Youri Tielemans is grateful for the respite the international break has provided from a "tough" start to the season at Leicester City, though he does not regret staying at the club.
Leicester have managed to take just one point from seven matches in the Premier League, losing each of their past six.
Among those defeats have been respective 5-2 and 6-2 losses to Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham, with the latter result on Saturday significantly increasing the heat on under-pressure manager Brendan Rodgers.
Tielemans was strongly linked with a move away from Leicester during the most recent transfer window, with the Foxes facing the prospect of losing a valuable asset for nothing when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Although no move materialised, Tielemans does not regret staying at the King Power Stadium – but the midfielder, the scorer of Leicester's winning goal against Chelsea in the 2020-21 FA Cup final, is relieved to get away from the negativity after joining up with Belgium.
"I'm happy to get a bit of fresh air here [on international duty] because it's tough at Leicester right now," he said at a press conference ahead of Belgium's Nations League games against Wales and the Netherlands.
"It's clear that things are not going well at the club. We are doing everything we can as a team.
"At Leicester, the consecutive defeats have affected us as a group. We need to benefit from this break to recharge our batteries.
"It's hard to get it off my mind as it keeps running through my head. Only my kids sometimes prevent me from thinking about it."
Arsenal were among the clubs heavily linked with Tielemans during the transfer window, and he promises to attract plenty of interest again in January if he does not sign a new contract beforehand.
Nevertheless, Tielemans feels Leicester's form and his contractual situation are completely separate subjects.
"I'm not going to speak too much about my contract at the moment," he continued. "I didn't leave Leicester in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one.
"Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn't mean I should regret [staying at the club]."
France international Benjamin Pavard might have left Bayern Munich in the last transfer window, if not for a conversation with Julian Nagelsmann.
Pavard helped France win the World Cup in 2018 and joined Bayern from fellow Bundesliga club Stuttgart a year later.
The versatile defender, who can play at centre-back or full-back, has been a regular for the Bundesliga champions and, if he is fit, is likely to be part of Didier Deschamps' France squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
Pavard has featured eight times in all competitions for Bayern this season, scoring twice, though with Bayern signing right-back Noussair Mazraoui and centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, he revealed he came close to leaving the club, and may well have done if not for Nagelsmann.
"I questioned myself, I had calls from different clubs with my agent," the 26-year-old said in an interview with Telefoot.
"Afterwards, I spoke with the Bayern coach, we have a good relationship.
"He made me understand that I was in his plans, that I was important for the team."
Pavard, however, did not close the door to a move away from Munich, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
"Maybe one day I will go to one of these clubs, you never know what the future holds," added Pavard, who has been reported to be of interest to Premier League sides Manchester United and Chelsea.
"I still [have] a year at Bayern Munich. Afterwards, we have time to decide."
Bayern have made a poor start to the season by their standards, as they aim to win the Bundesliga for a record-extending 11th successive campaign.
Despite beating Barcelona to make it two wins from as many games in the Champions League, they lost 1-0 to Bavarian neighbours Augsburg on Saturday, a defeat that came on the back of three successive draws in the Bundesliga.
Mike Evans has been suspended for one game without pay by the NFL after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver clashed with the New Orleans Saints' Marshon Lattimore.
Evans and Saints cornerback Lattimore were engaged in a physical battle throughout the Buccaneers' 20-10 victory at the Superdome on Monday.
It boiled over in the fourth quarter when the latter got in the face of Tom Brady as the Buccaneers' quarterback appealed for a penalty flag on an unsuccessful third-down play.
Evans came in and knocked Lattimore to the turf, prompting a melee that resulted in both players being disqualified.
The pair have history, with Evans previously being suspended for one game for a cheap shot on Lattimore in 2017.
Evans spoke to the media after the game and did not expect to receive any kind of suspension, though that confidence was clearly misplaced.
An NFL statement read: "NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8(g) which prohibits 'unnecessarily running, diving into, cutting, or throwing the body against or on a player who is out of the play or should not have reasonably anticipated such contact by an opponent, before or after the ball is dead,' as well as Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 which prohibits any act which is 'contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship'."
Runyan also personally wrote to Evans explaining the decision, which is still subject to a potential appeal.
He said: "After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your team-mates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation.
"You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."
Evans can return to the Buccaneers' active roster on September 26, the day after their game against the Green Bay Packers.
LaLiga has condemned the racist abuse of Vinicius Junior by Atletico Madrid fans before Sunday's derby clash at the Civitas Metropolitano.
Real Madrid won the contest 2-1 thanks to goals from Rodrygo and Federico Valverde, with Mario Hermoso's late shouldered effort nothing more than a consolation.
That ensured Madrid went into the international break top of the table with six wins from as many games, but the match was marred by the actions of some Atletico fans.
A large group were videoed singing racist chants about Vinicius just outside the stadium before the game. The Brazilian had attracted much of the pre-game focus in the wake of Spanish football agent Pedro Bravo telling him to "stop playing the monkey" on TV show El Chiringuito in relation to his tendency to dance when celebrating a goal.
Bravo apologised and insisted it was not his intention to offend.
During Sunday's game, there were also reports of racist chanting occurring inside the stadium, though the vile pre-game scenes had already become the focus thanks to the widespread sharing of videos on social media.
In a widely reported statement, a LaLiga spokesperson said: "We denounce all incidents inside and outside stadiums. We work with clubs to keep our football friendly and enjoyable.
"Hate speech has no place in La Liga and we always work with the clubs and the authorities to identify and bring to justice any such case."
Atletico supporters also threw objects on to the pitch as Vinicius and Rodrygo danced while celebrating Madrid's opening goal.
Italy boss Roberto Mancini has confirmed his side will be without Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti for their Nations League matches with England and Hungary.
Verratti was substituted off during the second half of PSG's Ligue 1 victory at Lyon on Sunday with an apparent calf problem.
PSG boss Christophe Galtier said after the game that the 29-year-old would delay linking up with the Italy squad to instead undergo a scan in Paris on Monday.
And Mancini is now preparing for Friday's visit of England and the trip to Hungary three days later without Verratti, with Sassuolo's Davide Frattesi in line for a call-up, while there was better news regarding Milan's Sandro Tonali and Napoli's Matteo Politano.
"Verratti is not available. He's picked up a knock," Mancini said at a press conference on Monday. "I'll probably call Frattesi to replace him.
"As for the other players, Tonali's problem is not a big one and Politano feels well."
Italy drew with Germany and England either side of beating Hungary in their first three Group A3 matches, before going down 5-2 in the reverse fixture with Germany last time out.
The reigning European champions are third, two points off leaders Germany and three points ahead of England in the relegation spot.
"Anything can happen in this group," Mancini said. "It wasn't pleasant losing 5-2 in the last game, but even then I saw some positive signs.
"Sometimes you need these kind of games to help you improve. It came at the end of the last season when we played a lot of matches.
"But the younger players have gained experience and we've done well overall with the five points collected."
Australia will have their minds fixed firmly on the T20 World Cup when it comes to the decisions made in their series against India, so says Aaron Finch, who will go "back to basics" with the bat.
Finch's team will look to defend their world title on home soil in October and November, though their immediate focus is on a three-match T20I series with India.
The series starts in Mohali on Tuesday, with India aiming to snap a three-match home losing streak in the format to Australia.
Finch, meanwhile, comes into the series on the back of playing his 146th and final ODI for Australia, with the 35-year-old having confirmed his retirement from the 50-over game ahead of his side's final match against New Zealand earlier this month.
Since the beginning of 2018, no player has top scored for Australia in men's T20Is more often than Finch who has led the team's scoresheet on 13 occasions during this span. However, he has struggled for form in ODIs, only getting into double figures once from his last eight matches.
Finch has been better in T20Is, averaging 27.4 in his nine matches in 2022, though the last of those came in June.
Asked in a press conference if he would be changing his approach at the crease, Finch said: "I'll be looking to be more aggressive and take a few more risks upfront, but obviously balance that out with the normal process.
"You just have to go in really clear minded. I think the difference between T20s and ODIs is you're expected but you’re also prepared to take a decent amount of risk earlier in your innings.
"It's about being clear minded, working with what I know has worked well in the past and going back to basics in that regard of anything technical or set-up related."
Finch will not have a full-strength team to call on against India, with Mitchell Marsh, David Warner and Marcus Stoinis all left out, while Mitchell Starc is struggling with a minor injury.
As such, Finch is open to experimenting ahead of the tournament, with Steve Smith to bat at three and Tim David set for a debut.
"Every decision that we make has one eye towards the World Cup... so I think we'll be mindful of not being too narrow-minded," Finch said.
"Everything we're doing in the T20 space ties back into the World Cup and for us it's about making sure once we get there, we'll have plenty of different combinations for teams we want to play, because the last thing you want to do is have an injury derail your whole campaign because you're pigeon-holed into playing one style of cricket or one structure of team.
"There'll be a little bit of mixing and matching but with one eye towards the World Cup to make sure we're still as rounded as we can be as a squad."
Hazlewood to lead in-form Australia attack
With Starc injured, the onus will be on Josh Hazlewood to deliver for the tourists with the ball. The seamer has 46 wickets in T20Is, and if he gets four in Tuesday's game (his 31st T20I) to reach the 50 mark, will become the fourth fastest player to reach the milestone for Australia.
Australia's seam bowlers have registered a bowling strike rate of 15 in T20Is in 2022, the best such rate among all full-member sides.
Rahul, Kumar eyeing landmarks
KL Rahul was the subject of Rohit Sharma's press conference on Sunday, with the India captain insisting the opener would keep his place at the top of the order, though acknowledging Virat Kohli is an option for the role.
Rahul, who struck 62 against Afghanistan earlier this month, has defended his position, too, saying: "I am just working towards how I can better myself as an opening batter, and see how I can have the most impact for my team whenever I go out to play in the middle."
The 30-year-old is just 37 runs away from reaching 2,000 in T20Is, with only Rohit and Kohli having previously hit the milestone for India. Meanwhile, team-mate Bhuvneshwar Kumar (84) needs two more wickets to become the outright fifth-highest wicket-taker among seam bowlers in T20Is.
Hugo Lloris and Theo Hernandez have withdrawn from the France squad for this week's Nations League matches with Austria and Denmark.
France are already without a number of key players for the double-header, with Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Lucas Hernandez and Kingsley Coman all sidelined.
Adrien Rabiot withdrew from the squad last week and Didier Deschamps is now without two more players for the visit of Austria on Thursday and trip to Denmark three days later.
France confirmed on Monday that Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris and Milan defender Theo Hernandez are nursing thigh and groin injuries respectively.
Nantes keeper Alban Lafont has earned a first call-up to provide cover for captain Lloris, while Aston Villa's Lucas Digne has been summoned as Theo Hernandez's replacement.
France have posted two draws and two defeats in their opening four Group A1 matches and are battling relegation from the top tier.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes their surprise victory over the Cincinnati Bengals served as a tonic for the disappointment of a season opener in which they lost Dak Prescott to injury.
The Cowboys suffered a chastening home loss in Week 1 as they slumped to a 19-3 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which quarterback Prescott sustained a fractured thumb that required surgery.
While Prescott's initial recovery timeline was deemed to be six to eight weeks, there is optimism he could return sooner.
Rush significantly boosted Dallas' hopes of still being in a position to contend when Prescott does return, helping to drop the defending AFC champion Bengals to 0-2 on Sunday.
He threw for 235 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 20-17 win, going three of four on the Cowboys' final drive to set up Brett Maher for a 50-yard field goal as time expired to seal victory.
"Anybody knows how disappointing our first loss was last week," Jones said after the game.
"We could point to the reasons why, but that's not enough. But to come out here with our same home crowd and beat a really fine young quarterback and beat a team that was playing in the Super Bowl just a few months ago, that's a big tonic for the disappointment we had.
"And we all know how tough these games are that we've got coming up, but the main thing is kudos to Cooper Rush.
"That shows me so much about him and the principle of he kept a workmanlike basis. He's done that. He's gotten better. He knows this offense as well as anybody breathing, and he stepped out there and did some great execution."
Rush's performance helped calm some nerves about the prospect of playing without Prescott for any extended period.
"When [Prescott] has strength, which I have no idea when that will be, but it will be not an issue of being concerned about re-injuring the thumb. It will be an issue of his ability to grip the ball, and you know Dak, he's beat every timeline I've ever seen or looked at," added Jones.
"So he's got a good chance to do it, but there's no question that we didn't put him on injured reserve. I want to be real clear about that – we did not put him on [IR], so he could be working during these weeks.
"He could be out there, throwing, [and] certainly involved in everything else. He couldn't have done that had we put him there.
"I certainly would look to hope that he just might be available, but I'm telling you, this performance out here today by Rush sure takes a lot of the angst out of that."
RB Leipzig have appointed the highly rated Max Eberl as their new sporting director well over a year after Markus Krosche left the position.
Eberl has been out of work since resigning from a similar role at Borussia Monchengladbach in January due to feeling "drained and tired" and no longer having "the strength to carry out the job in the way the club deserves".
That brought to an end a 23-year association with Borussia, having initially joined them as a player in 1999 before moving into directorial positions from 2005.
Leipzig had operated without a permanent sporting director since the club and Krosche mutually terminated their agreement in April 2021 following "intensive discussions regarding the club's future".
Christopher Vivell, Florian Scholz and Frank Aehlig had been filling the void in the interim, but in Eberl, club chairman Oliver Mintzlaff believes Leipzig have the perfect candidate to take them forward when he assumes office on December 15 after signing a "long-term" contract.
"With Max Eberl, we were able to fill the position of managing director for sport with our absolute dream candidate," Mintzlaff said.
"We have been dealing with Max for a long time but have always respected his difficult situation and are now very happy to be able to start working together in December.
"After his press conference in January this year, I got in touch with Max and wished him all the best. After that, I kept trying to get in touch, but Max told me that he needed peace and quiet and wasn't interested in football, but that we could meet up in the summer. That's why I never let go of contact and met him in the summer.
"Here, Max confirmed to me that he finds the perspective with us very interesting, but he did not want to come back before July 1, 2023. But that opened the door a bit for us, and we are now very happy that together with Max we found the starting point of our cooperation for mid-December.
"Max is an absolute football expert and has a large network and an excellent name in the industry both nationally and internationally. For many years in Monchengladbach he showed how you can build something up and find the right solution even for difficult situations.
"He has proven himself both as a transfer expert and as a promoter of talent, achieved a great deal and delivered a successful job."
Eberl took over football operations at Gladbach in October 2009 – at that point, they had not ended a top-flight season higher than 10th since 1996.
During his time in charge, the club finished higher than 10th in 10 successive seasons and even managed four top-four finishes in the Bundesliga.
One of those came with Marco Rose as head coach, and the pair will link up again in Leipzig after the 46-year-old replaced Domenico Tedesco at the helm earlier this month.
Eberl was still technically contracted to Borussia, but the club agreed to dissolve their partnership, thus allowing him to join Leipzig.
Zac Taylor is confident the Cincinnati Bengals will still be a "really good football team" once they "settle down" following another shock defeat for the reigning AFC champions.
The Bengals fell to 0-2 on Sunday as they suffered a 20-17 defeat to a Dallas Cowboys team led by quarterback Cooper Rush in the absence of the injured Dak Prescott.
After being sacked seven times by the Pittsburgh Steelers in an overtime loss in Week 1, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was brought down for six more sacks by the Dallas defense.
It is a worrying start for a Bengals team who spent significant resources remodelling an offensive line that allowed Burrow to be sacked 51 times last season.
"It's all frustrating," head coach Taylor said of the Bengals' pass protection issues.
"We've given ourselves an opportunity to win these games against good teams, so once things settle down, I know that we're going to be a really good football team."
Praising Micah Parsons, who registered his second successive two-sack game, Taylor added of the Cowboys: "Maybe they haven't gotten the sacks against everybody you watch, but quarterbacks are just springing out of the pocket when you watch all of the tape from last season against these guys.
"They have a really stellar pass rush. They use these guys really well.
"Micah Parsons is going to be in the conversation for one of the best, if not the best pass rushers, just the way they can move him around. The way he can take advantage and bend.
"He's a real problem, and they've got real good players behind him, too. We put ourselves in some positions where they could really tee off and maximise what they're really good at. And that was frustrating early on.
"I thought we settled in better later in the game and were a lot more efficient."
Following defeats for the rest of their AFC North rivals on Sunday, the Bengals are only a game back in their division despite their winless start, which they have the chance to end next week on the road against the New York Jets.
"Every team's going to go through this, where you face a two game losing streak at some point," said Taylor. "Unfortunately for us, it's the first two games of the season. It's a long season.
"We've just got to hit the reset button, not in a negative way, but just regroup for Tuesday to get ready for the Jets this Sunday. I know our guys are going to be focused the right way. We have great leadership.
"So again, that's just what we're relaying on right now, is those guys to get focused, have a great week of practice and go to New York and find a way to win.
"I think we're going to be in great position going forward. Any time you lose, it's going to feel like, from everybody that's watching, that's the story. I get it. That's how it should be. We're going to work hard, just as we have, to go on the road and find a way to win against a good team."
Burrow, meanwhile, hailed the second-half improvement in pass protection but recognised the need for a complete game for the Bengals to get back on track.
"Second half, I thought the protections was great. They have a great rush, I would say top two or three best rushes in the league," Burrow explained.
"They've got DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah, they do a really good job with their picks in game, too. And so, early in the game, you're going to have those, and I can do a better job of getting the ball out quickly.
"I thought, for the most part, we protected the ball well in those situations, and that was my goal this week. And then in the second half, I thought the offensive line protected great.
"We kind of warmed up in the run game, and then we're able to have some more time in the pass game, and that's what comes off of that.
"When we're able to run the ball well, they might be thinking 'run', and so then they're not so quick to get into their pass rush. So, the second half was more efficient, better for us, but just need to prolong that for the entire game."
Frank Reich acknowledged the Indianapolis Colts were "pathetic" in defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he still believes they are "not that far" from "where we need to be".
The Colts required a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback in Week 1 to tie with the Houston Texans, yet they made another woeful start on Sunday.
This time, there was no recovery, as Indianapolis lost 24-0 in an alarming start to the season.
"That s*** was embarrassing," said defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. "We got our a** whooped."
Buckner added the Colts must "grow from this", and head coach Reich still sees a positive path forward.
"As pathetic as that was today, where this is and where we need to be, the distance is not that far," he said. "We have the players and coaches to do it.
"I know that doesn't play in the outside world, and I'm fine with that. We'll take our medicine and I'll take my medicine, and we'll just keep doing what we do."
This is the first time the Colts have failed to win their first two meetings with fellow AFC South opponents since the 2017 season.
That was the last season before Reich was hired as head coach, with Indianapolis finishing with a 4-12 record.
Mike Evans is not concerned about potentially receiving a suspension from the NFL following his ejection in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win over the New Orleans Saints for his confrontation with Marshon Lattimore.
The Buccaneers capitalised on three interceptions from former Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston to emerge from the Superdome with a 20-10 win.
It snapped a seven-game regular-season losing streak for the Buccaneers against their NFC South rivals.
Wide receiver Evans and Saints cornerback Lattimore were engaged in a physical battle throughout and it boiled over in the fourth quarter when the latter got in the face of Tom Brady as the Buccaneers' quarterback appealed for a penalty flag on an unsuccessful third-down play.
Evans came in and knocked Lattimore to the turf, prompting a melee that resulted in both players being disqualified. The pair have history, with Evans previously being suspended for one game for a cheap shot on Lattimore in 2017. Despite that previous episode, Evans does not expect to receive similar discipline this time around.
"It gets spicy when you come to New Orleans, they're a good team, physical team, we matched that today," Evans said
"All I seen was, I know we were trying to get a flag called and it wasn't called, all I see was Lattimore punch Lenny [Fournette] in the face or something like that and then like push Tom, that's all I saw. I just pushed him."
Asked about the potential for a ban, he replied: "Nah, that was 2017, I didn't even get ejected in that. That was really a cheap shot, this wasn't."
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan had a very different view of events.
"It hurts to lose your best corner," Jordan said. "Guys gun at him because they know he is one of the best corners in the league.
"When I saw the replay, [Lattimore] didn't go after anybody. Somebody came after him. What do you want him to do in that situation?"
Brady was visibly annoyed for much of the game as the Bucs laboured before pulling away with 17 fourth-quarter points, at one point taking out his frustration on a tablet after a disappointing end to an offensive series.
"It's an emotional game," Brady said. "A little bit of execution helps all the way around. I thought the defense played well again and the offensive line fought hard.
"Tough game all around. That is a really good team, really well coached — a team we really struggle with. So, it feels good to win."
Alison Riske-Amritraj suffered another early exit as the Pan Pacific Open began in Tokyo on Monday.
Riske-Amritraj reached the last 16 at the US Open earlier this month but has struggled in Asia since then.
She was the top seed at the Chennai Open last week, only to lose in straight sets in the first round to Anastasia Gasanova.
And the American fell at the first hurdle again in Japan.
Riske-Amritraj was drawn against compatriot Claire Liu, who was coming off back-to-back defeats to Anastasia Potapova and without a win since qualifying for the Canadian Open last month.
But Liu brushed aside the seventh seed 6-2 6-3 to set up a meeting with Elise Mertens in the second round.
Mertens eased through with a 6-0 6-3 win over Wang Qiang, while Petra Martic was similarly comfortable in a 6-1 6-1 defeat of Rina Saigo.
Saigo was one of two home hopefuls to depart on Monday as Qinwen Zheng won 19 points in a row en route to beating Misaki Doi 6-2 6-4.
At the Korean Open, Zhu Lin was the only seed in action and got the better of Jang Su-jeong in straight sets.
Eric Dier has thanked Antonio Conte and his Tottenham team-mates for helping him earn a recall to the England squad, which he hopes is "just a starting point".
Spurs defender Dier has been called up by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming Nations League matches with Italy and Germany.
The most recent of his 45 caps came in November 2020, but an upturn in form at club level has Dier in contention for a World Cup spot.
Dier's improved performances have coincided with the appointment of Conte last November, and the 28-year-old is confident he can continue his upward trajectory.
"I am just looking forward to going and I think as my manager [Conte] said during the week, for me it is my ambition for this just to be a starting point for me," he said.
"I think I can still do a lot more. Honestly, [a recall] wasn't what I was thinking about.
"I was just thinking about being as good a player as I can be for Tottenham and everything else that happens is a consequence of that.
"I think that's the only thing I had to focus on and the only thing that was in my control. Everything else that happens, happens.
"I'm just thankful for the way my team-mates, coaching staff and everyone at Tottenham has supported me, pushed me and tried to help me get back to the national team."
Dier started all four of England's matches at Euro 2016 and was used six times at the 2018 World Cup, but he was not part of Southgate's squad for Euro 2020.
He is back involved with the Three Lions after performing at a consistent level across Tottenham's nine games this season, during which he has scored twice.
The most recent of those goals came in Saturday's 6-2 win against Leicester City, with Son Heung-min grabbing the headlines after scoring a 13-minute hat-trick.
And Dier joked Son, who was dropped for the first time this season after failing to score in his first eight outings, should start on the substitutes' bench regularly.
"We told him the manager should drop him more often if he scores a hat-trick every half an hour," Dier said.
"Everyone is delighted for him. Obviously for someone who lives for scoring goals it has been a difficult start to the season.
"I think that's no secret. But he's come back in an emphatic way today – the floodgates have opened."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
