England versus Italy hardly recalls memories of iconic past games. After all these two venerable nations have met just twice in tournament football; Italy winning both in the 1980 European Championships, and at the 1990 World Cup, third place play-off. Indeed, the Azzurri has the edge in recent meetings, having lost just once to England in the past 35 years. That loss came at the height of Glenn Hodle’s ‘chic’ England side at Le Tournoi, Nantes, in 1997, when Ian Wright and Paul Scholes scored.
Neither side was much fancied to make an impact on Euro 2012, but one will certainly reach the semi-finals after tonight’s fixture in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. However, it is, perhaps, Italy that has caught the eye to date – looking impressive against Spain in the opening fixture. But Roy Hodgson’s functional England side has warmed into the tournament – few expect anything other than an even match tonight.
Join United Rant Live for more comment, chat and analysis on this Euro 2012 quarter-final. We’ll be with you live with team news from around 7pm, with preamble, updates and quotes throughout the day.
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URL…
Alf – ?
I think me and Roy Keane are the only people who rate Italy
United Rant Live… U.R.L.
Sorry Mate…
I have absolutely no idea why I felt the need to post that.
England have never beaten a top nation in the knock out stages of a tournament away from home
We’re just not very good at football
convoluted stat
Yeah, but we’re hell at drinking.
Watching that lead in to the game… it’s true… England have actually had some brutal bad luck over the past 20 years, or so…
Never mind the 66, “goal, or not”… that’s been cancelled out, many times over.
COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuck me… I thought this was going to be a dull game!
battering em
Rooney has been Englands worst player… and England have played some good football.
Milner is the most pointless England player in the team. All he’s good at is giving the ball away. I really wish Hodgson would fuck the useless cunt off.
We need to play the ball quicker and stop giving the ball away so much.
I’d like to see Welbeck get into the game more. Our wide men need to provide some actual service. Young has done very little in terms of creating an attacking threat.
In terms of worst players for England, Milner and Young have been shittest this tournament, although at least Young created that chance for Rooney against Ukraine that he should have buried.
he’s been given the park job on pirlo
they’re not even playing wingers and johnson still needs help
young has been shite through the tournament
Fuck
De Rossi howler
England rattled
Italy should be winning this
Every time we give the ball away it leads to an Italy chance.
The best defence in the tournament is getting done over and over
England have under performed big time.
They were alright in the first half Sheesh, apart from the defence
The attacking play is non existent second half though
I take that back… Young has been worse.
Gash…
England had a decent 15 to 20 mins but Italy took over after that. England are hanging on. Painful to watch. De Rossi off at least.
If we go out tonight, Young will be scapegoat. The media will rip him to pieces.
People older than me… Have you ever seen a worst 45 minutes from England?
They just can’t keep the ball
The problem with England, is they’re so fuckin impatient.
The first 20 minutes, England played excellent football… that’s what they’re capable of… but then, when it doesn’t happen right away, and the Italians start passing it around, England lose their passing discipline, and try to force it… get the ball, and can’t wait to get it back up the pitch… fuck the slick passing, just lump it up there, and let’s get on with it…
Doesn’t matter who wins here… they’ll be too knackered to deal with the Germans
Rate him or not… Parker has not let anyone down.
I never thought I would see the day when England would play for penalties.
I fancy England to win the shootout
This is their get out of jail card
Horrible…
Fuck it!
England and Rooney’s played as expected.
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
I was wrong… Justice has been done
Hanson’s comments were spot on, the gulf in class was embarrassing
The English game is in a critical condition. We’re shit.
There will be the inevitable debate about how to fix it, but will anything change?
From an outside viewpoint I would look towards some positives.
I think Hodgson is the right man, preparation was spot on, the players were organised well enough defensively and most of that team gave it their all. With players like Wilshire to come back and players like Walker coming through England will be able to play a more expansive attacking game in tournaments to come. This was a massive improvement in all depts to the disaster that was the World Cup and fans and the media should not forget this.
Italy were good, Pirlo is an ace of a player. I could say he rolled back the years with that performance but he has been doing that for Juve all season and he was somehow a free transfer. That penalty took admirable bollocks. Italy gave Spain a great game in the group stage and I think them and Germany might be close enough.
Look at Pirlo running Parker in a circle… What a player
Scholes could have done a similar job for England
Agree about Woy. Exceeded expectations with the little time he had with preparing the side. Made brave decisions in picking the squad.
There are positives. We had a lot of character and played well in spells.
We would also have held the ball better with Carrick in the team but ultimately Italy had too much.
Portugal supporter now. Go Ronnie!
Embarrassing, this Italy side are not that good, but shamed us.
This is the same Italian side that gave Spain a game so they’re not bad. Their midfield is outstanding. Their only real problem was up front.
Imagine if Italy left Pirlo at home and took Parker instead
Shows you the difference in approach both nations have towards football
Spain had a poor game that day, Germany will chew them up and spit them out.
So what happens now… This team was only a temporary bodge in order to try and come up with a respectable finish.
Is Hodgson going to get them passing the ball like most of our good players do for their clubs (United, Chelsea, City), and like the rest of the world have been doing for 5 or 6 years now (even North Korea knock it about at ease nowadays and they are virtually closed off from the world FFS. They matched Brazil at times during the last World Cup.)
Or are we going to continue to celebrate lionheart cunts like Parker over gifted ball players like Carrick and Scholes who we left at home. Because if that mentality continues, and we continue to boo our players when they pass the ball between defence and midfield, then fuck all is going to change.
This St Georges Park football centre has to yield technically able footballers who are encouraged to pass the ball. But it also has to change our approach to the game… And, well good luck with that.
since when does cole miss pens, he never misses
Carrick is fine against Norwich and Bolton but unfortunately he can’t do it against the big European teams as he has shown countless times in the Cl.
I know people compare him to Pirlo but its blasphemy and baseless.Pirlo is World class ,he drifts all over the pitch demanding the ball and controling it under pressure (like it’s stuck to his feet).
Wilshire and Scholes for me are the only English players who have that class.
Both badly needed against Italy tonight but in fairness the culture of Football in the Premier league of impatient get it forward quick dosn’t help.
How Chelsea for eg won the Cl is baffling.
No emphasis on ball control, improvisation or general tackling . But it’s the same in Ireland , Scotland Wales for eg. In general that is.
Yeah was shocked, he has balls and can be relied on under pressure.
tbf, the germans would have murdered england
so all in all a better tournament than expected getting to the quarters but the failings and weaknesses were pretty well exposed last night
I didn’t think Parker was bad at all. The problem is that you have Gerrard and Milner who do the same thing. Three combative midfielders is shit. By the same token, three Pirlo’s would have been shit too (Arsenal). De Rossi, Balzaretti and Machisio were excellent – the showed the grit to get the ball back and keep it.
Italians had 60% plus possession.
Scholes would have been fucked after 30 mins. Scholes has not played like Pirlo did last night for at least four years. Also Scholes can’t do shit if he surrounded by
people who can’t control the ball.
Parker, Gezza and Milner can pass – Milner and Gezza are excellent passers but when it comes to close ball control and fending of the player to create space and a worthwhile pass – not some side shifting crap, they fail. they are just incapable. we just don;t have the players.
Wilshere and Oxbridge are the closest things engurland have for a future that does not involved chasing shadowns. both can pass, both are very skilful in close control and both have bollocks.
Wilshere, Oxbridge
rooney was an abomination. he was clearly unfit but wodgson did not have the balls to drop him.
Am I the only person in England who sees what the problem is?
English football has a losers complex.
They simply do not have the mentality to win the big games.
And it’s the whole nations fault… we accept defeat, like it’s expected.
Maybe it’s because I grew up in Canada, raised on American sports, and their “in your face” mentality, that I feel I see something, that to me is so obvious… Australians see it, so do the Germans… they take the piss out of England for it.
Read the papers this morning, or the various forums,(like this one) and you see a nation that feels England were taught a footballing lesson by the better team… Bollocks!… this Italian team are ordinary at best, and I fully expect them to be put in their proper place by Germany… so how did they make England look so bad?
They didn’t… England did that all by themselves.
Now that it’s over, the press, the pundits, the population are all singing the same song… England just aren’t good enough, can’t pass the ball, can’t keep possession… again, this is all bullshit…. just because we DON’T do these things, doesn’t mean we can’t… so what’s the problem?
For the first 20 minutes last night, England showed their real ability… we passed incisively, and played some very good attacking football… sure, it’s direct at times, but that’s OK… that’s the English game… it doesn’t have to be “tippy-tappy”, 20 passes to get the ball up the pitch… but it wasn’t the desperate, long punt up the pitch rubbish either… then it all turned to shit… and the press would have you believe that Italy took hold of the game, and England had no answer… bollocks!
Before the game started… the entire BBC punditry bench was saying the same thing… don’t allow Pirlo to dictate the game! Everyone knew this… so, deal with Pirlo! Don’t allow him time and space… simple!
He didn’t have to do a fuckin thing to find time and space… it was ridiculous… he literally walked around the pitch, and had all the time and space in the world to control the game… and after 20 minutes, England just stopped playing football… retreated into their shell and let him run the show… what was that all about?
Italy played well… they should… they’re one of the great footballing nations… but this is not a very good Italian side, and if we’d done a proper job on Pirlo, they wouldn’t have created much at all.
But anyway… this is all beside the point… now that it’s over… the whole nations attitude is very predictably defeatist… “”come back down to earth and acknowledge that we’re just not good enough”.
Where’s the anger??? because that’s what Americans, Australians, Germans would be feeling now…
They’d all be seething at the failure to deal with Pirlo… and how we stopped playing proper football after only 20 minutes.
England just says, “well done lads, you tried your best”…
Fuck off!… that was rubbish… England could have, and should have beaten this Italian team… but after 20 minutes, we completely stopped trying to win, and just resorted to hanging on in pathetic desperation… how does that mentality creep in?
That’s where the inquest should start!
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
I don’t know, teams know England play 4-4-2 with wingers who don’t come inside. Italians just clog the middle and England can’t get wide men involved unless they come inside which they never do.
The fact that there is no backlash is the surprising thing. Usually any exit for England from a major comp is treated like Brazil got knocked out in the group stage.
I don’t understand this shit that “there was great team spirit” “the fans were excellent” “we showed character”
We got our arses handed out to us. We try hard but are crap.
Yesterday, we ran out of gas after 60 mins partly because we chase the ball for most of the game but also because we are unfit.
we just can’t handle the pace because we it comes to managing space and time, and position to get the ball back, we have no brains. our efficiency of movement is diabolical.
barca, bayern, real, sporting batter teams because of economy and intelligent of movement on and off the ball, as well as supreme physical conditioning.
Better physical conditioning, aye. That’s supposed to be one of our strengths. But the Italians didn’t look knackered after 120 minutes. Pirlo didn’t tire at all.
So that’s another one of the myths debunked; that they won’t be able to handle our physicality and our supreme fitness… along with the usual ‘they won’t be able to handle our pace & power’ bullshit.
Remember this for next time.
absolutely Sid.
i am completely perplexed about this Wodgson and England squad wanking off on the basis that they had spirit, courage, character.
now what does that exactly mean? can anyone put anything tangiable on that? in what way did this england squad have more spirit, courage and character then Bobby Robson’s, Capello’s, Hoddle’s or SGE’s squad? How did Gazza, Shearer, Sheringham, Waddle and Lineker show less courage?
it’s the standard smokescreen behind which failure and delusion is covered up.
until an England player is taught that football is as much about technique, artistry and physical conditioning, in addition to he-man power and guts, we will collectively fail as a nation, generation after generation.
i actually feel honoured to see Italy last night. It was by far the best display of artistry and combative mix at an international level. for them to have sustained that level of performance is nothing short of phenomenal.
i really have a lot of respect of them now.
lol, Italy were crap, and I’m not even British. Pirlo should not have been afforded that much space. Even Fergie with the technical mastermind Phelan at his side could see that when United played Milan in 09/10.
Admittedly, Rooney should have harried him more, but he looks tired/disinterested (good job with the penalty though, top class).
“Spirit, courage, character” – Hodgson is just coming out with the usual post-match English rhetoric to satisfy a disappointed nation. If he came out and said “We’re shit now but we’re going to start passing the ball” I’d hit the roof with fucking joy.
The push to create England players who appreciate “technique, artistry and physical conditioning” should get under way now. England has been embarrased by a gulf in class – again. Expectations are so low that now is the time to make radical changes. Hodgson was given the job because he’s a ‘hands on’ manager who gets involved in all aspects of the squad from training to the youth set up (unlike Redknapp), so presumably he’s going to be involved in the St George’s Park football centre that is designed to create players who are technically as good as anything on the continent, and who pass the ball.
But these players have to be allowed to play, and that includes the FA, the manager and the fans. No more booing when they’re comfortably passing the ball between defence and midfielder because that kind of simple ball retention is what gives you control of a 90 minute knock out game. It’s how United, Chelsea, Arsenal, City beat teams every week.
I don’t want to see us hog the ball like Spain. But I do want to see a generation of players who are allowed to express themselves, who can pass & move, play one touch, play from back to front quickly, sharply, or slow & methodically if they want – basically like United do.
Btw what the fuck was Hart doing grunting and roaring on the goal line during the penalty shoot out?
…
“i actually feel honoured to see Italy last night. It was by far the best display of artistry and combative mix at an international level. for them to have sustained that level of performance is nothing short of phenomenal.”
They were so good in fact, that they couldn’t score a goal in a 120 minutes… against easily the worst opposition left in the tournament.
Italy would do well to count themselves lucky… they would have lost against any of the other teams.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
that was sad. he was supposed to do a grobbelar. ended up looking like a cunt.
Other nations are better technically than we are. This has all to do with the way players learn how to play as youngsters. We’re still getting used to the idea of teaching kids to be comfortable with the ball than cover as many acres of space as possible. We’re still getting used to the idea of using smaller pitches. The Germans and the Spaniards had this stuff figured out ages ago.
That’s why expectations are so low in respect of the current batch of England players. We are moving towards the more technical side albeit relatively slowly. It is all very well bemoaning people accepting defeat but the Italian midfield is ahead of ours. I would have liked to have seen Scholes and Carrick picked but maybe Hodgson wanted to make a break with the past with Scholes. Carrick didn’t even want to come to be considered for selection.
I thought we would be lucky to get out of the group so my expectations were surpassed.
Aye. We’re still turning people away for being too small… It beggars belief… 3 of the 4 best players in the world are small FFS. But beause it’s assumed they won’t be able to ‘hold their own’ in the Premier League, they’re dumped.
In the era of the best club team that ever existed, that made its name passing and moving, what were the English doing? Hoofing it, and turning kids away for being too small. Embarrassing.
My concern is that unless more Premier League teams start adapting their game to incorporate a style that is based around knocking the ball about on the deck, there won’t be a call for technically adept English players and talent will continue to be squandered like it is now, where young English kids spend too much time in the gym and not enough time with a football on the training pitch. Also, all too often English players are brought in for grit and strength, and it’s the foreign players who do all the skillful stuff. In an ideal world United wouldn’t be looking abroad for a skillful creative midfielder with bags of tricks to replace Scholes. We should be able to produce one ourselves.
One plus is that clubs like United are allowed to work with kids for longer than 90 minutes a day. So long as they’re training the right thing we might see some results.
Rewatching the penalty shoot out… Pirlo’s penalty won it for Italy
England were in the ascendency at that point, it was 2-1 England, Montolivo had missed, Rooney had scored, Hart was looking beasty… Then Pirlo steps up and takes the piss; total confidence, composure and skill, and from that moment the momentum swung back in Italy’s favour… England didn’t score after that
And this bullshit about penalties being a “lottery” that English pundits bang on about… Are they fuck, they’re a skill. Practice them and you’ll score more. To say they’re based on luck is pure defeatism.
Or you could just try getting your cock out to put the opposition off http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-fan-drops-his-pants-and-flashes-939669
agree with both of you that it’s cultural. there is also a misconception that side passing and long passing makes a player “technical”. it doesn’t when you consider european players. it’s close control and being to control the ball for more than 3-4 seconds and then releasing it forward and positively.
the difference between scholes and gerrard, veira, keane and robson is that scholes can do everything the box-to-box players can do but can control with a man on him – and distribute it positively.
this is not to say that gerrard, keane, viera and robson have no technique. Gerrard has a fantastic passing range and shot, keane and viera had a fantastic command of space and launching a counter.
xabi alonso is a brilliant example of the modern midfielder. he can do everything agains any team in any scenario. wonderful in close control, fantastically combative and suberb freekick and shot. basically a larger version of scholes in his prime.
brooking said it right about five years ago (although has done fuck all about it) – that English players when they get the ball just want to pass it, i.e., shit their pants.
gone are the days when you dribble with the ball to pass players, draw players in and win space elsewhere on the pitch, it’s just a slow painful laborious build-up with no consistent end-product, with the hope that a lump upfront can get a goal. watch how we play, we shuffle the ball across the pitch, play it down the wing and hope for a cross. fine once or twice but for a whole campaign? we simply don’t know how to play through the middle anymore.
“Woy – let’s get behind them lads and get some crosses in”. Right.
the thing is that we have been going backwards – Bobby Robson had Gazza, Beardsley, Barnes, Lineker and Waddle. We should be producing shit loads of players like these who could actually fucking keep the ball – and God forbid, dribble past someone without shitting it.
This whole, “worship at the shrine of Spanish football”, is wearing very thin for me…
I’ll admit that England are being left behind somewhat in the more technical aspects of the game… but this whole, “pass it about till the opposition falls asleep”, is doing the same thing for the game… boring the shit out of many people.
Against the more gung-ho style, it works well, and at times makes the opposition look amateurish… and so everyone wets themselves and claims, “that’s the way the game should be played”.
Bollocks.
What would the game be like if two teams of equal ability, played that way?
It would be a complete joke of a spectacle… no tackling, endless falling down and feigning injury, tippy-tappy around the half way line, back to the keeper-to the defender-to the midfield-to the defender, etc… occasionally the impressive 12 pass move that results in walking the ball into the net… but mostly, two sides so desperate to retain possession that they risk nothing with the ball… and when possession becomes the ultimate aim of the game, then coaching starts with eliminating anything that risks losing possession.
Effective passing and control of the ball is obviously key to good football… and I would love to see more technical coaching brought into the English youth system… but if this Barcelona/Spanish style becomes the be-all and end-all of the game, then football will lose a lot more fans than it gains.
I have to admit that I’m getting a bit bored of the Spain/Barca style of football. It’s watchable when played at great pace and Barca move into the opposition box in a flash – but when all we’re seeing is passing for the sake of passing, it is pretty tedious.
The Spain v France game was an utter abomination.
That just about sums up the problem. It’s too boring for the general British public to sit and watch a slow build up, so they would start booing. No patience, no appreciation of a long term plan to develop a move or a philosophy just get the ball forward now or win now! For lots of things England want to dominate and bully in the quickest way possible. No class, no thought.
How do you do it? You are brilliant at embarrassing yourself.
You have proved once again that you know fuck all about football. If it’s not Mourinho, Mancini, Anderson, Glazers, I have to spank you for the stupid twat you are again.
For the record that lucky team just battered Germany.
Italy in the final. Wonder what the geniuses in this thread who proclaimed that Italy are shit have had a change of heart.
You alright mate? Italy showing there class. Not bad for a shit team…
Not bad J, in London today back in The Dam tmr, just love slapping Bonehead Alf around these pages.
I bet Alf blames the Glazers for Germany being outplayed. Lol.
The whole world had Germany favourite to win the tournament… even Gianluca Vialli expected Italy to get spanked… but hey… what do they know… fuck all… Right?
You really should be working for the telly, seen as how you know it all… but wait a minute… Sid was here a while back asking if he and Keane were the only ones who rated Italy… where were you then?
Oh yeah that’s right… you’re the gutless one, who never sticks your neck out until after the results are in aren’t you… then you come out, full of piss and vinegar, spouting shit, and looking to pick fights…
The day you can slap me down Mate will be the day, that you actually grow a proper set of balls and quit riding on the shoulders of your betters.
Nope… can’t see it…
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
Gutted for the Germans, almost as much as I was for England. I can’t see a European side winning the World Cup in Brazil so I wonder if they will manage to win a tournament in 4 years time.
Italy were incredible in defence in the second half, to be fair. Balotelli’s second goal was probably goal of the tournament for me. What a finish.
I told you Italy were good
Carragher said its “50/50” when comparing Italy’s squad and their style of football to ours… I wonder if he still thinks that
Well done Italy not one “CUNT” was driving through the streets honking there horns and waving flags last night and work today I just cant wait.
After Italy’s relatively insipid display against England, I honestly thought they were gonna get their arses handed to them by a seemingly-far superior German side, but I must admit, after seeing this, I’m really glad the Germans lost!
I’m still not convinced about Italy… the Germans looked a bit out of sorts… maybe going behind early threw their game into chaos… but that wasn’t a very good German performance… at least, not based on their previous games.
Italys first goal was well worked, but their second was from a long punt, that really should have been dealt with.
Then there’s Pirlo… again, why was he given so much freedom?… bloody hell… if Scholes was always given that much time and space, he could play till he’s 50.
Typical Italian defending… but I still don’t see them as the best team in Europe, not by a long way.
Italy will play much the same way against Spain in the final. Spain will dominate possession, Italy will defend and look to hit them on the counter. If they convert a couple of half chances then they might just win the lot
Balotelli showed why people persevere with him. Semi Final and he was unplayable, the second goal was incredible.