Kuddelmuddel

I was convinced the German team would recover emphatically. Their opening game was an aberration, and whilst they were poor defensively, they created enough chances to win a handful of games. So against a threat-less Sweden, I was sure normality would return. Yet Saturday night’s game so nearly turned the footballing world on its head.

I think the only surprise when the ball tore into the net in the 95th minute was that it wasn’t an England keeper disconsolately picking the ball out of the net. Kudos to Germany, back from the brink. If they solve their defensive Kuddelmuddel (one of their great words that means a phrase “unstructured mess, chaos or hodgepodge”) then they will yet again be a force to be reckoned with.

Speaking of forces; er, England?! None of this cagey group stage malarkey going on. Boom, into the last 16 with the tournament just 9 days old. Kane is off down to Timpsons for some golden coloured shoe polish. What a result and what a great performance, admittedly against a team who offered very little.

  

And the whole mood in the squad is just a breath of fresh air. More on this later, I have work-based theories about intrinsic motivation, having fun, and the power of not being all “worky” and uptight; that should apply in offices as well as on the pitch.

Since I was last on, Belgium announced their intentions and seem to have hit real form, Mexico won again, Japan and Senegal drew 2-2 to intensify events in the game I am now watching, where the loser of Poland and Columbia will be out. (edit - Poland are emphatically out).

It has been an excellent weekend of footy, and the main watching effort is now done. Whilst the next four days see four games played in each, they are concurrent (two at a time), so even if it means a more convoluted watching arrangement (multi-screen here we come), it at least means there’s time in the day for work, eating, sleeping and being a husband and dad to sit alongside this glorious celebration of footballing diversity.