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??!!!??.....
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