We now turn our attention to the final matches of Group D as Italy take on Uruguay and England face Costa Rica.
The Italians took the first step towards progressing in their group with a 2-1 win over England in their opening match. However, having done the hard work, they collapsed to Costa Rica losing the match 1-0. As a result, the final qualification place for the last 16 will be contested between both Uruguay and Italy.
The biggest news for Italy is midfielder Daniele De Rossi suffered a calf injury in the Costa Rica, which will rule him out of inclusion against Uruguay. However, Cesare Prandelli has plenty of options in his squad and will most likely call upon Marco Verratti to replace the Roma talisman.
Prandelli has also had several questions to answer with regard to his starting-eleven, with recent reports indicating the back line will consist of Juventus’ three central defenders. The formation change will also allow Prandelli to partner Ciro Immobile and Mario Balotelli up front in a new-look 3-5-2 line-up. The change will probably address a need for bite in attack but could leave the Italians suspect at the back.
Uruguay have been buoyed by the return of star striker Luis Suarez but also the form of former Napoli forward Edinson Cavani. Both will need to be in impressive form to overcome the Azzurri, as a draw would not be enough to drag the Charruas over the line.
For England, the situation could not be bleaker. Sitting rock bottom of their group, the only form of consolation is fans have the chance of seeing a new-look England team against surprise group leaders Costa Rica. WIth expectations at a record low for the Three Lions, the least they can do is make a show for those who made the five thousand mile trip to Brazil.
Roy Hodgson has the next generation of England players at his disposal, with Raheem Sterling, Luke Shaw and Ross Barkley among the more notable performers, but also Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshire. With the weight of expectations lifted off of their shoulders, England’s youngsters can play with more freedom and showcase their individual qualities.
Barkley, who made substitute appearances in both of England’s matches, will likely start the match, while Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to miss the tie having failed to fully recover from a knee injury. Fraser Foster, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and James Milner are also all in line to make an appearance at the 2014 World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the match was striker Wayne Rooney, who looked to be have salvaged a draw against Uruguay before Luis Suarez’s winning goal condemned England to their second defeat. Although there have been some question marks over Rooney’s efficiency for his country in recent weeks, those voices appear to have died away to be replaced by the dirge that is World Cup elimination.
“You look at teams who have won the tournament over previous years and you can see that nastiness in them, I think we have to get that in us. As a team maybe we are too honest, I feel.” the Manchester United forward began.
“You see a lot of the great teams, international and club teams, they have that, the time to slow the game down a bit or control the game a bit more. But this is football. You have to take your chances. If we’d taken as least one of them, we’d have gone on and won the games. That’s what disappointing.
“It’s small margins, but those small things can amount to a big thing in terms of staying in the competition or going out. We want to make history and make this country winners again. That is what we worked hard to do, but it didn’t happen. You never know – in the next few years it could do.
“We have to try to move on. It’s difficult for us but more for the fans. It’s been 48 years. It’s tough because we’ve let them down. We want to give them something to cheer about for the future,” the 28 year-old concluded.
Costa Rica are in a position that must have only seemed achievable in their wildest dreams. Now Jorge Luis Pinto’s men have only their place at the top of Group D to concern them. England will be desperate to register a win in this tournament so a clean sheet could be invaluable going forward for Costa Rica.
Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156
