Originally Posted by Alrightmate:
“I agree with you when you say that we looked technically adept.
What I noticed was that for the most part we looked to pass the ball more accurately, and more quickly, without tripping over own own feet or botching passes which go nowhere near where they're supposed to. and also manage to play fluid attacking football. I think that's one of the reasons we just looked more like a capable team than we have done for many years.
Even if we didn't get through the first round, which is a very tough group, I'd still say that something feels very right about this team.”
Some interesting stats that Gary Lineker posted for the BBC this morning:
"Of the 14 teams we have seen so far, England had more shots on goal than any of them. Needless to say, conversion rate was not in the top 10.
"Even more stunning is that England's passing accuracy ranks second, just behind Italy, but ahead of Spain, Holland and Brazil. Go boys!
"Here's another beauty. For passing accuracy in the opposition's half, England come out on top. Stats exclude crosses where England are last."
Of course, you can prove anything with statistics - but we're used to seeing England come off terribly in these sorts of rankings, so they are a cautiously optimistic read.
What we lacked, I think, was the right runs inside the box to invite those "final balls" everyone keeps speaking of. When Italy sat back and put 10 men behind the ball, we continued to try and play counter attacking football which was unlikely to work through the crowds. We brought in three attacking midfield players, but did nothing up front to give them somewhere to aim.