England v France – match preview

It’s not long until the kick off in The Biggest Game In English History, or certainly since the last time we played The Biggest Game In English History, so I thought, why not do a blog about our chances? After all, it’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s…oh, wait a minute, it might be coming home. Then, I thought again and concluded that I don’t have any special knowledge or understanding of how tonight will go, whether the plucky English will overcome the world champions. And my feeling about tonight’s game is way out of kilter with what I sense is the public mood, which is that this is our time and, according to some folk, all we need do is turn up and we will win. It’s our destiny. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen and, dear reader, neither do you.

One minute I think, we will nick this game. We’re a really good team packed with high class players whereas they are – oh, hang on – a really good team packed with high class players, plus one world class player. Is it Too Close To Call, or will one team run away with it?

Listening to the vox pops on the radio this morning, there was only going to be one result, which is that England will win. “Harry Kane will score twice” said one, “we’ll win 1-0 in 90 minutes”, said another. Not one person said, “We’ll lose this.”

Our predictions are based purely on guesswork. We have no idea if there will be an early red card, a VAR fuck up, an injury to a key player or any of a million things that could go right or wrong at any time. So, what is my feeling?

Based upon nothing more than a feeling, I think England will win. It could be that like so many others I have gotten caught up in the over-optimism that so many of us are feeling and that I’ve sub-consciously made myself to believe it. By kick off time, my head will be absolutely swimming with a million thoughts and I know that I will not enjoy the game until the final whistle and we’ve won. If we lose the desolation will be overwhelming until I remember that it’s only a game and there are far more important things to worry about.