London – Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is strong enough to deal with his Champions League final nightmare, according to team-mate Simon Mignolet.
Karius was responsible for two of Real’s goals in their 3-1 victory over Liverpool in Kiev on Saturday.
The 24-year-old German threw the ball into Real forward Karim Benzema and it bounced back into the net for the opening goal.
He then allowed Gareth Bale’s harmless shot to squirm through his hands for Real’s third goal in the closing minutes.
Karius was in tears after the final whistle and has been subjected to death threats and vile abuse on social media since the match.
Mignolet has made his share of mistakes during his Liverpool career and lost his place to Karius earlier this season.
But he empathises with the 24-year-old German’s plight and has offered to help.
The Belgian international believes Karius is mentally equipped to cope and expects him to be fine when Liverpool return to action next season.
“I know how it is. You need a bit of time. The good thing about this final is that he will have the summer to take it and go forward,” Mignolet said.
“If he wants to talk then of course I will be there. Every goalkeeper can relate to him.
“I’ve been in this situation before myself and those kind of things you deal with yourself.
“The only thing I told him is that there is a reason we got to this final, and why we played in this final, so think about that.
“But of course it is very difficult to say anything to him and to let him grasp it.
“He’s only young. I’m sure he will bounce back. I think we have all the tools at Liverpool as well to help him with that.”
Find the positives
Meanwhile, Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren is certain Jurgen Klopp’s side will make amends for their European heartache next term.
Lovren knows Liverpool’s run to the final was unexpected, but he says it underlined their emerging quality under Klopp.
“I promise that next year we will come back even stronger because I feel this team is growing every day.
“We beat the best teams in Europe. We beat Man City, who had a fantastic season in the Premier League.
“We showed again that Real Madrid respected us in some moments – they were defending quite deep.
“We need to find the positives. The manager is always positive. At the end, we will grow and I believe in this team that we can do it again next year.”
Until Liverpool’s star forward Mohamed Salah went off with a shoulder injury, Real were struggling to cope with the Reds’ incisive attacks.
And Lovren acknowledged the loss of their talisman — who scored 44 goals this season — was a hammer blow.
“It was also a big point when Mo was injured, it was a big change for us,” he said.
“Mo is one of the most important players for us and it’s not the same when you don’t have him on the pitch.
“The mindset is totally different when you have him on the pitch.
“It was difficult to accept that we, again, had such an unlucky moment with so many injuries.”
PHILADELPHIA — The most recent version of the “Philly Special” was thrown by Carson Wentz, and it wasn’t weird at all.
The quarterbacks were going through individual drills at the Philadelphia Eagles minicamp Wednesday. Assistant coaches and trainers ran into the flat as the QBs worked on their three-step drops. But when Wentz’s turn came up, Nick Foles stepped in and ran the route, which mirrored his path during the now-famous fourth-and-goal touchdown catch against the Patriots that helped propel the Eagles to their first title in 57 years.
Nick Foles admitted he has a “different dynamic” with Carson Wentz after what happened last season, but their friendship and honesty with each other have helped them avoid any tension. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most memorable images from the Super Bowl celebration in Minneapolis is of Wentz with his hand affectionately on Foles’ head, both players gripping the Lombardi Trophy while being showered with green and white confetti. A less circulated image is the one of Wentz sitting at his locker stall a few moments later, doubled over with his head near his knees as “We Are the Champions” played over the loudspeaker. After a word from a teammate, Wentz rose, wiped his face and continued congratulating his teammates.
It’s hard to know exactly how much it hurt him to not be on the field that day and deliver the city its first-ever Super Bowl win himself, but placing yourself in his shoes quickly gives you an idea of the type of emotions that must have pulsated through him, and perhaps pulsate through him still.
All of this makes the breeziness of their interactions all the more striking. At one point Thursday, on the last day of minicamp, Wentz, Foles and the rest of the quarterbacks had a friendly accuracy competition to see who could hit the crossbar in the fewest amount of throws, the group smiling — and maybe busting some chops — along the way. A beat earlier, Wentz and Foles stood side-by-side as Nate Sudfeld worked the offense and simultaneously raised their arms above their heads like twins when Sudfeld dropped a dime into the corner of the end zone. They’re sharing a locker wall, sharing reps, and in some ways, sharing the allegiance of their teammates, and yet signs of any tension in their relationship are hard to detect.
“I think the big thing is we’re honest with one another, and our friendship has always come first,” Foles said. “I know at times when he’s injured and watching me play, that’s difficult, but at the same time, he’s always been extremely supportive.
“It’s definitely a different dynamic, but at the same time, it wouldn’t work if him and I weren’t such great friends and understanding of each other. That’s a big piece of it that people don’t probably understand, because it gets a little tricky — but not for us because we’re handling it like men in the locker room. At the end of the day, we want the team to be successful whoever is back there at quarterback.”
Sudfeld likened the quarterbacks to brothers. They bust each other’s chops and are highly competitive, whether they’re throwing darts, playing Pop-A-Shot in the locker room or out on the practice field.
“Nick is kind of the older guy, a little more laid back than Carson,” Sudfeld said. “We can joke with each other and talk about music or talk about just random stuff.”
They also share a mutual faith, which Wentz believes has been the key to keeping their bond strong in unique circumstances.
“That kind of just breaks down every barrier, every wall,” Wentz said. “We realize there’s so much more to this life and such a bigger purpose out there than arguing over a lot of little things.”
Wentz was a top candidate for league MVP last season before tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee against the Los Angeles Rams in December. He finished second in the NFL with 33 touchdown passes and led the team to an 11-2 record, positioning the Eagles as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. After a rocky start, Foles caught fire during the playoffs, completing 73 percent of his passes and throwing six touchdowns to one interception, including three TD strikes in Super Bowl LII.
The Eagles quarterbacks shared a moment after their Super Bowl victory, and that bond has continued through offseason work this year. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Foles is now an icon in Philadelphia. He recently joked about the awkwardness of meeting a fan who had Foles’ face tattooed across his entire back. He’s held in high esteem by owner Jeffrey Lurie and the front office and has the full respect of his peers. Starting right guard Brandon Brooks even restructured his contract so the Eagles could give Foles a new deal this offseason.
Still, there is no haziness when it comes to whose team this is.
Wentz opened some eyes during offseason workouts. He looks more mobile and participated more than expected. The goal for a return remains Week 1.
Foles can earn $500,000 per game under his restructured contract, which includes $14 million worth of incentives and a mutual option for 2019. He’ll be rewarded if he does end up playing a significant amount this year and will have the opportunity to find a starting gig next season.
“You want what’s best for the team,” Foles said. “Ultimately, Carson is getting ready to play. He’s getting healthy. But at the same time, I’m ready to go out there and play. I think I’ve shown that. But it takes more than one person to make a team. That’s what’s beautiful about this team.
“Everyone puts their egos to the side when they walk into this building. They’re all working for the Philadelphia Eagles. I think that’s why we have something so special here.”
Champions League holder Real Madrid made a shock announcement on Tuesday, hiring current Spain boss Julen Lopetegui as the club’s next manager.
Real named Lopetegui as Zinedine Zidane’s successor with a statement on its website, adding that the 51-year-old tactician signed a three-year deal and is set to take control of the capital city giant after the World Cup in Russia.
Reunited at the Bernabéu….
?? Julen Lopetegui led current Real Madrid stars Isco, Dani Carvajal & Nacho to international glory at youth level. ??#UCL pic.twitter.com/DMa6E5gOpR
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 12, 2018
Lopetegui, who’s revived the Spanish national team since taking charge of the 2010 World Cup winner in July 2016, was previously linked with a move to Wolves before taking La Furia Roja’s top job. Now set for another change of managerial plans, his appointment comes as a surprise after he extended his Spain contract in May.
A former ‘keeper with a lone senior cap, Lopetegui played for Real between 1988 and 1991 and was in charge of the club’s B team in 2008-09 before enlisting with the national team as the Under-19 coach.
PITTSBURGH — With constant head bobs, ear-to-ear smiles and a promise to make a Madden cover — as a Hall of Famer, though “I’m just playing; chill out” — JuJu Smith-Schuster’s high-wattage personality came out in his first offseason interview from the Steelers’ locker room.
But Smith-Schuster knows his epic “Fortnite” sessions with Drake and pictures with LeBron James are only possible because of his historic rookie year in which, at 21, he became the NFL’s youngest player to top 1,000 all-purpose yards.
In a crucial second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Smith-Schuster wants that order to stay intact: production first, then the rest.
“It’s crazy because after my rookie year, everything off the field that happened is because of everything on the field would happen,” Smith-Schuster said. “You take care of business on the field; everything will take care of itself off the field. Marketing, we’re doing appearances, just doing stuff around the community and charity — it’s awesome we can do all that.”
Smith-Schuster is frustrated because a knee injury is keeping him from working with teammates on the practice field. He expects to be a full go for training camp but is limited to individual work this week.
That hasn’t stopped him from mentally preparing for an expanded role in the Pittsburgh offense. Smith-Schuster expects more chances to play inside and out as the clear-cut No. 2 receiver following the trade of Martavis Bryant to the Oakland Raiders.
Smith-Schuster will be tasked with winning up the middle and stretching the field vertically. He’s eager for the challenge, vowing to carry “whatever they put on my shoulders.”
“Super excited about this year,” Smith-Schuster said. “To be on the side with [Antonio Brown] and all those other guys, it’s going to be fun.”
Turns out Smith-Schuster is giving second-round rookie receiver James Washington the same advice that helped him produce 917 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2017: Learn both receiver spots, block linebackers and safeties, win “in the trenches” and catch balls over the top.
Smith-Schuster showed he could do all those things, and the next step is consistently beating elite man coverage (see: playoff game against Jacksonville, which held Smith-Schuster to 5 yards on three catches).
He hopes he gets those chances in the slot, where his “very aggressive” style of play shows up most often.
“I like playing inside. I just love the physicalness of being in the box with the bigger guys,” Smith-Schuster said. “That’s just something that’s part of my game.”
When practice is over is when Smith-Schuster gets less aggressive, thanks to newfound fame. The receiver said he’s made a habit of going to the grocery store late at night to avoid mobs of fans.
“Stay in the room, lock the door, play video games,” Smith-Schuster said.
The Steelers might need video-game numbers.
And if Smith-Schuster has his way, LeBron James will watch the production live. Smith-Schuster said he invited James to a Steelers game.
