Banish semis jinx once and for all, England: Neil Humphreys
Three Lions must exorcise so many demons to win
The last time England won a semi-final, an independent Singapore was less than a year old.
Only grandparents remember Bobby Moore's boys outlasting Eusebio's Portugal in July 1966.
Anyone below the age of 60 knows nothing but defeat and disappointment.
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The ghosts of semi-finals past linger. Of course, they do. Anyone within the England camp would be lying if they said otherwise.
Euro 1968, Italia 1990, Euro 1996 and Russia 2018 were four steps to hell. A fifth seems inconceivable. No one wants to go back.
Tomorrow morning's blockbuster between the Three Lions and Denmark isn't really about the best XIs. It's about banishing semi-final demons.
In the meantime, we are duty-bound to focus on form, fitness and possible formations, as if such rational thinking counts for anything when it comes to England's machinations at major tournaments.
Back threes and back fours must be dissected in detail, taking into account the back three that beat Germany and the back four that eviscerated Ukraine, like it seriously matters.
Such analysis once claimed that England's best defensive pairing in a generation (John Terry and Rio Ferdinand) playing alongside the finest left-back in world football (Ashley Cole) would swagger off with whatever silverware was on offer.
They never reached a semi-final.
This is not about defensive choices. This is about banishing semi-final demons.
Formations are another entertaining smokescreen in the coming hours, convincing us that a 4-2-3-1 with a double pivot or a 3-4-3 with Jack Grealish are of paramount importance in beating the Danes.
No one is saying that Gareth Southgate will fail to take his selections seriously. His tactics have so far been faultless, his formation switches just as seamless.
But as a Twitter post pointed out, England once boasted three of the finest midfielders in their nation's history, at the same time, and still imploded at one tournament after another. At Euro 2020, the Three Lions have made it this far with a couple of lads that look like delivery drivers.
This is not about the formation built around Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. This is about banishing semi-final demons.
Harry Kane, the skipper and general barometer for all things England, speaks of seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a major tournament on home soil. He promises to feed off the 60,000 crowd and fulfil a certain destiny.
But his words bring a shudder, like sucking on a lemon too quickly. It's an unwelcome jolt, a sour taste of optimism after decades of familiar defeatism.
Don't do this, Kane. Don't tempt fate with the "w" word. Read some history books, check the stats, hear the pessimistic lyrics of that song again and realise that football hasn't come home for 55 interminable years.
In announcing his ambition out loud, he's daring others to dream. He's practically goading England supporters to do that most un-English of pastimes and think positively about upcoming events.
This isn't about a packed Wembley, home soil or Kane's return to form. This is about banishing semi-final demons.
There is no "w" word for the Three Lions from this stage of a tournament onwards, not since 1966. Just a big, bold capital "L", several of them, all joined together like a rotten daisy chain for losers.
LOSERS
Italia 1990 launched a complete footballer, but Paul Gascoigne's boys still came back losers.
Euro 1996 had home advantage, a resurgent Alan Shearer and the same outcome. Losers.
Russia 2018 had an easy path and a fast, youthful squad. Losers.
Semi-final tragedies and teary-eyed montages are as English as tea and biscuits, a way of life for a football nation that has no recollection of actually clearing the psychological hurdle and reaching the big one.
The pressure must be incalculable for a squad filled with likeable, humble young footballers and a manager who has come to personify basic decency.
Southgate is a good man. They are all good men, committed to charitable causes and philanthropic enterprises. They have earned their escape to victory so much that any other outcome already feels cruel.
The weight of expectation is almost too much to bear. To carry a tournament is one thing, but to carry 55 years of failure is grossly unfair.
Luckily, all they have to do is win. Never mind 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1, or Bukayo Saka or Jadon Sancho or Mason Mount on the left or the right. Just win. Any kind of win will do.
Make history and boldly go where no Englishman has gone since Star Trek was first shown on TV in 1966.
Banish those semi-final demons and the final should take care of itself.
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