I've changed my mind about the World Cup

A couple of days ago, I wrote that I thought the World Cup was awesome. In retrospect, I got carried away. I saw a good match between South Africa and Mexico. I read about England drawing against USA. I saw the last ten, crazy minutes of Argentina versus Nigeria. And I saw a technically proficient Korea outclass a poor Greece side. And from that limited exposure, I wrote that that World Cup was great.

It hasn't been a great World Cup. Players keep spraying the ball high and wide. Shots go wide. Corners and free-kicks fly into the stands. There's usually a good level of play in defence and midfield, but there's been a distinct lack of class in attacking, and a lack of players who can play a good final ball. About the best team so far has been Germany against Australia, and that was partially due to Australia playing a suicidally high defensive line.

The consensus seems to be that the new ball is messing everything up. Or the varying altitude of various grounds is mucking the players about. Or that the vuvuzelas are distracting players from moments of inspired genius. Or maybe it's just that everyone needs one game to blow out the cobwebs, run off their nerves, and work out their anxieties. By game 2, everything should be right.

Spain versus Switzerland up next. If ever there's a team that can front up to a World Cup and hit the ground rolling, it's Spain. They play football like they're up against 11 witches-hats. They've got Xavi and Ineista in the middle of the park, and they've got Cesc Fabregas in the stands. They play the kind of football that Barcelona play and that Arsenal try to emulate. The only problem is that half the team is from Barcelona, and considering how disrespectful they've been to the Arsenal, I'm not sure I should be cheering them on.

So on the 311th last day of my 20s, I went to work, worked and came home. Currently suffering a bit from indigestion. Been thinking a lot about my hair, and the possible need for outside help. I've been told I need to dampen my hair before I apply wax. I'm not sure about that, since it defies the law of chemistry, but my nurse is adamant that it works for her kids. That I'm taking hair-styling advice from a mum with a pair of 10 year old twins says it all. Her kids do look pretty cool in a spiky-haired kind of way, though.