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Wednesday 30 June 2021

Butcher, Butcher, Sempre Butcher

Today's heading is a quotation, I think, from Enzo Bearzot, late manager of Italy. It was a favourite phrase of that doyen of English football writers, Brian Glanville, and summed up the English taste for a muscular centre half at the heart of its teams. Well, as we bask in the glory of last night's 2-0 vicory over Germany, we can update this to 'Maguire, Maguire, sempre Maguire'. Harry Maguire, most definitely an old-fashioned stopper, was man of the match. Ing-ur-land indeed.

Mind you I should have known that last night was coming. In the bar at Royal Pype Hayes on Monday we were chatting about the football, me from a position of benign ignorance and AP from a more knowledgeable stance. I mentioned that England had, in qualifying from their group, scored fewer goals than any other qualifier. The man at the next table overheard me and was quick to interject that neither had we yet conceded goal. He was clearly onto something. So sempre Maguire.

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