Having ridden out a storm, Argentina may yet go far in this tournament whereas Germany paid the price for not being united or mentally equipped to deal with setbacksIn life it can be known as the moment of truth but in football it is the moment of adversity. It is the moment when as a team you find yourselves trying to cope with pressure, bad performances and even off-field problems which have combined to jeopardise your continued participation in the world’s greatest football tournament. You know that how you react will define your opportunity to lift the World Cup and become part of history.This week Germany and Argentina stared into the abyss of impending failure when adversity struck both sides...
Lionel Messi scored a wonderful goal against Nigeria but Argentina are really struggling at this World Cup – and their style of play may suit France in the last 16A lot of the talk at this World Cup has been about big teams underperforming and, believe me, I know all about that. In 2002 we went into the first World Cup in Asia as reigning champions and we had also added the European crown in 2000, playing better football and with more confidence in our ability. France turned up in South Korea with Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Djibril Cissé – the top scorers in England, Italy and France if my memory serves me well. We were the overwhelming favourites...
Calls for a major overhaul of the national game after humiliating World Cup exit go too far. What is more important is to give a chance to talented young players such as Leroy SanéGermans are used to seeing our national team lose – it has happened before and will happen again – but what we are not used to is seeing them leave a World Cup at the group stages, and especially in the manner that has taken place at this tournament. It is a big surprise, a huge disappointment, and it has left me and many of my compatriots feeling completely empty.After the dramatic victory over Sweden on Saturday I expected to see a different Germany against South Korea,...
VAR confounds sceptics, the World Cup shows its capacity to unite, Peru and Egypt go out partying and passions run highThis hasn’t been an easy talking point to write. But maybe, in the end, it’s not you. It’s us. The experience of Video Assistant Refereeing in the English season had only pointed one way at this World Cup. The endless delays while a middle-aged man fiddles with his ear. The jeers in the stadium. The complete absence of any information. It all felt like something that would diminish decisively the primary experience of the stadium-going fan. But in Russia it has actually worked well. A quick sprint off to check a screen. Decisions made in seconds not minutes. Less fussicking...
Tireless midfielder is becoming the grinning symbol of a team that has come to Russia with a strange sense of exuberanceWell, that was fun, in between the painful bits. First, it is necessary to issue the disclaimers. Yes, Panama unravelled like a cheap cigar in Nizhny Novgorod. Faced with England’s excellent first-half movement, they fell apart like a wicker-rimmed hat left to bake in the sun. At times Panama played a genuinely ugly brand of football, hacking and whingeing and spoiling like the bloke you never invite back to the midweek seven-a-side.In between this England performed with incisive, cold-blooded composure to win 6-1 and rack up their highest World Cup score, an unarguable, entirely deserved entry in the tournament history...