After his side crashed out of the World Cup, Lionel Messi will have been left wondering whether he should have returned to lead Argentina’s bereft finals showing in RussiaAs Argentina’s defenders punted the ball from net to centre circle for the third time, Lionel Messi gazed down with hands on hips and you wondered who he would be more tempted to curse.Would a stray dark thought double down on the figure of Franco Armani, who had just let Kylian Mbappé’s shot through his legs to undo the work – and it had not all been good – that Argentina had put in so far? Perhaps a special place in hell would be reserved for Jorge Sampaoli for giving him such...
Southgate stood out when I was with him at Aston Villa and his thoughtfulness and trust in players can break cycle of failureI made my debut for Aston Villa on 13 January 2001 and, to be frank, it could have been in better circumstances. We were 3-0 down to Liverpool at home when John Gregory decided to beckon me from the bench. I came on with six minutes to go, into a lost cause, and in front of an understandably disgruntled crowd.Nevertheless, it remains a good memory given it was my first taste of English football, and Premier League football in particular. I also came into a Villa side full of strong personalties such as Paul Merson, David Ginola and...
Gary Lineker has led a largely stellar cast of voices while on the other side Eni Aluko has shone and Patrice Evra was a disasterMain host: Gary Lineker Continue reading...
A brilliantly entertaining group stage produced 116 goals and a plethora of stories – this already feels like a tournament with is own distinctive characterAnd breathe. After 48 matches, 116 goals and a thrillingly varied swag-bag of drama, big-name angst and rolling VAR-palaver, Russia 2018 has now reached its midpoint.These things invariably alter from week to week, the tone and texture of a tournament defined by a few key games. But as the World Cup takes a breath, hitches its shorts up and contemplates a final punt through the laces at the knockout stage, it already feels like a tournament with its own distinctive character. Related: The best passers, hardest workers and slowest players of the World Cup so far...
Football does not value the skill the forward showed against Iran but the World Cup should be an outlet for the unboundThere was a moment on Monday night in Kazan, as Ricardo Quaresma veered in off the right wing towards the Iran goal, shifting the angle of his body with a dinky little half-step, when you knew exactly what he was about to do.José Mourinho must have had an inkling, watching from his shark-tank penthouse high above the Moscow skyline. “Quaresma will have to learn, otherwise he won’t play,” Mourinho had told reporters 10 years ago when Quaresma was one of his players at Internazionale. “I am sure he’ll change and become more tactically disciplined. Right now he likes kicking...