Everywhere you look at the Euros just now you seem to see a Chelsea connection. There was Mateo Kovacic letting Mason Mount know that when the national kit is on, club loyalties are set by the wayside. That was a crunching challenge you wouldn’t normally get in training at Cobham!

Jorginho picked up where he left off in the Champions League final, this time controlling the Italian midfield with aplomb. The Germany v France game tonight is the biggest of the tournament so far and it is littered with Chelsea stars. The biggest disappointment was not seeing Billy Gilmour doing the same thing as Jorginho when Scotland rocked up at Hampden Park to face the Czech Republic.

The Scots were rocked quickly enough by Patrik Schick’s two goals. The second is the iconic positive moment of the tournament so far. Scoring from 47 yards was genius and on the TV it looked incredible. It looked incredible in the stadium, too but, and there is always a but, Scotland’s keeper was so far off his line he was in danger of being offside in his home team’s attack!

High up in the stands co-commentating for the BBC, Patrik Schick was not the only Patrick to have noticed the wandering goalie. I had, too. It was an open invitation, but it was also a fabulous piece of technique. Remember Charlie Adam against Chelsea? There was Beckham of course and even Pele back in the 1970 World Cup for Brazil, even though he didn’t actually score.

That was my second commentary of the tournament, but why wasn’t I angry, distraught or even particularly downtrodden at 90 minutes? After all, being Scottish and a former international, I have got some skin in that particular game. The reason was the first game I covered.

I was so excited to be setting the scene for Finland v Denmark at the Parken Stadium. It would be great to see how Andreas Christensen and his friends, my tip for the surprise side of the tournament, would manage against their near neighbours and huge outsiders Finland. The surprise 1-0 win to the Finns was unimportant in the end after the horror that visited Christian Eriksen. Be you a fan at the stadium, watching on TV, commentating for the radio as I was, or more importantly an opponent or team-mate on the field, or even more horrifyingly a watching family member, it was traumatic for everyone involved.

You cannot watch those events unfold and then a couple of days later go into a decline because your team lost a football match, that would feel ridiculous. I do not care what happens between now and the final. The best result of this tournament was delivered by the medics that brought Christian back from beyond the brink. We all send our best wishes for the best possible recovery for a player we always respected, and were even regularly undone by, at Chelsea.

It was probably the most difficult coverage I have ever had in nearly 30 years of commenting on the game on TV and radio, but hopefully it was done in a respectful and caring way. Thanks to all of those who got in touch to say it was.

When you add on top of that terrifying evening the fact that we are still in the midst of a pandemic, there is only one thing to do, and that is to have some perspective. Whether or not your team wins, loses or draws, just enjoy every moment of this tournament, whether it is on the TV, radio or at the stadiums.

I say that, but the next game I will be at is on Friday when Wembley hosts that most iconic of fixtures, England v Scotland. And yes I am still brave enough to be looking forward to it. There is certainly a decent chance that Mason Mount will look up and see Billy Gilmour in his face and that alone would that be a great thing for Chelsea fans to watch. In years to come those two could play against each other quite a few times at Wembley or Hampden Park, because at their age, there is at least a decade of time in the national teams to look forward to.

For the moment I will keep my focus only on the game this Friday, however, and hope that it is a spectacle that we can all enjoy. At least there are fans inside the stadiums now and that certainly makes a huge difference to the competition. At Hampden Park a defeat would usually have been followed by moans and groans but this time, because the team fought well, and worked hard, but more importantly because everyone was happy just to be there, there was still a surprisingly positive buzz after the final whistle. That is the spirit of this competition.

The first round of games is almost over so we have had a chance to look at just about everyone. Has that changed any minds about the eventual winners?

Spain seem to have an obvious dilemma with Alvaro Morata having a similar problem he had at Chelsea; movement perfect, positional instinct very good, chance conversion rate, not so hot. That could be their downfall.

England are in with a shout as they dominated their first game with maturity and look as if there is much more to come. Belgium look the part even without Kevin De Bruyne so far and Eden Hazard will only improve as the tournament goes on, so they are right in the mix to win it.

There is little doubt that the opening game by Jorginho’s Italy made a few people think again about the Azzurri’s chances. There are weaknesses in the group but with that ageing backline desperate to have one last hurrah, they will be in the shake-up at the business end of the tournament. They also happen to be on a great run.

Germany will also have a chance but only if Timo Werner takes a good percentage of his chances, and Kai Havertz continues his exponential rise in form. If that happens, do not bet against them.

For me, however, France are still the team to beat in the long term. The first game can go either way and all the judgements above are tricky because the winners are usually a team that ‘grows into’ the tournament. I suspect if they can keep N’Golo Kante fit they will go all the way because right now, he is the best player playing in any of the 24 teams.