Wally with a Brolly

As a French football fan, it was disheartening to see my team stumble yet again at a major finals without much dignity. Whilst losing to Spain wasn't dishonourable at all, the furore that surrounded certain spoilt players (I'm looking at you Samir Nasri!) ensured that we paid no attention to the football, and that French fans were once again disillusioned with a team for which they now have no love.

Contrast the French situation with the England team. It seemed to me like England were the total opposite of France. Used to bloated expectations and scandals, England finally approached a major finals with the right manager. And no, this is not said with the help of a beautiful thing called hindsight.

Roy Hodgson was and is the perfect choice as an international manager. With bags of European experience, the polyglot was a much more able candidate than 'Arry, a man only the press seemed to want. With particular organisational acumen (look how well organised his Fulham and West Brom teams were) and an ability for producing miracles with average sides, Roy had the credentials to take over a distinctly average England team.

A humble man for a finally humble team

And average this team is. Due to pundits and Sky's continued exposure of the Premier League as 'the best league in the world', people had become accustomed to judging English players by how well they played in the Premier League, convinced that it was the only arena in which world class players performed. Unfortunately, people could not be more wrong. Whilst the Premier League is unbelievably entertaining and does possess players of incredible worth, it is also the place where tactical nous in both managers and players is the least developed. The typical Premier League game? 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, and let's bomb forward. And the defending in particular is awful. The fact that people considered Ryan Shawcross to be a promising prospect was fallacious. The man can't kick a ball. And whilst Germany did dally with Robert Huth as an international centre-back, this was during particularly lean years. The man hasn't come close to the German squad for ages.

Shawcross: highly-rated because he plays in the Premier League. Actually rubbish. An example of England fans and pundits' Premier League-centric attitude. An example of why England have been poor internationally (see Upson, Matt)

Whilst this shouldn't be seen as a knock on the Premier League, which is a great deal more interesting and entertaining that Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga, it nevertheless blinded people for years to the real worth of the English players. The tactical acumen in Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga in particular is nevertheless of a much higher standard than in the Premier League, and technical ability in the Bundesliga and La Liga again is more impressive than in England.

And here is why this team captured the imagination of the English nation. With a core provided by players who would have never found their place in the team under the Eriksson years, England were for once humble and dedicated to performance. I mean, look at the squad and honestly tell me who is world-class. Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard definitely are, even though Stevie G only proved it again during this Euro. Wayne Rooney claims to be, and is a great player, but his inability to shine at international level for England put a doubt in my mind as to whether he classifies under that very subjective label.

Otherwise, let's look at the rest of the team.

Joe Hart? On the cusp of being world-class, but it's scary to see that goalkeepers like Manuel Neuer, Hugo Lloris, Valdes (Spain's 2nd-3rd choice!), Buffon and Stekelenburg are all at least his equals yet were not particularly rated by English 'pundits'.

The rest of the team was either made up of promising players (Welbeck, Oxlade-Chamberlain), distinctly average players (Milner, Walcott, Johnson, Parker, Carroll) or players whose ability at this level we were unsure of, for different reasons.

Lescott, for example, had performed admirably at Man City, and yet he was never the first defender on the team sheet at his club (that honour belongs to Kompany). His performances in the Champions' League also didn't set the world alight.

Terry was more of a problem. First of all, and even the most ardent and myopic Chelsea fans should agree, the man is a total douche-bag. He should have considered himself lucky to even be at the Euro, thanks to the traditional celebrity-friendly nature of the English judiciary. Had District Judge Howard Riddle done his job properly, Terry would have faced trial in March and questions would have been raised. However, given that the judge was an England fan, Terry was able to compete.

District Judge Howard Riddle: Law comes second to  England's footballing hopes.

Not only that, but Terry was also an unknown on the football pitch. His 'performances' this season weren't particularly reassuring, and JT (hate that nickname) saved his 'best' for the end of the season, kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the Champions' League semi-final and playing an absolute stinker in the league against Liverpool.

So it can clearly be argued that England for once did not possess many players who could make the difference. Contrast that with the Euro 2004 team which lined up with James, Neville, a fit King, Ferdinand, Cole, Gerrard, Beckham, Lampard, Scholes, Owen and Rooney. The comparison is quite scary.

Roy Hodgson had done a great job organising this team in the simplest way possible and getting them to set their egos aside, that last part probably being the hardest part of an egotistical bunch of players. England fans had fallen in love with their team again, and with humility and hard work came quiet confidence.

England were however about to face a sterner test than people predicted. Italy, under the underrated and under-appreciated Cesare Prandelli, had found a new breath of life. Based on a ball-playing midfield anchored around Pirlo, the Italians had decided to come to the Euros to play football the right way, and had demonstrated in the group stages that they meant business. It was going to be a tall task for any England side, let alone a distinctly average one.



         THE LINE-UPS

ENGLAND: Roy loves the 4-4-2. As a Fulham fan I quickly understood that this was going to be the way my team was always going to be set up. And yet Roy loves a flexible team. As we explained before, his 4-4-2 with Milner and Young on the wings had the possibility of turning into a 4-5-1 when defending, or a 4-3-3 when going forward.

This was based on the dedication and effort of James Milner, an under-rated servant for the cause. Every team, great or simply good, needs a player like Milner willing to adapt and work hard. Spain has that in Iniesta, a central midfielder willing to play on the wing, and Podolski and Muller for Germany are more than willing to play out of position to ensure that the team is well balanced. Indeed, even Daniele de Rossi, now playing as a left-sided midfielder after having played centre-back, can attest to the value of flexibility and sacrifice.

A battling Milner: the reason for his inclusion in the team.

Did I just compare Milner to Iniesta, Podolski, Muller and De Rossi? I'm guessing you understand that the level in skill wasn't being compared (it can't, such is the chasm between Milner and those players) but the heart and understanding of one's role was the common link.

Whilst his 4-4-2 had provided enough security in the group stages, Hodgson knew that the influence of Pirlo had to be negated. Sacrifice was to be expected of Welbeck and/or Rooney who would have to drop back to counter the great ball-playing Juve midfielder.

As for the rest of the team, Roy had decided to keep faith with the same players as beore. And in a tournament where dynamics and team spirit are vital, this was a wise choice.

ITALY: Cesare Prandelli had impressed us with his tactical acumen in the group stages. After playing a 3-5-2 to counter Spain's and Croatia's midfield, the Italian manager had allowed himself to play with a back four against Ireland due to the low technical ability of the Irish as well as Trapattoni's decision to keep favouring a 4-4-2 for Ireland. Now faced with England, a team set up in a deep 4-4-2 with lesser technical players than Spain or Croatia, Prandelli decided to keep a 4-4-2, albeit a narrow one composed exclusively of central midfielder. Aware of England's incapacity to spread the ball wide and fast, he knew that his wing-backs could contain England's wide midfielders whilst providing support to a midfield which should control the ball. In that sense he was spot on.

As for his choice of players, the smooth Prandelli (great hair, great suit, typical Italian) decided to keep with Balotelli and Cassano up front, even though Di Natale certainly could have found himself unlucky to be on the bench.

Prandelli: great tactician, great hair, great suit. Simply Italian. What else?

          THE GAME
You know the deal by now. No need for minute-by-minute recap, but here are our observations and conclusions:

* Boy what a player Andrea Pirlo is! The great man gave an absolute footballing lesson to every midfielder present on the pitch. Yes, I even include his Italian team-mates. Omnipresent, composed, and using a great variety of passing, Pirlo was the architect of the Italy side. Every move flowed through him, and his influence was such that he even reduced Daniele De Rossi to a simple waterboy role for the whole game. How can we tell Pirlo was class? The man is 33, never ran all game, never had more than 3 touches on the ball and only lost the ball in a dangerous area once. Not only that, but he didn't shirk his defensive duties and showed huge cojones by doing a beautiful Panenka in the soot-out. Top draw.

Pirlo surrounded by three England players. Still has the ball. The only player with his head up. A majestic performance

* England would do well to watch tapes of Pirlo. When presented with no good options, Andrea was happy to pass the ball backwards and keep play flowing. Gerrard and Parker, whilst admirable in their effort, too often showed the naivety of Premier League footballers by always trying to go forward. In a game where England never had the ball after the first 25 minutes, this was a cardinal sin.

* Ashley young was incredibly poor, continuing a trend started at the end of his club season and throughout Euro 2012. Whilst he helped Cole defensively, the Man U winger always lost the ball. And this is no exaggeration when I use the word 'always'. Unbelievably poor. It was a surprise that Milner was taken off rather than Young, for Milner had shown more composure on the ball and his effort was never to be put in doubt.

* Chelsea's win in the Champions' League has given hope to many teams, but it has also lessened the overall quality of play and entertainment. England never looked to trouble Italy past the half-hour mark and were more than happy to go to penalties. And even though justice was done with Italy's win, it would have been one more injustice to account for, with Portugal's performance against Germany in the group stages being another example. Whilst defensive and tactical discipline are great attributes, these shouldn't overshadow the need for ambition and actual football.

* Is it just me or did Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole once again perform to the highest level? Unappreciated by their own fans for different reasons, their displays were spotless. Not sure whether Micah Richards would have had the discipline Johnson displayed throughout the tournament. Just saying.

* It's a bit of a nostalgic sidenote, but the sight of goalkeepers sincerely embracing each other before and during a penalty shootout always brings warmth to my heart. I remember David Seaman and Andoni Zubizarreta doing the same thing at Euro 96, and Hart and Buffon displayed the same class yesterday. Great sportsmanship.

Zubizarreta and Seaman at Euro 96: another example of great sportsmanship within the goalkeeping fraternity

* Talking of sportsmanship, Hart's decision to try and put off the Italian penalty-takers with his antics didn't particularly pay off, and showed the difference in class between him and one of the greatest of all time. Buffon simply unnerved already frail English penalty takers by simply being Buffon. His aura was enough. Hart isn't there yet, he's still young, but he didn't make himself any friends there. Nocerino in particular wasn't happy, and he gave Hart the stare of the tournament after his successful penalty. Great stuff.

* Call me harsh, but shouldn't we have expected such a dire performance from Rooney? The man had only played one game in a month, against Ukraine, and he hadn't really set the world alight. Not as fit as he could be, Wazza also didn't show as much heart as others. Clearly charged with taking care of Pirlo, he instead let the Juve man take charge of the game and instead tasked Welbeck with doing all the tracking. Hart's screams at Rooney, which could be heard on the telly, were emblematic of his lack of interest and desire in doing this particular job for the team. Again, might be a tad harsh, but the only times Pirlo was pressured into giving the ball away were when Welbeck decided to sacrifice himself.

* Again, the Premier League-centric vision of pundits made me laugh. Oh yeah, bring on Andy Carroll, the Italians have never seen anyone like him. Except they have, and a better version at that, with a man called Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Not only that, but it showed the classic Premier League vision that tactics aren't particularly important. Tactical acumen is bread and butter for Italian players, and it was telling that Andrea Pirlo actually won a few headers against him. The Italians also decided to lay off Carroll and let him win headers, knowing that they would always win the second ball. Carroll had no impact except in his own box. Again, a classic example of Premier League tactics translated to the international stage. Wake up, it doesn't work. And that's because you can't qualify that as a tactic.

The 'tactic' of scaring the Italians with Carroll didn't work. Pirlo and Barzagli didn't even have to jump.

* I've given Scott Parker a lot of stick, denying the fact that he's of international class, but he was immense yesterday in his midfield destroyer role. Of course it helped that there was no pace and width in Italy's midfield, which played right into Parker's hands, but it nevertheless was a great performance full of heart by the Tottenham midfielder. His reading of the game was impeccable, and he left Euro 2012 on a high after several sub-standard international performances.

* Don't get me wrong, Terry had a great performance, but he once again showed the tendency to love the last-ditch tackle a bit too much. His tackle on Balotelli in the first half was top-draw, but it was also due to Terry's failure to play the offside trap properly. Of course, Glen Johnson was automatically blamed by the commentators, and you expected harsh criticism to ensue. Instead, when they realised it had been Terry's fault, the commentators focused on his great tackle rather than his positional failures. Double standards. Terry later tried and failed to catch Balotelli offside and was lucky to get away with it unscathed. Whilst his overall performance was solid, the Chelsea defender has a tendency to shirk his positional duties in favour of the 'inspirational' last-ditch tackle. What is Terry famous for in an England shirt? His 'heroic' dive in front of the Slovenian shot at World Cup 2010, which overshadowed the fact he had failed to mark him properly. There is no one better than Terry at putting his body on the line, but he shouldn't get there that often if he simply marked his man properly.

Terry's fish dive and last-ditch tackles: aesthetically pleasing, poor footballing skill.

* Whilst Pirlo (best player at World Cup 2006) continued his excellence, De Rossi's poor play led me to wonder where his great reputation had come from. Having never seen him set the world alight for Roma in the Champions' League, yesterday was perhaps proof that he isn't as good as advertised. Of course I don't watch many Serie A games, and managers (better judges than me) swear by him, but it's still a puzzling fact.

* Somewhere, in front of his telly, Roberto Mancini was smiling. We finally saw Balotelli's 'potential' explode yesterday. Committed, full of running, he gave Terry and Lescott, excellent themselves, a tough task. Whilst he is still infuriating and loves a good shot from outrageous angles, he was superb, particularly in the first half. His diminished influence was more due to Italy's failure to feed him properly and Cassano's tendency to try the outrageous pass than to any failure on Super Mario's part. If he plays like that every week in the Prem next year, then maybe we'll finally understand what the big fuss about Balotelli is.

Roberto's face in front of his telly yesterday. We finally understood your faith in Super Mario.

* Speaking of Super Mario, name me one person who didn't enjoy his walk to take his pen in the shootout. A cheeky smile, great confidence and spotless finishing. Brilliant.

* Serie A is still viewed as a dour league obsessed with defending. We should however acknowledge that the Italians still produce good players. Bonucci and Balzaretti are relative unknowns yet were impressive yesterday. The pony-tailed left-back (there has to be one in every Italian team. Some sort of quota has to be filled) was full of running and defended well. Bonucci looked very assured, never panicked, and was better than his counter-part Barzagli. Marchisio and Montolivo were also very good on the ball.

Balzaretti: lively. Not simply filling the pony-tail quota for Italy.

* Once again, the Premier League isn't the definitive judge of a player's ability, far from it. Diamanti, a 'West Ham reject' as Mowbray called him, came on and performed admirably. Not only that, but he slotted in the winning penalty with rather more aplomb that Man U and Chelsea players Young and Cole. Just saying.

Diamanti: West Ham reject. Never saw Bowyer, Carrick or Dyer doing that.

          PLAYER RATINGS

ENGLAND

HART: A commanding presence, unafraid to tell his players to show more heart (hear his scream at Rooney. Impressive). Was more than ably protected by his defenders. Did flap at a shot by De Rossi but pulled off a few good saves. An entertaining duel against Balotelli. England's goalie for years to come. 7/10

JOHNSON: Superb. Covered effectively, putting Montolivo off when presented with a good chance. Marshalled the right-hand side with authority, ably helped by Milner, less so by Walcott. Again displayed international class. 8/10

TERRY: Suspect positioning in the first half led to a few chances, but grew in stature and was outstanding by the end of the game. 8/10

LESCOTT: Authoritative, positionally spot on. Was given a good challenge by a fiery Balotelli, and it was telling that Super Mario preferred trying his chance against Terry than against his club team-mate. Very impressive. 9/10

Lescott: so commanding he doesn't even feel Balotelli's boot up his arse.

COLE: A classic Cole game, which means a minimum of 7/10. Nullified Abate in the first half, but found it tougher in the second half when Abate perked up and Maggio came on. Still a very good defender. A poor penalty, but at least he had the stones to go up and take it. 7/10

MILNER: Protected Johnson very well and even provided a few dangerous balls into the box in the first half, when the game was still 50-50. It was a surprise to see him taken off. Didn't do anything wrong. 7/10
Replaced by Walcott, who was clearly brought on to add some pace and scare the Italians on the counter. Theo found it tough, and his technique really isn't that good, as evidenced when he took ages to bring the ball under control when trying to break. Didn't help out Johnson as well as Milner. 5/10

GERRARD: Another inspirational performance by the captain, whose effort cannot be doubted. Ran his socks off but never controlled the midfield, instead chasing Pirlo's shadow all night. Also lost the ball a great number of times, but he wasn't helped by his attacking players giving him no options whatsoever. Still tended to rush forward a bit too much when playing it simply would have given England a desperately-needed breather, 6/10

PARKER: Full of heart. Kept his passing simple and was particularly impressive in the first half. Was completely dominated in the second half, as was the whole of England's midfield. Was replaced as his legs died, testament to his effort. Finally a performance of international caliber. 7/10
Replaced by Henderson, who came on to bring fresh legs to a tiring central midfield. Not sure whether he actually touched the ball but covered well. 5/10

Parker helping out Lescott.

YOUNG: Where to start? Young should have been the only outlet to provide support to Rooney and Welbeck. Instead the Man United winger settled for running straight at Italian defenders and lost the ball countless times, never helping his team breathe. A poor performance which epitomised his contribution at Euro 2012. A very poor penalty, and nerves got to him as he completely altered his penalty-taking technique, opting for power rather than finesse. A poor performance. 2/10

ROONEY: Clearly rusty, Wazza was also uninterested in helping Welbeck and his midfield take care of Pirlo. Was anonymous throughout the game, and chose the flashy over the efficient with his bicycle attempt in the last minute. A poor Euro 2012 for Rooney, and question marks should be raised regarding his ability at the highest level of international football.

WELBECK: Full of heart and running. Tried to play simple one-touch football which helped him fashion a decent chance in the first half. Was the only one who tried to stifle Pirlo, and did so effectively a few times. An encouraging performance from a player who grew in stature during Euro 2012. 6/10
Replaced by Carroll, whose only contribution was helping his team defend set-pieces. Tried to scare the Italians with his size and aerial ability. Didn't work. 5/10



ITALY

BUFFON: World-class, both in skill and attitude. Uncharacteristically flapped at a cross in the first half, spotless otherwise. His aura in the penalty shootout clearly played his part, and didn't lower his standards by engaging in Hart's antics. 7/10

World Class both in skill and attitude

ABATE: A quiet first-half followed by a second half full of running. Took on Cole a few times and provided teasing crosses. Was a handful and provided good width. Left slightly injured. 7/10
Replaced by Maggio. If Cole thought he was going to have breather with Abate going off, then he was wrong. The Napoli full-back hit the ground running and continued Abate's work very much in the same vein. Unlucky to be booked. 7/10

BARZAGLI: Efficient, but was the most tested of the two centre-backs, and looked a bit shaky at times due to Welbeck's movement. 6/10

BONUCCI: Impressive performance. Handled Rooney with ease and played the ball out of defence comfortably. Inspired confidence even though he didn't have that much to do. 8/10

BALZARETTI: Very impressive performance from the pony-tailed left-back from Palermo. Was a constant threat in the first half and provided great width. A bit shaky defensively but wasn't asked to do too much going backwards. His crossing could perhaps have been better but his energy and enthusiasm going forward were impressive. 8/10

MARCHISIO: Good passing and neat controls ensured he helped Italy maintain control of midfield. Was overshadowed by Pirlo's majestic performance and Montolivo's enthusiastic passing game, but still played an important role. 7/10

PIRLO: Superb. The metronome of the team. England knew they had to stifle him yet they couldn't. Italy's game flowed through him and he was superb in possession. 10/10



DE ROSSI: Not particularly effective in possession, and guilty of a few play-acting antics. Didn't live up to his reputation, and missed an absolute sitter. The worst performer in the Italian team. 4/10
Replaced by Nocerino, who was an impressive addition to Italy's midfield. Created himself a good chance with a glorious touch, and looked dangerous. Took his penalty with aplomb, and his reaction to hart's antics was a joy to behold. 7/10

MONTOLIVO: Dangerous whenever he had possession, he was given the freedom to move between England's two lines of four, and found space in tight angles. Nearly provided a glorious ball for Cassano. Full of running and invention, he helped keep Italy ticking. Very impressive stuff, even though he missed a good opportunity. 8/10

CASSANO: The AC Milan striker ran his socks off and created havoc with his dribbling. But his intentions were often followed by poor passing, and he wasn't so decisive in the end. 5/10
Replaced by Diamanti, the 'West Ham reject' (scoff). The man from Bologna was enthusiastic and creative, and moved between the lines effectively. Has a glorious left foot and wasn't afraid to use it, even though the end product wasn't always there. A good penalty to win it for Italy. 6/10

BALOTELLI: Finally, this was the version we'd hoped and perhaps hadn't really been expecting. Ran tirelessly and displayed a superb touch. Was dangerous throughout whenever he was given a good ball, and beat the offside trap a few times. His movement was good and he played it simple whenever he didn't simply shoot from 30 yards. He was clearly fired up for his confrontation with Lescott and Hart and relished it. A superb penalty. This was maybe Balotelli finally living up to the hype. 8/10