France Didier Deschamps is a throwback. In a world of pressing and high lines, he is different. He sits his defense deep, gives the full-backs limited license…

The clock was already showing 90. Diogo Dalot advanced on to the ball in space around 40 yards from the Paris Saint-Germain goal. His first touch was heavy and…

By the time the final whistle blew at Villa Park on Sunday evening, the temptation was to laugh and shrug and write off the previous nine hours as just one of…

The Fifa world rankings rarely fail to raise an eyebrow. Óscar Washington Tabárez is one of the world’s great coaches but are Uruguay, who scraped a 2-1 win…

Football has changed. Most disagreements between managers and pundits are tedious affairs, rooted in complex and broadly impenetrable codes of respect and of…

There was an anecdote the American philosopher William James liked to tell about a regular user of laughing gas. When he was under the influence, he believed,…

Football loves nothing more than a redemption myth. While there are many who will tell you to never go back, there is more rejoicing in the kingdom of football…

Last summer, a host of clubs had begun to express an interest in Kai Havertz. He seemed the model of the modern German attacking midfielder: powerful, quick,…