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Northern Ireland’s Steven Davis brings up ton but finds it tough | Ewan Murray

Midfielder leads by example and will need more of the same in Basel after Switzerland’s Denis Zakaria and Granit Xhaka controlled proceedingsThere should be no sense of Steven Davis not being appropriately recognised by supporters of Northern Ireland. There is recurring, audible hero-worshipping of the midfielder when he dons his country’s colours. So there should be; Davis has not only epitomised his nation’s resurgence under Michael O’Neill’s astute guidance, he stands apart from many in this era when international football can appear a nuisance to more than a few of them.Switzerland’s visit for the first leg of this World Cup play-off marked Davis’s 100th appearance for his country. He is the third player to reach that total for them. The...

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International football: 10 things to look out for in World Cup 2018 qualifying

Gareth Southgate should have taken radical action over England captaincy, Hal Robson-Kanu may be needed by Wales and how long can Didier Deschamps do without Karim Benzema?Captaincy is among the biggest red herrings in football: all players are supposed to set examples with their performances and leaders lead with or without an armband. And yet the England captaincy matters simply because a lot of people think it matters. Steven Gerrard was upset when it was taken off him by a caretaker manager, Stuart Pearce, and David Beckham was uplifted when it was given to him by a caretaker manager, Peter Taylor. The country’s latest caretaker manager, Gareth Southgate, should have de-fetishised the armband by announcing England do not need a...

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