The Azzurri KO's The Three Lions In Penalty Kicks As Germany Awaits

Unexpectedly, Italy and England provided the world with a dramatic performance as their quarterfinal showdown resulted in an Italy triumph by way of penalty kicks.  The game was thrilling from the opening whistle as Daniele de Rossi nearly fired the Italians into the lead in the 3^rd minute, but his long-range volley struck the post.  Only minutes later, Glen Johnson forced a quality save from Italian keeper, Gianluigi Buffon.  After this exchange it was clear that the game would be a classic.

For the majority of the first half, the Italians controlled the tempo.  However, the English showed the ability to implement an effective counter attack.  The pace of Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney were a threat to the Italian defense.  In spite of numerous opportunities, neither team broke the deadlock in the first half. 

After an exciting opening half, the second half was relatively boring.  The English abandoned the offensive.  They dropped ten men deep and defended.  They gave the Italians as much space as they wanted from twenty-five yards out.   Surprisingly, the Italians squandered every chance.  There was an eerie feeling that if they did not score then they would lose in penalty kicks. 

In extra time, the same pattern continued.  Italy dominated possession.  England attempted a few counter attacks, but they mostly chased the Italians around.  It was unimpressive to say the least. Here are the penalty kick lineups

Italy:   Balotelli - Scored

Montolivo – Missed the net

Pirlo – Scored on a classic PK

Nocerino - Scored

Diamanti - Scored

England: Gerrard - Scored

                Rooney - Scored

    Young – Missed – Hit the post

    Cole – Saved by Buffon

    (unnecessary)

Once again, fate was cruel to the English.  Their record in penalty kicks falls to 1-6 in international tournaments.  However, they did not deserve the victory.  Italy was the better team.  This is where the debate begins.  Why was Italy significantly better?

LINE-UP SELECTION/STRATEGY/MENTALITY

While the media praises Roy Hodgson’s ability to get the most out of the England team, I have a different interpretation.  I do not agree one bit with Hodgson’s strategy or the mentality that the players took.  Undoubtedly, England has talent on their roster.   While they are not as talented as Germany or Spain, there is quality within their squad and if utilized properly they could compete well against any team.  Here is the English starting lineup:

GK: Joe Hart

Defenders: Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Joleon Lescott

Midfielders: Scott Parker, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Young, James Milner

Forwards: Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney

England’s biggest advantage coming into this tournament was speed.  I think they had more speed than any of their opponents.  However, it was not utilized.  Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are absolute burners.  Their pace can change games.  Unfortunately, Walcott was used as a reserve, while Oxlade-Chamberlain only saw relevant action in their opening game.  Hodgson negated their only true advantage.  It is mind-boggling.  Their speed should have been their primary weapon.  The selections of Milner and Young over these two is atrocious.  Neither played great in a single game, yet both started all of them.  If anyone watched Italy’s group games it was obvious that their defenders constantly made attacking runs.  If Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain were stretching the fields on the left and right sidelines, then there is no way that players such as Balzaretti and Barzagli would have been able to run forward.  They would not be able to get back and defend against a counter attack.  Every team they faced would have been forced to adopt a more defensive approach, but the English neutralized their only advantage.

In addition to the disastrous selections of Milner and Young, room should have been made for Andy Carroll.  In his lone start, he scored, struck the ball on target, won 50/50’s, and held the ball up as a point man.  While I am not saying that they should have removed Wellbeck, someone else should have come off the field.  I think that person should have been either John Terry or Joleon Lescott. Steven Gerrard could have dropped back into the center back role.  England could then have played a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 with a much more attacking nature.  Instead, England chose to play an utter disgusting brand of football.  They were completely negative.  They played as if they agreed that they did not belong on the same field as their competition.  It is a shame because they do have enough talent, and grit to compete with anyone in this tournament.

This reveals a deeper, underlying problem with England’s mentality to international football.  They play as if they think they will ultimately lose.  It was obvious.  They played like their only chance was to reach penalty kicks.  While Italy applied high defensive pressure that forced English turnovers, England allowed Italy all the time in the world to pass the ball around, and develop an attack.

Meanwhile, the Italians have the look of a champion side if they start finishing their scoring chances.  While commentators, and analysts will argue that Italy is not where they need to be to effectively take on the Germans, I wholeheartedly disagree.  The Italians could have scored ten today.  I will thoroughly discuss Italy in the Semi-final preview that will be posted this week. Here are the player assessments:

England (1-10 rating)

Joe Hart , 9, GK –  Hart played great throughout.  He made several big saves that kept England in it. 

Joleon Lescott, 6, D – No major mishaps, though the Italians could have scored many

John Terry, 9, D – Terry saved his defensive partners numerous times.  Very steady

Ashley Cole, 5, D – Cole badly marked Balotelli on several occasions. Ineffective attacking runs 

Glen Johnson, 6, D – See directly above

Scott Parker, 4, M – Never made an impact. Largely ineffective throughout the tournament

Steven Gerrard, 6, M – Played a great ball that Rooney should have buried in the opening half.  

Ashley Young, 3, M – Awful tournament capped off by a pk miss.  Too many giveaways

James Milner, 2, M – He has no business starting.  He is not fast, skillful, or great in the air

Danny Welbeck, 6, F – Had a very good debut tournament. Unfortunately, he was largely isolated.

Wayne Rooney, 6, F – Showed initiative when he received the ball.  The only English threat.  

Italy (1-10 rating)

All of the Italians played great with the exception of Antonio Cassano.  Every Italian player deserves a ranking of 8 or better. They passed the ball well.  They made plenty of runs off the ball.  Their defenders made numerous overlapping runs stretching the field.  Balotelli was a force up front that created space for his teammates.  Andrea Pirlo showed what a fantastic player he is.  He has so much patience with the ball.  Even when several defenders are around him, he is calm and lets the play develop.  Balzaretti is a machine on the left wing.  He attacks as much as he defends.  The entire team applied high defensive pressure. They did not give England an inch of ground.

I saved all of my negativity for Cassano.  He is awful.  Why do analysts speak so highly of him? I watched a ten-minute sequence in which he was the only Italian player to give the ball away.  He gave it away probably four or five times during this period.  He is not fast.  He is not skillful.  I do not understand what the hype is about.  If a team applied high pressure on him, he would give the ball away every time.  Fortunately, Cesare Prandelli agreed with me and removed him with his first substitution. 

Italy makes me question my pre-tournament selection of Germany to win the championship. 

By Jeff Graceffo