ponsaelius

I think club football for me, at the top level, has a feeling of being at times almost too perfect. The teams are all such well oiled machines who know each other's every move on the pitch. And all the players are so familiar to us. Particularly over the last year without fans being there it has descended into something resembling training games at times - with the sense of theatre and chaos removed. You get to an international tournament and that all goes out of the window. The players are all thrown together pretty much on the day and just have to make it work. There's a brilliant randomness to it all. Players like Alaba and Zinchenko go from being left backs and centre backs for all conquering super clubs to starring midfielders for middling sides. Even now, with wall-to-wall coverage, there's new names playing who you've not really heard of.

I've genuinely loved every game so far. I'd probably love a dreadful 0-0 stalemate as long as it had fans booing the ref.

Anybody enjoying this tournament more than any football they've watched in over a year? The football is never as well oiled as top level club football. In fact some of it ventures from the chaotic to terrible. But I'm finding it far more engaging. A lot of it might be to do with having fans back in the stands.

Don't have an issue with Sterling playing. Would always have one of him or Sancho. Everybody seems to want Foden, Kane, Grealish as a front 3 but that seems to massively lack runners in behind. All three of them will spend the game wanting to come deep and get on the ball.

They should be in the old phone boxes. Or when they put those hideous Clear Channel screens up they should have em on one side.

Match resumes at 7:30pm. Seems like insanity.

Nor Lukaku

I can't see how with this schedule they re-organise it? To be it seems logical to just end it as a draw personally - depending on what the players want I guess.

Emotion getting the better of me seeing that photo. Hope to hell he pulls through.

What's most infuriating is that broadcasters are sharp quick able to stop showing a pitch invader running on and having a lark or making some political statement. But they're keen to turn an incident like that into televisual drama. Fucking scumbags.

The coverage was absolutely disgusting. Why were they showing live footage of him getting CPR. Of his wife in floods? Just fucking disgraceful.

England are basically reverse Italy. Keeper is dodgy, CBs are unreliable, and lack central midfielders who can control a game. But we're absolutely overloaded in attack, with pacey wide players and fullbacks to the point where it's hard to actually pick who to play. We also seem likely to change system game to game. Italy have a top goalkeeper, experience and depth at CB, and technical passers in midfield. But limited options up front that more or less pick themselves in this system (Chiesa vs Berardi is the only real question mark). They have a very set system that won't change much game to game. I'm really excited to see how England get on because I honestly don't know what to expect.

Also worth noting Demiral, Italy's other goalscorer last night, was scouted and signed by Sassuolo and sold onto Juventus.

Berardi hasn't really stayed at Sassuolo his whole career technically. He burst through at Sassuolo very young and was bought by Juve on a co-ownership in 2013 after they were promoted to Serie A. He scored 16 and 15 goals in his first two seasons, hit four against Milan at San Siro. I think everybody expected him to either go to Juve or be bought outright and sold on to somebody else. But Juve didn't need him and his early goalscoring form wavered with injury problems so he just seemed to settle at Sassuolo with nobody making the jump to sign him despite endless rumours. Eventually Sassuolo bought him back outright when the co-ownership system ended. Last two seasons under De Zerbi he has finally seemed to fulfil his potential again and scored for fun in a side that plays good and entertaining passing football. But I'm not sure if he will move on as he is comfortable there and playing for the national team now. Sassuolo are a very small club with a local industrialist benefactor ala Villarreal (although he has passed away now). They are a rare example in Italian football of being just a well ran club. They have a borderline uncomfortable buy/sell/loan relationship with Juve which has probably worked to their benefit overall. But they are good at scouting players and investing in their academy. Berardi and Raspadori came through their youth academy. Locatelli was given a platform to shine after leaving Milan - as were Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matteo Politano from Roma. Sensi who missed out on the squad with injury is another they gave a platform to from the lower leagues.

I'm delighted to see Insigne and Immobile have their moments at an international tournament. They've never quite hit the potential they were billed to have but have had excellent careers just below the top level.

Italy were as good as Turkey were horrendous. There's deficiencies upfront but it's a far better side on paper than 2016 and just as well coached as Conte's side were (obviously a totally different style of play).

Was gonna say the same. Don't think England have much to fear from the Czechs at all based on tonight.

Yep. A combination of very few Italian players playing abroad, the big clubs not really going far in the CL and not making it to the last World Cup means that there's a lot of names that will be unfamiliar. The squad is almost completely different to that from 2016 apart from the Juventus old guard. Unless you follow Serie A there will be a number who will be a mystery. Despite the lack of household names and not having many genuine world class players, I think the overall squad is stronger than all the teams since 2012. Some good young players, and other players who are finding a niche with a system built to their strengths (e.g. Verratti and Insigne). It's amazing that Verratti hasn't really had a tournament yet and only has 40 caps. Unfortunately yet again he goes into this one carrying an injury.

Looking like Sarri to Lazio which could be fun.

Sensi out injured so Pessina comes in afterall. I actually think that's a good thing. Sensi a more talented footballer but fragile.

The reviews I've seen from calcio commentariat suggested no, and that it was pretty rubbish. As ever with these things they're nearly always better as a documentary than as a biopic.

Yeah was gonna say and link them - but I know not everybody subscribes. Good stuff.

Italy's main problem is the lack of a reliable striker (at international level) and not a lot of game-changing pace out wide. For that reason I'm pretty surprised Kean didn't make the cut as a wildcard - especially over somebody like Raspadori. The latter is promising - but it seems a stretch at this stage of his career to expect a lot at a major tournament. Another player who is unfortunate to miss out is Matteo Pessina of Atalanta, who unfortunately plays where the team is strongest. I also think Manuel Lazzari would have been a shoe-in for almost any Italy team of the last 10 years where back threes were in-vogue. One of those who is a great wing-back, but cannot really play in a back four at all. Will otherwise be very interesting to see how form under Mancini transfers to the tournament. Not just a case of being 27 games unbeaten, but they have been generally very entertaining to watch over the last 3 years.

3 players from non-UK clubs is interesting. Only time we've had more than 2 before at major tournament is Euro 88. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_England_national_football_team_World_Cup_and_European_Championship_squads