From Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani to Messi, Coutinho and Suarez: the best attacking trios in football

"Two's company, three's a crowd" is the cliché, but when it comes to football, three might be the magic number. We look at the game's most potent trios and what makes each of them so brilliant.

This terrific threesome thrives on open space and they are at their peak when afforded room to run and attack in behind a hastily retreating defence. They fit the high-press ideals of their boss, Jurgen Klopp, and are equipped to exploit even the most innocuous change of possession.

What makes Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane so deadly is their blistering pace and conviction when in possession. They rarely get in each other's way, stretching opponents to a breaking point by their full use of the pitch. Firmino is arguably the game's sharpest target man up front despite lacking the natural size and strength of a big centre-forward; his hold-up play, off-the-ball running and distribution creates room for his strike partners to exploit.

Salah's a classic inverted winger, drifting in from the right side with ease to create shooting opportunities. Mane is more of a natural winger, hugging his touchline and beating his man with pace on the outside or foot skill to the inside. They thrive off service from midfield, too, catching teams in transition and beating offside traps for simple finishes.

Last season saw Salah compile a career year and a Ballon d'Or nomination, the main beneficiary of Liverpool's aggression in winning back possession and quickly shunting it to the front three, who rarely spurned a scoring chance. That said, they do have a weakness, as breaking masses' defences isn't their strong suit. The trio need room to operate; teams that dig in and sit deep in the final third forces other Liverpool players to be decisive from midfield. But in open play, this front three is unparalleled.

It almost feels unfair to single out the trio of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero given how brilliant Pep Guardiola's entire squad is at breaking down opponents. But the truth is these three in particular are the most adept at applying the finishing touch. Their strength isn't so much in the creation of chances, but the conversion.

Raheem Sterling's progression to becoming one of the best forwards in the world has been undeniable, especially under Guardiola. Whether dropping deep to link play or applying his pace to crack a rigid offside trap, his power derives from his speed of thought and execution. Whether playing the first pass in an attacking move or applying the simple finish, Sterling's understanding of the game is excellent, especially when you consider he's only 23 years old.

Leroy Sane's pace and power gives opponents a torrid time. Though he's drifted in and out of the lineup at times over the past 12 months, his ability to create chances no matter the scenario makes him difficult to handle. Witness his goal against Liverpool in January 2018: Isolated on the left wing and with little time to control a long, lofted pass, a clever bit of chest control bought him time to dart into the box, cut back onto his left foot and finish from an impossibly narrow angle. Receiving the ball far from goal isn't a problem for Sane given his skill and confidence to get into the box.

Then there's Sergio Aguero, one of the game's purest finishers and the punctuation on many of Manchester City's flowing sentences. His constant movement makes him impossible to mark out of a game; he'll drift all over the attacking third to open space for others or create an angle for himself. That, combined with his canny knack of being where the ball will eventually end up, has seen him become the club's record goal scorer and the ninth person in Premier League history to notch 150 goals. Oh, and he did it in record time compared to legends like Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, hitting the milestone in 218 games.

UT-Arlington is considering reviving its football program more than 30 years after it was disbanded

For the first time in 14 years, UT-Arlington is seriously considering the revival of its dormant football program.

UTA president Vistasp Karbhari and athletic director Jim Baker have examined the costs of adding a football team within the next 10 years, according to documents obtained through an open records request. In addition to football, the Mavericks have also looked at adding women's soccer and beach volleyball.

In 1985, the university disbanded its football program because of budget constraints. In a statement provided Thursday, Baker said the university is seeking an additional feasibility study from a third party. Baker also said the football program "must be exclusively funded by private, philanthropic resources" and exclude any additional money from student fees.

Through school spokespersons, Baker and Karbhari declined interview requests Thursday. Karbhari also cited Baker's statement when asked for a comment.

In September, the state's attorney general ruled UTA had to release selected emails and documents about UTA's football program. Those materials were released earlier this week after The News filed a complaint to the state's attorney general office.

According to an internal budget projection, adding those three sports could cost UTA $146.7 million over 10 years. During the 2017 fiscal year, UTA reported $530,067 in athletic donations and $14.1 million in total operating athletic revenue.

Adding women's soccer and beach volleyball brings an estimated combined cost of $10 million over 10 years, with volleyball starting in Year 2 and soccer in Year 3. The two sports would have 20 combined full scholarships, which would help UTA fulfill the Title IX obligations that come with adding 85 football scholarships.

In April, Baker and Karbhari reviewed a document that featured a 10-year projection for the football program. By the sixth year, the Mavericks would have a team competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA's highest level.

According to internal emails, the projection was compiled by Steven Biter, a former volunteer operations assistant at Austin Peay. Biter also examined a 2004 feasibility report about restarting UTA football and a similar one conducted by Wichita State in 2016.

The 10-year projection anticipated spending $1.5 million annually on a head football coach and two coordinator salaries of $417,918 each by the tenth year. The salaries for off-field football staff positions totaled $18.3 million during that span, according to the report. The budget calls for $17.3 million in football related facility expenses.

In 2004, UTA hired former Big Eight commissioner Chuck Neinas to conduct a similar study about bringing back the football team.

"Generally speaking, most of those with whom I spoke indicated varying interest in intercollegiate football," Neinas wrote in 2004. "Some expressed the opinion that it would have been less difficult to maintain the football program through the last century than to reinstate the sport today."

Neinas said UTA needed to either upgrade Maverick Stadium, which Arlington ISD currently uses for some of its football games, or build a new facility to accommodate the new sports. Including facility expenses, adding football and two women's sports would have cost $17.5 million over five years, according to the 2004 report.

That included a salary of $90,000 for a head football coach. In a recent survey conducted by USA Today, no FBS coach makes less than $390,000 annually.

At the time, a football team would have participated in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Nine years later, UTA joined the Sun Belt Conference, which plays football at the FBS level. Recently added footnotes indicate playing at the FBS level is the best option given the university's enrollment of 42,496, current television contracts and the potential hire of a "very prominent head coach."

The potential addition of a football program would be the latest move by the university to field a top-tier athletics program. In March, UTA fired Scott Cross, the winningest men's basketball coach in school history, after the Mavericks failed to make the NCAA tournament.

Baker received national backlash for the decision. In emails sent by Karbhari in March, the school president was supportive of Baker and his vision of the athletic program, one that could potentially include football.

San Jose State football meets SJPD for bridge building

SAN JOSE — Before the entire San Jose State University football team made its way to the Simpkins Stadium Center Monday morning to meet with San Jose police, some players said they were expecting a routine talk about staying safe and out of trouble.

What they got was a police chief and a crew of officers — many of them former college athletes themselves — looking to hear from them.

"We wanted to have a real discussion about people's perception of law enforcement," head coach Brent Brennan said. "Our football team is a really unique group of people that is so diverse, and comes from different parts of California. It's just a really healthy conversation to have."

For a couple of hours, the Spartans heard from Chief Eddie Garcia and participated in an anonymous text-based survey of the players' attitudes toward police, and their thoughts of their own roles as student-athletes in driving the public discourse.

Of the 100-plus players who participated, more than three-quarters indicated that athletes should have a prominent role in discussions about policing issues, and several acknowledged how the football field has become a centerpiece of the national conversation about police and communities of color, catalyzed largely by the protests of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"Athletes have a platform that can help them go in the direction they want, and change the dynamic of people's perspective of police," said Owen "Boogie" Roberts, a graduate student and defensive tackle from Los Angeles. "But we have to find a balanced way to do it, and conversation is the best way to open up someone's eyes to what's going on."

Garcia said he and his officers relished the face-to-face contact and deeper talks with the players, many of whom either had infrequent encounters with police in the past, or adverse ones.

"A great majority said they had trust in police, but I'm more interested in the percentage that didn't. That's why we're here," he said. "We want to let these young men vent negative situations that occurred to them, and have a dialogue about that. For coach Brennan to open up his football team to allow us to have that dialogue, that's teaching way beyond X's and O's."

Roberts counted himself among those, recalling growing up in what was commonly known as South Central Los Angeles amid a mutual wariness between residents and police.

"People tied into it and already had an attitude, which makes the situation worse," he said.

Dakari Monroe, a senior cornerback who attended Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, described having mixed emotions about police based on his reading of news and social media. But sitting down with officers, he said, put him and his teammates more at ease.

"After the presentation, I can see SJPD is trying to get more involved in the community," he said. "I saw their point of view, which is something people lack. If all police departments did this, we would get along much smoother."

Freshman wide receiver Steven Houston, from Dublin, said being exposed to police officers in the casual setting was helpful to him, particularly as a friend of a current SJPD academy cadet.

"It turned out to be a better conversation," he said. "When we're out there, we can have a relationship with authorities and can communicate with them, since now they know us personally."

Garcia said he was impressed, and somewhat surprised, by how receptive the players were to his officers, regardless of their past experiences.

"One of the things I discovered is that with these young men, their heels weren't dug in. They were willing to listen," he said. "They were willing to hear us out, and that's all I've been asking for."

Brennan said he was encouraged by the positive response from his players, and said this kind of exposure is key to his goal of preparing them for life outside of football.

"Every (football) program has police come talk to the team, but this was different," he said. "This was about education and communication and understanding, and finding a way to understand where everyone is coming from. We want to do everything we can to help these young men grow to become future leaders, and this was a really great day for that."

Usain Bolt admits he's struggling in chasing his football dream

SPRINT superstar Usain Bolt admitted Tuesday he was struggling with the tempo of professional football but is working hard to raise his fitness levels ahead of his first trial match this week.

The eight-time Olympic champion has been given an opportunity by Australia's Central Coast Mariners to fulfil his dream ofa soccer career and has stepped up his training regimen since hooking up with the A-League club last week.

He was put through his paces with the rest of the squad at a more intensive session at the team's base in the town of Gosford, 75 kilometres north of Sydney, on Tuesday.

After some warming up and a jog around the pitch, he took part in ball drills and while his passing was fine, he was slowto get the hang of the movement required.

The 32-year-old's lack of football fitness was also evident and he appeared to tire quickly, resting more than his teammates.

Bolt admitted to struggling with the constant stop-start of football, more used to a quick fire sprint on the athletics trackbefore winding down.

"The most challenging thing for me is the stop and go because I'm not used to picking up speed, going back down, then backagain," he said.

"It's all about practising and getting used to the system. I have time so will just learn the ways and keep pushing."

The Mariners hope to turn Bolt into A-League material in time for the start of the 2018/19 season in late October, with the club saying he can stay indefinitely to prove his credentials and earn a playing contract.

They have a pre-season friendly on Friday against an amateur side and Bolt is expected to get his first taste of a competitive game, but only as a substitute.

"I imagine he'll get some minutes on Friday," said club coach Mike Mulvey, conscious that thousands of fans are set to turn up and with the match due to be broadcast live on pay-TV.

He said the Jamaican was "doing OK".

"The things we are asking him to do are things that he hasn't done for quite some years," he added.

"He has played football as an athlete in between athletic meets so he has rudimentary skills. There's no problem about that. It's about being able to do it at the speed that we do it. It takes time to adjust." Bolt dominated sprinting since takingdouble individual gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

He went on to win a further six Olympic golds and pick up 11 world titles before retiring last year and pursing his real passion — football. He remains the world record holder for 100 metres.

Bolt said he was seeing slow improvements in his game.

"For me it's about just getting fit and as many touches of the ball that I can. The more I play the more comfortable I get," he said.

"It's all about being focused, taking my time and being smart and pushing myself to get to the level I need to be at to be in the starting XI."

Mesut Özil quits international football citing racism

Mesut Özil has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect, the midfielder hitting out at what he perceived to be unfair discrimination surrounding his meeting with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in May.

Özil was a member of the Germany squad that went out of the World Cup finals in Russia at the group stage and was the target of criticism for his performances as well as his meeting with Erdogan, who has been accused of human rights abuses.

The Arsenal midfielder has Turkish ancestry and defended his actions in a lengthy statement and one in which he launched a scathing attack on the German football federation (DFB). "For me, having a picture with President Erdogan wasn't about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country," Özil wrote on Twitter.

"My job is a football player and not a politician, and our meeting was not an endorsement of any policies. The treatment I have received from the DFB and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt. I feel unwanted and think what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten."

Making direct reference to Reinhard Grindel, president of the DFB, Özil added: "People with racially discriminative backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football federation in the world that has players from dual-heritage families. Attitudes like theirs simply do not reflect the players they supposedly represent. In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win but I am an immigrant when we lose.

"It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten."

In a three-part statement posted on Sunday evening, Özil was scathing in his criticism of Grindel. "I will no longer stand for being a scapegoat for his incompetence and inability to do his job properly," Özil wrote.

"I am disappointed but not surprised by [Grindel's]actions," the 29-year-old added. "But when high-ranking DFB officials disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough."

The 29-year-old added that he had received abuse online, and claimed he was racially abused by a supporter after the match against Sweden.

"A German fan told me after the game, ‘Özil, fuck off you Turkish shit, piss off you Turkish pig.' I don't want to even discuss the hate mail, threatening phone calls and comments on social media that my family and I have received.

"They all represent a Germany of the past, a Germany that I am not proud of. I am confident that many proud Germans who embrace an open society would agree with me." – Guardian service