The PC peace-pods that write blogs about football are all agreeing about two things: that the Portuguese are arrogant and wrong, and that Germany is playing the most exciting and attractive football in the World Cup, and that English players might play with courage, but they have no skill in taking penalties, and they are overpaid and and clown-like. That's three.

Notwithstanding the foolishness of these general statements, one thing is for sure - Germany are good, and the country is very welcoming to the football tourists. Even though Torsten Frings punched an Argentinian, the Germans are nice people - this is the central revelation for those web-writing about football.

But you know who has won the moral victory of this World Cup? California! In the positive-thinking, fitness-obsessed, fat-man-purging management that Jürgen Klinsmann has put together, the dusty minds of the old continent have been blown open and the mood of positivism has blossomed in the summer heat and now the country itself is starting to become like California. We love everyone and smile a lot. This is Klinsmann's doing personally. He's a nice guy, and now everyone wants Germany to win.

I don't. My favourite part of football is the big fights, and I'm looking forward to some dirty elbows tomorrow.