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Ok, it's time

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 I've sat, laying low, hoping (successfully) that Stevie would take up the slack and give a measured view of the semi-final. He did that with spades. Thank you Stevie for another fantastic tournament of blogging, made all the sweeter by you actually being there!

I'll be honest, I'm a bit stunned. I bought a bottle of bubbles intended for the Norway game. I didn't open it, as I was sure we'd progress. And so it waited, on ice, for Argentina. But as I came to open it on Wednesday, I decided against it. I was sure there was more to come. It was on ice for the final. The sorry, sorry tale of my bubbles. 

Now, I should set things straight. 

1) I love the World Cup

2) I am fine

But, I am really disappointed. I sincerely believed this time, something I rarely get drawn into. I thought Tuchel was different. However, the warning signs that appeared (playing Rice despite him being bedridden for 3 days before the QF, playing Kane for 90 mins over and over despite his work being done and needing rest) proved to be the emergence of what can only be described as EMS. England Manager Syndrome. The abandonment of all reason and return to type.

This is where my frustration lies. Pre tournament, Tuchel was cold, logical, unsentimental. Rogers in the team instead of Bellingham, fine - the manager has balls. He was unafraid of media or players and did what was right. And yet in the tournament we saw a rich squad largely underused, tired players left on the field for far longer than they need be. Options left untried and unused. If I was Watkins (or Toney TBF) I'd be lamenting a wasted summer.

The game itself, fantastic. A crackling first half that was so fiesty, total box office. The breakaway goal created by (at the time) Villa player Rogers. And then the resurgence, again, of Argentina. The inevitability both infuriating and mesmerising. Messi pulling the strings. It had pretty much everything, a great game for a neutral. But for me, in the post handbrake/Southgate era, that kind of 2nd half showing was unacceptable. Defensive, ignorant of plain facts (Kane/Rogers/Bellingham all dead on feet), and the tactical and actual performance not worthy of knockout rounds let alone finalists.

And so here we are, watching the most meaningless game in football, with nothing to gain. England 2-0 up as it stands, and here we are, all numb. The win only raises questions about what went before. A defeat means only more questions raised.

I sound really grumpy, but I'm not. I can't wait for the final and I might be the only guy in England who will support Argentina. And I'll do so drinking those bubbles. X

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