Steven Gerrard – Prior to kick off this had been billed as ‘Pirlo v Gerrard’; with the captain facing up against one of the elder statesman of the World Cup but in reality, Gerrard’s job was made all the more difficult by only giving him the company of Henderson and, fairly predictably, the Italian’s were too numerous for Gerrard to make a real impact.
Following the Italy defeat, it would do England good to switch to a 3 man midfield. Because, after all, if you’re going to mimic Liverpool’s style of play you may as well commit fully and take advantage of how well the England captain operates in a midfield 3 with an attacking trio ahead of him.
Rating: 6 out of 10
