Two former World Cup champions meet in the second match in Group D. To the casual fan, this may seem like a matchup between the two favorites to go through, like yesterday’s lopsided Spain vs. Holland match. But Uruguay, having come third in the 2010 World Cup, will have other ideas, and neither Italy nor England has been terribly consistent in recent years. Rather than watching two sides feel each other out with an eye in the future, we might have the opportunity here to watch an exciting, consequential match between two old footballing powerhouses.
What’s At Stake
As I say, that’s because both sides will fear that defeat today means missing out on the second round. Mutual fear is not normally conducive to thrilling football, but there’s something in the Brazilian air; the football so far has been surprisingly open. Also, both England and Italy tend to judge themselves by their past successes (England rather ridiculously, considering 1966 was forty-eight years ago), and so usually overestimate their chances. Each nation’s supporters will be howling for victory today.
The area to watch today is Italy’s deep midfield, where the ageless Andrea Pirlo will be pulling the strings. England will probably deploy Wayne Rooney in that area behind a striker to temper Pirlo’s passing and test his tackling. The struggle between Rooney’s fire and Pirlo’s guile should be interesting. Pirlo has the potential to make Rooney look stupid. Then again, Rooney might just kick him out of the match.
A player who probably won’t be mentioned much going in, but who will be key, is Leighton Baines. Fullbacks are always important in the modern game, but England’s left back could be huge today. His energy and technical skill going forward tend to surprise his opponents, and he’s an expert from set-pieces, if he can get Gerrard and Rooney off the ball.
It’s Darke and McManaman! Enjoy; these two are the tops. McManaman, who played for European champions Real Madrid (among other massive clubs), brings an incredible knowledge of the game to bear and doesn’t seem to have taken as many hits to the head as other ex-player commentators. His melodious Scouse accent is also nice on the ears, while Ian Darke’s subtle, avuncular humor always goes down easy. They made the first match between Brazil and Croatia a joy to listen to, even when the football wasn’t great to watch. I especially enjoyed their gag about goal-line technology’s unnecessarily revealing that Croatia’s goal had indeed gone in. “I think we knew when it hit the back of the net!”
Match-specific Drinking Games
Spicy Pepperoni: Have a shot whenever a commentator does an Italian accent. How drunk? With these two commentators, only tipsy.
Inevitable: Chug half a beer every fifteen minutes until Balotelli receives a yellow card. How drunk? Sober enough to fly a plane blindfolded.
Play-by-play: Try to name each player as the ball reaches him. Drink if you say the name of a player on the wrong team. How drunk? Up to you.
England: Gin. These are two countries with lots of famous drinks, but I’m sticking to the list. I’m not a gin fan, so I’ll be having a stout. Feel free to join me.
Italy: Grappa. If you go this route, buy a good grappa. Don’t drink bad grappa.
For more:
– Read my general World Cup watching guide.
– Check out Zonal Marking, my favorite tactics website.
– See a commentary schedule or a review of each commentator.
– See where I’m getting my national drink recommendations.
– Check out other match previews from this group: Uruguay vs. Costa Rica
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