers’ bench. In her first season with Missouri, Michalowski-Marino, who assists with pitching and defense, was a big key in the Tigers finishing in a tie for fourth in the SEC and having the first NFCA All-Region pitcher since 2013. Additionally, she is the team’s liaison with academic services, compliance, equipment and travel. On two separate occasions, Michalowski-Marino gave the team stability and carried out the team’s mission when head coach Larissa Anderson had to step away less than two weeks on the job and then six days before the start of the season.

“Sara makes an impact in every game and practice by what she brings to the coaching staff,” said Anderson. “But a true assistant goes above and beyond their title. They carry out the mission of the head coach, but most importantly they impact lives. Sara has not only impacted our players’ lives, but my life as well. I wouldn’t have gotten through this past season without her strength and support.”

NCAA Division II: Nat Wagner, Augustana University

Recently named Minot State’s head coach, Wagner spent the last three seasons on Gretta Melsted’s coaching staff at Augustana. He played a pivotal role in the Vikings’ run to a 2019 national title. During his time in Sioux Falls, S.D., Augustana posted a 143-42 record, went to three NCAA Tournaments and finished nationally ranked each season, including No. 1 in 2019. Involved in every aspect of the program, Wagner was more a co-head coach and the recruiting coordinator, lead hitting instructor, outfield and catcher’s coach and provided game prep for opposing hitters. Wagner did all this while coaching travel ball in the summer and commuting four hours during his three years on the staff.

“Nat is a giver,” said Melsted. “He goes above and beyond and is a head coach’s dream. His knowledge of the game and his ability to provide positive instruction is amazing. He is the best teammate a head coach could ever have. He is truly one of the better human beings I know. I’m extremely proud to have worked with Nat and to call him a colleague and friend.”

NCAA Division III: DeeDee Morris, Mount St. Joseph University

In her fourth season, Morris helped lead the Lions to their first regular-season HCAC conference title and program-best 35-7 record.  Assisting in overall player development, Morris is head coach Beth Goderwis’ right-hand person. She works primarily with the hitters and infielders and assists with game-day pitch calling (staff sported a top-10 national ERA at 1.47). Over the past four years, the Mount’s win total has increased each season and a lot of the success can be attributed to Morris. Additionally, her work off the field has seen an improvement in the team’s GPA, which jumped from a 3.0 to a 3.2.

“I believe DeeDee is a great candidate for this award,” said Goderwis. “She is a huge part of our team’s success over the last four years. She is a stable and consistent part of our players’ lives and is invested in the players work off the field.”

NAIA: Gene Reardon, Central Methodist University

Since his arrival at Central Methodist in 2006, Reardon has helped turn the program into a top-ranked and well-respected program in the country. Under his tutelage, the offense continues to make strides which included setting high marks for average and home runs in 2019. Tireless on the recruiting trail, Reardon serves as CMU’s recruiting coordinator, hitting coach and deputy head coach. He is responsible for the number of recruits each year, helping fill both a JV and Varsity roster. 

“Gene has been loyal, trustworthy, dedicated and committed to the head coach, players and the program in general,” said head coach Pat Reardon. “Gene does whatever is needed (help with move in day, hospital visits, Walmart runs) to make the parents’ and players’ experience a great one, all while being a volunteer coach. I am 100 percent positive CMU softball is not where it is today if Gene is not in the program.”

NJCAA DI: Melanie Jaegers, Odessa College

Since joining Odessa in 2018, Jaegers has helped the Wranglers to 70 wins and a pair of third-place finishes in the WJCAC. In 2019, she mentored a pair of NFCA All-Americans in Illy Cisneros and Becca Duran and five NFCA All-Region selections. Serving primarily as Odessa’s catchers and outfielders coach, Jaegers is the program’s recruiting coordinator and assists with hitting, offense and game-day defensive management. Additionally, she teaches classes and sets up a minimum of three community service events each year.

“Melanie is an outstanding young coach who goes above and beyond what I ask her to do on a daily basis,” said head coach Jeff Jackson. “She juggles numerous responsibilities and even helps our Athletics Director during volleyball and basketball games without complaint. She is going to be an extremely successful head coach someday soon and I’m lucky to have her help.”

NJCAA DII: Michael Bridge, Madison College

Bridge, who has been on staff for eight years, was instrumental in Madison returning to the NJCAA Division II national tournament for the second year in a row, while totaling 94 victories over two seasons. He is responsible for the pitching staff, slappers and team defense, while also being heavily involved in recruiting. Under his guidance the pitching staff posted a 2.57 ERA and held the opposition to a .220 batting average in 2019. Two of Madison’s hurlers earned All-Region IV honors and were both named to the Region IV all-tournament team. 

“Mike is responsible for a wide variety of duties and works tirelessly to improve our softball program,” said head coach Leo Kalinowski. “He has an insatiable passion for the game and is one of the main reasons the softball program has climbed the ladder over the years to become a nationally-ranked team. He is well-respected by players because of his vast knowledge of the game. He tirelessly worked at improving our players in all aspects of the game and his passion for the sport has created a winning environment.”

NJCAA DIII: Tony Kurucz, Herkimer College

Kurucz has been a constant on the Herkimer staff the past four seasons. During his time, the Generals have collected three straight conference and regional titles, reached the NJCAA Division III National Championships three times and recorded two national runner-up finishes. He serves as the program’s defensive coordinator, first base coach and lead recruiter.

“Tony has coached every level of softball in his career from 10U to the college ranks,” said head coach PJ Anadio. “He truly loves the game and the kids. He is very active in the community, leading the way in many community outreach programs for the college and softball program. He is truly deserving of this award.”

Cal JC: Terrell Jones, San Jose City College

Jones, entering his fourth season with SJCC, runs the Jaguars’ strength and conditioning program, works with the outfielders and focuses on the metal side of the game. A vital part of the 2019 NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year, Jones helped the Jaguars post a 38-6 mark, earn a Coast Conference South Division championship, CCCAA Regional and Super Regional titles and an appearance in the State Championship Tournament. The student-athletes bought in and thrived in Jones’ strength and conditioning program as the Jaguars remained healthy throughout the year with no major injuries. He coached the 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Cal JC, Northern California and Coast Conference Player of the Year in Maddie Gallagher.

“Coach Jones has been one of the best assistant coaches in my 28 years at San Jose City College,” said head coach Debbie Huntze-Rooney. “His passion, commitment, guidance, respect of players, coaches, and umpires, and the knowledge of the game is what sets him apart from others. His personality and smile were contagious and often times helped the players relax and play the game of softball at their highest level.”

High School: Katy Wagner, Columbia High School (Texas)

In 2019, Wagner stepped in and took over all the head-coaching duties when Columbia head coach Lauren Guthrie was bed-ridden, following a post-pregnancy surgery. Under her guidance the Roughnecks finished second in the district and reached the second round of the playoffs. According to Guthrie, Wagner and the rest of the Columbia coaching staff went over and beyond of what she could have asked for. 

“Katy Wagner is an amazing assistant as well as a friend,” said Guthrie. “She took on the role of interim softball coach while I was out after losing one of my twins last year. I could not ask for a better coach in our program.”

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Georgia’s East Coweta and Nebraska’s Papillion-LaVista are still the unchallenged top two in the NFCA Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll.

East Coweta (27-0) won three more games to remain at No. 1 for a sixth straight week, while Papillion-LaVista (28-0) also stayed perfect and second in the rankings for a fourth week.

Meanwhile, Wesleyan (25-0) won twice to replace fellow Georgia school Westfield (17-1) at No. 3, while North Gwinnett (24-1) and Collins-Maxwell (27-1) also moved up to round out the first five.

Oklahoma’s Broken Arrow (32-2) has now won 17 straight and returns to the rankings for the first time since the initial poll on Aug. 29 at 12th, while Missouri’s Raymore-Peculiar (18-2) jumps into the mix at No. 17 after a recent 5-0 shutout of Blue Springs South.

Oklahoma’s Roff and Missouri’s Troy-Buchanan dropped out.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the NFCA Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule. Five states — Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri — play a fall fastpitch schedule, while Iowa recently completed its summer season.

NFCA Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Oct. 3, 2019

Rank

Team

2019 Record

Previous

1

East Coweta (Ga.)

27-0

1

2

Papillion-LaVista (Neb.)

28-0

2

3

Wesleyan (Ga.)

25-0

4

4

North Gwinnett (Ga.)

24-1

5

5

Collins-Maxwell (Iowa)

27-1

6

6

Westfield (Ga.)

17-1

3

7

Rock Canyon (Colo.)

18-1

10

8

Loveland (Colo.)

18-1

11

9

Holy Family (Colo.)

17-1

12

10

Sequoyah (Tahlequah, Okla.)

40-2

13

11

Assumption (Iowa)

41-2

8

12

Broken Arrow (Okla.)

32-2

NR

13

Elkhorn (Neb.)

23-2

14

14

Erie (Colo.)

15-3

15

15

Binger-Oney (Okla.)

26-2

7

16

Chatfield (Colo.)

18-2

17

17

Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.)

18-2

NR

18

Prairie View (Colo.)

16-3

18

19

Golden (Colo.)

18-1

19

20

Tuttle (Okla.)

30-3

20

21

Skutt Catholic (Neb.)

22-2

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21

22

Banks County (Ga.)

23-3

22

23

Kiowa (Okla.)

34-4

23

24

Grayson (Ga.)

23-5

24

25

Blue Springs South (Mo.)

12-5

16

Dropped out: Roff (Okla.) and Troy-Buchanan (Mo.).

The France international continued his impressive run of form with a stunning strike against Everton on Sunday

Jose Mourinho believes Anthony Martial has improved “everything” about his game following the Frenchman’s decisive goal against Everton on Sunday. 

The Manchester United manager was full of praise for Martial, who drew a penalty and scored in his side’s 2-1 win over the Toffees at Old Trafford.

Martial has now scored in three consecutive Premier League games, tallying four goals in that run.

The 22-year-old has started four straight games over all competitions, and his manager says the improvement he has displayed has been comprehensive. 

When asked what part of his game Martial has improved, Mourinho told Sky Sports : “Everything. He has the same natural talent that he had one or two years ago but he is improving his way of thinking football, thinking training too, and thinking his role in the team.”

Martial’s place in the United team has been anything but assured with the Red Devils. The France international started just 26 of his 45 appearances for United last season, as he missed out on Les Bleus’ World Cup-winning squad.

Mourinho, though, sounded an optimistic note about the future for Martial, who joined United from Monaco in 2015. 

“I am really happy with [Martial], Luke Shaw, boys that are improving. They had difficult periods, difficult periods for myself, because I want more from them and I took them to the limits.

“But in this moment I think both, and in today’s case Anthony, was able to do things he was not able to do before. So really, really happy with Anthony.”

Martial’s future at Old Trafford is anything but assured after he reportedly turned down the club’s offer of a new contract this week. 

Though Martial could eventually depart Old Trafford, Mourinho is more than happy to have him in his team for the time being at least. 

“I think he coped well with this development process,” Mourinho said in his post-game press conference. 

“He took quite a long time to understand what we want from him, took quite a long time for his brain, and also his body, to be ready to play the way we want him to.

“But at the moment he is solid, playing very well, and even if he doesn’t score, his performance is a solid performance for the team, and that’s what we need. So I’m very happy with Anthony.”

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The Glasgow club have had a bright start to the European campaign and take on a side going through a difficult phase

Rangers welcome Spartak Moscow to Ibrox on Thursday looking to hold on to first place in their Europa League group.

With four points from two games, Steven Gerrard’s men have been a surprise package, but still have a lot to do if they are to progress to the next round.

Spartak, meanwhile, have just one point so far and need a win to stay in the fight for the top two spots, but have been unsettled by coach Massimo Carrera’s sacking, leaving fitness coach Raul Riancho in charge.

Game	Rangers vs Spartak Moscow
Date	Thursday, October 24
Time	8:00pm BST / 15:00pm EST
Stream (US only)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

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US TV channel	Online stream
n/a	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport 3 and streamed on BT Sport Live.

UK TV channel	Online stream
BT Sport 3	BT Sport Live

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Position	Rangers squad
Goalkeepers	McGregor, Foderingham, Alnwick
Defenders	Tavernier, Goldson, Hodson, Flanagan, Ross McCrorie, Katic, Bradley, Wallace
Midfielders	Dorrans, Jack, Ejaria, Halliday, Coulibaly, Kent, Arfield, Kelly, Rossiter
Forwards	Grezda, Murphy, Sadiq, Morelos, Candeias, Rudden, Middleton, Lafferty

Long-term injury victims Lee Wallace and Jamie Murphy are still out, as are Graham Dorrans and Scott Arfield.

Possible Starting XI: McGregor; Tavernier, Katic, Goldson, Barisic; Arfield, Ejaria, Coulibaly; Candeias, Morelos, Kent

Position	Spartak Moscow squad
Goalkeepers	Rebrov, Selikhov, Poplevchenkov
Defenders	Petkovic, Dzhikiya, Bocchetti, Kombarov, Kutepov, Eschenko, Likhachev, Gaponov
Midfielders	Ananidze, Glushakov, Fernando, Samedov, Melgarejo, Eremenko, Timofeev, Zobnin, Popov, Tashaev, Hanni
Forwards	Ze Luis, Pedro Rocha

Samuel Gigot has been out since early-September with a cruciate ligament injury and will not be back until March, but the Russians have few other injury concerns. Marko Petkovic is also unavailable, while Alexander Selikhov is a doubt for this game. 

Possible Starting XI: Maksimenko, Rassakazov, Dzikiya, Bocchetti, Kombarov, Fernando, Zobnin, Eremenko, Lomovitskiy, Melgarejo, Ze Luis.

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Rangers are priced at 23/20 to win, according to bet 365, while a draw is available at 13/5. A win for Spartak is priced at 5/2.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Rangers head into Thursday’s game looking to build on their current run of three wins and 10 goals scored as they begin to pick up steam after a slow start to the season.

Steven Gerrard’s team will feel they have the edge over a Spartak side going through a bad spell and a recent change in coach.

However, the Scottish side will be careful not to underestimate them as they look to keep their bright start to the European campaign going.

“Spartak have been inconsistent this season,” Gerrard said at a press conference. “It’s very difficult to predict what will happen when a manager leaves.

“It’s slightly different as the manager tomorrow was in the set-up beforehand. We have to be ready and show our quality.

“We know we are facing a really strong team, but we are going into the game with confidence and belief.

“I think Spartak come with more experience than Rapid – they play in hostile arenas and they have individuals who are very capable of hurting us.

“If we emulate the performance and atmosphere of the Rapid match, we will be very difficult to beat.”

The Blues had the final say over whether their opponents could play two of their players in the Carabao Cup due to rules in the loan system

Chelsea have granted Frank Lampard the chance to play with his loanees Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on Wednesday, but Gianfranco Zola denies that his club did it just to help out the club legend.

Lampard is Chelsea’s all-time top goalscorer with 211 goals, one of the club’s most highly decorated players, and he is now managing Derby County, who drew Chelsea after knocking out Manchester United in the last round of the Carabao Cup.

Derby were faced with the possibility of not being able to use two players who have established themselves as regular first-teamers since joining on loan from Chelsea, only to see the Blues grant permission to field the pair.

But Zola, who conducted Chelsea’s pre-match press conference in Maurizio Sarri’s stead, denied that Mount and Tomori are just playing to help out an old friend of the club.

“Good question. No, it’s not that,” Zola said of Lampard’s influence in allowing the young duo to play. “I can tell you it’s not that. It is because we believe at the end of the day is that Mason and Tomori are growing up as players.

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“We believe that by playing against us it is an opportunity for them to grow up quicker. The more they play against Premier League teams the more experience they get and we can make better evaluations on them. It was a great opportunity to see them play in front of us and we took that opportunity.

“It’s important to see the two players playing to give us a good indication [of their level]. But in the future it does not mean we will keep doing that. There will be a lot at stake. It will be a game, from a technical, tactical and physical point of view, on a higher level than the ones they play in their own league.

“But there will also be a psychological component. They will have to play in front of a big crowd, the crowd of the team they belong to. It will give them a good test.

Mount is Derby’s top scorer in all competitions with five goals in 17 games this season, while Tomori has featured 18 times for Lampard’s Championship high fliers.

Like Lampard, Zola is regarded as a Chelsea legend, and was at the club when the former England international signed for £11 million from West Ham United in 2001. Zola later moved on as Chelsea had their most successful era in their history under new owner Roman Abramovich, following his lucrative 2003 takeover of the club.

Despite being a firm favourite at the Bridge, Zola admits that the silverware that Lampard won means that he is a bigger legend than himself.

“I never thought about that before, honestly, but if I have to see the results and the trophies that Frank has achieved with Chelsea, there is no doubt he is the bigger legend. He has achieved so much with this club, personally and for the club,” he added. “He deserves big credit for this.

“I’m very honest on this. I know that myself, like many others, we are very important for the club because we started a process of getting better, becoming a well established team in England and Europe. I know I have done very well like Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo and many others.

“But Frank, for the club, has really made a big mark, a big impression, like John Terry. So he deserves the credit.”

Even though he was only 22 when he first met Zola, the Italian suspected that Lampard’s football intelligence and aptitude for the game meant that he could make the switch into coaching when the pair first met.

Zola says Lampard’s legacy as a legend will help him in coaching as he takes on the challenge of leading Derby County, who are regarded as a major club in English football.

“Obviously when someone has his name it is a big advantage and if you are ready you can go and do that, provided you have someone next to you in the beginning who can help. Having Jody [Morris] who has experience at youth teams is important. It will help you get your ideas across in a better way.

“You can understand if someone has the qualities and the attitude to become a coach. Like for example, [Gus] Poyet, [Gianluca] Vialli, [Roberto] Di Matteo, you could see they would be it if they wanted. It was early days. We change all the time but he had the right attributes.”

The Red Devils legend claims to have seen signs of encouragement from Jose Mourinho’s side, but admits that there is still room for improvement

Ryan Giggs claims to have been “really impressed” by Manchester United over recent weeks, but admits an inability to perform for 90 minutes has left him frustrated and puzzled.

The Red Devils have endured a disjointed start to their 2018-19 campaign, with inconsistency posing problems on an individual and collective level.

There have been signs of encouragement, such as a dramatic win over Newcastle and back-to-back Premier League victories over Everton and Bournemouth, but plenty of questions remain.

Giggs considers the lack of a complete performance to be among the most pressing of those, with Mourinho needing to find a way of getting his players to produce from the first whistle to the last.

The United legend, speaking in his role as Wales boss ahead of the next international break, said of a frustrating 2018-19 campaign at Old Trafford: “I’ve been really impressed with United in the last four or five games, especially second half.

“But I don’t know what it is. As a United fan you are scratching your head.

“Bournemouth on Saturday were brilliant in the first half, but United were brilliant in the second half. It’s just putting that 90 minutes together.

“They have proven they can give anyone a game, but if you don’t turn up for 45 minutes you will not win.

“You have to turn up for 90 minutes and United have the players.”

United will need to be close to their best in their next outing if they are to take anything from it.

A testing trip to Juventus is the challenge facing Mourinho’s men in midweek, with the Red Devils going in search of a first Champions League victory since matchday one.

They have dropped points at home to Valencia and Juve in their last two European fixtures, with the Bianconeri dominating at Old Trafford despite only picking up a narrow 1-0 win.

Giggs concedes that United were not good enough in that contest, but is expecting a better showing from Paul Pogba and Co in Turin.

He added: “They were second best the other week, but I think it will be closer on Wednesday.”

United head to Italy sat second in Group H, with a home date against Young Boys and a visit to Valencia still to come.

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The World Cup winner says he is happy in the Spanish capital, but could play in Germany one day

Antoine Griezmann has praised the standard of German football, suggesting that he would be open to the possibility of a move to the Bundesliga in the future.

The French attacker was a first-hand witness to this quality only a fortnight ago, with Borussia Dortmund handing Atletico Madrid a 4-0 drubbing in the Champions League.

Ahead of Tuesday’s return fixture, the 27-year-old recognised the Bundesliga’s high standard, even going as far as to suggest that it could be a destination of his in the future.

Speaking to Kicker he said: “It could be (a league I could play in) but I feel very comfortable here with Atletico. We have a beautiful project here that I identify with 100 per cent. I want to help the club grow as it helps me grow, and we want to create history.

“It’s a very offensive league with a lot of attacking. I think Borussia Dortmund reflects the league quite well.”

The forward has repeatedly been linked with a move to Bayern Munich in recent years.

Griezmann also suggested that the Bundesliga is underestimated in relation to some of its European competitors, putting it on par with the Premier League and just behind La Liga. 

“I would put Spain in first place – in the round of 16 and quarter-finals of the Champions League there are many Spanish teams – followed by the Bundesliga or the Premier League.

“The Premier League is indeed more popular and is the world’s most viewed and the Bundesliga is a bit in the shadow. There is less talk about it, but as far as talents and the teams are concerned, the difference is not much.

“The Bundesliga is very attractive, attacking football is played and there are many goals, as we had to experience in Dortmund the other day.”

The Frenchman scored on Saturday, but it was not enough for Atletico Madrid who were held 1-1 by Leganes, their third draw in five league matches.

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The enigmatic Swedish striker enjoyed a memorable 2016-17 campaign with Manchester United and believes his efforts helped to silence any doubters

Zlatan Ibrahimovic considers the quality of the Premier League to be “overrated”, but is pleased that his efforts with Manchester United helped to silence any doubters.

The enigmatic Swede arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 having enjoyed trophy-laden spells in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France with the likes of Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

His arrival in England as a free agent saw questions asked of his ability to deliver on such a competitive stage, but he starred at 35 years of age and plundered 28 goals across all competitions – including match-winning efforts in the Community Shield and EFL Cup final.

Ibrahimovic never doubted that he would be a success, with confidence a quality he rarely struggles for, and claims to have found life at United easier than he expected.

A man now turning out in MLS for the LA Galaxy told FourFourTwo of his spell in the Premier League:  “I’d had a long career before I came – different kinds of countries, different kinds of clubs.

“People said, ‘You don’t need to go to England, because if you fail in England, people will always say you weren’t good enough’. Everybody was against it. And guess what? That made me motivated. That gave me adrenaline.

“I liked the Premier League. I found it very motivating and very exciting. It gets a lot of attention, although I feel the quality is a little bit overrated – the individual quality, the technical part.

“But the rhythm is high. Even if you are the best, if you can’t handle the rhythm, the pace, then you will not succeed, because the pace is very high.”

Ibrahimovic feels he would have made even more of an impact in England had he made a move earlier in his career, with a mockery having been made of those who dared to write him off before he opened a productive spell at Old Trafford.

He added:  “I’m super proud and super happy that I went to United – it was the right club.

“We won, and I did what I did before I got injured. I had an excellent time – great memories. I’m attached to United forever. The supporters are amazing: wherever I went, I saw red shirts, which was fantastic. It’s a very important moment in my career.

“As I said when I was in England, you’re lucky I didn’t come 10 years ago, because if I did what I did at 35 years old, imagine it if I was 25. Then it would have been a different story.

“I came there and they said I came in a wheelchair. All the people that talked, in the whole Premier League, I put them in a wheelchair. That’s what I did.”

Ibrahimovic saw his 2016-17 campaign ended by a serious knee injury, while a short-term contract penned in 2017-18 was cut short as Jose Mourinho freed him to make a move to America.

The former Manchester United defender put the boot into Spurs, provoking an angry response from their former manager.

An angry Harry Redknapp has labelled Gary Neville ‘an absolute disgrace’ following comments he made about Tottenham.

The TV pundit and former Manchester United defender became embroiled in a lively debate about the merits of Spurs’ title challenge with colleague Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports ‘ Monday Night Football show.

He labelled Tottenham teams of years gone by as ‘flaky’ and ‘rubbish’ – prompting an irate Redknapp, who managed Spurs between 2008 and 2012, to sound off on TalkSport .

Neville said: “Tottenham for 30 years of our lives were spineless and soft, flaky, rubbish, you could be 2-0 down against them and think you would win 5-2. That’s just the way they were. You knew that one little bump during the game and they would fall over it.

“Now we have the toughest, robust, most, resilient Tottenham team that we have seen and we shouldn’t get tired of them and saying they have to do this…”

Redknapp, 71, had a furious response, saying he had the ‘raving hump’ with the ex-England right-back and his ridiculing his management record following his ill-fated time as Valencia boss.

“Gary’s comments were an absolute disgrace,” he said. “I can only comment about the time I was there you’ve got players in that time that’s a disgrace to label players like Modric, Gareth Bale, Ledley King, Van der Vaart, it’s a disgrace to talk about them saying they’re spineless and gutless. I was so upset with his comments.

“I think he needs to do his homework before he comes out with comments like that. He managed Valencia and when he managed them they were the worst team in their history. He was having a pop saying Spurs got rid of a couple of bad apples and he mentioned Michael Dawson, he’s one of the best pro’s I have worked with.

“He wants to do his homework before he talks about people in that tone, I thought his comments were an absolute disgrace. We had some great games at Arsenal and at Liverpool against Jamie Carragher I think we beat them every time we played them in that period.

“We had a great period about the time. To label that against top top players he opinion is wrong and totally out of order. I think it’s a disgrace to talk as he has without looking and seeing what they did at that time.

“I have the raving hump with him, I wouldn’t want to speak to him to be honest with you, I’ve got the raving needle.”

Neville responded to Redknapp’s outburst by tweeting a ‘crying laughing’ emoji.

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Coming off the back of a Clasico victory, Ernesto Valverde is set to make changes to his Barca side for the Copa del Rey encounter

Barcelona made history last April when they became the first club to reach the landmark figure of 30 Copa del Rey titles with a stunning 5-0 win over Sevilla at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.

No club gets close to Barca in terms of history in the competition, with Athletic Club’s 23 wins next on the roll of honour before Real Madrid come in third with 19.

On Wednesday, Ernesto Valderve’s side will begin their quest to again show their dominance in the knockout tournament as they travel to face third-tier outfit Cultural Leonesa in the last 32, which is played over two legs.

Relegated from the Segunda Division last season, they have little of the history that their opponents boast, having reached the last 16 three times, though most recently in 1959-60.

Game	Cultural Leonesa v Barcelona
Date	Wednesday, October 31
Time	8:30pm GMT / 4:30pm ET

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In the USA, this match will be available to watch on beIN Sports 1 and to stream on beIN Sports Connect.

US TV channel	Online stream
beIN Sports 1	beIN Sports Connect

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast live.

UK TV channel	Online stream
n/a	n/a

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Position	Cultural Leonesa players
Goalkeepers	Palatsi, Diarra
Defenders	Ulbizua, Garrido, Escalante, Alsonso, Viti, Saul, Bernal
Midfielders	Y. Gonzalez, Marcos, Martinez, Romero, Sene, Capilla, Mancebo
Forwards	Rodriguez, Liberto, Delgado, Zelu, Ortiz, Aridane

Despite winning 3-1 against Inter de Madrid at the weekend, changes are forecast in the Cultural Leonesa side.

They are notably without their captain, Antonio Martinez, who is banned.

Possible Leonesa XI: Diarra; Saul, S. Gonzalez, Romero, Viti; Bernal, Marcos; Rodriguez, Delgado, Liberto; Ortiz

Position	Barcelona squad
Goalkeepers	Cillessen, Inaki Pena
Defenders	Semedo, Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Cuenca, Chumi, Miranda
Midfielders	Denis, Arthur, Rafinha, Vidal, Riqui Puig, Samper, Alena
Forwards	Dembele, Malcom, Munir

Barcelona will be without long-term defensive injury absentees Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti while Lionel Messi will also be on the sidelines once again due to a broken arm. Gerard Pique is rested, meaning the club will rely on youth in central defense.

Valverde has called up seven players from the ‘B’ ranks for this clash, Inaki Pena, Alena, Miranda, Riqui Puig, Cuenca and Chumi, but competition rules mean that there must be at least seven players from the first team on the field at all times. 

Jasper Cillessen has been ill, but the goalkeeper starts as part of that seven.

Possible Barcelona XI: Cillessen Semedo, Chumi, Cuenca Miranda, Vidal, Samper, Denis,Malcom, Munir, Dembele.

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Barcelona are huge 1/10 favourites to win the game according to bet365 . Cultural can be backed at 20/1, while the draw is priced at 17/2.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Fresh from a 5-0 Clasico victory over Real Madrid on Sunday, which accounted for Blancos boss Julen Lopetegui, Barcelona are in high spirits as they make the trip to Leon for their opening Copa del Rey match of the season.

Even the absence of Messi did not stop Valverde’s side from flexing their offensive muscles at Camp Nou at the weekend, but against more modest opposition they have elected to give some star names the night off, among them hat-trick hero Luis Suarez.

The coach has, however, warned of the dangers of complacency ahead of this fixture and has underlined the value he has placed on the competition.

“The cup is a very important competition. I don’t understand the idea of not going for one tournament to focus on another,” he said.

“We need to avoid surprises and play a good game because our opponents will be playing at 200%,

“We are expecting a rival who will try to play well, taking the ball from behind. They can count on the enthusiasm of the crowd, and it’s a difficult game for us in that sense.

“The opponent has a lot to gain, it’s a massive game for them.”

Cultural’s last experience at this round of the Copa del Rey, however, was not a happy one. In 2016-17, they faced Real Madrid and were thumped 7-1 in the first left before going down 13-2 on aggregate after a 6-1 loss at the Bernabeu in the second.

If they could keep things competitive for the return match on December 5, that would be seen as a victory in itself.

 

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