|
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri admits he may struggle to keep hold of French midfielder NGolo Kante this summer. Kante, who has played 33 times for the league leaders this season, has impressed since signing from French club Caen in 2015.The 25 year-old was rewarded with a call-up to the France national side for the friendlies against the Netherlands and Russia and a number of top clubs - including Arsenal, Chelsea and Juventus - are said to be monitoring his situation. And Kante has refused to rule out a move away from the King Power Stadium this summer, saying: I will fight for Leicester this season and next season we never know and we will see.At this moment I am focused on Leicester. We have to finish well this season but I dont mind about the other clubs. Kante was called up to the France squad for the first time recently Ranieri admits he could end up losing his combative midfielder, even if Leicester win the Premier League this year.I think he should rest [stay] here, hes working very well, he said. But if big teams arrive that will give us a lot of money, maybe we can think about it if hes not happy here and wants to go. I dont want sad people here - I want my players to be happy. Ranieri says he only wants happy players in his squad No, no, hes always smiling, Ranieri added, when asked if Kante was unhappy at the club. There is a chance he could leave but our focus is on the pitch for the last seven matches. After that is another season.Leicester are five points clear at the top of the Premier League and face Southampton at home on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD. Leicester City manager, Claudio Ranieri, got an unusual present at his latest news conference . The Senators return from a lengthy layoff caused by Wednesdays attack on Parliament Hill to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. . Strasburg (1-1) got 14 consecutive outs in one stretch and allowed only three hits, including Marcell Ozunas homer in the seventh. The right-handers lone walk was to the last batter he faced. Washingtons starter Wednesday, Jordan Zimmermann, left after a career-low 1 2-3 innings, leaving the bullpen "taxed," as manager Matt Williams put it. . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. . Still, Encarnacion felt a sense of relief. He felt a pop just before crumpling to the ground after running out a groundball in the first inning of Saturdays game. It could have been worse. “Its going to take maybe two weeks,” said Encarnacion. “It depends how Im going to be and how Im going to be day after day, feeling better or not. . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1.Following Wild Card weekend in the NFL, TSN Football Analyst Chris Schultz shares his thoughts on the four games and four teams moving on. Arizona vs. Carolina What is wrong with Cam Newton? Carolina beat Arizona with a convincing 27-16 win, but they did not look good doing it. Based on the fact their opponent broke an NFL record for fewest total yards in a playoff game with only 77, the final score should have been 46-16. Now, I may just be over reacting here, but Can Newton looked incredibly average at quarterback for Carolina. It just seemed to me he could not get any accuracy on his throws and that inaccuracy progressed as the game moved on. I have to wonder if the car accident he was involved causing back fractures is more of an issue than the Panthers want us (the public) or anyone to know. Tony Romos back issues and Newtons are similar. Romo played through his, but I wonder if Carolinas top player should have waited to return, although that likely would eliminated the team for playoff contention. In the fourth quarter of Saturdays win, Newton took a tough shot as he completed a scramble run and then fell awkwardly after a quarterback sack His honest reaction after both those hits, indicated to me he is not 100 per cent, not even close . If Carolina can go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks, it will be one of the all-time major upsets in NFL history. I realize that history says this game will be close but all 53 Seahawk players will have fresh legs and excess energy. On paper, the two make a great combination to have in a playoff game. Carolina has won five in a row - an exceptional accomplishment for any team - but those five came against New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Atlanta and an Arizona team with a third string quarterback. Cam Newtons throwing motion was very suspect last Saturday night and as crazy as this may sound, Carolina should consider starting Derek Anderson against Seattle. Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh Would Pittsburgh have beaten Baltimore if they had LeVeon Bell 100 per cent healthy? I am going to say yes. Now, for Raven fans, I mean no disrespect intended, but the absence of Bell took away the threat of Pittsburghs dominant run game. Baltimore did a remarkable job, especially considering the injuries in the secondary and the youth across the offensive line. The most amazing fact of the game, in my opinion, was that Baltimore had 18 players on injured reserve and Pittsburgh had 3. This 30-17 win should be credited to Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, as many of the backups played like starters in this game and did so near the end of the season as well. That is an intense credit to quality depth on the 53-man roster and the people that make those decisions on depth. That would of course be the personal department led by Newsome. Baltimore won and played a very physical game, but the Steelers could not play their best game because their beest player was injured.dddddddddddd So much of football success is attrition and heath, Baltimore took advantage. Detroit vs. Dallas Was is pass interference, and how about Ndamukong Suh? I personally thought the referee misinterpreted the call. Yes, it was pass interference. Anthony Hitchens restricted the movement of Brandon Pettigrews right arm. The very disturbing moment came when they changed the call, especially because of all the video available. I thought they went from the right call to the wrong call. Detroit played well, Dallas played well in the second half and I do think the Cowboys earned the win. Yet, you have to wonder what if Matthew Stafford had three more plays. I also wonder how Dez Bryant wasnt flagged for coming on the field without his helmet on to complain. I am a Cowboys fan and I am also a Lions fan, but I thought Dallas dodged a couple of game -changing bullets on Sunday. I am also Ndamukong Suh fan, not because of his on field lack of temper limitations, but because of his post-game press conference, when he showed how committed to winning he is and how much he cares. Football is not a nice game and it is not filled with nice people, But Suh wanted success not just for himself but also his team . Cincinnati vs. Indianapolis Who is the best quarterback in football , Andrew Luck? No, Aaron Rodgers is. But Luck makes a great case for No. 2 as he has less to work with around him and has to do more . The Colts had no balance in the win against the Bengals. By the end of the third quarter, Andrew Luck and Pep Hamilton had called 41 passes to nine runs. And although many passes were check downs to running backs, they were still passes and are tougher to execute than turning to hand the ball off. TY Hilton also dropped three passes from Luck, who threw catchable balls. When you think of quarterback-dependent teams, you think the Broncos with Manning and the Patriots with Brady. But no team depends on their quarterback more than the Colts. It will be tough for the Colts to win in Denver but it is possible, especially if the game is close in the fourth quarter. Extra Point It would be insane for the NFL to expand to 18 games in the future. In each and every game you see too many good starters on the sidelines with injury. The Bengals were without their top two receivers and top two tight ends. The Steelers were without their MVP and two quarterbacks played with injured backs on the weekend. Detroit started two rookies at left tackle and left guard because they simply ran out of left tackles and left guards during the season. The NFL should not add games, but rather subtract. Change from 16, go back to 14 and play only two exhibition games. Now that players are often not in pads during practice, the level of hitting dropped. Im not sure what the exact result, but I can say I have seen people just wear out, and most of them are not even 30 years old. ' ' '
|
