Horncastle
:lol:
Lippi is an idiot, WC 2010 was a failure because he brought the wrong personnel and the younger players he did bring, he didn’t really give much of a chance to. Gattuso, Cannavaro, Gilardino, Camoranesi, Zambrotta were all in serious decline, the likes of Di Natale and Quagliarella simply had not impressed at international level and Pepe, Iaquinta and Palombo who were never international standard players.
I find it even more surprising that he was trying to get Nesta out of retirement while opting not to bring Totti who was willing to come out of his exile and was off the back of a very strong season for Roma. The worst of all was ignoring the likes of Cassano and Miccoli who were probably the two best attackers in Serie A that season - both had that magical unpredictable element about them and could offer a serious focal point to the attack, he also left out Rossi who was Italy’s best attacker at the Confederations Cup the summer before. Pazzini, Montolivo, Marchisio, Bocchetti Criscito and Maggio went but were given little time as Lippi decided to opt for the veterans of 2006. Italy were doomed in 2010 because of Lippi’s squad selections - not tactics, 3-5-2 would have done little to the squad we brought.
As for Prandelli’s Italy, I think he should stick with what we have, it’s worked well thus far and the players know the system. Giaccherini is a very bizarre selection, a decent player but there are many better players of his kind in Italy - he hasn’t featured much for his club this season but yet that has cost better players who contributed positively in qualifying - Pazzini and Aquilani. My main worry with this squad is the lack of predator in this side, Borini and Destro have poacher instincts but both are also players who run and run and spend a lot of their game out of the box. One of Osvaldo, Pazzini or Matri should have been included. Despite their indifferent club form they had done well on the international stage, I feel Prandelli should have entrusted those who got us here - the only outsider I’d have considered bringing would have been De Ceglie (instead of Balzaretti). Overall I’m still confident of our chances, they are just a few minor criticisms I have of Prandelli.
Lippi pretty much tarnished 2006 with his arrogant and stubborn management in 2010.
Croatia squad below. Lovren (the Lyon defender) didn’t recover from his Achilles tendon injury in time. As exclusively revealed above the others to miss out were Kalinic, Blazevic and Vrsaljko.
[left]Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Ivan Kelava (Dinamo Zagreb.
[/left][left][font=verdana][size=2]Defenders: Domogoj Vida (Dinamo Zagreb), Vedran Corluka (Bayer Leverkusen), Josip Simunic (Dinamo Zagreb), Gordon Schildenfeld (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ivan Strinic (Dnipro), Danijel Pranjic (Bayern Munich), Jurica Buljat (Maccabi Haifa).[/size][/font]
[/left][left][font=verdana][size=2]Midfielders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Tomislav Dujmovic (Real Zaragoza), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Ivan Perisic (Borussia Dortmund), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham), Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburg).[/size][/font]
[font=verdana][size=2][left]Forwards: Ivica Olic (Bayern Munich), Nikica Jelavic (Everton), Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Eduardo da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk).[/left][/size][/font]
[/left]
Not taking any forwards is a bold move by Bilic
Euro 2012 preview: Croatia
Of the 16 teams in this competition, Croatia are one of the hardest to define. They seem trapped between a few different ways of playing, and don’t have a specific footballing identity
They are clearly not as good as the excellent side of 2008, despite retaining a few of the key players, and a hint of the same formation and style. The loss of Niko Kovac, the excellent holding midfielder, has never really been compensated for, and while their current defensive midfielder Tomislav Dujmovic is hard-working, he lacks the positional intelligence of Kovac.
When that is combined with a centre-back duo that badly lacks pace, Croatia are forced into a much more conservative style than four years ago. Slaven Bilic’s reputation has fallen sharply in that time, but he still has a chance to go out on a high before joining Lokomotiv.
Formation
At their best, Croatia played an attack-minded 4-1-3-2. There’s still the vague hangover from that formation, but it’s more of a boxy 4-4-2 for longer periods. Luka Modric, Croatia’s star man, was effectively a number ten in 2008 but after a few years playing as a deep-lying playmaker for Tottenham, now operates broadly in his club position as part of a midfield duo, and spends a lot of time drifting around trying to pick up the ball close to the centre circle.
Modric is exhausted after a long season at Spurs (where compatriot Vedran Corluka suggested a lack of squad rotation was the reason for Spurs’ sharp decline in the final months). He’s been put on a special training programme in order for him to regain full fitness, but is unlikely to be 100% fit.
Midfield variety
That’s a big blow, because much of the creative burden falls upon him. Elsewhere in midfield, the left-sided midfield position now seems likely to go to Dortmund’s Ivan Perisic, an attack-minded winger, although it’s also possible that Ivan Rakitic could play there. The problem when Rakitic and Modric play together, however, is that they tend to operate in roughly the same zone and make Croatia too narrow on the left.
On the opposite side is Darijo Srna, formerly a rampaging right-back but now pushed forward into midfield. He plays an interesting role – rather than bombing forward down the flank, he is less explosive with his movement, and comes deep to collect the ball. His defensive awareness helps Dujmovic in front of the back four as he moves narrow without the ball, and this balance allows Croatia to be more attack-minded on the left.
Slow, narrow defence
What of the defence these players are protecting? Dejan Lovren might not have been selected for the first XI, but his injury was a blow. The first-choice duo is likely to be Josip Simunic, who at 34 is very slow on the turn, and Gordon Schildenfeld, who isn’t much quicker. They’re protected by both the midfield and by the full-backs, who play very narrow.
Domagoj Vida is basically a centre-back shoved out wide and offers little on the ball, and on the other flank Vedran Corluka offers roughly the same thing, though both Ivan Strinic and Danijel Pranjic could play there and offer much more going forward. Stipe Pletikosa is a good goalkeeper and a firm first-choice.
Decent forwards
At the other end of the pitch, Croatia are weakened by the absence of Ivica Olic through injury. Although he had a poor season, he is an extremely energetic player who helped close down high up the pitch, and constantly made runs into the channels. It means Bilic will now play Everton’s Nikica Jelavic as the primary striker – he tends to hang back on the opposite side of the pitch to where the ball is, and then storm towards the near post for a one-touch finish. He’ll be supported by Mario Mandzukic, who is more mobile and energetic, and can drop into midfield without the ball if needed, to mark the opposition holding player.
From the bench, Nikola Kalinic is Jelavic’s understudy, while Eduardo may also feature – his record of 22 goals in 45 international appearances is superb and he remains a good poacher.
Gameplan
Expect Croatia to sit deep and then break quickly – sometimes their counter-attacks can be extremely swift and effective, like in their superb 3-0 play-off win at Turkey. They take advantage of their two strikers staying high up the pitch, and the lack of an opposition spare man at the back (assuming they’re playing against a four-man defence) does have its advantages. The disadvantage is that they don’t compete well in midfield, and despite the guile of Modric, they’re often very slow in possession and keep the ball for long periods without looking to penetrate the opposition defence.
There are also concerns about the attacking-to-defensive transition – Croatia can be slow to get back into shape. Set-pieces are also another area of weakness, judging by the crucial 2-0 loss at Greece in qualification, and that could be a significant factor against Ireland.
Conclusion
Croatia aren’t a bad side, but it’s difficult to see how they’ll pull off a shock at this competition. They don’t appear to excel at anything in particular, and their star man Modric seems exhausted and won’t be able to carry the side by himself. Quick forwards should enjoy playing against Croatia, although their counter-attack remains a threat.
Quick guide:
Coach – Slaven Bilic
Formation – 4-4-2
Key player – Luka Modric
Strength – as always, a deep squad for a country of its size
Weakness – a lack of pace at the back
Key tactical question – will Bilic be more proactive against Ireland? That seems like a game Croatia must win
Key coach quote – “Modric is our main player”
Betfair odds – 65.0 (64/1)
Recommended bet – Croatia to finish bottom of Group C at 3.45
Further reading: Jonathan Wilson’s Behind The Curtain[/url][url=“http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=zonamark06-21&l=ur2&o=2”]http://www.assoc-ama…06-21&l=ur2&o=2[/url], the [url=“http://croatia.footballblog.co.uk/”]Croatian Football Blog.
Spain didn’t win World Cup 2010 through pure tiki-taka. They won because they mixed tiki-taka with different options that brought more directness and urgency to their play.
When they went with pure tiki-taka, they stumbled. The defeat to Switzerland in their opening game of the World Cup was a huge shock, but while the Swiss deserved credit for the way they defended, the real story was how painfully predictable Spain were in their build-up play. With Andres Iniesta on one flank and David Silva on the other, and both coming inside into the same area of the pitch, Spain often occupied a width of around ten metres with their attacking trio. With Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets all sitting behind the ball, Spain never looked like offering enough variation to make the breakthrough, and they lost 1-0.
Variety
From then on, Spain were always enhanced when they added ’something different’ to the mix. Silva didn’t see any more gametime, which was harsh on him, but considering Iniesta’s impact on the rest of the tournament, Vicente Del Bosque dropped the right man.
There were three elements of variety. First, they could offer directness from the flanks, which came from David Villa starting wide and charging towards goal (with Fernando Torres upfront), or from more natural wide players like Pedro Rodriguez and Jesus Navas, who both played important roles in the final.
The second option was direct forward runs from midfield, which came from Cesc Fabregas, used from the bench four times in the competition, including in the final.
The third option only featured once – Fernando Llorente came on to play a target man role against Portugal and transformed the way Spain played. He should have scored at least once, but his mere presence pushed Portugal back and closed out the game.
Squad harmony
Del Bosque is doubtless aware of this, and while he’s a fine coach, he’s not a particularly keen tactician. The main feature of his management, without wishing to simplify his talents, is to create a harmonious squad. As important as the variation on the field in South Africa was the togetherness off it, and his determination to replicate that is demonstrated by how he’s tried to keep that World Cup squad together – only David Villa and Carles Puyol (injured) and Joan Capdevila and Carlos Marchena (34 and 32, and neither regulars for their clubs over the course of 2011/12). He hasn’t left out any serious options.
Even Torres and Pedro, coming off the back of awful campaigns, remain – they’re popular members of the squad. Roberto Soldado, a fine striker but a potential troublemaker, was axed from the travelling party. “One of the fundamental issues is the good relationship that exists within the group,” Del Bosque says. “I have been fortunate to have a good group made up of nice people. It is important to reinforce the relations that exists between the players – that was a key part of our success in recent years.”
Silva reintroduction
All of which is important in any successful team, but it is paramount to Del Bosque. He listens to his players when it comes to tactics – Carles Puyol’s header against Germany in the World Cup semi-final[/url] was a move requested by the players, who thought they’d been overusing Del Bosque’s favoured short corner. Perhaps he listens to them on selection issues too – Silva complained that he hadn’t been used enough last year. “‘Over the past year I’ve been feeling like a bit part player. I’ll work hard to maintain my level with City but I doubt if I’ll go to the European Championship finals,” [url=“http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2039609/David-Silva-hits-Spain-boss-Vicente-Del-Bosque.html”]he said. “‘I do not count on the confidence of the coach.”
It was an exaggerated protest – there was no chance that a fit Silva wasn’t going to be in the 23. But since then, seeing the first sign of dissent amongst his ranks, Del Bosque has tried to make room for Silva.
But this puts Spain back to the situation seen in the Switzerland game – you don’t want two wide players coming inside. Del Bosque has even tried to fit Silva in as a false nine, (largely without success) and Silva doesn’t quite have the natural skillset for that role anyway. Besides, if you have a forward coming short, you need wide players (or midfield runners) making direct runs. You can’t have four players bunching into the same part of the pitch, central between the lines.
Who to drop?
The problem is that Del Bosque can’t include all his playmakers. Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta, Silva, Mata and Santi Cazorla, judging by their ability and form over the past season, all ‘deserve’ to be in their national side. But eight ball-playing midfielders can’t exist together. Probably only four can, naturally – in conjunction with a back four, a striker and a wide player who stretches things. Del Bosque’s attempts to include five or even six are fascinating, but potentially suicidal.
The obvious way to accommodate another of the attacking playmakers would be to play only one holder, which would mean dropping Alonso (rather than Busquets who is better at breaking up play). This would allow Xavi deeper into his Barcelona role, and the same goes for Iniesta. Even then, however, it’s probable that Del Bosque would then put Silva on one flank and either Cazorla or Mata on the other, which doesn’t solve the problem.
And while Del Bosque has said that “We may adopt an even more attacking approach”, it is highly unlikely he’ll do away with Busquets, Alonso or Xavi. This is slightly frustrating – as Roberticus says, “Spain is currently achieving the laudable feat of fielding three of the world’s iconic midfielders and somehow conspiring to render each one uncomfortable and less effective in the presence of one another.”
Still need width
Regardless of the discussion above, Silva and Iniesta will probably start in the wide positions. Iniesta is undroppable, while Del Bosque seems particularly keen to include Silva. Those two combined superbly for the only goal in the pre-tournament friendly victory over China, but that paints a false picture – Spain were terrible in the first half and good in the second – and the main reason for the improvement was that Jesus Navas came on to stretch the play, opening up gaps for Silva and Iniesta to create. The situation hasn’t changed.
If Spain go with Iniesta and Silva wide, and no true winger, then it’s not unrealistic to say that their most important player is Jordi Alba at left-back, a relative newcomer to the side. Everyone else’s job is broadly covered by another player in the XI, but Alba is the only one who would offer outright pace, directness and width. Right-back Alvaro Arbeloa is a good full-back, but nowhere near as accomplished technically. Alba could become 2012’s Pedro/Navas figure, which would allow Del Bosque to indulge in his festival of playmakers higher up.
Defence
In defence, the loss of Puyol is huge for both his defensive ability and his leadership ability. Ramos has come inside into the centre of defence, where he’s played for Real Madrid – weakening Spain’s attacking thrust from right-back – but his partner is uncertain. Two years ago the idea that Gerard Pique wouldn’t be first-choice in 2012 was laughable, but after a poor season for Barcelona, and amid various reports that he’s taken his eye off the ball, Raul Albiol could start instead.
Number nine?
The other issue is at the opposite end of the pitch. The loss of David Villa is huge – his international goalscoring record is incredible, and so often he provided key goals for Spain in international tournaments. Assuming Del Bosque doesn’t start with Silva or Fabregas as a false nine (which remains unlikely), he has a straight three-way choice between Torres, Llorente and Alvaro Negredo. Each has a clear weakness – Torres lacks form, Llorente lacks fitness, Negredo lacks experience. This is very difficult to call, and it would be a surprise if all three were not used at some point in the competition.
Llorente would be favourite if fully fit, and Negredo’s clever runs in behind the defence give Spain offer most penetration, but Del Bosque’s loyalty to Torres shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s not the right decision on paper – but Del Bosque isn’t an ‘on paper’ man. He’s a ‘dressing room’ man, and as always, squad unity and harmony appears to come before tactical efficiency.
Conclusion
Compared to two years ago, Spain are even stronger in the department they excel in. Silva and Mata have developed further since their moves to England, Fabregas has become a better player tactically, in his own words, by returning to Spain. The sublime Cazorla, injured two years ago, offers yet another option.
Yet elsewhere they are weaker – there’s no Villa upfront, there’s no Puyol at the back, and Pedro and Pique aren’t at the level of 2010 (all of which has dealt a bow to the Barcelona connection throughout the side). Spain have an unbalanced squad, but Del Bosque must assemble a balanced team.
Quick guide
Coach – Vicente Del Bosque
Formation – Roughly 4-2-1-3
Key player – Whoever offers width: possibly Jordi Alba
Strength – Xavi, Iniesta, Mata, Silva, Fabregas, Cazorla – six of the best playmakers in the world
Weakness – The lack of a settled back four
Key tactical question – Who does Del Bosque play in the wide positions?
Key quote – Del Bosque: “The hardest thing about being a national manager is that you have to leave out people who have done enough to deserve a place, players who are not regulars for their club, or you have players on the bench and they are not happy.”
Betfair odds: 3.9 (roughly 3/1)
Recommended bet: A Spain v Germany final is 9.0 (8/1)
In many ways, Cesare Prandelli isn’t a typical Italian coach. He’s a highly intelligent man, but one doesn’t think of him as a pure tactician like Marcello Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni or Fabio Capello. He’s of an Arsene Wenger figure – he wants an overall, attacking philosophy rather than lots of specific tactics, and likes developing young players to suit his footballing identity.
He has attempted to move Italy towards a more positive style of play. That’s partly because it’s Prandelli’s natural style as coach, but also because Italy don’t have the secure defenders we’re accustomed to. The days of Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini have gone – Italy have good defenders, but not great ones. They’re more blessed in midfield.
Prandelli explains: “Many of the players felt that the time had come to play – I won’t say a different type of game because, in football, there is nothing new – but something else. Given that I have plenty of quality midfielders, I felt we should play to our strengths and with these players that means a much more attacking game.”
Midfield rotation
However, Italy’s problem is that they lack good wide players to play a four-man midfield. This isn’t a new problem, and even when they won the World Cup in 2006 they played a central midfielder (Simone Perrotta) on one flank, and an Argentine (Mauro Camoranesi) on the other. However, they’ve generally compensated for that with a world class number ten, allowing them to play a 4-3-1-2 or a 3-4-1-2, basing their play around a Roberto Baggio or Francesco Totti figure. Prandelli doesn’t really have that type of player either – Antonio Cassano plays higher up, Sebastian Giovinco’s international experience is limited and Alessandro Diamanti still doesn’t seem like a serious option, despite his inclusion in the squad.
Prandelli’s compromise has been interesting – he wants a constantly rotating midfield, making up for lack of a nominated central playmaker with movement and fluidity. That was obvious when he played 4-3-3 (the preferred formation at the start of his reign), and the experiment has continued with the midfield diamond he’s been using recently. The player at the base of the diamond, the fabulous Andrea Pirlo, stays in position and sprays passes forward. But the other three players – probably Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio as the shuttlers, and Riccardo Montolivo nominally at the top – switch around.
It’s an unusual system that is more fascinating than it is truly effective, and it doesn’t completely disguise the fact the Italy don’t have a true trequartista. Montolivo is a talented yet frustrating player who has never quite found his best position – even after years of playing under Prandelli for Fiorentina – and it’s arguable that he doesn’t offer anything not provided by the other three midfielders. Still, if his movement is intelligent he can drag players around and create space for the runs of De Rossi and Marchisio, who are both excellent at steaming into the box.
Further forward, in a strike duo that is probably the most naturally gifted yet most troublesome in the tournament, Prandelli is putting his faith in Cassano, who will play as an inside-left, and Mario Balotelli, who is the primary centre-forward but tends to move into the channels.
Back three?
But this assumes that Prandelli will play the 4-3-1-2 system. In fact, he retains that Italian penchant for switching systems late in the day – which provides great tactical interest. He’s the only coach in the tournament who seems unsure of his best formation, and also the only coach who will probably go with something other than a 4-4-2, a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3.
The other option is a 3-5-2[/url]. This would see the same forward duo, one player – probably Montolivo – dropped from the midfield, and a back three combined with wing-backs. A week ago, this made great sense because it meant Prandelli could field an all-Juventus back three of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, ahead of Juve’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. However, this is less likely because of the news that [url=“http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04062012/2/euro-barzagli-injury-adds-italy-woes.html”]Barzagli will miss a significant part of the tournament with a calf strain. De Rossi could drop deep – he showed this season for Roma that he can play there, but it’s clearly not his best position.
Defence
And so we return to the idea of a diamond in midfield, and a back four. It will still be an all-Juventus centre-back pairing of Chiellini and Bonucci, and with Domenico Criscito omitted due to his involvement in the current match-fixing probe in Italy, Palermo’s Federico Balzaretti will play (he would have battled Chiellini for that role, but Chiellini is now needed in the centre).
On the opposite flank will be Napoli’s Christian Maggio. Both these players are extremely energetic and forward-thinking – Maggio has been used as a wing-back rather than a full-back for the last few years as Napoli, while Balzaretti has often got through a lot of running in Palermo’s narrow systems. With a midfield diamond probable, Italy need consistent support from full-back, and the onus upon these players to get forward is huge.
Pirlo
That could leave the Italian defence exposed, often without protection from full-back, and while Pirlo has been superb for Juventus in that lone holding role this season, he’s not the best player defensively nor the most mobile, and may be overawed with direct counter-attacks through the centre of the pitch. He’ll need support from higher up, with De Rossi and Marchisio expected to close down energetically, yet also scamper back and protect the defence.
But let’s not imply that Pirlo is Italy’s weak link – he’s their key player. His ability to hit accurate long balls (with either foot) into the feet of the strikers is Italy’s best asset, and when combined with the runs of Cassano and Balotelli, he could be one of the tournament’s star performers.
Bench
Italy also have attacking variety. Fabio Borini is a clever wide forward, another who makes good runs (and would be perfect if Prandelli wants to switch to a 4-3-3), while Antonio Di Natale isn’t really fancied by Prandelli, but would be a constant menace and a natural finisher. Giovinco and Diamanti, again, provide different options. Prandelli’s problem isn’t variety, but outright quality.
Conclusion
Italy don’t have enough players who guarantee top-level performances, and therefore they’re relying upon the strategy of their coach to have a significant impact upon this tournament. Prandelli’s preference for unusual formations (in the context of this tournament) means Italy will provide an interesting challenge for their opponents, who might struggle to cope with a diamond.
Quick guide
Coach – Cesare Prandelli
Formation – Probably 4-3-1-2
Key player – Andrea Pirlo
Strength – Good possession play
Weakness – The absence of two key starters from the defence, plus no reliable number ten
Key tactical question – What formation does Prandelli play?
Key quote – Prandelli: “The feeling was that we needed to evolve our style, to try and play a little more on the front foot.”
Betfair odds: 18.0 (17/1)
Recommended bet: Italy v Spain to be over 2.5 goals at 2.46
Looks like we’re going to go three at the back on Sunday.
[Soccer][gk]Buffon[/gk]
[rcb]Bonucci[/rcb] [sw]De Rossi[/sw] [lcb]Chiellini[/lcb]
[rwb]Maggio[/rwb] [cdm]Pirlo[/cdm] [lwb] Balzaretti[/lwb]
[rcm]Marchisio[/rcm] [cam]Montolivo[/cam]
[st]Balotelli[/st] [lcf]Cassano[/lcf][/Soccer]
According to media reports Giaccherini will start as the left wing back and Motta will get the nod ahead of Montolivo, very bold move from Prandelli. We’re obviously looking to take the game to Spain, Giaccherini is a very attacking option, he could be exposed defensively.
In Prandelli I trust.
I really hate this Spanish side, absolutely classless.
[font=verdana][size=3]Spanish players and Coach Vicente del [/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3]Bosque[/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3] blamed the “dry pitch” in Gdansk for their draw with Italy. “It’s shameful we should have to play on this [/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3]surface.”[/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3]
The Azzurri had taken the lead in today’s 1-1 draw to open Group C beforeCesc Fabregas snatched an equaliser.[/size][/font]
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“The pitch was not watered properly and this is not a good thing for football or the spectacle of the sport,” said del Bosque.[/size][/font]
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“If the pitch had been quicker, then we would’ve seen a more entertaininggame.”[/size][/font]
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Xavi Hernandez also complained about the state of the turf in Poland.[/size][/font]
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“The field was not in good condition and this damaged us. The problem is it was not watered sufficiently, so this is why we were unable to pass the ball around in a fluid manner.”[/size][/font]
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Goalscorer Fabregas was furious in his reaction to the Gdansk Arena.[/size][/font]
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“It’s shameful that nowadays we should still have to play on this surface,” blasted the Barcelona midfielder.
[font=verdana][size=3]Andres [/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3]Iniesta[/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3] pointed out “the pitch was in disastrous condition. It was incredibly dry and this did not allow the ball to move around [/size][/font][font=verdana][size=3]well.”[/size][/font]
Very pleased with out performance yesterday, De Rossi has a colossal 60 minutes but started to make mistakes when Torres came on, he wanted to push out every time rather than hold his position but I felt overall he was immense, his long range passing from the back was imperious 60-70 yard passes off either foot straight into his teammates feet. Chiellini was outstanding as well, a real old school defender who has the heart of a lion. Motta competed very well but tired as the game went on, Marchisio was outstanding as well as was the ageless Pirlo. Balotelli was guilty of making some bad decisions. Cassano is just terrific to watch, I haven’t seen a player who makes football look so easy as Antonio. The wing backs were ok but didn’t offer a lot. Maggio never got in behind but in fairness neither Spanish full back came forward much.
Very impressed with the new system and thought we played by far the best brand of football in the tournament thus far. The thing I like so much about this side and why I was so confident going in to this tournament is there is so much balance and variety to our player, in midfield, for instance we have so much variety - guile with Pirlo and Montolivo, robustness and tactical acumen with De Rossi and Motta and dynamism with Marchisio and Nocerino. There’s great flexibility to the way we can play and that’s very important in international football. A real shame Giuseppe Rossi is out of this tournament - Criscito as well.[/size][/font]
Did Pirlo play the pass for the goal?
Yes
We are unchanged for Croatia, hoping for another great performance from Antonio.
What a rousing rendition from Gigi. 
A massive Croatian contingent in Poznan, our lads are obviously waiting for the knockout stages.
We’ve started well, very composed build up play from us.
Great effort from Marchisio on his left foot. Cassano has been excellent early on.
Maggio and Cassano have lovely boots.
Cassano has been tremendous.
That was tremendous sneaky defending by Chiellini earlier. Mandzukic has impressed me in this tournament, a very rangy, strong striker who is dominant in the air.