#player-performance

#player-performance

The Ecuadorian was billed as a replacement for Theo Hernandez when he joined Milan from Brighton last summer, lumbered with unreasonable comparison from the start. Hernandez, at his best, was one of the most effective attacking full-backs on the planet. Estupinan, at 28, is yet to put himself in that conversation, but the hope was that he could offer some of the same directness and ability to get up and down the left flank.

When I'm playing someone who's at the top like that, I think they have an extra 10 miles an hour on their serve than me. If I'm not feeling it, that gap feels more evident in terms of weight of shot, in terms of power. You just feel a little bit behind and your punches aren't landing as much as theirs are.

India and England two teams vying to become record-breaking three-time T20 World Cup champions will meet in the second semifinal of the tournament on Thursday. India are also out to break the voodoo of a host nation and defending champion successfully retain the title, but England will hope the pressure of playing in front of a cricket-crazy home crowd will help halt their opponent's march at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Boston acquired Willson "Don't Forget The Second L" Contreras in late December from the St. Louis Cardinals, in exchange for SP Hunter Dobbins and pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita. A catcher for the first nine years of his career with the Cubs and Cardinals, Contreras shifted to first base a year ago, playing 120 games at the position to go with 15 at designated hitter.

He looked like the rare interior guy whose movement skills popped straight off the bat. He put in an impressive 5.02s forty yard time plus an explosive 32" vertical (both 94th percentile), and then he repeatedly stood out in the drills. The on-field activity was the separator with Bisontis, his pass-pro sets looked natural for a player with tackle experience, so the workout read like a plug-and-play starter.

Bayern dominated in possession but Dortmund took advantage on a pair of well-placed crosses with quality finishes. Despite only one yellow card being shown, it was a very physical contest.

Woltemade joined Newcastle from Stuttgart last summer and his fine form during his time in the Bundesliga means he's seemingly still on the radar of Bayern Munich. That's according to the Telegraph, though they suggest it's perhaps unlikely Woltemade will leave this summer, even if the Magpies are open to a deal for the right price. That price is estimated to be 69m.

Ethan Ampadu, oh my word. His energy... his football intelligence, his technique. Do you remember him early doors at Chelsea? It was so different at Chelsea because he was a centre-half who was good on the ball, now he's playing centre-midfield and dictating play. He's been amazing.

Eberechi Eze told his friends that he understood why Mikel Arteta had given him limited game time at Arsenal. As mentioned, the difference between representing Palace and Arsenal is significant, and Eze told his friends that after he was hooked at half-time against both Aston Villa and Brentford.

Clearly, Woltemade is an issue for Newcastle. They're trying to work out what's best for him. Is he a No.10? Probably not. They try and play him in more of a midfield role... you see he can't press, because he hasn't got the legs, he hasn't got the energy to do what Eddie Howe's teams have done which have made Newcastle successful over the years.

As implosions go, this one was impressive. The Nets blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, folding down the stretch in a 115-104 loss to Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,121 at State Farm Arena. Brooklyn was cruising along up 102-91 with 6:45 left, but coughed up a 24-2 run to close out the collapse. They went without a basket for the final 5:18, giving away turnover after turnover - and a win they seemed to have in the bag.

"We've taken the opportunity to return to the top spot. It's a very long road. Not everything has been good; we've needed some minutes to get into the match,"