England is so unlikeable, i am rooting for Italy.

I hope it's coming home.

England's defense has got plenty of mistakes in it, though, if put under true pressure for the first time in the tournament. And Pickford's shite. Hopefully the lads up front are too quick for Italy's defense, though.

Kaladin wrote:No chance for Italy with Emerson and Di Lorenzo, they'll get ripped apart

Italians usually bow to English opposition

Have we ever lost to England in an official match?

Looking forward to winning the Cup on Sunday

Wait - is the final at Wembley too?

what the actual fuck

Hapless_Hans wrote:Wait - is the final at Wembley too?

what the actual fuck

and the queen was in the VAR room last night, didnt you see?

unbelievable

you try your best to like England and their people, but then that terrible penalty call and this happens...



i'm all Italy on Sunday

Italy's midfield will eat England's midfield alive. England wont even realise what happened and somehow go on to win.

We'll win and keep a clean sheet doing so, belee dat.

The only Italian to live and have grown up in Italy on English forum ,perfect completion of the path since I've logged in for first time, this football year has been electrifying I admitt it

Past record dont mean a thing unless a team lets names get to them as England does did someone like Germany.


The media and fandom force behind England since Germany is incredible and it will be topped off in Wembley. Yes again.


To which no one has been able to explain why 95% of games in the Euros have taken place in Wembley.

I was honestly prepared to get on the It's Coming Home Train, and if you guys remember I briefly actually was rooting for England in 2018.

But fuck me, those dives, those fans, the final being in Wembley just because BoJo doesn't care about Covid.

FORZA ITALIA!

It's coming Rome
It's coming Rome
It's coming Rome
FOOTBALL'S COMING ROME

Agree with "England is so unlikeable, i am rooting for Italy.". hope the cheaters get a lesson.

the hate only makes us stronger



predictions?

2-1

Kane, Maguire, Insigne

Anyone else see the green laser in Smeichels face during penalty? I thought these were long gone but english fans proved me otherwise

FORZA ITALIA

Forza England

I fucking hate Sterling. But that was not a dive people need to get over it, really !
The only team capable of rocking England's confidence is probably Italy because their own superb form. The issue Danish did a good thing for England is, making England come back from 1-0 down. So it will still be a brilliant game.

Helmer wrote:I fucking hate Sterling. But that was not a dive people need to get over it, really !
The only team capable of rocking England's confidence is probably Italy because their own superb form. The issue Danish did a good thing for England is, making England come back from 1-0 down. So it will still be a brilliant game.

You are the only person I have seen out of thousands being adamant it was not a dive.

Will be rooting for Italy even though I really dislike Azzurri fanboys

If England wins, you'll never hear the end of it so I'd rather Italy win this.

That said, will be happy for RG, Frenzy and co. if England do manage to win this. Those lads have got nothing to cheer for in a long time so this win would be an amazing feeling I guess.

Winning it would be unbelievable man. I want to see England win a major tournament at least once in my life. This is our best chance.

I am digging this team Home vs team Rome angle. Nice work creative team. Also myself am team Rome guy thorough and thorough.

Forza Italia

Myesyats wrote:Anyone else see the green laser in Smeichels face during penalty? I thought these were long gone but english fans proved me otherwise

FORZA ITALIA

And loudly booing the Danish National Anthem

FORZA ITALIA

neuro11 wrote:

Myesyats wrote:Anyone else see the green laser in Smeichels face during penalty? I thought these were long gone but english fans proved me otherwise

FORZA ITALIA

And loudly booing the Danish National Anthem

FORZA ITALIA

Wanted to mention this. Has this happened with any other game? I dont recall anyone else booing another anthem.

Some of these fans are really brain-dead.

I have since seen people justifying the Sterling dive because of the "Lampard ghost goal, Ronaldo wink and hand of god"

These fans are doing everything possible to be disliked.

So I have come to the conclusion this will be Italy's hardest test yet.

Not because England are better than them.
Not because of the nerves of being in a final and in the Lion's den of Wembley in front of fans seeing their country in a final in the first time in 55 years.
And not because England have the most dangerous front three of the tournament and more depth on bench above anyone.

But because they are a team above Spain and Belgium that exploit Italy's weaknesses above anyone.


We will begin with the midfield which really is the defining factor of Italy as the only times I see this Italy midfield struggle in offence is when physically they are bullied as Jorginho, Barella and Verratti are all relatively small, slight of frame and tend to become flustered when often bullied in a physical range. Against Spain it was a more tactical problem but England in their physical midfield should be able to disrupt their flow.


You disrupt that there will be no service to a front-line that is effectively the weakest segment of the team that has wowed the world.

The front three is highly talented but seem to be quite individualistic and at odd ends with another in ways to which goals are being scored more through individual brilliance than anything.

Insigne for me has been comfortably the best forward not just because he scored the best goal of the tournament for Italy and the arguably most crucial goal for them. But because he is consistently involved in the play and always looks in control of what he is doing along with being a creative spark on the left. His deft playmaking v Belgium to that chance he created for Emerson Palbidone's post shot v Spain is just an example.


Chiesa also has been brilliant but is not as involved at times given he can be a bit selfish but rises to the occassion one time or another in the 90 mins.

The sole problem is the lack of #9 as Immobile outside of the group stage and an impressive display has officially lost his confidence and is close to useless even in the things he does best. Scoring of course, being comfortable in all areas of the final third and of course what is his best trait, leading the line. Yes the system does not bring out his strengths but the only alternative is Belotti who has not looked like scoring at all and then Berardi who is not a natural goalscorer by any stretch.


So this front-three who is not producing beyond their individual efforts is bound to be nullified by the best defence so far in the tournament.

England have yet to concede in open play and the only goal was from a free-kick.


Then we have England in their ridiculously stacked front-three in Sterling-Kane and Sancho/Saka.

Sancho is likely to cause more problems then Saka given his pace will cause Emerson a lot of problems. On the other side we have Di Lorenzo who has brilliant reading of the game but is not the least bit comfortable against pace, as displayed by Doku's performance against him, in Italy v Belgium.

Southgate is average but is smart enough to see Italy's weakness is on the flanks as Spinazzola was a bigger loss than what I even imagined.


It isn't just Spinna's defensive ability its his sheer deftness to zip up the line and keep the opposition back in attack that also helps the team on BOTH ends.


Then we have Harry Kane who yes has a record of being made invisible by Chiellini but Kane has much evolved since then. And we know how as he is not just a #9 but very uncharacteristically for an English #9, one who drops deeps, links-up and draws out defenders due to his more intelligent movement so a past record means little.


Average Southgate also is intelligent enough to see Enrique literally created a gameplan against Italy for him to use. The defining factor on why Italy were so troubled was him eliminating any reference point and the lack of adaptation to that is what caused their organisation to be in disarray.


Kane will play the usual way but like against Denmark he will drop deep and not just look to score in the box. Do the math on what that may cause.


Italy's 4-3-3 simply has slowly been see game after game for what it does have in its weaknesses as Mancini has intelligently stuck to what's worked but it also has given coaches a lot to work with since he has yet to switch things up.


What would one suggest? I hope more for a 3-5-2 if I had to make a change with Bastoni slotting with Chiellini and Bonucci along with the fullbacks deployed as wingbacks, and Chiesa paired with Insigne up front.

The 3 would contain the front three preventing a weak split down the middle and the 5 would present a heavier midfield advantage.

Where it would be weak is that the 5 would be susceptible to counters and all in all its easy to say this formation would change that but that is why Mancini is the coach and I am not, for switching into a completely unfamiliar system would just be....impractical and a huge risk.


What I can see happening is that England, who've yet to truly be pressed and have their defence attacked head on, have the most skilled team they've faced by far. And Italy do press more than anyone this tournament. I also can see that if the midfield 3 do manage to find comfort against England's midfield in the first ten, in that, will set the tone for the game.


England would be wise to play their game as defensively compact, patient in the midfield and letting the forwards do their own work.


They are not a great team by any means per say they've had a relatively easier path to the finals than Italy and also have played in Wembley basically all their matches including the coming final but them being just the team to match Italy's weaknesses, will cause more problems than one may think.


By the way I really want to hear thoughts on why England may lose to Italy from the ones who've watched England through the tournament.

Particularly from RG, CSpurs, and Jay.