Friday 13 June 2014
Thursday 12 June 2014
Wednesday 11 June 2014
Focus On... BRAZIL
Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Previous Best: Champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Nickname: A Seleção
Likely Formation: 4-2-1-3
Likely Line-up:
| Pos | Name | Age | Caps | Club |
| GK | César | 34 | 80 | Toronto (CAN) |
| RB | Alves | 31 | 75 (6) | Barcelona (ESP) |
| CB | Silva | 29 | 46 (2) | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) |
| CB | Dante | 30 | 12 (2) | Bayern Munich (DEU) |
| LB | Marcelo | 26 | 31 (4) | Real Madrid (ESP) |
| CM | Paulinho | 25 | 26 (5) | Tottenham Hotspurs (ENG) |
| CM | Gustavo | 26 | 19 (1) | Wolfsburg (GER) |
| AM | Oscar | 22 | 31 (9) | Chelsea (ENG) |
| RF | Hulk | 27 | 35 (9) | Zenit St Petersburg (RUS) |
| ST | Fred | 30 | 34 (17) | Fluminense |
| LF | Neymar Jr | 22 | 49 (31) | Barcelona (ESP) |
* Has appeared at a previous World Cup
Average Age: 26.8
Total Caps: 438
Best Odds: 3/1F (Numerous)
Captain: Thiago Silva
Star Player: Neymar Jr
Player to Watch: Jô
Big Phil is back! Football's favourite Gene Hackman look-a-like is back, tasked with avoiding the disaster of 1950 when Brazil failed to win the last World Cup they hosted. Nothing less than a repeat of his 2002 victory will be considered a success, but things are unlikely to be as easy this time.
The contrast between the 2002 Brazil side and today's is obvious. In 2002 the forward 3 of Rivaldo, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho were simply devastating, and all 3 were winners of the Ballon d'Or at some stage during their career. Neymar is still young and may well be their equivilent with time, but Fred and Hulk almost look second rate in comparison. For now the production line of Brazilian forwards that produced Pelé, Romario and Ronaldo has stalled.
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Brazil will still be favourites to win their 6th title, but this is a side who are more impressive as a defensive unit, that as an attacking one. That just seems wrong.For my player to watch I have picked Jô (left). Now back in Brazil playing for Atlético Mineiro, he is unlikely to be much more than a substitute, but as the 4th striker in a squad, he is likely to get some game time, given that Brazil play 3 up front. With the exception of the reserve goalkeepers, the squad are all household names around the world, so there will be no susprises, but with Jô there is the potential to perhaps see some of the ability that led Manchester City to spend £19m to secure his services.
Focus On... MEXICO
The blog is running out of time before the big kick-off. I'm going to try to do a quick summary on a couple of teams now before it all starts.
So without further ado...
MEXICO
Manager: Miguel Herrera
Previous Best: Quarter Final (1970, 1986)
Nickname: El Tri
Likely Formation: 5-3-2
Likely Line-up:
* Has appeared at a previous World Cup
Average Age: 26.8
Total Caps: 607
Best Odds: 200/1 (PaddyPower, StanJames)
Captain: Rafael Márquez
Star Player: Héctor Herrera
Player to Watch: Giovani dos Santos
Mexico set of to Brazil to appear in an astonishing 15th World Cup. But for being banned from the 1990 World Cup, that figure would almost certainly be 16, the equal of Argentina. as it is they have qualified more often than either Spain, France, England or the Netherlands.
That said, they were a long way from comfortable in qualifying this time, finishing behind both Costa Rica and Honduras in the final group stage, before securing their place in a play-off against New Zealand.
This is not a classic Mexico side, but their star player this time round is Hector Herrera of Porto, a complete midfielder who gets from box to box, and whose defensive attributes are the equal of his attacking ones.
A player who should also be worth watching will be familiar to many, Giovani dos Santos (right). After flopping in England he is now playing with Villareal, after a spell with Real Mallorca. The dos Santos who plays for his national side is barely recognisable as the one who struggled so badly for Tottenham
So without further ado...
Manager: Miguel Herrera
Previous Best: Quarter Final (1970, 1986)
Nickname: El Tri
Likely Formation: 5-3-2
Likely Line-up:
| Pos | Name | Age | Caps | Club |
| GK | Corona | 33 | 34 | Cruz Azul |
| CB | Rodríguez | 32 | 95 (1) | Cruz Azul |
| CB | Márquez | 25 | 120 (15) | León |
| CB | Moreno | 26 | 53 (1) | Espanyol (ESP) |
| RWB | Aguilar | 28 | 30 (3) | América |
| LWB | Layún | 25 | 15 (2) | América |
| DM | Vázquez | 26 | 5 | León |
| CM | Herrera | 24 | 13 | Porto (POR) |
| CM | Guardado | 27 | 104 (14) | Bayer Leverkusen (DEU) |
| ST | dos Santos | 25 | 76 (14) | Villareal (ESP) |
| ST | Peralta | 30 | 62 (35) | América |
* Has appeared at a previous World Cup
Average Age: 26.8
Total Caps: 607
Best Odds: 200/1 (PaddyPower, StanJames)
Captain: Rafael Márquez
Star Player: Héctor Herrera
Player to Watch: Giovani dos Santos
Mexico set of to Brazil to appear in an astonishing 15th World Cup. But for being banned from the 1990 World Cup, that figure would almost certainly be 16, the equal of Argentina. as it is they have qualified more often than either Spain, France, England or the Netherlands. That said, they were a long way from comfortable in qualifying this time, finishing behind both Costa Rica and Honduras in the final group stage, before securing their place in a play-off against New Zealand.
This is not a classic Mexico side, but their star player this time round is Hector Herrera of Porto, a complete midfielder who gets from box to box, and whose defensive attributes are the equal of his attacking ones.
A player who should also be worth watching will be familiar to many, Giovani dos Santos (right). After flopping in England he is now playing with Villareal, after a spell with Real Mallorca. The dos Santos who plays for his national side is barely recognisable as the one who struggled so badly for Tottenham
Tuesday 10 June 2014
John f**king Aldridge
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John Aldridge just f**king wanted to mention that there are only two f**king days until the World f**king Cup starts!
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Monday 9 June 2014
Graham Poll...
Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday. This was due to my wedding anniversary
Anyway. Good news...
Anyway. Good news...
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| Graham Poll wanted to let you know there are only 2 days to go! |
Saturday 7 June 2014
Focus On.. CHILE!
Manager: Jorge Sampaoli
Previous Best: 3rd Place (1962)
Likely Line-up (3-4-3)
| Pos | Name | Age | Caps | Height | Club |
| GK | Bravo | 31 | 79 | 6'1” | Real Sociedad (ESP) |
| CB | Rojas | 30 | 19 (1) | 5'9” | Universidad de Chile |
| CB | Medel | 26 | 61 )5) | 5'7” | Cardiff City (WAL) |
| CB | Jara | 28 | 65 (3) | 5'10” | Nottingham Forest (ENG) |
| RWB | Isla | 25 | 47 (2) | 5'9” | Juventus (ITA) |
| CM | Vidal | 27 | 54 (8) | 5'11” | Juventus (ITA) |
| CM | Díaz | 27 | 21 (1) | 5'6” | Basel (SWI) |
| LWB | Mena | 25 | 25 (3) | 5'9” | Santos (BRA) |
| RF | Sánchez | 25 | 67 (22) | 5'7” | Barcelona (ESP) |
| CF | Valdívia | 30 | 57 (4) | 5'8” | Palmeiras (BRA) |
| LF | Vargas | 24 | 30 (14) | 5'9” | Valencia (ESP) |
* Has appeared at a previous World Cup
Average Age: 26.7
Total Caps: 525
Best Odds: 150/1 (PaddyPower, SkyBet)
Player to Watch: Arturo Vidal
'La Roja' go into this World Cup with massive problems at the heart of their defence. None of the defenders selected is over 5’11” (1.80m) tall. Manager Jorge Sampaoli has had problems with a porous defence for some time, but had found a solution of sorts by moving Gary Medel (5’7”) of Cardiff City into central defence alongside Marcos Gonzalez (6’3”) during Chile’s 2-0 victory over England earlier in the year. These plans were shattered when Gonzalez, who has not been playing for his club side, arrived to join the preliminary squad badly out of shape. Gonzalez, would have been assumed to be certain starter for Chile, was one of those sent home when the squad was trimmed to 23.
In an attempt to address this issue (and also the loss of Fiorentina winger Matías Fernández), Sampaoli has changed his formation to a variation of 3-4-3, playing with 3 central defenders, 2 wing-backs, a false 9, and 2 inside forwards. It might just be just crazy enough to work, but given that Chile only scheduled 2 friendlies, and that he has attempted to allow anyone who is likely to play a part to get some game time those fixtures, the first time his starting XI play together in this system will be in their World Cup opener against Australia. It is hard to be too critical of Sampaoli though. He has cut his coat according to his cloth, and the loss of González and Fernández was beyond his control.
Claudio Bravo will wear both the goalkeeper’s jersey, and the captain’s armband. Bravo play for Real Sociadad in La Liga, and in my researching him I found this clip of him scoring from a free-kick. There is no commentary on the video, and I have been unable to establish why he was taking the free kick, or if he makes a habit of it. He has never scored for Chile, but even if it isn't terribly likely I will be hoping to see him coming up the field (a lá Jose Luis Chilavert) if Chile are awarded a free-kick around the box. The immortality of by becoming a pub quiz answer is still available to the first goalkeeper to score in a World Cup.
As mentioned previously Gary Medel will play in the back 3. Predicting who will play with him is still something of a guessing game. I have put Jara and Rojas in my ‘probable ‘team, but in truth these selections would be better described as ‘possible’. As you can see I have also included heights in that team, to give you a flavour of the lack of height this team suffers from.
In contrast to central defence, Chile’s wingbacks both look very capable of doing the job Sampaoli has asked of them. Mauricio Isla of Juventus and Eugenio Mena of Santos. Mena received his first big break from Sampaoli. Out of the side at Club Universidad de Chile in 2011, Sampaoli was appointed as the new manager, and put Mena into the team. The team went on to win the league and the Copa Sudamericana (the South American equivalent of the UEFA Cup) that season.
Isla tends to be behind Stephan Lichtsteiner in the pecking order at Juventus, but is something of a utility man, and made 21 appearances in all competitions this season.
The change from playing as orthodox fullbacks, to wing-backs, will suit both players games. Like almost everyone in this Chile team, they are extremely attacking minded. A back 3 will not so much give them license to attack more, as mean there will be one more body at the back to deal with and counter attacks they would have been left out of position for anyway
He is likely to be joined in central midfield by Marcelo Díaz, who is another of those who enjoyed Copa Sudamericana success with Sampaoli at Club Universidad de Chile. The defensive midfielder, playing that role in spite of his diminutive figure, is often compared to Spain's Xavi, and his metronomic passing will be the heartbeat of the team.
The two wide forwards in this system will be Alexis Sánchez on the right, and Eduardo Vargas on the left. I won't focus too much on Sanchez as most will be more than familiar with him from Barcelona, but what he will bring is experience of playing in a similar system to this, albeit with Lionel Messi in the false 9 role.
In this side the false 9 will be Jorge Valdívia. He might not be Lionel Messi, but he is well suited to the false 9 role. He is a real flair player; extremely creative, and likes to dribble the ball past defenders
The Left forward will be Eduardo Vargas. He will look to cut inside with diagonal runs and get a shot off. He is quick, and is an excellent striker of the ball.
Chile have a radical tactical set-up, and their direct, attacking pressing style will certainly make them an entertaining side to watch, but they look extremely vulnerable in the air. They should be delighted that Spain have chosen not to take Alvero Negredo to the World Cup. ‘The Beast’ would have caused them problems they would simply not have had an answer for, but Del Bosque obviously feels Spain will be able to deal with Chile without having to change their tiki-taka style. The likes of Ron Vlaar from Holland or Gerard Pique will still represent an attractive prospect in the goalscorer markets, as Chile will struggle to pick them up from set pieces. They are also in a very tough group, with both finalists from South Africa, Holland and Spain, and Australia. They will certainly entertain, but it is hard to see them progressing beyond the group stage. If either Holland or Spain fail to live up to expectations though, they will probably be the team to take advantage.
Friday 6 June 2014
Focus On... CÔTE D'IVOIRE!
Manager: Sabri Lamouchi
Previous Best: Group Stage (2006, 2010)
Likely Line-up (4-3-3)
| Pos | Name | Age | Caps | Club |
| GK | Barry | 34 | 80 | Lokeren (BEL) |
| RB | Aurier | 21 | 9 | Toulouse (FRA) |
| CB | Touré | 33 | 107 (6) | Liverpool (ENG) |
| CB | Bamba | 29 | 44 (2) | Trabzonspor (TUR) |
| LB | Boka | 31 | 80 (1) | Stuttgart (DEU) |
| DM | Zokora | 33 | 120 (1) | Unattached |
| CM | Tioté | 27 | 45 (1) | Newcastle United (ENG) |
| CM | Touré | 31 | 83 (16) | Manchester City (ENG) |
| RAM | Gervinho | 27 | 54 (14) | Roma (ITA) |
| LAM | Kalou | 28 | 65 (23) | Lille (FRA) |
| ST | Drogba* | 38 | 101 (65) | Galatasary (TUR) |
* Has appeared at a previous World Cup
Average Age: 29.8
Total Caps: 788
Best Odds: 150/1 (BoyleSports, Ladbrokes)
Player to Watch: Didier Drogba
This will be one of the shorter previews I have written. I don't spend much time on players who will be well known to fans of British football, the Côte D'Ivoire players will be better known to those fans than any other team, apart of course from England.
In goal 34 year old Boubacar Barry is embarking on his 3rd World Cup. Despite playing for Lokeren in Belgium, he is in many ways the stereotypical African goalkeeper. He makes some great saves, but his command of the penalty area and some of the decisions he makes look suspect through the eyes of a northern European. In truth he probably won't have these weaknesses exposed at the World Cup, given the level of protection goalkeepers are afforded by referees. One interesting note about Barry, though this is one for the complete anorak, is that he tends to kick a dead ball from the ground with his right foot, but played the ball from his hands by kicking it with his left foot.
Earlier in the season, amidst the racism row sparked by Sol Campbell's remarks in his book, the point was made by some that very often black players are praised for physical attributes, using terms like 'athletic' or 'hard-working', and that it is much rarer to hear a black player praised for their 'creativity' or their ability, for example, to 'unlock a defence' It is a point I would broadly agree with, but in the case of Serge Aurier it is a difficult trap to avoid falling in to. Aurier is technically sound without being spectacular, he defends well without being brilliant, but his outstanding attributes are strength, pace, stamina and hard work. These attributes should not be undervalued, particularly in the challenging climate this World Cup will be played in.
The central defenders will be Kolo Toure of Liverpool and Sol Bamba of Trabzonspor, but formerly of Hibernian and Leicester City.
The left back will be "The African Roberto Carlos", Arthur Boka. Another of those playing in his 3rd World Cup, Boka plays for VfB Stuttgart, and will, as his nickname suggests, be keen to get forward and join in with attacks in addition to his defensive duties.
The midfield will be led by Yaya Toure, probably supported by Didier Zokora, formerly of Spurs, and Cheick Tioté of Newcastle.
The wide positions will be filled by former Arsenal player Gervinho on the right, and former Chelsea player Salomon Kalou on the left.
The lone forward will, of course, be the one and only Didier Drogba (pictured). I have also named Drogba as my player to watch for Côte D'Ivoire, which goes against my usual pattern of picking someone you probably won't be familiar with, but I would suggest paying particular attention to one particular aspect of his game, his shooting. Drogba is still a sensational striker, even at 38. What I have been very impressed with over the years is the percentage of his shots that he gets on target. Regardless of how tightly he is being marked, if he manages to get a shot off, it is overwhelmingly likely that, even if it only trickles towards the goal, the goalkeeper will have to stop it. It is very very rare to see him blaze a shot over or wide.
Ivory Coast have not managed to get out of their group in their two previous World Cup appearances, but have been drawn in the 'Group of Death' on both occasions (with Argentina, Netherlands & Serbia-Montenegro in 2006, and with Brazil, Portugal & North Korea in 2010). This time the draw has been much more favourable, and they stand a good chance of qualifying from an open looking group featuring Columbia, Japan and Greece.
Thursday 5 June 2014
The Next Maldini...
In last nights blog I mentioned that Franco Beresi has described Mattia De Sciglio as the next Paulo Maldini. I was reminded today by a reader of this video from a few years ago. If you haven't seen it before, it is worth watching. On the ball is Clarence Seedorf, being chased by a group of children. See if you can guess which kid really is the next Maldini, Paulo's son Daniel Maldini. It should be fairly obvious!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=aPbs7YrUnKo
Wednesday 4 June 2014
Focus On... ITALY!
Manager: Cesare Prandelli
Previous Best: Champions (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
Likely Line-up (4-3-3)
| Pos | Name | Age | Caps | Club |
| GK | Buffon* | 36 | 140 | Juventus |
| RB | Abate | 27 | 20 (1) | AC Milan |
| CB | Chiellini* | 29 | 68 (4) | Juventus |
| CB | Bonucci* | 27 | 37 (2) | Juventus |
| LB | De Sciglio | 21 | 11 | AC Milan |
| CM | De Rossi* | 30 | 95 (15) | Roma |
| CM | Pirlo* | 35 | 109 (13) | Juventus |
| CM | Motta | 31 | 20 (1) | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) |
| RAM | Candreva | 27 | 20 | Lazio |
| LAM | Marchisio* | 28 | 44 (3) | Juventus |
| ST | Ballotelli | 23 | 30 (12) | AC Milan |
* Has appeared at a previous World Cup
Average Age: 27.8
Total Caps: 594
Best Odds: 26/1 (888Sport)
Player to Watch: Mattia De Sciglio
It is a fairly standard approach for coaches preparing a team for a major tournament to schedule friendlies against different types of opponents to sharpen different aspects of their preparation. Friendlies may be scheduled against opponents with a similar style to those they have been drawn against, with a view to testing a game plan for a particular match. Usually closer to the tournament, friendlies may be scheduled against much weaker opponents, when something approaching the first choice team will be played, in the hope of racking up a confidence building, high scoring victory.
The Azzurri have only scheduled 3 friendlies in the window after the conclusion of the club season, but have attempted to tick both boxes. Tonight they completed the second of those 3 friendlies, but so far things are not going according to plan.
In their first game, against the Irish Republic (a proxy for England, their opening opponents of the World Cup), no matter what they might have learned, the loss of captain Riccardo Montolivo to a broken leg left them worse off for having completed the exercise. Tonight's game against Luxembourg, which in theory ought to have been a mismatch, was a laboured affair which ended in an embarrassing draw thanks to a late Luxembourg equaliser. Italy, playing with a selection looking very close to Prandelli's likely first team, scored after only 9 minutes but were unable to score the goals they would have been expected to, before falling to a sucker-punch in the 85th minute. Italy have one more friendly game to prepare, against Brazilian club side Fluminense.
Looking at the team that is likely to face England in that first game, Gianluigi Buffon will start in goal for Italy. At one time the best goalkeeper in the world, Buffon is now 36, but is still without doubt the best option between the posts for Italy. He assumes the captaincy in the absence of Montolivo, and is also dealing with the breakdown of his marriage at the worst possible time.
The back 4 who started tonight are likely to start against England. The fullbacks will be the AC Milan duo of Ignazio Abate at right-back, and Mattia De Sciglio at left-back. Abate is a hardworking and very quick player who is known for surging runs, carrying the ball forward along the touchline. De Sciglio (left) is only 21 years old, and would probably prefer to play on the right, but his adaptability in this regard and his composed style of defending have already brought comparisons with the great Paulo Maldini, from no less than Franco Baresi. If De Sciglio is even half as good as either Maldini or Baresi, both Milan and Italy have uncovered a gem.
The 2 central defenders will be Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, both of Juventus. Both are very capable on the ball and any attempt to shut Italy down by man-marking Pirlo will see them adding his duties to their own. One thing that should be noted is that although they play together at club level, Juventus play with 3 central defenders (with the addition of Andrea Barzagli, who is also in the Italy squad). It will be interesting to see how they adapt to playing as a pairing, rather than in a trio.
Tonight's midfield choice was Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi and Marco Verratti. Both De Rossi and Pirlo already have World Cup winners medals and will be very well known to most. De Rossi's playing style has compared to Stephen Gerrard's throughout his career, and Pirlo is quite simply a genius. Verratti played tonight, but has never played in a competative international game, and tonights appearance might have been more about improving his match sharpness in case Prandelli needs to call on him, rather than being and indication that he is likely to be a starter. Montolivo would without a doubt have been the third man in midfield, and his absence will mean a rethink is required. Thiago Motta will probably be the man to replace him
The wide position will be filled by Antonio Candreva on the right, and Claudio Marchisio on the left. Candreva has decent pace, excellent technique, and although I have highlighted De Sciglio as my player to watch, Candreva ran him very close. He has had an excellent season for Lazio, finishing as their top-scorer. Marchiso usually plays in a more central role for Juventus, where he is seen as the heir to Pirlo, but playing on the left side his work rate and technical ability should allow him to produce competent performances at the very least.
Prandelli's decision not to select Giuseppe Rossi for his squad has caused consternation in Italy. The toothless performance in front of goal against Luxembourg is only likely to add fuel to that fire. In his absence the enigmatic Mario Ballotelli play as a lone forward.
Italy have a very good looking team on paper, and there is still time for them to iron out the issues they have encounters preparing for this World Cup. Montolivo will be a loss, but they are likely to face a battle to qualify from the group with an England team who for a variety of reasons are missing up to half a dozen players who might have started for them (Kyle Walker, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Andros Townsend, Theo Walcott, Jay Rodriguez). The heat an humidity of Manaus should suit also Italy better than England, though neither side will find it comfortable. I would expect that they will qualify for the knock-out phase in second place behind Uruguay, but the game against England is absolutely crucial.
The Azzurri have only scheduled 3 friendlies in the window after the conclusion of the club season, but have attempted to tick both boxes. Tonight they completed the second of those 3 friendlies, but so far things are not going according to plan.
In their first game, against the Irish Republic (a proxy for England, their opening opponents of the World Cup), no matter what they might have learned, the loss of captain Riccardo Montolivo to a broken leg left them worse off for having completed the exercise. Tonight's game against Luxembourg, which in theory ought to have been a mismatch, was a laboured affair which ended in an embarrassing draw thanks to a late Luxembourg equaliser. Italy, playing with a selection looking very close to Prandelli's likely first team, scored after only 9 minutes but were unable to score the goals they would have been expected to, before falling to a sucker-punch in the 85th minute. Italy have one more friendly game to prepare, against Brazilian club side Fluminense.
Looking at the team that is likely to face England in that first game, Gianluigi Buffon will start in goal for Italy. At one time the best goalkeeper in the world, Buffon is now 36, but is still without doubt the best option between the posts for Italy. He assumes the captaincy in the absence of Montolivo, and is also dealing with the breakdown of his marriage at the worst possible time.
The 2 central defenders will be Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, both of Juventus. Both are very capable on the ball and any attempt to shut Italy down by man-marking Pirlo will see them adding his duties to their own. One thing that should be noted is that although they play together at club level, Juventus play with 3 central defenders (with the addition of Andrea Barzagli, who is also in the Italy squad). It will be interesting to see how they adapt to playing as a pairing, rather than in a trio.
Tonight's midfield choice was Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi and Marco Verratti. Both De Rossi and Pirlo already have World Cup winners medals and will be very well known to most. De Rossi's playing style has compared to Stephen Gerrard's throughout his career, and Pirlo is quite simply a genius. Verratti played tonight, but has never played in a competative international game, and tonights appearance might have been more about improving his match sharpness in case Prandelli needs to call on him, rather than being and indication that he is likely to be a starter. Montolivo would without a doubt have been the third man in midfield, and his absence will mean a rethink is required. Thiago Motta will probably be the man to replace him
The wide position will be filled by Antonio Candreva on the right, and Claudio Marchisio on the left. Candreva has decent pace, excellent technique, and although I have highlighted De Sciglio as my player to watch, Candreva ran him very close. He has had an excellent season for Lazio, finishing as their top-scorer. Marchiso usually plays in a more central role for Juventus, where he is seen as the heir to Pirlo, but playing on the left side his work rate and technical ability should allow him to produce competent performances at the very least.
Prandelli's decision not to select Giuseppe Rossi for his squad has caused consternation in Italy. The toothless performance in front of goal against Luxembourg is only likely to add fuel to that fire. In his absence the enigmatic Mario Ballotelli play as a lone forward.
Italy have a very good looking team on paper, and there is still time for them to iron out the issues they have encounters preparing for this World Cup. Montolivo will be a loss, but they are likely to face a battle to qualify from the group with an England team who for a variety of reasons are missing up to half a dozen players who might have started for them (Kyle Walker, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Andros Townsend, Theo Walcott, Jay Rodriguez). The heat an humidity of Manaus should suit also Italy better than England, though neither side will find it comfortable. I would expect that they will qualify for the knock-out phase in second place behind Uruguay, but the game against England is absolutely crucial.
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