After some considerable reflection time

 First a big thanks to Stevie C and Kev for bringing good content during the tournament. It is always fun to blog about a major tournament with a different perspective to bounce off. 

I couldn't bring myself to blog about the final outcome and was thankful when Stevie did so. At the time I was just fuming. I'd said from the outset that I disliked Southgate's caution and that the approach would only be warranted if it yieled a win. That sounds fickle - but frankly I'd rather we were Netherlands - expansive, impressive but knocked out early, than we we England, cautious, with unfulfilled potential and losing finalists. All I get from the tournament is a sense of what if. we proved that we can generally defed when we put 7 or 8 payers behind the ball. We learned that we have some excellent attacking talent and the Grealish can unlock a game. What we didn;t learn was how to go out and win the bloody thing. 

Italy deserved it. They did everything that Gareth didn't, in my opinion. They treated the tournament like a special occasion, played with positivity and expansiveness, and took the prize. For England, I just see a horrible waste of a golden opportunity. Nothing ventured. 

This is why I didn't post at the time - a full month later and I am still angry. The coke-hoofing, fighting fans didn't help leave a good taste either. I expect we've blow-n all chances of winning upcoming bids to properly host tournaments for the next decade or two.

But - all this aside - the tournament was good. Some strong teams and good performances blessed it. Crowds gradually returning to stadiums was amazing. The new format, actually worked pretty well too. Tournament football is still, to my mind, the pinnacle of the game. I loved the tournament and feel blessed that we only have to wait just over a year until the next one. I look forward to being back, and sharing whatever mayhem unfolds in Qatar in 2022.

Lots of love. 

Final Reflections

Having completed my appropriate cooling off period after the height of Sunday's drama, it's time for my footnote to another major tournament blog....that I do so by reflecting on an England performance in the last game of the festival of footie still seems surreal. But here we are... 

It's a team sport

Not fueled by an individual star player, the two most cohesive teams made it through to the final. Reminding us all of how this game is played most effectively (and not when looking back at our supposedly star-laden golden age of Beckham et al). Which was also a fun side note to see all the former England players come out during the week championing the current team spirit and effectively explain all of our past failings on the fact they hated each other. Good to know our past hopes and dreams were crushed by playground politics.  

UEFA delegates were similarly stumped at choosing the player of the tournament. Not that Dunnarunna to PSG didn't have a good tournament, he did (although semi aside, I think Pickford was better), it just smacked of laziness to give it to the bloke who saved the last penalty. Especially as he wasn't smart enough to realise his save actually won the final! Some good solidarity with 99% of the British viewing public who definitely couldn't count to 5 by 10:30pm on Sunday.  

And finally.. the best team won. There's no hard luck story here. Well played Italy - I still need to check my Ladbrokes account, but gloating over picking the winners pre-tournament feels a little more hollow this time around. 

Too much too early

Let's be honest, nobody expected us to score after 2 mins (or 8 nervous pints in beer speak). It threw the game plan a little, but mostly the mentality of the players - now geared to 'hold what we have' for 87 minutes, just retreated further and further backwards and deeper that conceding was inevitable. A missed opportunity to take the game to Italy in the first 20 minutes and get that second goal - but that's easier with hindsight. The classic example of scoring too early. 

I don't have much energy to acknowledge it, but in a country where any high profile game is moved to a noon kick-off to proactively handle the idiot element, the naivety around stadium security and logistics beggars belief. The scenes witnessed at the stadium were not surprising to anyone. Certainly new excuses for FIFA to look elsewhere for 2030 now. Sad and predictable.

Youth

Gareth looked like the rest of the country Monday morning. Absolutely knackered and emotionally spent. But he still had the composure to point out World Cup semi-final followed by Euro final is some seriously solid progression. The key here is that this wasn't achieved with Beckham in his prime years set to fade, but with a 19 yr old taking penalty #5. He knows great things are coming and England are to be competitive for the next few tournaments for sure. The only hope being as this squad matures, Gareth's adventurous nature does too. Surely if he's prepared to roll the dice of letting Saka take the last penalty, it's an indication he's ready to expand from the compact and conservative tactics he deployed this summer. Here's hoping. 

Onto the next adventure....

My most enjoyable part of the wild ride to the final is it extended my time without having to reflect too hard on the new manager in the Goodison hotseat. It's been quite the bump back to earth this week to see Rafa all pimped out like a Spanish Tony Pulis in almost every garment available for sale in the Everton club shop. It's as if they're trying too hard to convince (themselves?) that he's really a true blue, and have even stapled Big Dunc to him to sway the fanbase. Ultimately, we want the team to succeed, and thus Rafa to succeed, but it will be bedsheets time if a slow start to the season.

Looking beyond figuring out what implausible way Everton will disappoint me this season, if you felt dirty and greasy trying to convince yourself that trips to empty stadiums in Baku were a beautiful example of 'expanding the reach of the game' , you're warming up perfectly for us all heading to Qatar in 15 months time. It's going to feel weird. But it will be very intriguing ... here in little over a year, (aka two new Everton managers away), happening bang in the middle of a domestic season... instead of players being 'tired' after a long season. It's a great chance for England to capitalise on the current momentum.... and one can only sit back and wonder what fine attire Sir Southgate will adopt for the middle east heat.... 

From waistcoat, to knitted tie, to Bermuda shorts and knee socks??!!!??.....

Is it? Or, isn't it?

I am writing this post shirtless. I have, without particular reason, been shirtless all day. I don't do this as a matter of course. It has to be because there is something in the air. Tonight's game has created an excitement that I literally have not felt in my lifetime. So after the usual drudge of hauling myself out of bed to get my daughter to an 8:30am swimming lesson; after too little sleep, I have settled into a day of what can only be described as anticipation. Normal routines have gone awry. I am a ball of energy. I've done pile-ons with the family, played loud music, paced around the house, drunk too much coffee, designed a red and white Rocket League car, resplendent with flag and crisp white boost trail, recorded said car scoring a worldie of a goal, filled my fridge with beer, and wine too, considered prosecco, realised the Italian connection, stuck with wine. I am frantic and it shows.

So I guess we need to consider the sliding door eventualities:

Scenario A: It's coming Rome!
The tournament's most promising and together team close out a win. Their blend of flair and ruggedness pays off. England are widely praised but doubts inevitably emerge about Southgate's propensity for caution. We collectively shift from a month of respecting our team, twisting the narrative and bolting this tournament onto the last however many and conclude that we are bottlers, destined to never win again, despite the wealth of talent our squad possesses. A new generation of players is scarred by defeat and we head to next year's World Cup with pressure ramped up tenfold and patience reduced by the same factor. We settle in, essentially for another generation of hurt. Baddiel and Skinner remix the song to replace the word "years" with "generations" and their song remains at #1 for a further 560 years.

Scenario B: It's coming home!
The tournament's most solid and together team closes out a win. The blend of stability and flair pays off. England are widely praised because of  Southgate's propensity for caution and he is lauded as a winner, a real tournament manager, prepared to, first and foremost, be hard to beat. We collectively shift from joking about our team being bottlers, and instead hail them as a generation of winners. They thrive off of the respect, and become a force for the next 3 major tournaments. Baddiel and Skinner launch a brand new single, celebrating the fact that our hurt has now gone, replaced only with joy, shirtlessness and Estrella lager, lots and lots of Estrella lager. 

Either is possible. I'm not sure anyone can confidently call it to be honest. I think the game will be a throwback. Tense, dirty, controversial, slightly lawless, infuriating, joyous. Enjoy it!

Let 'em have it!

So it has come to this. A bizarre world where I have the luxury of sitting down and watching Di Maria give Argentina the lead against Brazil in a heavyweight finale of the Copa America (forgetting the somewhat corrupt and immoral way the tournament was allowed to change host countries multiple times and still proceed in the midst of Covid...), while also contemplating the first major tournament final in my lifetime featuring the three lions. 

What a week. Two contrasting but equally enthralling semi-finals laced with drama. Hard not to focus on semi-final number two, but first Italy v Spain. For the first time really in the tournament, Italy were completely controlled by a Spanish team who rolled back the years with a supreme display of passing and possession football. A decade ago, they led the way with the false nine tactical approach. Sadly, this year's version is more of a 'we don't have any kind of nine' team, and predictably (if you've watched more of Spain than their two 5 goal salvos), they fell short in applying the finishing touch. Italy meanwhile demonstrated fantastic counter attacking speed to take the 1-0 lead. Poor Morata - no sooner had the maligned striker thrown the abuse and criticism back in the faces of everyone by bagging the equaliser, he was stepping up to take one of the least confident penalties seen at the tournament which ultimately ended their time. Kudos for Morata to have the balls to take the penalty, but can't imagine this helps his future Spain prospects. Italy escape, and on balance were the better team across the tournament, so no complaints. Chiellini gets to try and hug and back slap Harry Kane before kicking him all over Wembley. 

Wednesday, England played in a high profile semi-final, were up against a tough team but expected to win. They went a goal down. Jordan Pickford in looking too far ahead to the Italy final evidently downed a quadruple espresso right before kick off.  Think Gazza playing in goal. But not for the first time, Southgate flipped the switch, the team calmly regained control of the game, and even Jordan started to breath. Saka - at 19 - proved worthy of selection again with a burst of pace to set up the first goal and we were back in business. From that point on, the team were immense. Grealish came on. Grealish went off. In between, Sterling fell for a 'seen those given' type penalty. Kane - put off thinking Schmeichel was being targeted by aliens with a green laser - promptly rivalled Morata's effort, but rebutted about 50 years of hard luck tournament stories to take care of the fortunate tap in rebound. Cue delirium... reaching out, touching me....

And here we are.. Euro Final eve. Blog number I don't know, but the first one where we have to ponder an English appearance in a major final. Firstly, the most reassuring point... I think the final has the two most consistently good teams in the tournament. I can't really think of too many hard luck stories - maybe Belgium looking back and regretting the intermittent fitness of KDB. But no - the two teams in the final fully deserve to be there, which is great to see.   

This will be by far our toughest game, Italy have been great. I do think they will win the midfield battle. But the overarching emotion is calmness. There's no need to debate the formation or team selection - Gareth has a plan. There's no need to sweat over failure... as the boys have already sailed the heights in getting to the final. There's no need to worry about unlucky injuries... I think we have the best bench in the tournament. No, we can actually sit back and (gulp) enjoy the game and the rollercoaster ride to see if England can produce one more accomplished performance and almost unparalleled glory.  I'm sure it will be a cagey game, and maybe few chances - but show me a major final with equally matched teams that is ever a 5-4 goal fest.  

Of course, I shall wake up in the morning a bundle of nervous excitement of Pickford proportions. But let's believe. Let's believe the lads can do it. Let's believe Harry Maguire slips a sedative in Jordan's espresso. Let's believe in the inverse of the Russia world cup and Harry Kane finishes the tournament in world class form instead of limply. Let's believe the Yorkshire Pirlo continues to cover every blade of the Wembley turf.  

And as time winds down in the Maracana, and the best player of this game I have ever seen finally gets his major tournament win, why not believe..... 

In the words of the Wembley director to stadium DJ, Tony Perry, "Let 'em have it"! 

Things I am wrong about

As we head into the second semi-final, I wanted to share a few things that clearly I've been wrong about. This thought pattern emerged as I picked up a pack of Giant Wotsits from my local supermarket shelf (along with an 8-pack Brewdog selection case). As I did so, I immediately knew my assertion that "Wotsits are the best crisps known to humankind" was wrong. These big boys are incredible! In set the self doubt - the world around me clearly wasn't as it seemed and I wondered else I'd been wrong about. Turns out that is a rabbit-hole that could take some time to climb out of - but let's stick to tournament related things.

1) That Spain would beat Italy. I was convinced that Spain's fast passing and ball retention would overwhelm the spirited Italians and ultimately England also. But not to be. What a goal from Chiesa, what a bear hug from Chiellini, and what a final penalty from Insigne.

2) That individuals always shine in tournaments, often more than teams. During my argumentative-grump-phase about Grealish's omission (now over) - I cited that other teams with exceptional raw talents always play them, and always reap the benefits. Whilst the first part might be true, the latter part clearly isn't a given. It is probably no coincidence that the four semi-finalists were the four teams most coherent as teams. Belgium boasted De Bruyne, Portugal boasted Ronaldo, and Poland have always had Lewandowski but despite having solid line-ups didn't gel quite like the final four have. 

3) That Sterling shouldn't have been selected at all. What a tournament he has had. I'm not a huge fan of his; I am frustrated at his lack of natural finishing (I watched Julian Joachim back in the day, and think if he was plonked in the current Man City team that he'd probably perform just as well if not better), and I find interviews with him to be very grating, there's very little humility, albeit in the face of unfair criticism. But he has grown into the tournament perfectly and clearly has the bit between his teeth. 

4) That Southgate has too little ambition. I've slowly learned that his team selections and methods are driven almost entirely by ambition. It is executed in a different way to the way I would do it - but it is a consistent, steely, resoluteness that is actually admirable. He has slowly but surely reduced my grump. Even in the selection of Mason Mount, which on the face of it is like eating an Asda own generic biscuit when you could be munching down on that dark chocolate McVities digestive [Grealish] instead. But he does an effective job and when it works it becomes hard to argue with the mentality behind the decision making. 

Now there's a tonne more of things that I've been wrong about this tournament, but I need to get this posted so it has an hour of being relevant before kick-off. Then I need to lay into that 8-pack and hide the rest of the giant Wotsits from myself. 

One more thing I'll put out there to be instantly wrong about. Grealish starts tonight. The Southgate hug at the end of the Ukraine game was a "now it is your time" hug. And he's bringing it home!

Come on England

Mind the (expectation) gap

Well, that was predictable. A quarter-final match vs supposedly inferior opposition, started so brightly with an early lead taken. However, the consolidation from there to impose themselves on the game never came, and nervous, the team played below their potential & conceded the inevitable equaliser. A sudden red card handing the game back to them though, on a plate, surely?...  Cue a fraught 30 minutes of extra time and unnecessarily stressful penalty shootout, but ultimately passage to the semi-final was secured. 

But enough about Spain's convincing imitation of all things England....

Coming to the boil at just the right time, England faced an almost no-win situation. Heavily expected to win, and win comfortably - but we never do well in the face of any kind of expectation - we produced an identity defying performance of cohesion, pressing, ruthlessness and team harmony. And did exactly what the hyped-up media and country demanded - we strolled into the semi-final of a major tournament for the 2nd successive time. Such was the second half stroll, Southgate's selection for Wednesday was telegraphed as he slowly but surely took off his key players with victory assured. Birchy's grump was surgically removed with every glorious goal. 

Sure, the Ukrainian defending - particularly at set pieces - resembled a U11 game; "someone pick up the lad with the massive head!.... no you get him... ahh, bugger.."  But how many times have England been put in that situation and still contrived to under-achieve?  Not now under Mr Southgate, who is starting to look a lot smarter than all of us who haven't played professional and international football and have the highest level of coaching badges. Who'd have thought it?!

With the expectation gap firmly closed by such an assured performance, it's onto the business end of things. That 60,000 fans will be helping along the way, it starts to look highly promising. That Denmark started to just seemingly tire and fade a little as they hung on in the second half of their game vs the Czechs, it keeps looking promising! Maybe, just maybe, the emotional high of rebounding from the Erikson event is starting to fade. But they remain an excellent team, and for sure - the next two (I said it!) games will be England's hardest for sure. 

The game of the round was Italy vs Belgium - one that also lived up to expectations. Italy continue to look resplendent, and not only because everyone down to the physio is running around in Armani jackets. Mancini has unlocked a number of players - none more so than Insigne - who are great to watch and working as a team. Their subdued win vs Austria was forgotten as they attacked the ageing Belgium defence with real gusto. It was a classic game - worthy of the final - with so much talent on show. The soft-ish penalty awarded to Belgium came at the right time to set up a really entertaining 2nd half, which ultimately saw the exit of Senor Martinez. His one page managerial masterclass manual of 'pick KDB' proved to be slightly less effective (and more desperate!) on this occasion as said player was working on only one set of functioning ankle ligaments. I'm sure Pep will understand. 

And with that, it's onto Semi-Final predictions:

the semi-finals throw up a fascinating set of match-ups of fashionistas. Mancini's formal-dining pristine elegance versus the relaxed 2am Tapas restaurant chic of Luis Enrique....  it's hard to pick a winner. 

the second semi pits the 'casual Dad' look of Kasper Hjulmand vs everyone's favourite wedding guest Gareth, kicking the waistcoat to the side (that's soooo 2018) and rocking the knitted tie....  this one's an easier call, with Gaz clearly the last man standing when the lights come on. 

Oh, the actual games? 

• Italy v Spain: A classic match-up, but one you can't see past the Italians on. Spain have flattered and disappointed in equal measure. I see Italy's defence being the hardest obstacle they have encountered so far..... 2-0 win for Italy. 
• Denmark v England: Same again please. We've shown we can play with the intensity and energy needed for this game. As long as we do, and match the Dane's desire, we have more quality. Schmeichel to play an absolute blinder to take the match to extra-time though. England prevail 2-1.

Notable mentions:

• Some awful penalties from the Swiss. Seemingly finding new ways to twist the knife into Didier Deschamps after 5 of the sweetest pens you have ever seen vs France, the Swiss crumbled under pressure and missed more than they scored.
• Grealish to come back? Maybe Gareth was just running through the drinks order for the changing rooms at the end of the game, but it was a long embrace of fan-favourite Jack. I'd like to think it was a "now get us to the final" pep-talk, and Grealish is back in on Wednesday as Southgate shows off his impressive squad depth.
• Covid restrictions. Hard to imagine much social distancing going on, on Wednesday, if 60,000 fans get to see a winning goal! Maybe the rules are modified by BoJo last minute to simply 'no hugging of Billy Gilmour'...   

It's starting to look almost not as bad as usual!!!

 Wow, quarter finals done, and what a goodie bag of entertainment they provided. From the Swiss showing how not to do a penalty shootout, to England starting to purr like a well oiled machine, its all taking shape very nicely.

One thing that did hit me in this round was how tired some of the teams looked, which when you consider the last couple of disrupted seasons and the impact of several games in very close proximity to each other isn't all that surprising. I mean, I need a day to recover from walking up the stairs, so I can really feel their pain!! This is definitely where having that strength in depth of a good squad, not just a good starting 11, really comes into play, as well as digging deep and finding that character within.

With the real business end of the tournament looming and England still in there its hard not to get too carried away with it all and try and remain a bit objective, so I'm not going to bother even trying! The draw has certainly been kind to England, but that's certainly not their fault - people can moan all they want about the advantage of playing pretty much every game at Wembley but the match isn't won just by where you play, the players still have to perform and do their part, which they certainly have.

Gareth must be losing so much sleep over all the tough decisions he is having to make. Which three from Mount, Sancho, Grealish, Sterling and Saka should I play around Kane? The jammy bugger has great players in abundance and must be delighted that he has that flexibility to rotate and still have a top class forward line regardless of who he picks. Coupled with the defence looking pretty solid (a couple of minor wobbles but still not conceding at this stage is probably something not even the most ardent  fan could have realistically hoped for) and I'm starting to get a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling about this tournament.

So 3 games left to go, then its all over, what do I see for the next 7 days of football?

In the first semi final, I think Italy will be too organised for Spain, who have shown themselves to be not the greatest at the back. I can see the Azzuri taking this one without too much of a strain.

The second semi final will be the one to watch. England are hitting form just at the right time, and will be going into this one full of confidence after beating Ukraine so convincingly. Denmark on the other hand, whilst undoubtedly a very good team, are riding on the back of the Eriksen emotional wave, and at some point that has to give. I can see it happening here, and England getting through with a narrow victory, probably by just the odd goal.

That leaves the final, which I see as an Italy - England affair. Unfortunately (and I hope I'm proved wrong) I think this will be a very tight, guarded and ultimately disappointed affair, potentially even going to penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. I still reckon (and hope) England win it, but it wont be the showpiece send-off for what has been a pretty good tournament in my eyes.

It's coming isn't it?

Three days have passed (and about 52 baffling premier league managerial appointments) since the momentous result against Germany and I am finally able to reflect with a level head and look back at the dramatic action from Tuesday. 

Fine margins are abound in tournament knockout, and this game was no exception. Pretty much pilloried by most fans for an uber-defensive set up before the game started (myself included), and those concerns promptly validated with the first 60 cagey minutes of the game, and then having taken the 1-0 lead given the most unexpected get-out-of-jail-free card by Thomas Muller's inexplicable miss. Throw all this together and you have .... firm favourites at the bookies for the whole f*cking thing, IT'S COMING HOME!, Gareth is a tactical genius!! 

On the latter point, credit where credit is due - the plan was to negate the German wing-backs, and it worked to a tee. Saka was a mobile threat before fading in the second half. And the Allardici tactic of keeping it tight and try to nick one (while polishing off a pint of wine), is made much easier when you can call on a player like Grealish with 25 minutes to go. (I'm talking about nicking a goal, not the wine.... I think)...   It's not pretty, but that never stopped Italy in their pomp. And it certainly is effective with four clean sheets on the bounce.

The challenge with the team set up, I think if you run through the team - it's hard to find anyone who didn't have a good game. Kalvin Phillips - except for the first 15 mins where he ran around chasing shadows seemingly in awe of the realisation he was playing in an Eng v Ger game - and Declan Rice, gave another set of composed performances. However, they both have a natural tendency to go backwards or sideways, and while neat and tidy... results in minimal chances created. (Note the goal against the Czechs came from Phillips running in behind). Germany were toothless up front (Timo... ), but were more effective than us in playing through the lines in midfield. Grealish immediately improved that for England when he came on. Hopefully the late goal for Kane also gives him a jump start for the rest of the tournament. 

What next?

Clearly post-Germany, confidence is high, which is good - and there's a lot to like about the team's defensive solidity, and Sterling is clearly on form. But there's a few cautious points of note for me:

• We're favourites from a betting standpoint, but not the best team in the tournament
• France and the Netherlands can give us a nice powerpoint presentation on how to come unstuck  in 90 minutes (or 120 & pens if you're looking for dramatic effect)
• I can say it now the game is gone & I can't jinx us. It wasn't a good German team. Sure, a huge monkey off our back, but this was not the team of previous Euro's 
• We're now looking at consecutive games where the opposition will sit back and try and stop us. The Scotland game is not good evidence we will handle it with the ease of which Paddy Power think we will

Predictions and Special Mentions:

• Ukraine.... After the euphoria of the Germany game, I didn't rush to catch the game, only tuning into extra time, where the game resembled a fight scene from Game of Thrones, bodies everywhere. Heroic effort by Sweden to hold on, and was highly anticipating watching the players drag themselves to the penalty spot, hopping on one leg...sadly robbed of the spectacle and had to settle for a joyous Ukrainian sports bra
• Location, location, location..... I have to be honest, this piece passed me by pre-tournament. I knew the basics - use of multiple countries etc, but hadn't focused on the specific game dynamics such as Hungary being backed by 60,000 baying fans, Germany playing in Munich, while other teams travelled from Baku to Hampden. Lay on the covid restrictions, you have a crazy situation where any support is dependent on the number of ex-pats in that city. And of course... the semi-final & final being at Wembley. Could this be the difference maker?
• Prediction Time:
• SUI v ESP:  The half-time whistle just blew, so this feels like a bit of a cheat. It's an even game with a fortunate goal for Spain. But I see them consolidating things in the 2nd half... 2-0 to Spain 
• BEL v ITA:  The game of the round. Looking fwd to it, Belgium hit by injuries, but Lukaku has the Italian's number... 2-1 Belgium
• DEN v CZE:  The hardest game to call. I see this being very even. I see this going to penalties, with Denmark coming out on top. 
• ENG v UKR: Have to pick the tournament favourites for the win here. But I think stress and pain will still be heavily involved. 2-1 after extra time.

  Time to sit back and enjoy the show.... 

 

Now it begins - no more grump

I like to write a blog post whilst settling down to watch the football. So here I am, watching Switzerland make some promising early running against Spain (who seem to be really revving up to be a force). I did the same towards the end of the round of 16, but the games were just so good that the post never got written or published. Even Ukraine vs Sweden, against all odds, kept me occupied with the act of watching rather than blogging. 

I should start today by announcing the important news. My [online] Panini sticker album is 100% complete. Every team, resplendent with their wrong squad members [how can this be a thing for an online album!??] now sits fully populated with an array of perfectly squarely stuck stickers. For the full authenticity, I think they should have adapted the animation to stick the odd one at a slightly jaunty angle, and give you an odds-based chance to peel it back off with equal risk of correcting the angular stick or tearing the sticker and rendering it useless. It has actually been a great way to engage with the tournament and recreate that collection vibe, only without the crippling financial overhead of actually buying the packs.

Spain score, and with that I think the Swiss run is over. 

I won't review the last 16 match-by-match but I will share a couple of my main thoughts.

1. I'm grumpy about England. 

There, I said it. Our victorious, non-conceding, once in a generation talent of a team, is disappointing me. And I am disappointed with myself because of this disappointment. I have, thus far, been unable to get very excited about our team and the prospect of winning the tournament, like this. what's worse, is that when the good moments do come along (i.e. after the introduction of Grealish, when we start to purr), I am finding myself getting actually more grumpy because I am viewing it as clear evidence that we are needlessly self-throttling; depriving ourselves of an entertaining and devastating attacking force of a team and also risking everything by leaving games tight when they could be put out of sight. 

Now, I'm not so entrenched in my thoughts that I don't see the counter-arguments - pacing ourselves in the competition, start with a solid defensive foundation, play in a style that is usable against our toughest opponents. There is some merit to all of these; and I found myself at least accepting the team selection vs Germany. With the goalie and 7 defensive players selected to play in front of him, I actually agreed with the selection of Sterling, Kane and Saka. But in the moments before Grealish came on I was reaching full despair at the absence of linking those 7 defenders with our attack...crying out for our Jack's introduction. Hell I'd have taken Mount! and so it came to pass. He came on, we linked up, we won. The argument that this is excellent game management is as compelling as the argument that this shows us exactly what we are being deprived of for 2/3rds of every match for no apparent reason. Ultimately of course, I have to accept that I am a bloke in Bristol, not the England manager - and that we'll never know for sure. My mission - get over it and support the boys!

2. The feeling France fans must have right now puts my point 1 into perspective

I think this is possibly one of the greatest games I've ever seen. The Swiss lively and energetic from the start, taking a lead and looking threatening. France all at sea. Only to recover and deliver 15 minutes of exhibition football - incisive, fast, dripping with class; and then their arrogant demise. The swiss scored a goal that (if memory serves) Croatia and Czech Republic also did in the round. Fast whipped cross, solid header from 8 yards out; and I love to see it - there's something very special about goals from crosses. It still blows my mind that all this happened. As Pogba was doing his dance, I was wondering whether it would be 5 or 6. The penalties were just sensational. So much nerve from everyone, until Mbappe. What a rubbish way to go out. 

And so here we are - in the QFs. I'll sign off with some quick predictions:

• Spain, Belgium, England, Czech Republic for wins. 
• England to mix it up a bit and give Gareth an existential crisis by playing well with a changed formation and team and bagging 3. 
• Denmark players to end their tournament in tears, overwhelmed by it all and sad that they couldn't win it for Eriksen.

Enjoy the games.

Eating our way through the last 16

Six games out of eight down, and it has been a delectable treat to the senses, with today being potentially the most entertaining day of tournament football we have witnessed. EVER. But before I rush to tell you how delicious the main course was, let me do justice to the antipasti that was first served up over the weekend. 

Wales v Denmark

Comfort food to start. Everyone loves the Danes! They just do. And it feels so good...  it felt like they would have enough for Bale and co, and sure enough, Wales were second best throughout. Wasn't really a contest. 

Italy v Austria

Finally, our old familiar friend returns like a fine red wine! All it needed was the pressure of knockout games for the nervous and cautious Italian way of life to show itself again. Gone was the pressing and energy seen in the group games, everyone looked a little more stressed. The game slightly petered to extra time before the Italians showed that little extra bit of quality needed to avoid a shootout. My tournament wager stays alive. 

Holland v Czech Rep

I'm not going to point out I called this one, but.... I did feel the Czech's would give the Dutch a game, and boy did they! Superbly organized, but with craft and guile also, there was no hard luck story here - they got exactly what they deserved. An excellent performance, but the Dutch were equally disappointing. An aberration of a handball - although this shouldn't cloud the fact they were second best before the red card - and the forward players off-key, with the biggest miss coming directly before the sending off. Malen being promptly hauled off like an undercooked fish sent back to the kitchen and ensured he had plenty of time to rethink how he should have played the 1 on 1 with the keeper.  

Belgium v Portugal

With the first few courses of the tasting menu out of the way, came the first meaty dish - a clash of the heavyweights, and it didn't disappoint for me. It was a high quality tactical game vs pure entertainment, with both teams keeping each other at bay. Quality strike won it, but Portugal can consider themselves unlucky to not find a goal to take it to extra time. It was also great to see the injection of spice into the game as the second half developed, there were tasty challenges flying in all over the place! None more so than everyone's favourite baddy, Pepe, who decided he needed to leave his mark on the game as it became apparent it wasn't going to be by winning the game. Fernandes again proved a shadow of what we've seen this season... with this being game 827 of his season I'm sure most will point to that as the reason. And now Martinez may have to dust off his managerial handbook as page 1, 'Play KDB', may have been ripped up, at least temporarily.  

Ok, well, I've done well to remember all of those early games as it's hard to ignore the spectacular nature of today's offerings:

Spain v Croatia

A Las Vegas-esque all you can eat buffet of action! No restrictions, and not really any defending, but what a game!  If it wasn't for what followed after, I would say this game had everything! Comedy goalies again! A great Spain fightback to take a 3-1 lead despite sticking with Morata upfront who was that friend wearing the wrong shoes and not allowed into the restaurant. And that was the end of the game, Spain saw out the last 15 minutes professionally without incid..... aagh. What's this? Penalty box pinball, 3-2?  Ok, well, still keep it nice and tight in injury time, let's not get sloppy! Gah! Sliced open again and 3-3! Cue Croatian bedlam, and credit to them for really going for it & making this the game that it was. Excellent.  

Extra time brought the biggest shock of the tournament. From nowhere, the friend with the bad shoes burst through the door to tell everyone he'd won the jackpot on the slot machine! A fantastic strike to silence his critics (basically everyone!). Luis Enrique is proving to be an entertaining watch on the sideline, and went suitably crazy as his fitted jeans would let him, as goal number 5 went in. Hard to ignore that's 10 goals in 2 games... 

France v Switzerland

Here in the U.S., we have the dulcet tones of Efan Ekoku talking us through some of the games on ESPN. While temporarily erasing from my memory that he once scored 4 goals against Everton, I don't mind him so much, he offers some snippets of insights. But when commentating on the Spain game, remarking words to the effect of, "well, France and Switzerland have their work cut out matching this", I don't think he realised how wrong he would be!

This perfectly cooked steak of a game was the best of the tournament, hands down. It had all the right ingredients - including the most talented team in the world playing amazing footie, and dissecting their opponent with ease, scoring glorious goals. That this only explains about 20 minutes of the game goes a long way to telling the story of the match. Very similar to the Hungary game, the French just didn't seem to give the Swiss enough respect, needing the energizing intervention of Lloris' penalty save to spark them into life. (Well played VAR btw!). As Pogba ran through his new repertoire of goal celebrations at 3-1 (he looked as if he had about 10 saved up and wasn't sure which one to use, so he just went with them all), Les Bleus were convinced they were through and reapplied the handbrake. But the Swiss had other ideas, and fully deserved their comeback, even if Arsenal fans may be slightly bewildered at who this all action captain is they have. 

I said in my earlier post, France needed to see Mbappe and Griezmann come alive. They didn't, and while the penalty miss will grab the headlines, Mbappe's miss when put through by an outstanding through ball from Pogba proved more painful for me and a punctuation mark on what has been a poor tournament for him.  As for the Swiss, a magnificent game. And while a quarter final spot is a fine dessert, it appears they have also rekindled Roy Keane's love of the beautiful game....praise indeed from the Gordon Ramsay of the pundit chairs!      

With all that excitement and enjoyment out of the way, we can now focus on England. I honestly don't know which way this game is going to go, with both teams really showing a lot of inconsistency. Similar to the Italians reverting to type, do the Germans click into gear now the knock-out tournament starts? I wouldn't bet against it, but we go into the game with the hope that if we play to our potential, we have a much better chance than some previous encounters with the Germans. Given all of the goals and action so far, a tepid soup of a 0-0 to penalties could be on the menu....

Special mentions...

• Argentinian referees in the Euros?
• 3rd place teams. As a sign of how competitive the Euro's are as a tournament, it's not implausible that Ukraine beat Sweden. If they do, that would mean 3 out of the 4 qualifying 3rd place teams will have made it into the quarter finals. 
• VAR checks of goalkeepers feet during penalty shootouts? An unwelcome sight to see Sommer hold his emotions in check for 10 seconds or so, to make sure the video gods had not ruined his glory, rather than immediately wheel away in delirium 

Hard to pick a loser

Before I start this post in earnest I need to welcome along my 2 co-writers. Stevey C, the grown-up version, is like a fine wine now, better if you wait a little while. Essentially he was uncorked at the start of the tourney, but we needed to let him breathe during the group games. Now we can sip in his wit and lovely writing during the knockout stages. He's right about Denmark you know - I'm cheering them on as I write this. Less flying beer in this game, but a spirited and solid performance from them nonetheless. Shades of 92 perhaps!

And to my buddy Kev as well. He was independently writing his own blog, I think for the first time. I read it, enjoyed it, and in the spirit of the modern footballing superclubs - took it for myself. Kev has joined this blog, I hope for the long term, so now you, the readers can enjoy 3 perspectives of European Championship and World Cups going forward. Basically this is like a really low key and unmonetised version of The Athletic.

I'm watching Wales's dreams die whilst reflecting back on the group stages. Like Kev, I'm something of a convert to the strange and confusing 'best four 3rd place qualification' thing. It kept the group games alive, gave the supposed minnows essentially 3 swings to get a result and, most importantly, gave us all at least 3 days of pouring over group tables and working out potential outcomes from that final round. I always dislike the final group games in major tournaments because I find watching two games at once quite hard to do - but what a treat they all were. And once they'd concluded - how did I do with my predictions at the start of the tournament? Well, I picked 4 of 6 group winners, thinking Portugal not France would win the group of death and that Spain not Sweden would win their group. I clearly didn't consider the Morata factor. I think the best tweet I saw this week was a widescreen picture of the Dubravka flap showing Morata poised to finish it and with a caption "the worst thing about this goal is that we didn't get to see how Morata would miss this". Brilliant. Spain, notwithstanding Morata missing just about any chance ever coming his way, look like they're really revving up now. As for the group losers, I didn't fare so well - only picking 2 of 6. 

And this I think is why the tournament has been so good. It is anything but a procession through obvious results - but a pretty competitive and thrilling affair. Right - I am off to throw some beer around. Enjoy the last 16.

Football, bloody hell!

It's taken a while for my first post... the typical time difference woe of the Euro's combined with Eastern Standard Time for someone trying to look somewhat attentive on work zoom calls has been its usual challenge, and my spare moments have been spent catching up on the action vs crafting witty anecdotes on the return of tournament footy. But successful viewing has been achieved, with only a tinge of disappointment that I missed out on some real-time astonishment at Dubravka's audition for the Slovakia volleyball team. 

Rarely would I quote Sir Alex in a heading, but there's really no other way to explain the last 2 weeks. Literally, someone almost died in the corner of a field in Copenhagen..., staying on brand with a tournament that bizarrely decided to keep the 2020 moniker.....  a traumatic event for the young men expected to ridiculously try and complete the game afterwards. Yet 9 days later, these same blokes are running to the same corner of the field in sheer ecstasy being pelted with a 1,000 plastic beer cups to lift not just the spirits of the Dane's but the football world. Football, bloody hell! 

So with Denmark efficiently taking care of the question of who would be my second team once England limp out, I can now reflect back on what has been a brilliant group stage. The half empty stadia (unless you're in the Covid-immune Budapest postcode) hasn't lessened the drama at all. So here's the rundown on the key players:

• Italy look transformed, a very traditional defence, but combined with a pressing and energy we've never seen before. Oh, and they're full of good players. But no great players... maybe they remind us all that this is a team game. Although they do carry the usual scepticism of a team winning all 3 group games... 
• France are ridiculously talented, with Pogba looking majestic. But, they haven't fully clicked yet, but should have enough to get past Switzerland in the next round, but Mbappe and Griezmann need to get in full gear.
• Belgium - always a treat to see folk wax lyrical about the "great managerial change" by Martinez to bring on KDB and Eden Hazard to change the game vs Denmark. As long as he is astute enough to decide to play the best player in the tournament again, further success awaits. But it's relying on a creakingly old defence without the organization of Kompany.  
• Holland - it wasn't the strongest group for sure, but they looked mobile and fluid. Maybe the grounding of 4 woeful games at Palace is the perfect set up for international management glory. However, they ironically look like a Martinez side - extremely open at the back, which could see them come unstuck in the knock-out rounds (maybe even against the competent Czechs)
• Germany - they made it through. Not sure how. But they don't care. (I do, as one of my pre-tournament bets was them not to make it out of the group)
• Portugal - holders, Ronaldo, no look back-heel passes, a subdued Fernandes & a miracle of modern science that the hologram of 75 yr old Pepe is playing at the back
• England - ehh, at least I have the benefit of going last here and reflecting on the full 3 games, vs react to the paucity of the Scotland game. Look, we're actually quite solid - which is a good thing for tournament footie. But we seem to be struggling for any kind of identity - and the service to a lethargic Kane has been non-existent. We'll just have to see where Gareth slowly takes us from here (hoping it's more dynamic than rotating full backs).

So, onto the Round of 16... with the standout games being Belgium v Portugal and of course the England v Germany game. As we cycled through 90 mins of roulette wheel fixtures in a brilliant conclusion to Group F, I'm ok with the Germans this time around. Not remotely confident, but not fearful either. 

And finally some notable mentions:

Crap refereeing! Did it ever go away? It's truly here to stay and can't be stopped by any technological advances or pandemic. What does feel different though is it's clear VAR has been instructed to never call into question any decision made by the ref, with rapid checks and barely anything being overturned... the bar for 'clear and obvious' has been set at Artem Dzyuba heights.

Comedy goalies! Clearly Dubravka takes the gold here, but Hungary's Peter Gulasci comes in a close second with a flailing attempt to keep them in the tournament. And while a worldie strike, a thousand memes were created as David Marshall tangled himself in the Hampden net.

UEFA uselessness Did it ever go away?  Taking the credit for letting the players decide between two awful options after Erikson, standing by with no action only days later when Pavard clearly got knocked out for France and proceeded to stagger around the pitch in a manner last seen outside your local kebab shop at 2am; and finally a distinct lack of balls to let the Munich stadium be lit up in a show of representation and equality. Shameful. 

The draw Only one of Belgium, Portugal, Italy, France and Spain will be in the final. There's some games to come to figure out who that will be! I will only get carried away about the other side of the draw on Wednesday! 

The Danes I have to leave on a bright note. My 2nd team, your 2nd team, and just an outstanding example of mental strength and team togetherness. It's likely too much for Welsh to handle, so a deep run could happen & it would be glorious!. 

Bye for now, 

     

24 into 16 does go..... apparently

I'll be honest - when I was getting geared up for the Euro's I was firmly against the majority of the 3rd placed teams going through. "What's the point in that?" was my main thought - you can play 3 naff games and get through on a lucky decision resulting in one of those game giving you a win. Having watched the Matchday 3 games, and the fight still shown in them, I hold my hands up and admit I was in the wrong. How refreshing to see matches that still meant something to those involved, with no one potentially out at the end of Matchday 2. Its thrown up some blinding games, great tension and made what is usually a bit of a dead rubber actually mean something. I stand corrected.

It has been quite fascinating looking at the teams before the tournament and earmarking which ones I thought were ones to watch, then seeing them live up to those expectations over the 3 games. Only 3 teams have looked like true contenders over the course of those 3 matches to me - Italy, Belgium and Netherlands. Sure France have looked good here and there, and Spain thumped a load of goals in (eventually) but those 3 teams have been the standouts for me so far.

So looking back to my pre tournament posts, I see I made some predictions about who I thought would finish top and bottom of each group. Looking at them now, I think I did a half decent job, with Portugal and Spain not winning their groups being the only real blots on the copybook. Overall then not bad, maybe I should have had a few quid on some of them? 

Last night saw the climax of the group games, with Germany, Hungary, Portugal and France providing a fitting pathway into the knockout stages with more drama than an episode of Eastenders. I nearly got travel sickness trying to follow all the twists, turns and convoluted standings, and trying to work out who England would face next, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. It did feel strange at points in the evening being an Englishman and cheering on France and Germany at various points, but sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do. I'm just glad we have avoided France, they were the team in that group that worried me the most.

Casting an eye on the Round of 16 fixtures there's some tasty games in there, the standouts being (for me) Belgium v Portugal and of course England v Germany. I haven't managed to catch as much of Belgium as I'd have liked so far, but they are a quality outfit and could cause a pretty inconsistent Portuguese defence some real issues. England v Germany is for me the tie of the round (not just as an England supporter) - the history and fanfare around this fixture always makes it special. I think the Germans are vulnerable this time around, but England are going to have to perform well for the full 90 minutes to get the better of them I think. If we do, a quarter final against either Sweden or Ukraine beckons, both of which are beatable, so this is a real chance for England to really push on and go for it.

I'll round off with some predictions for the Round of 16 - lets see if I can carry on my good form:

Croatia v Spain - I've got to back Spain here, although I think it will be very tight

France v Switzerland - Its got to be France right?

Italy v Austria - Again I cant see Austria coming through this one against the efficient Italians

Belgium v Portugal - tough one, I'm going to go with Portugal simply as I've backed Ronaldo to win the Golden Boot

Wales v Denmark - my heart says Denmark, but my head says Wales, and I'm going to go with my head

Netherlands v Czech Republic - The Czechs will need to step up from last game to get anything here and I cant see it happening. Netherlands for me

England v Germany - I really feel like this is the tournament where England finally deliver, so I'm going with the Three Lions

Sweden v Ukraine - Sweden will have just too much for Ukraine and will grind them down so I'll plump for Sweden here

So there you have it, all the best and enjoy the games, catch you on the other side!!

Scanning coca-cola bottles and google searching codes

 Online sticker book collection update. MY album is 37% complete and has been boosted by the realisation that I can get more free packs each day if I scan in Coca-Cola labels; and I've discovered this can be done via google searching images of said products. Yes, middle-aged man, searching the internet for coke labels, getting a separate device and scanning the labels displayed on the screen of the first, then getting virtual stickers and sticking them into a virtual book. There we go, I said it. 

Tonight I have overcompensated for missing games last week. I was sat down in time for the 5pm kickoff - frantically searching the BBC and ITV channels for the match, to no avail - on;y to realise the 8pm KOs are the only games today. Now that's a flat feeling. So here I am, beer in hand, updating the blog instead. 

The tournament continues to be gathering pace. I watched Russia vs Denmark last night and it was bonkers. Beer was flying EVERYWHERE as the Danes turned in a really spirited performance and catapulted past the hapless Russia and the inert Finland. In the process of doing so, they guaranteed England's passage to the last 16, which is some relief. Maybe the fact we are through will give Southgate license to actually try out Grealish properly; and then the clamour for him to retain his place will be un-ignorably strong, he will stay in the team and we will romp to glory. 

Belgium continue to look capable, even in second gear also. The game of choice tonight really should be Scotland vs Croatia, with both teams needing a win to progress, and anything less not being enough. Multi-screen will definitely be out in full effect! Unfortunately for the Scots - I think Croatia will pull through. 

All good fun. The group stages will complete tomorrow night and then a 2 day break before the real business of the last 16 begins. Certainly I think we will reap the benefit of the new tournament format once we get that extra round of pure knockout - the absolute best bit. 

Hipster choice and business end

This is the strange stage of each tournament where only the truly dedicated watch every match. Simultaneous kick-offs are a nightmare for the wannabee completionist with a busy life. And so I'm making my choices. Today I am feeling very hipster by watching the 'alternative' match - Ukraine vs Austria over on ITV4.

The stadium in Bucharest looks completely amazing; whether the match shapes up is another thing, but I can't see any of the teams playing out convenient draws in this final round of Group games. I mean, if Italy didn't then nobody will, right. Part of the reason surely is that no team actually has a clue what is needed to get through as a best 3rd place qualifier. Whilst really annoying, it is probably helping the group games to all be meaningful and competitive. It does throw in a nasty unfairness slant though, as by the time Group F come to their final games, the mathemeticians will have been at it and worked out the formula needed for qualification from that group.

So today Groups B and C get decided and my head hurts just trying to work out the permutations, but suffice to say the main interest will be (for me):

1. whether Ukraine or Austria put the other team into peril by beating them
2. whether Denmark can harness the positive energy being sent their way by the footballing world and come up with a last ditch qualification escape
3. De Bruyne (if he plays) 

The games have continued to be good fun, with Switzerland and Turkey serving up a treat for the hipster alternative channel watchers yesterday, and Italy vs Wales being tense in its own way. Certainly Italy (now on a 30 game unbeated streak) look very assured. 

And tomorrow it is England again, with everything rather much on a knife-edge. Defeat could theoretically see us go out, and yet a confiudent win would see us re-installed as up there with the favourites. Southgate, I hope is looking into a mirror right now and asking himself "Do I want to let the great, in-form players in my team to thrive - or shall I grind out a joyless progression and inevitable exit somewhere along the line". Or to abbreviate, "shall I crack on and pick Grealish"?

Tomorrow we will know. 

Crunch time looming

  I'm sat writing this just before the start of the Matchday 3 fixtures, which kick off (excuse the dodgy pun!) with Italy v Wales and Switzerland v Turkey. realising that a potentially massive issue is looming on the horizon.

Looking at the fixtures list, I can see there are two (yes two!) days this week without any football to watch. What am I supposed to do for those two days? Why have you forsaken me God?

All joking aside, this will give me the opportunity to build up some brownie points by letting the wife have access to the tv for a while, and should hopefully put me in good stead for any extra time/shoot out negotiations that may be needed.

I'm conscious that I haven't really covered Matchday 2 in any of my blogs, I always find the second round of group matches a very strange kind of limbo and almost the lull of the tournament. No one is definitely out, with all the options for 3rd place teams getting through, so it always feels like the ultra cautious round for most teams (hence the bore draw between England and Scotland, which promised so much and failed to deliver).

The one exception to this, and deserving of a massive callout, has to be the Portugal v Germany clash. What a game!! I can hand on heart say that is probably one of the most entertaining games I have seen in years. It had as much action as you need, plenty of goals, dodgy defending and a result that hung in the balance even in the closing few minutes. Add to that the fact that if England manage to top their group they will face the team that finishes as runners up in this group, and the stage was set. That game showed two things more than anything to me:

1. Portugal aren't the best in defence. Get around the sides and get crosses in and its like watching someone trying to save the Titanic with an eggcup. Sheer panic and all cohesion as a defensive unit out the window.

2. Never, ever write off the Germans.

I'm going to gloss over the rest of Matchday 2 mainly because if you are reading this chances are you saw the games anyway, and also because due to work and other commitments there were some games where I only caught the briefest glimpse of the action. What we do know however is that Italy, Netherlands and Belgium have all qualified for the next round with a game to spare, so congratulations to them.

So in terms of England, what does looking forward to the next round look like (assuming we don't massively mess things up - but don't bet against it). Topping the group would see us play, as mentioned before, the runner up of the France/Germany/Portugal love triangle (realistically I cant see Hungary crashing the party although they could have a big say in the order of those 3). Of those 3, I'd have to say I'd rather face Portugal rather than the other two. France look good, although they dropped points against Hungary I see that as a blip rather than a cause for concern for them. Germany always seem to get the better of us in tournaments (although there was this one game a while back..........).

Second place in Group D would get us a game against the runners up of Group E (Sweden, Spain, Poland, Slovakia). For me this would be the path of least resistance, I've not seen anything from these teams that would overly worry me, and this feels like possibly the weakest group in the tournament to me. I'd be happy to face any of these teams.

Finally, if we did manage to make a bit of a mess of things and finish 3rd, assuming we had the points to go through we would end up with the winner of the above group, the winners of group A or the runners up of Group A (my money would be on Italy and Wales filling these spots respectively). Italy have been very impressive so far (2 wins, 0 conceded, 6 scored and 29 games unbeaten) so lets avoid them if we can eh? Wales would be a great game, but also a big challenge so again I'd rather avoid them.

Realistically I think we will finish top, beating the Czechs on Tuesday, and will face most likely France (I expect Germany to win and can see France and Portugal coming out as a draw). I'd like to see us going all out for the win on Tuesday, if we realistically want to stake a claim for the trophy we need to prove we can play, and aren't afraid of anyone we may meet. Maybe in a few days those words will come back to haunt me but I'd like to see us really attacking, and Grealish getting a start for the first time. Lets do this!!

Forgotten matches and the clamour for Grealish

I need to have a word with myself. This week I missed two matches. I missed two matches because I forgot they were even on. Why? Because I was working. I should submit this information for my appraisal. "Works diligently whilst at home, to the point of forgetting to tune in to North Macedonia's efforts to progress through Group C". I'm not proud.

Whilst we're on Group C, the aforementioned North Macedonia are going to need something special against the flamboyant Netherlands from their last game to qualify. What is nice is that in this group (and I think mathematically in all groups) all of the teams should have something to play for in the final match.

The tournament has really taken off this week. Some good performances (Wales, Italy, Netherlands again, Belgium once they tried) and some drama (all the missed penalties, long range goal) and of course the heartening news that Eriksen is recovering and out of hospital.

Today's games all involve potential favourites. Expect Spain to pass themselves and Poland into a mesmerised slumber, France to unleash all hell on Hungary and Ronaldo to defy the ageing process once more and put Germany into real peril.

I've left the mention of England until last. The draw against Scotland puts us on 4 points and should mean we qualify. It also opens up the possibility of us potentially not playing against Group F opponents in the next round. But we can't prejudge the mathematics. What upsets me is that by setting out with a combative line-up, we signed up to a combative game. Leveller by selection. I think no other nation at the tournament would leave a talent like Grealish sat on the side. He is the most elegant player I have ever had the fortune to watch live, and needs to be gracing the TVs of a watching continent/globe. Hopefully the light-switch effect of his introduction against Scotland, coupled with inevitable media clamour will secure his place going forward, and that will only be a positive for our chances.

There's something in the air

  I was sat the other day watching the France v Germany game, and something hit me - this tournament feels different to me than other previous tournaments (in a good way!)

I'm not sure whether its due to Covid and the impact it has had on everyone's lives, the fact that I am genuinely optimistic for England's chances or the fact that its the first time my son has really been caught up in it all (or a combination of these) but this Euro's has an added feeling of euphoria about it.

The last point in particular is particularly poignant to me. I remember (as I'm sure we all do) the first tournament we ever really felt swept away by. Mine was Italia '90 - sure I followed Mexico '86, but I don't really remember anything from that one. Italia '90 is the first tournament I can remember really getting behind and religiously following, wallchart and Panini sticker book in hand. I was speaking to my younger brother the other day and he was the same about Euro '96 - at that time he was the same age as my son is now and he can recall how much joy he got from watching it all unfold.

In previous tournaments my lad has never really had that passion - he's asked who was playing if he wandered in while a game was on, and checked on England scores after they had played, but this year he has really got involved. 

"Dad can I get an England flag to hang out my window?"

"Can I get a wallchart to see who we (England) might end up playing?"

Of course you can son, welcome to the world of an England supporter.

He's even (shocked silence here) sacrificed playing on his XBox or watching his favourite YouTubers to sit and watch some games with his old man. Sure he's full of questions, and I must have tried to explain offside at least a dozen times, but I don't care, its a minor inconvenience compared to that simple feeling of watching a footy game with your son.

Sometimes its those simple little things that make something great even more special, and I'm loving every minute of it. I think that's something that gets a bit lost in everyday life sometimes, and its something we should never lose sight of and grab it whenever we can. Long may it continue.

Sparked into life

 There comes a day in most if not every tournament that it properly comes to life. That moment has arrived in Euro 2020. A few days ago I feared that the whole tournament might become a morbid, guilt-ridden side-show of an affair. But with Eriksen's recovery and some thumping games, the positivity is growing. 

I'm writing this whilst watching a really entertaining encounter between Hungary and Portugal (my tip for winners), in a stadium containing over 60,000 people. The spectacle is just so much better with fans. As I started typing it was 0-0 in a thoroughly entertaining match, but Portugal have just switched on the afterburners and raced to a 3-0 lead, with Ronaldo inevitably at the heart of things. 

Another game I enjoyed immensely was Scotland's game with the Czech Republic, seeing THAT goal (and all the memes that followed). That particular game and the unfolding group stage has given me two realisations:

1) that a hard-fought game is often more entertaining than a technical game. See any Spain match for evidence, their clean...no sanitised game is sterile and inert. Yet in both Scotland and Czech Republic we saw what graft and heart can bring to a game. There was genuine needle  and I loved it! 

2) that the weird 3rd place qualification rules might not actually be a bad thing. I'll be honest, I was super anti-this as a rule; but as I am watching the groups develop it is clear that many of the teams and matches are fairly well balanced, and the strange tournament setup might actually ensure that all of the group games remain meaningful. Even Hungary, who have taken a 3-0 beating tonight have showed enough to retain some hope that they might get a result in game 2 or 3 and sneak through. This can only be a good thing.

I need to go put my kids to bed now - and then settle down for an absolute treat of a match - Germany vs France - what a fixture. 

 

Matchday 1 - full time whistle

 Well we are now 5 days in and have moved through each teams first game, which has certainly thrown some light on the likely runners and riders for the latter stages. I have to say so far I've loved every minute, there's been plenty of action, very few dull games, and even the games featuring the so called 'lesser teams' have been entertaining as hell.

Last time around we had covered up to England's game against Croatia, so without any pause lets head back in and pick up where we left off.

The second game in Group D saw the Scots taking on the Czech Republic. In my head I had this down as a very close game, and without some great goalkeeping and some improved Scottish finishing it could have been a different story than the 2-0 scoreline suggest. Another serious contender for Goal of the tournament (GOTT) from Schick was the standout moment of the match, although there were plenty of other talking points and chances in a highly entertaining game.

Group E saw the first slightly disappointing match. Spain were unable to break down Sweden and could only manage a tame 0-0, the first of the 'big' teams to falter so far in probably the least entertaining game so far. Moving on, Poland v Slovakia was never going to be an all time classic, but all credit to Slovakia who fought back and pulled off the victory to go top of the group after round 1.

Finally Group F. Portugal v Hungary and France v Germany. The Portuguese left it very late to pick up the win, all 3 goals in their 3-0 victory coming after the 84th minute. CR7 bagged himself a brace to go joint top of the scoring charts, as the defending champions kicked off their campaign with a deserved win, although it must have been a bit nervy at the end until that first goal went in. In the first true heavyweight clash the French ran out winners over Germany thanks to a Hummels OG (was I the only person who found this very satisfying?) and looked like a very good outfit. 3 players stood out for me - Benzema (who I always regarded as a bit of a lazy mare before but worked his socks off for the team), Varane (what a quality defender!) and Kante (who seemed to be literally everywhere on the pitch).

So, heading into Matchday 2, how are the predictions looking? Its a bit too early to tell with any real conviction, but apart from the Spain draw and Finland winning most of the games have gone pretty much as I expected, no real shocks yet, so the predictions are, I feel, looking good. We'll find out more as Matchday 2 gets under way and the groups take shape a bit more.

Two final points:

Firstly, is anyone else finding the delay before giving a player offside is getting ridiculous? One of the games the other day the guy received the ball, and I had time to go and make a cuppa before the flag went up! Ok I jest a bit, but I find it really annoying that this delay has been brought in. If he's offside flag it immediately!

Secondly, after the England v Croatia game there were rumblings from Modric (among others on the Croatia team) that England had an unfair advantage having matches at Wembley, effectively home fixtures. Firstly, this is also the case for Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, but no one has moaned about that. Secondly, the better team won. Get back in your box Modric!!

Matchday 1 - half time team talk

  Wow, already we are over halfway through the Matchday 1 fixtures, and there's been more ups and downs than a kangaroo on a pogo stick! we've seen sadness, joy, luck, and some cracking games so far - lets hope the rest of the games live up to the ones so far.

Before I run through what's happened so far, I'd just like to reiterate these are my personal views, and everyone has their own opinions on things, so take them for just that ok? Also as an England fan I reserve the right to waffle on about them more than some of the other teams so bear with me.

In Group A, we saw Italy and Turkey get us underway, prefaced by a remote control car driving the ball onto the pitch! I kid you not, if you haven't seen it, then find it on YouTube. An unusual start but anything can happen in football. Once the match got underway Italy dominated control of the game, running out 3-0 winners against a team that didn't look much of a threat to anyone in the group. Early views are that (despite the opposition) Italy could be a force to be reckoned with throughout this tournament. Wales and Switzerland carried on the group the following day, throwing up a 1-1 draw. The Swiss were the better team, and Wales (semi finalists in the last Euro's don't forget) can count themselves lucky to have got anything from the game.

Group B also played their games on Saturday, with Denmark and Finland kicking things off. Obviously the game will be remembered for the devastating spectacle of Eriksen collapsing (which I have discussed in more detail in another post so won't dwell on it here) than the football itself, which is only right. Finland managed to secure a 1-0 win but you cant help but feel it must be a very meaningless victory compared to what else happened. That said the 3 points will really help them to look towards the Round of 16. In the second match of the group Belgium were barely out of second gear as they comfortably breezed past Russia. This could be one of the earliest groups to be clear cut given the fixtures in Matchday 2.

The next group, Group C, provided for me the entertainment of the tournament so far. Goals galore, including 2 early Goal Of The Tournament contenders from Lainer and Yermolenko. The usual display from the Netherlands, who looked very slick going forward but very dodgy at the back - I'd imagine some of the better attacking teams in the tournament are licking their lips at the thought of playing against that defence. Having said that for the neutral it was a great game, full of action and drama, so we really cant complain if neither team isn't great at the back. Austria welcomed North Macedonia to the tournament with a rude awakening, and picked up a comfortable 3 points in the end.

Finally Group D got in on the action, with England taking on Croatia. Possibly the toughest match in the group for the Three Lions saw them win their first ever Euro opener, at the tenth attempt, with Sterling netting to provide the 1-0 win. It wasn't flashy, it certainly wont be game of the tournament, but it felt solid and in control. I was watching with 15 minutes to go with a feeling that something was missing, and after a while I worked out what it was - I didn't have the usual feeling of impending disaster I get watching England defend the lead in a tournament. Maybe it was the beer, maybe I just have more of a good feeling about this team - who knows?

Thoughts from the first few matches? Italy look strong, Netherlands will just try and outscore everyone they play (Newcastle under Keegan in the 90's ring any bells?) and, just maybe, England showed that perhaps their ever optimistic fans may have cause for belief this time around? Come on England!!!

Sticker album crisis averted

There's some serious stuff to talk about in this post - but first let's talk about stickers. Immediately after my last post declaring my lifelong desire to collect Panini stickers, a friend got in touch and pointed me to Panini's tablet app offering. I am now completing my virtual album and the Hungarian flag shiny is absolutely resplendent. 

I'm writing this post whilst watching England's opening game vs Croatia (more on this later, but at least now we know why Southgate named so many right-backs in the squad). Let's recap what has happened so far:

1) Italy smashed Turkey 3-0. They looked very solid and classy whilst doing so and immediately added themselves to my 'contenders' list. In my state of isolation, I'd not realised they were on a 28 match unbeaten run, so they're clearly not in the habit of losing football matches. Watching them reminded me of 90's Italian football. Good technique and guile, but such a compact and narrow style that things are somewhat constricted. This is in part due to the pitch. I always wondered whether the Stadio Olympico just looked tight because of the flat camera angles (with the pitch being in the middle of the running track) - but a bit of [actual] reseach tells me that thre pitch is 10 metres shorter and 4 metres narrower than the Villa Park pitch that I see week in and week out. If I could really be bothered I'd do the metres-squared-available-per-player calculation and nod knowingly at how the resulting compactness is obvious. 

2) Wales got lucky. I watched this game out of one eye whilst video-gaming, but from what I saw they would be the happier of the two teams with a point.

3) Belgium at a canter. They eased themselves into the tournament nicely with their own 3-0 win. Lukaku looked back to his powerful best; although I do find it frustrating that he fails to connect cleanly with so many of his shots. If he hit the ball more true, I think he'd be unstoppable. Russia looked awful btw - one particular sequence of play just showed the Russian players to be literally at 50% speed and physicality of the Belgium players. They are well on their way to the meek exit I expected. 

4) That incident. (Christian Eriksen) Oh my how utterly terrifying it all was. I had actually gone to a pub for the first time since lockdown and was having a cool pint of lager and a burger - the game on my phone, just set down on the table. I was glancing occasionally to check the score and watch any promising looking attacks. So my experience of the situation was an odd one. I was primarily glancing at the clock and the score rather than the actual action..but had noticed no actual play on 3 or 4 consecutive glances. This is when I could see something was up; and I started to take note. As I saw the look of utter horror on fans faces I was panicked and wondered what on earth was happening. Bomb? Terror attack? I tuned in and then felt immediately sick. A friend of mine, of similar age to Eriksen, had a heart attack and brain haemorrage a few years ago, falling forward in the street and dying before reaching hospital. It is a shocking and heartbreaking reminder of the fragility of life; and the cruelness sometimes of our departure from this world. I felt moved to tears seeing Eriksen's partner pitchside, beside herself with worry. For them both, and everyone around them, I hope their life can return to some sort of normality as soon as possible. As humans, I don't think we are built to cope with these kinds of things. We're here, as a nation, off the back of hundreds of thousand of Covid deaths (including my own father), and yet a near miss on prime-time TV will have hit the majority of us harder.

Certainly I feel pleased that the tournament can be more of a "get well soon Christian" affair than a morbid memorial.

I will sign off now - looking forward to Grealish showing that he's the game-changer in a minute; and looking forward even more to North Macedonia making their tournament debut later. 

More soon

So nearly a tragedy

 When I started writing this for this blog I never thought that one of my very first posts would have such a serious undertone, yet already after just 2 games a shadow has been cast over the tournament in the form of the proceedings during the Denmark v Finland match.

Firstly, I'd like to give my thoughts on the single incident that it likely to leave its mark from this tournament, more so than any other - the horrific collapse of Cristian Eriksen during the aforementioned game. The whole incident brought home to many people that, although passions can run so high during tournaments, human life is far more important and occurrences like this just highlight that fact in a very stark way.

Regardless of nationality, I cant imagine any fans were not touched by what happened as the drama unfolded, and the behaviour of the fans of both teams in the stadium highlighted that the brotherhood of being a football fan rises above all rivalries and differences.

Primarily the fact that Eriksen is alive and seems to be on the road to recovery is paramount, and my best wishes go out to him, his family and his teammates who all had to deal with something that you could never be prepared for. 

There's been a lot of praise in the media for medical staff (quite rightly too) but I think they aren't the only heroes in this situation. The teammates of Eriksen (and the Finnish players) quite possibly saved his life with their reaction and actions before the medical team even arrived with the player. I honestly think if they hadn't reacted so fast it may well have been a much worse outcome, and they deserve to be recognised for how they handled the situation.

The officials also deserve a lot of praise for their handling of the situation, again prompt action and decisions stopped the situation from ending up any worse than it did.

Finally, as mentioned, the fans from both sides were immense. Such a show of solidarity is regrettably rare at football grounds - these two sets of fans did true football fans around the world proud with their show of unified support.

The BBC here in the UK have been given a lot of stick for showing the in stadium footage for as long as they did but I think there are a couple of mitigating factors here that need to be considered before piling the blame at their door. No doubt my views may be seen as controversial by some but I've never been afraid to speak my mind!

Its important to point out that the pictures from the stadium are not direct from the BBC but are from a third party, so they have no control over what is shown within the stadium. People have said that they could have simply cut away to the studio sooner, but a part of me feels like that would have been as bad, when they did finally cut back it was clear that the presenters were deeply affected, Alex Scott was almost unable to talk and the rest of the crew were in shock, so putting that pressure on them would have been a bit unfair. If it were the ITV I would have said an ad break would have been the right call, but that's not an option for the BBC. I think they managed it the best they could, and regardless of what they did it would have been wrong.

If there's one part of this whole episode I disagree with its the playing of the second half. What emotional trauma that must have put on all those players (and I know they chose to play it, so don't shoot me down for saying that). I have read (and I don't know how much is true) that they were put under quite a bit of pressure to get the game finished asap, and if that is the case the biggest baddie in this whole thing is UEFA - however I don't know how much truth there is to those rumours so I will reserve judgement.

Lets hope this is the only negative point in what is shaping up to be a brilliant tournament, and continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Eriksen as he starts down the road to recovery. Get well soon Christian.

And so it begins

 I can't believe it. It's here. I want to share a few ramblings before it all begins. 

Stickers: First, let's address the elephant in the room. Panini sticker album. I still want one, and I'm resigned to the fact that this is not a situation one grows out of. It's in me - and I can already see future me, hunched over in a care home, berating myself at a non-straight placement of a Hungarian full-back. Last time I completed an album (Spain 2012) I did it the grown up way - ordering individual stickers (up to the limits they give) to avoid the need to hang around school gates asking for swapsies. I wonder if there is any facility to just order the whole lot up front - I would pay (please message me if this is a thing).

Watching: Next up let's talk about watching plans. I thoroughly intend, as ever, to watch each and every game. This is harder to do with family and kids - but is achieveable. The existence of airpods and reliable live TV streaming to tablet devices from set-top box makes multi-tasking during games a doddle. It is the sheer variety that is the main appeal to me. North Macedonia the mustard on the plate alongside the steak of Belgium, chips of England and peas of Portugal. You still get a good meal without the mustard - but its better with it there.

Predictions: let's have a quick look. I think Group Winners and losers will be:

Group A - Italy to win, Switzerland to go home

Group B - Belgium to win, Finland to go home

Group C - Netherlands to win, Austria to go home

Group D - England to win, Scotland to go home

Group E - Spain to win, Sweden to go home

Group F - Portugal to win, Hungary to go home (they may as well resign, what a dud draw they got!)

This of course leaves 2 additional 3rd place teams to go home. I can never get my head around this tournament mechanic, so i'm not even going to guess. 

Top scorers: My wildcard choices would be Bruno Fernandes and Timo Werner (if I can sort my life out I will have a flutter on each of them). Safe money says Kane. 

It kicks off tonight with Italy vs Turkey - two teams I've seen nothing of in the past 3 years so I can't wait to get started. It could be cagey, and Wales and Switzerland will both be ok with it turning out to be a draw. I have a feeling it could be fiesty too. Soyuncu red card anyone? 

Have a great tourney everyone :)

It starts.........

Finally, after what seems like the wait of a lifetime, its here. Euro 2020 - postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak - is charging over the horizon with the next 4 weeks looking like an absolute orgy of footballing entertainment. 

Firstly, I'd like to say hi. My names Kev, and I'm a amte of Birchys, who has very kindly invited me to contribute to the blog with him and Steve, which I'm really excited about. As a football fan (well I support Nottingham Forest - read into that what you will!) it’s felt like an eternity since the 2018 World Cup, and the anticipation has been building towards fever pitch for a while now. So, kitted out with my England shirt, along with my son in tow who is as excited as ever seen him for a tournament, I’ve decided to blog my way through the tournament, sharing my thoughts and views along the way. They are only my opinions, so keep that in mind when reading through, I don’t expect everyone to agree but let’s keep any differences of opinion friendly and respect others thoughts eh?

So, without further ado, here’s my pre tourney thoughts on each group, and who knows, I may even throw in some predictions. 

Group A - Italy, Turkey, Wales, Switzerland

On initial glance this isn’t a bad group to be in, however with Wales flying high in the last Euros, and the Italians always worth a look and on a great unbeaten run, maybe it’s not that simple. I feel like one of these will win this group, I just can’t see Turkey or the Swiss doing enough to top the table, although they could have a big say in how this group ends up.

Predictions - Italy to win, Turkey to finish bottom

Group B - Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia

Honestly, I can’t see anyone other than Belgium topping this group, with a very tight scrap for the other places. It could be any order for those 3 but I’m going to stick my neck on the chopping block based on my gut feelings.

Predictions - Belgium to win, Finland to go home

Group C - Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia

It’s great to see North Macedonia taking a place in the tournament - I wish them well but feel like they don’t have what it takes to get out the group. However they definitely get the award for best flag in the tourney. In terms of the top of the table I think the result from the Netherlands v Ukraine game will sort that out.

Predictions - Netherlands to win, North Macedonia to go home

Group D - England, Scotland, Croatia, Czech Republic

This is a tricky one to call, as this feels like the most evenly balanced group, and all these teams are capable of beating each other on a good day. England have a long history of flattering to deceive, Croatia and the Czechs are always dark horses, and Scotland will be looking to prove a point after a long break from tournament football. I’ve got to back the Three Lions, but it will be a tight group I think.

Predictions - England to win, Scotland to go home

Group E - Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Poland

Similar to Group B, I can only see Spain winning this one. They aren’t the force they have been in the past but should have what it takes, and I can see the others taking points off each other along the way. Pick one of 3 to go home here!

Predictions - Spain to win, Poland to go home

Group F - Germany, France, Portugal, Hungary

Ouch. You’ve got to feel for Hungary here, that’s a hell of a group to end up in. Some great fixtures early in the tourney but this definitely looks like the fabled ‘group of death’. We know the Germans excel at tournaments, France have some serious talent but can be very hit or miss, and Portugal are defending champions and have Ronaldo leading the way. This could all work for Hungary, with the others all taking points off each other and leaving the back door open for Hungary to pull off a shock result somewhere and sneak through, but I just can’t see it.

Predictions - Portugal to win, Hungary to go home

So there you have it, my views on the groups and who I think will top and tail each group. All that remains is to give you the big ones - who I think will win Euro 2020 and the Golden Boot winner. Drum roll please................

Euro 2020 winners - England. I know I’m biased but there is some really exciting talent available to Gareth Southgate, who I think has done a great job of leading the team. The last couple of years have, more than ever, given a need for something to cheer the nation up, and those hopes could push support for the lads high and hopefully squash some of the negativity that surrounds English football. I really think it’s coming home!!!

Golden Boot - Cristiano Ronaldo. One of the all time greats, who has (unlike times in the past) a team around him capable of going all the way. Given that stage I think this will truly be his tournament.

Right I’ve waffled on long enough, thanks for reading and hopefully you join me on this rollercoaster of a journey. It’s my first blogging experience so I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes, and I’m always up for feedback from you, dear reader. I’ll see you again once it’s all kicked off for a review of the first few games. Take it easy and enjoy the next few weeks.

Are we nearly there yet?

For a tournament that is a year late, Euro 2020 seems to have crept up upon us. It is here. We're a mere 5 days from the big kick-off, and I sit watching England vs Romania in their pre-tournament crossbar challenge. 

This ritual of blogging normally happens every two years, for World Cup and European Championships. And here we are again, albeit a year late, with the world turned upside down since the last such tournament. It is great to be back; and let's hope the next month is both a feast of football and also a symbol of a return to normality for the continent. 

The usual build up to this tournament involves a frenzy of logistics, working out which days to book off work in order to maximise viewing time. No such drama this time. With generally friendly locations and timetable, and a working-from-home backdrop, I am essentially impervious to missing a kick. In fact the biggest threat to my viewing will be bath-time for the kids, which will just be rescheduled for half times breaks. 
 
So what will occur? Well, almost by stealth, Europe has developed some excellent teams during the past 3 years. Belgium remain a massive threat, Spain continue to be good, Portugal look formidable, England and France have a wealth of talent and Germany are Germany. The tourney promises to be pretty amazing. I will preview it properly in the coming days. 

Some fans will be back. Some players have gone well into their 20's without having opportunity to showcase their skills in tournament football - fans are thirsty for action. There's a lot riding on this. 

Over the coming days and weeks, myself and (I hope) Stevey C - will give our thoughts on how it is going, and what might happen, and whether 4 right backs is a legitimate strategy. Come along for the ride, drop us your comments and we'll see you soon.