WEDNESDAY-MARCH 10, 2021 Sport 05 Chelsea's missing piece? Havertz shines as Tamsin Greenway discusses false nine as Tuchel's golden touch continues Vitality Netball Superleague's quest to close the gap After 22 matches for the 2021 what makes it as compelling as it them will drive the Superleague's season, we've been able to see can be - it's why penalty shoot- intensity up. where every franchise is at, and outs in football, golden points in So often we hear about play- it's become clear that there's a di- rugby league, and matches like ers going to Australia or New vide between the top teams and England Netball's Commonwealth Zealand and they then speak the bottom teams. Games victory over Australia, al- openly about the rise in intensity If you take a look at the num- ways live long in fans' memories. - I was one of those players. Ev- bers, the difference in goals at the I don't think you can manipu- ery training session is incredibly end of matches highlights this. So late close results, but if there are challenging and being in those en- far, there's been an average of 16 steps that the Superleague can take vironments is what makes them a goals between Superleague teams towards having more goal-for-goal better player. at the full-time whistle, and 14 matches, and games where the re- The end goal needs to be to matches have been won by a mar- sult is uncertain until the final bring that intensity level here and gin of greater than 10 goals. minutes, then I'm all for it. match it, so there's not a jump, Now, I'm aware that the ANZ After speaking to Madi and Browne touched on this dur- Premiership has fewer teams, but Browne about this during the lat- ing Off The Court. if you compare the Superleague's est episode of Off The Court, it "When you look at the top figures to the start of their season got me thinking about some key teams in Superleague they have last year, the difference is clear. elements which need to keep on not only one but a couple of play- In New Zealand, only four of their being addressed, in order to con- ers who have maybe played in first 22 games were won by 10 tinue making England's domestic Suncorp Super Netball, for the For all Chelsea have improved claim, and the Germany interna- role. Ben Godfrey deflected into his under Thomas Tuchel, finding a tional put in the kind of display “He is a unique player,” Tuch- own net during what was other- consistent source of goals has been that suggested he could well be el said last week while injury held wise a tight first-half between two a struggle for the new Blues man- the missing piece for Chelsea's back Havertz's chances to start top-four challengers. ager. forward line. games. If it was the statisticians that Mason Mount is the club's Making his first league start “It’s not so clear where he stopped Havertz getting on the top-scorer from open play since since Tuchel's debut game in needs to settle, does he need to scoresheet before the break, then Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard charge against Wolves, Havertz settle on one special position? Or it was the officials in the second with three strikes, while Olivier was deployed in a central role be- is he kind of a hybrid player. To- period, as his close-range volley Giroud was the only other player tween wide forwards Werner and day, I would say he’s in between was ruled out for handball in the to have netted more than once Callum Hudson-Odoi, playing as a nine and a 10, something in be- build-up by the playmaker. under the German when not fac- a 'false nine'. tween." His influence continued to be toring in set-pieces. It is a position he thrived in Tuchel stuck to his guns here, felt, however, and it was Havertz It is not as if Tuchel is short during his final weeks at Bayer and Havertz repaid him with a who won the penalty which of options, with Timo Werner, Leverkusen, scoring eight goals in match-winning performance that sealed all three points for Tuch- Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abra- 11 games for Peter Bosz's side in provided the Blues' attack with el's side as he showed good pace ham, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Hav- a run that convinced Chelsea to everything other than an actual and movement to get in behind ertz all available to him in attack- splash out £70 million ($97m) on goal. and force Jordan Pickford into a ing areas. the 21-year-old over the summer. Havertz would be forgiven for goals or more and their average league stronger each season. Roses, or for other international On Monday against Everton And it has been clear for some feeling hard done by on that ac- foul. Goal margin was just seven goals. I know questions still exist teams," she said. it was Havertz's turn to stake his time that Tuchel sees it as his best count given it was his shot that Suncorp Super Netball has around big issues like funding, few- "Those are the players that not been included for comparison er teams, relegation, and feeder understand that intensity and After 50 years, purposes due to the presence and leagues, but I actually think there's drive. They understand the com- COVID-19: Meet the women who sacrificed impact of Super Shot on final a smaller part we can get stuck mitment that's needed and that Ali-Frazier I margin. into right now. every time you get to training, it their sport to work on the frontlines Overall, what the figures First, intensity, and second, a counts. remains the show, is that there's definitely still nod towards professionalism, by "It's all about having that qual- a way to go in terms of tightening providing the right support to ity of training, and the consistent fight that up the Superleague and the teams franchises, players, and coaches. quality of training, that's then rep- within it. Over the years, and even For me, culture and intensity licating onto the court straight recently, debates have risen as to are two components that are transcends the away." how to achieve this. linked. The standards that are be- sport The uncertainty of sport is ing set and the attitude towards Skysport On a March morning, in a suite at the Essex House, half a century ago, Muhammad Ali's longtime Meghan Markle: Serena Williams speaks friend and adviser Gene Kilroy received a call from the late Budd out on suffering sexism and racism 'first- Schulberg, a writer whose contri- bution to the American canon in- cludes "The Harder They Fall," hand' following Oprah interview "On the Waterfront" and a line In the interview which aired "The mental health conse- Jean King praising Markle for her most famously recited by Marlon in the US on Sunday, The Duch- quences of systemic oppression "honesty". Brando but seemingly uttered by ess of Sussex said "concerns" and victimisation are devastating, "Among the revelations from just about every failed fighter be- were raised about baby Archie's isolating, and all too often lethal." the Meghan and Harry interview fore or since: "I coulda been a con- skin colour before he was born by Meghan and Harry said in the is Meghan's struggle with mental COVID-19 ravaged the world and then to go out and ring their suffering from a chest infection in tender." a member of the Royal Family, interview their second child, who health," King Tweeted. "Her hon- in 2020. The virus, which was si- family and reassure them as well the early days of the pandemic. Though Ali had just suffered and also said she was pushed to is due this summer, would be a esty will hopefully lead to more lently transmitted, brought servic- and quite often you can't reassure "I came back and in my first his first loss, it was Joe Frazier the brink of suicide after marry- girl. acceptance and more help for those es to their knees. Those working them because you are not quite shift I think we had 7 sudden who was in perilously bad shape ing into royalty. Williams, who attended Mar- who need it." on the frontlines were not just sure how they are going to be in a deaths and all of them were COV- at St. Luke's hospital in Philadel- Williams Tweeted support for kle's wedding in 2018, said the Eboni Usoro-Brown, who doctors, nurses, teachers or po- few days time or even a few hours ID related," she says. "For me that phia. Packed in ice, his blood pres- her "selfless friend", saying: "I Suits actress had taught her "what played her first full Superleague lice anymore. Suddenly, they were time." was really, really shocking and sure racing, the undisputed heavy- know first-hand the sexism and it means to be truly noble". match last month since becoming counsellors to members of their Cooper's experiences were the scary and I thought: 'Oh my God, weight champion of the world was racism institutions and the media "I want Meghan's daughter, a mother, spoke to Sky Sports communities who had lost every- realities for a number of athletes I could potentially be getting this." unable to stand or urinate, eat or use to vilify women and people my daughter, and your daughter about how Williams inspired her thing.