wotiwrote

Well, June may have been quit but of course I meant quiet. Still, the sentence had a sort of accidental charm.

I've just watched the best match of this year's World Cup. After 90 minutes Italy and Germany were still 0-0 and there had been less than a handful of chances. It's hard to explian to someone uninterested in football how that combination of circumstances can possibly reflect a fascinating game. But the standard of football was very high and the spirit in which the game was played - abetted by some excellent refereeing - did more than a little to increase the enjoyment of the spectators. After some of the frankly appalling theatricals - by both players and officials - earlier in the competition this has gone a long way to re-establish faith in the sport.

In the end Italy won it 2-0, which saved us from a penalty shoot-out and was probably the right result based on the balance of play. Germany have done so much more than they looked capable of before the tournament began. Any member of the England management team watching must wonder what they need to do to compete at this level, where a collection of players of moderate talent - in the case of Germany, certainly - can produce a performance so much greater than at first seems possible. This is in contrast with England's situation, where a team of capable players manages not just once but repeatedly to turn in performances well below the standard that could reasonably be expected.

At least Sven is now gone, which could herald an upturn in their fortunes. Oh, wait, they appointed McLaren as manager. So, steady as she goes, cap'n. New cap'n, that is.