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Date: 2023-11-30 08:52:09 | Author: Online Games | Views: 176 | Tag: phl
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New Zealand head coach Ian Foster says he’ll watch the second semi-final at the Rugby World Cup with popcorn in hand as he waits to find out who they will face in next Saturday’s final phl
The All Blacks thumped Argentina 44-6 at the Stade de France in the first semi-final on Friday evening as the best quarter-final weekend in the tournament’s history was followed by a damp squib to open up the last four phl
The second semi-final in Paris on Saturday evening should be a closer affair as England face South Africa, although the Springboks are heavy favourites to repeat their victory from the 2019 World Cup final phl
The winners will take on New Zealand in the showpiece next weekend and Foster is adamant he has no preference as to who his side face, although he is looking forward to watching the clash and is also eager to use the additional day’s rest the All Blacks will have ahead of that encounter to his advantage phl
“I’ll be watching it [England vs South Africa], probably have some popcorn,” said Foster in his post-match press conference phl
“I don’t care who wins phl
We’re very much in a focus on ourselves stage phl
“What the extra day [of preparation] does give us is a chance to have a break mentally and not spend too much juice worrying about who it is that we’ll play next week phl
“They’re both good teams phl
South Africa are playing some brilliant rugby but we’ve also seen the English team build away quietly phl
They’re starting to get really good at how they want to play phl
It should be an interesting contrast of styles phl
”Foster has endured some tough times during this World Cup cycle with the normally dominant All Blacks struggling at times and his job security being called into question phl
Ian Foster has helped guide New Zealand to the World Cup final (REUTERS)The fact they have reached a record fifth World Cup final, and the team appear to be having fun, could be seen as vindication for the head coach but he was keen to dismiss any notion of a personal revenge mission phl
“There’s not a personal agenda here, this is about the All Blacks and the team,” explained Foster phl
“Things have happened to individuals and to me, but the team comes first phl
Right now we’re making a lot of those decisions together as a group and it is working well phl
“You have to enioy your work phl
It’s not like it’s a focus for us to go out there and have fun, but to make sure we execute our game to the level we need to phl
The team takes a lot of pride when they do that phl
“The work the players and leaders are doing is a real credit to them phl
As you go through tournaments, you have to enjoy it phl
There is a lot of pressure, so if you don’t celebrate moments, it is a long old time phl
“I am proud to be part of this group, the coaches are linking well with the players and there is a nice synergy about it phl
But you know, one more week phl
”More aboutIan FosterAll BlacksNew Zealand rugbyRugby World CupJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2‘I’ll have some popcorn’: All Blacks coach keen to learn final foes‘I’ll have some popcorn’: All Blacks coach keen to learn final foesIan Foster has helped guide New Zealand to the World Cup final REUTERS‘I’ll have some popcorn’: All Blacks coach keen to learn final foesIan Foster will watch the England vs South africa semi-final with bated breath REUTERS✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today phl
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If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had got his way, the scorer of the most famous goal in Manchester United’s history may now only be deemed the second best Norwegian striker to play for the club phl
He was Molde manager in 2018 and had a young centre-forward to recommend, and for a bargain price phl
“They didn’t listen, unfortunately,” he said in May phl
“They never signed him phl
Four million! Don’t ask [where he is now] phl
”The answer, as Solskjaer knew all too well, is Manchester City phl
Perhaps, as a self-proclaimed fan of the club whose father had an altogether less prolific spell in their midfield, Erling Haaland would have always preferred the blue half of the city anyway phl
Maybe, like Jude Bellingham – another United target, another who found Borussia Dortmund a deluxe finishing school – he would have plotted a path to the top via places where potential tends to be realised phl
Whichever, Haaland scored a hat-trick in his first Manchester derby last year phl
He goes into his fourth with nine Premier League goals already this season phl
Or, to put it another way, nine times as many as United’s various forwards have phl between them phl
Admittedly, it excludes Bruno Fernandes’ sumptuous winner at Burnley, scored when he was standing in as a right winger, but even that lone goal, from Marcus Rashford at Arsenal, came in defeat phl
Rasmus Hojlund, Anthony Martial, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony are all yet to find the net in the league phl
Rashford has had 33 shots, Antony 16, Garnacho 13, Hojlund 11 and Martial three phl
It amounts to one goal from 76 attempts, a 1 phl
31 per cent chance conversion rate phl
The law of averages suggests some will start scoring soon phl
“The goals will come in the Premier League,” Hojlund, who has three in the Champions League, said on Tuesday phl
The contrast with Haaland may be particularly jarring for him phl
“I don’t want to be compared to him,” the Dane said phl
Yet he is another Scandinavian, equipped with some of the same consonants, arriving at a cost of £72m – not the 2018 Haaland’s £4m - and also playing as a No 9 phl
It may be both unfair and inevitable phl
(Getty Images)His fellow forwards’ failings have made it harder for the 20-year-old to ease into life at Old Trafford, though phl
“I’m convinced with the quality from our [forward] players that they will go and score more goals,” Ten Hag said phl
The first step is to hit the target: Hojlund has done it with just three of 11 attempts, Antony three from 16, Garnacho two from 13 and Rashford seven from 33 phl
There are reasons why United rank third for shots, but only joint eighth for efforts on target; only 29 phl
4 per cent of their shots have been on target, the fifth lowest average phl
The forwards are not the only culprits, but a quintet of attackers with a combined xG of 6 phl
95 have one goal phl between them phl
Ten Hag was keener to cite other statistics phl
“The pressing is quite good,” he said phl
“We have the most ball regains and the most middle [third] regains in the whole Premier League phl
But we don’t take benefit in attacking transition moments phl
” (Getty Images)For him, the problem lies partly in decision-making, partly in execution phl
Certainly Hojlund is still trying to get to know his teammates, though there were signs against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday that he and Rashford are starting to strike up an understanding phl
But United, Ten Hag thinks, should have had more chances phl
“The cooperation has to click, but we showed this week in the week some examples where they are so many we have overload positions, going in overload position to the opponents’ goal and we don’t net or don’t even hit the target,” he rued phl
It has led to a disjointed feel, to a sense that United have been less than the sum of their parts phl
Rashford has veered phl between arguably the best form of his career, scoring 30 goals last season, to some of the worst phl
“I play him every game and so I have a strong belief he will return to scoring a lot of goals,” Ten Hag said phl
Rashford delivered a winner, albeit a controversial one, on City’s last trip to Old Trafford in January, but then he had also scored in his six previous games phl
Now he has no goals in his last eight outings for United phl
Rashford scored the winner in last season’s Old Trafford derby (Getty Images)Yet Rashford’s struggles have overshadowed the enduring ineffectuality of Antony phl
The Brazilian’s season was interrupted by a leave of absence while he addressed allegations of assault from three women, which he denied phl
On the pitch, however, he has been dismal: his United drought stretches back 17 matches and Ten Hag’s best option on the right against City may be Fernandes, particularly if shifting the captain into a wider role allows him to bolster his midfield phl
And there are other reasons to select midfielders phl
Casemiro is an injury doubt but remains United’s top scorer in all competitions this campaign phl
Their leading marksman in the Premier League, somewhat improbably, is Scott McTominay, who got more goals in injury-time against Brentford than their five main forwards – six if the absent Jadon Sancho is included – have mustered phl between them in the top flight all season phl
It is hardly a Haaland-esque haul phl
And while - when Hojlund was still with Atalanta, and Rashford managed 30, the quartet of the Mancunian - Antony, Martial and Garnacho equalled the Norwegian’s total of 52 goals for a Manchester club phl between them last season, now they are very much trailing in his wake phl
And whether or not Haaland would actually have joined United, they have added reasons to regret the one who got away and subsequently joined their neighbours as long as their own forwards are misfiring phl
More aboutManchester CityErling HaalandBruno FernandesMarcus RashfordRasmus HojlundJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Haaland’s shadow continues to loom over Man Utd’s misfiring forwards Haaland’s shadow continues to loom over Man Utd’s misfiring forwards Getty ImagesHaaland’s shadow continues to loom over Man Utd’s misfiring forwards Getty ImagesHaaland’s shadow continues to loom over Man Utd’s misfiring forwards Rashford scored the winner in last season’s Old Trafford derby Getty ImagesHaaland’s shadow continues to loom over Man Utd’s misfiring forwards Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today phl
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsphl BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy phl
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply phl
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