After a trying though ultimately successful rookie season, Zion Williamson has ascended into the upper echelon of NBA players in 2021 and there's every reason to believe he could top that list relatively soon.
Stardom was predicted for Williamson long before the Pelicans made him the number one selection in the 2019 draft, but he dealt with injury problems and conditioning issues as a rookie before the pandemic put the season on hold for a few months.
He still managed to average 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 58.3 per cent from the field in 24 games. Williamson finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting behind winner Ja Morant and Kendrick Nunn, but there's little doubt that he would've taken home the award had he been healthy for a full season.
Now slightly leaner and more in attack mode, Williamson has taken his game to another level in his second season, doing things rarely seen in league history. He ranks eighth in the league in points per game (26.9) and that has come on 61.7 per cent shooting, a level of scoring volume and efficiency few players have ever approached.
Only two other players have previously shot 60 per cent while averaging 25.0 points per game and both trail Williamson. Kevin McHale scored 26.1 points on 60.4 per cent shooting in 1986-87 and Charles Barkley had 25.2 with 60.4 per cent shooting in 1989-90. Shaquille O'Neal in 1993-94 (29.3 points, 59.9 per cent) and Amar'e Stoudemire in 2007-08 (25.2, 59.0) are next on the list.
Of those, Williamson's body most resembles Barkley. Both measure 6ft 6in, though Zion is far more muscular, while McHale (6ft 10in), O'Neal (7ft 1in) and Stoudemire (6ft 11in) all had the advantage of playing much closer to the rim. Williamson's field-goal percentage this season is on pace to be the highest ever by a player of his height or shorter.
After Barkley's 1989-90 season, a second campaign from the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar ranks third for the highest field-goal percentage at this height, shooting 59.4 per cent in 1986-87. That mark was matched by 6ft 5in Mike McGee three years earlier.
Williamson won't turn 21 until July and is just the 10th player in NBA history to achieve All-Star status at 20 years old. The others on that list are Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, O'Neal, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson. Only Bryant, James and Johnson were younger when making their first All-Star Game appearance.
Perhaps Williamson's consistency has been the most surprising aspect of his stellar season. Players of his age, regardless of talent, often have bad stretches where shots don't fall or the energy is lacking, but he seems almost immune to it.
Williamson scored at least 20 points and made at least 50 per cent of his field goals in 25 consecutive games from February 6 to April 6 before that run ended with 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting in a loss at Brooklyn on April 7. His streak equalled O'Neal's record mark of 25 straight games (2001).
In a five-game stretch over February 10-17, Williamson averaged 31.6 points with a 70.1 field-goal percentage. He was the first player to average 30 points on 70 per cent shooting over a five-game span since James during his last MVP season in 2012-13. The only other players to achieve this since 1991-92 are O'Neal (January 1994, December-January 1995-96) and Dwight Howard (February 2011).
Approaching a full 82-game season for his career, Williamson already ranks among some of basketball's legends for total points at this juncture.
With 1,968 points, he ranks sixth through 77 career games among all players to have debuted since 1963-64. Just four players - Elvin Hayes (2,216), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2,197), Michael Jordan (2,161) and Billy Knight (2,049) - passed the 2,000 mark, while Williamson had only a point fewer than David Thompson (1,969).
Already an elite finisher, Williamson has even taken on the role of playmaker for the Pelicans with point guard Lonzo Ball sidelined with a hip injury. Coach Stan Van Gundy played Williamson at the point for a full game earlier this month, following his one-game slump against the Nets, and the result was perhaps the best game of his career.
Williamson had 37 points on 15-of-28 shooting with a personal-best 15 rebounds and career high-tying eight assists in that 101-94 victory over Philadelphia on April 9. He became the youngest player (20 years, 277 days) in NBA history to record at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
This is unlikely to be the season the Pelicans make noise in the playoffs, but the core of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Ball is in place, so the franchise's future is extremely bright.
Ingram is enjoying another outstanding season and easily could've been an All-Star for the second consecutive season. He's averaging 24.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Williamson and Ingram are on pace to be just the fourth pair of team-mates aged 23 or younger to average 23 or more points per game in the same season. The others are Walt Bellamy and Terry Dischinger (1962-63 Chicago Zephyrs), Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder) and Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins (2016-17 Minnesota Timberwolves).
One area where Williamson does need to improve is on the defensive end. His size prevents him from guarding most opposing power forwards or centers and his 285-pound frame gives him trouble staying with most wings. The Pelicans are a potent offensive group but rank as one of the league's poorest defensive teams and that will be a point of concern in the offseason for Van Gundy.
New Orleans has long been a football town, crazy about the Saints and star quarterback Drew Brees for two decades. But with Brees now retired and the Saints in transition, the time has arrived for Williamson to become the Big Easy's most beloved athlete.
A philosophical Stephen Curry reflected on a "great run" after his record-breaking scoring streak finally came to an end on Wednesday.
Curry went into the game against the Washington Wizards having scored at least 30 points in his previous 11 outings, the longest run by any player aged 33 or over in the history of the NBA.
However, as the Golden State Warriors fell to a narrow defeat on the road, the seven-time All-Star finally went cold.
Successful with just two of his 14 three-point attempts, he finished the 118-114 loss with 18 points, though did also contribute seven rebounds and eight assists for the beaten Warriors.
"It was a great run," Curry said. "It was something that hadn't been done before. It was going to end at some point. Now you've got to start another one.
"It's just a matter of the next-play mentality. Just try to get rejuvenated when we go home – to do it home, road, some big games, put a streak together. It was a special ride, for sure.
"And never really get too hyped up on individual streaks or accolades like that.
"There were some historical names that I was able to pass and doing something at this age was pretty special."
Kobe Bryant previously held the record for successive games with at least 30 points by a player 33 or older, managing 10 in a row in 2012.
Curry's streak started with 32 points against the Chicago Bulls on March 30. Across the 11 games he hit 78 three-pointers, also an NBA record.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised the Wizards for their defensive efforts, but also admitted tiredness was a factor for his players at the end of a gruelling five-game road trip.
"I thought the Wizards played well defensively," Kerr said. "Did some good things to get the ball out of Steph's hands. But nothing that Steph hasn't seen before.
"I thought we were gassed. I thought that included Steph and everybody. We just didn't look like we had our legs out there tonight."
Despite a below-par performance compared to his recent lofty standards, it was still a milestone game for Curry as he passed 18,000 career points.
Schalke are seven-time Bundesliga champions and one of the biggest names in world football.
A sporting institution and breeding ground for future greats, the Royal Blues were runners-up as recently as 2018. Schalke, led by Raul, were also Champions League semi-finalists in 2011. So, after 30 straight seasons in the top flight, it seemed unfathomable that one of the Bundesliga's founding members could drop down to Germany's second tier.
But they will be playing in 2. Bundesliga in 2021-22, their demise made official with four matches remaining after Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld.
It has truly been a dismal season for the club who have unearthed Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sane, Mesut Ozil, Benedikt Howedes and Julian Draxler thanks to their famed academy.
Schalke only have two wins to their name from 30 matches for a paltry 13 points.
The turbulent nature of their campaign has been headlined by five coaches in a season – a Bundesliga record.
After David Wagner was given his marching orders in September, Manuel Baum lasted until December before Schalke turned to one of their favourite sons Huub Stevens – a UEFA Cup and DFB-Pokal winner – on an interim basis. Christian Gross was hired but he and other senior staff officials were sacked by February as part of a shake-up amid internal turmoil and player unrest. The relatively unknown Dimitrios Grammozis was appointed in March, however the club were already doomed.
Kevin Kuranyi – one of Schalke's finest – spent five years in Gelsenkirchen, where the former Germany international was their leading goalscorer from 2005-08 as the team finished runners-up twice and secured three consecutive Champions League berths, including a quarter-final showdown against Barcelona in 2008.
"For me was special to play for such a big club," Kuranyi, who left Schalke in 2010 after 209 appearances and 87 goals following his 2005 arrival from Stuttgart, told Stats Perform News.
"We had a really good time with the club. We were playing in the Champions League, the fans and everything was really something special in my career. And for me was an honour to play there with a lot of top players who are now playing in the biggest clubs in the world.
"Of course [in recent years] they have a lot of changes. I think in the last three, four years, you know, they change a lot of the sport directors, coaches and I think they don't really have a structure and a long-term plan.
"All these changes make everything a little bit difficult."
The likes of Leon Goretzka, Alexander Nubel, Breel Embolo, Thilo Kehrer, Max Meyer, Ozan Kabak and Weston McKennie have left Veltins-Arena in recent years and the replacements have not provided value for money.
Schalke invested in Sebastian Rudy, Suat Serdar, Omar Mascarell, Rabbi Matondo, Salif Sane, Mark Uth and Hamza Mendyl and Benito Raman over the past three terms, while big-name veterans Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar arrived during this season, but failed to make an impact.
"They invest a lot of money," Kuranyi said. "The players who they bring in for €10-15million, they don't return with good performances and points so it's difficult to work with this, they make a lot of mistakes the last few years."
Unheralded American forward Matthew Hoppe has been a rare shining light, the club's leading scorer in the Bundesliga with five goals – Schalke have only found the back of the net a league-low 18 times.
Schalke's minutes-to-goal ratio is 150, by far the worst of any team in the Bundesliga. As for their shot conversion rate, it stands at just 6.69 per cent – easily the lowest in the competition. For comparison, leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich top the list with 16.93 per cent. Only Bielefeld (39.9 to 40.32 per cent) have a poorer shooting accuracy this term.
The boys in blue have also lacked creativity. In 2020-21, Schalke have only created 190 chances – the lowest return across the league, while their passing accuracy (76.7) is the sixth worst.
Schalke have had the same woes at the other end of the pitch, conceding a league-high 76 goals and keeping four clean sheets – only Cologne have managed less (three). They have also recorded five errors leading to goals, a total only exceeded by Werder Bremen (six).
Now, Schalke are preparing for life in the second division for the first time since 1990-91.
It is a situation that has outraged fans and it came to a head after Tuesday's loss away to Bielefeld. Supporters were waiting for the team in Gelsenkirchen, where some players were seen fleeing a group of angry Ultras in footage circulating on social media – Schalke later condemned the incident.
"I think [the fans are hurting] a lot you know a big club like Schalke is not a club for the second league," the 39-year-old Kuranyi said.
"Schalke have big tradition, they have a lot of good memories in the old times. So it's really difficult for the fans to get the situation, to play in the second league, to try to go up again.
"I think in the next two, three years will be a hard time for Schalke. And, of course, all the fans are in a bad moment now."
Schalke were among 16 founding members of the inaugural Bundesliga in 1963, including Hamburg.
Hamburg – another proud and historic German outfit – were sensationally relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in 2018 and are yet to return. Schalke are now following in their footsteps.
"It's all about the plan, what they have," Kuranyi said when asked of Schalke can bounce back immediately. "It's not easy if you see Hamburg, if you see another clubs who are trying to go up in the last two, three years. You see how difficult it is to play in the second league.
"Schalke, of course, will be the top club in the second league. Every small club will do everything to beat them. So they need to have a big plan for the future. They need to check what the possibilities also to keep the top players. What's the possibility to take young talented players to play a good second league season."
The Oakland Athletics continued their remarkable season turnaround by extended their winning run to 11 games, with a thrilling 13-12 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The As had started the 2021 MLB season 0-6 and were challenged by the Twins on Wednesday night yet got home in extras, as center-fielder Roman Laureano says they "could smell we were going to win".
Matt Olson had the second home run of the game at the bottom of the third, followed by Seth Brown to give the Athletics a 7-4 lead.
But the Twins refused to go away, with Nelson Cruz having a big game, including his second home run, recording his 38th career multi-run game.
Laureano got home after a Matt Chapman fly ball forcing a 10th, where Byron Buxton teed off for the Twins to establish a 12-10 lead.
Minnesota, though, were let down by sloppy fielding, firstly with an error from Major League second-gamer Travis Blankenhorn with bases loaded, before Luis Arraez's wayward throw allowed Tony Kemp and Elvis Andrus home to seal the walkoff win.
The As are now the first-ever team to win 11 straight at any point in an MLB season after being 0-6.
Rangers deny Angel, Baez grand slam
The Texas Rangers came from behind to deny Mike Trout's Los Angeles Angels 7-4 on Wednesday night.
The Rangers had trailed 3-1 after four innings, after home runs from Trout and Shohei Ohtani for the Angels.
Adolis Garcia hit a home run from Mike Mayers and that opened up a lead they would not give up, with another homer from next batter Nate Lowe.
Javier Baez had a day out for the Chicago Cubs in their 16-4 win over the New York Mets, with his sixth career grand slam.
For the Mets, Pete Alonso scored his third home-run of the year with a 429 foot monster.
There was late drama as the Philadelphia Phillies got past the San Francisco Giants 6-5 with Andrew Knapp hitting to left-field at the bottom of the ninth, allowing Bryce Harper to get the winning run.
Late heroics from Salvador Perez guided the Kansas City Royals to a 9-8 win over the Tampa Bay Rays after trailing 8-7 at the bottom of the ninth.
Tough trot for J.D.
Mets third baseman J.D. Davis is not having a good run, with his third misfield in two games hardly helping his side's cause in their 16-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Shohei Showtime
Ohtani keeps on delivering in MLB this season but after launching a home run against the Rangers he sped around the bases, making it home in a Majors season record of 17.3 seconds.
Wednesday's results:
Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 San Francisco Giants
Miami Marlins 3-0 Baltimore Orioles
Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Detroit Tigers
Colorado Rockies 6-3 Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics 13-12 Minnesota Twins
Washington Nationals 1-0 St. Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers 7-4 Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee 4-2 San Diego Padres
Atlanta Braves 4-1 New York Yankees
Arizona Diamonds 8-5 Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers 5-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs 16-4 New York Mets
Kansas City Royals 9-8 Tampa Bay Rays
Padres at Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers will start their series against the San Diego Padres in an all-Calfiornia battle.
Joel Embiid almost pulled off a miracle on the buzzer as the Philadelphia 76ers went down 116-113 to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA on Wednesday night.
The 76ers, top of the East, hosted the Suns, second in the West, and Phoenix appeared home when up by six points with 13 seconds to play.
But Philadelphia stayed alive after Furkan Korkmaz's three-pointer, before Chris Paul missed a free-throw, with Embiid grabbing rebound and firing off a long-range shot immediately which came remarkably close only to rim out.
Earlier, Embiid had scored 38 points and collected 17 rebounds for the 76ers, while Suns guard Paul had 28 points and eight assists.
The Suns improve to 41-16 while the 76ers are 39-18 but remain top in the Eastern Conference after the Brooklyn Nets lost 114-103 to the Toronto Raptors.
Still missing their star pair Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets relied on Kyrie Irving with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
However, the Raptors all contributed led by Pascal Siakam with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, as they reeled in a 36-23 quarter-time deficit to win by 11.
Curry streak ends, Knicks streak extends
Stephen Curry's 11-game streak of 30-plus points came to an end at the hands of the Washington Wizards who won over the Golden State Warriors 118-114.
Russell Westbrook produced another triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and an outstanding 20 rebounds, while Bradley Beal had 29 points. Curry could only manage 18 points for GSW.
On the topic of streaks, the New York Knicks extended their winning run to seven games with a 137-127 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks after Bogdan Bogdanovic forced over-time with a clutch three.
Julius Randle was exceptional with 40 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, including six three-pointers, while the Hawks lost Trae Young to a sprained left ankle.
The Utah Jazz reinforced top spot in the Western Conference with a comfortable 112-89 win over the Houston Rockets with Rudy Gobert having 19 points and 18 rebounds.
The Los Angeles Clippers kept up the pressure with a 117-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, with shooting guard Luke Kennard adding 28 points and seven rebounds.
Curry covered at every turn
Curry was not afforded any time or space against the Washington Wizards and subsequently shot two-from-14 beyond the arc.
OMG from OG
Up by two in the third, OG Anunoby made a big statement for the Toronto Raptors with a block down one end and then a monster right-hand dunk over Joe Harris after Fred VanVleet's assist down the other in the same play.
Wednesday's results:
Toronto Raptors 114-103 Brooklyn Nets
Indiana Pacers 122-116 Oklahoma City Thunder
Washington Wizards 118-114 Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns 116-113 Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers 121-105 Chicago Bulls
Utah Jazz 112-89 Houston Rockets
New York Knicks 137-127 Atlanta Hawks
Miami Heat 107-87 San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks 127-107 Detroit Pistons
Denver Nuggets 106-105 Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings 128-125 Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers 117-105 Memphis Grizzlies
76ers at Bucks
Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers (39-18) will look to bounce back from Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns when they travel to Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks (35-22) in a bumper East clash.
Real Madrid president Florentina Perez has revealed that the club has agreed a new contract with Luka Modric.
The 35-year-old Croatian midfielder, who joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2012, is out of contract in June.
Reports in January alleged that a new deal between Modric and Madrid had been agreed although nothing had ever been announced.
Perez confirmed those reports on Wednesday when discussing the European Super League, while also providing an update on out-of-contract Sergio Ramos.
"[Modric] has already signed or we have reached an agreement a long time ago," Perez said.
"Ramos is not in the same situation. We have spoken many times but I do not know, I do not want to blame anyone."
Perez refused to be drawn on 35-year-old club captain Ramos' future.
"I love him as if he were my son, I have done everything I could for him," Perez said.
"I am not going to tell you anything about Sergio Ramos. We are trying to close this season. Then we will talk about the next one."
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has heaped praise on Karim Benzema after his double in Wednesday's 3-0 win at Cadiz lifted Los Blancos into top spot in LaLiga.
The France international striker took his LaLiga season tally to 19 goals, closing within four strikes of league top scorer Lionel Messi.
Benzema converted a penalty on the half hour, before adding Madrid's third in the 40th minute.
"I’m delighted with how he’s performing," Zidane said post-game. "We know how important he is to our game and not just because of his goals.
"He makes the guys around him play, we enjoy watching him and I hope Real Madrid can continue enjoying him for a long time to come."
Madrid's win moves them ahead of Atletico Madrid on goal difference for the time being although Atleti are due to play on Thursday against Huesca.
Zidane was delighted to see his side sitting top of LaLiga albeit temporarily while also being through to the Champions League semi-finals.
"We’re still alive in both competitions and we keep going," Zidane said.
"We’ve picked up three very important points to keep us in the race, but there’s still a long way to go."
Zidane also praised his side's defence, having only conceded twice in their past six matches in all competitions.
He deployed a three centre-backs against Cadiz, with Marcelo and Odriozola getting up and down the flanks as wing-backs to good effect.
"We haven’t conceded a goal for three games and that’s pleasing for me," Zidane said.
Luka Modric was absent for the game with a back issue although Zidane was hopeful he would be in contention for the weekend's league game against Real Betis.
"He felt something in his back but I don’t think it’s anything serious," Zidane said.
"We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and I hope he can be back with us straight away."
Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino was delighted with hat-trick hero Mauro Icardi's impact in Wednesday's 5-0 Coupe de France win after a month out with injury.
Icardi marked his first start for PSG in a month with a treble as they swept aside Angers to qualify for the Coupe de France semi-finals.
The Argentine, who spent last season on loan at PSG from Inter before signing permanently, has endured a difficult season impacted by injury.
"I'm glad Mauro scored three goals tonight," Pochettino said. "Anytime he's on the pitch, he has the opportunity to score.
"He's coming back from injury, I'm very happy with what he did."
Icardi has battled the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Moise Kean and Angel Di Maria for a regular spot when fit.
Pochettino would not be drawn on whether Wednesday's hat-trick would help the Argentine's cause in a bid to start in Saturday's Ligue 1 clash with Metz.
"We will see Saturday who will start," Pochettino said.
"It is always difficult for a player to suffer from muscle damage and to be held back by health problems. Even more so in a season of difficult circumstances like this."
Icardi's goals take his season tally to 11 in all competitions, having made 21 appearances.
"I felt confident," Icardi said. "I'd already scored against Saint-Etienne and I was very confident that I could come back after a tough injury hit year.
"I'm slowly getting back to form and scoring goals is always important for strikers."
Former Indian bowler Ajit Agarkar believes an out of sorts Chris Gayle creates a tricky situation for Punjab Kings XI who may be hesitant to drop the player.
The 41-year-old game began the season on a good note, scoring 40 from 28 balls in the first match, a victory against Rajasthan Royals. The veteran batsman has struggled to connect since then, scoring 10, 11, and 15 in the team’s next three games. The Kings have lost all three for a 1-3 start to the season.
Agarkar believes at this age, the Kings must weigh closely the benefits of keeping Gayle in the line-up, if he is not scoring the required runs.
"I don't know, he started well. He got 40 in the first game. The challenge with Chris Gayle is that he did not play the first few games last season and then came back, and he was as good as ever. So, I can understand it is a difficult decision to sit him out," Agarkar told Espncricinfo.
"If he is it and when he has done well, you always want to accommodate him. How long can you go on if he is not firing, especially at this stage of his career?" he asked.
Last season, Gaye was left out of the line-up for the team’s first 6 games but returned to play a pivotal role in their run for a place in the play-offs, following another slow start. Gayle is not the only West Indian struggling at the moment, however, as Nicholas Pooran, a standout performer last season has only scored 9 runs in fours games, including three ducks.
"Their problem is that Nicholas Pooran is not scoring run either, who they must have had high hopes from. It's a tricky one. I don't know how long they can keep playing Chris Gayle if he is not getting runs.”
Andrea Pirlo will consider no longer placing Cristiano Ronaldo in defensive walls after Juventus conceded from another free-kick in their win against Parma.
Ronaldo covered his face and failed to jump as Gaston Brugman lifted a superb 25-yarder over the five-man Juve wall and past a stationary Gianluigi Buffon.
The home side recovered from that setback thanks to a couple of Alex Sandro goals either side of half-time and a header from fellow defender Matthijs de Ligt.
However, Pirlo was not overly pleased with his side's display and hinted Ronaldo - criticised for turning his back on Sergio Oliveira's extra-time free-kick that saw Porto knock Juve out of the Champions League last 16 - will no longer form part of the wall.
"Unfortunately, these things happen, but we'll have to evaluate it over the next few days," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"We made life difficult for ourselves with that opening goal, then ran a few other risks on set-plays. It's a pity because we'd done well defending from dead-ball situations this season."
Juventus have now conceded goals in each of their last eight Serie A games, which is their longest such streak since May 2019.
Pirlo had a couple of defenders to thank for bailing his side out, with Alex Sandro scoring more goals against Parma in Wednesday's clash than he managed in his previous 115 matches in all competitions.
While the under-fire boss is happy to have come away with all three points, he accepted there is still plenty of room for improvement.
"We were too distant in the first half and that slowed down the passing movement," he said.
"Maybe we don't maintain the same concentration and pace from match to match. Sometimes we are a little slow, we hold onto the ball, allow the opposition to occupy the space and it all grinds to a halt.
"We did well to turn it around and the win was important for our confidence as we played well and needed to take home the three points.
"We have instinctive players, but must also give them directions on the positions to hold. They did it better in the second half than the first, especially with the body positioning to receive the ball."
The win for Juve moves them into third, one point above fourth-placed Atalanta and five ahead of Napoli in fifth, both of whom have a game in hand in a tight battle for Champions League qualification.
It was an important victory in more ways than one for the fallen champions amid a backdrop of unrest over the European Super League proposal, which is now in tatters after the vast majority of teams pulled the plug.
Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli was one of the chief architects of the breakaway plans and Pirlo reiterated his pre-match comments that, while he is not against change, the club must "respect the rules".
"Agnelli explained what was happening, but that the most important thing was to secure a place in the top four to qualify for the Champions League," Pirlo said. "He reassured and encouraged us ahead of this game.
"I already spoke about [the Super League] yesterday, so did the president and the director. We all know the same things.
"Something has to be changed on the European level, because the ideas that were proposed were good ones, but we are also open to other suggestions and will respect the rules."
Antonio Conte believes "sport must be meritocratic" but called on UEFA to reflect after the European Super League project Inter signed up to crumbled.
Inter were among the 12 teams from Serie A, the Premier League and LaLiga to on Sunday back the formation of a breakaway tournament.
However, following widespread criticism, the plans fell apart on Tuesday as clubs opted to pull out in the wake of significant backlash from supporters, politicians and the media.
The Nerazzurri announced prior to their Serie A meeting with Spezia on Wednesday they would no longer be taking part in the Super League.
Conte is confident the club have made the right decision, but he urged UEFA to understand why the teams wanted to step away from the Champions League.
"As a sporting man, I think we mustn't ever forget tradition. This is history and it should be respected," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
"We mustn't forget the passion for sport, and sport must be meritocratic. We work to win and to earn something. Meritocracy must always be first and foremost.
"Having said that, everything that happened shows it's only right that UEFA reflect too. They organise tournaments, take all the revenue and reserve only a minimal part of that for the teams who are actually taking part in these tournaments.
"The players are squeezed like lemons with this packed fixture list and get very little for it. The organisations need to consider better remuneration. Clubs invest in coaches and players, so they deserve some of the revenue they help to generate.
"If you get 10 from rights and keep seven of it for yourself, giving out just three to everybody else, that's not really fair. I think the split needs to be reconsidered."
UEFA announced on Monday that a new format for the Champions League would come into effect in 2024, with the competition expanding to accommodate 36 teams.
Instead of being split into groups, qualifying clubs will be part of a single league and play a minimum of 10 games rather than six.
Asked for his opinion of the new set-up, Conte replied: "I haven't really reflected on the format. It doesn't matter how many teams are in there, the important thing is that there is meritocracy, otherwise sport loses its meaning.
"Meritocracy is the most important thing, but also the organisations including those who run the international fixtures need to consider spreading out the resources a little better."
Inter were held to a 1-1 draw at Spezia but extended their lead at the top of Serie A to 10 points due to Milan's 2-1 home defeat to Sassuolo earlier in the day.
"Pressure is inevitable, and let's not forget that many players are challenging for something important for the first time. They are doing very well and I think we could easily have deserved the win," said Conte.
"I was happy with the intensity of the performance, though we could've had more quality in the final third, which is why we're talking about a draw rather than a win.
"There are fewer rounds left. We can see the finish line and the pressure is taking its toll.
"We used up a lot of energy and have another physical game coming up against [Hellas] Verona [on Sunday]."
Inter extended their lead at the Serie A summit to 10 points but could only draw 1-1 with Spezia following another Samir Handanovic error on Wednesday.
In their first match since joining and withdrawing from the much-criticised European Super League project, league leaders Inter failed to fully capitalise on second-place Milan's 2-1 loss to Sassuolo earlier in the day.
After scoring an own goal in the 1-1 draw that ended Inter's 11-game winning run in Serie A at Napoli on Sunday, some more shoddy goalkeeping from Handanovic enabled Diego Farias to put Spezia in front early on at Stadio Alberto Picco.
Ivan Perisic bundled in the equaliser on his 200th appearance in all competitions for Inter, who saw Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez each denied by the offside flag late on as they failed to find the winner that would have boosted their Scudetto hopes further.
Spezia were without their top scorer M'Bala Nzola but managed to take a surprise lead in the 12th minute when Farias' effort from just outside the box squirmed past Handanovic.
Inter's final pass was often lacking but after Nicolo Barella sliced their best opportunity wide, Achraf Hakimi teed up fellow wing-back Perisic for the equaliser ahead of half-time.
The Nerazzurri were buoyed by the goal and Martinez saw his shot come back off the post before being gathered by Spezia goalkeeper Ivan Provedel.
A woeful back pass from Ardijan Ismajli gifted Lukaku a chance to put Inter in front after the hour mark but he was unable to round Provedel cleanly and the keeper recovered well to block his second attempt.
Milan Skriniar was unable to turn substitute Alexis Sanchez's free-kick home before Martinez rattled the upright again in the 80th minute.
Lukaku and Martinez were frustrated by offside decisions, but it looked like the winner was finally about to arrive when the pair combined in stoppage time. However, the Argentina international lashed his effort straight at Provedel.
Alex Sandro inspired Juventus to a 3-1 comeback win against Parma in Wednesday's Serie A clash as Andrea Pirlo's men put continuing European Super League drama aside.
Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli was one of the chief architects of the breakaway plans, which are now in tatters after the vast majority of the 12 clubs involved withdrew their support.
Qualifying for next season's Champions League is now the Bianconeri's immediate aim - assuming they are not banned - and they dug deep to avoid the ignominy of losing to the league's second-bottom side at the Allianz Stadium.
Left-back Alex Sandro struck either side of half-time after Gaston Brugman had opened the scoring for Parma from a free-kick and Matthijs de Ligt added a third as Juve strengthened their top-four hopes.
Cristiano Ronaldo was back in Juve's line-up after missing Sunday's 1-0 loss to Atalanta through injury and he tested Simone Colombi inside the opening eight minutes.
But it was the visitors who took the lead through Brugman's swirling free-kick from 25 yards that left stand-in Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon rooted to the spot.
Parma have lost more points from winning positions in 2021 than any side in Europe's top five leagues and they were pegged back just before half-time in Turin.
De Ligt nodded the ball down to Alex Sandro, who used his first touch to flick the ball into the air and his second to blast it away from Colombi on the half-volley.
Alex Sandro added a second 92 seconds into the second half when heading in a Juan Cuadrado cross intended for Paulo Dybala that made it all the way to the back post.
Giuseppe Pezzella went close to levelling with a header that was stopped in front of goal by Arthur - a big moment in the game as De Ligt powered in a header of his own four minutes later.
That set up a serene conclusion to the match for Pirlo's side as they made it four league wins in a row in this fixture for the first time ever.
Gareth Bale sent a message to former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho after Wednesday's 2-1 win over Southampton, suggesting he should have put more emphasis on attacking.
Mourinho was sacked by Spurs on Monday with their Champions League hopes fading and was replaced until the end of the season by Ryan Mason.
Against the backdrop of European Super League controversy, which also affected Spurs, Mourinho's dismissal was effectively overshadowed.
But with the controversial competition crumbling on Tuesday, the attention was back on Spurs' football the following day and Mason – who became the Premier League's youngest manager in history (29 years, 312 days) – began with a victory.
It may not have been a classic, with a late Son Heung-min penalty securing the points, but the win moved Spurs back to within two points of the top four.
Bale was willing to offer an opinion on what Spurs had to improve on following Mourinho's dismissal, backing up reports the players had been frustrated by the Portuguese's negative tactics.
"Maybe just to be on the front foot a bit more," Bale told Sky Sports. "We want to attack.
"We're a big team, we have great players and we need to attack more and stay higher up the pitch and I think we did that today."
Spurs' first-half display against Saints left a lot to be desired, but they improved in the second period.
Bale put their slow start down to the upheaval rather than distraction caused by the Super League.
"Us as players, all we have been focusing on is trying to get the new manager to settle in, the matter [the Super League] is closed as far as I'm concerned," he added. "It's not happening, so we're all good. We can carry on as normal."
As for adjusting to Mason, he said: "[We] just have to be patient. [There were] positional issues as a team, we've only had a couple of days to work on that, so just minor teething issues.
"We'll continue to improve for the cup final at the weekend."
That final will see Spurs go up against Manchester City in the EFL Cup, the last competition they won in 2008.
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