It’s the expectation, not the hope, that kills you.

MILKING WILDCARDS MAKES WHINE

THE PICTURE of a cockatoo with huge yellow spikes of plumage protruding from its head adorned the front page of Brazilian paper Zero Hora.

That was the response of the nation’s media to the Samba Boys’ draw against Switzerland, with Neymar’s new hairstyle (right) drawing more analysis than the game itself.

Other reactions to the downbeat start included the front page headline “Haircuts 10 Football 0” as Extra weighed in with an observation of their own.

Over in Germany, Julian Brandt was taken to task after the world champs flopped against the Mexicans.

Bayer Leverkusen’s midfielder responded to a shouted request for a selfie from a supporter as he left the arena at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Outrage

He said that his grinning pose was done on the spur of the moment and “thought nothing more of it”.

That was until he saw the outrage on social media as one innocent picture at an inopportune moment became a stick to beat him mercilessly.

Mesut Ozil’s body language has been compared to that “of a dead frog” and a variety of pundits have demanded his head on a platter.

Perhaps they can shove it on one of the cockatoo’s spikes, for good measure.

Here, in Sochi, with access to two of football’s superpowers, who have suffered hiccups in their opening fixtures, pressure is really being brought to bear. It’s not being helped when superstars, such as Rivaldo, are ramping it up on Tite’s players. This was his take before a ball had even been kicked.

“Brazil is the favourite at every World Cup because of its tradition,” he said. “Only being champions is good. I was second in ’98. It’s worthless. Pressure is always there.

“It’s expected for us. We are only bothered about being champions.” It’s easy when sitting at home, watching international tournaments, to fail to appreciate just how high the expectations are in other countries. Is it media-driven? It’s reflected in the media, certainly.

Fawning

The argument then becomes about whether or not the press – and broadcasters – are really reflecting the mood of the country. Was Neymar’s haircut a topic for discussion? One glance down social media, with phrases such as “spaghetti head” prominent, suggests it was a valid talking point. It has been interesting to view first-hand. Before Brazil’s first fixture, the line of questioning from the floor towards midfielder Paulinho was almost fawning. Ninety minutes and three days later, questions directed at Philippe Coutinho took a decidedly tougher line.

My point is this. The next time people talk about pressure being on the shoulders of England’s players, you have to put it into context.

The key difference is the weight of expectation.

England’s players have never gone into a tournament as clear favourites, like those of Germany and Brazil.

We travel in hope – those two in expectation. Anything less than a tournament win and there’s an inquest. England’s players? Judging by what I’ve seen this week, they really don’t have much to moan about on that score. GREAT line this week from an interview with Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku.

He wrote about his tough upbringing in the Brussels suburbs revealing, among other things, how he watched his mum mix water with milk to make it go further.

The standout line for me was: “You don’t play around with a boy that’s hungry.”

Who knows whether Lukaku was speaking literally or figuratively.

But it is to be wondered if that has ever crossed the minds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, who regularly toss out wildcard entries to home-grown talent at Wimbledon that maybe don’t deserve it. Defeat in either of the main draws now carries a £39,000 pay-day.

Don’t qualify, turn up, play, lose and earn £39,000 for less than two hours’ work.

Very little chance of those sportspeople going hungry. Even at Wimbledon prices.