Italians expect to beat England

While there is all that stuff in the media, which let's be honest is no different to the hysterical way the British press usually big up England's chances in major tournaments, I would say here on the ground (I live in Milan) the perception is very different. Everyone I've spoken to in the last week has been extremely cagey, to the point of not really wanting to talk about it at all, which suggests most people are far from confident. The rest is just the usual media bluster which I'm sure you'd find in any country leading up to a game like this.

I would have thought nobody chalks the Premier League's superiority to its English players.

35 years? Italy, of all teams, should know that Roy is the great voodoo killer.

Well, the Azzurri surely did it. Goodness, the English were horrible. The Italians were only slightly better, but that is all that was necessary as England were so poor. Pretty close to a full flop. England's easiest chance to get to a final four of a big tournament, easiest chance since 1990. They just faced and lost to a very bland, hardly offensive/attacking dangerous Italian side. Time to clean house. Get rid of all over the age of 27. If the Germans can roll along quite well with a bunch of 23 year olds, I don't see why the English cannot as well.