EURO 2012 Quarter Finals: Italy - England (June 24,2012) [R]

No Chiellini

Rio Ferdinand already talking shit

my line up

3-5-2

buffon
barzagli-de rossi- bonucci
abate-pirlo-marchisio-nocerino-balzaretti
cassano-balotelli

ugh, England. Can't wait for the media to dig up any anti-Italy things they can find. The annoying thing is even if they win their stupid media will cry about something else, call us dirty or crooked, etc. While knocking out England would be nice, I'd rather have lost to Ireland then be knocked out by England. Forza ragazzi...

When's the last time we played England? I forget

I remember these games :

English will talk shit how motta is brazilian and balo is ghanaian

I dont hate the team i hate their media and the brainwashed people who are convinced they have the best league in the world

This will go to penalties...

England in this tournament remind me of Greece in 2004, somehow how they keep eeking out results but no one is quite sure how. They really should have lost to Ukraine last night, the goalie makes a terrible clanger for Shrek's goal and then Ukraine have a perfectly good goal, not given (by the way does anyone know what the officials behind the goal are supposed to do? answers on a postcard please), yet they walk away with a 1-0 win.

No doubt that scum bag Terry will do his best to wind up Balotelli (if he starts) and get him sent off and the English media and assorted pundits will be claiming that all the Italian players are too old, slow, past it etc, etc. Good luck to you and I hope you beat them 3-0 (2 for Balotelli).

maybe if terry annoys balotelli he will shag one of terry's family members with his big mandingo and of course helps us to beat england and continue to advance through the tournament.

'I dont hate the team i hate their media and the brainwashed people who are convinced they have the best league in the world.'

The English national team is currently far from the best in the world but the English league IS the best in the world, football is an entertainment industry and there is no other league that comes close - thats why the world watches the English league. Anyway my honest opinion is that Italy win this by quarter final by the odd goal.

for entertainment yes it is fantastic but in terms of the best league technically stadia etc i think the german is the best

I agree the German league is another great league, I think that is one of the reasons why in Germany they also have great match day attendances.

A league whose success is built mostly upon the sweet of foreigners (players, coaches, owers, etc) no less. In all honesty, the English media have very little right to say anything about scandalous behavior considering how their beloved national team managed to scrape a undeserving victory against Ukraine. But I digress...

Here's my player selections for both possible formations:

3-5-2:

Barzagli-De Rossi-Bonnuci

Abate-Marchisio-Pirlo-Nocerino-Balzaretti

Bal0-Cassano

4-3-1-2::

Abate-Barzagli-Bonucci-Balzaretti

Marchisio-Pirlo-De Rossi

Diamanti

Balo-Cassano

If that is your opnion fair enough, I disagree though. Without doubt it is the best marketed league in the world, and it has the most money, but imho it is not the best. The quality of football, I felt, in the EPL was poor, you may say that La Liga is a two horse race, which it clearly is, but at least you can say those 2 teams are exceptional sides, that tag does not apply to any team in the EPL. Yes, the competition for the top 4 places is fierce, you would hardly expect anything else in league where clubs are awash with money. Yet underneath that the quality is very poor, the team that finished 3rd from bottom in the EPL, did so with 36 points, where as the team that finished 3rd from bottom in La Liga (Villareal, who incidently also played in the Champions League) did so on 41 points. Sky is obessed with marketing it as the best league in the world, although I note they will change that term to "the most competitive/exciting league" when it becomes patently obvious that it is not the best league in the world.

Anyway, you enjoy what you enjoy, I enjoy watching matches from La Liga, Serie A, the EPL, the Portugese League, the Dutch league etc, it is only Sky who are determined that the EPL has to be constantly referred to as the best league in the world every 2 minutes.

The bad mouthing of the Italian team has already started in the English media, I hope for Italy to win 3-1.

Link?

It was on TalkIdiot Radio (a.k.a. as Shout Sport Radio) or commony referred to as TALKSPORT.

'although I note they will change that term to "the most competitive/exciting league" when it becomes patently obvious that it is not the best league in the world.'

The most competitive/exciting league surely means the best league doesnt it?? After all that is what people want from any spectacle isnt it?? Football is an 'entertainment' industry after all!

Some stats

Italy have only been knocked out at the quarter finals of a major tournament on two of the nine occasions that they have reached this stage – both times on penalty kicks (Euro 2008 v Spain and World Cup 1998 v France).
In 10 quarter final matches at the European Championships or World Cup finals (including one replay), Italy have conceded only four goals – and never more than one in a game.
England have lost seven out of ten quarter-final games at major tournaments, with 1966, 1990 and 1996 the only exceptions.
England and Italy have met at European Championship finals once before, with Italy winning a group game in 1980 1-0.
The last clash between the nations saw England lose a friendly in Leeds 2-1 in March 2002.
England have managed just one win from their last nine games against Italy (D2, L6).
On the last occasion England qualified for a European Championship tournament (2004), the Three Lions exited at the quarter-final stage after losing a penalty shoot-out against hosts Portugal.
Italy, too, exited at the quarter-final stage last time around. In 2008, they held Spain to a goalless draw before losing the penalty shoot-out.
England had the best shot conversion rate in the group stages (21.7%).
Italy and England scored three goals each from set-pieces, the joint-most in the group stages of Euro 2012.
Both Italy and England scored the opening goal in each of their first three games, with Germany the only other team to have managed to do so.
Italy's Mario Balotelli will play against his Manchester City team-mates Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott and James Milner.
England Manager Roy Hodgson managed Italian sides Internazionale (1995-97 and 99) and Udinese (2001) and led Internazionale to the finals of the 1996/97 UEFA Cup (where they were defeated by Schalke 04 on penalties).
The Azzurri remain unbeaten in competitive games under Cesare Prandelli: 13 games, nine wins and four draws.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/match-facts-england-v-italy-131321024.html

Also looks like Portuguese Referee Pedro Proenca will be the official for the match

No it doesn't hence the change in wording, for example the title race in the French league last season was exciting, but no one is going to claim the French league is the best in the world. Anyway, life is to short for this.

"my league is better than yours blah bleh blih"

Hey I was just responding to Williams post who seems to think that ALL English people are brainwashed into thinking that everything English is 'the best in the world', this seems to be something that goes around on this forum without any substance to back it up - stereotyping at its worst!

Really hope we can overcome Italy here. I'll admit, I was praying that we'd get them over Spain. Seems Sweden wanted to go out in style, and in the process, did us a massive favour.

England Line-Up (my hopes):

4-4-1-1

------------------------Hart----------------------------
----Johnson-----Terry-------Lescott------Cole---
----Walcott------Gerrard----Parker-----Young---
-------------------------Rooney------------------------
-------------------------Carroll--------------------------

Now, I understand that Welbeck has played brilliantly, but Carroll also has too, and for all of the criticism he was receiving pre-tournament, he's certainly responded very positively and I'm disappointed he didn't get the nod against Ukraine. Here's me hoping he gets the nod this time around against a very slightly weakened Italy side.

I couldn't care less what the english media says. They are always moaning, whining and crying like little 12 yr old girls, always looking for someone to blame for england's comical achievements.

Italy 4 - Spice Girls 0