England vs Italy - Match Review: A familiar scoreline, but anything other than 'business as usual'

Aaaannnd breathe. OK, so we've had a couple of day's to let the dust settle in Manaus. We had great feedback from our England vs Italy match preview, so we've decided to give you some light analysis now that we've had chance to take stock of the game, and where it leaves England in regards to Group D. 

England's starting lineup agaisnt Italy on Saturday evening in Manaus

So, England’s first match in Brazil ended in defeat on Saturday night; but the result and England’s performance was anything but ‘business as usual’. For the first time at a major tournament, for well over a decade, England played with a passion, a hunger, and a belief that finally restored a sense of hope and pride amongst England’s long suffering nation of supporters. We here at The Lone Striker believe that's worthy of celebrating. 

The Brains Trust

The Brains Trust

Roy Hodgson has quietly constructed one of them most dynamic management structures that any England coach has ever assembled. Next to long trusted loyal lieutenant Ray Lewington, is the fiery and intensely knowledgeable Gary Neville. Hodgson rules very much through committee rather  than autocratically, and one suspects that the influence of Neville likely swayed Hodgson’s team selection on Saturday evening towards England’s exciting youngsters. Something The Lone Striker feared he wouldn't do, given his reticence to invest his faith in the same group of players in the past.  But ultimately, the buck stops with Hodgson. It takes a certain degree of courage to gamble ‘with the kids’ as Hodgson did against Italy - it’s his job and reputation on the line. His bold, young, attacking lineup was a revelation. There was vindiation too, for his faith in Danny Welbeck, in the face of increasing pressure (including from us) to leave him out of the starting lineup.

Raheem Sterling: A Star Is Born

What became evident just minutes into Saturday’s game was that in Raheem Sterling, England possess one of the most exciting young prospects in world football. Sterling was a constant menace to the Italians who at times had no answer to Sterling’s pace and trickery. Not since Euro 2004 in Portugal have England seen a performance of such sheer fearlessness. A star was born on Saturday night. Let’s just hope that his light burns brighter than those who have come before him.

Danny Welbeck: Faith Repaid

Danny Welbeck was outstanding against The Italians, 
repaying Roy Hodgson's faith in The Manchester United youngster.

Danny Welbeck, the much maligned Manchester United wideman finally repaid the faith of his manager, with his most exceptional performance in an England shirt. Welbeck was relentless in his pursuit to dispossess and pressurise the Italian back line. His tireless performance was a vindication for Hodgson’s refusal to heed calls for Welbeck’s exclusion.

Wayne Rooney: More Frustration for The United Superstar

Rooney cut an increasingly frustrated figure at times against Italy 

It was a mixed night for the under-fire Manchester United star who has come under intense scrutiny, leading up to England’s World Cup. Rooney looked uncomfortable in his starting position on the left of England’s midfield, struggling to grasp his defensive duties, which continually left Leighton Baines exposed and looking vulnerable down England’s left hand side. The Italians all too quickly pounced on this obvious English weakness and clinically continued to target England’s left flank. 

Going forward, Rooney provided England’s superb assist for Sturridge’s goal, and came close to grabbing England’s equaliser in the second half following some superb work to create an opening for himself. 

Ultimately, Rooney needs to do more, and desperately needs a world class performance in order for Hodsgon to continue to justify his place in the starting eleven.  The wolves are at the door for Rooney. With a hungry, and hugely talented Ross Barkley waiting in the wings, and with England’s best player Raheem Sterling excelling in Rooney’s favoured position behind the number 9, Rooney could struggle to finish this tournament as an regular starter.

The Engine Room

The much improved Jordan Henderson continued to impress alongside
 Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.

With Italy (predictably) dominating in possession, England struggled to get Steven Gerrard into the game, and for periods, the England captain became a peripheral figure. But in Gerrard’s Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson, England posses the most improved footballer in the country, over the second half of last season. He looked almost unrecognizable from the player who faced Italy two years ago in Kiev, and it was illustrative that it was Henderson who collared Rooney after The England's equaliser to remind him of his defensive duties - such is his growth in stature inside the England camp.

England again struggled to close down the space around Pirlo the way in which Italy, (the masters of the art) do. But England seemed content to allow Pirlo the time and space to retain the ball deep in Italian territory, knowing that in messrs Sturridge, Welbeck, Sterling and Rooney, England probably possess the most potentially explosive front four of any team at this World Cup - apart from perhaps the Argentineans. 

Apart from Italy’s opening goal - the result of a mass suicidal lapse in concentration, Italy rarely threatened from central midfield areas, and were largely reduced to efforts from distance. This was in large part, due to the industry and discipline of the excellent Henderson, shoring up the space in front of England’s back four throughout.

England's Rear Guard

Glenn Johnson must do more to protect England's centre back pairing

Baines’ vulnerbality down England’s left flank was clearly a cause of concern for Hodgson at the close of the half. In the absence of any effective midfield cover, England started the second half with the excellent Welbeck switched to wide left - but Baines continued to look vulnerable from wide areas, and will rightly feel disappointed that he wasn’t able to close down Candreva’s cross for the (unusually) clinical Balotelli. 

Apart from Cahill being beat by a superb piece of forward movement by Balotelli, ghosting a route to the back post for Italy’s winner, both he and Jagielka looked comfortable throughout. As did  Joe Hart in England’s goal. Despite a nervy start; Hart too, will feel dissaponted that he didn't do better with his old pal's eventual winner.

England must do better to protect the central spine of their back four - which calls upon both Glenn Johnson and Leighton Baines to dominate their respective flanks and to press opposing wide players more aggressively. But these problems are easily rectified in the coming days on England's training pitches.

Goals! Goals! Goals!

Sturridge wheels away after scoring England's superb equalizer

Daniel Sturridge grew in stature throughout the game. An early aversion to gamble in central areas was soon forgiven with a world class finish, after England had carved open Italy in the space of two simple passes - in a way that the Italians singularly failed to do so against the England lineup. 

With England desperately piling forward in the latter stages, the lack of an aerial presence proved a problem. England may have been better served in introducing Rickie Lambert to give them a greater central threat late on, rather than the otherwise impressive Adam Lallana. But critics who called for Andy Carrol's inclusion will point to the fact that the "Geordie Warrior" was excellent against Italy two years ago in Kiev, and the likes of Rooney, Lallana and Sterling were unlikely to win the aerial battles with Chiellini and Barzagli in particular.

The Lone Striker's Verdict

In an almost perverse way, Englands defeat on Saturday night may prove more valuable to this young English squad than a victory would ever have. They were taught valuable lessons at the hands of the Azzurri, that will be of enormous value to these players in this tournament and in tournaments' to come. 

Football at this level is brutally unforgiving, and England were made to pay harshly for two lapses in concentration. But this isn’t any any other tournament, and this isn’t just any other group of England players. 

England have nothing to fear against The Uruguayans this Thursday - even with the return of the mercurial Suarez. On Saturday's showing in Manaus, these are exciting days ahead for Roy Hodgson's new look side.

Strap in an enjoy the ride, it could get bumpy, but one thing is for sure, this could be the start of something very special.

England vs Italy - Match Preview

After four years of waiting for what feels like an eternity,  the most anticipated World Cup of all time is upon us. This evening, Brazil will kick off the greatest Footballing extravaganza in the history of the game when they play host to Croatia, in Säo Paulo. Finally, the footballing world can breathe a collective sigh of relief - The World Cup is here!

In our latest Post, The Lone Striker previews England’s opening matchup; Saturday night’s ‘Rumble in The Jungle’ against four-time World Cup Winners, the mighty Italy, in Manaus. So what can we expect?

The Azzurri

Expect few surprises from the Azzurri. In Gianluigi Buffon, Italy possess one of the great goalkeepers of all time - at 36 it will probably be the last time that the colossus will captain his country in a World Cup, and thus the last time he will attempt to add to his 2006 winners medal. In front of Buffon, will be his Juventus team mates; the centre-back pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. Either side will be Milan duo, Ignazio Abate at right back and Mattia De Sciglio at left back.

Italy Imperious Captain Gianluigi Buffon will be aiming to win his 
second World Cup this summer in Brazil.

In midfield in recent weeks, Cesare Prandelli has experimented with a 4-3-3 formation, but has faced heavy criticism from back home in Italy, concern mounting due to lacklustre performances against The Republic of Ireland and lowly Luxembourg. Expect a return to Prandelli’s favoured 4-3-2-1 formation against England; with Andrea Pirlo, Italy’s conductor-in-chief (also playing  in his last World Cup) partnered in the midfield trio with Daniel de Rossi and Marco Veratti, (who replaces the injured Riccardo Montolivo).

PSG's Marco Verrati will likely play alongside Pirlo and De Rossi in the Italy midfield, 
replacing the injured Riccardo Montolivo.

Playing in front of this midfield three, and behind an Italian number 9 will likely be another of Prandelli’s favourites; Juve’s Claudio Marchisio. Prandelli partnered him during qualifying with Lazio’s Antonio Candreva. However, whoever start as Italy’s number 9, could determine who the decision as to who plays alongside Marchisio.

Who Prandelli chooses to lead the line is the subject of almost frenzied speculation in Italy right now. Serie A’s Capocannoniere; the hugely talented Ciro Immobile, has been a revelation this season. Last Sunday he repeated his club form with a hat-trick in Italy’s final warm up match before they face England, demonstrating the kind of form that has just seen Borussia Dortmund land his signature, to replace the outgoing Robert Lewandowski. If Prandelli chooses to go with Immobile, expect to see Alessio Cerci, who alongside Seria A's top scorer, formed the most explosive forward line in the league last term. Prandelli may well aim to harness their chemistry at club level for the Azzurri.

What to do with a problem like Mario?

Prandelli has shown remarkable faith in the volatile Mario Balotelli - who despite a wretched season at Milan, is still capable of turning a game on its head. Balotelli was outstanding against England two years ago at Euro 2012, and this may just see Prandelli give him the nod ahead of Immobile, but given the recent form of Immobile, don’t count out the idea of the Italian Boss going with the unknown.

All smiles now: Balotelli & Ciro Immobile share a joke at Italy's training camp.
But who will Cesare Prandelli choose to lead his line against England?

Italy’s Probable Lineup

4-3-2-1

The Three Lions

England’s back five - much like Italy’s effectively picks itself. 

Following a dreadful start to last season - which resulted in Manuel Pellegrini dropping him from The Manchester City lineup - since his return Joe Hart has been consistently brilliant, and was a major factor in City’s title success this season. 

Right back will, once again, be England’s biggest concern throughout this World Cup; with the erratic and gaffe-prone Glen Johnson as England’s first choice. The fact that Hodgson has used James Milner at in this role during England’s warm up games has done little to alleviate English anxiety, in a position that they have struggled in since Gary Neville’s retirement. 

England’s remaining back line will be made up of Chelsea’s Gary Cahill, who has increasingly looked a genuine world class centre back at club level this season, and Everton pair Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines. Given the scarcity of genuine cover, the fitness of Cahill and Jagielka will be key for any English success this summer. Both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have had horrendous seasons domestically and have looked poor in England’s warm up matches.

England's centre back pairing of Gary Cahill & Phil Jagielka will look to bring
their excellent club form with them to Brazil this summer.

It is difficult to see Roy Hodgson allowing Andrea Pirlo the time and space to man oeuvre at will and to tear England to shreds like their last meeting at Euro 2012. This time around, expect Jordan Henderson to be given the role of terrier, to close down the space around which Pirlo will look to dictate the play.

Perhaps the most important player in England’s first match will be the Jungle climate of Manaus. In what we already know to be terrible playing conditions, on a dreadful looking pitch, will only be exacerbated by an intimidating temperature of 25+ degrees Celsius, with a humidity up in the high 70’s. Don’t expect two teams looking to press each other high up the pitch early doors. 

Given the premium on possession, expect to see experienced stalwarts Lampard and Gerard marshaling the three-man midfield. Despite a combined age of over 70, Gerard is coming off the back of his best season in years, and the evergreen Lampard has looked excellent for England in their warm up games.

The Old Guard. 

Behind Hodgson’s beloved Rooney, in the absence of Manchester United’s injured  Danny Welbeck, it looks like England will call upon the explosive Raheem Sterling. Sterling is widely reported to have been superb in camp this summer, leaving senior squad members raving about his performances in training. If Hodsgon is wise, he will line Sterling up on the right, thus giving him licence to attack the normally right sided De Sciglio.

The Young Pretender: Raheem Sterling's post season form in an
England shirt has been a huge lifet for The England Camp.

Don’t all groan at once.

Don’t be surprised if Hodgson elects to start with Manchester City’s James Milner. The much maligned multiple Premier League winner rarely fails to deliver when called upon. The attack minded Sterling will look to go forward at every opportunity, and if England face being caught in possession and hit on the break, Milner is a safer option to re-balance a midfield with defensive duties, than the (otherwise excellent) pair of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana.

Our Predicted England Lineup

4-3-2-1

Final Thoughts

This one will be a tight affair, with both sides giving little away. Expect to see the best young English prospect since Paul Gascoigne, Everton's Ross Barkley introduced late in the game, as well as Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Their introduction could do some serious damage to a tiring Italy side not blessed with a great deal of pace. 

For Italy likewise, expect Antonio Cassano & Ciro Immobile to feature in the latter stages, attempting to make a similar impact. If Prandelli introduces Alessio Cerci to stretch England's midfield, we could see Roy Hodgson replace Lampard with Arsenal's Jack Wilshere; whose natural ability and aggression looking to get forward from central areas will be a massive worry for the Italians.

Prediction.*

1-0 England. A tight game of few real chances is decided late on by the explosive Ross Barkley, who introduces himself upon The World Stage.

*Warning. Prediction may contain unsubstantiated hope and optimism.

Don't agree with our lineup? Comment below, or on social media, as to how you would send out the Three Lions!

Book Review - Andrea Pirlo: I Think Therefore I Play with Alessandro Alciato

This summer, Andrea Pirlo will call time on his international career; and the sight of him on The Word Stage in Azzuri will be confined to footballing history. A player universally respected and admired, a player capable of breathtakingly wonderful feats of brilliance, with a poise and style unique in its application. What we will be left with, alongside his appearances for Italian Champions; Juventus (whom Pirlo has just won an unprecedented three Scuddeti in a row), and a back catalogue of superb goals and incredible performances on the World Stage is his book; Andrea Pirlo: I Think Therefore I Play. It is, as the preposterously titled tome suggests, a footballers work of literature like no other. Part autobiography, part musings and reflections on life and the modern game, it feels like someone has glimpsed the inside of a classical 18th century philosopher's diary. Rich in insight and anecdote, with a level of understanding and insight staggeringly rare in the genre of 'Sports Literature.' This is definitely more Rousseau than Gary Neville. And it is the infinitely the better for it.

Pirlo has an analytical, forensic understanding of his game, which he describeds with a wonderfully lucid account of how he has come to play the game the way he does, how he has become the ticking heartbeat, the constructor and creator par excellence for Juventus and the Italian National team.

“I perceive the game in a different way. It’s a question of viewpoints, of having a wide field of vision. Being able to see the bigger picture. Your classic midfielder looks downfield and sees forwards.  I’ll focus instead on the space between me and them where I can work the ball through. It’s more a question of geometry than tactics. The space seems bigger to me. It looks easier to get behind – a wall that can easily be knocked down."

A viewpoint that first drew the attention of Italy's giant's whilst playing for his hometime club Brescia. Watch this wonderful throughball for Roberto Baggio's Goal of The Season in 2001.

As one would expect, much of Pirlo’s experiences concern his trophy-laden decade at AC Milan. His depiction of day to day life at Milan’s legendary training facility Milanello is a riveting tour de force. There are the fleeting helicopter visits from Silvio Berlusconi, universally adored by all the Milan players, who it seems would descend into giddy excitement with his arrival - “Whenever we heard the whir of his helicopter at Milanello, it sparked a positive feeling deep within us. We were like abandoned dogs furiously wagging our tails at the return of our master." Perhaps less pleased was  the ever affable Carlo Ancelloti, publicly chastened with the tactical demands of his boss, “Carlo son, remember that I want to see the team play with two strikers.”

There is the frankly staggering recollection of Milan’s Turkish head coach, Fatih Terim,  communicating to his players through an interpreter who, it soon becomes clear, knows dangerously little Turkish. This is not before an eye witness account of the most infamous training ground bust-up in Milan’s history; the fight between Zlatan Ibrahimovic & U.S. International, Oguchi Onyewu - “I saw them laying into one another like two bully boys from the roughest estate. They were trying to kill each other.”

There are tales of Rino Gattuso’s penchant for retaliating to squad banter with acts of violence carried out with cutlery - “Gatusso would grab a fork and try to stick it in us.” More worryingly still were his tales of success - “some of us ended up missing games because of one of Rino’s fork attacks, even if the official explanation from the club was one of muscle fatigue.”  

Pirlo in action for AC Milan.

Gattuso it seems, was enforcer in chief at Milan - “Rino’s word was law at Milan, and anyone new to the club was aware that the first thing they’d have to do if they made a mistake was explain themselves to him. Just having this knowledge drastically reduced the chances of people fucking up.”

What you do get is the picture of a player, and of an individual who knows his worth, who understands his monetary value in the modern marketplace. But it’s a sense of personal value that somehow never falls into blind arrogance or an uneasy sense of egotism. Pirlo has won everything of worth there is to win in the game (bar The European Championships) but personal accolades have somehow always eluded him:

"I cant abide the cliché, 'only the teams success matters - I don't care about my own.' Its the tiresome complaint of those who have no personal ambition, whether for want of class or lack of character."

You can feel his anger and sadness at missing out on The Balon d'Or, barely able to bring himself to watch the ceremony with his young son on TV. This sense becomes particularly acute when Pirlo discusses the Uefa Player of The Tournament award at the 2012 European Championships. Despite being widely considered the outstanding player of the tournament in an often brilliant Italian side, he untimely lost out on the accolade to Spain’s Andres Iniesta, after Italy were hammered 4-0 in the final, at the hands of Iniesta’s and the gang. A Spanish side, it has to be said that at times, were dire to watch and had none of the cutting edge (until the final at least) that Pirlo provided for Italy.

"Italy is simply more important. More Important than Inter, Milan Juventus or any other
club side. Its the biggest deal there is."

For fans of the perennially underachieving England team, Pirlo’s insights into his motivation for representing his country will strike a chord at the very heart as to what place International football holds during The Champions League era.  His attitude is likely to be viewed with anathema by more than a few England internationals throughout the last decade. For Pirlo, it is clear where representing his country ranks in importance of his professional career.

“Italy is simply more important. More important than Inter, Milan, Juventus or any other club side. It’s the biggest deal there is”

“Players know that if they get injured with Italy, there’ll be trouble waiting for them when they return to their clubs. And yet I'll never reign myself in or take a backwards step – for me, that would be high treason."

Pirlo as a Juventino.

There are plenty of 'What If's?" from Pirlo's career. After the World Cup in 2006, he had all but signed for Fabio Cappelo's Real Madrid, whilst Milan were awaiting their fate from The Calciopoli match fixing scandal. Pirlo, though his love for Milan is obviously one of genuine affection, is erudite when explaining the limits to this affection, particularly when it meant the prospect of playing in Serie B."There was no way I was going to pay for other peoples sins."

A move to Chelsea In 2009 to join his great friend and Mentor Carlo Ancelotti was only averted after Pirlo was handed a blank contract by Milan and told to fill in the wage demands himself. This, sadly, denied English Football fans the chance to see one of the great footballers of the modern game ply his trade in England.

And in the summer of 2010, Pep Guardiola personally reached out to Pirlo with the offer of playing at The Camp Nou. Something of a personal dream for Pirlo, who had idolised both Pep The Player & Pep The Coach - “He builds teams, moulds them, berates them, guides them, nurtures them. He makes them great. He takes them to a higher level; a place beyond mere football. On what it would of took for Pirlo to play in Catalonia - “Id have crawled there."

Pirlo is remarkably tapped in to the problems facing the domestic game in Italy, and in particular its increasingly antiquated infrastructure, which has suffered from years of systemic underinvestement. He argues along with many critics, how important the promotion of Club owned stadia is to the future of the game in Italy. Juventus are currently the only side in Serie A who own their stadium, with most still renting from Municipal Council bodies. This has resulted in many Serie A ground’s falling into disrepair. As we write, Milan & Inter have both agreed in principle to leave the increasingly dated and decrepit San Siro by 2017, but given the frequency with which these announcements have been made over the last two decades, its perhaps best to view this plan with more than a small dose of pessimism.

Capital giants Roma, at last are finally headed out of the much unloved Stadio Olympico they share with city rivals Lazio, to move into Stadio Della Roma - a brand new purpose built football ground on the outskirts of the city, based on the model of Juve’s ultra modern stadium in Turin. 

Many have seen this as responsible for the violence and hooliganism still prevalent in the Italian game. With stadiums not owned by clubs, there is a very real relauctance for them to tackle the issues inside stadia that have blighted The Italian game for decades. Pirlo has been a voice calling for change across Italian football, ending with a stark warning that, “Lets be honest, were not far away from the abyss.”

This book is not an emotive 'tell-all' footballers autobiography. If anything, its probably the least personal volume you will ever read, penned by a footballer. But then, that's the point, Andrea Pirlo isn't just any other footballer, and as he himself writes, "Some sentiments should belong to me alone." Quite. It is a brilliant work of literature - lucid, funny, utterly compelling, with a supporting cast of the Great and The Good of Football's elite from across the last decade, with whom Pirlo has spent his life. 

Pirlo’s great friend, Alessandro Del Piero, “Something more than a mere footballer, one of the all time greats.” His Milan team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, “a ticking timebomb of a human being.” On his mentor and coach at Milan, Carlo Ancelotti, “If you’re a player who wants to get on and give everything, you won’t find anyone better than him.” On his idol and teammate, Paolo Maldini, “An example and an inspiration, a compass that I’ll carry with me not just for the rest of my playing days but for the rest of my life.”

In decades to come, historians, fans, and writers will come to see this book as what it is, a timeless snapshot of elite European football in 2014.  It will rightly be regarded in years to come as a classic.