MC11 Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 According to Joey Barton's new blog, Italy completed 93.2% of their passes against England last Saturday. The highest percentage since 1966. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nikica Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 (edited) As much as I have insulted Gerrard, to be fair they really were outnumbered in the middle of the park. Italy have possibly the best midfield in the tournament, and Pirlo was key to everything. He just sits and runs the entire game, while De Rossi, Marchisio and Verratti did more running for him, as he's always required. Candreva did well coming in off his flank too. England were outnumbered in the middle and the Italians had the ball for fun - they weren't really harrassed, especially after Welbeck went off, as Hodgson really emphasises safety first, keeping their shape, and breaking at pace with Welbeck, Sterling etc. The fact that the Italians are all excellent technical players themselves doesn't hurt. De Rossi can also sit as a third centre-back or plays there completely in a 3-5-2. England pressed well from time to time, but the Italians were too savvy and technically sound to be troubled by it in the main. Some of the game was reminiscent of the 2011 CL Final. In that game Barca were essentially 4 vs 2 in the middle against Man U, with Messi dropping deep and Rooney allowing Busquets free reign to initiate attacks. The other night was the same really - Italy were packed in the middle and it gave Gerrard and Henderson too much to do, because Rooney was useless tucking in and Welbeck and Sterling did okay defensively but didn't really press to the level required. There isn't much being said about Italy this time around, but they're a proper tournament team - they either flop or do brilliantly, it's rarely in between. This time it looks they mean business. They can seamlessly switch between 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2, and with guys like Abate, De Sciglio and Darmian they appear to have some of the better full-backs/wing-backs in the tournament. They also have two excellent goalkeepers, the aforementioned midfield, and great attacking options in Immobile and the inside forward Insigne, who can come on if Balotelli isn't performing or they need to change shape. I can see them getting to the QF and meeting Chile or Holland. I'm actually quite surprised nobody was talking about them pre-tournament, although early kick-offs in extreme heat, playing the other game in Manaus, and the supposed difficulty of their opponents were probably contributory factors to that. With the way the tournament is going, they'll now go and lose to Costa Rica tomorrow. Edited June 19, 2014 by Nikica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC11 Posted June 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 I always follow the Italians. Master tacticians and I've said it from the start. At least the semis for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nikica Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 I always follow the Italians. Master tacticians and I've said it from the start. At least the semis for them. Other than the occasions when they totally fuck it up and go out in the section or last 16 (Euro 96, WC 2010, robbery vs Korea Rep in 2002), they're a proper tournament team. It's a cliche but they often start slowly and feel their way into tournaments. They get better as time goes on. I got the feeling against England that you were playing well, but I never felt Italy were particularly concerned and that they could have upped the ante at any moment. They played a smart game in the difficult conditions, and England really ran out of gas after starting quickly. Italy played the smarter game, are the better team, and deserved the win. I think this England team can play better football than plenty of the recent teams, but I was quite surprised that so many tipped England to win. I certainly felt it was a possibility but more of an off-chance. MC11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC11 Posted June 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Totally agree mate. It was a sort of "hope" we'd win from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nikica Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Totally agree mate. It was a sort of "hope" we'd win from me. Yes. In saying that Enland did okay. I think you have better chance of beating Uruguay, who aren't really that great imo. It's a difficult game to predict. Costa Rica are no pushovers either. Didn't think they'd qualify but didn't feel they were mugs either. I have tipped Italy to beat them 3-1 but that's more because of Italy's quality rather than Costa Rica's lack thereof. If it comes out to a shootout between you and they then a 1pm kick off in Belo Horizonte might be difficult (although i believe the venue is in the south so thereby cooler than the NE). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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