Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!Come Saturday, it will be 73 days since the pain and shame of Atlanta, when England, from a winning position in a World Cup semi-final, decided to do an England, and sit on their lead. What followed resembled a slow-motion crash test dummies video, Enzo Fernández first summoning the ghost of Andy Möller at Euro 96 with his high-camp cavorting celebration, and then Lautaro Martínez, unmarked, nodding home. Englishmen across the globe slumped, Croydon BoxPark fell deathly silent. Allowing Lionel Messi the freedom of Georgia on the inside-right channel had turned out to be a critical oversight. Whoops.As an avid Manchester United fan, I would love to have a clump of the hallowed turf on display in my living room for daily worship purposes (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition). However, what are the chances of my getting a piece that isn’t covered in spit and nasal blowings?

This article was originally published by The Guardian – Football. Read the full article →