Jour-J

Friday and Saturday spent in Metz. I will stop being overly positive about the city but it is a definite morale booster to walk around a city where people act natural, women look ultra-good and the food is scrumptious rather than the sort of catwalk of silicone infested women and fake restos that exist this side of the nuclear station. The sun was a great companion in a day spent shopping lazily in the company of Edmond and later of Konsu. We concluded (very objectively) that something must have been implanted in the diet of the girls around these parts as they seem to be blessed with the best collection of bosoms that ever graced a high street shopping Saturday.

Anyway, smalltalk apart, it was also interesting to experience the nervous, jittery talk on the street. Everybody had this evening's match on their mind. Dogs had th tricolore painted onto them, shop assistants had the french flag painted on their face. Metz's audacious Italian community did not lie back. In Place St. Jacques - the main square of the town - one of the main shops is owned by an Italian, and he has hung the poster of the Italian vicotrs of 1982 in a prominent place for all to see and remember.

An interesting village to be in tonight would be Villerupt. The post-war migratory waves of Italian coal mine workers have made this town a veritable mix of people who come from both sides of the Alps. It is the French town which holds the Italian Film Festival every year - where this year we were treated to Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo live. It appears that whole families have split allegiances for one or other of the transalpine tricolore.

What is good is that the French seem to respect the Italians, there is nothing like the build-up for the Germany match going on. On the other hand I would have a note of warning for the Italians... the French attitude of having already won their world cup by getting to the final may cut both ways. They might be appeased and succumb early to an Italian onslaught or otherwise, they might have nothing to lose and end up playing the game of their lives.

And don't forget... this is also the last match for one of the gods from the Pantheon of football... Zizou might want to go out with a bang. On the other hand, Italy always have a quiet second gear who could lift them up to the Olympic heights - should they give him a chance to do so of course.

As Fantozzi and Ragionier Mughini used to say: "Win the best!"