Unless: Italy 2 - Germany 1

photo by Ed Yourdon	via PhotoRee

So, Germany had never beaten Italy, but as this column right here clearly told you, and in language that would be familiar to any student of economic bubbles worldwide, this time things were going to be different.  Sure, Germany had never -- not once -- beaten Italy in a major football tournament, but we all saw the raw power, the sheer athletic might of this current squad from Deutschland.  You couldn't help but notice it and be suitably impressed.  And who were these Italians that faced them, other than a less than potent version of their predecessors, a team without an effective striker, that had a tough time finding the net, a group that had won only one of its tournament games to date in 90 minutes, and only two years removed from the bunch that failed to qualify for the knockout round of the most recent World Cup...?  So this game had no chance of even being close, did it?

Unless.

Unless a certain Andrea Pirlo -- a 33 year old, six years removed from being the most valuable player at the 2006 World Cup, who has undoubtedly been the player of this year's Euro tournament -- is there to block a ball off the line in the game's first seven minutes, a ball that has already evaded a haplessly waving Gianluigi Buffon, that is headed into the back of the net to provide an early German lead and begin the rout.

Unless Italian striker Mario Balotelli could lose his marker and capitalize on a pinpoint accurate Antonio Cassano cross, nodding it past German 'keeper Manuel Neuer to give Italy a surprise 1-nil lead halfway through the first 45 minutes, a lead that would represent the inaugural German deficit of the entire Euro qualifying campaign and tournament.

Unless minutes later, Balotelli were to split the German center backs, and take dead aim at the opposition net, rocketing the ball past a shellshocked Neuer and creating a two goal advantage for the Italians, sowing havoc in the German defense and creating serious problems for the Teutonic game plan heading into the interval. 

Unless Gigi Buffon were to find a way to rewind the years and stretch every inch of his long, lean body to stop a laser-like Marco Reus free kick from slipping just under the bar and keep the Germans off the board and the shutout intact at the hour mark.

Unless the Italians could make the German midfield look more like England's midfield, negating such big-club superstars as Mezut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger for a full 90 minutes, allowing the men from der Deutschland possession but not penetration, keeping the danger well at bay and looking nothing more than comfortable throughout the entire match.

Business As Usual: Italy 0 - England 0 (4-2 PK)

photo by Tambako the Jaguar	via PhotoRee

Thoughts I had while watching England lose to Italy on penalty kicks:

Overall: I'm not surprised England lost.  Let's face it, Italy has a very good team....  Ultimately, though, I have to disagree with all those who said that England "exceeded expectations" this year by making it as far as they did.  Shouldn't England at the very least be expected to make the knockout stage of a major tourney -- or have expectations fallen so low that this, too, is now a gift...?  It's not as if the English won their knockout game and advanced to the semifinals....

o Is this the current state of English football?  Should a team packed with Premier League "stars" such as Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Joe Hart, et al -- England's "golden generation" of footballers -- go down meekly without creating much in the way of chances during a match to a team that was definitely beatable?  Is this the "new" England of low expectations and early knockouts?  If it is, thank God they're not my team, because this is a group of guys that appear to be going nowhere in a hurry.  And it's not like the weight of great expectations burdened the English team this year....  No, this was a squad full of individual stars that never learned to play as a team.

o If only I'd known what was to come: Although the game got off to a rollicking start -- Daniele De Rossi's wicked slice off the bar, and an English ball falling to one of the few players on the pitch who was incapable of finishing it (thanks, Glenn Johnson) -- with more chances in the first five minutes than France saw all game on Saturday, that was known simply as "upfronting" the action.  Long periods of torpid play followed, with England so knackered by extra time that they were physically unable to string more than even one or two passes together.

o Does the position of Italian Manager also come with its own suit contract....?  How do those guys always manage to look so casually cool and well dressed....?

o England's defensive posture lacks explanation: fall back and don't pressure the ball. I know about keeping your shape, but the English conceded possession and position to the Italian opposition at virtually every opportunity.

o Joe Hart was completely out of position when Mario Balotelli broke clear on goal midway through the first half. It pains me to say this, but it was only an outstanding play by John Terry that saved a goal. Terry was the only English defender running at full tilt, and it was solely down to his hustle that the scoreline remained knotted at zero.  Sad but true fact: John Terry was England's best player yesterday.