The manager's certainty following the loss to Wales was at odds with current form

Even Messi needs three chances to score a goal, Ireland seldom create three in a match

Master propagandist busy painting Woodward and United hierarchy into an awkward spot

Sarri and Klopp have made the game enjoyable for their players and it reaps rewards

Empty seats at the Etihad could have contributed to opening 2-1 defeat to Lyon

Liverpool and Spurs are both teams that don't rely on superstars and Kane must realise that

International friendlies had completely lost their relevance and competition is needed

Most players declare for Ireland through convenience, not a deep love for the country

If any club was crying out for a new direction, it’s Arsenal. Why then did Petr Cech start?

If Les Bleus could win at such a canter, maybe there's something wrong with the race?

Pace, power, and passion: José’s kind of football is on its way back to the top

Phrase went from ironic joke to arrogant prediction and gave opponents motivation

Southgate’s men unable to respond to Perisic’s equaliser while opponents grow stronger

A jubilant and delirious nation is expecting its superheroes to take it to the final

Kylian Mbappé sublime as Belgium are outfought in subdued St Petersburg semi-final

No room for objective analysis or comment when it comes to England’s World Cup run

Didier Deschamps side played very much to the manager’s style in getting the job done

Harry Maguire’s performance summed up how Gareth Southgate’s side has grown up

The superstar displayed both the sublime and the ridiculous in victory over Mexico in Samara

Last 16 clash proved that the golden era of Spanish football is well and truly over

Easy to jump to the wrong conclusions about a nation we only get a partial picture of

Neymar failed to get on the scoresheet but the five-time winners had more than enough

Both sides went through the motions in Moscow but that could come to hurt French

Panama were so awful it was hard to believe this was taking place at the World Cup finals

‘If the team brings to bear on the pitch their idea, their talent, their ability - we will prevail’

Brazil leave it late to get past stubborn Costa Rica in Group E St Petersburg clash

Mohamed Salah scores late penalty after Egypt fell apart just after half-time

Harry Kane’s late goal brings relief after an old school tournament performance

Nation may expect, but this group of players not stirred by the old ‘up-and-at-em’ game

Portuguese star’s performance was beyond efficiency - it was alchemy

Real mess as Madrid end up with national pariah Julen Lopetegui at the helm

This tournament may be first World Cup in while when pure talent makes the difference

Suspicions of Russia and its president means Western expectations are very low

Salah’s injury and Karius’s disastrous display combine

Real Madrid may be the best team in the world, but Jürgen Klopp is the best manager

The Ukrainian city is in football mode, but reminders of the violence are always there

United boss Jose Mourinho blames FA Cup defeat on Lukaku and Fellaini absence

Beware of the recent ‘defending your title’ curse, but City’s style means they could soar

Liverpool’s match-winner plumps for possibly the worst opportunity in soccer

Arsene Wenger’s side will get a lesson on what they lack when they face Atlético

AS Roma’s early confidence rapidly dissolved at Anfield

Club's strict financial model worked well for the manager and board, if not for supporters

De Bruyne’s the better all-rounder, but the Liverpool striker is astonishing

City coach’s high-minded approach sets him up for criticism but record speaks for itself

Roman Abramovich needs to adopt a new outlook if no longer willing to spend big

The narratives surrounding the country right now leave little room for organisers' attempts at positive spin

Might Lukaku’s good performances have more to do with style than with personal qualities?

Disillusioned fans vent ire at rich owners who lack a coherent strategy on the game

Dortmund will not produce half-and-half Red Bull scarves, cash killing Premier League

Contrast between Lukaku and Morata’s performance was the story of the match

Engrained culture of battling for a ‘cause’ familiar to Real Madrid and Barcelona

Gifted Frenchman’s natural position is clearly not as a shield in front of back four

Klopp and Pochettino disagreed on penalties, but game was example of where top level football is going

NFL system would prevent the new practice from being too finicky and overbearing

Armenian will thrive at Arsenal while Sánchez can show his creativity at United

Most supporters were happy to draw a line under manager’s time in charge

There was a lot more at stake than a childhood dream in Coutinho’s move to Catalonia

Cash is king for the Notorious but he now needs a new dream to chase

Pep Guardiola’s side are quickly becoming the best team the league has ever seen

Despite Mourinho’s protestations, City’s clear superiority is now plain for all to see

The Workers’ Cup, a film about the hard lives of stadium labourers, is sad and revealing

He’s not a winger at all – football terminology needs to catch up with changes in the game

A criticism of the West Brom manager is the way his teams tend to switch off after 40 points

Irish passion no match for Danish brains as lack of a plan is shown up in Dublin

Ireland’s most creative player likely to feature against Denmark only if Plan A is failing

Everyone knows the top-level football is elsewhere, but it’s not about that anymore

United surely haven’t spent £322m to be history’s most expensive long-ball team

Manager just needs trophies now to reinforce the real progress he has made at Tottenham

The managers showed how to avoid blaming the players while blaming the players

Anfield draw exposes gulf between respective managers’ footballing philosophy

Martin O’Neill’s side again proved why they are such a hard team to kill off

Republic manager to start with his most physically powerful line-up against Wales

Callum O’Dowda’s composure could keep James McClean out in Cardiff

Striking to hear O’Neill cite the number of season tickets sold during his time in charge

Many on the board believed it was wrong to play on the day of the Catalan referendum

Liverpool have a better chance of success if they keep taking the game to the opposition

Filling the void left by a man who scored 40 per cent of their league goals a real problem

Arsenal manager looks to have given up the fight in this era of nine figure transfer fees

Hoolahan’s absence felt in final quarter as O’Neill’s men fail to capitalise on red card

Ken Early: With a solid game plan, smaller countries can overcome more talented opposition

Arter, Hendrick and McCarthy can form Ireland’s midfield unit for next few seasons

Most takeovers by wealthy owners end in failure and it simply adds to fans’ alienation

Even in defeat McGregor will continue to polarise opinion and nowhere more than his homeland

Dubliner never stood a chance against the master but comes away with $100m in the bank

Mayweather will try to make his opponent feel lost and lonely in the boxing ring

Current Chelsea manager wants players who are tactically flexible – and he won’t tolerate slacking

This is the premiership, not ‘Oliver Twist’, and Rose was right to ask for more money

Brazilian not moving to PSG for the challenge – money remains his bottom line

Ireland struggled to get going in a game they would have been expecting to win at home

Aviva treated to a fun evening as Martin O’Neill’s men warm-up nicely for Austria

Criticism of Paul Pogba ignores context – no one can run the game in Mourinho’s United

Jose Mourinho’s side back in Champions League after win over Ajax in Stockholm

Game takes on symbolic and emotional importance for Manchester United players

There has always been a clear time to say goodbye even for the best managers

Mino Raiola made €49 million from Paul Pogba’s transfer due to inconsistent system

Shankly’s club along with the rest of the Premier League are the ultimate neoliberalists

Banned Burnley midfielder right to highlight the link between the media and gambling

Being praised will be no consolation to Tottenham if they keep missing out on trophies

Manchester United manager’s tactics were once again devoted to nullifying opposition

Racial unity symbolised by France’s World Cup winners did not survive in post-9/11 world