Another weekend in Europe's top soccer leagues brought plenty for us to talk about. (When doesn't it?) Sunday's Manchester derby promised a lot but delivered little, while Real Madrid lost ground in LaLiga's title race with a stunning home defeat to Valencia -- Los Che's first away win of the 2024-25 season. (Don't stress too much, Madrid fans: Barcelona drew with Real Betis this weekend.) Oh, and Liverpool's slow crawl to the Premier League title continued with a 3-2 loss at Fulham and Paris Saint-Germain confirmed their Ligue 1 crown with victory over Angers.

Elsewhere, we have talking points galore around Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea and more. Here are some musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.

Manchester derby shows us where these teams are, and it's not great

It was a stinker of a game for the neutral. Sunday's Manchester derby finished 0-0: United managed a single shot on target, while City cobbled together an xG of just 0.35. There was little urgency (especially from City) and even less intensity.

United's priority seemed to be getting their positioning and movement correct, probably to better metabolize Ruben Amorim's tactical scheme. (As we told you, the rest of the season would be one big exercise in learning.) City seemed to rely on putting their most skillful and creative players out there and waiting for them to do something -- the net result was that Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne ended up slowing things to a crawl when in possession. The only dynamism came from Omar Marmoush because Phil Foden, the only other attacking player with legs at this stage of his career, was once again anonymous.

This was pretty evident in a first half that saw City put together just four shots for a combined xG of a paltry 0.14. His first change came at the hour mark, when he mercifully replaced Foden with Jérémy Doku. His other two came 15 minutes from time -- Jack Grealish for Gundogan, Rico Lewis for Nico O'Reilly -- and had zero impact as City didn't have a single shot after they came on. We know Pep Guardiola isn't big on substitutions (he rarely uses his full complement), but this felt odd.

Settling for a point at Old Trafford, where seven of the 16 previous visitors have taken all three, doesn't seem very Pep-like ... or very smart. Newcastle United are two points back, with two games in hand. If they win just one of the two (and they might win both), City are out of the Champions League places.

It also felt odd that late in the game, with United in the ascendancy, Savinho and Nico Gonzalez -- who at least would have brought some energy -- remained rooted to the bench. Erling Haaland's injury weighs heavy -- of course it does -- but this is Guardiola we're talking about. The bar is necessarily higher with him, because he has already earned his spot among the greatest ever. You expect him to put together a lineup that works in a game like this. And if it doesn't, you expect him to find the necessary changes in the course of the match if not to win, at least to compete.

As for United, the headline stat is that unless they win all seven of their remaining games -- and they almost certainly won't -- they'll finish with their lowest points total since 1990. But at least there's a Europa League to play for: They travel to Lyon on Thursday for their quarterfinal first leg. And more importantly, at least with Amorim it feels like they're building toward something, however far away -- and, likely with different personnel -- it might be.

Real Madrid pay hefty price for individual errors vs. Valencia

The fact that Valencia hadn't won away all season and in fact had not won at the Bernabeu in 17 years tells you all you need to know. It's not as if Real Madrid necessarily looked past them, focusing instead on the Champions League clash with Arsenal on Tuesday -- rather, it's more a case of everything that could go wrong going wrong in this game.

Vinícius missed an early penalty, Real Madrid carved out a host of chances -- their expected goals was 3.47 -- and Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had one of those days that he'll tell his grandchildren about. Their opponents had two shots on target and scored two goals, injuries in both cases exploiting two areas where Real Madrid are weakest: defending on set pieces and defending in transition. (It was made worse by the fact that the winner, in the fifth minute of injury time, arrived just as they were streaming forward to try and score the winner.)

You wouldn't say third-choice keeper, 19-year-old Fran González -- in goal due to the fitness of Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin -- was at fault for either goal, but you wonder whether one of the world's best, like Courtois, might have done better.

Will this have a knock-on effect away to Arsenal? Marginally, perhaps. Had they wrapped this game up early, maybe Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham would have come off to spare them some minutes. Maybe Luka Modric and Vinicius -- both of whom lasted until 13 minutes to the end -- would have too.

But that's Real Madrid's reality right now. It's a long season and they're competing on multiple fronts. It's not a coincidence that of the Champions League quarterfinalists, Arsenal, Inter and Barcelona all dropped points too. What makes things a little worse for Madrid is that relative to the others, this is an injury-hit and not particularly well-constructed squad, with a distinct lack of cover in certain areas. But it's been like that all season long. They're still alive for the Treble. And they're Real Madrid. Few will have much sympathy.

Liverpool defeat shows motivation is a thing, even for the champions-elect

There are only so many times you can go to the well, mentally and physically. Liverpool's last three outings -- Paris Saint-Germain at home in the Champions League, the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, the Merseyside derby -- were all big games, with plenty of pressure and media attention. Fulham away with a chance to go 14 points clear of Arsenal? Not so much.

It's not an excuse for Liverpool's horrendous first half (slapstick defending and just two shots, one of them Alexis Mac Allister's wondergoal), but rather another sign that this team is physically and psychologically exhausted. From 3-1 down at the break, they summoned Luis Díaz from the bench and their pride internally and created enough chances to potentially avoid defeat and possibly even win at the end. But it's clearly not where they want to be, as Arne Slot himself outlined.

In the short term, it doesn't matter. As we've written many times, this league title is a tremendous achievement for the club and the players and, especially, for Slot. The way he has managed -- both tactics and mentality -- ought to be studied. But it's also a sign that work needs to be done over the summer, because this team is tailing off badly. (It's three defeats in their last four, if you're keeping track.)

Don't be surprised if it's a busy summer and this title-winning team gets broken up.

Paris Saint-Germain winning the title isn't remarkable, but how they did it certainly is

Saturday's 1-0 victory over Angers made official what was probably inevitable: PSG winning Ligue 1. When your wage bill is almost as high as the next four highest combined, you have to severely underachieve to not win the league. But that doesn't mean the way this team has been transformed isn't remarkable.

When the won title two years ago under Christoph Galtier, their front three were Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. All three are gone. So too is playmaker Marco Verratti, defensive specialist Danilo, leftback Juan Bernat and, of course, Sergio Ramos at the back. The five holdovers from that starting XI are Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz.

The team got younger, more dynamic and more financially sustainable, as the wage bill was cut in half. But more importantly, the ethos went from individual to collective, from star power to system. That's down to Luis Enrique. Few coaches are as demanding and as laser-focused in forcing their vision of football on a side.

Dogmatic? Sure, and that's not always a good thing and, of course, there have been bumps along the way. But he held up his part of the bargain. He helped the club make a 180 degree turn from a bling-and-marketing vehicle into a real team. That's a credit to him, to his staff and to his players.

Quick hits

10. Nico Kovac prioritizes Champions League, but Borussia Dortmund still on a roll: It feels like a weird thing to say given how much this club has been criticised, but Kovac is getting it right. Saturday's 4-1 away win over Freiburg marks two straight weekends with victories against direct opponents for European spots, after their win over Mainz a week ago. The back three, marshalled by Emre Can, looks about as solid as anything they've put together all year (which admittedly, isn't saying much) and on Saturday he got a boost from the January arrivals, Carney Chukwuemeka and Daniel Svensson. I said when he was appointed that Champions League football should be the goal and for a while, it looked as if there was no chance. But they're five points back with six games to go and, at a minimum, it's still something to aim for.

9. What if Arsenal had played after Liverpool? You can't help but ask yourself that. What if, instead of kicking off the Premier League weekend on a Saturday lunchtime against an opponent with nothing to play for (despite David Moyes arguing that Everton are "not mathematically safe"), they had taken the pitch knowing they could pull within nine points with seven games to go? Might Mikel Arteta have played more starters from the beginning and might that have been enough to beat Everton? We'll never know, and it doesn't really matter. Preserving the likes of Jurriën Timber, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and others with a huge Champions League clash against Real Madrid coming up was more important. As it happened, a side packed with understudies took the lead against a listless Everton in the first half, conceded a dubious penalty when their opponent finally showed up after the break and then missed a couple late chances. Yeah it could have gone the other way, but you can tell that the B-team is several notches below the real thing. And even then, they were focused on Madrid.

8. Betis lockdown holds Barcelona to a point, but don't second-guess Hansi Flick: Hindsight is always 20/20. Knowing that Barcelona would have gone a whopping six points clear with a win over Betis, some may argue that Hansi Flick should have started Raphinha (and possibly Fermín López) rather than, presumably, giving them a breather ahead of the midweek Champions League quarterfinal clash with Borussia Dortmund. That's flawed thinking for three reasons. First off, if this is the team he had in mind, there's no reason to deviate: after all, it's not as if it would have been OK for Barca to drop points had Real Madrid won. Second, if anything, Barcelona lost steam in the second half after Raphinha came on. Third, and most important, it's good to remember the other guy is trying to win too and on the day, Barca ran into a standout performance by Betis and Ernesto Pellegrini, who sacrificed his usual open attacking ethos for lockdown mode. They're four points clear with eight games to go and firmly in control. For now, at least.

7. Juventus may only be slightly better with Igor Tudor as manager, but at least they're watchable: I heard a pundit on Italian TV say that under Thiago Motta Juventus were trying to do "a thousand things at once" whereas with Tudor, they stick to one simple thing everyone understands. That about sums them up. There's a back three to protect Michele Di Gregorio. Weston McKennie and Tim Weah offer width. Nico Gonzalez and Kenan Yildiz support the big central striker, Dusan Vlahovic. The ball goes back-to-front quickly. Sometimes it's not about a fancy scheme or philosophy, but a basic scheme executed well. They weren't great against Roma -- though Manuel Locatelli's goal was -- but they weren't disheveled either, they grew in confidence and they got a very solid away point that keeps them on track for the Champions League. It's exactly what Tudor was brought in to deliver.

6. Emi Buendia unlikely hero for Leverkusen, who have a lot of lessons to learn: If it's true that you learn more from your setbacks than your successes, then Xabi Alonso will have a freaking PhD this season while a year ago -- when he was hailed as the next big thing -- he actually picked up very little. Despite strengthening over the summer, his Bayer Leverkusen side have 14 fewer points than at the same stage last season, were humiliatingly knocked out before the quarterfinal stage in Europe, and were eliminated in the German Cup by third division Arminia Bielefeld. Some cynics might say he should have jumped for the Real Madrid or Liverpool jobs a year ago when he had the chance, but I think that's nonsense: he's a young coach and this turbulent campaign will likely make him better if he learns what went wrong (and, no, it's not just the injury to Florian Wirtz). And truth be told, plenty has gone wrong. The fallout from the DFB Pokal exit was palpable against Heidenheim when they put on a stinker -- just one shot on target and an xG of 0.27 before substitute Buendia's injury strike -- that could have easily seen them two goals down. They're still six points back in the league, but the season is ending with a whimper.

5. Pablo Barrios buzzer-beater keeps Atleti hopes alive, barely: It's a seven-point gap with eight games to go and, unlike Real Madrid and Barcelona, they don't have European football, so you can't write Atletico Madrid off after the 2-1 win at Sevilla. But obviously, it's a long shot, and not just because of the points, but because Atleti simply aren't playing well. The version of 4-4-2 that served them so well isn't quite as effective when guys are missing (Rodrigo De Paul) or just off form (Antoine Griezmann, Giuliano Simeone) and there's virtually no width. Bright spot? Barrios, who at 21 is still developing and has had ups and downs this season, but appears to have the tools to be a midfield leader here for years to come.

4. Southampton offer a much-needed pick-me-up for Spurs, but what's next? After four games without a win and some vicious abuse from his own fans following the defeat away to Chelsea on Thursday night, Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou needed some relief. It helps when you get to play Southampton, who are so poor this season their 3-1 defeat meant they set a Premier League mark in futility by getting relegated earlier than any other side in history. It was a perfect opponent heading into a big Europa League quarterfinal against Eintracht Frankfurt, though the paucity of the opposition tells you little about where Spurs actually are. At this stage, their remaining games are just a way of keeping fit and marking time in between Europa League games. And if they go out against Eintracht in 10 days' time, then it will be time to make some tough decisions: about the squad and, yes, about Postecoglou himself.

3. Simone Inzaghi's substitutions backfired, but Inter fans can't have it both ways: Is it frustrating to throw away a 2-0 half-time lead? Yes. Is it infuriating to see some of your best players -- Alessandro Bastoni at half-time, Fede Dimarco at the hour mark, Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Calhanoglou shortly thereafter -- come off the pitch only to see Parma claw it back to 2-2 and come back to nearly winning at the end? You bet. But Inzaghi built Inter's recent success on squad management and rotation. That's not going to go out the window from one game to the next, nor should it. With a massive clash against Bayern Munich coming up in midweek, Inzaghi chose to prioritise that and trust his bench players. On this occasion, it backfired badly -- and to be fair, the less I see of Joaquín Correa, the better -- but it's what got Inter where they are. And there's no guarantee not making the changes would have preserved the lead; though it is a guarantee that the starters would have come out the other end more tired and, possibly, risking injury.

2. Issue with Chelsea is squad construction, not rotation, as Enzo Maresca's calculate risk backfires: On the road, against a mid-table opponent (Brentford) with nothing to play for who hadn't won at home in four months, Maresca likely thought that he could get three points without Nico Jackson, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer in his starting lineup. Or, as he implied, if they aren't winning, he could bring the cavalry off the bench. He was wrong, and Chelsea were held to a scoreless draw in a game they could well have lost. But that's not about choosing to rotate: it's about the lack of viable alternatives in too many roles. We've said it before, and it still holds true. Christopher Nkunku is not a credible back-up for Jackson, there's no off-brand version of Palmer, there's no reserve left-back and you're short in midfield. Chelsea may have spent vast amounts to vacuum up talent, but they haven't built a squad and are still overly dependent on the same three or four players. Maresca made the right decision, albeit with the wrong people.

1. More self-inflicted Milan misery in 2-2 draw at Fiorentina: I guess if you're determined to see the glass as half-full, the good news is that Milan went two goals down inside of 10 minutes, forced some superb saves out of David De Gea and still managed to get a point away to a form opponent. If your glass is half-empty -- or if you simply live in the real world -- this was still a car crash of a performance. Milan manager Sérgio Conceição blamed the "unforced errors" and said they were "strange" -- so too was his decision to humiliate Yunus Musah by taking him off after 23 minutes (he was having a nightmare, but still). And yes, it was an open game that Milan could have won, but also one they could easily have lost, witness Dodô's late disallowed goal for a marginal offside. At least João Félix only got 10 minutes, so it's not all bad, I guess...

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Alex Ovechkin for setting an "outstanding record" as the NHL's top career goal scorer.

In a message after Ovechkin's 895th career goal broke a tie for the record with Wayne Gretzky in the Washington Capitals' game Sunday against the New York Islanders, Putin said the achievement was something Russians would celebrate.

"I congratulate you on your outstanding record. You have surpassed legendary masters in the number of goals scored in National Hockey League regular-season games," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday.

Breaking Gretzky's record "has become not only your personal success, but also a real celebration for fans in Russia and abroad," Putin added. "I wish you health, good fortune [and] fighting spirit to conquer new heights in life and in sports."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Putin and Ovechkin had not yet spoken by phone but that Putin's message of congratulations showed the president "highly values Ovechkin's sporting result."

Ovechkin has been a backer of Putin in the past and in 2017 set up a group called Putin Team on social media to show support for the Russian president, who was reelected the following year.

At the time, Ovechkin told The Associated Press and The Washington Post, "I just support my country," and said, "It's not about political stuff."

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev referred to that moment in his own statement of congratulations after Ovechkin broke the record Sunday.

He posted on social media that Ovechkin "remains a member of the Putin team and at the same time one of the main faces of world hockey, a favorite of millions and the NHL top scorer."

The Milwaukee Brewers will hold a public ceremony honoring the life of longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker before their Aug. 24 game with the San Francisco Giants.

Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio had announced plans for this type of summer ceremony in January after Uecker died at the age of 90. The date wasn't revealed until Monday.

Emmy-winning broadcaster Bob Costas, a longtime friend and former colleague of Uecker's, will host the event. The ceremony will feature appearances by special guests as well as videos with rarely seen content from Uecker's life.

All ticketed fans will receive a lapel pin featuring the design of the Brewers' uniform patch honoring Uecker. Baseballs and bases featuring a Uecker celebration logo will be used during the game. A raffle will benefit three of Uecker's favorite charities: the Wounded Warrior Project, the ALS Association and the Medical College of Wisconsin Bob Uecker Chair for Cancer Research.

"As we continue to navigate the loss of Bob, we're truly grateful to the Brewers for hosting this Celebration of Life," son and family representative Bob Uecker Jr. said in a statement. "We look forward to coming together to honor his memory and share in the meaningful moments of the day."

Uecker broadcast Brewers games for 54 years and continued in that role last year even after he was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. The Hall of Famer earned the nickname "Mr. Baseball" and developed a national following because of the sense of humor he showed during chats with Johnny Carson, in appearances in Miller Lite beer commercials and in featured roles in the movie "Major League" and on television's "Mr. Belvedere."

"We continue to mourn Bob's passing, but we feel his presence every day at the ballpark, and in our lives," Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said in a statement. "August 24 will offer all of us an opportunity to come together to celebrate Bob's life and re-live the countless, unforgettable memories he created so effortlessly."

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said his on-field woes during the 2021 and 2022 seasons fueled his mental health struggles to the point that he attempted suicide.

Duran, interviewed for the docuseries "The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox" that will premiere Tuesday on Netflix, said not meeting his own expectations -- as well as disappointing others -- pushed him to a very dark place.

"I was already hearing it from fans," Duran said in the docuseries. "And what they said to me, [it was like], 'I've told myself 10 times worse in the mirror.' That was a really tough time for me. I didn't even want to be here anymore."

"... I got to a point where I was sitting in my room, I had my rifle and I had a bullet and I pulled the trigger and the gun clicked, but nothing happened. So, to this day, I think God just didn't let me take my own life because I seriously don't know why it didn't go off. I took it as a sign of, 'I might have to be here for a reason', so that's when I started to look myself in the mirror after the gun didn't go off. I was like, 'Do I want to be here or do I not want to be here?' That happened for a reason and obviously, you're here for a reason so let's be the way you want to be and play [the way] you want to play and live the way you want to live."

Duran, 28, entered the majors with the Red Sox as a rookie in 2021, hitting .215 with 10 RBIs in 33 games. The following season was only slightly better, with him hitting .221 with 17 RBIs in 58 games.

His career, however, started its upward trajectory in 2023 after being recalled from Triple-A early in the season. He hit .295 with 40 RBIs in 102 games, stealing 24 bases and scoring 46 runs. He became a first-time All-Star in 2024 and was MVP of that game, and he set career highs that season in home runs (21), runs (111), RBI (75) and stolen bases (34).

Duran, who finished eighth in MVP voting, avoided arbitration this offseason, reaching a one-year deal for $3.85 million that includes a team option for 2026.

"Jarren's decision to share his story is an act of courage that reaches far beyond baseball," Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said in a statement. "By opening up, he's showing others who may be struggling that they're not alone and that asking for help isn't just OK, it's essential.

"Every member of this organization continues to stand with him. He has our deepest admiration, he's always had our full support and we're incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our team."

Duran was suspended two games last season for uttering an anti-gay slur at a fan. He apologized, telling fans that he was "sorry for my actions" and that "I'm gonna work on being better for them."

In the docuseries, Duran said he keeps a daily journal and gives himself little reminders to help him focus on his mental health.

"On [the tape on] my left wrist, I write, '[expletive] 'em,' because it's me telling my demons, 'You're not going to faze me'," Duran said in the docuseries. "And on my right wrist, I write, 'Still alive' because I'm still here and I'm still fighting."

There is no escaping the fact that age is catching up with Novak Djokovic.

With his 38th birthday fast approaching, the evidence shows the 24-time Grand Slam champion's powers are waning.

But as the men's clay-court season begins in Monte Carlo, Djokovic looks in a much better place than a fortnight ago.

Finishing runner-up in Miami to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik showed that the world number five is not ready to roll into retirement yet.

"There is no doubt that [motivation] has become more difficult throughout my career but the performances in Miami give me more inspiration to keep going," Djokovic said.

The Serb veteran knows his serve needs to be potent if he is going to challenge at the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon.

Unable to rely as much on physicality against his younger opponents, Djokovic wants the accuracy of his opening shot - an underrated part of his game - to help limit the baseline rallies.

We saw the effectiveness in Miami.

Based on precision rather than power, he landed 79% of first serves - including a career-high 87% in the semi-final against Grigor Dimitrov - and only faced seven break points in his opening five matches.

"Now I know what it's like to be John Isner," he joked after beating Dimitrov.

Djokovic has not won a major since the 2023 US Open and claimed only one title last season - albeit the Olympic gold he had long craved.

That came on the Roland Garros clay, where he aims to win a standalone 25th Grand Slam title in June.

His other priority is becoming only the third man to claim a 100th tour-level singles title.

He will, however, have to come through a strong field in Monte Carlo, with 17 of the top 20 players competing.

Britain's Jack Draper is one of them, with Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz among the favourites.

After what he called a "special day" in La Rochelle on Saturday, Munster's head of rugby operations Ian Costello said the province are targeting three more such occasions in the Investec Champions Cup this season.

The 25-24 win over Ronan O'Gara's side in the last-16 stage set up a quarter-final away to Bordeaux-Begles this Saturday and Costello wants to ensure that the win in La Rochelle is not viewed as a "cup final" for the group.

"The reality is now we want to have three more days like this," he said after the dramatic win in the Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

"You take one game at a time, but there's no point in this being our cup final. It would nearly disrespect what the club have done.

"We've three matches left to have a crack at winning a trophy."

Costello praised the visiting Munster supporters who travelled to La Rochelle in huge numbers

"I went down to meet a few friends just to get out of the hotel for an hour and it was shivers down your neck stuff," he said.

"I hadn't seen anything like that for a long, long time.

"That set the tone. What it means to our supporters.

"There was talk of 2,000 [Munster fans] here, there were way more than 2,000."

With only seven days between visits to France, it is unlikely the Munster support will travel in such numbers to the Stade Chaban-Delmas this weekend, although Costello is sure some will try.

"There'll be kids' piggybanks raided," he joked.

"There'll be people here, that's the magic of it.

"There's people that would prefer not to go on summer holidays to get two weekends like this. That's what's special about the club."

Reddin worked for England's Rugby Football Union as a fitness expert between 1997 and 2006, with the pinnacle being the World Cup success in Australia.

Reddin was also part of Woodward's backroom team on the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2005.

After his spell working with Team GB, Reddin joined the FA in 2014 as head of performance services under then director of elite development Dan Ashworth.

Reddin's role initially focused on England's development teams but he was appointed head of team strategy and performance in 2016.

That role included responsibilities for performance medicine, analysis, physical performance, nutrition and people development.

Reddin worked with Gareth Southgate's senior England side, including at the 2018 World Cup when they reached the semi-final.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn said Reddin had played a "key role across all 28 of our England teams" when he left the organisation in 2019.

Reddin was subject to an FA investigation after a bullying allegation was made against him in 2017.

After a thorough process, the FA said it was "entirely satisfied the matters were appropriately investigated and concluded".

Less than an hour after the United States lost to Canada in overtime of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was asked about the growth of American hockey and what lies ahead.

"You know what I think it does? I think we've had a tough time with USA Hockey getting guys to play in the World Championships," said Larkin, a five-time World Championships participant. "I think guys are at home watching this, and I hope they are wanting a piece of this.

"They gotta go to the World Championships and prove themselves and play for their country. We gotta start winning that tournament. I think that's where Canada, those guys go and they play."

Larkin's words have since sparked a discussion about one of the largest challenges facing the nation's governing body for the sport as it tries to become the world's strongest men's hockey power. Getting there means having an investment that goes beyond marquee events such as the 4 Nations Face-Off or the Olympics, and it all starts with how players regard participation in the IIHF World Championships.

The leadership team at USA Hockey have heard or read about what Larkin said, as have his peers in the NHL. But a gap persists in getting all of those peers to buy in.

ESPN spoke to 10 sources, including players and management, about why it has been a struggle for USA Hockey to get more top-level NHL players to participate at the World Championships. And while this year's edition presents a potential path toward a player making a case for the Olympics roster next February, there are those who feel that shouldn't be the only motivation to play for Team USA.

"We have to rebuild our culture that the tournament is important and it should be more important than it is for our players," said Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who was Team USA's GM for the 4 Nations Face-Off and will also manage the 2026 Olympic team. "The excuses that I hear for guys not going over, they're not good enough. We need guys to go over. We want to try to start winning more often than we do, and we need our best players to consider going over.

"I know there's real-life situations. I know there's injuries. I know there's contracts. But some of the excuses I've heard? Quite honestly, they're not good enough."

THE AMERICAN HOCKEY landscape has changed dramatically since the days when Guerin and John Vanbiesbrouck, USA Hockey's assistant executive director for hockey operations, were in the NHL.

Neither of them were born when the U.S. won its second World Championship along with its first Olympic gold medal in 1960. Guerin was 10 and Vanbiesbrouck 16 when the "Miracle On Ice" team, made up of amateur players, beat the Soviet Union before winning America's second hockey gold at the 1980 Olympics.

Initially, the annual World Championships tournament was limited to amateur players as well, but the IIHF allowed professionals to participate starting in 1977. The IIHF's decision came in the wake of the Canada Cup, a six-team tournament featuring pro players that was held five times between 1976 and 1991.

Eventually, the Canada Cup was replaced by the World Cup of Hockey in 1996. The NHL then allowed its players to participate in the Olympics starting in 1998.

This created opportunities for players such as Guerin and Vanbiesbrouck to represent the U.S. throughout their professional careers. It also presented a contrast in terms of how rosters were constructed.

For example, Vanbiesbrouck represented the U.S. at the World Championships four times and was on two Canada Cup teams. He made the roster for both tournaments in 1991. The U.S. roster for the World Championships that year had 10 players younger than 23, while the Canada Cup team had only four.

While Guerin never played at the Worlds, he represented the U.S. at three Olympics and twice at the World Cup of Hockey. Guerin was part of the gold-medal-winning team at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and the silver-medal winning team at the 2002 Olympics. Team USA's median age when Guerin played was 30.

"Our expectations have changed," Vanbiesbrouck said. "Whenever somebody wears the jersey, there's a certain expectation. There's an element of national pride to wear a jersey, to honor the flag and honor those people who came before you. It's a great element in our game."

One item that helped with elevating those expectations was the creation of the United States National Team Development Program in 1996. The NTDP became an incubator for the nation's premier U18 and U17 male players.

Prior to the NTDP, the U.S. had medaled only twice -- with a pair of bronze-place finishes -- at the IIHF U20 World Junior Championships. The NTDP has since played an instrumental role in the U.S. establishing itself as a WJC powerhouse. Team USA has captured seven gold medals since 2010 and won its second consecutive gold earlier this year.

Between the NTDP producing 98 first-round picks and the success at the World Juniors, it created the hypothesis that USA Hockey should be able to easily recruit players to represent the nation. That much was evident after the 4 Nations Face-Off, and it's part of why the U.S. is considered to be one of the front-runners for gold at the 2026 Olympics.

"A lot of guys went through the NTDP and even coming here for two weeks, it was the closest group I've been around," Columbus Blue Jackets and Team USA defenseman Zach Werenski said after the 4 Nations Face-Off. "It was awesome being here for two weeks and it was so much fun being around these guys. Everyone bought in. I think that's a testament to what USA Hockey is doing from younger ages on right now.

"We expect to win. We expect to be in gold medal games and to be in these positions against Canada and the best teams."

Players like Larkin and Werenski have a different experience compared to those who came before them. Fewer international opportunities existed, because the NHL didn't allow players to participate in the Olympics in 2018 or 2022, while there have been only two World Cups (2004, 2016) since the first one in 1996.

It left the World Championships as the primary consistent option that could come close to replicating those best-on-best tournaments. But even as the demand for international hockey grows, there remains a disconnect when it comes to U.S. players and the World Championships.

The timing of the World Championships could be a factor. This year's tournament runs from May 9 through May 25, which is simultaneous to the second round and conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This limits the player pool to those whose teams didn't qualify for the playoffs, or who were eliminated in the first round.

"It's the time of year when everyone's really looking for a break, and to go for a month, give it your all and sacrifice? It's a lot for players," Vanbiesbrouck said. "Most of the guys in the NHL are family guys, which we can all appreciate. Another is with the hip injuries that are happening today, they need a whole summer to recuperate and there's so many significant injuries now that take such a long time that we understand. But I think that's a big factor."

THE WINNIPEG JETS duo of Connor Hellebuyck and Nikolaj Ehlers represent just how much differently the World Championships are viewed in the United States compared to the rest of the world.

Hellebuyck grew up in Commerce Township, Mich., which is a 45-minute drive from the NTDP's headquarters. He grew up watching the Detroit Red Wings and went to games. He watched American-born players such as fellow goalie Jimmy Howard, who he idolized.

But he first learned about the tournament as a 21-year-old who had just finished his first AHL season in 2015, when he received a call from USA Hockey asking him to join the team for the World Championships.

"When USA Hockey called, it was cool. It was a cool experience," Hellebuyck said. "The more I did it, the more I started to realize it is for the experience and it's for the young guy trying to get better. It's not for the veteran unless he wants to travel, unless he wants to see the world or he wants to play a little more hockey."

American-born players like Hellebuyck often grow up associating hockey in May with the Stanley Cup playoffs. Major League Baseball, the NBA Finals and the PGA Championship, among many other sporting events, are also going on at that time. Having that many options plays into the lack of visibility.

Compare that to Ehlers. He grew up in Aalborg, Denmark where there was a pro hockey team, but nothing like the NHL. As a nation, Denmark has around 5,000 registered hockey players. But it hosted the World Championships for the first time in 2018, and had the eighth-highest total attendance in tournament history. Denmark will co-host this year's tournament in May with Sweden.

In Europe, the World Championships have become a tentpole event within the European sporting landscape in nations such as Czechia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, home of the IIHF's headquarters. Last year's tournament in Czechia set a new tournament total attendance record of 797,727 fans. Five of the 10 most attended tournaments have come since 2010, none of which were in North America.

The U.S has hosted the tournament three times -- with the most recent coming in 1962, when it was hosted in Colorado Springs and Denver. Canada, which has won the tournament a record 28 times, has hosted the World Championships just once, back in 2008.

Vanbiesbrouck said there haven't been any discussions throughout his time with USA Hockey about trying to host the event, adding that he would like to challenge the status quo and "be able to say that we could do this."

Ehlers, who played in his first Worlds in 2016, said the tournament has such a reverence in Europe that fans will travel to support their respective homelands. But for nations such as Denmark, Ehlers said the Worlds provide them a chance to show they do belong.

"To be able to have had the amount of NHL players that we've had over years and the way that we've gone at The Olympics, they reached the quarterfinals at the last Olympics," said Ehlers, who is one of 17 Danes to play in the NHL. "We've beaten Canada and Sweden and teams like that. We go out there to try to prove we are not a small hockey country even though we are in the big picture."

Or as Guerin said: "Because it matters to them. It's important and it needs to be important for us."

SO WHAT CAN USA Hockey do to get more NHL players to play at the Worlds?

Guerin said that the organization has developed a program allowing players to bring their family members and/or friends to Europe for the tournament. Vanbiesbrouck added that it's something they've evolved after observing what Canada had with its program.

Utah Hockey Club coach Andre Tourigny -- Canada's coach for the past two cycles -- said Hockey Canada created a family environment. He said bringing families over for the tournament means there's a chance for them to share what it means to be in a different part of the world. But when it's time to play, those individual families then create their own community despite being thousands of miles away from home.

"Admittedly, USA Hockey has had to do a better job of getting the people and bringing them over with a certain standard and they've done that," Guerin said. "The last little while they've stepped up to the plate and made it a better experience for the players, their wives and their families. It can just be a great opportunity to play for your country. Hopefully, we start to see more guys feel the importance of that tournament."

Wild forward Matt Boldy said that Guerin and others within USA Hockey have done a strong job of emphasizing why the World Championships matter, and how they used it in their process for creating Team USA's 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

Boldy said he viewed going to the World Championships as a chance to show how he could be counted upon playing in a different system in international play. Especially when he saw other nations bring more of their best players to the tournament.

A two-time World Championship team member, Boldy got a chance to learn from Johnny Gaudreau and Brock Nelson, two players he grew up watching. While Boldy learned from them on the ice, he also got a chance to know them as people, which he said helped when it came to establishing a dynamic with teammates.

"I think the more that we can get our USA guys there playing together, comfortable with each other ... it just makes things easier so in tournaments like the 4 Nations, it makes that transition smoother," Boldy said. "It's a big tournament. Every country wants to win it including the U.S. If we can get our biggest guys there and everyone kind of spends that extra time together, it could mean a lot."

Guerin and Vanbiesbrouck said that they have heard from the agents of American players who missed out on the 4 Nations Face-Off about wanting to be involved in the Olympics. Vanbiesbrouck said that the 4 Nations event also made older players realize that the 2026 Olympics might be their final opportunity to play for Team USA.

"It's one of those things where if you want to be in one of those tournaments and participate, then, be a part of it," Guerin said. "Don't be a part of it when you want to be a part of it. A lot of the guys we've had have gone to the World Championships and done that. If you want to have a better shot of something like the 4 Nations and the Olympics, help us in other areas. We need it. It's not just trying to win the 4 Nations or The Olympics.

"The World Championships go on every year and we want to try to win it. That's the bottom line."

Southampton have sacked manager Ivan Jurić after the club's relegation from the Premier League, the club confirmed on Monday.

A 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday confirmed their relegation with a record seven matches to spare and the club have since announced they will part ways with boss Jurić.

Southampton are also on course to finish the campaign with the lowest recorded points tally in Premier League history. The 2007-08 Derby County team infamously finished with 11 points -- one point more than Southampton have managed so far.

Speaking with Sky Sports after the loss at Spurs Jurić said: "We have to avoid that record. Do our best. It cannot happen."

Jurić, who took over from Russell Martin in December, has lost 12 out of 14 games with Southampton club and manahed just one win.

The Croatian joined Southampton after he was dismissed by Roma following a poor six-week spell in charge at the Italian club last November.

Simon Rusk has agreed to take charge of the team as interim manager for the remaining seven fixtures of this season. Rusk will be assisted by midfielder Adam Lallana.

"We would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up," a Southampton statement said.

"With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer."