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Manchester City and a refused pass that laid bare their myriad problems

Published

1 year ago

December 27, 2024

Manchester City and a refused pass that laid bare their myriad problems

Manchester City attempted 683 passes in their 1-1 draw with Everton, but it was one that Nathan Ake refused that revealed the tensions that are gnawing at them.

It came just as another flurry from Pep Guardiola’s side was beginning to settle down. A familiar sense of exasperation was already brewing in the stands — fans reflecting on Iliman Ndiaye’s sensational equaliser, that came from Everton’s first touch in the City box — but after a strong start to the second half, including a rare Erling Haaland penalty miss, adrenaline and indignation was beginning to take hold.

There was a roar as City regained possession deep in their own half, fans urging the team on as Ake ambled forward while Josko Gvardiol careered down the left flank. But as the Dutchman turned back to find Bernardo Silva in midfield, to a collective groan from home fans, Guardiola burst to the edge of his technical area and appealed for calm.

Everton scrambled back into their shape — Guardiola still pleading with his supporters — as a slower attacking move through the middle eventually fizzled out down the opposite side

It could have become the kind of sweeping move that City have struggled to contain throughout their growing winless run — no team have conceded more than their 5.3 expected goals (xG) from fast breaks in the Premier League this season — but it only underlined their aversion to exploiting such situations themselves.

Gvardiol had rushed past Jack Harrison, and clearly had the forward momentum to skip by 36-year-old Seamus Coleman at full-back, but on this occasion, Guardiola’s insistence on controlled build-up prevailed over common sense. City had sufficient numbers back to deal with any loss of possession and a counter-attack the opposite way, and given their current issues controlling such situations even when they are in their desired defensive shape, surely they should have just taken the chance.

It was, of course, just one individual decision in a game of millions. But as City once again looked more threatening when they picked up the pace and were more aggressive in their movement, it poses the question as to whether Guardiola’s side should embrace the disorganisation of a direct forward run that little bit more.

Despite long periods of safe attacking play, City were not completely risk-averse in their approach. Particularly in the opening 15 minutes, they seemed desperate to score the first goal, aware that their opponents had ground out consecutive clean sheets against Arsenal and Chelsea, and were capable of turning this into a 90-minute slog.

City usually bring one of their full-backs into midfield to help with their build-up, but it was noticeable how they pushed both Rico Lewis and Gvardiol high and wide as they came flying out of the blocks, looking to overload Everton’s back four and stretch them across the pitch.

As we can see from the grab below, with Lewis cut from the shot in the bottom right, the approach was practically a 3-0-7 as City piled on the pressure in the early stages.

After Silva nicked the opening goal, however, Lewis was quickly restored to his more central role to offer more control in the build-up and make City more compact should they lose the ball.

Here he is three minutes after the goal, close to Mateo Kovacic in midfield.

It was a conscious decision by Guardiola to take the sting out of the game and revert to a more settled shape, and he may have been vindicated had Ndiaye not produced a moment of brilliance on the break. But with City so susceptible to sucker punches right now, it felt a missed opportunity to see them take their foot off the gas so soon.

One of the side effects of Lewis dropping back into midfield is that his winger — Savinho yesterday — loses support out on the flank. The Brazilian took 15 touches in the quarter of an hour leading up to City’s goal, but only 16 throughout the rest of the half.

Data from SkillCorner helps to paint the picture further: City are the team in Europe’s big five leagues who make fewest overlapping runs per 30 minutes in possession. They have also attempted the fewest passes to find a runner in-behind relative to their possession, taking up around 46 per cent of their opportunities to find those runs when they are made. Unsurprisingly, that’s the lowest such proportion in the Premier League this season.

There are several factors that influence those numbers — the fact that City tend to face teams who sit deep and deny them space in behind being one — but the lack of movement from forward players while the team inches forward has become increasingly apparent in recent weeks. It makes things predictable, as it did for Aston Villa, and only increases the difficulty of finding players in congested central areas, mostly static and with their back to goal.

There was an encouraging example of a positional rotation in their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the start of the month, as Jack Grealish dragged a defender into midfield to allow Gvardiol to steam through for a shot on goal, but City seem reluctant to make such disruptive strides forward as often as they could.

A gloomy way of looking at things is that dropped points don’t matter so much now that City are so far away from the summit. The damage — from a title-chasing perspective, if not perhaps Champions League qualification — has already been done.

But starting a run of three winnable games with another setback feels like a missed opportunity for the team to rebuild confidence in front of goal. Had City been more ruthless in their approach, and gone for the kind of passes that Ake turned down, their firepower might have overridden some of the bad luck.

(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

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Sports

Keith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death

Published

5 hours ago

March 4, 2026

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Keith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death

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Former ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann once again incited backlash on social media Wednesday after he called late legendary college football coach Lou Holtz a “legendary scumbag” in an X post on the day Holtz was announced dead.

“Legendary scumbag, yes,” Olbermann wrote in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights.

Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his post on X.

“You’re a scumbag that needs mental help,” one X user wrote to Olbermann.

One user echoed that sentiment, writing to Olbermann, “You’re the real scumbag here. Lou Holtz had more class, integrity, and genuine decency in his pinky finger than you’ll ever show in your lifetime.”

Another user wrote, “You’re a grumpy, lonely, Godless man. All the things Lou Holtz was not.”

Keith Olbermann speaks onstage during the Olbermann panel at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel July 24, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Olbermann has made it a pattern of sharing politically charged far-left statements that are often combative and ridiculed on social media, typically resulting in immense backlash.

After the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win, Olbermann heavily criticized the team for accepting an invitation from President Trump to the State of the Union address. Olbermann wrote on X that any members of the men’s team who attended the event were “declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny,” while praising the women’s team for declining the invitation.

In January, Olbermann attacked former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler for celebrating a women’s rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for two cases focused on the legality of biological male trans athletes in women’s sports.

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It’s still about you trying to find an excuse for a lifetime wasted trying to succeed in sports without talent,” Olbermann wrote in response to Wheeler’s post.

In 2025, Olbermann faced significant backlash after posting (and later deleting) a message on X aimed at CNN contributor Scott Jennings, that said, “You’re next motherf—–,” shortly after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Holtz was a stern supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”

Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.

After Holtz’s death was announced Wednesday, several top GOP figures paid tribute to the coach on social media.

Those GOP lawmakers included senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; representatives Greg Murphy, R-N.C.; David Rouzer, R-N.C.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; and Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon; and Rudy Giuliani.

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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

At the time of publication, prominent Democrat leaders have appeared silent on Holtz’s passing, including prominent Democrats with a football background.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was a recruiting target for Holtz in 1986 as a college prospect; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL; and Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., who played football for the University of Illinois, have not posted acknowledging Holtz’s death.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.

Sports

Stephen A. Smith called Zion Williamson a ‘food addict,’ is now feuding with the Pelicans on social

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Stephen A. Smith called Zion Williamson a ‘food addict,’ is now feuding with the Pelicans on social

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Williamson has been listed as 6-foot-6, 284 pounds since New Orleans selected him out of Duke with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. His weight and fitness level have been regularly criticized, and the amount of time Williamson has missed because of injuries hasn’t helped (including all of the 2021-22 season following offseason right foot surgery).

After playing only 30 games last season because of a left hamstring strain and a lower back injury, Williamson reported for 2025-26 looking trim and in shape. He told reporters that he and Pelicans trainer Daniel Bove had come up with a strategy to address his fitness while rehabbing his hamstring and that he stuck to it.

“I haven’t felt like this since college, high school,” Williamson said at the time, “where I can walk in the gym and I’m like just, ‘I feel good.’”

Williamson has played in 46 of the Pelicans’ 63 games this season, already the third-most games he has played in his seven NBA seasons. In a recent interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Williamson addressed how the past criticism affected him mentally.

“I would say the most difficult point was when I missed my third year with a broken foot, and there was a lot of criticism on my weight, my care for the game, etc.,” Williamson said. “But … while people were saying what they’re saying — and everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, it is what it is — I’m in Portland rehabbing, not knowing if my foot’s gonna heal, and it was frustrating. It was very frustrating.

“I was low. I was really low because I just wanted to play basketball. I just wanted to play the game I love, but every time you turn the TV on, every time I check my phone, it was nothing but negative criticism, man. At the time, it did a lot, like I said, it did a lot, but it was a blessing in disguise, and I learned from it and I grew from it.”

Sports

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum questions Trump’s college sports reform meeting as potential ‘circus’

Published

18 hours ago

March 4, 2026

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ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum questions Trump’s college sports reform meeting as potential ‘circus’

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President Donald Trump will host a White House roundtable regarding college athletics reform later this week.

The panel is expected to include prominent coaches, college sports and pro sports league commissioners, and other professional athletes, according to OutKick.

The group will meet March 6 to examine solutions to key challenges, including NCAA authority; name, image and likeness issues (NIL); collective bargaining; and governance concerns.

President Donald Trump holds a football presented to him during a ceremony to present the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the US Naval Academy football team, the Navy Midshipmen, in the East Room of the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The meeting Friday will include big names like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Adam Silver and Tiger Woods. Trump has been adamant about “saving college sports,” even signing an executive order setting new restrictions on payments to college athletes back in July.

However, ESPN college analyst Paul Finebaum, who has previously hinted at a congressional run as a Republican, remains a bit skeptical.

“The easiest thing, guys, is just to say this is ridiculous,” Finebaum said to Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on WJOX. “And I read the other day, ‘Why is Nick Saban going?’ Why is anybody going? The bottom line is this. If something doesn’t happen very quickly, and I mean in the next short period of time, we’re talking about weeks, not years, then this thing could blow up.

“However it came about, I’m in favor of. The question now becomes, with some of the most powerful people in Washington in the same room, including the most powerful person in the country, can anything get done, or will it be a circus? Will it be just another show?”

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban as Trump takes the stage to address graduating students at Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump’s order prohibits athletes from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources. However, the order did not impose any restrictions on NIL payments to college athletes by third-party sources.

A House vote on the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements), which would regulate name, image, and likeness deals, was canceled shortly before it was set to be brought to the floor in December.

The White House endorsed the act, but three Republicans, Byron Donalds, Fla., Scott Perry, Pa., and Chip Roy, Texas, voted with Democrats not to bring the act to the floor. Democrats have largely opposed the bill, urging members of the House to vote “no.”

President Donald Trump looks on before the college football game between the US Army and Navy at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on Dec. 13, 2025. (Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.

Fox News’ Chantz Martin and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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