Day 24 WorldCup2018
Only a few days ago I said, "and then there were 8" and now here we are down to the final four. And one of those four is England. England, in the semifinals of the World Cup. I've tried to remain unbiased and not profess my fandom for England, not out of embarrassment for how bad they were in the past, but so that anybody reading this for the first time wouldn't think that I am just a narrow minded England fan.
It's not true to say that watching England in the semifinal on Wednesday will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I did live through the pain of the penalty loss to Germany in 1990. That run started with a terribly boring group stage where England struggled to a 1-0 win against Egypt and two uninspiring draws against Ireland and Holland. Despite the progression to the last 16 there was a sense of doom and gloom and the semifinal was a pleasant surprise.
This England team looks confident and reassured, and fans feel, yes, confident and reassured. There is no drama surrounding the team, no never ending debates about who should be selected and who should be doing crosswords on the bench. Gareth Southgate has been consistent with his team, he's picked players who he believes in, young players who are not yet household names in England (Stones, Maguire) or who haven't been consistent with their club teams (Lingard, Alli). And he can't even be blamed this evening for picking Raheem Sterling for every match. But let's not go there on this positive, happy day. It is very obvious that Southgate has managed the team very well. There is a sense of calm and quiet determination, a feeling of belief from the players that they can go all the way. They are not spectacular, but they are not just a good "organized unit" like Switzerland or Iceland. There is a little bit extra and that's why they are here and not at home watching on TV. Southgate's man management skills have made every player seem like an equal, with no obvious signs of big egos being allowed to dominate.
It is a wonderful feeling to invest all this emotional energy into a team and be rewarded with the joy of following a team that is in the semifinals. It's been said many times that it's been a fantastic World Cup and it's even better when you follow a winning team on this incredible ride in this most wonderful of tournaments.
Please never ask me if England's match was exciting. England matches are exciting for all the nervous tension but is the quality any good? I wouldn't know. Belgium-Brazil was a great match, as was Belgium-Japan because it was easy to sit back as a neutral and enjoy them. The enjoyment with watching England came in the 94th minute today when it finally felt definite that England were going to win.
At the risk of sounding stereotypical (but what the helll, England are in the semifinals) Kristine lifted the mood today by remarking how every Swedish number sounds like a piece of Ikea furniture, especially Ekdal. "Oh yes, we definitely have an Ekdal." Yes, we own a Swedish midfielder.
Ok, this all sounded funnier earlier. Confession and admission time, without the desire for any sympathy. I write this hours after the matches are finished, usually minutes before I go to bed when my brain is not only struggling to stay awake but also trying to remember, through the late night fog, what emotions were going though my head hours earlier.
I can't even go into Croatia beating Russia after extra time and penalties. They probably deserved it. Will England be worried? No. The Southgate confidence factor will see to that.
Only a few days ago I said, "and then there were 8" and now here we are down to the final four. And one of those four is England. England, in the semifinals of the World Cup. I've tried to remain unbiased and not profess my fandom for England, not out of embarrassment for how bad they were in the past, but so that anybody reading this for the first time wouldn't think that I am just a narrow minded England fan.
It's not true to say that watching England in the semifinal on Wednesday will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I did live through the pain of the penalty loss to Germany in 1990. That run started with a terribly boring group stage where England struggled to a 1-0 win against Egypt and two uninspiring draws against Ireland and Holland. Despite the progression to the last 16 there was a sense of doom and gloom and the semifinal was a pleasant surprise.
This England team looks confident and reassured, and fans feel, yes, confident and reassured. There is no drama surrounding the team, no never ending debates about who should be selected and who should be doing crosswords on the bench. Gareth Southgate has been consistent with his team, he's picked players who he believes in, young players who are not yet household names in England (Stones, Maguire) or who haven't been consistent with their club teams (Lingard, Alli). And he can't even be blamed this evening for picking Raheem Sterling for every match. But let's not go there on this positive, happy day. It is very obvious that Southgate has managed the team very well. There is a sense of calm and quiet determination, a feeling of belief from the players that they can go all the way. They are not spectacular, but they are not just a good "organized unit" like Switzerland or Iceland. There is a little bit extra and that's why they are here and not at home watching on TV. Southgate's man management skills have made every player seem like an equal, with no obvious signs of big egos being allowed to dominate.
It is a wonderful feeling to invest all this emotional energy into a team and be rewarded with the joy of following a team that is in the semifinals. It's been said many times that it's been a fantastic World Cup and it's even better when you follow a winning team on this incredible ride in this most wonderful of tournaments.
Please never ask me if England's match was exciting. England matches are exciting for all the nervous tension but is the quality any good? I wouldn't know. Belgium-Brazil was a great match, as was Belgium-Japan because it was easy to sit back as a neutral and enjoy them. The enjoyment with watching England came in the 94th minute today when it finally felt definite that England were going to win.
At the risk of sounding stereotypical (but what the helll, England are in the semifinals) Kristine lifted the mood today by remarking how every Swedish number sounds like a piece of Ikea furniture, especially Ekdal. "Oh yes, we definitely have an Ekdal." Yes, we own a Swedish midfielder.
Ok, this all sounded funnier earlier. Confession and admission time, without the desire for any sympathy. I write this hours after the matches are finished, usually minutes before I go to bed when my brain is not only struggling to stay awake but also trying to remember, through the late night fog, what emotions were going though my head hours earlier.
I can't even go into Croatia beating Russia after extra time and penalties. They probably deserved it. Will England be worried? No. The Southgate confidence factor will see to that.
No comments:
Post a Comment