tight jeans - june 29, 2021

Switzerland's Granit Xhaka. Victorious against France, and yet not quite undefeated. (TalkSport/AFP)

The Round of 16 has proven how pointless (my) predictions can be. I’m 2-4 from Sunday’s picks. It's a depressing record. A few of you have told me as much. Keep the ridicule coming.

My predictions, disappointing as they are, came from assumptions based on the small amount of information gathered from the first round, and to a greater extent, years of bias.

I suggested that Austria - despite ultimately losing the game - would be no more than another first round opponent for Italy, and that Denmark would struggle against a more emotionally grounded Wales. I was certain France would steamroll Switzerland. And I expected a fraying Croatian team to outlast a luckless Spanish striker, without considering the 10 other players that would play alongside him.

My picks fell flat because I made no account for desire or unity. More than that, I didn't really consider the calibre of players at this tournament, nor what a well-coached group representing its country can accomplish. Upsets are upsets, but what has surprised me most is how close these 16 teams are to each other in quality, and not as a collection of players, but as on-field units.

I appreciate that I watch far too much football for someone with a family and a job, but the last few days have shown me how much I still have to learn about how this game works, even after 30 years.

But forget all that, now. There are two more games to go today. I can still end up at 4-4.

Mine's a Kronenburg.