So here’s the dilemma I’m wrestling with: it’s the Euro 2012 final tonight, but I don’t want either of the two teams involved to win it.
At least I can’t be blamed for jinxing anybody- James Calvert
Normally when it comes to big finals there is one team that, as a ‘neutral’ you would prefer to win over the other. Not tonight.
On the one hand I don’t want Italy to win because, frankly, I’ve just spent a week putting up with all manner of abuse from friends and colleagues who support them, and the idea of them gaining further ammunition with which to taunt me is quite appalling.
And ammunition doesn’t come much more explosive than lifting the trophy. If I thought my life (and those of my fellow England supporting masochists) had been unbearable for the last seven days, what will it be like if Andrea Pirlo and pals get their hands on the trophy tonight. I shudder at the very thought.
So, sorry Italy, for reasons of personal sanity I can’t temporarily cross over to the dark side. But I am equally reluctant to see Spain win. Their brand of tika-taka football (an annoying phrase in itself) has bored me to death during this tournament. It makes my teeth itch.
Having 800 passes in a single game may make for some staggering statistics, but it also makes for turgid viewing. There were times during some of their games over the past couple of weeks when it irritated me so much I almost changed channels. There is only so much football foreplay you can take before you need some sort of climax.
And what’s all this not playing a striker lark? Could a team be more arrogant? We know you have best midfielders in the world but do you need to play them all at once just so you can keep possession forever? It’s just plain rude.
Added to that, regular readers will know I am not keen on continued dominance by anybody in any sport. And back-to-back European Cups, with a World Cup sandwiched in the middle, would just be showing off.
So there you have it. A football match I am looking forward to, that has all the ingredients to be an absolute classic but one I want to end in a perpetual draw. At least it means I can’t be blamed for jinxing anybody this time…
Truth about England
I appreciate that things have moved on somewhat since the quarter finals, and Italy have left England trailing in their Euro 2012 wake, but I still wanted to have my say on last Sunday’s match.
First and foremost, I feel it needs to be emphasised that if England had won it would have been an injustice of cosmic proportions.
Yes, I support the Three Lions and yes, I want them to win things. But no matter how passionate you are about your team, there comes a point when you have to admit you just don’t deserve to take anything out of a game.
With the exception of a decent 15-minute spell at the beginning, when only a world-class save from Gianluigi Buffon prevented England going ahead, Roy Hodgson’s team were second best throughout the match.
Italy were superior in all areas of the pitch, dictated play for more than 100 minutes, and only brave defending and wayward finishing allowed England to drag the game to penalties.
There was a time in my life when how England achieved success wouldn’t have bothered me, when only the result itself mattered. But now, as I get older, I want to watch an England team play football to be proud of, not get battered for 120 minutes and scrape through on penalties. Where’s the pride in that?
There have been plenty of times when England losing a penalty shoot-out was pure heartbreak. Italia ’90 and Euro ’96 spring to mind. But that was because the team had done England proud on the way to their defeats.
But in this tournament, from the first kick of the first game, they set out to play defensively. There’s nothing to exciting about watching a once proud football nation approach a tournament like Greece in 2004. It’s rather sad.
Of course, when Ashley Cole and Ashley Young fluffed their penalties, I did suffer that brief moment of agony. But it was gone in a flash to be replaced by what can only be described as a sense of relief. Had we scraped through, the humiliation would only have been prolonged, and I couldn’t see Germany, Spain or Portugal being as careless with their finishing as Italy. Facing any of those three with this England team would have been like trying to play baseball with a stick of celery.
Of course, the blame game back in England started even before the team were on the plane home. No winter break, too many matches, too much emphasis on the physical side of the game – the same tired excuses that are dragged out every time England fail. And while there may be a tiny element of truth in all of them, the real problem is that England simply don’t have enough players of truly world-class talent.
A six-month winter break wouldn’t make James Milner any less average. If Ashley Young had played five less matches last season would he have stopped passing the ball to his opponents throughout the tournament?
And don’t talk to me about Wayne Rooney. I have had my fill with him. Is he world class? Yes. Does he ever show it for England? Hardly ever. There’s always some sort of baggage with him: a stupid injury, loss of form, a marital scandal, a pointless suspension. Some ready-made excuse for him not performing when England most need his magic.
There were a few players missing from the squad who could have made a difference. But even then it doesn’t change the reality that the current pool of English talent is far too shallow.
The reason for this is the over-abundance of foreigners in the Premier League. Until young English players are given a chance, the national team will never have the resources it needs to be successful. Considering the players at his disposal, I don’t entirely blame Hodgson for taking the cautious route during Euro 2012. But I can’t help but feel he may have missed an opportunity.
The reality is this was little more than a bonus tournament for England. They were never going to win it and expectations were at an all-time low. So why not throw caution to the wind, take the games to your opponents and see what happens?
Nobody would have been overly disappointed if England hadn’t made it out of the group stage. But I bet everyone would have been a whole lot happier had they crashed out playing an attacking and vibrant style of football instead of lining up in their own penalty box like they were waiting for a firing squad.
What I don’t agree with is the English media who are claiming pride in the national team has been restored. Getting through to the quarter-finals is nothing to be proud of unless you are Andorra. Getting that far playing desperate defensive football is even worse.
To give him his credit, Hodgson admits England were not good going forward. And he will be looking to address that issue before World Cup qualification starts in a couple of months.
Whether or not he has players at his disposal to turn England into a proper football team over the next two years is open to debate.
But from what I’ve seen of Hodgson so far, he won’t leave any stone unturned in trying to do so. We finally have a manager who seems to understand what he needs to do.
And that is pretty much the only positive England can take from this European Cup.
sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade