England V Italy

rebel girl 15

60% possession to Italy

SantryRed

Surprised England are letting Italy control the game as much.

Tox56

If they're just going to hoof it they should just play Carroll, he would win more of those long balls than Welbeck

darkman2

Only 60%!?

rebel girl 15

How was that not a free kick?

PhlegmyMoses

What is the point of James Milner? seriously. So one-paced, lacking invention and pointless. What is he actually good at?

rebel girl 15

Balotelli should have scored!

Hank Scorpio

great pass by Pirlo there

Ulysses Gaze

Should be 1-0. Terrible miss

shrewdness

Tox56 wrote: »

If they're just going to hoof it they should just play Carroll, he would win more of those long balls than Welbeck

Welbeck's winning more than his fair share at the minute to be fair, and is linking up well with Rooney. No doubt Carroll will probably be brought on in the second half if it stays the same but I see no reason to change it yet.

darkman2

...again

fullstop

Do England have any fans there?! Not a peep out of them.

MagicMarker

Balotelli is like a child on christmas morning who doesn't get the present he wants.

Nuri Sahin

Incredible defending from Lescott there, even if Balotelli looked a bit flat footed.

Witcher

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

What is the point of James Milner? seriously. So one-paced, lacking invention and pointless. What is he actually good at?

He's Italy's ball winner:pac:

Kylo Ren

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

What is the point of James Milner? seriously. So one-paced, lacking invention and pointless. What is he actually good at?

Roy loves his defensive work horses.

grohlisagod

SantryRed wrote: »

Surprised England are letting Italy control the game as much.

This is how Hodgson has set them up. France and Belgium games were the same.

kryogen

Absolutely dreadful from Rooney

ollie1

Rooney needs to come off

Ulysses Gaze

fullstop wrote: »

Do England have any fans there?! Not a peep out of them.

You can hear them chant them 'Balotelli, is a w*nker is a w*nker!'

So they are there!

niallo27

I wonder will hodgson have the balls to take Rooney off, he is offering nothing.

carbon nanotube

thing with balotelli is half his brain consists of air...

Mr Alan

Rooney looks a pale imitation of his usual self. Really poor so far.

Hank Scorpio

Wellbeck is doing well!

double GG

To be fair to Welbeck, he's been back in his own box more than Italy's. He's won every flick on and is playing very well.

kitakyushu

Only 75mins to go.

PhlegmyMoses

Mr Alan wrote: »

Rooney looks a pale imitation of his usual self. Really poor so far.

He'll always be like this without any support. Gerrard is the only one in that midfield who is doing anything, or seems capable of doing anything. Young, Parker and Milner look out of ideas.

steelcityblues

Excellent stuff so far - easily beats the other quarter final matches.

Kirby

steelcityblues wrote: »

Excellent stuff so far - easily beats the other quarter final matches.

Germany Greece was a good game.

adox

Italy haing the better of it but England have had their fair share of chances and are playing better than they did in the group stages.

Rooney has been poor enough and looks a bit out of shape. Looked bollixed at the end of that half.

CSF

Rooney is still the one you'd look for to create something out of nothing. No doubt those calling for him to come off are Liverpool fans who want Carroll on.

steelcityblues

Kirby wrote: »

Germany Greece was a good game.

Though very one sided in the end.

cgpg5

The longer this goes on the more I fancy England tbh. They started brilliantly and I think look more dangerous in attack.

Rooney has been poor though unfortunately. Looks a shadow of the player he was for Utd on form this season. I'm very impressed with Welbeck's workrate. Ashley Cole having a great game imo

JaMarcus Hustle

CSF wrote: »

Rooney is still the one you'd look for to create something out of nothing. No doubt those calling for him to come off are Liverpool fans who want Carroll on.

....or England fans who want to take off a player who is having a rubbish game.

One or the other like.

mike65

Rooney is simply not at the races, Carroll on for the second half please, he'll give Gerrard a far more viable out ball. Kuyt-like lack of control from Milner too often, though he is working well in defence mode.

super_furry

Rooney, Milner and Johnson have been very poor.

Mr Alan

super_furry wrote: »

Rooney, Milner and Johnson have been very poor.

Think Johnson has been excellent.

PhlegmyMoses

mike65 wrote: »

Rooney is simply not at the races, Carroll on for the second half please, he'll give Gerrard a far more viable out ball. Kuyt-like lack of control from Milner too often, though he is working well in defence mode.

In absolutely no uncertain terms do you bring on Carroll for Rooney. Jesus wept. The Italians defenders would love playing against that kind of player.

cgpg5

super_furry wrote: »

Rooney, Milner and Johnson have been very poor.

Johnson is great going forward tbh. Not outstanding defensively but i wouldn't say he's been very poor. Tbh Milner hasn't done a lot wrong imo. Doesn't stand out but is in there to do a job, track back and stop lads from playing. Doesn't offer much going forward though

Renn

cgpg5 wrote: »

Johnson is great going forward tbh. Not outstanding defensively but i wouldn't say he's been very poor.

Was the one who kept Balotelli onside for that chance.

PhlegmyMoses

Mr Alan wrote: »

Think Johnson has been excellent.

Agreed. Got forward really well.

shrewdness

Say what you want but Rooney is probably the one player England have who can do something out of nothing, even if he's playing brutal. He's their best player, and talk of taking him off at half-time is pure idiocy.

Tox56

Milner does fit this system and style of play, but the way he wastes good positions is infuriating, England won't have many of them and they need to take advantage. When he gets one on one he looks clueless

kitakyushu

Balotelli is doing a fair impression of Carsten Jancker tonight.

Will I Amnt

England fans should be thanking me.
If I had not backed Balotelli for first scorer it would be 3-0 by now.

niallo27

CSF wrote: »

Rooney is still the one you'd look for to create something out of nothing. No doubt those calling for him to come off are Liverpool fans who want Carroll on.

I don't know, when Rooney is going through good form he is world class and unplayable, but he goes through dry spells for club and especially country where he seems uninterested and really poor.

Mr Alan

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

In absolutely no uncertain terms do you bring on Carroll for Rooney. Jesus wept. The Italians defenders would love playing against that kind of player.

Disagree. These lads don't look particularly strong aerially at all. Chielini is a big loss for em there. At the minute they're loving playing against Rooney, that's for sure. Wellbeck & Carroll were very good against Sweden, if Rooney can't up his game sharpish, he should be getting hooked. Surprised anyone would disagree.

mike65

Renn wrote: »

Was the one who kept Balotelli onside for that chance.

That was Terry, if we are talking about the same chance.

Rooney looks panned out already.

niallo27

Renn wrote: »

Was the one who kept Balotelli onside for that chance.

No Terry kept him onside.

cgpg5

Renn wrote: »

Was the one who kept Balotelli onside for that chance.

A lapse in concentration. He is suspect defensively at times yes. But has improved alot in that regard imv.He's all action and a great attacking option in a wing which possesses Milner!

EDIT- surely JT was at fault though