The Brazil coach, Tite, was finally able to play his form of pressing game without the PSG forward and it led to a first major trophy in 12 yearsBrazil winning a Copa América at home cannot be said to be a surprise. They have hosted the tournament five…
Peru were well beaten by Brazil in the group stage but victory over them at the Maracanã would give them a third triumph Related: Peru set up Brazil clash in Copa América final after resounding win over Chile Jack Greenwell was born in Crook in the Dur…
The thought that VAR may end dispute over decisions has proved laughably misguided, if anything football is more controversial than everThere was a time before VAR. There may be a time after VAR. But this is the age of VAR and nothing can ever happen b…
USA capitalised on cracks that had been papered over earlier in the World Cup and on Phil Neville’s switch to 4-4-2One of the great puzzles of the World Cup was that England had managed to get through the first five games conceding only one goal. Fluen…
Brazil face their old enemies Paraguay in the quarter-finals and Argentina have no cause for confidence against VenezuelaHello nemesis, old friend. For Brazil and Argentina, the Copa América quarter-finals feel as if they are playing out of a series of…
Copa América struggles demonstrate that more important are a lack of leadership and shrinking pool of high-class talentThe only positive for Argentina, and it is a dubious one, is that it could have been worse. A draw against Paraguay means they will p…
The hosts are tipped to win the tournament but, as we saw in 2014, the pressure of the home crowd can cause them problemsThe good news for Argentina is that Conmebol have handily arranged another Copa América for next year, one they will co-host with C…
The hosts are tipped to win the tournament but, as we saw in 2014, the pressure of the home crowd can cause them problemsThe good news for Argentina is that Conmebol have handily arranged another Copa América for next year, one they will co-host with C…
The Champions League final carried echoes of the scrappy showpieces at which English teams triumphed in 70s and 80sFor Liverpool this has been a season of two extraordinary statistics: 11.7mm and 64%. It was the former that denied them a goal (albeit a…
The Champions League final carried echoes of the scrappy showpieces at which English teams triumphed in 70s and 80sFor Liverpool this has been a season of two extraordinary statistics: 11.7mm and 64%. It was the former that denied them a goal (albeit a…
Liverpool and Spurs rely on the role to wreak havoc in attack and Saturday’s game will show how the position has evolvedIt is quarter of a century since Jack Charlton observed after the 1994 World Cup that full-back had become tactically the most impor…
The manager could go after a trophy and top-three finish. Eden Hazard is on his way. It sums up the modern ChelseaYou hope Maurizio Sarri enjoyed his first trophy in professional football – but this, surely, was not how he imagined it as he whiled away…
Unai Emery has proved a master of two-leg ties but also has the wherewithal to impose his gameplan in a one-off finalTransition is often a useful excuse for football clubs but in the case of Arsenal and Chelsea it happens to be true. The Europa League …
Watching Pep Guardiola’s side dismantle their opponents in the FA Cup final was gruesome and reflective of a trend across Europe that suggests the time has come for a super leagueGoals! Goals! Goals! Trophies everywhere. Manchester City were brilliant …
Watching Pep Guardiola’s side dismantle their opponents in the FA Cup final was gruesome and reflective of a trend across Europe that suggests the time has come for a super leagueGoals! Goals! Goals! Trophies everywhere. Manchester City were brilliant …
For the elite clubs press-and-possess remains the dominant mode and the league’s less wealthy simply cannot competeOnce upon a time, not so very long ago, football was a game in which two teams battled for the ball and, when they had it, tried to score…
Pep Guardiola adopted a more pragmatic approach in some games, including at Anfield, and while their football was maybe less exciting their season was hugely impressiveFootball changed in 2008: Pep Guardiola became manager of Barcelona. Football had be…
Consistent Liverpool or implacable City? Regardless of the title’s destiny, the chasing pack must fear two clubs so far aheadAfter Tuesday at Anfield and Wednesday in Amsterdam, perhaps nothing will ever seem impossible again. Nonetheless, it remains e…
