gutsy decision, but it was done with consideration and respect. Wh

MANCHESTER, England -- Theres a new craze sweeping through the Premier League -- and it spells bad news for the traditional center forward.In the last three rounds, as many as seven teams have started matches with a winger or attacking midfielder playing as a converted striker.Take last weekend, for example. Roberto Firmino, an attacking midfielder, started up front for Liverpool as he has for most of the season and scored in a 4-2 win at Crystal Palace.Winger Alexis Sanchez led the line again for Arsenal and scored twice in a 4-1 win at Sunderland.Eden Hazard, usually a left winger, was a goal-scorer and star player for Chelsea after starting the 2-0 win at Southampton in such an attacking position that he was often playing further forward than striker Diego Costa.Right wingers Nathan Redmond and Michail Antonio were central strikers for Southampton and West Ham, respectively.Meanwhile, for two of Tottenhams last four games, South Korea attacking midfielder Son Heung-min has started as the main striker. And Swanseas American coach, Bob Bradley, played midfield playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson as a lone striker against Arsenal for his first game in charge.Established international strikers like Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, Olivier Giroud, Vincent Janssen, Shane Long, Michy Batshuayi and Fernando Llorente have often had to be content with a role as substitute at the expense of wingers or midfielders. Some of them havent even come on.Even the player widely regarded as the best striker in England has been affected. Sergio Aguero was on the bench for Manchester Citys Champions League game at Barcelona, with coach Pep Guardiola preferring playmaker Kevin De Bruyne up front so he could drop back to help his midfield.English soccer is late to the party when it comes to the converted forward or false nine, which was popularized by the successful Barcelona and Spain teams of the past decade and also in the European game by current world champion Germany on occasion.At the turn of the century, it would be rare to see a Premier League team that didnt start with two strikers. A decade later, playing with one target-man has become the vogue. Now, some teams dont even have one, or sometimes play strikers out on the wing instead.Why the change?Its been coming for a while, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who spoke last year about the lack of out-and-out strikers in Europe after a fruitless search in that years transfer window.What we produce now are good technical players because there are nice pitches out there, Wenger said. Before, you played in the park where you had to kick the ball up front and you had to fight. A boy of 12 who played against a boy of 16 had to be shrewd and push to get the ball.All those kind of things have gone.Then theres a growing preference for a high-energy pressing game, which relies on a more mobile forward line. Hence why Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp chooses Firmino over Sturridge and Origi, why Son has sometimes been preferred to Janssen as the lead forward for Tottenham in injured Harry Kanes absence, and why Sanchez looks like being the preferred choice to Giroud at Arsenal this season.The likes of Sanchez, Redmond and Antonio -- three quick, hard-working wingers -- can stretch play by making runs behind defense, allowing their teams many attacking midfielders (Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Dusan Tadic, Dimitri Payet) more space to exploit.As for Hazard, relieving him of defensive duties is one of the key reasons Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has turned the Belgium winger into more of an out-and-out forward. Hazards attacking flair was stymied last season by then-coach Jose Mourinho, who made him work too hard defensively.You have a similar type now in England who looks happy to have moved from wide to center, said Wenger, who converted Thierry Henry from a winger to one of the best strikers of his generation. Most of the time, you develop a good technique on the flanks as a winger because you are against the line and you have to dribble. And when you are inside, you have a bit more room.Slowly infused into the Premier League, the false nine isnt so popular among the top teams in Europes top leagues at the moment.Strikers and speedy forwards are still the priority in Spain, with Barcelona (Luis Suarez), Real Madrid (Karim Benzema) and Atletico Madrid (Kevin Gameiro) having genuine strikers.No major team in Germany plays without a classic striker -- except for the German national team itself, and thats only the case when strikers are injured -- and the phenomenon hasnt really spread to Italy or France yet.---Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, and AP Sports Writers Jerome Pugmire in Paris, Nesha Starcevic in Frankfurt, Germany, and Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed to this report. Johnathan Abram Youth Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Derek Carr Jersey . JOHNS, N. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elite-Foster-Moreau-Raiders-Jersey/ . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Jim Otto Womens Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Marcus Allen Jersey .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Its probably time to eject skipper from the baseball lexicon. The word is just too inadequate. The modern manager is so much more than the captain of a ship. He is a counselor, a teacher, a leader, a thinker, a storyteller, a cheerleader and a bearer of news, both good and bad.If theres one thing this epic World Series has demonstrated, its that the Cubs and Indians are here because of their managers. Its not just a coincidence that two storied Midwestern franchises with Cs on their uniforms are facing each other in the seventh game, hoping to finally write a happy ending. Its also a dazzling demonstration of how the manager has evolved in modern baseball.Joe Maddon and Terry Francona are both Italian-American, both close to their families, both from small, working-class, Pennsylvania towns. Theyre not exactly alike -- the ready-for-his-close-up Joe likes fine wine; the self-effacing Tito fondly recalls Boones Farm -- but they share a sensibility for their players, a willingness to think outside the box and a gift for expressing their thoughts honestly and humorously.Take the obligatory news conferences they gave before Game 6. Asked how Cleveland has differed from Boston, with which he won two championships, Francona said, I mean, there were a lot of times [in Boston] I thought my name was, You Suck because thats all I ever heard.Maddon used the forum to make a proposal: I think there should be two forms of Twitter. There should be the positive form of Twitter and the negative form, and you have to choose one ... There needs to be Twitter police because theres so much negativity thats generated on a daily basis.They are both turning postseason baseball into a breathtaking battle of wits. Jim Leyland, the longtime manager who helped bridge old school to new school, knows them well.They have been brilliant, he said. The way theyve used their bullpens, the way theyve focused on the importance of that nights game ... Im enjoying the hell out of this.Cubs president Theo Epstein, who hired Francona over Maddon when he made him the Red Sox manager in 2004, then hired Maddon when he became available after the 2015 season, sees similar basic qualities in both men.They both allow players to be themselves, and theyre not afraid to turn convention on its head, Epstein said. Oh, there are differences.dddddddddddd Joe believes in balancing baseball with outside experiences, and Tito loves nothing more than to get to the clubhouse early. But they treat their players with respect, and thats whats made them so successful.On the face of it, Francona had the harder challenge in getting the Indians here; they were 68-94 before he took over in 2013. Now theyre looking for their first World Series title since 1948. The Cubs were built to win by the time Maddon took over. But they also were on a 0-108 streak when it came to winning world championships, and more to the point, they were down three games to one after Game 4.In the seventh inning of Game 5, up 3-2 but facing a man on and one out, Maddon brought in closer Aroldis Chapman?and let him finish the game. The move was preceded by a few days of gentle persuasion to convince Chapman that he could pitch multiple innings -- precisely what Francona has asked Andrew Miller to do throughout these playoffs (so often, in fact, that it earned Miller the ALCS MVP trophy).Yes, Maddons was a gutsy decision, but it was done with consideration and respect. When he saw the same moment of crisis in the seventh inning of Game 6, with the Cubs leading 7-2, he did it again -- damn the second-guessers.These two really dont care what you think. At this point, they care only about winning, and therein lies the shame of this World Series. As someone who has known Francona since he was a rookie outfielder with the Montreal Expos in 1981, I cant help but root for him. I can still see him going up to each of his Red Sox players after they beat the Indians in the 2007 ALCS and whispering his thanks in their ears. Nor can I help but hope that Maddon is the manager who finally breaks the Cubs curse; his joy for life and baseball are a constant inspiration.For now, its on to Game 7. After the Cubs 9-3 win in Game 6, Francona said, It will be exciting to come to the ballpark tomorrow. Shoot, I just might wear my uniform home.For his part, Maddon said, Both sides have played really good baseball. Its just correct and apt that wed go seven games.May the best team win. It might be hard to find better men, though. ' ' '