Stopping Italy's fulcrum, Andrea Pirlo, has to be the priority for this Saturday's game against the Azzurri.
But how? Some suggest Wayne Rooney can do a job and though England's talisman has the dedication, whether he has the energy levels of a couple of years ago remains open to question.
Therefore, Roy Hodgson should take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book. Unfortunately, the England manager cannot call upon Park Ji Sung, or a like for like replacement. The South Korean's honourable mention is due to the effective job he did on Pirlo in a 2010 Champions League tie.
The Italian midfield maestro recently commented that Park was "the first nuclear powered South Korean in history" in reference to the shadowing job that he did on Pirlo.
Hodgson should take note of what Ferguson did last year when using Danny Welbeck in such a role against Xabi Alonso. Welbeck was instrumental in stopping the Madrid man from dictating play in much the same way as Pirlo likes to do. Furthermore, Welbeck's form is good, as has been demonstrated throughout the recent friendlies.
This then leaves the Rooney conundrum. Where does he play or do you even drop him entirely? Let's dismiss the latter, at least for now. He has bags of experience and still offers a goal threat, but with Welbeck operating centrally, should he be deployed to 'sit on' Pirlo, Rooney will have to move out wide.
This then leaves Hodgson with one more selection dilemma. Who to play on the other flank: Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana or James Milner.
A couple of weeks ago Lallana was at the front of the queue but his recent form could see him miss out. Sterling missed England's last friendly through suspension and could also, with his pace, be an effective substitute against tired Italian legs.
For these reasons, the prospect of James Milner starting has to be strong. And then when you add Glen Johnson's recent struggles at full back, some protection may be necessary and noone in the squad can offer that in the same way that the Manchester City wide man can.
This line up may seem a little on the cautious side, but there are still goals in this team. Rooney, Sturridge and even Welbeck, despite his destroying role, can still provide an attacking threat, and his scoring record for England is excellent.
Should England emerge with a point or more from this game, this should strengthen their chances of progressing and Italy may just feel the same. A long scoring draw may be on the cards for two nations who are notoriously slow starters.
My team: Hart; Johnson Cahill Jagielka Baines; Gerrard Henderson; Milner Welbeck Rooney; Sturridge
But how? Some suggest Wayne Rooney can do a job and though England's talisman has the dedication, whether he has the energy levels of a couple of years ago remains open to question.
Therefore, Roy Hodgson should take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book. Unfortunately, the England manager cannot call upon Park Ji Sung, or a like for like replacement. The South Korean's honourable mention is due to the effective job he did on Pirlo in a 2010 Champions League tie.
The Italian midfield maestro recently commented that Park was "the first nuclear powered South Korean in history" in reference to the shadowing job that he did on Pirlo.
Hodgson should take note of what Ferguson did last year when using Danny Welbeck in such a role against Xabi Alonso. Welbeck was instrumental in stopping the Madrid man from dictating play in much the same way as Pirlo likes to do. Furthermore, Welbeck's form is good, as has been demonstrated throughout the recent friendlies.
This then leaves the Rooney conundrum. Where does he play or do you even drop him entirely? Let's dismiss the latter, at least for now. He has bags of experience and still offers a goal threat, but with Welbeck operating centrally, should he be deployed to 'sit on' Pirlo, Rooney will have to move out wide.
This then leaves Hodgson with one more selection dilemma. Who to play on the other flank: Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana or James Milner.
A couple of weeks ago Lallana was at the front of the queue but his recent form could see him miss out. Sterling missed England's last friendly through suspension and could also, with his pace, be an effective substitute against tired Italian legs.
For these reasons, the prospect of James Milner starting has to be strong. And then when you add Glen Johnson's recent struggles at full back, some protection may be necessary and noone in the squad can offer that in the same way that the Manchester City wide man can.
This line up may seem a little on the cautious side, but there are still goals in this team. Rooney, Sturridge and even Welbeck, despite his destroying role, can still provide an attacking threat, and his scoring record for England is excellent.
Should England emerge with a point or more from this game, this should strengthen their chances of progressing and Italy may just feel the same. A long scoring draw may be on the cards for two nations who are notoriously slow starters.
My team: Hart; Johnson Cahill Jagielka Baines; Gerrard Henderson; Milner Welbeck Rooney; Sturridge
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