“It’s the pinnacle of your career. Just get over it! Get a box-set.”
England play their first game at the 2018 World Cup on Monday night, when they take on Tunisia in Volgograd. Ahead of the tournament, the vibes from the England camp have been positive in comparison to their previous appearances at international tournaments.
In addition to an inability to keep the ball and a tactical illiteracy, one of the reasons cited for England’s failures at major tournaments has been that the players become bored. This boredom reached its pinnacle when they were at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and took issue with the strict regime of Fabio Capello.
However, Damien Duff isn’t buying this as an excuse for failing to perform at tournaments, and rightly so. The former Republic of Ireland winger, who played at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2012, said on RTE’s coverage on Monday that the English players need “get over” the boredom.
“It’s the pinnacle of your career. Just get over it! Get a box-set.”
You can watch Duff here: