I've deliberately avoided any commentary on our exit until now. Now that I've processed it all a bit I've landed on a big fat "meh".
For weeks before the tournament Poppa's creeping paranoia and stubborn refusal to answer any question in any way that might constitute an answer built a kind of tension. It was all very cloak and dagger. What was his plan? What did he really think? What did he know we didn't?
And with Turkiye we got what we thought was an answer. Shock selections, stubborn resistance, two concealed knives puncturing Turkiye with lightning speed and precision, a bloody-minded strategy executed to perfection. The quintessential smash and grab heralding the potential for more shocks to come.
And that was the high watermark, not even close to being met again in the subsequent 3 games.
All of that would be ok, I suppose, including a round of 16 exit. Except that I can't help but feel we learnt very little. Did we see the birth of a bright future against Turkey or a mirage of one? Do we have a team of amazing potential or one that flattered to deceive and wilted when it meant something? Is Poppa building a foundation or has he reached his ceiling?
Based on his approach so far, nothing Poppa will say in the coming months will shed any light on those questions. “I had one more sub to make and I made it”. We just to wait for the Asian Cup.
