The scandal of England’s World Cup semi-final capitulation is already enshrined in the extensive annals of mythological failure; failure so gloriously tepid and inept it’s barely failure at all, rather a perfectly pitched lyrical paean to the sacred, desperate art of getting in your own way as wimpishly as possible. It is beautiful. The truth, though – and part of the beauty – is it remains an ultimately futile act. Let’s say England see out the win, setting up a final meeting with Spain: Emlyn, what happened next? Spanish football stye is, without doubt, the hardest there’s ever been to beat. We saw it with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, Vicente del Bosque’s national team – and now with Luis de la Fuente’s European and World champions. None of those sides were or are without obvious, glaring flaws, and yet their ability to look after the ball; their command of angles, most particularly of movement and first touch; their commitment to their principles; leave all opponents with an impossibl