PAIGE, Texas – Donny Schatz, Brad Sweet and Logan Schuchart already got the hardest task of the season out of the way – earning the first win of the year.

Now they’ll try to ride that momentum into the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Texas doubleheader on Friday, March 13, at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas, and on Saturday, March 14, at LoneStar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.

“I love Cotton Bowl Speedway,” Sweet said. “It’s a three-eighths (mile track), exciting, high banked, tight corners. I was able to win there a couple of years ago with a last lap pass. Always ran good there. Looking forward to getting back there for sure.”

The reigning champion has picked up where he left of in 2019 as the current point leader – earning three podium finishes in a row at the season opening DIRTcar Nationals, including his 51st career win. Those results also earned him his second Big Gator championship.

Cotton Bowl Speedway could be another successful stop for the Grass Valley, Calif., driver in his pursuit for back-to-back championships. He won the Series’ first race at the speedway in 2016 and finished second at the second race in 2018 – won by David Gravel.

Sweet attributes his success at the speedway to its similarities to California tracks.

“Cotton Bowl reminds me of tracks back home, especially Tulare (Thunderbowl Raceway), which I grew up racing a lot at Tulare” Sweet said. “Lots of slide jobs. Good grippy racetrack. It should be a lot of fun. I think no matter where we go nowadays, we tend to put on a pretty good show. ”

Sweet will be making his 600th career World of Outlaws start at Cotton Bowl Speedway.

Schatz will be going for his first win at Cotton Bowl Speedway and second at LoneStar Speedway. The 10-time series champion won the first World of Outlaws race at LoneStar in 2017. He is also currently the only full-time Series driver to have a win at the three-eighths-mile track.

“It’s a fun place, I’ve always enjoyed going” Schatz said about LoneStar Speedway. “Anytime you get to go to the great state of Texas it always has a different vibe in the air. LoneStar is one of them places that has changed over the years. They’ve done a lot of great things to improve it and it’s awful fast and races really well. We’ve had great success there and naturally anybody looks forward to that one when you go to a racetrack you’ve had success at.”

Schatz won the first race of the 2020 season, his 295th career World of Outlaws victory. He brought Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing its 300th career World of Outlaws win last year and now he’s on the path to hitting that milestone himself.

Schuchart has yet to finish inside the top-five at either track, but his performance in Florida demonstrated that his previous statistics hold little weight.

Before this year, Schuchart had never finished inside the top-five at Volusia Speedway Park or led a lap at the track. He left Florida this year with one win, three top-five finishes and 50 laps led.

The Shark Racing driver found his stride last year, winning eight races – doubling his total career wins. With his win in Florida, Schuchart goes into the Texas doubleheader two-points behind Sweet.

“You want to keep the momentum rolling,” Schuchart said. “We’ve had a good start to the season, so far. I’m looking forward to Texas. Hopefully we can keep our momentum rolling, stay consistent, stay on the podium and knock out a few wins.”

Hockey Canada has clarified its ticket policy for the IIHF women's world hockey championships in Nova Scotia, which were canceled on Saturday due to the threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Initial reports indicated that Hockey Canada would not provide refunds for tickets, but rather carry over the purchased tickets to the 2021 women's world championship tournament, which will take place in Nova Scotia.

But Hockey Canada sent an email to ticket buyers on Saturday saying that it "recognized the commitment of our loyal fans to the 2020 event and will be honoring all ticket purchases for the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship in Halifax and Truro, N.S. Anyone with questions, concerns or conflicts regarding purchased tickets are encouraged to contact [Hockey Canada]," and the organization would reach out to them by March 16.

"If someone can't commit to 2021, we completely understand and will not keep their money," Spencer Sharkey, communications coordinator for Hockey Canada, told ESPN on Monday. "We also just want purchasers to understand that if they reach out and can't commit to 2021, but decide to repurchase tickets next year, the seat(s) they selected for this year's event might not be available."

Sharkey said the tournament is working with ticket buyers on a "case-by-case basis," rather than having a blanket refund policy. "We are by no means forcing people to commit to 2021, but have communicated with ticket purchasers and provided contact information to get a better understanding of people's situations," said Sharkey.

The tournament was scheduled to take place from March 31 to April 10 in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia. The IIHF has already canceled six other tournaments following an emergency meeting of the IIHF Council last week in Hungary, but the women's world championship was the highest-tiered event to get canceled.

"It is with great regret that we must take this action," IIHF president René Fasel said in a statement Saturday about the women's tournament. "It was not an easy decision to make, as we were greatly looking forward to hosting this tournament in Canada. Nevertheless, the decision has been made due to safety concerns for the well-being of players, officials, and spectators."

Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, is a new strain of coronavirus that has surged around the globe in recent months. The coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory diseases. Flu is caused by a different virus. There is no vaccine for coronavirus, though researchers are working on one and hope to begin testing soon.

Coronavirus has affected hockey events in several countries. The Swiss National League played the end of its regular season in empty arenas, and postponed its postseason until March 15 because of a government ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

The NHL said recently that it is studying contingency plans. "We're aware of and focused on all possibilities," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, with the Stanley Cup playoffs one month away. "But at this point it would be premature to pick any one of the possibilities, especially because it may or may not become necessary in North America."

It's Players Championship week. Here is your guide to getting complete coverage on TV and online. Click here to watch all of our live streams on our Golf Channel app.

(All times Eastern and airing on Golf Channel, unless otherwise noted; live stream link in parentheses)

Monday, March 9
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

Tuesday, March 10
9AM-5PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

Wednesday, March 11
9AM-5PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

Thursday, March 12
7:30AM-7PM: The Players, Featured groups on NBC Sports Gold (Click here to watch)
9AM-1PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)
1-7PM: The Players Championship (GC), Day 1 live coverage (Click here to watch)
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

Friday, March 13
7:30AM-7PM: The Players, Featured groups on NBC Sports Gold (Click here to watch)
9AM-1PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)
1-7PM: The Players Championship (GC), Day 2 live coverage (Click here to watch)
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

Saturday, March 14
8AM-7PM: The Players, Featured groups and featured holes (Click here to watch)
9AM-2PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)
2-7PM: The Players Championship (NBC), Day 3 live coverage (Click here to watch)
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

Sunday, March 15
8AM-6PM: The Players, Featured groups and featured holes (Click here to watch)
9AM-1PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)
1-6PM: The Players Championship (NBC), Day 4 live coverage (Click here to watch)
7-9PM: Live From The Players (Click here to watch)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Barring any setbacks, Francesco Molinari is expecting to play in The Players Championship.

Molinari withdrew before the start of his title defense last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, citing a back injury. It was the latest string of bad news for the 37-year-old Italian, who has fallen to No. 28 in the world rankings after now being a year removed from his last top-10 in a stroke-play event.

Molinari said he woke up Thursday morning and was unable to put on his shoes. That’s when he made the difficult decision to pull out of the event, opting for two days of rest, recovery and treatment in Orlando.

Monday’s range session at TPC Sawgrass was the first time Molinari had hit balls since Wednesday. “Obviously a little bit rusty after a few days off,” he said, “but physically it feels almost back to normal. So I’m happy with that.”

The injury in his mid- to lower back has lingered for the past three to four months. Typically, he’s been able to manage the discomfort with treatment, but the issue flared up before Arnie’s event.

“I’m happy now after hitting balls, and I’ll see tonight and (Tuesday) morning how I feel after I wake up. Fingers crossed it’ll be all good," he said. "As long as I keep feeling the same the next few days, I don’t see any issue with playing.”

Former Brazil and Barcelona player Ronaldinho is adapting quickly to life in a Paraguayan jail, the head of the facility told Reuters on Monday, but his lawyers are hopeful he may soon be released into house arrest while the investigation continues.

"In broad terms he is doing very well," prison warden Blas Vera told Reuters in a telephone interview. "I see he is in good spirits, just like you see him on television, always smiling."

Vera said that Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis, who were arrested on Friday for using a false Paraguayan passport, would present their case to a judge on Tuesday.

Their lawyer Sergio Queiroz told Reuters they had asked a court to release them into house arrest and offered guarantees they were not a flight risk.

Vera said the 39-year old former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain forward and his brother had beds, a television and a fan in their cell at the prison on the outskirts of the capital Asuncion.

The brothers use a communal bathroom and have the right to use the outdoor patio on a regular basis.

The pair's lawyers have provided them with meals and they have not eaten the food offered by the jail.

The maximum security facility has around 195 detainees, including politicians and police officers accused of corruption as well as major drug traffickers.

The more dangerous prisoners are housed in a different wing to Ronaldinho, Vera said, adding that he was working to ensure the pair's stay is "as comfortable as possible."

Carlos Gamarra, the former captain of Paraguay's national team who also played for several Brazilian clubs, visited Ronaldinho with a group of ex-players in jail on Sunday.

Vera said others who were at the regular Sunday visiting time befriended the Brazilian.

"There was also a group of boys and girls and he welcomed them, gave them hugs and chatted with them," he said.

Ronaldinho, who was last year named a tourist ambassador by Brazil's far-right government, arrived in Paraguay on Wednesday, invited to the landlocked South American nation by a local casino owner.

Although he last played professionally in 2015, Ronaldinho, who also represented Brazilian clubs Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo and Fluminense, is still hugely popular with global football fans and advertisers.

He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006. He was also named FIFA world player of the year in 2004 and 2005.

All sports in Italy were expected to be halted on Monday because of the coronavirus outbreak, including games in Serie A and preparatory events for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sporting events in the country, said in a statement that the suspension will last until April 3 and that it would request a government decree to impose its decision.

Events around the world have been affected by the spreading virus, including Champions League matches and Japan's professional baseball season. Late Sunday, one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world was postponed.

In Italy, about 16 million people have been put under a widespread lockdown in the northern part of the country.

Italy's top football division had resumed on Sunday with five games played in empty stadiums. Twelve rounds remain, with eight-time defending champion Juventus holding a one-point lead over Lazio.

Serie A has not been canceled since World War II.

The announcement from the Italian Olympic Committee, which is known as CONI, came shortly before Sassuolo were scheduled to host Brescia in a football match.

CONI said its decision does not include international competition "for clubs or national teams,'' since it does not govern those. Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta are each competing in the Champions League, while Inter Milan and Roma are still in the Europa League.

Earlier, the Italian swimming federation said it was withdrawing its teams from international events and canceled an Olympic qualifying meet scheduled for next week in Riccione.

The Tokyo Games are scheduled to begin in 4½ months. More than 300 Italian athletes qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

In France, police said that the Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes will be played without fans.

It is the second of the four matches in the competition this week to be played in an empty stadium. Spanish authorities previously recommended restrictions on games involving teams from areas in Italy with high numbers of virus cases and said the Valencia-Atalanta match on Tuesday will take place without fans in attendance.

Leipzig's match against Tottenham on Tuesday and Liverpool's home game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday are expected to be played with fans.

Wednesday's game in Paris will be the first match with no fans at the Parc des Princes in 10 years. The last time that happened, in March 2010, the decision was made following crowd trouble during a match between PSG and French rival Marseille.

PSG, which lost the first leg 2-1, said it took note of the decision and said the club remains "fully mobilised to organise the match in the best possible conditions."

In the French league, the match between Lyon and visiting Reims on Friday will also be played without fans.

France has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. The country reported 1,126 cases of the virus as of Sunday, up 19% from the day before and the second-largest number of cases in Europe after Italy. So far, 19 people in France have died.

The virus also forced the postponement of the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland. French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu said the decision to postpone was taken after discussions with tournament organisers and the French rugby federation.

The game was due to take place on Saturday at the Stade de France. A new date has yet to be announced.

In Germany, it will be up to local authorities to decide whether fans can attend matches this weekend in the top two divisions, the league's organisers said.

Last weekend's Bundesliga matches went ahead as planned with fans, though Borussia Monchengladbach refunded tickets for supporters from an area affected by the virus after asking them not to attend the game.

Local authorities in the Swiss city of Basel refused permission for the city's football team to host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on March 19. UEFA has not yet confirmed a venue for the match.

Even the flame-lighting ceremony for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is being affected. Spectators will be kept away from the event in Ancient Olympia on Thursday, the Greek Olympic committee has said. Only 100 accredited guests will be allowed to attend.

Also, World Cup qualifying games in Asia were formally postponed until at least September, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation said on Monday, but matches could still go ahead on schedule if all relevant parties agree.

Japanese officials earlier postponed the start of the 12-team professional baseball league season. The season was to open on March 20. Japan's professional league had been playing its preseason games without fans because of the virus.

"I personally believe that we have no choice but to postpone at this stage," Japanese league commissioner Atsushi Saito said.

The announcement to cancel the tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, came after many players were already in the desert practicing. Qualifying matches were to begin Monday, with women's main draw matches starting on Wednesday and the men's draw beginning on Thursday.

"We're here and still deciding what's next,'' Rafael Nadal wrote on Twitter. "So sad for all that is happening around the world with this situation. Hopefully soon solutions from the authorities. Stay all well and safe.''

Missed any of the action around Europe this weekend? A derby full of talking points between Manchester United and Manchester City, more coronavirus cancellations/postponements and a three-team title race in Italy that just became a two-horse race; Gab Marcotti is here to catch you up with all the talking points in the latest Monday Musings.

Jump to: Juve dump Inter from title race | Manchester derby lessons | Real's worst performance | Liverpool back to winning | Messi needs help at Barca | Bayern's big weekend | Chelsea's young stars shine | Dortmund find new way to win | Coronavirus concerns | Mourinho moaning again | End of Leipzig's title hopes? | Milan mess continues | Atletico ready for Liverpool

Juve push Inter out of Serie A title race

Against the surreal, but not unprecedented, backdrop of an empty stadium that allowed viewers to hear every thud, crunch and shout, Juventus downed Inter 2-0, a result that knocks Antonio Conte's Scudetto chances down to single digits. If you only saw the highlights, you might conclude that the difference was a deflected goal and a world-class strike by Paulo Dybala, but there was much more to it than that.

Juve came in having lost three of their previous seven matches including, most recently, the 1-0 Champions League stinker in Lyon. More importantly, you could count on one hand the number of times they had looked convincing this season: against Roma in the Coppa Italia, Inter away, some of the European group games and not many more. They still got results because, well, they have better players and, more generally, that's how they roll, but this was a potential crossroads for them and for Maurizio Sarri.

So when the lineup came out and we discovered that Sarri had dropped Miralem Pjanic for Rodrigo Bentancur, that Dybala was on the bench and that Aaron Ramsey was starting in the three-man midfield, the knives came out. But Juve came out of the gates quickly, absorbed Inter's reaction without conceding much in the way of chances and then, after taking the lead, dominated the rest of the way. Some of it is down to Inter's flaws (we'll get to those) but you have to credit Sarri for shaking off the negative prematch vibes and getting the approach right, tactically and mentally.

Marcotti: When will Serie A take decisive action about coronavirus?

Leo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt were rock-solid at the back; the midfield three dominated; and Dybala was the difference maker when he came on. You can buy Sarri's explanation that it's best to use him only in certain situations (or not), but there is no denying his impact. And while Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score, which means he didn't break Gabriel Batistuta's record, he worked hard and was unselfish, particularly for Ramsey's goal.

As for Inter, if you go for a "battling" midfield without a creator like Christian Eriksen or Stefano Sensi, they need to battle. And on Sunday night, they failed to exert enough pressure on Juve's midfield. The front two of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku contributed close to nothing, in part because they couldn't get service and in part because there didn't seem to be any kind of Plan B, like dropping deep or trying something different.

Conte has his responsibilities here, and it's especially hard to fathom why he can't get to grips with Eriksen. The latest line peddled -- he's not dynamic enough, he's not intense enough, his work ethic isn't right -- is frankly absurd.

Leaving aside that he can give you something no other Inter player has (apart from Sensi, and we last saw him in Serie A in January), it amounts to Eriksen being judged by how he looks. Yes, he's not exactly a "warrior" type. But he thrived for many years under Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, and that was hardly a "soft" team. In fact, Inter could use the intensity and pressing they displayed right up until the last months of last season. It boggles the mind that Eriksen has started just one league game after Inter went through all that trouble to sign him in January.

Juve's lead over Lazio is a single point, and the head-to-head tussle for the title could continue all season. If Inter win their game in hand, they'll be six points out. It's a lot, but with 12 games to go after that, it's not insurmountable either.

Man City's dismal day ends in deserved derby defeat

Ederson had his worst performance since joining Manchester City on Sunday, gifting United two goals (and it could have been three), but make no mistake about it, it wasn't just goalkeeping mistakes that led to City losing 2-0. United, not for the first time this season, showed that while this club might be a work in progress, they know how to sit and counter effectively. And, crucially for a team that's going to play that way, if they have to sit and defend, they're comfortable doing so.

United broke well in attack -- so well, in fact, that if Anthony Martial and Daniel James had better peripheral vision, Bruno Fernandes might have bagged another two goals -- and, more importantly, they defended very well. They didn't just pack bodies back there; they sat deep while defending actively and in an organised way. That's a credit to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The challenge, of course, is that you don't always get to play this way. It's not entirely clear that they've progressed at all against opponents who are equally happy to sit. Witness recent games against Everton (a draw), Wolves (also a draw) and Watford (a win, but the game could have taken a different turn). That's what Solskjaer needs to get right.

- Ogden: Man United have turned a corner
- Man United ratings: Martial 8/10 in decisive win
- Man City ratings: Ederson 3/10 for horror show in goal

As for Manchester City, Bernardo Silva put it best when he said "we need to play better, it's not acceptable to play like this here at Old Trafford." He's right, of course, which is why Pep Guardiola's reaction -- "over the 90 minutes, we played really well" -- leaves you dumbfounded and wanting to look closely at his nose to see if it gets that little bit longer as the words leave his mouth. City most definitely did not play well. They missed Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden reminded us that he's still a teenager; and there were the usual wobbles at the back. This is not the standard he set over the past few years. Why he feels the need to state the opposite is tough to understand.

It might be as simple as motivation, which might explain why Guardiola keeps fiddling with his full-backs. They already won the League Cup, they might yet win the Champions League and FA Cup too: that's the Treble they're chasing right now. They're obviously not catching Liverpool, and they're highly unlikely to slip to third; even if they do, given that their European future rests with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where they finish in the league might be largely irrelevant anyway. Still, it's hard to fathom why Guardiola thinks it's beneficial to say some of the stuff he says.

Real Madrid crumble at worst possible time

Real Madrid turned in arguably their worst performance of the season in their 2-1 defeat at Betis, which means they are now two points behind Barca (again) at the top of La Liga. Sure, their only win in their past five outings was the Clasico, but at least they played reasonably well to very well in the other outings. On Sunday night, they were just awful, and the final score could have been much worse if Marc Bartra had finished better and if Thibaut Courtois hadn't pulled off his usual heroics.

Zinedine Zidane's rotation has come under scrutiny and, yes, some of his choices raised eyebrows. When your front three includes Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Jr. (instead of, say, Isco and Eden Hazard), you will necessarily have to create from deeper, and Toni Kroos and Luka Modric failed to do enough of it. That's why I don't buy the argument peddled by Zidane's many supporters that Fede Valverde would have solved every problem. Play Valverde and you lose a creator (or, at least, a different kind of creator) in midfield. Of course, with Valverde you would have had more drive and intensity, which Madrid also need right now. All in all, it's a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.

- Real ratings: Ramos 5/10 in poor display

What's evident is that Zidane needs someone like Isco back in double-quick time and that if Dani Carvajal isn't available, we don't need to see Eder Militao there; it's better to give Lucas Vazquez a shot in a deeper role. It might also be time to resurrect Gareth Bale in some capacity, assuming he's fit and wants to play. We're getting to the point where, if the system isn't going to deliver, the individuals need to instead.

That said, while undoubtedly poor, Betis are exactly the sort of feast-or-famine team you don't want to meet when they're having a good night, and they had a brilliant night Sunday, with Nabil Fekir leading the way. This is a side that has underachieved this season and, on talent alone, should be a solid top-six club. When Betis turn it on, they're a real handful.

I'm still leaning Real Madrid to win La Liga, but it does feel like one of those campaigns where the two best teams have fundamental flaws and are playing way beneath themselves.

Liverpool get back to winning ahead of huge week

The good news is that, after beating Bournemouth 2-1, Liverpool need only another six points to mathematically win the title they've been waiting for since 1990. The bad news is that they didn't play well and, really, haven't played well since January.

- Liverpool ratings: Mane 7/10 in comeback win

Oh, and despite what some say, it's not just down to Jordan Henderson's absence. As good as he is, he doesn't make the front three sharper or better finishers. He also doesn't ensure Joe Gomez doesn't get manhandled, and his mere presence doesn't make Fabinho become the player he was before the ankle injury suffered back in November.

The reality is that if they don't turn it around against Atletico Madrid in Wednesday's must-win Champions League last-16 second leg, their season will be over very soon, leaving plenty of time for a nice, long party. Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad thing.

Messi needs help from Barca teammates

Barcelona squeaked a 1-0 win against Real Sociedad on Saturday that sees them go top, but there's not much to write home about. Against an opponent that left out three key men (Joseba Zaldua, Igor Zubeldia and Mikel Oyarzabal), they were sluggish. The trademark Quique Setien possession game was often imprecise, and they ended the game very much on the ropes.

There's no escaping the fact that Lionel Messi was (once again) off his game, despite the fact that he converted the match-winning penalty (which, I thought, was a bit harsh on Robin Le Normand). He looks irritable, frustrated and grumpy, which might explain why he got booked for the third straight game for the very first time in his career.

Barca ratings: Messi 6/10 but gets the match-winner

Barcelona are leading La Liga through inertia right now. You can hang it on Messi because with great talent (and great wages) comes great responsibility. Or you can just blame Setien because the coach is always the most convenient scapegoat. But it's pretty evident there are plenty others in that squad who aren't pulling their weight.

A decisive weekend for Coutinho, Bayern

Bayern dispatched Augsburg 2-0 on Sunday, which isn't really a surprise given that their opponents have taken only four of their past 27 points up for grabs. It took a while for them to get going, as there was no Robert Lewandowski to lead the way up front (and Joshua Zirkzee is no Lewa... for now, at least), but second-half strikes from Thomas Muller and Leon Goretzka got the job done.

More encouraging was Philippe Coutinho's performance. It was his third straight start, and he showed that he's coming to terms with playing out wide in this system. I doubt Bayern will trigger the buyback clause to keep him around this summer unless they can negotiate a very deep discount, but he offers something very different to the other attacking midfielders and could come in handy down the stretch.

Chelsea's young talent catches the eye in big win

Chelsea finished their 4-0 rout of Everton on Sunday with three 18-year-olds on the pitch: Armando Broja, Faustino Anjorin and Billy Gilmour. It's a testament to the club's long injury list (seven), but also to Frank Lampard's steadfast belief that if you're good enough, you're old enough. It's not Gilmour's ability that stands out -- there are plenty of central midfielders who can ping passes accurately all day long -- but his personality and intelligence.

- Miller: Can Chelsea finally find consistency?
- Chelsea ratings: Gilmour 7/10 in first league start

Lampard has also helped resurrect Ross Barkley, who responded with a sterling performance and finally completed the Kepa Arrizabalaga-Willy Caballero switch in the Premier League. Whatever went on with Kepa, it now seems to be over, and Chelsea are the better for it.

Dortmund find a new way to win

Borussia Dortmund got a huge 2-1 away win at Borussia Moenchengladbach, and they did it while giving us a different look. They showed a physicality, especially in midfield, that had often been absent, while Thorgan Hazard reminded us he's not just a guy with a famous brother. The way he turned on a dime for the opening goal was delicious.

There were plenty of chances for both sides and, yes, the defensive wobbles are still there (Erling Haaland needs to work on that whole stepping out after set pieces, rather than going in the opposite direction, as he did for the equalizer) and Roman Burki had to come up big. But this was more sledgehammer than foil from Lucien Favre's crew and likely what they needed ahead of Wednesday's date with destiny at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Europe's leagues still struggling with coronavirus response

Switzerland have suspended their league. Greece announced they'll be playing behind closed doors. Italy might yet suspend their league. PSG's game Saturday at Strasbourg was postponed and their Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund will be played behind closed doors.

The coronavirus is real, and it's hard to see football getting away from it. On Sunday, I wrote about how the Italian players' association has asked for the league to be suspended. What seemed far-fetched is closer to reality with every day that passes, and not just in Italy.

Will Mourinho's latest moaning work for his players?

Tottenham drew away to Burnley, 1-1, which isn't a bad result, but Jose Mourinho (again) made headlines when he criticized his starting midfield of Oliver Skipp and Tanguy Ndombele, both of whom were yanked at half-time.

"In the first half, we didn't have a midfield," he said. "Of course, I'm not speaking of Skipp because he's a 19-year-old kid... But I'm not going to run away, and I have to say [Ndombele] has had enough time to go to a different level... A player of his potential has to give us more than he is giving us."

- Tottenham ratings: 8/10 Lo Celso to the rescue

Saturday marked Ndombele's fifth start in the nearly four months Mourinho has been in charge (he has lasted 90 minutes just once) so it's pretty evident how he feels. I'll say what I always say when a manager throws a player under the bus: he's got to be sure he gets the reaction he wanted for the good of the team. Some respond to sticks, others to carrots. You either trust Mourinho's judgement or you don't; we'll know soon enough whether he was right.

End of the line for Leipzig's Bundesliga quest?

Leipzig's scoreless draw at Wolfsburg might have marked the day they bowed out of the Bundesliga race. They created enough chances to win, but with Timo Werner carrying a knock and able to play only the last half-hour, they failed to capitalize.

It's not the five-point gap from Bayern (a lot with only nine games to go) that is concerning but the fact that Borussia Dortmund are ahead of them now too. Manager Julian Nagelsmann himself said so, adding he didn't want to hear about the gap with the league leaders and reminding everyone that the goal is simply to finish in the top four. He's selling himself a little short there, but you can see where he's coming from.

Milan a mess on and off the field

On Saturday, Milan parted ways with chief football officer Zvonimir Boban, and the next day they lost at home to relegation-threatened Genoa 2-1. The match was played behind closed doors because of the ongoing coronavirus concern, which might have been a good thing given the reaction of some supporters.

I don't think the club had much of a choice in letting Boban go after what he did. Equally, I'm not sure Ralf Rangnick is the answer as a coach. As director of football/recruiting guru, it's a different story. What's more, his brand of football is not incompatible with Stefano Pioli's.

Anybody who presents this as some kind of disrespect towards the current Milan coach is way off-base.

Atletico ready for trip to Liverpool

It might feel like two points dropped against a direct opponent for a top-four finish, but there were plenty of positive takeaways in Atletico Madrid's 2-2 draw with Sevilla. Alvaro Morata scored his first league goal of 2020 -- from the spot, but still; Joao Felix is on the up again after his understandable blip; and if Yannick Carrasco doesn't squander his late chance, Atleti would be in third place.

And let's not forget that while Sevilla aren't models of consistency, on their day they play some of the best football in La Liga. Atleti went toe-to-toe with them like in the old days. It's the right mindset ahead of the huge trip to Anfield.

In their first Ranji Trophy final in 14 years, Bengal faced the very real possibility of seeing the match run away from them on the first day itself. They had lost the toss on a on a visibly dry surface that threatened to negate their three-pronged pace attack - one that had ensured no team has crossed 250 against them this season. Saurashtra were batting in their own conditions, and they had India's No.3 padded up in the pavilion.

There was hardly any nip with the new ball and Wriddhiman Saha kept collecting deliveries below his knees. The signs were evident that the pitch would get increasingly up-and-down as the game wore on. In all of the first session, maybe five or six deliveries deviated off the deck. It was not a surface that pleased Bengal coach Arun Lal, and he minced no words in asking the BCCI to look into a pitch he said could be a "disgrace".

"Very poor wicket," Lal said after the day's play. "The board has to look at things like this. The ball is not coming up. The surface is dusting on the first day. You've got neutral curators, why not send them 15 days before? Imagine, a fast bowler is running in with one slip in the first session of a final, with the knowledge that it won't carry. It could be a disgrace if the ball starts rolling through on the third day, there's a good chance of it happening as well. This isn't the wicket you prepare for a final, involving two sides that have fought hard to finish at the top."

Vishvaraj Jadeja, who hit one of two half-centuries scored on the day, agreed that the pitch was not the typical one found at the SCA Stadium, but felt the home team's total of 206 for 5 at stumps (Cheteshwar Pujara having retired hurt because of a throat infection and a fever) was reasonable.

"This isn't your typical Khanderi pitch," Vishvaraj said. "I can't say we're safe, but it's not easy to score. There is low bounce, the ball is holding onto the deck. It's not easy to score against both pace and spin. I won't say I am surprised, but this is a tough pitch. My dismissal, the ball cut back in suddenly when the same delivery earlier did nothing. We lost one wicket too many. If we get 100-150, we will be in an excellent position."

"The board has to look at things like this. The ball is not coming up. The surface is dusting on the first day. You've got neutral curators, why not send them 15 days before? This isn't the wicket you prepare for a final, involving two sides that have fought hard to finish at the top." Arun Lal, Bengal coach

That Saurashtra didn't manage a more commanding position was down to Bengal's doggedness and patience. Shahbaz Ahmed, Bengal's only frontline spinner, was introduced in the eighth over. There was hardly any turn. Yet, Bengal kept repeating their boring methods, over and over again. Not allowing a flurry of boundaries, stringing together tight overs in the hope of wickets. Once it was clear merely accuracy wasn't enough, Ahmed went to an over-the-wicket line to the right-handers, looking to pitch the ball outside leg. While this may have seemed like a negative tactic, Bengal knew what they were doing. Ahmed's first seven overs went for just 10.

"On the face of it, you can call it negative or whatever, but it was a plan, a proper strategy that comes with the knowledge of having seen such wickets," Lal said. "He was incredible, to do a containing job when absolutely nothing was happening was a superb effort from him." That control allowed Bengal to not let the match slip away as Saurashtra's Day 1 run-rate was just 2.54. Lal said, half in jest, that if he had a magic wand he'd not want to see Saurashtra add to their overnight 206, but "anything under 300 will be a job well done, even if it will still be a big challenge from there."

On a tricky pitch, with Pujara still potentially capable of coming out to resume his innings, the Bengal bowlers' performance has kept them in the hunt.

Owners of all eight franchises have signed a letter that was sent to the IPL, asking the league to put on hold the proposed changes concerning the league standing money and the hosting fee payable to the state associations that house the venues. Among the owners that signed letter, which was sent last weekend, are Shah Rukh Khan (co-owner at Kolkata Knight Riders), Akash Ambani (Mumbai Indians), Kasi Viswanathan (CEO of Chennai Super Kings) and Parth Jindal (majority owner at Delhi Capitals).

Recently the IPL told all eight franchises it was cutting the league standing money, earned by the four teams that makes the play-offs, from the existing INR 50 crore to half the amount. The league standing money, which is the same amount as the prize money, was introduced around the 2014 season when the BCCI decided to help out franchise owners who had requested funds.

As per the existing system the IPL prize money is INR 50 crore. That is split among the four teams that make the play-offs with the winner pocketing INR 20 crore, the runner-up INR 12.5 crore and the third- and fourth-placed teams getting INR 8.25 crore each. The prize money goes exclusively to the players.

However the league standing money is earned by the franchises. Going forward the IPL told franchises that although the IPL prize money pot would continue to be the same, the distribution of the league standing money would come down to INR 25 crore. As per the new distribution system for the league standing money, the franchise of the winning team would get INR 10 crore, the runner-up INR 6.25 crore and the third and fourth-placed teams would get around INR 4.12 crore approximately.

In another proposed move, the IPL also told franchises that it was increasing the hosting fee per home match, payable to the respective state association, from INR 30 lakhs per match to INR 50 lakhs. That would mean each franchise will end up paying a minimum of INR 1.4 crore over an IPL season. A similar amount - INR 50 lakhs - will be paid by BCCI to the state association, thus increasing the staging fee from INR 60 lakh per match to INR 1 crore.

The IPL reasoned that the hike in hosting fee was necessary to the state associations for the upkeep of the ground, stadium and other facilities.

However, the franchises have called the IPL's move "arbitrary". They are also disgruntled because despite being the primary stakeholders, they were never consulted. In the email, the owners have asked the IPL Governing Council to consider putting on hold the two proposals until the various sponsorship deals, including the current media rights deal, expires in 2022.

"We have to draw your attention to the changes which you have made with regards to the following: Increase fee by 66% payable by franchises to state associations. And reduce league standing fund which is reduced by 50% to franchises," the email signed by the eight team owners, said. "We humbly request that the Governing Council defer the proposed changes till the end of the current media rights deal and thereafter enter into a consulting process with the various franchise owners to discuss any changes."

One of the owners at a franchise said that the IPL could have considered various factors including COVID-19, the epidemic that has disrupted life across the board globally and forced sporting contests or tournaments to be downright cancelled, postponed or played behind closed doors.

"It should be a discussion. It shouldn't be arbitrary," the owner told ESPNcricinfo. "If we you are going to make us pay more (to the state associations) and with the coronavirus less people will be coming, so how are we supposed to make money? As it is we don't make money through ticketing revenues. Secondly, why are being penalised?"

A chief executive at one other franchise said the timing of the IPL's decision had caught everyone by surprise. This CEO said that although the amount that the franchises stood to lose was not massive, it would still affect budgets which had been projected on a five-year model immediately after the IPL's media rights deal in 2017. That deal had ensured every franchise stood to earn anywhere between INR 150 to upwards of 200 crore per season from the central revenue pool.

"The budgets for this IPL has been frozen," the franchise CEO said. "We all had made our projections based on the media rights for five years. It was based upon the money we would get from the central pool as well as the prize money. But all of a sudden now they are taking arbitrary decisions like increasing the hosting fee by two-thirds and reducing the prize money by 50%. That is not fair. That is the reason we are requesting them to continue with this existing arrangement till the end of the current media rights cycle in 2022. All the IPL deals including title sponsorships etc. are till 2022."

A senior BCCI official disagreed that the IPL decision was wrong. He said that the league standing fund was introduced to lend a helping arm to the franchises financially. Now that they are self-sufficient, that aid was being revoked. "There were certain concessions given when the franchises were bleeding, when they were not in a financially good state," the BCCI official said. "Those concessions were not part of the IPL contract with franchises. In 2014, the BCCI had decided to grant those concessions. And now that they are financially sound and everything is fine, those concessions have been withdrawn."

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been medically cleared for all football activity after a four-month scan on Monday came back all clear, sources told ESPN's Laura Rutledge.

Tagovailoa, whose season at Alabama ended in November when he suffered a posterior wall fracture and dislocated hip, is expected to be a top-five pick in April's NFL draft, with ESPN's Mel Kiper projecting him to go at No. 3 to the Detroit Lions.

Tagovailoa will train in Nashville and will start throwing, running, rolling out and doing dropbacks this week once he gets settled in the city, which is still recovering from devastating tornadoes last week.

He has a pro day on April 9, where he will throw for NFL teams. Sources said Tagovailoa will take a conservative approach to the pro day but will definitely drop back and throw.

Tagovailoa attended the NFL's scouting combine last week, where he underwent medical examinations and interviews.

Tagovailoa has one more medical checkup scheduled before the draft. He will have an MRI on April 10, when doctors will check to see whether there is cartilage growth.

Alabama team physician Dr. Lyle Cain said he was elated with the results of the scan.

"If you had told me four months ago that the scan would look this good, I would have been ecstatic," Cain told Rutledge.