Football

Liverpool try to restart the engine

Maintaining the Premier League title is a delicate process – and any number of factors can upset that chemistry

Aston Villa have brightened up a darkening political picture

After a tense week, two lovely Villa goals brought such a cleansing of the senses

A ‘launch game for differentiated fans’ is so last year

Can Uefa spare us the marketing speak for a new ‘offering’ on the Champions League that is actually passé?

Will the low block trip Liverpool again?

Arne Slot spotted his side’s frailty to deep defences last season – a summer of radical changes is yet to fix that

Whistle blows on barren Forest’s Ange Postecoglou

Australian’s short and disastrous reign at East Midlands club comes to an end after 39 days at the helm

Rolling the dice on young talent, Burnley intend to stick around

Club’s win and high spend safeguards future in the closed-shop Premier League

Jack Wilshere learns from deep end as life at Luton starts with loss

The former Arsenal star’s appointment comes at a fallow time for English managerial talent

Far-right football supporters in pitch protest over Gary Neville

Former Manchester United and England player accused of being a ‘traitor’ over St George flag comments

The police made a mistake. Starmer is right to wade in

The ban on fans of the Israeli team has become a political football, with police and the PM on opposing teams

Martin Semmens: ‘London City will be in Europe’s elite within five years’

Lionesses CEO lays out scale of their ambition after promising start to first WSL season

An explosion of joy: how Cape Verde reached the World Cup

The African nation became the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup

Starmer attempt to reverse Maccabi ban is a dangerous own goal

Their team plays Aston Villa next month, but a fanbase that once marched through the streets chanting ‘death to Arabs’ has no right to see it

The art of surviving football failure

This year, finishing last in the WSL won’t automatically mean relegation. For West Ham and Liverpool, that might be the problem

The joy of qualifying belongs to the few, not the powerful

The Faroe Islands prove that while qualifying may be imperfect, it remains the beating heart of international football

If you want fans to make a noise, stop going 3-0 up

England manager’s moan about Wembley atmosphere suggests he doesn’t really know why fans get excited

Ronaldo can’t put a foot wrong with adoring public

The now-billionaire footballer’s financial success shows a series of smart moves

Rooney has found his voice – and a strange kind of freedom

The most famous (ex-)players understand the media game and have become skilled at tailoring their juiciest thoughts to a vast market of fans

Sporting land grab goes into overdrive

From football to darts, the kingdom’s ambitions are measured in billions