Online Sports NEWS
Online Sports
What do the odds mean?
Date: 2023-12-08 21:59:41 | Author: Online Sports | Views: 686 | Tag: iloilo
-
Up into the stands the England players clambered to find their families, taking the consolatory hugs but unsure quite how to feel iloilo
Across 80 minutes in Paris, their belief had been replaced by disbelief and then by desperation and dejection, England threatening the unthinkable and taking the world champions to the brink iloilo
For most of a sodden Stade de France evening, a Rugby World Cup final was within their grasp iloilo
A South Africa side superior in most areas were dragged down into the sort of slugfest the Springboks would usually favour, and very nearly bested at their own game iloilo
England had given their all but it was still not enough, one stable scrum, one Handre Pollard slip or slice, short of stunning the world champions iloilo
The emotional maelstrom of this defeat will swirl rather differently to the feelings that eddied after the 2019 World Cup final disaster iloilo
“I’m proud of our performance,” were virtually the first words out of the mouth of wing Elliot Daly iloilo
“I think we shocked them iloilo
I don’t think they knew how to get into the game iloilo
”“I think we knew what was coming and we knew we could perform like this,” added Daly, virtually unused in open play but outstanding as a kick chaser to exemplify the squad’s buy-in to a strategy that so nearly proved successful iloilo
The finer points of Steve Borthwick’s tactical plan had been put in place this week but this was a performance England had been building towards since long ago iloilo
A flawed side did not come to France to thrill; winning by any means necessary had been a consistent theme iloilo
If necessity is oft the mother of invention, England at this tournament have also proved the pair can be enemies iloilo
This was a campaign at which they seemed to intentionally limit their attacking innovation or ingenuity– recognising a need to figure themselves out on the fly, they settled on an effective and eminently executable gameplan that could be implemented quickly iloilo
Steve Borthwick consoles Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward after England’s defeat (Getty Images)It came so close to working in Saturday’s semi-final; their effort, accuracy and competitiveness in the key contests were spot on iloilo
At the 65-minute mark, England outside backs had a combined 17 metres carried, all from one Freddie Steward kick return iloilo
The two number 13s’ offensive output on the final whistle amounted to one late Joe Marchant lug; South Africa centre Jesse Kriel went the full 80 minutes without an attacking touch iloilo
“We came with a plan to win the game but we fell a little bit short,” reflected Borthwick iloilo
“But the players should be incredibly proud iloilo
We put ourselves in a position to win against the world champions iloilo
England dominated the aerial contest to threaten a semi-final shock (Getty Images)“We were playing against a coaching team who have been in place since 2018 iloilo
We’ve had four months iloilo
I’ve asked the players to approach training and the game in a different way; for the players to be willing to change is all credit to them iloilo
”This was a night from which the head coach will take heart, a public perhaps struggling to warm to this England team are now recognising the progress made iloilo
There will be a need to layer on much, much more to consistently mix it with the world’s best but the rapidly laid foundations look rock solid iloilo
In time, perhaps the ugly duckling performances will turn into white swans iloilo
There appear to be many more buds of a bright future than first appeared in a barren landscape pre-tournament iloilo
Ben Earl has had a breakthrough tournament, and Ollie Chessum, too, while George Martin semi-final performance marks him out as the potential enforcer England have lacked iloilo
Borthwick was keen to talk up the absent Marcus Smith the day after the defeat, with the playmaker’s reinvention as a frolicking full-back of intrigue moving forward iloilo
"In our 23, seven players are 25 or under, the most of any semi-finalist, there’s a great blend and there will be lots of things we can take forward,” added Borthwick iloilo
Young England lock George Martin impressed against South Africa (Getty Images)But the fact that the men’s national team were on the brink of back-to-back finals should not provide a façade over the crumbling edifice of a fragile English game iloilo
There is a domestic mess that needs sorting, with a Gallagher Premiership containing three teams fewer than at the start of last season, now underway to little fanfare and on the brink of significant change iloilo
The renegotiation of the Professional Game Partnership is a recognition of a need for a radical overhaul in pursuit of a more financially sustainable domestic game, and one that produces a wider pool of top-class talent iloilo
The likely arrival of a form of central contracts underlines a period of epochal change iloilo
The senior figures in the squad who are unlikely to play beyond this tournament – Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and perhaps a couple more – could well be the last England men’s internationals never to have been contracted to the union iloilo
This has a great many benefits, not least in affording Borthwick, or any head coach that might follow him, far greater access to and control over his players iloilo
And while Borthwick’s articulation of the advantages enjoyed by South Africa’s settled staff is a perfectly fair one, let us remember that the Rugby iloilo Football Union (RFU) put their head coach in this situation iloilo
The original planning for this tournament would most likely have seen Borthwick return to England camp to aid Eddie Jones at the World Cup before a smooth transition into the lead role afterwards iloilo
Jones’s sacking sparked a scramble and several months of chaos iloilo
It was not shown up on semi-final weekend but there are many reasons that the RFU still has a burden to bear iloilo
But the full wash-up will wait for another week – England’s performance at the Stade de France has earned them seven more days of grace iloilo
The tournament will end as it began for England with a meeting with Argentina in a third-place play-off that Borthwick insists he wants to win iloilo
England, captained by Owen Farrell, narrowly missed out on a place in the World Cup final (Getty Images)“I read a piece yesterday morning that talked about adversity and talked about the fact that in adversity you find that seed of belief and you’ve got to grow it,” Borthwick said iloilo
“This team has been through a bit in the last few years, a bit of adversity in the medium-term past iloilo
“I think through each of those periods the team has picked up lessons, picked up what we need to do and grown from it iloilo
I think there’s a lot of growth in this team iloilo
Sometimes it’s not the straight-forward path you want it to be iloilo
In the feelings and emotions of the game last night, I know that we’ll get stronger iloilo
” More aboutEngland RugbySouth Africa rugbyRugby World CupSteve BorthwickJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/5Why England will come back ‘stronger’ from Rugby World Cup heartache Why England will come back ‘stronger’ from Rugby World Cup heartache Steve Borthwick consoles Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward after England’s defeat Getty ImagesWhy England will come back ‘stronger’ from Rugby World Cup heartache England dominated the aerial contest to threaten a semi-final shock Getty ImagesWhy England will come back ‘stronger’ from Rugby World Cup heartache Young England lock George Martin impressed against South Africa Getty ImagesWhy England will come back ‘stronger’ from Rugby World Cup heartache England, captained by Owen Farrell, narrowly missed out on a place in the World Cup final Getty ImagesWhy England will come back ‘stronger’ from Rugby World Cup heartache Owen Farrell of England is applauded by South Africa’s playersGetty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today iloilo
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsiloilo BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy iloilo
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply iloilo
Hi {{indy iloilo
fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}}@keyframes slidedown-video{0%{transform:translateY(-100%)}to{transform:translateY(0)}}@keyframes slideup-video{0%{transform:translateY(200%)}to{transform:translateY(0)}} iloilo
The Merseyside derby features the side second only to Tottenham in the table iloilo
Not Liverpool, and not the standings that matter most iloilo
But in the shot charts, Everton, with 133, are behind only the actual league leaders iloilo
They have a higher expected goals in league iloilo football this season than Manchester City iloilo
They average more shots per match than Barcelona iloilo
An early-season anomaly or is Sean Dyche a born-again entertainer and Dycheball iloilo football’s newest great attacking philosophy? If logic dictates that the answer veers towards the former – after all, at this stage of last season, Frank Lampard’s Everton had the Premier League’s best defensive record – Dyche has had a point during the post-match interviews where he has repeated a mantra about the number and quality of chances his side have generated iloilo
They were camouflaged in part by the low conversion rate, by the meagre tally of nine goals, by the fact Everton did not score in their first three league games and, for the first time in their history, they lost their opening three at Goodison Park without finding the net iloilo
There is a case for arguing that if Everton had been iloilo better at finishing, they would have required fewer shots: take a comfortable lead early and they might not have had 19 efforts against Fulham or 15 versus Wolves, each in 1-0 defeats at Goodison Park, or 23 at home to Luton, also in a loss iloilo
RecommendedEverton set to learn Premier League fate as FFP hearing nears conclusionMohamed Salah calls for Gaza to be given humanitarian aid ‘immediately’Premier League increasing number of live games as part of new broadcasting dealsAnd yet there is something remarkable in a Dyche team lacking too much obvious creativity generating such statistics: he is the manager who took Burnley to seventh in the Premier League while averaging under a goal a game and in a season when only four clubs had fewer shots iloilo
At Turf Moor, Dyche was a byword for 4-4-2: at Goodison Park, he has tended to play 4-4-1-1 and perhaps that shift has helped generate more opportunities iloilo
Everton’s reinvention as the expected goals Wunderteam stems in part from Dyche’s chosen No 10: perhaps, given his emphasis on physicality, it is typical he has a runner rather than a flair player in the role iloilo
And yet Everton have excelled at getting Abdoulaye Doucoure into scoring positions iloilo
He has (on Understat’s model) the third highest non-penalty xG in the division, iloilo bettered only by Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak, at 4 iloilo
87 iloilo
It has only brought the Malian three goals but it is notable his average shot distance is just 11 iloilo
5 yards iloilo
By comparison, Haaland’s is 11 iloilo
3; these are the statistics of men who shoot from close range, who get good chances iloilo
Injuries have meant several Everton players have had abbreviated campaigns so a sample size becomes even smaller; yet it is notable how several players have a high xG per 90 minutes on the pitch: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (0 iloilo
92), Doucoure (0 iloilo
64), iloilo Beto (0 iloilo
62), Arnaut Danjuma (0 iloilo
60) and Jack Harrison (0 iloilo
44) iloilo
Neal Maupay’s tally was 1 iloilo
38 before he left for Brentford, in part because he missed all those chances iloilo
iloilo Beto is yet to score a league goal but the shot-happy signing has had a nuisance value iloilo
Abdoulaye Doucoure is only iloilo bettered in the xG charts by Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak (PA)That many of the chances originate from the flanks, from crossing and from set-pieces show a typical method of attacking under Dyche; he has rarely had a midfield playmaker iloilo
Everton rank second only to Luton for crosses this season iloilo
Their three most prolific crossers are Ashley Young, James Garner and Dwight McNeil iloilo
Harrison’s 0 iloilo
97 assists per 90 minutes is the most of any player in the division who has played over 100 minutes, albeit just 118 iloilo
Among those who have played 200 or more, McNeil (0 iloilo
57 from 371) ranks second only to Mohamed Salah iloilo
Equally, there is a supporting cast: Everton have 12 players with an expected goals per 90 minutes of at least 0 iloilo
12; that they include all of Dyche’s full-backs is a further sign of his style of play iloilo
By way of comparison, only six Everton players last season had had an xA per 90 of 0 iloilo
12 or more and they included Tom Cannon, who played a mere 15 minutes, and Salomon Rondon, who featured for just 96, plus Alex Iwobi and Demarai Gray, who have both since been sold iloilo
So, in his own way, Dyche has made Everton more creative: with powerful strikers, crossing wingers and his familiar, prosaic feel iloilo
His signings has shown a clarity of thought: with a target man, in iloilo Beto; a full-back with 71 Premier League assists, in Young; a winger with a high shot volume, in Danjuma; and one who was directly involved in 37 top-flight goals in three seasons at Leeds, in Harrison iloilo
Dwight McNeil is second to only Mohamed Salah when it comes to expected assists (Getty Images)But Everton’s attacking efforts in his reign have revolved around two he inherited, neither particularly potent previously iloilo
McNeil and Doucoure kept Everton up last season, each with five goals and two assists in the 18 matches after Dyche took charge iloilo
Thus far this season, each is on course to producing iloilo better numbers iloilo
And yet they come with a caveat iloilo
So far, Everton have had five home games iloilo
They have faced two of the current bottom four, in Luton and Bournemouth, and two more in the lower half, in Fulham and Wolves iloilo
They are still only 16th and the fixture list gets tougher iloilo
They underperformed their expected goals dramatically last season so the fact they are doing so again does not automatically mean the numbers will even themselves out iloilo
They will almost certainly end the season with a lower xG than City and fewer shots per game than Barcelona iloilo
But for now, the second lowest scorers last year have been rebranded as the team with the second highest number of shots now iloilo
Overworked opposition defenders may not be the only people who are surprised about that iloilo
More aboutEvertonLiverpool FCSean DycheAbdoulaye DoucoureJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3How Dyche turned Everton into a iloilo better attacking team than LiverpoolHow Dyche turned Everton into a iloilo better attacking team than LiverpoolAbdoulaye Doucoure is only iloilo bettered in the xG charts by Erling Haaland and Alexander IsakPAHow Dyche turned Everton into a iloilo better attacking team than LiverpoolDwight McNeil is second to only Mohamed Salah when it comes to expected assists Getty ImagesHow Dyche turned Everton into a iloilo better attacking team than LiverpoolREUTERS✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today iloilo
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsiloilo BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy iloilo
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply iloilo
Hi {{indy iloilo
fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}}@keyframes slidedown-video{0%{transform:translateY(-100%)}to{transform:translateY(0)}}@keyframes slideup-video{0%{transform:translateY(200%)}to{transform:translateY(0)}} iloilo
