If there was one contrast that marked the difference between Pep Guardiola’s underwhelming debut season at Manchester City, and the rip-roaring, 100-point, title-winning sophomore season, it was the difference in fullbacks. In 2016/17, he had four aging full-backs who neither understood the new system nor had the energy to keep up with the technical nature…

In the 94th minute, deep into added time of France’s encounter with Belgium in the World Cup semi-final, poised 1-0 to France, Kevin de Bruyne launched yet another high ball towards Romelu Lukaku, and the heart of the French defence. Raphaël Varane leaped high into the air and headed the ball clear…for one second. Toby…

The centre-back; often disregarded or underrated in some way or another – despite being one of the, if not the, most important positions in the sport. The centre-back’s duty is typically to sit in the central heart of the defence, usually alongside one or two fellow centre-backs; with a variety of different sub-duties and responsibilities…

With Uruguay breezing through Group A, and with Portugal failing to beat Iran on the final matchday, Uruguay faced off against Portugal in the Round of 16. It was a match of two defensive stalwarts, as Óscar Tabárez’s La Celeste, which had conceded zero goals throughout the entire group stage, took on Fernando Santos’ Portugal, whose…

With one matchday remaining in Group B, Spain and Portugal had 4 points each, with the Spaniards leading Portugal on goals scored. Trailing the Iberian sides were Iran with 3 points, and Morocco with none. This set up a dramatic final set of games, with Iran probably needing a win to have a chance of…

Despite not containing one of the more popular national teams at the World Cup, Serbia vs. Switzerland in round two of the group stage proved to be a memorable one. The Orlovi had defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in the first round, and after a 1-1 draw between Switzerland and Brazil, a second win would see…

Belgium struck early and held off a late Brazil comeback to send the five-times champions tumbling out of the World Cup with a 2-1 victory in an end-to-end thriller that earned the Red Devils a place in the semifinals against France. A Fernandinho own goal and a brilliant Kevin De Bruyne strike gave Belgium a…

Line-ups: Manuel Neuer was deemed fit to start in goal for Germany after his long spell out with a fractured foot. Marvin Plattenhardt was a surprise choice at left-back, ahead of Jonas Hector, while Julian Draxler was preferred to Marco Reus. Mexico’s line-up was as expected, though set up in a 4-2-3-1 rather than their…

Group C winners, France, faced Group D runner ups, Argentina, in a seven-goal game that ended Lionel Messi’s latest chase for a World Cup title. This fixture had the makings of an unforgettable match leading up to it, as Jorge Sampaoli was reportedly losing the dressing room with Argentina, while France’s starting eleven was fresh…