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Soccer

7 managerial appointments paying early dividends this season

Changing a manager, whether at the start of a season or partway through the campaign, is an inherently risky move as clubs seek both an immediate impact and long-term improvement.

Thierry Henry’s atrocious start to life at AS Monaco currently stands as a stark example of how things can go wrong. For the following seven clubs, however, the gamble appears to be paying off handsomely at this stage in the European football calendar.

Lucien Favre, Borussia Dortmund

Replacing Peter Stoger, whose style of football failed to enthrall many Dortmund fans, Favre has brought a new verve to the Westfalenstadion. BVB are four points clear atop the Bundesliga and went 15 games unbeaten in all competitions to start the season, but that doesn’t tell the full story.

Thirty goals in 10 league games, plus the 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last month, go further toward highlighting Favre’s impact. The former Nice coach has implemented a free-flowing attacking philosophy that perfectly fits his club’s strengths and allows stars like the effervescent Marco Reus and teenage sensation Jadon Sancho to shine. Favre’s summer signings such as Axel Witsel, Achraf Hakimi, and super-sub Paco Alcacer have only strengthened the side.

Thomas Tuchel, Paris Saint-Germain

FRANCK FIFE / AFP / Getty

It’s hard to improve on winning Ligue 1 by 13 points, but former Dortmund boss Tuchel, who replaced Arsenal-bound Unai Emery this summer, has done just that by turning a dominant giant into a multiple record-breaker.

PSG became the first team ever across Europe’s top five leagues to win 12 consecutive domestic games to start a season. They have scored 41 goals and shipped just seven along the way, and are already 11 points clear at the summit despite limited summer transfer activity. Plus, under Tuchel, Kylian Mbappe’s transformation into one of world football’s best players appears complete.

Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea

Sarri-ball is producing results at Stamford Bridge. Whereas Antonio Conte’s Chelsea last season were wildly inconsistent and deeply fallible, Sarri’s Blues are unbeaten through 17 games since August’s Community Shield defeat. The former Napoli mastermind has seamlessly integrated his fast-paced, possession-based style in west London, using teacher’s pet Jorginho as the base in midfield.

Only once have Chelsea really teetered on the brink of losing their unbeaten record, before Ross Barkley’s last-gasp equalizer saved them against Manchester United. Were it not for Pep Guardiola’s irrepressible Manchester City, Sarri’s side would surely be the title favorite.

Adi Hutter, Eintracht Frankfurt

Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts / Getty

Aside from Dortmund and Bayern Munich’s inauspicious start under Niko Kovac, the biggest story in German football right now is in Frankfurt. Adi Hutter’s arrival from Swiss side Young Boys to replace Kovac at Eintracht appears a masterstroke as last season’s DFB-Pokal champions have blossomed into an exciting, vibrant, and genuinely high-caliber side.

Most notably, Hutter is getting the most out of Frankfurt’s prodigious youthful attacking trio of Sebastien Haller, Luka Jovic, and Ante Rebic, who share 23 goals in all competitions this season. Eintracht may not hold a true title shout, with Dortmund looking unassailable and Bayern lurking, but a top-three finish, which would be their best placing in over a quarter of a century, is well within reach. And this is without mentioning the Europa League, in which they have four wins from four in a group containing Lazio and Marseille.

Rubi, Espanyol

Perpetually existing in the shadow of their illustrious rivals, Espanyol are going some way to addressing the unbalance in Barcelona this season. Rubi has lifted the club from mid-table obscurity to second in La Liga after 11 games, just three points off La Blaugrana’s pace. They have collected six wins to just two defeats, those being narrow, one-goal reverses away at high-flying Alaves and Real Madrid. Los Periquitos have won all five of their home games.

Perhaps their most remarkable feat, however, lies in their defensive record. Though Rubi’s men have scored a relatively modest 15 goals in 11 games, they have conceded just eight, a tremendously miserly mark behind only Atletico’s six and just over half as many as Barca’s 14. Whatever Rubi, who led Huesca to a first-ever promotion to La Liga last term, is doing in Catalonia, it’s working.

Vahid Halilhodzic, Nantes

SEBASTIEN SALOM GOMIS / AFP / Getty

The only manager on this list to have taken charge midseason, Halilhodzic has had the kind of immediate impact of which most new hires can only dream. When the former Japan boss took over in October, Nantes were 19th in Ligue 1; they are now 10th after a run of four consecutive victories in all competitions, across which Les Canaris have scored 14 times and conceded just once.

Halilhodzic’s effect is perhaps reflected most strongly in Emiliano Sala. The Argentinian striker had scored four goals in seven games prior to the Bosnian’s arrival; he has netted seven in five since the appointment. Nantes have a talented squad and, in their former prolific striker Halilhodzic, a beloved head coach. If the 66-year-old can keep the ship steady, Europa League qualification shouldn’t be out of sight.

Pablo Machin, Sevilla

Quality Sport Images / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Machin led Girona to 10th in La Liga last season – the best finish by a newly promoted side in 23 years – before joining Sevilla in the summer. The Spaniard’s philosophy promotes balance across the pitch and playing to key stars’ strengths, and that has unlocked his team’s potential this term. Sevilla currently sit third, just four points off the top, and are benefiting from a renaissance from the likes of midfield general Ever Banega and on-loan striker Andre Silva.

Silva’s transformation, in particular, has been remarkable while Pablo Sarabia’s 12 goals in 18 games are a testament to the freedom he’s being given going forward. Depending on Machin’s priorities, Sevilla’s league position may falter deeper into the season as the club chases a return to Europa League glory, but the 43-year-old currently has the Andalusians on track for their highest finish in a decade.

NFL

Panthers' Reid ejected for hit on Roethlisberger

PITTSBURGH – Carolina Panthers free safety Eric Reid was ejected in the third quarter Thursday night for a hit to the head of a sliding Ben Roethlisberger that left Roethlisberger’s Steelers teammates defending their quarterback.

Reid lowered his head with Roethlisberger already well into his slide and delivered shoulder-to-helmet contact to the six-time Pro Bowl selection at the end of his 17-yard scramble.

Reid was flagged for the third-quarter play and then ejected as officials ruled there was unnecessary roughness due to forcible contact to the head and neck area of a sliding quarterback.

The veteran defensive back said he wasn’t intending to hurt Roethlisberger and apologized to him afterward, but was still at a loss for why he was ejected.

“I didn’t even know you could be ejected in the NFL,” Reid said. “It was a bang-bang play. I was trying to do my job. I understand the NFL is trying to protect the quarterback, but when they run the ball, they’re a running back.

“There’s a guy running the ball, so I’m doing my job. . . . If anything, there should be more [focus] on getting down earlier, so it wouldn’t have to be close. I’m running full speed. I’m just trying to do my job.”

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Safety Eric Reid explains why he went for the hit on Ben Roethlisberger, with no ill intention.

Roethlisberger, for his part, told reporters Reid told him “Sorry, didn’t mean it. No intent there” and added with a smile that he didn’t remember whether Reid had hit his helmet on the hit.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera didn’t believe Reid’s hit warranted an ejection.

“I really don’t,” he said. “I don’t think he hit him hard enough to eject him.”

Roethlisberger’s teammates took exception to the play as soon as it happened, with offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey leading a group of Steelers in confronting Reid while he was still on the field.

Pouncey said Roethlisberger has offered to pay any fines Pittsburgh players get for their part in the shoving match that followed.

“Ben’s the franchise quarterback,” Pouncey said. “He means a lot to this organization, obviously to this football team. I could see if he was pulling his shoulder down trying to hit a guy, but he was giving himself up. That shouldn’t happen, but Eric Reid did apologize, so I give him credit for that.”

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For his part, Reid believes there is no consistency with the call, and he noted how Carolina quarterback Cam Newton got hit in the crown of the helmet and no penalty was called.

Newton agreed the calls have been inconsistent, noting he was hit in the helmet last week as well and there was no call.

“It is what it is,” Newton said. “Last week was a perfect example of the same scenario. I’m not here to judge what flag is called, but there is an inconsistency. I do understand that. I’ve been seeing that for a long time.”

The Panthers in late September became the first team to take a chance to Reid, who filed a collusion grievance against the NFL when no team would sign him after last season with San Francisco. Reid claimed the league colluded to keep him off a roster after he spent the previous season kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice.

He has continued to kneel during the anthem at Carolina and has not dropped the grievance.

New Panthers owner David Tepper, who had not addressed the decision to sign Reid until prior to Thursday’s game, was asked if he had to give approval first.

“What did I say when I first came here?” Tepper said. “I said the first thing I want to do is? . . . Win. What was the second thing I said I wanted to do? That was also win. What was the third thing I wanted to do? Enough said.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Soccer

Barcelona's Coutinho will miss 2-3 weeks with thigh injury

Barcelona have suffered yet another injury blow with news that Philippe Coutinho will be unavailable for two-to-three weeks with a thigh injury.

The Catalan side announced Thursday that scans revealed Coutinho suffered “a small break in the femoral biceps” in his left thigh.

The injury rules Coutinho out of this weekend’s match against Real Betis, as well as Brazil’s upcoming games against Uruguay and Cameroon.

Based on the timeframe for his return, Coutinho might have a chance to return after the international break in time for the crucial league encounter with Atletico Madrid on Nov. 24.

Coutinho has scored 15 goals in 38 matches since joining Barcelona from Liverpool in January.

Coutinho joins Lionel Messi in the team’s treatment room as the Argentine recovers from a broken arm suffered late last month. Messi, however, has returned to training, but Barcelona have yet to confirm whether he will be available against Betis, or rather after the international break.

NFL

Peterson upbeat despite Redskins' O-line injuries

ASHBURN, Virginia — Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, in the midst of a career rejuvenation, had a natural reaction to his offense’s injury news Monday. The Redskins lost three starters, two of whom helped open holes for some of his 600-plus yards in the first half of the season. It could change the direction of not only the Redskins’ season, but determine his success as well.

“Me and my friend Maker’s Mark, we had a long night,” Peterson said.

But Peterson knows whiskey isn’t the answer to what ails the Redskins. More success from him, however, would be the antidote to their problems. And they say his numbers don’t have to change a whole lot just because of injuries to those blocking for him.

When the Redskins play at Tampa Bay on Sunday, they will be missing three of their original starting offensive linemen — left tackle Trent Williams (dislocated thumb), left guard Shawn Lauvao (torn ACL) and right guard Brandon Scherff (torn left pectoral muscle). And a fourth, right tackle Morgan Moses, did not practice because of a knee injury.

There’s a chance the starting five offensive linemen will include two players who weren’t on the roster until Monday.

Redskins running back Adrian Peterson will be without three of the team’s original starting offensive linemen against the Bucs on Sunday. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

“You’ve just got to stay positive and keep pressing,” said Peterson, the NFL’s ninth all-time leading rusher. “It’s not the end of the world, and it’s not the end of the season for us. We all have to perform better. That’s the mindset that I have. … There’s something different when you lose three starters to where your mindset shifts to, ‘I just gotta do more than what I was doing before.'”

That’ll be hard to accomplish. Peterson has rushed for 604 yards, fifth best in the NFL, surpassing what many expected from him after he signed with Washington in mid-August. The Redskins are 5-3 and in first place in the NFC East because of Peterson and their defense. They control the ball on offense and have limited offenses — save for New Orleans and Atlanta.

In the Redskins’ five wins, Peterson has rushed for 561 yards and four touchdowns. Only the Rams’ Todd Gurley and the Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt have rushed for more yards in their teams’ wins; both have eight victories.

Peterson also needs more help to continue climbing career lists: He’s 380 yards from passing Eric Dickerson for eighth in rushing and needs two more rushing touchdowns to pass ex-Redskin John Riggins for sixth on the all-time list.

For the Redskins to keep winning, Peterson must remain a vital part — no matter who’s blocking.

“He just goes through his reads like he normally would,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “It doesn’t matter who’s blocking for him — at guard, center, tackle, tight end, fullback — if we had one — or receiver. He’s just going to go through his progressions and make his cuts and do what he does. It doesn’t matter.”

The Redskins use a lot of different run schemes; Peterson said opponents sometimes express amazement to him after games over the diversity of Washington’s rushing attack. The Redskins use inside and outside zone as well as power gap schemes. They’ll pull the guards; they use jet-sweep action to slow backside pursuit.

They’re hoping that’s one reason Peterson can still succeed.

“A lot of times that helps you because you have the ability to run gap scheme or zone scheme, whatever it may be,” said center Chase Roullier, the only original starter healthy enough to practice Wednesday. “And you can run it based on what the new guys coming in are better at. You can adjust the game plan with that, depending on how that goes. I don’t think there’s going to be any issue plugging those guys in and continuing to win games.”

But Peterson also has discussed how much he has had to learn in this offense, from the style of the run plays to taking handoffs out of pistol or shotgun formation. He has carried a career-high 44 times out of gun formation, averaging 4.16 yards per carry — his best stat out of that look since 2013. Gruden said Peterson’s comfort level on these runs is more about him taking the right path and less about those who are blocking.

“He’s getting more comfortable,” Gruden said. “We still have downhill runs and will get him going on those, too. The big thing with him is being patient with his reads. Obviously we’d rather have Brandon and Trent in there. But [Peterson] is still going to read it out. If reading inside zone, I’m pressing the line and reading one gap at a time … Hopefully he doesn’t have to read a three-technique [defensive lineman] in the backfield.”

The Redskins only had a long walk-through Wednesday, wanting to get through more plays than usual to help the new players acclimate faster. So Peterson couldn’t get any timing down with them, something he said he’ll try to do Thursday and Friday.

“Once we get going to another tempo that I can say little things to them I might see or notice that I’d like them to do differently or might work better,” he said. “Right now it’s just getting to know those guys and talking to them so they feel more comfortable. But most importantly just knowing that they’re going out and playing hard and fast is what we really need right now.”

One change could be less pulling action from the linemen. That’s an area where Scherff excelled, and without him it might become a reduced part of the plan. But just running the same plays doesn’t mean Peterson will have the same success. There have been times he has made his blockers look good; there were other times his blockers put him in a position to do well — and once he gets past the first wave, his jump cuts lead to more yards.

When Peterson arrived in August, he bemoaned the situation he found himself in with Arizona last season — running behind a makeshift line. However, the feeling has always been that Washington’s backups were better than the Cardinals’ starters. That theory will be tested.

“It’s always hard to tell [in practice] because it’s not live action,” Peterson said. “You always say the play looked great in practice when you draw it up and when you run through it in practice. But when you’ve got guys coming 100 miles an hour, things change. We have confidence in the guys we had here before we brought in these guys. The new guys have to step up.”

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