No, I haven’t gone bonkers after watching 63 World Cup games!

It’s just that, what am I going to do after tomorrow’s game?  Total withdrawal.

Might have to speak to my wife for the first time in a month.

Today Belgium earned the bronze medal with a well deserved 2-0 victory over England. The English go home with hope for the future, but some would say their key players underachieved when the chips were down.

Tomorrow a new champion will be crowned and the match should be a good one.

France has shown not a single weakness in advancing undefeated to the final.

Croatia, they are the “little country that could.”

“I think I can I think I can I think I can.”

Les Bleus have so many tools in their arsenal.

A world class keeper, a brick wall defence, a fluid, incisive midfield, and a strike-force beyond compare.

The Vatreni, which is the underdog’s nickname, means ” The Blazers.” In translation that’s ” Men In Jackets.”

No it isn’t, it means ” Trail Blazers.” That is exactly what this team has done, blazed a trail to the final game.

For a country with only 4 million people they already have a W.C. bronze medal from the 1998 games that by the way, France won.

For you analytical people, Croatia is ranked 5th in the world on the ELO rating system, which I have never heard of before and don’t give hoot about!

So, why the rooster and coyote at the top of the page?

The rooster is a Gallic rooster, a bold rooster, which is emblematic of French sporting teams and is worn proudly on their jerseys.

This is a proud French team with vast talent and charisma.  They can beat you so many ways and defend to perfection.

Their attack is fast, oh so fast, and at the other end Hugo Lloris is one of, if not the best, keeper on the planet to play katy-bar-the-door.

They will be extremely tough to beat.

Wile E. Coyote is my own invention in honour of the Vatreni.

That’s how they play. Wile E.

You think you have them where you want them, then POW! the ball’s in your net.

In the cartoon picture he is hiding around a cliff corner ready to use a dynamite lasso on his opponent in the dust heading his way.

This team has been behind in all three knock out stage games and come back to win, two of them in shoot outs.

It is a technique that I would like to call their ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic, named by the incomparable Mohamed Ali.

Against England they sat back and even allowed a beautiful goal against. The Brits needed to go for the kill and get that second all important tally.

Harry Kane had it on his foot, just feet from pay dirt.

But keeper Danijel Subasic had other ideas and shut him down.

Even though the Lions went to the dressing room up one at the half, you could see the strain on their faces.

In the second half Wile E. took over. POW, POW, a 2-1 final for the Coyotes.

I think Subasic is the star of the tournament. He has tied the record for saves in shootouts with four, and played on an injured leg doing it against Russia. He was also knocked silly by a big Ruskie late in that game.

As for my main man on the rest of the pitch I love Antoine Griezmann, the pint sized Gaul who doesn’t mind running the length of the field to stop an attack on his own goal. He’s so cute you just want to bundle him up and take him home.

But boy, can he ever play this game on the offensive side.

France are heavy favourites to raise the FIFA World Cup Trophy tomorrow, but watch out, Wile E. is waiting around the corner.