20 July 2026

We watched the England-France game in the Fifa World Cup on Saturday night – and enjoyed the game. England won with an impressive 6-4. They made an extraordinary  first half winning it 4-0. The French fought back with agility and energy to score 4 goals in the second half.

As you can imagine, there has been a lot of discussion about England’s performance at the World Cup and comparisons made with other national teams. Tom Allnutt made his comparison between England and Spain under the title, ‘It’s not technique, it’s reading the game – Spain’s midfield factory.’

He argued that both England and Spain produce footballers who are technically brilliant. The difference between these skilful players is in the attention paid in the Spanish team to understanding the game.  This has implications for coach and player.

Firstly, the Spanish players are trained to think for themselves. They are given the freedom to make their own decisions – to interpret situations and to decide what to do. In this environment, mistakes are considered to be the norm and not an aberration.

Secondly, the coaches expect to be challenged. The players are more involved in tactical decisions and in this more open environment, players question everything. The purpose of this is to enable players to gain a greater understanding of the game.

As well as brawn, the players are encouraged to use their brain. This must result in a more fulfilling experience. Asking questions leads to deeper understanding. As well as physical agility, there is mental agility. You can outplay and outsmart your opponent. This is a good education. It would benefit our team players in the Kirk.