All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi declined his $20 million option with the Texas Rangers on Monday and will become a free agent.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told MLB.com the team still has a lot of interest in making a new deal with the two-time World Series winner.

Eovaldi, 34, had a vesting option in his contract for the 2025 season that depended on whether he threw a combined 300 innings in his first two seasons with Texas in 2023 and 2024.

Eovaldi threw a total of 314 innings over that span, compiling a 24-13 record with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts. In 2023, he made his second All-Star team (2021 with Boston) and won his second World Series (2018 with Boston).

Eovaldi is 91-81 with a 4.07 ERA in 294 games (275 starts) over 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2011-12), Miami Marlins (2012-14), New York Yankees (2015-16), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Red Sox (2018-22) and Rangers.

LESS THAN A year ago, the New York Yankees acquired Juan Soto, with outfielder Trent Grisham, from the San Diego Padres for five players headlined by right-hander Michael King. It was a hefty haul for one guaranteed season that became a bargain.

Soto belted a career-high 41 home runs while dealing with nagging hand and forearm injuries. He finished second in the majors behind teammate Aaron Judge in on-base percentage. He ranked third in OPS, third in wRC+, fourth in slugging percentage and fourth in fWAR. He and Judge were baseball's most productive duo since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the Yankees won 94 games, the American League East title and the AL pennant for the first time in 15 years. It was a platform year players dream about.

Along the way, Soto voiced his desire to become part of the team's history while becoming a treasured figure in the Bronx. He embraced the roll calls in right field with air hugs. He punctuated his production with theatrics. He shuffled in the batter's box. He stared pitchers down. He shook his head and nodded and smiled. His flamboyant relentlessness made every at-bat must-watch television. He did not yield a pitch, never mind a plate appearance. His inaugural year as a Yankee was unforgettable.

Now, though, it all might be over. The Yankees' exclusive five-day window to negotiate and sign Soto ends Monday. Up next is a bidding war that could ascend well beyond $500 million. Surpassing Shohei Ohtani's heavily deferred $700 million deal in present-day value is possible.

Soto has repeatedly said he loved his time in New York. After the Yankees clinched the pennant in Cleveland, Soto's father, also named Juan José Soto, raved in Spanish about his son's experience as a Yankee.

"Spectacular. Spectacular," Soto said during the Yankees' on-field celebration. "The Yankees are the home of baseball. It's the brand of baseball. And there isn't anything like playing for the Yankees."

Now, the younger Soto must decide whether he is going to play for them again.

FIVE NIGHTS AGO, Juan Soto, the son, sat atop the bench in the home team's dugout at Yankee Stadium, dejected, watching the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series title as his teammates and coaches gathered their belongings. He was still wearing his batting helmet. His bat was still in his hands.

After staring at the mosh pit in the middle of the diamond, he stood up, walked to one end, climbed a step toward the field, bowed his head, said a prayer, glanced to the heavens and touched his chest, then vanished into the clubhouse.

The Yankees' season, an 8-month odyssey, was over. Soto's career in pinstripes might have ended with it.

An hour later, Soto, who became a free agent the next day, was bombarded with questions about his future. The 26-year-old right fielder did not indicate a preference to stay in the Bronx.

Did you think about that possibly being your last game as a Yankee? (You never know.) Do you want to return if the money is right? (I'm going to weigh my options.) Do the Yankees have an advantage in re-signing you because this year went so well? (Every team will have the same opportunity.) Does geography matter? (I don't think so.) Do you expect the Mets to come after you? (I don't know, but I'm open to all 30 teams.)

"Leaving any place that is a winning team is always hard, and definitely this place was really special," Soto said that night. "It's been a blast for me. I've been really happy. If I'm here or not, I've been really happy for the teammates that I have and the people that I get to know. This was a really special group, but at the end of the day, we will see what's going to happen."

The next morning, Scott Boras, Soto's agent, told ESPN his superstar client's priority is playing for a winner. That, according to Boras, means "a commitment by ownership to be competitive" and "a system that provides great players and great pitching."

"Juan loves winning and winning organizations and a winning owner," Boras said. "The geography part of it is that Juan and his loved ones are going to be comfortable. That's what's most important to him. And major league geography ... Juan's played on both: West Coast and East Coast. His main thing, the priority, is winning."

The Yankees face stiff competition for Soto's services. The New York Mets, boosted by billionaire owner Steve Cohen's deep pockets, want him. The Toronto Blue Jays, the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies figure to have interest. The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants seek a franchise linchpin. The Washington Nationals, the organization that signed and developed Soto out of the Dominican Republic, would welcome a reunion.

"This is going to stay in my heart for the rest of my life," Soto said after the World Series finale. "I don't know how it's going to be next year."

THE REASON THE Yankees chose to mortgage some of their future for just one guaranteed season of Soto was never more clear than on Oct. 19, in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, with the AL pennant on the line.

It wasn't just Soto's go-ahead, three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis, one of baseball's top relievers in 2024. It was the meticulous chess game to reach that swing. Soto fouled off four straight off-speed pitches, two sliders and two changeups before seeing a fastball and attacking. It was Soto at his finest.

"What impresses me the most is how young he is and how locked in he is every single day, ready to work," Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes said. "I can't imagine myself being 25 years old and doing what he does, and being so responsible and creating a lot of sacrifice. Because being 25 in New York, and the success he had, it's tough to keep it level-headed every single day."

This was Soto's way all through the year. He homered in his spring training debut in Tampa. He fired the game-saving throw on Opening Day in Houston. He smashed the homer that sent the Yankees to the World Series, where he batted .313 with a 1.084 OPS.

"The one thing Juan has shown us all year is that flair for the dramatic," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, "and knack for big situations."

Yankees hitting coach Pat Roessler, who worked with Soto in Washington, marveled at the slugger's work ethic. Soto, Roessler noted, has had the same routine since his days with the Nationals. He said Soto would work extra before or after games when he felt a tick off. He offered two reasons for Soto's otherworldly hitting skill: an unreal ability to recognize pitches early and a compact swing he can repeat with extreme accuracy.

"I've never had a guy that could repeat his swing like that," Roessler said.

That skill set made Soto a superstar by his 21st birthday and a World Series champion five days after that. It prompted the Nationals to offer him a 15-year, $440 million contract extension two years ago. When he declined, he was traded to San Diego. A year and a half later, Soto, a talent likened to Ted Williams, was traded again, to the Yankees -- his third team in less than three years. It was a trade Boras insisted would not have happened if Padres owner Peter Seidler hadn't died the previous month.

"Peter Seidler would have never traded Juan," Boras said. "Economically, we were certainly very like in-kind thinking about who Juan Soto was and what his value was."

The question now is whether Soto's résumé will expand to a fourth club in less than four years.

"Anybody would be lucky to have him," Cortes said. "I'm sure this organization is dying to have him back."

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe said he wanted Soto to return "as bad as you can probably want something."

Veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has never been a free agent, didn't have any advice for Soto, only a request with a smile: "Just stay with us."

All indications are that Soto is open to staying -- and just as open to leaving. He has waited for this moment for years, ready to be finished with bouncing back and forth from coast to coast -- ready for a permanent home. Now it is time to reap the benefits of his success and test the market.

His season in the Bronx might have been spectacular. There might not be anything like playing for the Yankees. That doesn't mean he will do it again.

Arne Slot has labelled Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso a "special manager" ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash against the German champions on Tuesday.

Alonso's Leverkusen side went unbeaten in the Bundesliga last season enroute to a first league title in their history. The club also lifted the DFB Pokal last season, with their only loss in all competitions coming against Atalanta in the Europa League final.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder was a frontrunner to succeed Jürgen Klopp at Anfield after the German's decision to step down at the end of last season before he decided to remain at Leverkusen until the end of the 2024-2025 campaign.

"It's difficult to say what makes him a special manager if you don't work with him on a daily basis but he is, that is clear," Slot told a news conference on Monday.

"Bottom of the league when he took over, didn't spend much, mainly the same players, and they only lost in the final of the Europa League. What makes him special is hard because I haven't faced him or worked with him but what might be the situation is he worked with incredible managers in the past and played at the highest levels. So he also knows and understands what players feel at certain moments.

"That all contributes to what a manager he is. The best way to find out what makes him special is to ask the players he has worked with."

Liverpool are top of the Premier League after ten games and go into Tuesday's clash as joint-leaders on the Champions League table with nine points. Their strong start to the season is even more impressive when considering the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the futures of three of their key performers - Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The trio are out of contract at the end of the season with extensions yet to be agreed. On Sunday, Salah put up a cryptic post on Instagram, saying that "No matter what happens. I will never forget what scoring at Anfield feels like."

However, Slot said he was unperturbed by the Egyptian's social media activity.

"I don't look at Instagram posts of the players, I talk to them. Mo is in a very good place at the moment. He always has been at Liverpool but at the moment as well," he said.

"I'm hoping he can post one after tomorrow and Saturday again. For me, it is important what he tells me. That's what matters, not how you guys interpret that post. "

Real Madrid are auctioning off the old home dressing room at the Bernabéu after the stadium's redevelopment, the auction house Sotheby's has announced.

The stadium works -- ongoing since 2020, with a total cost of just over 1 billion ($1.09bn) -- are now nearing completion, and have included an overhaul of the first-team dressing rooms previously used by stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.

London-based Sotheby's said on Monday that bidding for each of the 24 individual lockers, which include a player's name and photo, will start at 10,000 ($12,967).

The dressing rooms were in use from 2001 until 2022, and the lockers will be auctioned as they were during the 2021-2022 season, when Madrid won a LaLiga and Champions League double with a squad including Karim Benzema, Vinícius Júnior, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale.

The lockers will include a certificate of authenticity, and a list of which players used them over two decades.

Sotheby's said that during that period, a total of 544 home matches were played at the Bernabéu and 20 trophies were won, including six Champions Leagues and six LaLiga titles.

Some of the proceeds of the auction will go to the club's charitable partner, the Real Madrid Foundation.

A 10-foot wide mosaic of the Real Madrid badge, which previously stood at the entrance to the locker room, is also being auctioned, with bidding starting at 12,000 ($15,561).

The items are being exhibited in London from Nov. 20 until Nov. 26, while bidding will begin on Nov. 12, and run for two weeks.

What a weekend of European soccer! We have Liverpool top of the Premier League again as Arsenal lost at Newcastle and Manchester City were defeated at Bournemouth. We saw Barcelona turn on the style again and defeat their local rivals Espanyol to take a nine-point lead atop LaLiga. Also, Bayern Munich won a third straight match in the Bundesliga to build a three-point cushion between them and the chasing pack.

The full Musings for this week can now be found below, with more talking points around Barcelona, Man United 1-1 Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, a wild slate of Serie A matches, and much more.

It's Monday. Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of soccer.

What Ruben Amorim learned from Man United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea

On Friday, Ruben Amorim, Manchester United's manager-to-be, guided his Sporting side to a 5-1 thumping of Estrela Amadora. Saturday was probably a warm-down/day off and while Sunday was likely devoted to training and prep for the visit of Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, you imagine he squeezed in some time to watch his future team face Chelsea.

Given the cloud of negativity that has enveloped the club -- they have now played 16 games in all competitions and won just four, two of them in the League Cup, which doesn't really count -- there were positives for him to pick out.

A draw against a Chelsea side that has really cranked it up in recent weeks is a creditable result. Neither side looked particularly good, but after the visitors shaded the first half, United took the lead, stayed in the game after the equalizer and had chances to win at the end. (To be fair, so did Chelsea.) It's also significant, I think, that while Chelsea effectively had a week to prepare for the game -- just one of Chelsea's starting XI, Noni Madueke, featured in midweek and he played 33 minutes -- eight United starters were also in the lineup in the League Cup. And yet, despite Chelsea having a younger and, presumably, fitter, side, United weren't outhustled or outworked.

While interim boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy didn't use the 3-4-2-1 formation we expect Amorim will employ, there were clues and parallels. Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro were given more licence to roam from central midfield, much like Amorim's central midfielders at Sporting, and they did OK. Noussair Mazraoui, shifted out to the left, looked dangerous. There's no sense that the players are mailing it in as they wait for the new boss.

Low bar? Sure. Were there negatives too? Of course. But at this stage, it's probably more useful for Amorim to figure out the strengths on which he can build than realising the flaws he needs to fix, if only because the transfer window doesn't reopen until January. And given the fact that this United side isn't built for his 3-4-2-1 -- they have no viable right-sided centerback until Leny Yoro returns, there's a big hole at left back that Mazraoui may or may not fill, and plenty of questions in the middle of the park -- he may end up sticking to the current formation, while introducing tweaks and concepts here and there.

As for Chelsea, Maresca said he was happy with the point. Given the youth of this team, given he's only been there for a few months, given that it's United away (even this version of United) a point is a positive. He made a big call in leaving out Enzo Fernández, but Moisés Caicedo was arguably man of the match and Romeo Lavia was excellent too. That shows self-belief and personality. As long as Chelsea keep doing well, it won't be a problem for him, down the road, given the fee paid for him, it may turn into one for the club, but that shouldn't concern him right now.

More of an issue, I think, is how even a fresh-legged Chelsea couldn't turn a solid first half into goals and clear-cut chances. Cole Palmer was muted (by his lofty standards) and at some point, somebody needs to pick up the creative slack when he's not donning his Superman cape. That's still very much a work in progress.

Barcelona make it six wins in a row, but derby victory suggests Hansi Flick must act ... and he will

They've won every game they've played this season, bar two: against Monaco in the Champions League (when they played 79 minutes with 10 men), and Osasuna in LaLiga (when he rested a number of regulars). But if Hansi Flick thinks he can rest on his laurels (and I don't think he does), then the 3-1 win over Espanyol should serve as a warning.

Barca destroyed the opposition in the first half (3-0, 1.59 xG) only to wilt after the break, with Espanyol pulling one back, forcing Iñaki Peña to make a stellar save and seeing two goals disallowed for the most marginal of offsides.

Espanyol have had two goals wiped away by these marginal offside calls.

Game of centimeters pic.twitter.com/R9xH5N9n7n

ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 3, 2024

It's not as if Flick sent on the scrubs at the break, either: Fermín López and Frenkie De Jong for Dani Olmo and Marc Casadó were predictable subs designed to maintain your focus. It's not just a function of Flick's high-risk defensive line, where you're a split-second away from giving your opponents a run on goal, either; it's simply that playing this way is very taxing and requires intensity. Barca have nine players who have already started 11 games this season, four of them are 21 or younger. Expecting them to continue to play with this level of intensity seems unrealistic.

The good news? The cavalry is here. Frenkie De Jong and Gavi are fit again, Andreas Christensen and Eric García will be back after the international break and we should see Ronald Araújo return to the first team in January. That should help Flick manage the workload, but because several of them have different skill sets than the guys they are replacing, it will also be an opportunity to vary the way Barcelona plays. It could mean ditching the high line in some situations, varying the intensity and timing of the press, possibly tweaking the formation too.

Flick has options; he just needs to choose the right one and make it work because despite the early success, simply keeping things as they are is, likely, the wrong choice. Flick 2.0 will be interesting...

Mikel Arteta takes it on the chin in Arsenal loss, but maybe this is where squad depth comes home to roost

Mikel Arteta didn't hide after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Newcastle. He didn't bring up the fact that his team outshot the opposition or had twice Newcastle's expected goals. He didn't cry about injuries or Declan Rice not connecting cleanly with his late chance.

"We deserved to lose today," he said. "We got dragged into the game Newcastle wanted and not the one we wanted."

What he meant, presumably, is that Newcastle outhustled and outmuscled them and turned it into a game about intensity, rather than control and individual quality. And here, Arsenal were no match.

Now, it's easy to make fun of Arteta when he notes that Newcastle are "big and physical" -- Anthony Gordon is neither, and it's not as if Rice, Kai Havertz, William Saliba and Gabriel are a bunch of weaklings -- but you can see his point. The nice thing about having more skill in your side is that sometimes you can take your foot off the gas. But only sometimes, and only to a point.

This is where injuries come into play, of course: Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Martin Odegaard were all out (though Newcastle's injury list is even longer and, arguably, more important). But more than that, it's an issue of workload.

Havertz has played every minute of every league and Champions League game this season. Rice and Saliba would have too, if not for their red cards. Thomas Partey and Gabriel have also started every game (bar the League Cup). That adds up, not necessarily in terms of performance, but certainly in terms of bringing the right intensity in every game.

Injuries haven't helped, but it does feel like Arteta is reluctant to put much faith into his players beyond the first 14 or 15 names. I'm not sure he can afford to do that. (News on Monday that sporting director Edu, a longtime Arteta friend and colleague, is set to leave the club will also add stress to this situation.)

Home truths for Napoli after 'hard stop' against Atalanta, who rarely fail to amaze

After his team's 3-0 home defeat, Napoli boss Antonio Conte said, "Atalanta are a better team, they've been on a journey for years ..." He's probably right on both counts, but it's worth noting that the "journey" that he talks about is more about the club and the mentality than the personnel. Half the XI who resoundingly won at the San Paolo weren't at the club just 18 months ago, and yet they look as if they've been working in Gian Piero Gasperini's system for years, mainly because, yes, he's a great coach at a very well-run club.

Five top-five finishes in the past six years and the Europa League victory over mighty Bayer Leverkusen last season, all against better resourced opponents, speak to a club and coach who are very much in sync and who simply make better choices than the competition. And consistency engenders belief and buy-in, which is why it's easier for Gasperini to get his message across. Or, as he did on Sunday, drop Serie A's leading goal scorer, Mateo Retegui, to the bench. Unorthodox? Sure. But who is going to question him when he's got that much cred?

There's a parallel there with Conte, of course, in the sense that he comes in with the big rep from day one and this season has earned that buy-in with his results (at least before Sunday, when Napoli had put together nine wins and one draw in their previous 10 games). It's just that what Gasperini builds over time, he has to build in a few months, and he never really builds over time because, well, after getting out of the gates quickly, he tends not to stick around very long.

The warning signs were there for Napoli, despite their impressive run of form. They beat Milan without dominating in midweek, and before that, they had a couple of 1-0 wins (one deserved, one less so). Conte has the luxury of no European football and, broadly, getting the players he wanted in the summer. But you hope he's the first to realize that his team aren't where he wants them to be. That won't happen until Romelu Lukaku starts producing, Billy Gilmour can fill Stanislav Lobotka's shoes (or Lobotka returns) and David Neres can live up to his fee.

Quick hits

10. Bayern Munich roll on, the Barca debacle behind them: That's three wins in a row for Bayern, 12 goals scored, nine conceded. And on Saturday, their 3-0 win came against Union Berlin, hardly pushovers as evidenced by the fact that they were joint third going into the game. Harry Kane bagged two (and is on pace for a 40-goal season), Jamal Musiala showed (again) why this team is nowhere near as good when he's not there, but most encouraging I thought is how some of the more criticised players -- central defenders Kim Min-Jae and Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies out wide and the man in the middle, Joshua Kimmich -- are all clicking nicely.

9. Liverpool show signs of wear, but come back to beat Brighton and go top: Arne Slot himself complained about how poor they looked in the first half, when Brighton scored one and could have had more. Blame it on a combination of Brighton being a tough out, some individuals having an off day (Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai spring to mind) and the accumulated fatigue of Champions League football for a side that doesn't rotate much. Some oomph off the bench, a bit of luck on Cody Gakpo's goal and some magic from Mohamed Salah turned it around. Slot and Liverpool enter the week on top of the Premier League table. It's understandable that he hasn't rotated much thus far, but to stay top down the stretch, he'll likely need to do it far more.

8. Yes, the VAR call was tight and they gave up chances, but please chill out on Inter Milan: Yes, Venezia defender Marin Sverko was very unlucky to have what would have been a 98th minute equalizer against Inter ruled out, but the rules are clear and you can't score with your arm (or wrist), even if it's unintentional. Yes, Yann Sommer had to make two superlative saves and yes, squint and you'll see Inter running with a bit less intensity than last year. But let's not go all gloom and doom here. In the first 40 minutes of the game, Inter limited Venezia to zero shots and could have scored three times. After the break, they missed another three big chances en route to an xG of 1.33 and other than Joel Pojhanpalo's strike, they conceded little until the VAR call. I don't think it's quite time for doom-and-gloom: Fede Dimarco continues to be devastating, Lautaro Martínez is scoring regularly again and Hakan Calhanoglou (who played the last 20 minutes) will be back in midfield real soon.

7. Nuri Sahin and Borussia Dortmund get the reaction they wanted ... but were Leipzig just terrible on the day? A win over previous league leaders RB Leipzig is very significant and a critical bounce-back for Dortmund after three straight defeats. So I don't want to poo-poo the 2-1 victory, especially as it was a comeback. Embattled coach Nuri Sahin said he believes in his team and would believe in them even if they lost seven in a row. They came out of the gate quickly, absorbed Benjamin Sesko's opening goal and then stormed back, limiting Leipzig -- who are usually so prolific -- to just two shots in the second half. But I reckon it's a bit early to suggest everything is A-OK again because you wonder how things might have turned out if Maximilian Beier's equalizer hadn't come so soon after the Sesko goal. And you wonder how much Leipzig's uncharacteristic futility at both ends of the pitch influenced this outcome. Wednesday and Champions League cupcake Sturm Graz at home won't offer much of an indication, but it could all unravel quickly again if they slip up against Mainz heading into the mid-November international break.

6. Ange Postecoglou derails the Unai Emery Bandwagon: We're so used to (rightly) heaping praise on Aston Villa and Unai Emery's tactical prowess that it's easy to forget that in the last two games (Bournemouth at home and Tottenham away) they lost a total of five points after taking the lead. Had they hung on, they'd be second alongside Manchester City. Credit Tottenham for their second-half comeback and blame individual errors and some poor turnovers for the 4-1 defeat. I don't think it's reason to panic, but it does underscore how tactical plans and coaching are well and good, individuals still need to execute: if Pau Torres lays an egg and Ollie Watkins misses chances, that's beyond Emery's remit. As for Spurs, seeing Dominic Solanke come alive (the goals get the headlines, the work off the ball was just as important) is a big boost. If the is one criticism of Ange Postecoglou, it's the Heung-Min Son substitution. I understand wanting to limit his minutes -- the manager said after the game that Son wasn't fully fit and "was never going to play more than 55 minutes" -- but having your captain appear shocked (like much of White Hart Lane) at seeing his number come up is not a good look. (Had they lost this game, you imagine Postecoglou would be in the hot seat ... again). Just a reminder that clarity and communication are essential.

5. Juventus win, but we might as well get used to them being inconsistent for a while: With this Juve side, the worst thing you can do is have a knee-jerk reaction to every result: They were horrendous against Stuttgart, impressive in the comeback against Inter, poor at home against Parma in midweek and now good again in a 2-0 away win at Udinese. They looked good in spots, Kenan Yildiz showed (again) that he's a player-and-a-half, Teun Koopmeiners started and Khephren Thuram had his best game in a Juventus shirt. The flip side? Udinese were poor (Kenan Davis aside), possession was too often sterile, Lorenzo Lucca hit the woodwork and Michele Di Gregorio had to make a big save. The upshot? Up-and-down performances are normal for young sides missing key players and with a newly installed coach who sees the game differently than his predecessors. Nothing wrong with that.

4. A pick-me-up for Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone gets to see his son score: That's the good news, and there's nothing like an opponent like Las Palmas (one shot all game, 0.02 expected goals) to give you a boost after defeats to Lille and Real Betis. It's hard to even assess though whether there has been much progress, given how poor the opposition was in the 2-0 win. The good news, though, is that with everyone talking about Diego Simeone's "other" son, Giuliano, scoring his first ever Atletico goal, the focus won't be on the performance. And that should give them time to prepare properly for the trip to Paris in midweek, when everything could come crashing down again.

3. Milan grind out a 1-0 win at Monza, but this doesn't feel like a Fonseca team: I say this because he made his name with sides that were dynamic and possession-oriented. This Milan side are dynamic but too often incapable of doing much with the ball, especially against opponents who sit tight like Monza did. Their best work -- and Tijjani Reijnders' goal -- came in transition. Sure, Rafael Leão was on the bench again (he came on and delivered a moment of fruitless magic) and Youssouf Fofana needs to find his feet as a playmaker, but right now so much of the difference-making moments in this team come from individuals: like Mike Maignan's save off Pedro Pereira or Theo Hernández turning on the afterburners or Christian Pulisic running himself into the ground. That whole value-add thing isn't there yet, and Real Madrid are next up midweek in the Champions League ...

2. Wasteful PSG held to one goal by 10-man Lens as Marco Asensio gets his turn to audition up front: Ousmane Dembélé broke the ice early on and you were hoping for an open, competitive game between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens. Instead it was one-way traffic, with Luis Enrique's team piling up (and missing) their chances and Lens flailing (other than Brice Samba's heroics in goal). Lens going down to 10 men early in the second half obviously didn't help matters. After trying Lee Kang-In and Dembele in the role, we saw Marco Asensio get the nod at center forward. He'll get criticism for the missed chances, but if you're going to insist on a "false nine," he's probably a better option than the other two. Or, you could just keep it simple and give poor old Randal Kolo Muani -- you know, the guy PSG paid 75 million in transfer fees for 15 months ago -- a run of games? He has just two starts this season and was an unused sub this weekend.

1. Man City's unbeaten league streak ends at 32 with deserved defeat at Bournemouth: First, hats off to Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola because in their past three games, they beat Arsenal and City and got a point away to Aston Villa. Saturday's win over City was comprehensive, especially in a first half in which the defending champions notched zero shots on target and mustered an xG of only 0.18. (Even with Erling Haaland's late close-range double misses, Bournemouth still won the xG battle, 2.04 to 1.56.) Obviously you question Pep at your peril -- he has the record to back it up -- but his squad management is, sometimes, curious. He started Kyle Walker, who apparently had all of six minutes of training and had a rough game and left him on for 90 minutes. This, despite having Rico Lewis on the bench. Despite being 2-0 down and creating close to nothing, his only two changes were sending on Lewis with 17 minutes left and Jérémy Doku with five left. Savinho stayed rooted to the bench, as did Kevin De Bruyne (who hasn't played in six weeks, but presumably can hit a dead ball). Sure, injuries bite, but on this occasion, I'm not sure Pep made things better.

South Carolina was viewed as a second-tier contender, not one of the clear favorites, entering last season. Oddsmakers aren't doubting the Gamecocks this season.

South Carolina tips off as the clear-cut favorite to win the women's college basketball national championship, listed at +175 at ESPN BET, ahead of UConn and USC (both +415).

The Gamecocks began last season around 15-1 to win the national championship but quickly emerged as the team to beat. They capped an undefeated season with a convincing win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the championship game, taking their second national title in the past three years.

South Carolina returns four starters and 87% of the minutes played from last season and is riding a 38-game win streak, the third longest in SEC history.

The Gamecocks account for more than 25% of the money that has been wagered on ESPN BET's odds to win the national championship. But there's also plenty of support for UConn and USC, which feature the top two candidates to win the Wooden Award in Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins. UConn has attracted the most bets, while USC has the most money at Caesars Sportsbook.

Bueckers is the favorite at +140 to win the Wooden Award at ESPN BET, with Watkins right behind at +155.

Notre Dame (+600) and Texas (+850) round out the teams with national title odds shorter than 10-1 at ESPN BET.

COOPERSTOWN, N,Y. -- Dick Allen, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant are among eight men on the ballot for the baseball Hall of Fame's classic era committee that meets Dec. 8 at the winter meetings in Dallas.

Tommy John, Steve Garvey and Ken Boyer are also on the ballot along with former Negro Leaguers John Donaldson and Vic Harris, the Hall said Monday. The classic era committee considers players, managers, umpires and executives whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.

The identities of the 16 voters will be announced closer to the meeting, and 75% of the vote is needed for election. Anyone chosen will be inducted next July 27 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, whose balloting will be announced Jan. 21.

Parker, John and Garvey are the living candidates. Tiant died Oct. 8 at 83.

Allen hit .292 with 351 homers and 1,119 RBIs from 1963 to 1977. A seven-time All-Star, he was voted the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1972 AL MVP.

Parker, 73, hit .290 with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs from 1973 to 1991. He was the 1978 NL MVP, won the 1977 and '78 NL batting titles and was a seven-time All-Star.

Tiant was a four-time 20-game winner who went 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA from 1964 to 1982. He was a three-time All-Star who won two AL ERA titles.

John, 81, was 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA from 1963 to 1989, becoming a four-time All-Star. He was a pioneer patient in elbow ligament-replacement surgery in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe, which became known as Tommy John surgery.

Garvey, 75, hit .294 with 272 homers, 1,308 RBIs from 1969 to 87, was the 1974 NL MVP and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 1981 World Series. He played an NL record 1,207 consecutive games at first base.

Boyer was an 11-time All-Star who batted .287 with 282 homers and 1,141 RBIs from 1955 to 1969. He was the 1964 NL MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series champions.

Donaldson pitched in the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues for more than 30 years.

Harris played 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues, mostly as a Homestead Grays outfielder, and managed the team for 11 seasons, winning seven Negro National League pennants and the 1948 World Series.

The Hall in 2022 restructured its veterans committees for the third time in 12 years, setting up panels to consider the contemporary era from 1980 on as well as the classic era. The contemporary baseball era holds separate ballots for players and another for managers, executives and umpires.

Each committee meets every three years, starting with contemporary players in December 2022, when Fred McGriff was elected, and followed by contemporary managers, executives and umpires last December, when Jim Leyland was voted in. Contemporary players will be considered again in December 2025.

The ballot was picked by a historical overview committee that included Adrian Burgos of the University of Illinois, Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network, Steve Hirdt of Stats Perform, David O'Brien of The Athletic, BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O'Connell, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and Mark Whicker of the Southern California News Group along with Jim Henneman (formerly of The Sun in Baltimore), Jim Reeves (formerly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and Glenn Schwarz (formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle).

Allen received 11 votes from the 2014 golden era committee, falling one short of the 75% needed for election. Donaldson got eight votes from the 2021 early baseball era committee, which considered pre-1950 candidates.

Parker got seven votes from the 2019 modern era committee, which considered candidates from 1970 to 1987, Garvey six and John three or fewer. Garvey, John, Parker and Tiant all received fewer than seven votes from the 2016 modern era committee.

Boyer and Pierce got fewer than three in 2014, and Garvey, John and Parker fewer than six from the 2013 expansion era committee. Boyer and Tiant received fewer than three from the 2011 golden era committee.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Félix Hernández are among the players eligible for the BBWAA ballot for the first time in the upcoming vote. Holdovers include Billy Wagner, who was five votes shy in January.

Prior to the start of the WTA Finals on Saturday, 25-year-old Rybakina had not played on tour for two months because of a combination of illness and injury, and her opening match against Paolini ended in a straight-set defeat.

The former Wimbledon champion had looked fatigued during that match but started stronger against Zheng, putting pressure on the serve early on with the Chinese seventh seed forced to save two break points early in the opening set.

Momentum then swung Zheng's way as she sealed a first break of serve on the way to a 4-1 lead, but as her unforced error count started to creep upwards, Rybakina was able to fight back into the set by winning three successive games.

Yet in the deciding tie-break, Rybakina nudged a return long to wrap up the opener for Zheng on her second set point.

Little could separate the pair at the start of the second set, but Rybakina found a much-needed higher gear after going 3-2 and a break down.

After getting the immediate break back, she saved two further break points from 15-40 down, reeling off three aces in the game before landing a backhand on the Zheng baseline.

That was in the second of four successive game wins to seal the second set, but Rybakina came unstuck again in the decider.

As she grew weary, opponent Zheng was able to capitalise with a break for 3-1 from which she never looked back, wrapping up her maiden WTA Finals win on her first match point.

Rúben Amorim has admitted it "crossed his mind" that he could follow Sporting CP director of football Hugo Viana to Manchester City, but said he was only ever focused on becoming Manchester United's new head coach.

Amorim will lead Sporting against City in the Champions League on Tuesday in his penultimate game as boss before taking the reins at Old Trafford.

His decision to succeed Erik ten Hag came just two weeks after City hired Viana, Sporting's director of football, to replace Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season.

Amorim disclosed that he had thoughts about possibly working at the Etihad Stadium as well, but the 39-year-old insisted he's happy with his decision to join United.

"It's something that crosses your mind but I never had any doubts," Amorim told a news conference on Monday.

"My decision has been made and that's the club I want to work for. That's where I want to continue my career as a coach. It crossed my mind, but I decided on the club I wanted and I didn't want anything else. I wanted Manchester United and that's what I did."

Amorim, who will begin his new role on Nov. 11, and Pep Guardiola will go head-to-head in Lisbon on Tuesday a little over a month before they meet again in the Manchester derby at the Etihad on Dec. 15.

Plenty of United fans are likely to tune into Sporting's game against City to get an early look at their new coach.

Amorim, however, has warned against assessing his suitability for the United job based on one match against Guardiola's team.

"The conclusions that people will draw from this match are not important for me," he said.

"If it's a negative outcome [against City] the expectations will drop. If we win tomorrow, people will think the new Alex Ferguson has arrived and obviously it will be difficult to live up to that expectation.

"I'm not interested in the conclusions people will draw, what I'm interested in is to win the match and then start a new life in Manchester.

"We could have one situation or the other, it could increase expectations. I don't know what is better for me."