Sterling main asset is his sprinting and we don't want him getting knackered early in the match. He will make the biggest impact against tired defenders. Bring him on with 20 mins to go.
Reckon we'll win 1-0. Goal in the middleish of the second half.
I think we need to go at them from kick off and get an early goal. They'll have no option but to open up and attack us then and we can finish them off late in the game with Sterling and Barkley. Buffon could be out for this game.
England to win 2-1... Reckon Hodgson was gonna play Welbeck and now after seeing what pace can do in this competition is gonna go with Sterling and try to hit Italy on the counter-attack (kinda like what Holland did against Spain last night).
One thing that worries me though is the attention Pirlo has been getting... We've made it pretty obvious we see him as our No.1 threat and they're just gonna plan for that (even if it means making Pirlo a dummy player and having someone else pulling the strings that we're not prepared for)
LOL!! Everyone rightly had their expectations in check leading up to this World Cup as we are simply an average side by WC standards. And now in match day 1-0, 2-0, 3-1 England etc. Being realistic I would be utterly delighted with a draw. Teams with Johnson, Jagielka and Cahill in defence don't generally trouble the worlds best. We shall see.
Loss of an experienced keeper (and at a time when the cliched impenetrable defence is surprisingly porous anyway) and we won't get much of a better chance to beat Italy fair and square, they will be a good attacking unit but I think we can handle it. 1- or 2-0 to us I think though this being England I am expecting us to make it as nervy as possible for fans.
Lost interest in England football a few years ago but about a week before the tournament started I was getting really excited! I reckon we can smash Italy tonight- 4-1
Comments
Johnson Cahill Jagielka Baines
Henderson Gerrard
Lallana Rooney Barkley
Sturridge
Sterling main asset is his sprinting and we don't want him getting knackered early in the match. He will make the biggest impact against tired defenders. Bring him on with 20 mins to go.
Reckon we'll win 1-0. Goal in the middleish of the second half.
I said the same about Spain v Netherlands
One thing that worries me though is the attention Pirlo has been getting... We've made it pretty obvious we see him as our No.1 threat and they're just gonna plan for that (even if it means making Pirlo a dummy player and having someone else pulling the strings that we're not prepared for)
This is the team (apparently)
Hart
Johnson
Cahill
Jagielka
Baines
Henderson
Gerrard
Lallana
Rooney
Sterling
Sturridge
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/10899735/World-Cup-2014-boost-for-England-as-Italy-keeper-Gianluigi-Buffon-limps-out-of-training.html
Sirigu comes in - decent enough goalie at PSG but lose a lot of experience.
I wonder if the foam spray technology will become regular over here. Could be sponsored by Gillette.
I reckon we can smash Italy tonight- 4-1