'An incredible finisher' - practice makes perfect for Echeverri

Rayan Ait-Nouri and Claudio Echeverri both made their first starts for Manchester City in the Club World Cup [Reuters]
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gave full debuts to Rayan Ait-Nouri and Claudio Echeverri in Sunday's handsome victory at the Club World Cup - and both impressed.
A 6-0 thrashing of UAE side Al-Ain sent City through to the last 16 with a game to spare, making it back-to-back clean sheets and eight goals scored.
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City's struggles last season were partly down to a lengthy injury list and needing to deploy players in unfamiliar positions such as Nico O'Reilly at left-back, with the academy player more accustomed to playing in midfield.
But the acquisition of impressive Algerian Ait-Nouri will provide more balance down the left and goalscorer Echeverri showed why he could be a decent squad option this season.
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, said of Echeverri: "He reminds me a bit of Julian Alvarez - same type of player, his finishing is incredible
"He is a really good guy, a bit shy in the beginning but I think he can help us a lot."
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Hardworking Echeverri City's latest Argentine star?
City's affinity with attacking players from Argentina has seen some go down in the club's record books.
Sergio Aguero provided the most memorable and dramatic moment of their first Premier League title success, Carlos Tevez famously moved to the club having previously played for rivals Manchester United, while Julian Alvarez's £81m transfer to Atletico Madrid is their most expensive sale.
Guardiola may now have a future star on his hands in teenager Echeverri, who hails from the South American country that produced footballing greats Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
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Echeverri signed for City in January 2024 but remained at River Plate on loan for another year and was given a surprise debut as a substitute in May's FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace.
The 19-year-old played only 45 minutes of City's rout on Sunday, but caught the eye with a sublime free-kick on his first start for the club.
Guardiola said: "Since he arrived and [in] the three or four months with us, at the end of training sessions he was practising free-kicks with the goalkeeper, wall and alone.
"The other ones did not practise. He was practising and practising and the work pays off.
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"Fantastic goal and incredible player. He could not continue after half-time because of a problem with the ankle, but the free-kick was really good."
Guardiola has made clear he wants to work with a smaller squad. The out-of-favour trio of Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips appear to have no futures at the club, while James McAtee was not selected for the trip.
The Spaniard needs to further trim his playing personnel from the 27 that are currently in the United States, but Echeverri may have given his manager a headache about whether to keep him with the squad this season or sanction a loan move away.
'Intelligent' Ait-Nouri displays attacking impetus
[BBC]
City have been without a recognised left-back since the departure of Benjamin Mendy, but Guardiola seems to have found the perfect solution.
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"Wow," said Guardiola of Ait-Nouri's performance. "He had to defend a back four, then make a back five. He played really, really good, not for the first time.
"It was his first game but he has played in the Premier League for many years."
Playing at the incredible Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ait-Nouri showcased the class he possesses with driving runs up and down the left flank.
He played the full game and highlighted why he will be such an asset with a total of 92 touches of the ball, including seven in the opposition box, second only to Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian, who scored from the penalty spot and missed numerous other chances, will be relishing getting on the end of some of Ait-Nouri's whipped crosses.
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The 24-year-old could have scored in the first half when he cut inside and beat a couple of defenders, but lost his footing at the vital moment.
Guardiola said: "He can help us play in that role outside but then had to play as a holding midfielder and go into the pockets. He moves really well into the spaces.
"He is intelligent and clear to defend and take the ball. He is so clever in the final third, taking the right decisions to create more spaces. Really pleased for the game he played."
His statistics while at Wolves show what he will add to this City side and why the £31m fee could turn out to be a bargain.
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Last season, Ait-Nouri led the way for defenders with the most goal involvements (11) in the Premier League - in total he scored nine goals and provided 19 assists in five seasons at Molineux.
His attacking capabilities are further enhanced by the fact only three other full-backs created more chances last term and only West Ham's Aaron Wan-Bissaka completed more dribbles than Ait Nouri's 63.
Ait-Nouri helped ensure City progressed into the knockout stages and they will be aiming to seal top spot in their final group game against Juventus on Thursday.

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Yahoo

32 minutes ago

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NFL offseason power rankings: No. 27 New York Giants have a coach and GM on the hottest seat

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"I'm going to have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am right now," Mara said. Advertisement That set the tone for the Giants season. It's all about whether Daboll and Schoen can survive again. It won't be easy. The owner is on edge. The fan base was already there. The Giants' solution at quarterback was signing two veterans who weren't wanted back by their previous teams and drafting a quarterback who will need some work. On top of it all, the Giants have the toughest schedule in the NFL, and by a pretty wide margin based on the projected betting win totals of their opponents, via Sharp Football Analysis. It seems like Daboll and Schoen are dead men walking into a season with a roster that would need some help to get out of last place in the NFC East. So why bother bringing them back at all? Can New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (left) and general manager Joe Schoen (right) show enough improvement this season to keep their jobs? 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The Giants traded up for quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round, and he provides some hope for fixing a broken quarterback situation. The big free agent additions were cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland, who should make the secondary better. Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston were signed to be stopgap solutions at quarterback, and neither is too exciting. Overall, it's clear to see the Giants' roster improving, and that will accelerate if Dart is a hit. Advertisement Grade: B+ Quarterback report The Steelers showed zero desire to bring Russell Wilson back. The Browns chose to sign 40-year-old Joe Flacco over matching the two-year, $8 million deal Jameis Winston got from the Giants. The Giants didn't have many great options at quarterback in free agency, and those two veterans will probably deliver predictable results. Wilson played pretty well for a few weeks for the Steelers last season but faded by the end, a reminder that his game isn't aging well as he approaches 37 years old. Winston is what he is, a sometimes exciting player who can't avoid turnovers. The odds of either starting through the season are long. Jaxson Dart should start at some point this season. He is a good athlete with a strong arm. Consistency can be an issue, but in college he was good at pushing the ball downfield and creating explosive plays. If the Giants get off to a slow start, it will be tough to resist the urge to speed up Dart's timetable and put him into the lineup. BetMGM odds breakdown From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: 'The New York Giants signed QBs Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston this offseason, before drafting Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart in the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft. They're hoping to have the short- and long-term solutions at QB, but there's also a chance they have neither. 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Motor Trend

33 minutes ago

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Mazda's Rotary-Engine RX-7 Successor Almost Ready, But Next Miata's a Few Years Away

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Masashi Nakayama, general manager of Mazda's Design Division, calls the Iconic SP a pure sports car with its long nose and Coke-bottle shape with wide haunches. It is not a replacement for the Mazda MX-5. It is larger than the Miata. 'You can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7,' Mazda Chief Technical Officer Ryuichi Umeshita tells MotorTrend . Different Sports Cars, Different Powertrains While the Miata will continue to use an internal combustion engine, the Iconic SP was shown as having a range-extender hybrid with an electric motor and a dual-rotor rotary engine acting as generator. Output would be about 365 horsepower. The engine is a more powerful and emissions-compliant version of the rotary engine that made its revival as a range extender in the 2023 Mazda MX-30. The MX-30 was not offered in the U.S. because its rotary engine did not meet emissions regulations. But the new, more powerful rotary engine in development will, Umeshita says. And the sports car, conceptually, would be offered with a second powertrain option: with the rotary engine as the primary source of propulsion. A pure EV is possible but not planned. Rotary engines are part of the soul of the company and commercializing that has never stopped, says Mazda Chief Financial Officer Jeff Guyton. The company now recognizes the geometry of the engine and how it works; capable of combusting oxygen, hydrogen and other fuels in an engine that is lightweight, compact and powerful. The powertrain in the MX-30 was an initial attempt but not fuel efficient enough. Together, the Miata—apparently sticking around—and the production version of the larger Iconic SP would offer two sizes of sports car for the enthusiast. What to Call Mazda's New Sports Car As for the name, the expectation is it will honor the RX-7. Maybe RX-9? Umeshita won't confirm. He says the name is not a successor to an existing model. 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Technically, the next-generation rotary engine will be ready soon, but not this calendar year, and it will pass U.S. regulations, he says. Initial talk was that it could go into production as early as 2026 but timing is also dependent on a viable business case. Mazda will introduce its first homegrown pure EV in 2027, using a new platform that is flexible enough to accommodate all powertrains, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, extended-range hybrids, and battery electric vehicles. Mazda has a partnership with Panasonic for cylindrical battery cells, but the platform is flexible enough to use any type and size of battery, including solid state, in the future, Umeshita says. Mazda's EV strategy is to be an 'intentional follower.' What About the Fifth-Generation Mazda MX-5 Miata? Meanwhile, work continues on a fifth-generation Miata, but it is still a few years out. Designer Nakayama says the size and likeness won't change, but he wants to update everything else to keep its status as an iconic, affordable and lightweight sports car that appeals to all ages and income levels. Its core values won't change, but it will adopt aspects of the Iconic SP concept which is Mazda's design language of the future. The MX-5 must continue to have a gas engine to keep it lightweight and affordable. Mazda is working on the Skyactive Z—"Z" is for ultimate—gas engine, due in 2027 that will meet regulations while maintaining current power output. That is the breakthrough, the engineer says. And the Miata will still be offered with a manual transmission because the MX-5 is the 'ultimate example of Jinba Ittai' which refers to the oneness of the car and driver, Umeshita says. To be ultimate the car must be light, with a naturally aspirated engine and manual transmission. Restoring First-Generation Mazda MX-5s Because of its iconic nature, Mazda created a classic car restoration area at its Hiroshima headquarters in 2017 to restore MX-5s. Japan does not have a rich culture of taking care of older vehicles but Mazda hopes restoring Miatas will help this culture take root. Initially the automaker is only restoring first-generation MX-5s with the 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine and manual transmission. Mazda buys used engines and rebuilds them. About 16 restorations have been completed so far. The company is studying whether to start restoring third-generation RX-7s. Factored into the decision is whether they can get parts.

CNN

36 minutes ago

• CNN

Real Madrid manager backs Antonio Rüdiger's claims of being racially abused during Club World Cup match

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said he believes Antonio Rüdiger's claims that his defender was subjected to racist abuse during the game against Pachuca in the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday, adding that a FIFA investigation is underway. Rüdiger and Pachuca's Gustavo Cabral clashed near the end of the match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Los Blancos leading 3-1. The two players came close to one another before Rüdiger spoke directly to referee Ramon Abatti and pointed towards Cabral. After separating the players, Abatti was seen crossing his arms in what is part of FIFA's protocol against racist abuse. According to the FIFA website, the gesture is made when the referee 'observes or receives a report of abuse' and is part of its three-step process to combat racist abuse. The game finished moments later, with Real recording its first win at the Alonso said that Rüdiger had told him that Cabral had racially abused him. 'We support Toni and we'll see what happens. The FIFA protocol has been activated and we support him,' Alonso said. 'It's unacceptable and we believe what he said. They're investigating it now.' Following the game, Cabral denied making a racist remark to Rüdiger. 'It was a scrap, we collided, he gets a kick, he said that I hit him with my hand and then there was an argument and the referee made the sign of racism,' the 39-year-old told reporters. 'There wasn't anything there. 'It was only a word we say all the time in Argentina. We say 'c***n de m****a' (a profanity used to call someone a coward) all the time. I told him the same thing and it ended there. It ended a bit hot because as we were going to the dressing room, he was trying to challenge me to a fight and, well, in that moment you've got your pulse racing at a 1,000 (miles an hour) and we were both going towards the corner where the dressing room is and we argued a bit there, nothing more.' CNN Sports has contacted FIFA for comment. Pachuca head coach Jaime Lozano told reporters afterwards that he didn't know much about the incident. 'We didn't speak about that in the changing room. Yes, we spoke, but exclusively about the match. I haven't spoken to Cabral about this,' Lozano said. 'I cannot give you an explanation about it because this is the first (I have heard of) this news. Not justifying it at all, but I will speak with him and knowing him for a while, this has never happened with him or with any of these Pachuca players.' Rüdiger has been subjected to racist abuse in his career before, including for Real in 2023 and when he played for Chelsea in 2019. Writing in The Players' Tribune in 2021, Rüdiger wrote that 'nothing ever really changes' with racism in soccer despite anti-discrimination campaigns. 'There is an investigation, but nothing really happens. Every once in a while, we have a big social media campaign, and everybody feels good about themselves, and then we go back to normal,' the Germany international wrote. 'Tell me, why did the press and the fans and the players all come together to stop the Super League in 48 hours, but when there is obvious racist abuse at a football stadium or online, it is always 'complicated'? 'Maybe because it is not just a few idiots in the stands. Maybe because it goes a lot deeper.' CNN's Patrick Sung and Matias Grez contributed to this report.