I may become obsessive

You already know that I have a passing interest in football, so it goes without saying that I may become slightly distracted by a minor event over the next few weeks. I therefore apologise for any reduction in blog activity during this time, although I hope that the minor event may inspire me to write. In which case, I apologise to those of you who have absolutely no interest in the matter.

But while we’re on the subject…

I’m not even going to take a wild guess at how far England will progress. Of course it’s the best England team on paper, coach with no political issues to avoid next season, talented young blood motivating the jaded old guard, game of two halves my son… blah blah blah. Nope. Not a clue. “On paper” is always the biggest lie of the lot. Keegan would have scored against Spain, Campbell’s goal against Argentina would have been allowed, Beckham wouldn’t have missed the penalty, Hoddle would have played Owen for the whole Romania match… if only football was a game played on paper.

In reality, though, it’s much more fun than that. England may have a disappointing run (and let’s face it, with this year’s pinnacle of media hype, anything less than a place in the final will be disappointing) but it’s still the World Cup. I’ll love every minute of it, just as I always have done. Holland have been my “second team” ever since the 1978 competition (as a nine-year-old, I think the bright orange shirts may have been the reason) so I’ll be following them with interest. I’ve always rooted for Sweden ever since studying the language and spending time there as a student, but that won’t be happening this year, at least not during the group stage.

Elsewhere in the competition…

For the first time in a while, I think I’ll enjoy watching Brazil. I’ve found them negative and (especially in the case of Rivaldo vs. Turkey in 2002) unsporting in the past two competitions, but I liked what I saw in last summer’s Confederations Cup tournament. Ronaldinho is always a joy to watch, and the rest of the team seemed to share in his cheerful, creative style of play.

It’d be good to see Italy break out of their “eternal underachiever” status, but it’s starting to look unlikely once again. As a Fiorentina fan, I’m hoping to see Luca Toni at his best, but it remains to be seen whether Totti is fully match-fit and whether the huge scandal gripping Italian football will have an effect on the team morale.

Oh, and Germany? Well, as the cliché goes, “you can never write off the Germans”. You can’t, but the old cliché is looking a little threadbare this time around…