Classic clash: Italy v England October 1997

By David Lee Wheatley

England travelled to Rome for the final match of the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign requiring a solitary point at the Stadio Olimpico to guarantee their spot at the tournament proper. Italy famously triumphed over the English in the reverse fixture when the diminutive Gianfranco Zola beat goalkeeper Ian Walker at his near post to secure only their second-ever victory at Wembley.

 

Manager Glenn Hoddle knew it would be a tough assignment for his squad, but fully believed in their ability to confound the critics and make it through to France '98 ahead of their fierce rivals. At least a draw in the Eternal City and the Three Lions would be roaring all the way to the finals, while consigning the mighty Italians to the dreaded play-offs.

 

The former Tottenham maestro was known for his love of cultured football, but felt it necessary to instruct his charges to sit back and hit the Azzurri on the counter-attack whenever possible. He was aware that the hosts would strive to put England under constant pressure and deemed it too risky to attempt a reciprocation of those tactics. Therefore, the team were well-drilled in advance over the rigid nature of their defensive duties in order to stifle the opposition threat.

 

Hoddle selected an experienced line-up including captain for the evening Paul Ince, Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne, David Seaman and Ian Wright. Meanwhile, the Italian starting eleven was brimming with global superstars such as Maldini, Albertini, Vieri, Zola and Pippo Inzaghi to name but a few, thus providing a rather daunting prospect when the visitors faced up to the unenviable task in front of them.

 

An incredible 81,000 fans packed into the Olimpico to witness the contest and set about the creation of a wonderfully partisan atmosphere reminiscent of the infamous Colosseum itself. The tension was palpable due to the sheer magnitude of the occasion and yet the English appeared completely focused as the sides lined up prior to kick-off.

 

As predicted, Italy reserved the lion's share of territory, as England allowed them to play with relative freedom until approaching the final third of the field. Then they would press, pursue and chase down every ball with boundless energy, heroically blocking everything which came into their path. Ince and Gascoigne were particularly impressive in central midfield, working doggedly to win back possession and proceeding to retain it with great poise. The pair spent almost the entire game relentlessly stalking every blade of grass on the pitch in true lung-busting fashion, while bidding to stop the Italian artisans from making a crucial breakthrough.

 

Home hopes blew up spectacularly late on, as the away team successfully frustrated their illustrious foes until Italy's discipline eventually deserted them altogether when in utter desperation to claim three points. Locally-born wide midfielder Angelo Di Livio lost his head completely after 76 minutes, resulting in a sending-off that made England's job that much easier thanks to the departure of the tigerish Juventus man.

 

Battered and bruised, courageous captain Ince epitomised the battling spirit within the camp throughout England's rearguard action against the well-fancied Azzurri. Just like Terry Butcher years before him, the inspirational leader stood up to the rigours of the heated clash while sporting a makeshift bandage around his head following a stray Demetrio Albertini elbow, along with a white jersey heavily stained with bright red blood. He should have received several stitches in the wound, but having been informed of the 30 minutes needed to administer the patch-up work, Ince refused the offer and continued to play on which allowed the visitors to remain at full strength throughout. It showed superb comradeship by the former Inter dynamo and proved just how much the result meant to him and his compatriots.

 

In a manic last few moments, Ian Wright hit the post when most believed he was certain to score, while colossal striker Christian Vieri missed a header in the dying seconds at the other end to effectively seal that precious 0-0 scoreline the underdogs so desired. Once the full-time whistle sounded, England's exhausted heroes fell to the ground in sheer tiredness and relief.They'd produced one of the finest English performances on foreign soil in living memory, defying the odds to conquer Rome and advance to the World Cup finals after an agonising eight-year wait since Italia '90.

 

Let's hope this latest generation of footballers who are currently entrusted with the country's fortunes at the 2014 World Cup can replicate the same level of pride in the shirt so readily displayed by those on that glorious night in the Italian capital - we might just stand half a chance!

Twitter: @davewh1980

Brazil are the team to beat

By David Lee Wheatley

As hosts of the 2014 World Cup, Brazil hold a distinct advantage in the fact that almost a third of the 19 tournaments which have taken place from the inaugural edition in 1930 onwards have been won by those welcoming the world.

Six national sides have triumphed on home soil in the past, with firstly Uruguay and then Italy claiming the opening two titles. England were next to lift the trophy in front of 96,000 fervent supporters at Wembley Stadium in 1966, the Three Lions’ one and only World Cup final victory. West Germany in ’74 were followed hot on their heels by Argentina in ’78, prior to a 20-year wait before the last occurrence at France ’98.

Additionally, thirteen World Cup-winning teams have prevailed on their own continental patch, with a further two won by South American sides in the familiar surroundings of the Central American sub-continent. Meanwhile, A Seleção beat all-comers during USA ’94, which isn’t completely alien territory for those born and bred in Latin America.

In stark contrast, a solitary squad has managed to buck the trend of failing away from their European continentin the shape of the extraordinary Spaniards in 2010. That recent anomaly offers scant hope to those travelling to Brazil, as it simply confirms the journey to a World Cup final many miles from your own backyard is a mighty difficult road to negotiate.

It’s eminently true that Brazil’s class of 2014 aren’t quite up to the same standard as previous versions and huge expectation has been placed upon former Santos starlet Neymar Jr. to produce the magic required to assist Scolari’s side in their quest for an unprecedented sixth World Cup. However, they possess several talented individuals to supplement the much-heralded Barcelona forward’s significant contribution to the team, so much so that seasoned campaigners Kaka and Robinho weren’t even included on the standby list.

Their projected starting line-up is undoubtedly strong enough to win the tournament, assuming they avoid injuries and suspensions. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar is an experienced performer, while a defence made up of Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Marcelo excites in an attacking sense, but remains slightly vulnerable when under the cosh.

Ramires and Fernandinho could take up the two defensive midfield positions, screening and covering when David Luiz or the marauding wing-backs surge forwards. Ahead of them should be Willian on the right, Paulinho in the centre and Neymar wide-left, who will be encouraged to link-up with the main striker leading the line in the form of Zenit hit-man Hulk.

Group A won’t hold any fears for the green-and-yellows, with Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon all operating at an inferior level compared to the highly-fancied hosts andsurely fighting it out for second place.

Brazil have the pedigree, talent, historical statistics and a vast nation firmly behind them and it’s hard to argue against their tag of favourites as the start of thecompetition rapidly approaches.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Diego Costa: Chelsea find the perfect striking solution

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley

 

 

Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa passed a medical yesterday in preparation for an imminent transfer to Chelsea in a mega-money deal which is expected to reach the £32million buy-out clause stipulated in the Brazilian-born forward’s contract.

The west London club were alerted to the talents of 25-year-old Costa following an outstanding return of 36 goals from 52 games during the course of Atletico’s hugely successful campaign and promptly pounced ahead of a long line of other potential suitors in order to nab the bustling striker’s prized signature before the start of the World Cup due to take place in his homeland. While Costa readies himself to represent adopted nation Spain in the country of his birth at this summer’s tournament, those in control within the corridors of Stamford Bridge can rest easy in the knowledge that they’ve secured the signing of a natural goalscorer who is absolutely ready-made for them and the Premier League in general.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho publicly bemoaned the dearth of firepower at his disposal last term, with the misfiring Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o struggling to find the net on a regular basis. That inconsistency from his forwards led to calls for the club to bring in a proven striker who could handle the rough-and-tumble world of English football and in the shape of Diego Costa they have snared a top performer who is feisty, tough and extremely strong, thus causing abundant nightmares for opposition defenders. Whatever his marker tries to mete out during the heat of battle, they will get it back two-fold due to the highly physical approach that Costa prefers. Defenders will not get a moment’s peace from the significant attacking threat posed by the Spanish international and will find it incredibly difficult to keep the 6ft 2in powerhouse quiet.

Costa began his professional career with Portuguese side Braga after leaving Brazil at the age of 18, as he set out on a European adventure encompassing seven different teams across Spain and Portugal, thanks to numerous loan spells away from his parent clubs. He took in stints with Penafiel, Atletico Madrid (once before his latest stay at the Vicente Calderon), back to Braga, Celta Vigo, Albacete, Real Valladolid, Atletico again and then another short-term loan across to Rayo Vallecano. At no point from the start of his journey had the forward managed to showcase his true promise until that loan switch in January 2012 to Rayo, the relatively poor relations of football-mad Madrid. A serious knee injury in pre-season had limited Costa’s ability to cement a place in the starting line-up during his second coming at Atleti, so he was farmed to their lesser neighbours in the hope of finding form with a club that could offer him a platform to regain full fitness by featuring week-in, week-out at La Liga level. Indeed, that opportunity to play allowed the rangy centre-forward to hit the goal trail immediately when plundering an impressive ten goals in just 16 appearances during the five months spent in Vallecas.

He returned to Atletico brimming with renewed confidence and saw his name on the team-sheet more often than not under inspirational manager Diego Simeone. Costa grabbed 20 in all competitions amid a startling run which culminated in the claiming of the Copa del Rey crown – he’d finally arrived on the big stage. The 2013 summer transfer window saw furious speculation surrounding the then-Brazilian national squad member’s future, with Liverpool mooted to be ready with an attractive offer in the region of £21million. However, Los Rojiblancos held firm and refused to buckle under the immense pressure placed upon them to sell a player who had swiftly become a key cog in Simeone’s well-oiled machine.

Sticking with the Spanish giants proved to be a superb decision when considering his considerable contribution to a wildly successful 2013-14 campaign at the Calderon, as Atleti took La Liga by storm in winning their first title since 1996. Not only that, but they shocked the entire continent by advancing all the way to a Champions’ League final date with local rivals Real Madrid in Lisbon, a unique occurrence in that two sides from the same city had come face-to-face in a European final on the only occasion in history to date. Alas, the fairytale stopped there, with Diego Costa limping off injured after only nine minutes at the Estadio da Luz and Atletico eventually surrendering a 1-0 lead with seconds left at the end of proceedings to force an extra 30 minutes of action. Real followed up their cruel equaliser right at the death by firing a further three goals home in extra-time to rubber-stamp their feted tenth Champions’ Cup success. Despite the utter deflation of defeat, Atletico could look back proudly on an astonishing season full of great highs and fantastic memories, with Costa an integral protagonist of their first championship-winning season for 18 years.

Now, having controversially switched allegiance following two friendly-match caps for Brazil, Costa hopes to play an important part in the upcoming World Cup for holders Spain in spite of the thigh problem which has been troubling him for some time. The imposing front-man is back in training and raring to go for his opening attempt at excelling in an international competition of this magnitude and he can go into the group games without external worries now that his situation at club level is settled, having done all he could for the Atletico Madrid cause prior to moving on to pastures new.

Chelsea can be assured they are set to welcome the ideal footballer to robustly lead the line at Stamford Bridge next season. They spent the whole year desperately seeking a solution to their distinct lack of attacking prowess without any luck; the ruthless and ultra-aggressive Atletico marksman represents precisely what Mourinho’s men were crying out for all season-long.          

Twitter: @davewh1980