Ken Early: If van Gaal’s withering verdict doesn’t fire up Welbeck, nothing willAt Arsenal, he’ll have a manager who’ll trust him to get on with it his own way, and that could be exactly what he needs. The transfer that seemed to please nobody might work out for everybody yetMon Sept 15 2014 - 12:00
Vindication for McGeady as crucial points are rescuedIf Ireland do qualify for Euro 2016 it will unlikely be by more than the two points that were not lostMon Sept 08 2014 - 12:00
Martin O’Neill’s appetite sharpened by the prospect of competitive action‘Every minute of these matches will be very, very important for us,” says Republic of Ireland bossSat Sept 06 2014 - 01:00
Declaring for Ireland is not some Noble cause but about the player giving his bestThe news that Mark Noble is seriously considering declaring for Ireland has caused a stirMon Sept 01 2014 - 01:00
Football just a trivial pursuit for baffling BalotelliAnyone hoping the enigmatic forward is about to “grow up” – that is, to start playing with the commitment of a Luis Suarez or a Shane Long – is likely to be disappointedMon Aug 25 2014 - 12:00
Ken Early: Woodward could go the way of Moyes at Manchester UnitedVan Gaal won’t accept failure to add quality players to squadMon Aug 18 2014 - 12:00
Seven steps to World Cup immortality for GermanyGermany’s triumph is the fruit of smart evolution – and sweet vindication for manager Joachim LöwSat Jul 19 2014 - 11:00
Super Mario takes centre stage as drained Messi sees dreams of immortality slip awayArgentine looked a shadow of himself despite picking up yet another awardSun Jul 13 2014 - 23:51
Luis Suárez incident highlights benefits of group effortThe romantic notion of journalists working alone falls short in realitySat Jul 12 2014 - 12:02
Can Messi shine or will Müller corner the plaudits?Germany favourites but still time for Lionel Messi to have moment for ArgentinaSat Jul 12 2014 - 10:09
Brazilian football has lost its sense of identity after years of foreign exodusFans hardly recognise a team spawned at home but adrift on international stageThu Jul 10 2014 - 01:40
Javier Mascherano proving to be Argentina’s real leaderDespite Lionel Messi wearing the armband midfielder displays his own brand of leadershipWed Jul 09 2014 - 05:00
Scolari: ‘I think it was the worst day of my life’Brazil coach takes full responsibility for humiliating 7-1 semi-final defeat to GermanyWed Jul 09 2014 - 01:03
Germany’s slaughter of Brazil part of a much bigger storyThis was not just a match but the most incredible result in World Cup historyTue Jul 08 2014 - 23:58
Manuel Neuer cleans up by being more than a sweeperThe Bayern Munich man has all the elements that make up a top goalkeeperTue Jul 08 2014 - 05:00
Brazil turned match into a war so they have to accept casualtiesA game plan based on beating up Colombia was never going to end wellMon Jul 07 2014 - 07:03
Thibaut Courtois could yet emerge as decisive figureMarouane Fellaini will be dangerous in the air on set-pieces but he may struggle on the ground against Lionel MessiSat Jul 05 2014 - 04:00
Germany fail to convince at Maracanã but they still march on to semi-final dateVictory over France was tense, error-strewn and largely uninspiringSat Jul 05 2014 - 01:00
Joachim Löw’s Germany face up to their moment of truth against FranceHas the Germany coach brought his much-admired team as far as they can go?Fri Jul 04 2014 - 04:00
Lack of quality adds to Messi’s heavy burdenArgentina needs a few more stars to come out to play in BrazilWed Jul 02 2014 - 08:36
Messi issues edict on formation ahead of crunch Switzerland fixtureArgentina’s taciturn midfield maestro confirms preferred team shape of 4-3-3Tue Jul 01 2014 - 01:00
Recife Letter: When losing everything makes you realise how lucky you are‘I thought about the joy the thief must have felt as he unpacked my electronics-laden bag’Mon Jun 30 2014 - 11:00
Costa Rica take another European scalp and march onFive flawless penalties after a 1-1 draw in Recife books meeting with the NetherlandsMon Jun 30 2014 - 07:22
Maradona’s defence of Suarez a reminder of Argentinian superstar’s past indiscretionsEven the Uruguayan president backs the biting striker’s causeSat Jun 28 2014 - 14:00
Germany win but USA join them in second roundKen Early from Recife, where Jürgen Klinsmann’s side joined his homeland in last 16Thu Jun 26 2014 - 20:27
Victory for Germany may help repair damage of GijonThe loser in Recife tonight could be eliminated. A draw, however, takes both sides throughThu Jun 26 2014 - 08:00
Luis Suarez facing World Cup expulsion after latest bite claimsFifa charge Uruguay striker and he has until tonight to provide evidence to support his caseWed Jun 25 2014 - 09:19
Uruguay go through but Luis Suarez in the dock againStriker at the centre of another biting controversy as Italy knocked out in Natal after Godin winnerTue Jun 24 2014 - 20:12
Luis Suarez takes another nibble at the English mediaFront page of Sun newspaper on day of England-Uruguay game seems to have upset strikerTue Jun 24 2014 - 07:15
Late German reprieve grates with LahmBattling Ghana take fight to ex-champions with aggressive and direct performanceMon Jun 23 2014 - 13:57
Brazil’s class divide writ large in tale of two World Cup citiesRich Brazilians don’t want Brazil to win . . . they fear it could propel Rousseff to a second termMon Jun 23 2014 - 12:52
Klose equals World Cup record to save GermanyStunning second half sees Ghana come back from goal down to lead 2-1Sat Jun 21 2014 - 22:25
Players have bought into feeling of being part of something huge in BrazilThe true heir to Maradona arrived at this World Cup in São Paulo last Thursday night – Luis SuarezSat Jun 21 2014 - 08:00
France’s campaign begins in earnest against a solid Swiss sideDidier Deschamps has beautifully balanced French side in a good placeFri Jun 20 2014 - 08:10
Hindsight easy after watching wheels come off Spanish trainCoach Vincente Del Bosque made wrong calls but it’s hard to argue with most of his decisionsFri Jun 20 2014 - 07:40
Escalator mayhem in São Paulo and sightings of a red-faced RonaldoA city of bright lights and frenetic activity runs according to its own curious Latino sensibilities writes Ken EarlyThu Jun 19 2014 - 07:00
Stubborn Scolari could cost Brazil any hope of home gloryLoyalty to certain players may be undoing of Big PhilWed Jun 18 2014 - 07:00
Ronaldo the individual no match for Germany’s collective mightWorld Player of the Year’s superpowers deserted him on a bad day outTue Jun 17 2014 - 02:28
England fall foul of misguided team selectionHodgson’s decision to play Rooney on the left amounted to a waste of the player’s talentMon Jun 16 2014 - 10:55
Last-chance saloon beckons for England’s Wayne RooneyHis task in this World Cup is to prove he is still world-class at something other than securing pay-risesSat Jun 14 2014 - 01:00
Neymar lives up to his star billing as Brazil’s golden boyDubious penalty decision turns the game in hosts’ favour, as they come from behind to delight fansThu Jun 12 2014 - 23:36
Big Phil's Brazil built for power and paceThe manager may be conservative but a settled team know exactly what he wantsThu Jun 12 2014 - 07:35
England’s lost decadeAt Euro 2004, Wayne Rooney touched fleeting, sensational greatness. Since then, England fans have had little to celebrateFri Jun 06 2014 - 10:00
As O’Neill calls the shots it seems Keane could be lured by Celtic – but at what cost?O’Neill spends so much time talking of his assistant one feels sure he would manage without himMon Jun 02 2014 - 12:00
Rolls of honour beginning to read more like rich listsThe wealthier the club the further it will go and the underdog’s fate is consigned to followMon May 26 2014 - 12:00
Sergio Ramos is Atlético Madrid’s nemesis in dramatic Champions League finalReal Madrid defender heads home equaliser in added-on time to break Atlético heartsMon May 26 2014 - 01:00
Atlético are the ultimate test of Real Madrid’s neurosisSelf-styled Kings of Europe have chance to win record 10th European CupSat May 24 2014 - 10:00
Sometimes ‘deserving’ to win actually has something to do with winningAtlético Madrid weren’t prepared to accept fate. Can they do it again in the Champions League?Mon May 19 2014 - 12:00
Pellegrini takes the honours, but it’s far from clear who is manager of the yearIt’s not all about money at the top, but deep pockets have helped some to prosperMon May 12 2014 - 12:00
Ken Early: Ancelotti's lack of hubris shows up Mourinho's vanityReal Madrid boss might sometimes be lost for answers, but he never loses his deep respect for the talent of exceptional footballersMon May 05 2014 - 12:00
