So we lost on penalties. Who saw that
coming? Admit it, when Ricardo Montolivo missed his spot kick we all thought
for a split second that this could really be the moment we banish that penalty
voodoo that has haunted us through eight different contests reduced to
penalties, only winning once.
As Guy Mowbary and every other pundit pointed out the right team won but, then again, if any team is taken to penalties then did they deserve to win? Italy should be criticized for not finishing the game in the first 90 minutes with 70% of the possession and having made nearly three times more passes then England but our nation battled in that sort of lion-heart style that we have so long pretended to envision except this time we battled and, despite some obviously tired legs, England fought and rode as much luck as is physically possible. However, apart from the baffling inclusion of Jordan Henderson and disappointing performance from Danny Welbeck there was very little I think we could realistically complain about with regards to England's performance. The Italians were clearly a more superior side with Mario Ballotelli in particular showing why he is such an exciting talent and Pirlo proving that age is just a number as the 33 year old ran the show dictating the game and creating nearly every chance Italy had.
So with that out of the way lets reflect on
England's pleasantly surprising time in the tournament. Whatever you expected
or didn't expect I think that we can all agree that reaching the quarter-finals
and taking the Azzuri as far as we did was a pleasant if not nail-biting
journey. The group stage offered much to admire in terms of England's defensive
discipline and the obvious structure that we stuck to, not to mention several
standout performances. With regards to England's man of the tournament, I
initially would have shared the spoils between Steven Gerrard and Joe Hart but
Hart pips it with a commanding performance between the posts against Italy not
to mention some game saving stops. Gerrard played with presence and intent and,
despite his critics saying his mad runs cause more harm then good, it
was his passing that made him stand out contributing three assists as well as
the occasional chance at goal. Hart however has been a revelation. With
confidence I can assume that Gerrard will not make the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
so step forward Joe Hart to lead our country. His shouts and commands were
audible through the television cameras as he lead through example and gave
confidence to his back four. Going forward England showed moments of what maybe
could come through in the next couple of years. Andy Carroll caused problems
without even touching the ball, winning nearly every header and nutting a
fabulous finish to opening the scoring against Sweden. Danny Welbeck's moment
of genius for the winner against Sweden showed confidence but his near absent
presence against Italy showed that, despite his talent, experience is a
valuable asset in this tournament. Other sparks came from Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain who displayed his raw pace and attacking intent and Glen
Johnson who was England's most constant presence against Italy.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was
Ashley Young. He has had an inconsistent season but was viewed as
England's biggest attacking threat with his creativity and flair. Still,
he was bossed out regularly and after the opening game was shifted
wide on the left and contributed very little.
Finally a word on Roy Hodgson. With just
over a month with the team before the opening game and hundreds of doubters
before a ball had even been kicked, Hodgson conducted his tactics well with the
team displaying his organised style almost immediately and defending for
their lives. His decision to bring on Theo Walcott against Sweden will be seen
as a masterstroke and his work at building a solid back four should be admired.
Hodgson should be given great credit for what he has achieved with such a small
amount of time however it could be debated whether things would have been any
different if Capello had still been at the helm.
Watching the game with fellow Trequartista
Will Roome as we jumped from our seats at every near chance either team came
to, you realise just how emotionally involved you are in an England game.
Despite every disappointment we have been subjected to we still turn out to
support them till the end. The silence that followed the shootout stood testament to
the devastation that we all felt despite losing in a penalty shootout
being a familiar feeling. Despite now been driven mad with the word
'expectation' I feel very content with England's time in the tournament.
We won games, we scored great goals, we enjoyed our own share of controversy
and faced up with the big names of the game and went within a kick of a
semi-final. With great talent coming through the ranks such as Welbeck, Jones
and Chamberlain and a manager who the players actually seem to respond to
it truly does feel like this was a tournament that England can build
on and something fans and media a like can get excited about.
Can you hear that? It's that damn
expectation coming round again...
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