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.