The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Sing whilst we’re winning

Sing whilst we’re winning
22 June 2012
Adam Appleton
Avatar
Adam Appleton
22 June 2012

So, England are through the group stage, hurrah! Many thought they would not get so far but three solid, professional performances have seen them out of Group D and into the top spot.

They have battled hard in every game, none of which were settled victories, but victories all the same.

In Roy Hodgson, England has a smart, experienced manager who knows what he is doing tactically in a way that Harry Redknapp does not. Many said that England could do a lot worse when the ex-West Brom and Fulham manager was appointed, and these people have thus far been proven right. He is getting the best out of his players and chose people he could trust in the management team. He also made the correct decision in all the key departments when it came to selection. 

Hodgson may have selected Stewart Downing, but choosing Terry over Ferdinand was always the right call, as was making Steven Gerrard the team’s captain. The Liverpudlian has thrived under the responsibility, just as he always has done for his club. He has toned down his game a little to suit England’s conservative style and his performances have been all the more influential for it. 

Gerrard has proven with three assists that he can still make his attacking efforts count and his set pieces have been magnificent up until now. But England face a big test on Sunday night, probably on a par with the one they faced with France. 

The difference is England didn’t fire up against France, nor did they have their best striker – Wayne Rooney. 

Just as England must watch the mercurial Balotelli, Italy must watch the far more consistent, more established Rooney who now has minutes under his belt. England have a great chance to progress to their first major semi-final since Euro 1996 and cannot afford to let it pass them by.

We can’t let it go to the lottery of penalties; we need to win decisively and preferably within 90 minutes.

Without Chiellini, Italy’s defence could be vulnerable and if it means Daniele De Rossi is pushed to centre-back, that will also weaken their midfield. And with the outrageously consistent talents of Andrea Pirlo, it could do with weakening.

Pirlo is a natural-born string-puller in the midfield, dictating the flow and pace of the game and it will be truly magnificent to see him and Gerrard – two animals – do battle when the whistle is blown. Indeed the Juventus man is – perhaps along with De Rossi – probably the only thoroughbred talent to rank alongside the likes of Baggio, Mancini, Tardelli, Rossi, Cannavaro, Schillaci and Donadoni in years gone by. 

England also has massive threats coming off the bench. If Ashley Young is not fit enough to start, then Theo Walcott has to, but we will still have the explosive talents of Oxlade-Chamberlain and the goal threat of Andy Carroll lurking on the sidelines. 

In Buffon, Italy have one of the few keepers in the world better than Joe Hart, but this game should not be won or lost on goal-keeping errors such is the strength of both individuals. 

It is much to ask, but a 2-0 win to England, playing together as they have been, is not at all out of the picture.

Adam Appleton

Related Items

More in Uncategorised

Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain

★★★★★
James White
Read More

Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7th June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar

Food Desk
Read More

Grease at Dominion Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever

★★★★★
Ronan Fawsitt
Read More

House of Ife at Bush Theatre

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

The Road Dance

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Rhino

★★★★★
Catherine Sedgwick
Read More

The Innocents

★★★★★
Emma Kiely
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Buddhist on Death Row by David Sheff
    ★★★★★
    Literature
  • Three-Michelin-star restaurants L’Effervescence and SingleThread announce first post-Covid collaboration in Tokyo
    Food & Drinks
  • The Innocents
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes 18th May 2022
  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7th June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • Grease at Dominion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Grease at Dominion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Warpaint – Radiate Like This
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Boxing starting to provide the big fights; you just need to look for them
HSBC, Barclays and RBS among the 15 downgraded global financial institutes