Cmon England!!!!

[jakally]

Him and Terry were absolutely world class (and thats from a Utd fan).

I've never been one to like Terry, for all of the obvious reasons.
Despite all of the protestations to the contrary, it's clear the FA / Hodgson decided than only one of Terry or Ferdinand could go, for non-football reasons.

From a football perspective, they definitely made the right decision, and Terry was very, very good.

[AndrewT]

Gerrard said after the match that the team had hoped it would be our turn for the bit of luck in penalty shootouts we need. This said it all. It is not down to luck that England have won 1 penalty shootout in 7, and it is not down to luck that Germany have only lost 1 in 7.

At least we actually practised them this time. 

Ludicrous in the past saying that the penalty shoot-out conditions can't be replicated, so no point practising taking penalties.  That's more of a reason to practice, so at least the mechanical aspect of taking a penalty is right.  It's like someone who trains at any sport or martial art - you repeat the action so it becomes second nature and when you need to use it in the heat of battle, it's something you can do without thinking about.  Of course, they can still be fluffed, but it's all about increasing the percentages.

You're right, practice > no practice, but the most important thing is to have a confidence, and be in control of the situation, and you can't really teach that.
Pirlo and Balotelli had it, Rooney probably, but English players on the whole, seem to have it less than players from some other countries.

Ashely Young looked absolutely terrified as he came up to take his - I don't think he even looked at the goal or Buffon beofre he kicked it.

Pirlo's penalty was not just class, it was genuinely soul-crushing.

[outragous76]

Gerrard said after the match that the team had hoped it would be our turn for the bit of luck in penalty shootouts we need. This said it all. It is not down to luck that England have won 1 penalty shootout in 7, and it is not down to luck that Germany have only lost 1 in 7.

At least we actually practised them this time. 

Ludicrous in the past saying that the penalty shoot-out conditions can't be replicated, so no point practising taking penalties.  That's more of a reason to practice, so at least the mechanical aspect of taking a penalty is right.  It's like someone who trains at any sport or martial art - you repeat the action so it becomes second nature and when you need to use it in the heat of battle, it's something you can do without thinking about.  Of course, they can still be fluffed, but it's all about increasing the percentages.

You're right, practice > no practice, but the most important thing is to have a confidence, and be in control of the situation, and you can't really teach that.
Pirlo and Balotelli had it, Rooney probably, but English players on the whole, seem to have it less than players from some other countries.

Ashely Young looked absolutely terrified as he came up to take his - I don't think he even looked at the goal or Buffon beofre he kicked it.

Pirlo's penalty was not just class, it was genuinely soul-crushing.

Rooney looked terrible and didnt look the keeper in the eye - but he scored

[pokerfan]

Gerrard not top 5 for us.

[MANTIS01]

Thought the England performance was embarrassing. All this unlucky on penalties stuff just covers up how little ambition we showed in our approach. Italy had 36 attempts at goal compared to our 9 and beat us 70-30 on possession. I said before Italy are vulnerable to pace and were there to be shot at but we never really had a go. Just satisfied to drop off very deep and run around all night trying to win the ball. When the ball was won there was zero adventure to commit men forward and take chances to win the game.

Pirlo is old, slow, lacks power, lacks physicality and yet he dominated us from the start and we had no answer. Why?

Andy Carroll was embarrassing as well. Just loped around barging into people and struggled with basic control of the football. Why is a talented £35m striker letting the left back step up to shoot at goal before him anyway.

[kinboshi]

Gerrard not top 5 for us.

Those stats are bollocks.  The top passer for England yesterday was Hart, and the most passes were from Hart to Carroll (and he only joined the game after 60 minutes).

That highlights where the problem was.

[kinboshi]

https://twitter.com/#!/OptaJoe

Some of the stats on there are interesting.

[Acidmouse]

Andy Carroll was embarrassing as well. Just loped around barging into people and struggled with basic control of the football. Why is a talented £35m striker letting the left back step up to shoot at goal before him anyway.

He won virtually everything in the air and controlled most of the balls when he came on. If you looking for players that were terrible parker unable to pass the ball or young to actually do anything are much more obvious targets.

England were what we all expected. Short of the 3-4 players that would have made a difference. Roy did as well as expected, unbeaten and pride intact. No shame in losing to Italy on pens.

[pleno1]

lol at the carroll abuse. Only guy who got close to Pirlo and won almost every single header.

[smashedagain]

Gerrard not top 5 for us.

Those stats are bollocks.  The top passer for England yesterday was Hart, and the most passes were from Hart to Carroll (and he only joined the game after 60 minutes).

That highlights where the problem was.

Hardly suprising those stats about Hart. If England managed to string 5 passes together the ball ended up at Harts feet, and if he did not end up finding Carroll's head the Italians won the ball

[TightEnd]

Click to see full-size image.

[TightEnd]

thought this article nailed it

By Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer, in Kiev


Not content with hanging on for long periods on three previous Euro 2012 nights, England clung on for two more days, as this quarter-final broke the bounds of Sunday and carried on into Monday. The English have now won one of eight penalty shoot-outs: against Spain at Euro 96 - on home soil.

Their chief tormentor was the unflappable Andrea Pirlo, who was managed by Hodgson briefly at Inter Milan. Now 33, Pirlo, in his 87th international appearance, scored from the spot with an outrageously deft chip. With his ability to control the tempo and shape of the game, the Juventus midfielder was the counterpoint to England’s scurrying and desperation.

One of his equivalents, Scott Parker, performed beyond the limits of his talent here and was honest about that fact. He should not be disparaged for being less good than Pirlo. Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, captained England with great energy and conviction. Yet these two were finally overwhelmed by an Italian midfield more adept at keeping possession and using the ball.

England’s lamentable record in penalty shoot-outs suggests a congenital failure of technique and temperament. Ashley Young crashed his effort against the crossbar. Ashley Cole fired tamely into Gianluigi Buffon’s falling body. Alessandro Diamanti, once of West Ham, completed the execution. Anything else would have been larceny.

The 12-yard shoot-out merely confirmed the unmistakable lessons of the game. By the time Mario Balotelli placed the ball on the spot to beat Joe Hart people were already joking that England would have to play Germany at music, comedy, cricket or Association Costume Drama, as Armando Ianucci once suggested. At least they avoided Joachim Löw’s formidable Nationalmannschaft in Warsaw on Thursday.

In victories over Sweden and Ukraine, a draw with France and this deserved defeat to Italy, Hodgson stretched a thin squad to its limits and restored many lost qualities: unity, modesty, communication and a willingness to do more than mumble through the national anthem. But none of these advances make up for profligacy with the ball and players missing from 12 yards.

Humility had done its work and England’s likeability was repaired. So the country rose back up in hope and expectation as Hodgson’s men endeavoured to be more than a 4-4-2 team with a talent for muddling through. That proved beyond them.

With a forward line of Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, Italy’s starting XI might have been picked by Sigmund Freud. Balotelli lectured his team-mates, kicked a goal post after missing from three-yards out and left the pitch at the interval moaning. When the Azzurri came back out, though, England were smacked around. Hodgson’s men had played a game of how-far-can-we-go? This far, was the answer.

Every detail here was familiar from St-Etienne, Lisbon and Gelsenkirchen: the gnawing sense that 58 years without a knock-out win against top-level opposition away from English soil might finally be ending. That was a ragged hope from half-time. Italy probed in their more flexible 4-1-3-2 formation but in the first-half England offered a reasonable advertisement for 4-4-1-1 by playing wider on the counter-attack.

Fabio Capello was spared the ambivalence of leading England into battle against his homeland by the stance he adopted over John Terry’s demotion as England captain. Would Don Fabio have engineered the downfall of mother Italy? England would have adopted the more fluid and modern formation Capello devised in the aftermath of the World Cup debacle; but the squad would have been stuck in the age of cultural awkwardness, without the ease and unity has Hodgson imparted to the camp.

The England manager has used substitutions around the hour-mark to good effect but when Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott stripped for action on 57 minutes it was out of desperation. Welbeck and Milner gave way. For nearly a quarter of an hour Italy had attacked with renewed venom and England were back into survival mode: a fashionable pose these days, but not one that often works often against the superpowers.

Sweden and Ukraine - maybe. An over-rated France - if you’re lucky. But in these knock-out games you play poker with the devil if you believe you can withstand Italian wisdom without the ball.

Gerrard and Parker were working another double shift against a mobile and denser Italian midfield. In the middle at this level, 4-4-2 puts a huge strain on the two in the centre. For Gerrard, Euro 2012 has been a chance to lead and inspire, transcend a disappointing club season with Liverpool and leave a mark on the international stage at last. After 71 minutes, he was on the turf, wincing and stretching his calf. A tactical consultation with Gary Neville followed, but with two substitutes already on there was little England could to dramatically alter the game’s ominous pattern.

Strength of character has enjoyed a wonderful spring and summer, with Chelsea and England. But here on eastern Europe’s new frontier clinging on started to look less like an art form and more a risky challenge to the gods.

Perspiration sought one more victory over inspiration. It failed. Now Hodgson is fully the England manager, not just an ageing sage who rushed to his country’s rescue at short notice - and he will need some good ideas to break this dismal cycle.

[MANTIS01]

Carroll won headers and flicked them on to nobody. If nobody from your team is running in behind why are you flicking headers on? To say he got close to Pirlo at any point is fantasy. Then at the end he let a defender shoot at goal instead of stepping up himself. Great contribution. That said not one of our attacking players showed anything of note. Young and Rooney were terrible. 

[pleno1]

So he is getting criticism because he won headers and Rooney I'd t gamble or make intelligent runs off him? He even adjusted well and starts bringin the ball down and bringing others into play.

[Josedinho]

Don't worry Snowball - I agree with you. It wasn't great defending. It was good when we got close to them but they got through us to easily on many occassions.