Tony DeAngelo has played his last game with the New York Rangers, general manager Jeff Gorton told reporters on Monday.

Gorton said the 25-year-old defenseman "wasn't able to move on" from being benched for the second and third games of the season -- a decision made by coach David Quinn after DeAngelo committed an unsportsmanlike penalty in the home opener.

"I told him if his name came up in anything at all that he would be on waivers," Gorton said. "I felt like I had to stay true to my word, the organization's word."

Gorton confirmed there was a postgame confrontation between DeAngelo and teammate Alexandar Georgiev after Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to Pittsburgh, as ESPN reported on Sunday. The organization saw that incident as the final straw.

Georgiev is fine, Gorton said, and is scheduled to be the backup to Igor Shesterkin in Monday's game against the Penguins.

The Rangers placed DeAngelo on waivers Sunday, but he went unclaimed by the NHL's other 30 teams. It was a surprising move considering New York signed DeAngelo to a two-year, $9.6 million contract extension this past October.

While DeAngelo is technically on New York's taxi squad, Gorton said DeAngelo will stay at home until the team can work out a trade. The GM said the team is not looking into voiding DeAngelo's contract.

DeAngelo was fourth in scoring among all NHL defensemen with 15 goals and 38 assists in a breakout 2019-20 season, one in which he finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting.

Besides his stint as a healthy scratch, DeAngelo has struggled this season. He was on the ice for four of Pittsburgh's goals in the 5-4 overtime loss, including the game winner, which Georgiev let in. According to sources, DeAngelo said a comment to Georgiev while walking into the tunnel afterward, which sparked the physical altercation. It was quickly broken up by teammates, the source said.

Drafted No. 19 overall in 2014 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, DeAngelo has also played for the Arizona Coyotes and three AHL teams.

DeAngelo has a history of disciplinary issues. He was suspended twice during his junior career in the OHL, including for violating the league's policy covering "homophobic, racist, and sexist language" and abuse of officials. He also was suspended for three NHL games in 2017, while with the Coyotes, for physical abuse of officials.

DeAngelo was traded to the Rangers in 2017, along with the No. 7 pick of the 2017 draft (which New York used to select Lias Andersson), in a deal that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona.

"We did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people about Tony prior to acquiring him," Gorton said. "We did our homework, we were comfortable. If you look at his track record with us, I think you know his season spoke for itself last year. There's been a few things along the way but really nothing that would suggest anything from his past in juniors, there's nothing like that that's ever come up with us."

Could this be the year that Jon Rahm finally wins at TPC Scottsdale?

The Arizona State product owns three top-10s and hasn’t finished worse than T-16 in five career Waste Management Phoenix Open starts, so it comes as no surprise that Rahm is the betting favorite to win this year’s edition of the People’s Open.

Rahm is listed at +700 odds by PointsBet Sportsbook, slightly ahead of Justin Thomas at +800. Xander Schauffele (+1000), Rory McIlroy (+1100) and defending champion Webb Simpson (+1400) are right behind them.

Meanwhile, over on the European Tour, Dustin Johnson is the favorite to win the Saudi Interrnational. At +400 odds, Johnson is favored over Bryson DeChambeau (+800) and Tyrrell Hatton (+1200), who won two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi. Patrick Reed, a winner Sunday at Torrey Pines, will make the long trip to the Middle East and begins the week at +1400 odds.

Here is a look at the notable odds to win this week’s Phoenix Open:

• +700: Jon Rahm
• +800: Justin Thomas
• +1000: Xander Schauffele
• +1100: Rory McIlroy
• +1400: Webb Simpson
• +2000: Daniel Berger
• +2200: Hideki Matsuyama
• +3000: Harris English, Sungjae Im
• +4000: Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Ryan Palmer
• +5000: Billy Horschel, Gary Woodland, Louis Oosthuizen, Matthew Wolff, Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris

For full and most updated odds, click here.

Here is a look at the notable odds to win this week’s Saudi International:

• +475: Dustin Johnson
• +800: Bryson DeChambeau
• +1200: Tyrrell Hatton
• +1400: Patrick Reed
• +1500: Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland
• +2200: Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood
• +2500: Sergio Garcia, Abe Ancer
• +3300: Robert MacIntyre
• +4000: Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• +5000: Bernd Wiesberger, Shane Lowry, Jason Kokrak, Thomas Pieters, Matt Wallace

For full and most updated odds, click here.

In this week’s edition of the Golf Central Podcast presented by Callaway Golf, Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner break down Patrick Reed’s controversial victory, including what the rules snafu means for Reed’s reputation and how the Tour looks at video review moving forward.

Premier League champions Liverpool announced that Joel Matip will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury on the day they brought in defensive reinforcements.

Centre back Ben Davies, 25, was signed from second-tier Preston North End on Monday, while a loan deal was done for Schalke's 20-year-old Turkey central defender Ozan Kabak.

- Transfer Grades: Liverpool get a B+ for Kabak, C for Davies
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

Liverpool are without central defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez due to long-term injuries and Cameroon international Matip was forced off with an ankle ligament injury in their 3-1 league win at Tottenham Hotspur last week.

"Unfortunately, we found out now after everybody looked at it that Joel will be out for the rest of the season," said manager Juergen Klopp.

"But he will be ready for the start of the next pre-season and finally everything will be sorted."

Klopp has had to play midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in defence while also relying on young players to fill gaps at the back.

Liverpool fielded Henderson and 23-year-old Nathaniel Phillips as their centre back pairing in Sunday's 3-1 win at West Ham United that lifted them to third place.

The pace of negotiations on a revised Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLS and the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) is accelerating, although it's unclear where, or how, it will end. On Friday, MLS extended the existing negotiating window by one week until 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 4, but MLS also said that the two sides are "far apart" and the threat of CBA termination and a lockout still looms.

With the clock ticking, here's a rundown of where things stand, what possible outcomes remain, and where they're headed.

Where do things stand?

On Thursday, the MLSPA submitted its latest offer to MLS and, according to some observers, met MLS halfway. The union agreed to extend the CBA by one year through 2026, while also reducing the salary cap every year from 2022 to 2025. The revenue-sharing plan for the next media rights deal was also reduced from 25% to 12.5% for 2024.

In return, the MLSPA wants MLS to lower the threshold for free agency to players 23 years of age or older and with at least four years of service in the league. That's compared to the existing threshold of 24 years of age and five years of service. According to the MLSPA, this will save MLS $53 million.

Any hopes of a quick resolution were dashed on Friday by MLS announcing its deadline extension and threat of a lockout.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

How hard is that deadline?

That depends on who you talk to. The league insists the deadline is real, but they said the same thing about the previous deadline, one borne out of the force majeure clause it invoked to reopen CBA negotiations on Dec. 29. That clause opened a 30-day negotiating window on a revised deal and specified that if a deal wasn't struck within that time frame, either side could terminate the CBA. Let's be clear, however: If any side decides to blow up the CBA, it will be MLS. The MLSPA has long said it intends to honor the agreement the two sides reached in June, and won't go on strike.

The MLSPA maintains that any talk of a deadline is artificial and not legally binding in any way. The regular season isn't scheduled to start until April 3, meaning there's still time to get a deal done.

What has MLS been angling for?

Ever since MLS invoked the force majeure, it has wanted a two-year extension and a freeze of the salary cap from 2021 to 2022. In their most recent proposal, they offered to increase the growth rate of the salary cap between 2026 and 2027 by 2.5%. But all told, they are asking for between $100 million to $110 million in economic concessions. This is on top of the $150 million in concessions that the MLSPA said it made in the previous CBA that was negotiated last June.

Another factor is the proximity to the 2026 World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. By having a CBA that ends 18 months after the World Cup, the players would lose considerable leverage to extract concessions or go on strike at a moment that is critical for MLS and its stakeholders -- such as its marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing. The one-year extension the MLSPA is proposing would carry the CBA past the World Cup, but is still close enough to the tournament that a strike might kill some of the momentum the World Cup would generate.

Haven't the league and the union been down this road before?

Indeed they have. The two sides agreed in principle to terms on a new CBA last February. Then the pandemic struck, and the league shut down on March 12. The fact that neither side had ratified the CBA allowed the league to reopen negotiations.

The talks were contentious, but in June, with the league idle for almost three months, the two sides settled on a deal in which the players agreed to salary cuts of 5% when applied to yearly salaries (7.5% going forward), as well as cuts to bonuses that the MLSPA contends amounted to 70%. The terms of the CBA were also pushed out a year, extending the expiration date through the 2025 season, resulting in an overall compensation freeze from 2020 to 2021. The terms of a revenue-sharing agreement based on the aforementioned new media rights deal was reduced in 2023 by 12.5%.

Most critically of all, the two sides agreed to the insertion of a force majeure clause that allowed either side to reopen negotiations in the event of an economic catastrophe, like that brought on by a pandemic. With MLS dependent on game-day revenue, it remains concerned that it is looking at another season with few fans -- and in some cases no fans -- in the stands, depending on how vaccinations go. The league contends it lost nearly $1 billion in 2020, with $725m of that due to COVID-19.

What happens now?

The two sides will continue to negotiate. MLS was expected to submit an offer to the MLSPA by Saturday, sources told ESPN. But so far, the league hasn't budged much from its initial position -- the only change is an increase in the salary cap by 2.5% between 2026 and 2027 -- while the MLSPA has moved considerably, offering a one-year extension, reductions in the salary cap between 2022 and 2025 and a reduction in the revenue-sharing percentage of media rights. The league said there is also a set schedule of meetings over the next week, although one union source said nothing had been explicitly spelled out. Expect there to be more back and forth until the next deadline.

Once that deadline is reached, there are basically three possible scenarios: the two sides can accept the deal, MLS can extend negotiations with another deadline or MLS can terminate the CBA and then lock the players out.

If a deal is reached, the two sides can begin preparing for preseason like they normally would. Training camps are set to open on Feb. 22, with the season following in early April. That's about a month later than in 2020, but the additional time means more people could be vaccinated against COVID-19, making it more likely that games will be played in front of fans.

If MLS opts to continue negotiations, the talks will carry on as before. It would be a positive sign as well in that both sides seem to be converging on a middle ground.

What if the deadline passes without a new agreement?

The league will go with the nuclear option of terminating the CBA and locking out the players. Technically if the league terminates the CBA, games could hypothetically still take place, and players would still be operating under the old deal. But practically speaking, the no-strike/no-lockout provision of the CBA would be gone, paving the way for a lockout. It's telling that the league has consistently spoken of CBA termination and a lockout in the same breath. In a memo sent to league staff on Wednesday, MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said the league and its teams should prepare for a lockout.

If the league takes that step, it wouldn't be long before the players would feel financial pain. The players are paid twice a month, not per game, and one missed paycheck would amount to about 3.8% of a player's yearly salary. The first paycheck that would be missed would come on Feb. 15.

Abbott's memo said the league would continue to provide healthcare benefits to the players and their families, an important dynamic amid the pandemic. And the MLSPA has long been telling players to prepare for a lockout. But the MLSPA is still a relatively young union with almost $13m in assets. For a player pool comprised of more than 700 players, any kind of work-stoppage fund is bound to run out pretty quickly.

If the players are locked out, could they seek employment elsewhere?

They could, but unless they were released from their MLS contracts, they would have to return once a work stoppage ended. Given that the transfer window in most of Europe closes on Monday, Feb. 1, the lockout scenario doesn't leave players with much in the way of options.

One possibility is that some players could look to the second-tier USL Championship. One manager in that league said that agents "are starting to sniff around to make sure their players have landing spots," although it's unclear how the league itself feels about this.

How much damage would a lockout do?

Plenty. The optics would be terrible, and it would further damage a relationship with the players that MLSPA executive board member Ethan Finlay called "fractured." There is no chance the players will be looked upon as being greedy given they have already made concessions.

Will that matter? In the long run, probably not. But a lockout would also further halt momentum that has already been compromised by the pandemic. With the aforementioned media rights deal ending in 2022 (the existing U.S. rights package with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes runs to the end of 2022), an extended lockout runs the risk of depressing interest in the league and by extension the deal's value.

Another factor to consider is if the lockout were to last long enough to where games are canceled or postponed, MLS runs the risk of losing whatever mindshare it has. It's one thing to not be playing when every other American sports league wasn't due to the pandemic, which was the case last spring, but come April, the NHL, MLB and the NBA will be in action. Can MLS run the risk of sidelining itself?

The league and the union -- and most of all, fans -- will be hoping it doesn't come to that.

Where to begin a recap of another great weekend in soccer? Lionel Messi shrugged off a news leak in the Spanish media to lead Barcelona to another big win, Arsenal and Man United split the points while learning plenty about themselves, and Mohamed Salah put in a star turn for Liverpool that could be scary for the rest of the Premier League. Elsewhere we saw big wins for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Milan, impressive displays from Man City and Atletico Madrid, a glimmer of hope for Christian Eriksen's future at Juventus and a real mess at Paris Saint-Germain.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

It's Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of football from the past week.

Jump to: Barca, Messi leak fallout | Arsenal, Man United draw | Bayern boost | Salah stars for Liverpool | Real's reserves fail | Milan stay top | Man City's defense | Juve finding balance? | Dortmund fight back | Eriksen's Inter audition | PSG's mess | Atletico win again | Tuchel, Chelsea win | Spurs struggle minus Kane | Leizpig's ceiling | And finally...

Barcelona's "silver lining" to Messi leak

All eyes were on Lionel Messi Sunday night after the Spanish newspaper El Mundo published a copy of his contract, suggesting it would pay him up to $673 million over four years. It's a staggering amount, but once the hyperbole was stripped away and you understood that parts of it were loyalty bonuses and performance-related, it's not significantly more than what many expected Messi to be earning. What was disconcerting was the way it was presented as the reason why Barcelona were staring down the barrel of insolvency, as well as the fact that somebody had seen fit to leak the document itself to the media.

For his part, Messi could only reply on the pitch, which he did. He stroked in the free kick that gave Barcelona the lead over Athletic Bilbao and helped his side to a 2-1 victory against the team that had beaten them in the Spanish Super Cup two weeks earlier (and against whom Messi himself was sent off). That's where he does his best work -- on the pitch -- but the performance went beyond Messi.

- Barca ex-president denies Messi leak
- Messi superb as Barca go second in La Liga
- Lowe: Forget Neymar... Barca can't afford Eric Garcia

In short, Barcelona played well. Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele stayed wide, offering much-needed width, the back line held up and once again, you got the sense these players are with Ronald Koeman. He's not necessarily a tactical visionary and he's probably not going to be around next season, but for now, nobody is turning on him. And as a result, Barca are second, level on points with Real Madrid.

Back to the contract leak. Barcelona and Messi say they would take legal action against El Mundo, but that's not surprising and, possibly, a futile gesture. El Mundo would need to mount a defence saying publication was in the public interest and they'd at least have a strong case, given the condition of Barca's finances and the fact that it's semi-public institution.

It feels like they're going through the motions because even as the club denied any responsibility, Koeman himself was speculating that the leak came from within Barcelona: "There are people that want to do us damage ... if the leak is from within the club, that's very bad. If someone from inside the club has leaked it, they cannot have a future at the club."

Spanish media spent the past 36 hours speculating, noting that only four parties had access to Messi's contract: Barcelona, La Liga, Messi himself and the lawyers. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that, of those four, the latter three would have absolutely zero interest in the contract being made public, and that's why speculation centers on Barca. Not necessarily the current (interim) administration, mind you, but perhaps others who are no longer involved.

The thing is, it doesn't really benefit them much at all either. Everybody knows Barca are in a perilous financial situation, and everybody knows Messi is by far the biggest earner. Whether it's $100 million a year or $150m a year, to most it makes little difference. Not least because it's frankly difficult (if not impossible) to quantify what a "reasonable" contract for Messi (or, for that matter, Cristiano Ronaldo) might be. He's not just paid for what he offers on the pitch; he's paid for commercial revenue, for adding to the value of the brand and that sort of fuzzy, undefinable (but very real) revenue he brings in. Sponsorship experts will tell you they can help define that value, but it's still feels like "finger in the air" stuff. There is no "right" answer here; it can be whatever you want it to be or, in Barcelona's case, whatever you can afford.

- Karlsen: Can Barca's youth help them out of a bind?
- Leaked Messi contract the biggest in sport

That's why, in many ways, the only ones who benefit here are the three candidates for the Barcelona presidency: Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa. It's not surprising that all three rallied around Messi, proclaimed he was worth every penny and said it was an outrage that his contract was leaked. One of the three is the guy who will have to sit down with Messi before his deal expires in five months' time, charged with persuading him to not just stay but, in all likelihood, take a hefty pay cut out of love for the club. Now that the figures are out there in black and white (and nobody has disputed the fact that the contract is genuine), playing to his heart strings becomes that little bit easier.

If there's a silver lining to all this, that's it.

Why Arsenal, Man United 0-0 feels like a win for both teams

Manchester United took the pitch against Arsenal on Saturday determined to show that their 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United in midweek was just a blip and not some harbinger of doom. They failed to win against the Gunners, settling for a 0-0 draw, but they created enough chances to feel good about themselves or, at a minimum, stave off another funk.

- Solskjaer: Refs admitted errors in Sheffield United game
- Olley: Man United's familiar failure vs. top clubs continues
- Rashford abused online after Arsenal draw

Given how putrid they were in their previous outing, holding their own against a resurgent Arsenal side is important. Also important is the fact that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer evidently believes in this team, as evidenced by the fact that when Scott McTominay came off in the 37th minute, he was replaced by a forward like Anthony Martial. This was a game United wanted to win more than they wanted to avoid defeat. That matters too, because it shows an underlying belief that hasn't always been there during his tenure.

As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta can point to the fact that they too had chances, and they created them despite being without their highest-paid player (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang) and arguably their two most productive players this campaign (Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney). The unbeaten streak in the league is now up to seven games, their longest in 12 months.

Sometimes, you take what you can get and learn to live with it.

Bayern's revenge vs. Hoffenheim isn't just symbolic

The last time Bayern played Hoffenheim in the league before Saturday, they were soundly beaten 4-1. This was in late September, and it's probably not entirely coincidental that in the next few days after that defeat, they announced a quartet of signings to provide a modicum of depth to a squad that already looked beaten down and stretched: Bouna Sarr, Douglas Costa, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Marc Roca.

As a group, they've actually contributed little, beyond eating up minutes here and there. But against Hoffenheim, Roca made his first league start and turned in a sterling performance alongside Joshua Kimmich as Bayern coasted to a 4-1 victory this weekend. Plenty will focus on the fact that Bayern reversed the scoreline from the first fixture, thereby exorcising whatever demons were left over. But Roca, who came from the Spanish second flight, showed that he's not just the answer to a trivia question, but a guy who can contribute and (say it softly) in certain situations, against certain opponents. He can do a better job of filing Thiago Alcantara's big boots than any of Hansi Flick's midfielders not named Kimmich.

Roca wasn't the only bright spot: Thomas Muller made it four goals in four games, and Serge Gnabry notched his first league goal since Halloween. But he showed he can offer something different to a side that, despite their lead at the top, are nowhere near where they were last summer.

Salah comes to life at the right time for Liverpool

At half-time against West Ham on Sunday, it looked like the game (and Liverpool) weren't going anywhere. It was 0-0 and David Moyes' side had managed to impose their pace and style on the game. Mohamed Salah looked forlorn up front, with only Divock Origi for company. Sadio Mane wasn't there, and Roberto Firmino was watching from the bench.

- Olley: Salah's goals, Liverpool's win a bad sign for league rivals

But the thing about having great players is that they can change things very quickly for you, even when your team feels as they're in a rut. Aaron Cresswell gave Salah an inch and he quickly came to life, breaking the ice with a bit of fancy footwork and a cool finish to make it 1-0, and 10 minutes later, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Xherdan Shaqiri rolled back the clock (the former to 2018, when he was in his pomp, the latter even further back) to combine on a stunning counter to set Salah up to make it 2-0. Of course, as with the first goal, Salah still had plenty to do, killing the ball with a silky stop and rifling it into the West Ham goal.

It finished 3-1 and yeah, the difference was quality, mostly that of Salah. The Egyptian striker had been questioned during his goal drought, but he's still the league's top scorer with 18 goals. And, by moving past 20 in all competitions, he became only the fifth Liverpool striker in history to notch 20 or more in four consecutive seasons. (It's a feat not even Robbie Fowler managed, although he came close. The others? Billy Liddell, Gordon Hodgson, Roger Hunt and Ian Rush, who did it for six consecutive seasons.)

No heroics from Real Madrid's "old guard" leads to defeat

A week ago when they beat Alaves, we cautioned against the fact that Real Madrid were being kept afloat by the veterans: Casemiro and Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric. The supporting cast were either AWOL or not really contributing. Against Levante, the veteran quartet were pedestrian (apart from Kroos' pass for Marco Asensio's goal) and the outcome was a 2-1 defeat.

It's easy to focus on the incidents, like Eder Militao's bonehead early red card or Vinicius Jr's equally boneheaded penalty (which Thibaut Courtois nevertheless saved). But the point is there was no lift, no heroics from the old guard and very little of value from the supporting cast. And that, coupled with a stunning goal from Jose Luis "El Comandante" Morales, is how Real Madrid succumbed once again.

Sergio Ramos was unavailable, and it's not lost on anyone that five Madrid defeats have come without him on the pitch this season. Maybe this would have been different with him in Militao's place, although when it comes to silly red cards, Ramos is no slouch either. And, of course, Zinedine Zidane was on the phone from his COVID-19 quarantine, but again, it's a stretch to imagine that in-person Zizou would have led to a different outcome.

The inescapable fact is that when the old guard don't carry the team, the others don't pick up the slack. We can come up with excuses for all of them. Eden Hazard is still recovering and probably shouldn't have been out there once they went a man down, Vinicius paid the price for too much zeal, Alvaro Odriozola played 90 minutes of football for the first time since 2019, but still ... the simple fact is they need to spark into life.

The return of Ramos and Zidane should help, but that's all it can do: help. The turnaround, if it comes, has to come from the supporting cast.

Milan stay top, but tweaks are needed

Milan traveled to Bologna after losing consecutive games for the first time since 2019, and while they won 2-1 to stay top, nerves did show. Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty (for the third time this season), and after Bologna clawed one back, Milan were left hanging on to the lead at the end.

It's not quite where they wanted to be -- sitting deep, defending a lead -- especially after replacing the pacy Rafael Leao with the less pacy (to put it mildly) Mario Mandzukic. It made it very difficult for Milan to counter, especially since Ibrahimovic (also not quite a sprinter) was still on the pitch.

Mandzukic was signed to give Milan size, strength and experience as an alternative to Ibrahimovic. I doubt the plan was for the two to play together, and certainly not when defending the lead. This is not something we need to see again, and if, as some have suggested, Ibrahimovic simply doesn't want to come off, then don't put Mandzukic on.

In the end, it's another three points and a reaction for Milan, and that was important. Equally important, though, is getting this side back on track. Milan may be top of the table, but they are sixth in terms of xG difference, and if the underlying analytics are right, they're due to regress. Unless, of course, they kick it up a notch again. The January signings -- Mandzukic, Soualiho Meite, Fikayo Tomori -- can help with this, as can the return of Ismael Bennacer.

Manchester City are setting new defensive standard

In beating Sheffield United 1-0, Manchester City made it 12 wins in a row across all competitions and went three points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand. Arguably more impressive than that is the fact that they've conceded just two Premier League goals since Nov. 21, one of those was an own goal and the other a garbage-time strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Admittedly, they've been outperforming expected goals during that stretch -- the xG conceded is 5.52 -- but not by much. Although here's the thing. The notion of the importance of the "settled back four" is one of those footballing dogmas repeated endlessly by ex-pros turned pundits, as well as those of us in the media. In fact, apart from Ruben Dias, who has been magnificent, no City defender has started more than 70% of their games. Joao Cancelo pops up on the left and on the right and nothing changes. Oleksandr Zinchenko doesn't start a game since last season, then pops up in early January and doesn't miss a beat.

This is not to say that chemistry isn't important, but good coaching -- and obviously, quality players -- are simply more important.

Juventus solve their midfield mess -- for now

There's no question that Juve's midfield looked much better in the past few games, including Saturday's 2-0 win over Sampdoria. It's equally pretty obvious that for Andrea Pirlo's football to work, he needs a strong midfield that can provide intensity, forward runs, tactical balance and playmaking.

So is the answer in the trio of Weston McKennie, Rodrigo Bentancur and Arthur? It's not that simple or, rather, for now, two of those three (McKennie and Bentancur) have to be automatic choices because they can do things the others can't. It doesn't necessarily mean either can't be upgraded, especially Bentancur, who has blown hot and cold.

As for Arthur, he's been a picture of inconsistency before the past few games and is probably the most expendable of the three. Not because the other options (Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot) are necessarily better, but because they can do some of what he does (as well as other things he doesn't do). I'd expect McKennie and Bentancur to be regulars and the third slot to be assigned on form.

Dortmund show fight and just in time

Having taken just one point from their previous three games, when Borussia Dortmund went a goal down against Augsburg and then missed a penalty with Erling Braut Haaland, you wondered if this was the game when the bottom fell out. Plenty of youngsters, fragile psyche, poor run, caretaker manager -- all the ingredients were there.

Instead, they found a way back, both with their blue-collar guys (Thomas Delaney getting the equalizer) and with their starlets (Jadon Sancho scoring the second). There's grit and fight in these kids yet, and while Edin Terzic might not be the right man to get it out of them -- at least in a productive way -- Saturday gave you the feeling they won't go quietly.

Eriksen's audition to be Inter playmaker goes well

Maybe it was some sort of planetary alignment. Antonio Conte was suspended from his perch on the sideline. Christian Eriksen had come on and scored the late free-kick winner in the Coppa Italia derby in midweek. Marcelo Brozovic needed a day off in front of the back four. The opponents, Benevento, like to play open football and, perhaps most significantly, with the transfer window closing Monday night, Inter have come to terms with the fact that Eriksen (and his massive wages) will be sticking around.

Whatever it was, he got the start in the position that, supposedly, he was incapable of playing: deep in the midfield, quarterbacking the strikers' runs and dictating the tempo. Eriksen passed the test with flying colors, hitting the crossbar, running the game and setting up plenty of chances in the 4-0 win.

Was it enough to convince Conte? Time will tell. But it has to be encouraging that after a whole year, he's finally dropping some of his preconceptions around what Eriksen can and cannot do.

Lorient ruin PSG, Neymar's party

Talk about not following the script. Neymar had just announced that his desire was to stay at Paris Saint-Germain and play alongside Kylian Mbappe. (OK, maybe it was a throwaway quote and sure, it's contingent on Mbappe, but it's still nice to hear.) The opposition, Lorient, had won twice since mid-October and were second-bottom in Ligue 1. Mbappe, Neymar, Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria were all starting.

And still PSG struggled, conceding two silly goals in the last 10 minutes to lose 3-2, a defeat that left them tumbling all the way down to third place behind Olympique Lyonnais and Lille. There's plenty of time to turn it around, of course, but it's PSG's fifth league defeat of the campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino is getting a taste of what his predecessor Thomas Tuchel had to endure. Ligue 1, especially right now, is not as straightforward as it looks.

Atletico Madrid show they can beat you any which way

Luis Suarez bagged two goals (he's still very much La Liga's top scorer) as Atletico won a wild contest away to Cadiz, 4-2. It's their eighth straight victory in La Liga and their lead atop the table is now 10 points, and with a game in hand. You know Diego Simeone won't let anybody celebrate early, but still ...

With three key men -- Yannick Carrasco, Kieran Trippier and especially Mario Hermoso missing at the back -- this was a different sort of Atleti in what ended up being an end-to-end contest with an open Cadiz side. (Oh, and talking of golden oldies, check out Alvaro Negredo and his first goal.) They did ride their luck at times -- witness Koke's goal -- and, of course, Saint Jan Oblak was at his inspired best, but they showed again how they'll engage in -- and win -- slugfests when necessary too. And the scary thing about Atleti is that they're still nowhere near their ceiling.

Tuchel's trial-and-error continues at Chelsea

Chelsea beat Burnley, 2-0, this weekend and new boss Thomas Tuchel freely admitted that he was learning about his players on the fly. He stuck with the 3-4-3 system we saw on his debut in midweek, but worked in Timo Werner, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Marco Alonso, while leaving out Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Olivier Giroud and Ben Chilwell.

Cesar Aziplicueta and Marcos Alonso grabbed the goals, and the latter, especially, was a bit of a surprise. He fell out with Lampard and was left on the naughty step since September. Tuchel giving him a shot is the sort of thing you expect from a new boss; what you don't necessarily expect is for a guy who hasn't played in four months to step in so seamlessly.

Alonso was a bright spot, as was Mount. The 3-4-3 formation seems designed, thus far, to put players in positions where they're most comfortable, with the exception of Callum Hudson-Odoi, a natural winger turned wingback. And yet it's Hudson-Odoi who has arguably been the standout player of the (admittedly brief) Tuchel era.

Some of what he's doing feels decidedly counterintuitive, and at some point he'll have to settle on a core group and, perhaps, disappoint a few. That's when the test will come and you wonder just how well the seasons at Dortmund and Paris St Germain have prepared him.

No Kane, plenty of problems for Tottenham

Harry Kane was injured, but Jose Mourinho explained Sunday night's 1-0 defeat against Brighton by saying it "wasn't about players," but about "energy." But then he added that they played better after the break when Carlos Vinicius came on, they switched to a back four and had a genuine center-forward up front.

So which is it?

First off, credit to Brighton. They've been playing much better than their results most of the season, and they were due to reap some of what they've been sowing. Beyond that, if a counterattacking front three of Son, Steven Bergwijn and Gareth Bale isn't getting chances, then yeah, it is about the players. Son Heung-min was heroic when he replaced Kane two years ago this time of year, but that was then and this is now. Gareth Bale dominated a Champions League final a few years ago, but that was then and this is now (and there's a reason why he's started just two league games all season).

Set up the way Spurs set up in the first half and you're relying on individuals, rather than systems. And if they're not at their best, you'll find it mighty hard.

Nkunku confirms Leipzig are Bundesliga's second-best team

Leipzig won the battle of the contenders (OK, some might say pretenders) by beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0, thanks to a Christopher Nkunku strike. The gap with Bayern Munich stands at seven points with 15 games to go. Anything other than a Leipzig win would pretty much have been a knockout blow, so at least they live to fight another day.

Defensively, Julian Nagelsmann's crew were far more solid than in previous outings and they're clearly not wanting for intensity at the other end. But unless Bayern hit another wobbly patch, "best-of-the-rest" is probably Leipzig's ceiling this season. As for Leverkusen, there's a big cluster-mess of five clubs vying for two Champions League spots behind Leipzig and they're in the middle of it. Expect more twists and turns.

And finally ...

Bas Dost scored for Bruges in their 3-1 home win against Standard Liege He now has five goals in six Belgian League appearances, and is on pace to score 15 in the league. Counting his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, he has 10 goals in 20 games overall this season.

This concludes this instalment of #BasDostWatch.

Mitchell Starc will not play in the BBL final for the Sydney Sixers despite being available after he and the Sixers came to a mutual agreement that the club should stick with the squad that has secured them a home final.

Starc has not played in the BBL since December 2014 but made a surprising decision to sign a contract with the Sixers ahead of the tournament, despite a heavy international schedule over the summer, with the possibility to play in the BBL finals.

He played all four Tests against India and required scans on his hamstring in the aftermath of the fourth Test loss. He was subsequently cleared but after discussions with the Sixers it has been agreed that he won't come into the side which qualified straight for the final with a convincing victory over Perth Scorchers.

"The guys have done so well this year and I think it's in everyone's best interests to stick with the guys that have worked so hard to get to this point," Starc said in a statement. "I've always felt part of the club and I am right behind them for another big win on Saturday night."

Sixers general manager Jodie Hawkins said Starc and Nathan Lyon will be involved in an off-field capacity at the SCG on Saturday night and the club is comfortable with the decision to leave Starc out.

"Mitch is, and always will be, a big part of the Sixers family," Hawkins said. "Circumstances meant he and Nathan Lyon were not able to join us this season but they are both very much part of our set up and will represent the club off the field on Saturday night.

"Our current squad have done an incredible job all season to qualify for the final while playing every game on the road and Mitch and the club are really comfortable with this decision."

Starc will now focus on preparations for the upcoming Test tour of South Africa although that has yet to be confirmed.

Michael Klinger has stepped down as Melbourne Renegades coach after an unsuccessful two seasons to take up a role as the head of male cricket at New South Wales.

Klinger, 40, had a year to run on his three-year contract with the Renegades after being appointed to the role just prior to the 2019-20 season when BBL08 title-winning coach Andrew McDonald vacated the position to become Australia's assistant coach.

Klinger's two years at the helm of the Renegades, his first experience as a senior coach, were disastrous with the club winning just seven of 28 games and finishing last on the BBL table in both seasons.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity that I was given by the Melbourne Renegades. I'd like to thank everyone at the Renegades for their continued support throughout," Klinger said.

"Although the seasons didn't go to plan, I thoroughly enjoyed my time as head coach and can see a bright future in the coming seasons with such a young and talented group. I wish them all the best for the future.

"My new role as Head of Men's Cricket with CNSW is an extremely exciting position. I'm looking forward to this great opportunity working with Greg Mail and their senior squads, pathways, and Big Bash programs."

Renegades general manager David Lever said the club was supportive of Klinger's move.

"On behalf of everyone at the club I'd like to extend our thanks and best wishes to Michael in his new role in New South Wales," Lever said. "Maxy's dedication to the role, his composure, and broader role as an ambassador for the Renegades has been exemplary.

"Despite injuries and unavailability of key players, limited preparation time in his first season, and an extended period on the road in his second season, Maxy never looked for excuses and confronted each challenge with the same commitment, character, and class that made him such an excellent player for so long.

"We thank Michael for his service and outstanding leadership and wish him and his family all the best for their new opportunity."

The Renegades will now begin searching for a new coach for the second time in three years.

At New South Wales, Klinger will oversee the men's program working alongside Leah Poulton, NSW's head of female cricket, and reporting to head of cricket Greg Mail.

"We are delighted to have a person of Max's calibre joining our team," Mail said. "He is a universally respected figure in Australian cricket and brings experience across a wide range of high-performance environments and across all formats of the game.

"We'd like to thank Cricket Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades for releasing Michael from the remainder of his contract so that he could pursue this opportunity that we believe will benefit not just CNSW, but Australian cricket as a whole."

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and backup center Daniel Kilgore on the reserve/COVID-19 list due to close contact.

The roster moves mark the first coronavirus-related issues ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl.

As close contacts, Robinson and Kilgore still could play in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if they have five consecutive days of negative tests.

"The NFL has done a great job with it, presenting different safety things for the players to stay as safe as possible," said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who noted that he was first notified of the situation Sunday. "We've been hammering this point home forever. The problem is you're fighting the invisible man. It just gets you when least expected, and we're seeing that in everything. It's an unfortunate thing."

Robinson, 26, had a career-high 45 receptions for 466 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Kilgore, 33, appeared in seven games -- including four starts -- this season, his first with the Chiefs. The 10-year veteran is listed as Kansas City's backup center behind Austin Reiter.

"These guys were being as safe as they could be," Reid said, "and we'll just see how it goes. But the league has built-in rules and regulations, so we follow those, and it'll all work out. It'll all work out for them when it's all said and done."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball made the first start of his career in Monday night's 129-121 overtime win against the Miami Heat.

Ball, who replaced an injured Terry Rozier in the starting lineup, finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in 31 minutes.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Ball has earned big minutes off the bench but had yet to crack a starting lineup that features Rozier, Devonte' Graham and Gordon Hayward.

Rozier's absence also cleared up more minutes for guard Malik Monk, who seized the opportunity with 36 points in 40 minutes in Monday's win. His 3-pointer with 16 seconds left tied the score at 113 and sent it to overtime.

Ball, 19, entered Monday's game averaging 12.2 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 25 minutes per game.