TORONTO -- Players arrived a few at a time from across Canada on Thursday to begin preparations for a three-day camp at the Mastercard Centre before heading for Sweden for more practice and three pre-tournament games. What wasnt known is whether Halifax Mooseheads forward Jonathan Drouin, projected to be a top points producer, will be able to skate. He suffered a concussion last week after being hit from behind in a game against the Quebec Remparts. He was to be evaluated by team doctors Thursday night to see if he is ready to resume skating. Drouin said he feels better, but its up to the doctors to say if he can skate. "I want to get on the ice with the guys as soon as possible, but its my health and Im not going to push it," said Drouin, the third-overall pick in the NHL draft in June by the Tampa Bay Lightning. "But its not me deciding those things. Its more medical testing to make sure Im fine in my head." Coach Brent Sutter doubts that Drouin will skate this week, but it wont disrupt the teams preparations either way. "Well monitor him," said Sutter. "Theres no rush or panic. We have a few days before we need to be concerned about it." Drouin played well at last years world juniors, when Canada was shut out of the medals after losing to the United States in the semifinals. And he was a force as Halifax won the Memorial Cup. He was disappointed that the Lightning didnt keep him in the NHL after training camp, but since then he has been tearing up the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 17 goals and 50 points in only 23 games. Ryan Jankowski, the junior teams top scout, said the experience Drouin acquired last season has made him a better player. "Hes been through a lot," said Jankowski. "Winning a Memorial Cup and being part of the world juniors was huge for him, but now hes taking his game to the next level. "His game has changed. Hes more complete, but he has also raised his offensive game to dominate more than he did last year, if thats possible." Another returning player is Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Griffin Reinhart, who was slapped with a four-game suspension for slashing an American player in last years world juniors. He sat out one game in that tournament, but is to miss the first three games this time. Sutter shot down any notion that the suspension would play any part in the decision on whether to keep the big and gifted rearguard. "Were not going to be worried about the suspension he has," said Sutter. "If we have to carry six defencemen to start the tournament, well do so. "You look at the youth on our team, it outweighs the three games he still has to serve." He said the experience and leadership of players like Reinhart is even more important on a team that has three "underage" players in camp -- 16-year-old phenom Connor McDavid, as well as possibly the two top picks in the 2014 NHL draft in defenceman Aaron Ekblad and Reinharts younger brother Sam. There are three cuts still to be made -- five if Monahan and Rielly join the squad -- and it is uncertain if the three youngsters will make it. Sutter is high on all three, but there is only room for two goalies, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. McDavid said hes ready to accept any role, if it means making the team. "Theres a little pressure I guess, being that I am 16, but I dont think they would have brought me here if they thought that was going to be a big deal," he said. "So I just try to put it out of my head and focus on the task at hand." Sutter set no timetable for the cuts, which could come at the end of the camp but may come after the first exhibition game in Sweden. They hope to have their 22-man squad set at least for the last two pre-tournament games. The deadline to declare rosters is Dec. 25.
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Lester Hayes Jersey . The former Toronto FC designated player played three of his 15 professional seasons with the team.In the sixth minute of the game, Marouane Fellaini picked up the ball near the centre circle, attempted to run deep into Evertons territory to start another Manchester United attack but immediately saw the ball stolen away from him from James McCarthy. McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Around the Premier League on Saturday, numerous examples of midfields taking over games were on show. For Tottenham at Sunderland, Paulinho and Moussa Dembele ran the game in the second half, Stoke got back into their match against Chelsea by exposing a double pivot of Ramires and John Obi Mikel, while Liverpool lost momentum in their home match against West Ham once Steven Gerrard departed through injury. This is football in todays era. Central midfield is the most important zone on the field, where turnovers are caused, counter-attacks are started, defensive cover is needed and vision with the ball is demanded. Most teams in the Premier League play in systems that can be labeled 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, where at least three men centrally are asked to work as a unit, both defensively and in attack. It is the engine that motors the team forward and back. At Manchester United this season this has usually been done by two central midfielders and Wayne Rooney.Rooney has looked very good and if you were to make up a list of Uniteds problems he would certainly be at the bottom labeled as ‘Rooney – only concern is how to play him with van Persie against superior teams. The English striker has proven in recent years (see vs Andrea Pirlo at Euro 2012 for reference) to be a liability when it comes to making up a midfield three in a defensive manner but against the majority of inferior Premier League teams this is not a problem. Last season for example, against the 13 teams who finished between eighth and 20th in the Premier League, Manchester United, playing 4-4-2, won an astonishing 22 of 26 matches, claiming a total of 69 points from a possible 78. However, upon closer inspection there were matches where they looked outrun in midfield and allowed a goal through a defensive lapse, but these were quickly forgotten about because United painted over the cracks by banging in goals at the other end. It happened against Fulham, when Dembele ran the game before getting a move to Spurs (Fulham led 1-0, lost 3-2), it happened against Liverpool and Southampton in second halves at Old Trafford (games won 2-1) and against Newcastle who led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 last season before losing 4-3. On Boxing Day the United system was handing their opponents regular gifts with numerous goal scoring chances but once again, their attacking heavyweights powered their way out of trouble. United would go on to win the game through Javier Hernandez in the 90th minute, who, like on Saturday, partnered van Persie up front for United that day. That however, is where the similarities ended for the pair. Last season the service towards them was remarkably different to the amount of passes they received in Saturdays 1-0 home loss. Sixty-seven passes to 36 is a remarkable difference over 90 minutes: Hernandezs winning goal last December would give his side three more points won from a losing position and iin total United would go on to claim 29 points from losing positions last season.dddddddddddd On the surface that seems like a remarkably impressive number, it is after all the second highest of all-time in the Premier League behind Newcastles 01-02 season of 34 points, but you must have flaws in your team to be behind many times to get to that number. Uniteds flaws remain this season but because they cannot power themselves out of trouble with goals they have been magnified to the level where action is now required. Two seasons ago United were stunned by a Champions League group stage elimination after Benfica and Basel ran through their midfield and scored eight goals between them in four matches. United were sent into the Europa League and would go on to again be exposed in similar fashion, losing back-to-back home games to technically superior teams, Ajax and Athletic Bilbao. In those matches United looked far too English. A timid, reactionary team lacking true post-to-post midfielders who excel in both the attack and defensive side of the game. It is an accusation that remains even more glaring two years on. The worlds best teams today all have world class deep-lying playmakers who control matches with the combination of brilliant, forward thinking vision and equally outstanding footballing intelligence without the ball. In central midfield, Real Madrid has Luka Modric, Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso, Barcelona has Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi, Bayern Munich has Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Toni Kroos, Manchester City have Yaya Toure and Fernandinho. Manchester United has Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini, Tom Cleverley or Phil Jones. Carrick remains very important to United, a fine player in the Premier League whose calmness and passing ability has been sorely missed lately. Fellaini remains a mysterious buy, a player whose escalated price came from playing further forward but who wants to play in central midfield, despite not yet excelling at the attributes needed to play there. Cleverley has now started nine of their 15 league games this season and isnt anywhere near the quality of, at least, 20 other Premier League midfielders who have (and will continue to do so) the beating of the United youth product. Jones remains a promising player who will likely move to centre-back as he ages, but certainly does not have the offensive abilities to play regularly in central midfield for a team like Manchester United. None of these players are not close to being deep lying playmakers and none are anywhere close to being world class. United badly need at least one, and most likely two, of these caliber players as soon as possible. As last season showed the team is more than capable of going on a long successful run this season, beating inferior teams and that will help them climb towards a likely finish amongst the top four but what absolutely must not be forgotten again next summer is what was ignored in recent transfer windows. It is time to stop the likes of Dembele, McCarthy, and Cabaye running the show in games at Old Trafford. While United were spending a whopping 65 million pounds (the cost of Smalling, Young, Jones, Zaha and Powell) on mediocre, or unproven English talent the last four summers, many other teams have not only caught them up in central midfield, but now overtaken them. A club like United should be close to the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern, but through bad buys and neglecting a key area they are not even close and are left exposed by average teams in their own league. It is time to get to work on a very deep-lying problem.
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gửi bởi lw789 » Thứ 5 22/02/18 13:54 
