![]() ![]() The Kane-Sterling-Saka combination will give their defence headaches and Southgate has Grealish, Sancho and Foden to bring on. Still: Southgate has successfully pre-empted the threats posed by all opponents so far and England are dangerous in wide areas. ![]() This didn’t work so well against Spain, who bossed their semi-final, but the midfield three may have better luck against Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice. Mancini has rejuvenated the team fast-paced, front-footed style based on a 4-3-3 formation and a rather un-Italian emphasis on “having fun”. ![]() Italy traditionally play defensively and hit you on the counter attack. Roberto Mancini (right) and his coaching team (Getty Images) No nation has produced outstanding goalkeepers as consistently as Italy and Gianluigi Donnarumma, 22, already looks like one for the ages. Bonucci has been at the heart of Italy’s defence since at least the 4th Battle of Isonzo I believe Chiellini saw action in the Punic Wars. Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne can also put them away but Italy will mostly look to their immaculate ball-playing midfielders, Nicolò Barella, Marco Verratti and Jorginho to pass England to death.įind someone who looks at you like veteran Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini looks at defensive partner Leonardo Bonucci after he has just nodded a dangerous cross into touch. At least until Federico Chiesa scored one of the greatest goals of the tournament. Without him, Italy looked less threatening during their semi-final with Spain. The good news from a purely selfish point of view is that Italy’s outstanding player – flying Roma wing back Leonardo Spinazzola – is injured. Living legend: Giorgio Chiellini (Getty Images) England dispatched with head-wound Italians playing (and winning) the sort of classy semi-finals you watch quietly at home with a bottle of Peroni. And that’s pretty much been it over the years. Our most memorable “result” in recent-ish memory was a 0-0 draw in Rome that finished with Paul Ince bleeding from the head and England qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. “Handsome… man… pass… ball!” A teenage Raheem Sterling was in the team that bravely lost to Italy again in our first match at the 2014 World Cup. When Andrea Pirlo schooled us in the art of midfielding in the quarter final of Euro 2012, the general response among the pundits was paleolithic awe. And they have had spells of soul-searching, too, having failed to qualify for the last World Cup.īut down the years, the inferiority complex has mostly been England’s. Italy, like England, have had a penalty hoodoo to undo (they have lost and won World Cup finals that way). There is, perhaps, a certain operatic comradeship dating back to Italia ’90, when our two nations were both cruelly dispatched at the semi-finals. But I’m afraid we must now beat you at football.Īlmost unique among footballing nations who are much better than us, Italy has never quite inspired an unhealthy one-sided rivalry among England fans (despite being an incredibly annoying team to play against). And, let’s face, just an outstanding nation in general: Leonardo da Vinci, buffalo mozzarella, Monica Bellucci, Negronis, the Venus of Urbino, the scent of neroli blossom, gelato, Elena Ferrante, La grande bellezza, central defenders carved out of Carrara marble, the suspicious moustache of assistant coach Alberico Evani. Football is not yet home, but it is outside the station with its backpack, waiting for its mum to pick it up.Īnd so bleary thoughts turn to the ultimate test: Italy. Yes, England are through to their second(!) major tournament final. Now that you can rewatch the Harry Kane penalty without having a split-second panic attack, now that video evidence has emphatically established that Raheem Sterling definitely did not dive? ![]() How are we all feeling about Sunday then? Now that the hangover is into its second day. Just one team stand in the way of football coming home (Getty Images) ![]()
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