The January transfer window set several records in the Premier League, with Chelsea's eye-watering spending spree sending shock waves across the football world.
Todd Boehly's takeover last year resulted in major acquisitions ahead of the start of this season, including Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly, but it is the mid-season business that has really thrust the club under the spotlight.
Chelsea's spending has split the footballing world down the middle, with some concerned by the outlay and what it means for Financial Fair Play (FFP), while others praised the club's hierarchy for their determination and ambition.
Here, Stats Perform has broken down the Blues' activity, the controversies and FFP impact, as well as the vast differences to Europe's other top leagues.
Spending spree
Eight new faces arrived at Stamford Bridge in the mid-season window, seven of which were permanent signings, and all of whom were aged 23 or under.
Chelsea's business shows a focus on the future, having paid a premium price for talent and potential rather than established stars – the exception perhaps being Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix.
Capped 28 times by Portugal, Joao Felix was a statement addition until the end of the season with the hope he can provide the cutting edge Chelsea have lacked in the final third and push the club back into the hunt for Champions League football.
The other seven additions, however, fit a different mould. While they will likely be utilised by Graham Potter this season, they all represent a relatively unknown quantity, despite some impressive feats.
In the record-breaking deal to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, Chelsea paid a fee higher than a British club ever has previously to bring in the Argentine, who was named young player of the tournament in his nation's World Cup-winning campaign.
Yet he does not even have a full year of European football under his belt, with the situation similar for Mykhaylo Mudryk – a player who caught the eye with his Champions League displays, but one who has not featured in a top domestic league.
In total, Chelsea reportedly spent more than £280million on Fernandez, Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana.
Only two, Badiashile and Gusto, were signed from one of Europe's top-five European leagues, and Ligue 1 is widely considered to be the weakest financially compared to the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A and Bundesliga.
While the figures spent have led to scrutiny, a bigger cause of controversy is the apparent exploitation of a loophole in FFP regulations by issuing long-term deals to spread the fees across several years of financial reports.
According to reports, the Chelsea hierarchy believe they are the first to exploit a football transfer market weakness in the valuation of younger players and with the length of contracts given to signings.
Chelsea controversy
Amortisation of the fees spent in the January window has allowed Chelsea to spread the costs of their spending spree for budgetary purposes across the next eight seasons and beyond, handing out contracts with lengths that have rarely, if ever, been seen before.
Mudryk penned an eight-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge, tying him down beyond 2030, with similar deals issued to the rest of their January additions.
In fact, the shortest contract issued by the Blues was the six-year deal for striker Fofana, running until 2029, and even that is longer than most of the rest of the Premier League teams have handed new signings last month.
To put how it works into context, the majority of Chelsea's spending spree in excess of £280m will be spread across eight years, resulting in an annual cost of just £35m.
Chelsea can easily offset that cost with player sales which, unlike transfer fees for purchased players, are booked immediately into the financial records in one lump sum – and Potter has a number within his squad who could be sold at the end of the campaign.
This approach, crucially, is not against FFP regulations but UEFA has reportedly identified the loophole and are shifting the goalposts in future by setting a five-year limit for FFP – although this would not change things hugely.
If Chelsea's £280m spree was spread across five years, it would equate to £56m a year. Again, that is a fee the Blues can offset with player sales, TV revenue and sponsorship deals.
On top of this, from 2023-24, the allowable loss limit in FFP will be doubled from €30m (£26.6m) to €60m (£53.2m), while clubs judged to be in good financial health will be granted a further €30m in allowable losses over a three-year period.
That means that Chelsea could be permitted to lose as much as €90m (£80m) over three years, triple the old limit.
European impact
The most eye-catching fact from the January window is that Chelsea spent more than the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A and LaLiga combined – as well as spending more than the other 19 clubs in the Premier League.
Spending in England dwarfed that on the continent, with a reported outlay of over £800m from the Premier League compared to £110m in Ligue 1, £60m in the Bundesliga, £25m in Serie A and £25m in LaLiga.
While Chelsea's spending made up the majority of the Premier League figures, the divide between English football and the other top leagues in Europe is highlighted by spending elsewhere in the league.
Four of the bottom five clubs in the Premier League spent a reported total of £175m on new players, a figure that eclipses the total spending from any of Europe's other top five leagues.
European clubs, to put it simply, cannot compete. Brighton and Hove Albion staved off bids in excess of £70m for Moises Caicedo and it is difficult to imagine a similar situation had such a figure been offered to a side on the continent amid the current economic climate in football.
The biggest difference is that Premier League sides can afford to take risks and fail in the market, whereas those in Europe have no choice but to be more shrewd in their spending or suffer huge consequences – just take a look at Barcelona.
English clubs, meanwhile, can simply cut ties if things do not work out. Chelsea spent a reported £97.5m to sign Romelu Lukaku, only to loan him to Inter just a year later, while Timo Werner arrived from RB Leipzig in 2020 for a reported £45m and returned to the Bundesliga side last year for almost half that fee.
Chelsea are not alone in that regard. Arsenal's club-record signing Nicolas Pepe, signed for a reported £72m, is spending the season on loan at Nice, Tottenham's club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele is similarly outcast and Paul Pogba left Manchester United for nothing after the club paid a reported £89.5m to capture him from Juventus.
Two years ago, football rallied against the creation of a European Super League but the reality is it already exists – it's just known by a different name.
Leeds United striker Rodrigo Moreno will miss up to two months after suffering an ankle injury.
The Spain international sustained the knock during Leeds' FA Cup fourth round win at Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
Rodrigo is likely to miss around eight Premier League games during his absence, including the upcoming double header against Manchester United.
The 31-year-old is the club's top scorer this season, having hit 12 goals in 22 games, and a statement from Leeds on Thursday confirmed Rodrigo: "suffered bone and ligament damage as a result of a challenge and has undergone minor surgery".
The club also said that the "medical team at Thorp Arch are confident that Rodrigo will return to play by the end of March," meaning he could be back in time for April's trip to league leaders Arsenal.
Jesse Marsch's men sit 15th in the Premier League, having only won two of their last 16 league games. They have not secured three points since their 4-3 win against Bournemouth on November 5.
Kylian Mbappe looks likely to miss Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Bayern Munich with a hamstring injury.
The 24-year-old striker sustained the muscle problem in the first half of PSG's 3-1 Ligue 1 victory at Montpellier on Wednesday and is set to miss around three weeks of action.
The French champions released a statement on Thursday to reveal Mbappe's estimated recovery time, which if accurate would mean he will miss league games against Toulouse, Monaco and Lille, as well as the Coupe de France clash with Marseille and their Champions League first leg at home to Bayern, which takes place on February 14.
"After examinations, Kylian Mbappe suffered from a lesion of the left thigh at the level of the femoral biceps. His recovery time is estimated at three weeks," PSG said.
Mbappe – who has 25 goals in 26 appearances for PSG this season – had a game to forget on Wednesday, having also had a penalty saved, including a retake before somehow also lifting the rebound over the bar, and then coming off with his injury in the 21st minute.
The club also confirmed that Sergio Ramos will undergo "further examinations" after the veteran Spanish centre-back also came off against Montpellier having appeared to suffer a head injury.
Graham Potter warned there will be "awkward conversations" ahead at Chelsea after the signing of Enzo Fernandez capped a staggering spending spree.
The head coach can register just three of the seven new recruits for his Champions League squad, ahead of the last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund, while even in the Premier League it will be difficult to keep players happy.
Chelsea have stars coming back from injury, to add to the sudden influx of fresh blood, and the onus is on Potter to shape a team that can win consistently after a stuttering start to his Blues career.
Owner Todd Boehly brought in Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day, with the World Cup winner joining the long list of arrivals at Stamford Bridge, after Chelsea also acquired Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke.
Potter described Argentine midfielder Fernandez as "a fantastic player" and "an impressive young man", adding: "I'm excited by the second part of the season we have here, happy the transfer window's closed, and we can move forward and work with the players."
Chelsea had to inform UEFA by the end of Thursday about their squad choices for the Champions League knockout stage, and Potter said some players would inevitably be disappointed to miss out.
Loanee Joao Felix, fresh from arriving from Atletico Madrid, was described by Potter as being "in contention", but the coach would not commit any further on his choices.
"Of course, there's going to be a few awkward questions, that's the reality of where we are," Potter said. "A few awkward conversations because only 11 can play and only a certain amount can be in squads, so there's always going to be ones that are disappointed.
"It's about being as honest and open and transparent as you can and create an environment where you respect that people want to play, and respect the fact that players want to compete and help the team, but they have to be patient and make sure they're ready to play and perform and help us win."
Potter's Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League, already 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with 18 games left to play.
Their hopes of a top-four Premier League finish look bleak, but Potter will be expected to send Chelsea shooting up the table now he has ample resources.
"Everybody that's been in this room in the last four months, the word we've always spoken about is pressure, so that's not going to change," Potter said, speaking at Chelsea's press conference ahead of Friday's game against Fulham.
"Clearly, if you spend money, the external noise goes up. I understand that. Spending money is one thing, but you need to be able to align them, make the right decisions and provide a culture, a team, an environment.
"It's not the amount you spend on its own that gets success, it's more than that.
"Challenge is the right word, but I'm certainly not complaining about it. It's exciting. It's a test for me and the staff, but it's an exciting one.
"We've got a lot of really good players and we have to create an environment where there's healthy competition and they can push each other and understand there'll be frustration at times."
Potter says Chelsea have "tried to build something for the now and for the future", and he said he was "calm, calm" on deadline day as club officials negotiated to complete the Fernandez deal.
"I'm very, very pleased because we've got a fantastic player, and I'm looking forward to working with him," Potter said. "I spoke to him. My Spanish isn't great and his English isn't great, so we needed a translator, but we'll get there."
Hakim Ziyech's move to Paris Saint-Germain collapsed late on Tuesday, meaning he will stay with Chelsea, and Potter said the former Ajax winger would be "an important player for the rest of the season".
Criminal proceedings against Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood have been discontinued, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced.
The 21-year-old was arrested in January 2022 and was due to stand trial in November on accusations of attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
However, the CPS confirmed on Thursday that all charges have been dropped.
A statement read: "Mason Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
"A decision has been made to discontinue prosecution in accordance with the Code of Crown Prosecutors."
A CPS spokesperson said: "We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review.
"In this case a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case.
"We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met."
Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr, Greater Manchester Police's Head of Public Protection, said: "Given the significant media coverage of this case, it is only fair that we share the news that the 21-year-old man, who had been arrested and charged in connection with an investigation opened in January 2022, no longer faces criminal proceedings in relation to this.
"The investigation team has remained in regular contact with the legal team, providing any updates of note, and so understand the rationale for the discontinuation of proceedings at this stage, and that this decision has not been taken lightly.
"Despite the media and public’s interest in this case, we have decided not to comment on it in any further detail."
Greenwood last played for United on January 22 last year in a 1-0 victory against West Ham before being suspended by the club.
Ajax have promoted John Heitinga to first-team head coach until the end of the season.
The Amsterdam giants sacked Alfred Schreuder a week ago following a run of no wins in seven Eredivisie matches, their joint-worst winless streak in the league's history.
Schreuder had only been in charge since the start of the season, when he was appointed as Erik ten Hag's replacement following his departure to Manchester United.
Ajax's lack of victories saw them drop to fifth in the table, but they bounced back on Sunday with a 4-1 win at Excelsior.
Heitinga – who had been in charge of the Under-23s – was at the helm for the trip to Rotterdam, and will now take the senior side through to the end of the campaign.
The former Ajax, Atletico Madrid and Everton player, who played internationally for the Netherlands, has held various youth coaching positions at the club since retiring as a player in 2016.
His first match as head coach will be away to second-from-bottom Cambuur on Sunday.
Ajax are fourth in the Eredivisie but only trail leaders Feyenoord by five points.
Andy Farrell has been able to call on Johnny Sexton to captain Ireland in their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.
Sexton, who is set to participate in his final Six Nations ahead of retirement later this year, was a doubt for the tournament after undergoing surgery on a cheek injury last month.
But the 37-year-old has recovered and was named skipper for the clash at the Principality Stadium, where the roof will be closed at Ireland's request.
Jamison Gibson-Park will partner Sexton in the backs.
Prop Tadhg Furlong is not fit to play due to a calf injury, with Finlay Bealham starting in his place, while Robbie Henshaw is also absent.
Stuart McCloskey has been picked ahead of Bundee Aki in Henshaw's position and is set for his first Six Nations appearance since 2016.
There was bad news for Wales on the injury front on Wednesday, with Leigh Halfpenny – who had been given the nod at full-back by Warren Gatland – withdrawing after suffering a back spasm.
Liam Williams will start in Halfpenny's stead, despite concerns over his own fitness after a string of injuries.
Ireland team: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe, Johnny Sexton, Jamison Gibson Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Tom O'Toole, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Ross Byrne, Bundee Aki.
Raphael Varane has announced his retirement from international football, saying it is time for France's "new generation" to take over.
Varane, who made his France debut in March 2013, made 93 appearances for Les Bleus.
The former Real Madrid centre-back, who joined Manchester United in 2021, played and started in all seven games of France's successful 2018 World Cup campaign.
Despite heading into last year's World Cup with an injury, Varane featured in six of France's matches in Qatar, including in the final against Argentina.
On Wednesday, Varane shared an Instagram post confirming his retirement from the international stage.
"Representing our great country for a decade has been one of the greatest honours of my life," Varane wrote.
"Every time I wore this very special blue jersey I felt immense pride. The duty to give it [my] all, play my heart out and win every time we went on the field. I've been contemplating this for several months and decided it's the right time for me to retire.
"As a child, I remember following France 98, this team, these players who made us experience indescribable emotions. I dreamed of being our heroes and 20 years later I lived one of the best experiences of my life.
"We brought home the World Cup!! I will never forget it. I still feel every single one of the emotions felt on that day, July 15, 2018. That was one of the most amazing and memorable moments of my life.
"This victory that we won all together would never have been possible without the support of [coach] Didier Deschamps, every member of the management and staff over the years, and my team-mates who have defended our shirt in every game we played.
"But more importantly, this victory would not have been possible without every single one of you supporting us along the way. Even after the defeat in the final last year, you welcomed us as heroes when we returned. To each and every one of you, THANK YOU a thousand times!
"I will miss these moments with you for sure, but the time has come for the new generation to take over. We have a bunch of talented young players who are ready to take over, who deserve a chance and who need you."
Varane, who captained his country 20 times, is the fourth member of France's 2018 World Cup squad to retire from international football, after Blaise Matuidi, Steve Mandanda and former captain Hugo Lloris.
Karim Benzema did not make that squad but was set to feature in Qatar until injury derailed his chances. The Ballon d'Or winner announced his retirement following the tournament.
Deschamps said: "Raphael called me a few days ago to explain to me that he wanted to put an end to his international career. He is an intelligent boy, who knows how to take the time to reflect, weigh the pros and cons before deciding.
"Without going into the details of our exchange, Raphael believes that he has reached the end of his adventure with the France team. I experienced a situation somewhat similar to his, I understand his arguments and respect his decision even if it may seem regrettable.
"Of course, I cannot turn this page without a certain emotion, given the ties we have forged since August 2012. Like Hugo Lloris, he will have been, barring injury, in all of my squads."
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag projected an air of optimism regarding his squad depth after the return of Jadon Sancho and deadline day signing of Marcel Sabitzer.
United were dealt a massive blow earlier this week with the news Christian Eriksen will potentially be out for three months due to an ankle injury caused by a heavy challenge from Reading's Andy Carroll.
The Denmark midfielder had been one of United's key players due to his creativity, as reflected by his haul of nine assists being bettered by no one else in the squad.
United moved quickly to bring in Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season as a replacement, with the Austria international's arrival appearing even more necessary after it emerged Scott McTominay is also facing a short spell out.
Ten Hag was thrilled to get the deal done, and he has high expectations for the former RB Leipzig star, despite him struggling to make much of an impact at Bayern.
"We're really happy with that transfer because we need it after Donny [van de Beek] dropped out, now [Christian] Eriksen for a longer time, for a short time Scott McTominay is not available," Ten Hag told reporters after Wednesday's 2-0 EFL Cup semi-final second-leg win over Nottingham Forest.
"To bring a quality player in on deadline day, that is difficult. We got this opportunity.
"I know the player for a long time from Salzburg, especially Leipzig, [where] he performed fantastic. I expect the same here.
"He has a great attitude, he's the right age. I'm sure this opportunity will motivate him and he will perform for us."
Among the big talking points from the win over Forest was the comeback of Sancho, who had not played for United since October 22.
The England international had been absent due to "circumstances with fitness and mood", which even resulted in him spending a period away from the club.
He played the last 27 minutes on Wednesday, receiving a huge ovation from the Old Trafford crowd, and Ten Hag was thrilled to have such a talented player available again.
"It was great for Jadon and the fans cheered him and gave him a loud applause, and that's great and he sees how the fans like [him], give him this love," the manager continued. "So we are happy with that. We need to keep that connection with the fans and we need that all season.
"He has really high standards, he has great capabilities to contribute to our team and I think, especially now the team is improving, we are playing more in the opponents' half and I think his capabilities are coming more in front.
"He can act on them more because he will have more touches on the ball and that gives him the best platform to perform.
"Most important players enjoy football, which gives energy, that gives them the motivation to act and to perform. I think it was great, the reception from the fans to him, and also that will give him even more a push to continue in the way he's now acting.
"He's just started again, a restart. He's [been] back at Carrington [United's training base] for two weeks, we see that smile and hopefully he can keep that and contribute to the team because when he is in good form, he is really important for us.
"I hope, same as [Anthony] Martial, when you are all the time available and play often together with the players we have now in the midfield and front line, our attacking plan will improve and create more chances, then it's a process players enjoy more and are better motivated to work together."
United are next in action on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Tom Brady is a "good bet" to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the first time of asking, though he will still have to wait five years.
Brady called time on his playing career on Wednesday, a year on from retiring for the first time.
While that stint out of the game only lasted 40 days, the legendary quarterback – a seven-time Super Bowl champion – said he was retiring "for good" this time around.
Brady is sure to go down as one of the greatest athletes of all time, though that does not mean he will be able to skip any queue in order to become a Hall of Famer.
Indeed, while Hall of Fame chief communications officer Rich Desrosiers believes Brady will make it into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, the earliest that will come will be 2028.
"Even Tom Brady has to wait, even Peyton Manning had to wait," Desrosiers told Stats Perform when asked if Brady could be fast-tracked into the Hall of Fame.
"There's some others that we can assume will be or would have been first ballot types of people – Peyton Manning, one that I mentioned, this same conversation came up with him.
"You've got a couple of guys out there whose clocks are running: a Larry Fitzgerald, let's say a Drew Brees.
"I think many people assume they'd be first-ballot guys. It's just something the hall doesn't want to do, because then you've created a precedent, you've established a line, and who's making that determination?
"It's also unfair to the people who are queued up right now to be part of the class of 2024. If Tom were to have the five-year mandatory waiting period waived, then he's really knocking someone else out of the class of 2024, who has been waiting to get in, and we have many players who are on their second, third, fourth, fifth, even 10th year of eligibility.
"[If] all of a sudden, you're just saying, 'we're going to let somebody jump that line', you've displaced somebody else who's gone through the process. So it's not going to happen."
Asked if Brady will be into the Hall of Fame as soon as he can, Desrosiers said: "I would think so. Right now, we have 49 selectors.
"These are 49 mostly active journalists from around the country. They meet and consider the candidacies and each person who's up for election has a presenter who presents the case for the person under consideration.
"The debate might last five minutes 10 minutes, 20. There's been debates on candidates that have gone into 25-30 minute range when you really are starting to weigh this person against that person in the past, and I think it may have started with Brett Farve – Brett's presenter stood up and said two words – 'Brett Farve' and sat back down.
"It happened again with Peyton Manning, and I'm pretty sure that whoever is the presenter for Tom Brady will take a similar approach. They'll just say, 'Tom Brady', sit down.
"Nothing can ever be assumed. But it's probably a pretty good bet."
On Brady's illustrious career, Desrosiers added: "There's people far more talented than I am in debating those things. We'll let them debate that but it's hard to argue with seven Super Bowl championships, five Super Bowl MVPs, he's virtually passing every record, whatever number you want to throw out there.
"He's at the top or near the top of every offensive statistical category there is and a winner, and the longevity – there's plenty of boxes, you can check on the side of the ledger that says greatest of all time for sure."
Vern Cotter has resigned as Fiji head coach seven months ahead of the Rugby World Cup, saying he was "disappointed to be leaving".
Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) announced it had accepted Cotter's resignation, saying the former Scotland coach had chosen to go "with immediate effect due to personal reasons".
Fiji are due to face Wales, Australia, Portugal and Georgia in World Cup Pool C at the September-October tournament in France.
An FRU statement added: "FRU takes this opportunity to thank Vern Cotter for his services to Fiji Rugby and the Flying Fijians. FRU has begun the process to recruit a new Flying Fijians coach that will take the Team 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. FRU wishes Vern Cotter all the best in his future career."
In a press conference, team officials said a successor to 61-year-old Cotter would be brought in by the end of February.
New Zealander Cotter joined Fiji in January 2020, with a view to leading the team into the World Cup.
He said: "I feel the team has made some significant improvements over the last few years both on and off the field. I believe we built a great culture, which was testament to some good people working hard and enjoying each other's company and I'm disappointed to be leaving at this time."
James Harden has shrugged off any stress over his chances of making the All-Star Game, saying his numbers speak for themselves.
Harden had a double-double of 26 points and 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 105-94 on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old is a 10-time All-Star, but an 11th successive appearance in the mid-season exhibition game is not guaranteed.
Harden faces stiff competition from several other star names, including Sixers team-mate Joel Embiid, in the Eastern Conference to make the reserve list for the All-Star Game. There are seven spots available for each conference.
Yet Harden, who is averaging 21.4 points per game – Embiid, with 33.5, is the only Sixers player to boast more – 6.4 rebounds and 11 assists this season, believes he has done enough.
"If my name is called, great," Harden told reporters. "If not, there's bigger and better goals for the season.
"I'm not going to sit here and make a case. The numbers show it, our seed shows it."
The Sixers are third in the East with a 33-17 record, having won eight of their previous nine games.
Harden made three catch-and-shoot three-pointers against Orlando and was thrilled to thrive in an area where he has struggled.
"That's pretty exciting, I didn't want to do too much, just catch and shoot," he explained.
"You put the work in, I work on it every day. So opportunities are going to come whether it's Joel or dribble penetration."
Embiid added: "That's not something he was comfortable with, but he's gotten better over time and he's taking more and more.
"He needs to take more than he does, but it's a good step. He's getting better and he's knocking them down."
Embiid was marked tightly by the Magic's Franz Wagner, though still topped the scoring with 28 points, adding 11 rebounds and three assists.
"A really good young player," Embiid said of Wagner. "Obviously, you can tell he's competitive, as he kept attacking even though he was not getting the better of me.
"But I like him, a great talent and as a team, that's a pretty good team."
Sixers coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, saw scope for improvement.
"I didn't think we played great, but we played good enough to win," he said. "We'll take that."
Open champion Cameron Smith claims golf's world rankings are becoming "obsolete" due to there being no points awarded for LIV Golf tournaments.
The Australian spoke out ahead of this week's Saudi International, an Asian Tour event that was getting under way on Thursday, saying it hurt him that his prospects of getting to number one had been dealt a blow.
Smith is among a host of major winners and star names who have defected from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to the controversial LIV Golf tour, a lucrative Saudi-backed series that critics claim was launched in an effort to 'sportswash' the Middle East country's reputation.
For 29-year-old Smith, who won the Chicago leg of the LIV series last September, the limitations of where he can collect ranking points is a setback. He has been as high as number two but is now fourth on the rankings list, which is led by Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy has been as vociferous an opponent of LIV Golf as any player and is not playing this week in Saudi Arabia, where a host of top names, many of them from LIV Golf, are in the field and ranking points are available.
Smith said of the rankings situation: "I've tried to take it not that badly. When you rock up to a tournament, you know who you have to beat, whether there's a world ranking or not. There's generally seven or eight guys that are in that field that you know are going to put up a pretty good fight.
"For sure it hurts. I feel as though I was really close to getting to number one, and that was definitely something I wanted to tick off, but the longer that this stuff goes on, I think the more obsolete those rankings become.
"That's just the long and short of it, I think. Do we need them? It would be nice, but like I said, you know who you've got to beat when you get on the golf course."
LIV Golf is hoping it will be able to award ranking points in future.
Smith said he had enjoyed parading the Open Championship's Claret Jug while at home during the off-season.
"I took it back down to Australia, took it to my home club," he said. "They actually had a trophy night, kind of the day that I got back down there, so I took it to the trophy night.
"It was a little bit hectic. It's a pretty cool trophy. I'd describe it as like seeing a ghost, I think, for the most part, the look that it brings to their face and the feeling that it gives them is pretty special.
"I've taken it everywhere with me. Just about had every liquid you can put in there I've tried to put in it. But it's been awesome. It's been fun over Christmas; the family drinking out of it was something I'll never forget."
Head coach Mike McCarthy will take over play-calling duties for the Dallas Cowboys next season, it has been confirmed.
The shift in responsibilities comes after the departure of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who left at the start of this week and has joined up with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His exit followed the departures of six others, including assistant head coach Rob Davis and offensive line coach Joe Philbin, in the wake of the Cowboys struggling offensively in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round game.
McCarthy's evolving role had been anticipated and was verified by team owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice-president Stephen Jones on Wednesday.
Jerry Jones said: "This is the logical step to build on it and use what we've established, if you will, the foundation of the things we've got. This is the time for us to build on it. That's what this is, a building step."
Moore had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator since 2019, with Dallas leading the NFL in total yards in 2019 and 2021, also having the league's top-ranked scoring offense last season at 31.2 points per game.The Cowboys finished the 2022 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring (27.5 points per game) and 11th in total offense (354.9 yards per game), but the team managed just 282 total yards and one touchdown in the loss to the 49ers.
Dallas have not advanced past the Divisional round of the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 1995 season.
Quarterback Dak Prescott had a career-worst 15 picks over the season, and Stephen Jones called for sweeping changes to be made, saying: "Sometimes in order to take the next step, you have to get uncomfortable.
"Sometimes for Dak to take the next step, he might have to get uncomfortable and do something different.
"For Mike to take the next step, he’s got to do something different. For us to take the next step, same thing.
“If you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results, good luck."
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