England v Wales, Lions v Dragons, Tuchel v Bellamy

When England were humiliated by Iceland at Euro 2016, the players' pain was deepened on seeing a viral video of Wales players celebrating their loss.

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They felt it disrespectful. The Welsh were certainly daft to let footage filmed by a player somehow escape on to social media. England didn't forget and took their anger into the World Cup group game against the Welsh at the 2022 World Cup. Speaking to Luke Shaw before the match, we were left in no doubt how motivated England were. They duly thrashed Wales 3-0.

In October, England play Wales for the first time since Qatar and the game is ambitiously billed as a friendly. It can't be. There's too much rivalry, too much water under the Severn Bridge. England should have taken Welsh mocking as a compliment, a reminder they are still stirred by history and a desire to undermine opponents too often perceived as overlords.

Even the England press team has felt the Dragons fire. Back in the noughties, we were playing a fundraiser at Ninian Park for a local hospice. The Welsh press team were determined to win and packed their side with those with loose media connections like Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, Neville Southall and Micky Thomas. To deal a knockout blow to our flickering chances Wales even had the heavyweight Joe Calzaghe in their corner - and at their corners. There wasn't a rush to mark him.

It's natural competition between neighbours. It's why England fans cheered Patrick Kluivert's goal for the Netherlands against their own side at Wembley at Euro '96; it meant the Dutch stayed in the tournament and Scotland were out. It's why my respect for the Scottish tennis champion, Andy Murray, grew when he said he would support whoever England's opposition were. It showed that Murray was a real fan of Scotland, and football, and was guided by tribalism.