Liverpool’s threadbare midfield could be set for a massive boost at precisely the right time.
Five days after returning to first-team training following a protracted hiatus stemming from a back injury in mid-March, midfielder Emre Can’s recovery could see him in line for a return for Saturday’s Champions League final versus Real Madrid.
Following Monday’s training session at Anfield, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was asked if Can’s steady progress in his recovery could see him play a part in Kyiv. “It depends,” Klopp said, courtesy of the club’s official website.
“With Emre or players in the situation of Emre it depends on the reaction on things (but) let me say it like this: 10 days ago, I didn’t think it was possible that he could do what he did today, and that he could do what he did in Marbella already.”
James Milner, who also plays a key midfield role for the Merseyside lot, also returned to the club’s Marbella training sabbatical after missing the last match of the league campaign for precautionary reasons. Milner is set to start as part of a three-man midfield alongside Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum, though the season and World Cup-ending injury for Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain leaves the middle of the park a bit thin ahead of the continental clash between two of Europe’s most successful sides.
Should Can make enough progress to be deemed fit for the final in the Ukranian capital, Klopp could be faced with a welcome option.
“That looked good and my impression of him is really positive, but we have to wait again until tomorrow,” Klopp admitted. “But the door, of course, is open. It’s really nice to have him back in the group and he is really desperate to be part of (the final) and we will see.”
HAMILTON, Ontario — Johnny Manziel spent much of the first day of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ training camp as an observer.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner watched a lot of the session Sunday, a day after signing with the Canadian Football League club. Manziel threw while working with the five other quarterbacks and made short tosses to receivers, but knelt off to the side or stood with quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison during one-on-one pass drills and 7-on-7 sessions at Ron Joyce Stadium.
“That’s because he doesn’t know the terminology, he doesn’t know anything,” Tiger-Cats coach June Jones said. “Dan was walking through each route as it was called. But [on Monday] guess what? We’re going to walk in and start taking a couple.”
Manziel has plenty to learn about Canadian football. Standing on the field for the first time only served to further drive that point home.
Johnny Manziel threw while working with the five other quarterbacks and did short tosses to receivers, but spent much of the first day of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ training camp as an observer. Peter Power/The Canadian Press via AP
“Spacing is a little bit different on the defensive side if I had to look at anything,” Manziel said. “On offense, I’ve never ran this many routes that are predicated off of one defender … every route has an opportunity to break three or four different ways, which is different.
“But I think it gives you the versatility and offensive weapons to be able to attack coverages more intensely than it would just running a fixed route. I know it’s going to take some time, but now I see it more so, and my expectations are tempered.”
Hamilton’s other quarterbacks include starter Jeremiah Masoli, CFL veterans Vernon Adams Jr. and Bryant Moniz along with youngsters Dane Evans and Chris Merchant of the Vanier Cup-champion Western Mustangs.
Jones said the Ticats aren’t waiting for Johnny Football to become familiar with their offensive terminology and schemes.
“He’s got to catch up because we’ve got guys in there, and he will,” Jones said. “We have plenty of time in camp. I’d say in 2½ weeks he’ll have a handle on everything.”
Manziel actively pursued an NFL contract this offseason, throwing during pro days at both Texas A&M and the University of San Diego and participating in The Spring League — a development circuit for players overlooked by the NFL.
He has dealt with several off-field issues. In 2016, a domestic assault charge against Manziel in Dallas was dismissed after he took an anger management course and participated in the NFL’s substance-abuse program. In a recent interview, he said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has stopped drinking.
The CFL approved the signing, saying that in December it began the process to determine if Manziel could join the league. Manziel had to meet certain conditions, including an assessment by an independent expert on domestic violence, a review by legal counsel and a discussion with commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
“I’ve been very upfront with my past and the fact that I haven’t been perfect by any means,” Manziel said. “Obviously, the magnitude of my mistakes in the past are something I’m definitely not proud of, but at the end of the day I feel like I’ve come a long way from that person that I was at that time.
“I feel I’ve grown a lot and feel through the mistakes I’ve made they’ve turned me into a better person, they’ve turned me into a man. I’ll never be able to outrun my past … the only thing I can do is grow and hopefully be a better person moving forward, and I have every intention of doing that.”
Lionel Messi finished the 2017-18 campaign with the fifth European Golden Shoe of his career, collecting the prize for the second season in a row.
The Argentinian didn’t start La Liga’s final day against Real Sociedad on Sunday – a match which also marked Andres Iniesta’s last outing for Barcelona – but still collected the award despite being unable to add to his 34 league goals when he was introduced after 67 minutes.
Messi is the first player in history to collect five Golden Boots, with longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo picking up four over the course of his playing days. The 30-year-old’s trophy cabinet will also be supplemented by a sixth Pichichi – the individual gong given to La Liga’s top scorer.
????? Fifth Golden Shoe for Leo #Messi! ? 34 goals in @LaLiga make him Europe’s top scorer for the fifth time! ? Congratulations, Leo! ? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/KsiwYPJ4fj
— FC Barcelona ?? (@FCBarcelona) May 20, 2018
The Golden Boot isn’t ranked purely on goals, instead relying on a points system to recognise Europe’s most potent finisher. Each strike tallied in one of Europe’s top five leagues is worth two points – meaning Messi finished the season on 68 – while goals in supposedly lesser leagues are given a weight of 1.5 or 1. Benfica’s Jonas scored as many as Messi in the 2017-18 term, but the Primeira Liga’s pull of 1.5 points per goal left the Brazilian veteran on 51 points and ninth overall on the list.
Messi’s greatest rival for the Golden Boot was Mohamed Salah, who struck 32 Premier League goals in his debut season with Liverpool. The Egyptian was also prolific on the continent, with his 10 Champions League goals beating Messi’s count by four.
Barcelona almost romped to an unbeaten league season under Ernesto Valverde, but many critics pointed to the singular brilliance of Messi being the chief reason the club eased to its 25th Spanish title. In addition to his 34 goals, Messi contributed 12 assists and was a notable absentee during the Blaugrana’s only La Liga defeat, a 5-4 reverse at Levante last Sunday.
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams was arrested by Frisco, Texas, police early Saturday morning for public intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor.
Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams was arrested for public intoxication early Saturday after he was found riding an electric bicycle near his residence. His Lamborghini had been abandoned after he hit a light pole. Courtesy: Frisco Police Department
The police found Williams’ 2017 blue Lamborghini abandoned after it hit a light pole in the area of Frisco Green Avenue and Lebanon Road, not far from the Cowboys’ practice facility, at 4:45 a.m. CT. After police determined that the vehicle was registered to Williams, the receiver was found near his home riding an electric bicycle and was arrested.
Williams was released from the Frisco Detention Center on a $369 bond. The police are continuing to investigate Williams for fleeing the scene of an accident, but no charges have been filed. Because the damage to the light pole was more than $200, Williams could be charged for striking a structure, fixture or highway landscaping, an offense that is a Class B misdemeanor.
In a statement released by his attorney, Williams said an officer he had met previously arrested him without performing a sobriety test. Williams said he was returning to the scene on a scooter to meet a tow truck driver.
The attorney, Chip Lewis, disputed the police account of Williams’ vehicle hitting a light pole.
“Terrance did not hit a light pole and there was no light pole even near the vehicle,” Lewis said. “Secondly, his arrest was wholly unrelated to the traffic accident.”
Williams said he veered into the center median to avoid a collision when a man driving a vehicle in front of him hit his brakes. The two exchanged insurance information and a neighbor drove Williams home, where the receiver said he called for a tow truck.
“I have always been an upstanding citizen and handled the situation the best way I know how,” Williams said. “I apologize if I should have handled it a little bit differently.”
Williams has been rehabbing from surgery to repair a broken foot for most of the offseason and has not been taking part in the offseason program and on-field teaching sessions. The Cowboys begin their organized team activities next week, and there was hope that Williams might be able to work some in the June minicamp.
