GOM World Cup Diary #22 – Whatever Happened To Learning?
Well, somebody must have been listening.
Only a few days ago I was wondering why England seemed determined to ignore Harry Kane.
Last night they found him four times.
He scored twice.
With a kinder VAR decision, he might well have had a hat-trick, and one unfortunate save by the DR Congo goalkeeper ensured that at least one shot was stopped in a manner he’ll probably be feeling for a few days yet!
Which got me thinking.
Whatever happened to learning?
One of the things I admire most in football isn’t getting everything right.
It’s putting things right when you’ve got them wrong.
Against Ghana, England had plenty of the ball but Harry Kane spent much of the evening looking like a man waiting for a bus that had been diverted.
Against DR Congo, the plan was different.
Get the ball into Kane.
Amazing things happen when one of the world’s best finishers actually gets the chance to finish.
Perhaps Thomas Tuchel had the same thought.
Or perhaps he’s been secretly reading my diary.
Mind you, if he has, I’d quite like a mention in the programme at the Azteca Stadium.
England weren’t perfect, of course.
Marcus Rashford occasionally looked as though he fancied winning the match on his own when a simple pass might have done.
Noni Madueke was a little slow tracking back, and England found themselves behind after just seven minutes.
There are always lessons to learn.
The important thing is learning them.
Belgium showed the same determination.
Two goals down against Senegal with only minutes remaining, they somehow dragged themselves level before winning with a controversial penalty deep into extra time.
The USA had their own test.
Reduced to ten men for much of their match after Folarin Balogun’s rash red card, they still found a way to beat Bosnia and book their place in the next round.
The best teams don’t avoid problems.
They solve them.
Life isn’t much different.
We all make mistakes.
We all get things wrong.
The trick isn’t pretending we never did.
It’s making sure we don’t keep making the same ones.
Of course, I say that as someone who still insists on assembling flat-pack furniture without reading the instructions.
Apparently I like learning the hard way.
Every single time.
England’s reward is a last-16 tie with Mexico in the Azteca Stadium.
Now there’s a proper test.
Mexico haven’t lost there for years, and if England really have learned the lessons of the group stage, this is where we’ll find out.
Because learning isn’t proved by talking about it.
It’s proved by what you do next.
Anyway, what do I know?
I’m just a grumpy old man.
