Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini has urged for caution and stated there is no room for complacency ahead of their clash against England on Saturday.
The last time these two sides met was in the quarter finals of Euro 2012 where the match was decided on penalties, with the Azzurri triumphing.
This time round, however, Chiellini feels that England have become better and the players have evolved considerably.
“They bring forward a group, mainly from Liverpool, who have done very well,” the Juventus defender stated at a recent press conference.
“Their individuality has changed more than ours, but their style of the play remains the same.
“It is going to be a tough game, as they have great talents like [Wayne] Rooney and [Steven] Gerrard.”
The 29-year-old also had a thing or two to say about his team’s preparations.
“We could not wait to come to Brazil and feel the air of the World Cup,” he continued. “However, we will need some time to adapt to this climate.”
“Our defence is a thing to improve. Also, compared to two years ago we’ve lost some intensity, but we are working hard to retrieve it.”
Chiellini then commiserated with team mate Riccardo Montolivo as an injury against Northern Ireland in a recent friendly ruled him out of the World Cup.
” The strange thing is that all accidents are traumatic. We suffered one with Montolivo and I am sorry he has to miss the World Cup because it is really bad.”
The former Livorno man has made 68 appearances for the Azzurri so far, whilst scoring four goals.
