A defeat in the first game again. Disappointing, but not too disheartening and not devastating.

I feel a lot more hopeful and positive about things after this game than I did after the opener in 2010, and we drew that one. Despite the result, we actually played really well. Looked dangerous going forward, created chances, our young players looked hungry and exciting. A bit of fne tuning in certain areas and we should be fine for the Uruguay game.

Yes Italy outpassed us at times but that’s to be expected. They’re a better side than us. We were the underdogs and we more than matched them in terms of what was created. I’ve seen tweets saying we “bottled” it and it was “another awful performance”. I can only assume they didn’t watch the game properly.

Onto individual performances now, Danny Welbeck was the scapegoats choice prior to the match with people bemoaning him being in the team. Disappointingly for them he played fantastically, probably a candidate for our best player. He showed why managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson deem him good enough for top class football.

Wayne Rooney instead took the scapegoat mantle. Played out of position on the left wing, he barely got a kick in the first half before playing a delightful ball for Sturridge’s equaliser. In the second, he was in the game more but his detractors leapt onto the fact that he missed a great opportunity and took a poor corner. Having seen his chance again I think that while he maybe should have hit the target, it’s more difficult than it looked at first. He’s shooting from a bit of an angle and there’s a defender ready to block the shot so his path to goal isn’t so clear cut. He has to get his shot past the defender but also inside the post.You see chances like that missed week in week out at all levels. I prefer to be positive when a player misses and think that at least he got into the position to have the shot on goal.
The thing with Rooney is that he’s a confidence player. The fans and the media getting on his back every time he has a bad moment isn’t going to help him.
I for one don’t think we should drop him. His assist proved that even when he’s not really in a game he can provide that one moment of magic. For me he shouldn’t be playing on the wing but the problem here is that Sterling played fantastically in the number 10 role and it would be somewhat unfair to move him. On the other hand he’s more comfortable out wide than Rooney is.
This is the first tournament since 2004 Rooney’s been fully fit for and ready from the start. In 2006 he was coming back from a metatarsal injury, we didn’t qualify for Euro 2008 of course, 2010 he was again coming back from injury and clearly not fully fit. 2012 he was banned for the first two games but came back to score against Ukraine. I expect a good showing from him against Uruguay. He knows he needs to deliver.

Glen Johnson also got some stick but I thought he played well. Got forward well and I don’t remember him doing too badly defensively. Most of Italy’s dangerous moments came down our left hand side.

Uruguay are next. I thought we were overestimating them and I do even more so after their defeat to Costa Rica. Costa Rica surprised me, I was given the impression they’d be ultra defensive and play for a point but they looked exciting and certainly aren’t here to make up the numbers. Uruguay looked incredibly shaky defensively and didn’t offer much going forward. If Suarez does play against us it won’t be a 100% fit Suarez and I don’t think he’ll be the player he’s been this season. They’ll be on a low after their defeat and we simply cannot allow them to get up a head of steam.

Costa Rica’s win for me means that even if we lost to Uruguay we’d have a chance of going through. Worst case scenario they beat us-and I think we can at least draw- I think Italy have enough to see off Costa Rica. That would leave Uruguay and Costa Rica on 3 points and ourselves on 0. In the final group game, I’d expect Italy to beat Uruguay, which would meant that if we could beat Costa Rica we should go through. There would of course be the danger that Uruguay and Italy settle for the draw. If we draw with Uruguay, I think we’d have a great chance as long as we beat Costa Rica and hope Uruguay don’t overtake our GD by beating Italy.
In World Cups where the top two teams have gone through, if my memory serves me correctly no team has ever lost their first two games and qualified. Feel free to correct mr if I’m wrong. However there IS a precedent in the Confederations Cup of 2009. The USA lost their opening two games 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil. Italy’s 3-1 win was followed by a 1-0 loss to Egypt, who’d lost 4-3 to Brazil the previous game. This meant the USA not only had to beat Egypt and hope Italy lose to Brazil, but make up six goals in goal difference. Amazingly they beat Egypt 3-0 while Italy lost to Brazil by the same score and sneaked into second place.

Of course that’s only a straw to clutch at if the worst case scenario of a Uruguay win happens. In truth. Uruguay don’t scare me. We should scare them.

Goal difference could be vital in this group so I was praying for Italy not to add a third as much as I was praying for us to equalise. Cahill’s tackle on Immobile in injury time could become a key moment.

It’s disappointing not to be writing about a more positive result but there’s no need to panic yet. There’s a huge deal of potential in this England side.