UNalmeno cinque persone hanno perso la vita e un numero imprecisato di feriti, stimati in almeno 35, sono stati causati da un enorme tornado avvenuto nel terreno edificabileuna comunità agricola nell'Iowa, stati Uniti.
Le autorità hanno fornito il primo rapporto dopo che mercoledì il tornado ha distrutto centinaia di case e ridotto in macerie numerosi edifici.
Squadra di canottaggio colpita nel bel mezzo di una gara: i proiettili colpiscono l'acqua
Stanno ancora valutando l’entità dei danni materiali a Greenfield, una comunità di 2.000 residenti a circa 60 miglia (97 chilometri) a sud-ovest di Des Moines, la capitale dello stato.
La valutazione dei danni è disastrosa
Lo rende noto il bilancio delle vittime Dipartimento di Pubblica Sicurezza dell'Iowa al termine di una giornata durante la quale le squadre di soccorso hanno perlustrato i campi di detriti lasciati dal mortale tornado, alla ricerca di persone che potrebbero essere intrappolate.
“Quando abbiamo così tante case distrutte, completamente demolite, vogliamo garantire che tutti siano salvati”, ha detto Il sergente della pattuglia di stato dell'Iowa Alex Dinkla in una conferenza stampa.
L'agenzia non ha immediatamente precisato se qualcuno risulta ancora scomparso o se la ricerca delle vittime è continuata. Non sono stati forniti dettagli sulle circostanze esatte delle cinque morti legate alla tempesta. Le loro identità verranno tenute nascoste fino a quando i parenti più prossimi non verranno informati.
Delle 35 persone ferite dal tornado, almeno 14 sono state trasportate in ospedali fuori contea per cure mediche, hanno detto le autorità, aggiungendo che il numero effettivo dei feriti è probabilmente più alto.
Immagini di terreno edificabile ha mostrato un’ampia fascia di distruzione totale, con case ridotte in schegge, alberi sradicati, veicoli schiacciati e detriti sparsi ovunque. Diverse grandi turbine eoliche alla periferia della città erano state rovesciate o divise in due.
Il governatore definisce la scena “orribile”
“È orribile. È difficile da descrivere”, ha detto Il governatore dell'Iowa Kim Reynoldsche ha dichiarato lo stato di emergenza per 15 contee.
Il tornado che si è abbattuto su terreno edificabile era tra uno sciame di tornado segnalato nel sud-ovest dell'Iowa martedì pomeriggio e sera. La Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ha affermato che i rapporti preliminari contavano 23 potenziali tornado, principalmente in Iowa.
Reynolds ha detto che i funzionari statali stavano lavorando per inviare una richiesta Il presidente Joe Biden approvare una dichiarazione di disastro per l'assistenza federale ai residenti nello stato.
Tra gli edifici danneggiati in terreno edificabile era un ospedale, spingendo le autorità ad allestire un centro di assistenza medica improvvisato presso la segheria e a inviare alcuni dei feriti in altre strutture della zona.
In un notevole riconoscimento del suo talento e del suo impatto sul campo, il centrocampista ghanese Mohammed Kudus è stato nominato nella squadra della stagione di Europa League da Sofascore.
Kudus, un membro chiave della squadra nazionale del Ghana, i Black Stars, è stato una rivelazione per il West Ham. Le sue prestazioni sono state caratterizzate da abilità, visione e un'instancabile etica del lavoro, che hanno tutti contribuito al successo della squadra in Europa League.
Uno dei momenti più straordinari della stagione di Kudus è stato il suo affascinante gol in solitaria contro il Friburgo.
Il momento magico del 23enne è stato il catalizzatore di una prestazione dominante del West Ham, che si è assicurato una clamorosa vittoria per 5-0 ribaltando lo svantaggio di 1-0 dell'andata.
L'eccezionale prestazione del nazionale ghanese ha giocato un ruolo cruciale nella progressione degli Hammers ai quarti di finale di Europa League.
Kudus ha collezionato nove presenze e segnato cinque gol con il West Ham in Europa League in questa stagione.
Mentre è già stata annunciata la partenza di Thiago Motta e l'ufficializzazione del suo arrivo sulla panchina bianconera è solo questione di ore, il club piemontese continua ad essere quotidianamente legato a Bologna, bella sorpresa della stagione in Serie A con questo storica qualificazione alla Champions League dopo 49 anni di attesa. Grande artefice di questa bellissima epopea, il difensore italiano, Riccardo Calafiori, ha attirato quest'anno i riflettori e una grande avidità. Secondo le nostre informazioni la Juventus ha un accordo verbale con il giovane prodigio italiano che potrebbe benissimo seguire Thiago Motta alla Vecchia Signora, considerandolo uno dei suoi grandi protetti.
Inoltre, secondo nostre indiscrezioni, il Basilea, ex squadra dell'italiano, sta seguendo molto da vicino la vicenda perché il club svizzero ha una clausola di rivendita stimata al 40% se l'importo dell'operazione di partenza di Riccardo Calafiori supera i 4 milioni di euro. Una quota che dovrebbe essere ampiamente superata visto il crescente valore di mercato del 22enne. Autore di una stagione strepitosa con 33 partite giocate, 2 gol segnati e 5 assist forniti, Riccardo Calafiori fa parte anche della lista ampliata di Luciano Spalletti di 30 giocatori per i prossimi Euro 2024. È anche uno dei tre nominati per il titolo di miglior difensore dell'anno in Italia.
MANCHESTER UNITED face rivals City in the FA Cup final on Saturday with the champions looking to complete the domestic double.
Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, is hoping to end a miserable season with his second major trophy in two seasons.
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Manchester United have the chance to get revenge for last year’s FA Cup final defeatCredit: Getty
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United face a tough task stopping City getting their hands on the trophy againCredit: The Times
City, under Pep Guardiola, have been one of the most consistent and dominant teams that we have seen in English football, maybe ever.
And despite securing the league title on the last day of the season, they will still be playing with a sense of something to prove having been knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
Since that shootout exit, we have seen City look truly impressive against domestic opposition although Tottenham should perhaps have taken something from their game.
While City will come into this final in a good position with their star players available and in form, the same cannot be said of United.
Throughout the season Ten Hag has struggled to keep his squad fit with recurring injuries to key players in key positions, forcing players to play out of position.
This week has also caused unrest at United with the England coach Gareth Southgate naming his squad for Euro 2024 and leaving out Marcus Rashford, hardly the ideal preparation coming into this match.
There are, however, some positives for Red Devils fans.
From a tactical perspective, United actually have the capacity to cause City problems with their pace and willingness to be direct in terms of creating 1v1 opportunities in the wide areas.
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The issues for United, however, will come at the other end.
Ten Hag and his coaching staff are going to have to come up with some ideas to prevent City from maintaining constant possession and penetrating the final third and penalty area.
Exclusive: Harry Maguire previews FA Cup clash against Man City
There are three key areas that United will need to address and conjure up a gameplan for if they are going to win the FA Cup final – which would also secure them a Europa League spot.
PRESSURISE RODRI
There can be little doubt that Rodri should have at the very least been in contention for the end-of-season awards.
He has been one of the very best players in the league over the course of the domestic and European season.
As the No6 at the base of the midfield in Pep Guardiola’s 4-3-3 system, the Spanish international plays a key role in ensuring City dominate the ball and force the opposition backwards.
The problem that teams have when they come up against a player in Rodri’s position who has his quality and ability on the ball is that he is extremely difficult to defend against.
If you try to get tight to him then you are effectively leaving space elsewhere that City can exploit and Rodri excels when receiving possession and playing on limited touches to move and progress the ball.
If you try to sit off him, however, and stay tight and compact in front of the ball as a defensive unit then you are inviting the Spaniard to find a way to outplay your defensive structure.
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Here, we see Sheffield United sitting off of Rodri and allowing him time and space in possession of the ball – by giving Rodri this time and space in possession you are inviting him to find a longer pass and as Phil Foden makes a move to break the last line with an attacking run you see Rodri lift the ball over the top and into space
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Working out when to put pressure on Rodri or sit back could be key to United’s hopesCredit: Getty
This is especially dangerous for opposition teams when combined with the movement and attacking intent that we see from Rodri’s more attack-minded team-mates.
So, how best can you defend against Rodri and what should United do this coming weekend to limit the effectiveness of City’s midfield general?
The key is not to play just one way against him.
You shouldn’t consistently sit off and give him time but nor should you press tight constantly.
The key is to do both but to understand how to vary your approach in order to keep him off guard.
Applying moments of pressure with intensity to Rodri can unbalance and disrupt City in possession but doing so consistently will just see City players find space elsewhere.
Choose your pressure triggers carefully and have players with energy, like Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes, to dip in and out white applying pressure to the ball and you will develop a better overall strategy against the ball.
Rodri will without a doubt be one of the keys to the match for Manchester City and as such he needs to be stopped and dealt with effectively by the United midfield structure.
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A similar situation here as Newcastle sit deep and try to protect a lead – they effectively allow Rodri to have possession at the base of the final third and the Spaniard shows his ability in terms of breaking down the opposition – here, he finds the pass through the defensive line to release the runner on and into space
STOP PHIL FODEN
If Rodri was one of the best players in football over the course of the 2023-24 season then there is a very real prospect that Phil Foden was THE best over that time period.
The Stockport-born attacking player has developed into one of the key players for City having initially been used sparingly by Guardiola when he was a younger player.
Indeed, for a period of time there was a suggestion amongst fans and media alike that Guardiola’s handling of Foden was holding him back.
That suggestion has been well and truly put to bed now as Foden has developed into a generational talent.
He is exceptionally difficult to defend against because his role and position for City is so hard to define.
Whether he plays from the wide positions or more centrally as a No8 or even a No10, he still drifts across the final third and finds little pockets of space to receive the ball in from where he can hurt the opposition.
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Foden’s initial positioning here is very clever – he has created separation from the West Ham defenders through smart movement to drop off and as he receives the ball he is intelligent enough to let the ball run across him to outplay the defender as they jump out to press. Foden then shows that he has developed into a deadly finisher
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Phil Foden has shone as the standout player of the seasonCredit: Getty
To stop Foden is going to take a team effort but in recent weeks on-loan midfielder and Moroccan international Soyfan Amrabat has been displaying the ability to defend spaces in the midfield.
Foden is so good on the turn and on his first touch, though, that the best way to stop him is by applying pressure further up and stopping him from getting on the ball.
While Foden has the ability and positional awareness to be able to find spaces between the lines to receive the ball, United will have to close these spaces by defending in a compact shape and making themselves difficult to break down.
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Here, against United earlier in the season, Foden has managed to isolate himself 1v1 wide and when he receives he outplays the pressure on his first touch coming inside and scoring comfortably from range
Taking away the positions in the final third that Foden likes to receive the ball in will at least slow down, if not completely stop, Foden from being effective.
CUT SERVICE TO HAALAND
It is staggering to think that the narrative across the season was that Erling Haaland was having a ‘poor’ season at points.
That poor season, however, still saw the Norwegian international forward score 38 goals in 44 games across all competitions.
This was despite some games in which he did have big misses.
The issue with a player like Haaland, though, is that when he is missing these chances he is still getting into good positions to score and he does not let a miss affect him.
Haaland is, of course, a huge threat in the area and his movement and ability to constantly keep himself alive and in space in the area is second to none.
He is also, however, a striker that can be deadly when he is allowed to run off the last defender to attack space between the defensive line and the goalkeeper.
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Erling Haaland certainly knows where the back of the net isCredit: Getty
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In this match against Wolves we see the deadly movement of Haaland before he scores a towering header at the far post – he drifts from the opposition central defender and makes a curved run to the far post before attacking the cross
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Here, we see the danger that Haaland poses when he is playing on the last defender with space to attack behind the defensive line – a quick vertical pass and then a through ball releases the Norwegian with space to attack into
There is a chance for Manchester United that their Argentinean international Lisandro Martinez will be fit to start the match and despite his lack of height, in comparison to Haaland, he will be aggressive and competitive in defending against Haaland and preventing him from getting easy service into the area.
Similar to Foden in a way, the key to stopping these kinds of opportunities for Haaland may well be for United to squeeze the game and apply pressure higher up to stop City having easy possession.
That is very much easier said than done though.
CONCLUSION
If United are to beat their city rivals this weekend and lift the FA Cup, then they will need a performance that tops anything else that they have given so far this season.
City do, however, have key players and stopping them from being able to play their natural games should at least go some way to achieving this.
Why Man Utd must win FA Cup
ERIK TEN HAG says Manchester United must pay back their world-class fans with an FA Cup triumph after their awful league season, writes Tom Barlcay.
United came eighth which was their lowest-ever finish despite winning 2-0 on the final day at Brighton.
They also came away from a miserable campaign with a negative goal difference – but still can win a trophy when they take on Manchester City in next week’s cup final.
The away fans roared themselves hoarse just as they have done all term despite the poor results.
Boss Ten Hag said: “We have the best fans in the world and I mean this.
“I have never had this experience when you have a season like us, which is by far not good enough, that the supporters are with us.
“They are with us in the bad season and in bad times they are there. I think also they know why the bad times are there.
“But we have to pay them back and we have to do everything to give them a trophy next week but also for the future, we have to perform better.”
United won thanks to late goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund.
But for the second game running, Hojlund began the match on the bench as United opted for a false nine – in a hint over how United will set up in the cup final.
That was how they played in March’s 3-1 defeat to City at the Etihad in the league, too.
Ten Hag added: “It’s a luxury problem. Both formations can be a success because we can set up like we did at the Etihad where we were a threat with movement in behind.
“But of course with Rasmus Hojlund in this form it’s absolutely a consideration and a thought that we have to consider.
“You need not only 11 players in a tough final but a bench as well.”
Hojlund’s tally now stands at 16 goals in his maiden season after the 21-year-old arrived from Atalanta for £72million last summer.
Reflecting on the Dane’s campaign, Ten Hag observed: “It could always be better but don’t forget he had three injuries this season.
“He came in with the injury, missed the start, then he got injured before winter and then he got injured after winter. So every time that broke his rhythm and if you then shoot 16 goals for the first season it’s OK. And it’s not over, we have to play the FA Cup final.”
Il Girona spera di concludere la sua stagione di maggior successo nella Liga con la vittoria contro il Granada venerdì, mentre Artem Dovbyk è a caccia di diventare capocannoniere del campionato.
La squadra di Michel, la sorpresa della stagione, sa già che finirà terza in classifica dietro ai campioni del Real Madrid e ai secondi classificati del Barcellona.
Il Girona, il cui precedente miglior piazzamento è stato il 10° posto nel 2017-18 e nel 2022-23, ha conquistato il posto nella Champions League della prossima stagione e vuole semplicemente godersi la partita di venerdì.
“Domani lo stadio sarà pieno e poi vogliamo festeggiare con i nostri tifosi”, ha detto giovedì Michel.
“Il modo migliore per concludere la stagione è vincere e rendere orgogliosi i tifosi, questo è ciò per cui giochiamo. Dobbiamo finire la stagione nel miglior modo possibile, ovvero vincere.
“Se lo facciamo con due gol di Dovbyk, è ancora meglio. Abbiamo la possibilità che lui finisca come capocannoniere e che noi superiamo gli 80 punti. Cercheremo di vincere per lui”.
Buonanotte, fan! Ci vediamo domani a Montilivi per salutare una stagione memorabile! pic.twitter.com/w9pHfzLN1J
Dovbyk, che ha segnato 21 gol in questa stagione, è due gol dietro Alexander Sorloth del Villareal e due gol davanti a Jude Bellingham del Real Madrid.
Dopo aver raggiunto livelli così alti in questa stagione, con 24 vittorie in campionato, comprese vittorie straordinarie in casa e in trasferta contro il Barcellona, Michel ha già rivolto la sua attenzione al futuro.
“Mi preoccupa perché dobbiamo costruire una squadra competitiva per il grande anno a venire. Vorrei trattenere tante persone, ma so che ci sono giocatori che non sono nostri e che devono tornare nelle loro squadre”, ha detto.
Penso però che faremo le cose per bene e sono convinto che avremo una squadra di altissimo livello che potrà competere in tutte e tre le competizioni”.
