Falling off the wagon

Back in July I mentioned how football fatigue had got to me, and I said that the last match I had seen had been one of the CL semi-finals back at the start of May. I also said that I would be trying to ignore the football until the World Cup next summer, if I was allowed to do so, unless there was something at stake.

It’s only fair to admit how far I got. I watched the England-Croatia game, the final of the women’s European Championship between England and Germany, the Manchester United versus Besiktas game in the Champions’ League and the Everton versus AEK match in the Europa League.

There was something at stake in the England-Croatia game – qualification for the World Cup. However, more important than that was the fact that after four months without watching any football, I came to the game refreshed, and I finally felt a little bit of that excitement I used to feel as a child whenever England were going to be playing on the telly. The game was immense, but more than that I’m happy to have recovered just a fraction of that excitement.

There was most definitely something at stake in the other England game, and I enjoyed it as well – at least, I enjoyed it up until the point when I realised the boring, stuck-up German team and their unattractive football would prevail yet again.

The United-Besiktas game highlighted one important aspect of Premier League football. English fans claim to be the best in the world, but at the same time most of them claim that in recent years the grounds have changed and the clubs are trying to attract a different clientele. The Turkish crowd that night were without doubt the best fans I have ever seen in a football stadium, bar none. Manchester United generally play attractive football, but that night the real winners were the fans, and the match was worth watching just for that.

Everton’s demolition of the Greeks was also a joy to watch, because they played high-quality, high-energy football for the ninety minutes and never once appeared to be satisfied with the result. No diving, no pouting, no laziness. I hope they do well this season.

So it seems I was lucky in my choices – four excellent games with a lot to offer. However, I’m suspicious of such a good run. Maybe I’ll leave it for a while and come back to it in another four months. I’m sure it will be worth it.