So what have we learned after five days of the 2022 World Cup, apart from the fact that FIFA are a bunch of cowardly appeasers of fascista (which we knew anyway)? Inevitably, some people are getting somewhat carried away by one (admittedly clinically good) performance by England (against a desperately poor Iran side). As usually happens when England win one game lots of people are already blowing the dust off their World Cup wall charts and getting out a slide-rule to plot England's likely route to the final (yes, I'm looking at you, Sky Sports!) Especially after Argentina got beat by Saudi Arabia and Germany lost to Japan. Of the other fancied European sides Denmark looked dreadfully lethargic in their bore-draw with Tunisia and Belgium did likewise and were genuinely lucky to beat a plucky, hard-working Canada. So, yeah, no problem - England's got this in the bag, haven't they? Ignoring, of course, the fact that both France and Spain looked stunning whilst doing exactly what England did and giving the team likely to finish bottom of their respective groups (Australia and Costa Rica) a damned good, hard, trousers down hiding. And Brazil haven't even played yet! So, all-in-all, the same as usual after five days of any World Cup. Nobody knows nothing!
Meanwhile, it is an age-old truism in football that one should never, ever, do this. But, I'm going to.
