Of course, now they have reached a Quarter Final with Italy, a lot of fans will get their hopes up and think that "this could be our year". The Italy match is certainly winnable, but what should are the concerns for England going into this game?
1. Possession - Ukraine enjoyed 57% of the ball last night. With better finishing and a bit of luck, they would have made England play. England have struggled to keep the ball throughout the competition. Misplaced balls, panicky clearances and a lack of players in space have all been problems. Against Italy, they need to do a much better job of retaining the ball.
2. Wide Midfield - Ashley Young and James Milner have offered very little during the Group stages. Milner has worked hard and done his defensive duties, but has rarely threatened to provide much service for England's strikers. Young has been a peripheral figure so far aside from a lovely cross that Rooney put wide, and we haven't even seen any of his trademark dives! To add to the problem, Theo Walcott isn't 100% fit so starting him on Sunday would be a massive risk.
3. Gianluigi Buffon - In all 3 Group games, England benefited from poor keeping. Hugo Lloris failed to deal with a cross, the otherwise excellent Andreas Issakson was beaten by a shot done the middle and answers on a postcard as to what Andriy Pyatov was doing when England scored last night. It seems unlikely that Buffon will be as generous, in fact he's arguably been the best keeper in the tournament so far.
4. Recent History - Since Euro 96, England have won a grand total of 2 knockout matches. Their victims? Denmark and Ecuador. In contrast, Italy have won a World Cup and reached the final of Euro2000. When it comes to winning the big games, Italy are streets ahead.
5. Wayne Rooney - Yes he scored, and yes he worked hard, but there was something unsatisfactory about Rooney's performance on Tuesday evening. He looked sluggish and didn't have the burst of pace that has created so many goals for him in the past. Furthermore, he fluffed a golden chance to give England a nerve calming 1st half lead. Maybe it was a lack of match practice, but England will need a sharper Rooney on Sunday.
6. Lack of Depth in Midfield - Scott Parker and Stephen Gerrard have worked magnificently to cut off opposition attacks, but if one (or both) of them were to get injured then who have England got to turn to. Jordan Henderson, James Milner and possibly Phil Jones. I rest my case!
7. Mark Lawrenson - This is more of a worry for fans, but the BBC are sure to send the ATeam out on Sunday, which means 90 minutes (or more) of Jonathan Pearce and Mark Lawrenson. Anybody who has suffered Lawro's efforts other the last 2 weeks will be dreading this prospect. Surely, there are better alternatives out there. All I'm asking is for the Beeb to give the job to somebody who likes football!
8. Good Mario - Nobody ever knows which Balotelli will turn up, but the chance to get one over on England and fuel the "Balotelli legend" will surely have Mario pumped up. At to that, the fact he will probably be starting on the bench, and you've got a fired up Balotelli. This was evidenced by his cameo against Ireland on Monday, rounded off with a magnificent overhead kick.
9. Glen Johnson - Johnson has had an OK tournament thus far, but there are still doubts over his defensive capabilities. Against France, he often drifted inside and left massive gaps down the flanks. The Italian full backs have been excellent so far and will be looking to exploit this weakness. Johnson needs a bit more defensive discipline to go with his solid attacking play.
10. It's England!- And that means that deep down we know something will go wrong! A red card, a dreadful error, a referring cock up or even just appalling luck. When it comes to big games, there's usually something that stops England in their tracks. You can't fight fate!
Of course, if England do manage to overcome all this and beat the Italians, then there's a fair chance Germany will be waiting in the Semi Finals. That will mean at least another 20 reasons to worry!
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