For those in the England Under-21 camp in Olomouc, games against Italy carry mixed memories. For Gareth Southgate, happy ones from England’s 1997 goalless draw in Rome – a bloodied Paul Ince to the fore – that secured qualification for the 1998 World Cup. For several members of his squad, though, the Azzurrini may prompt darker thoughts of this tournament from 2013 when their opening defeat by the Italians set the tone for a miserable campaign.
The past may be a muddle of emotions but the present equation is simple: if England beat Italy on Wednesday they are through to the European Championship semi-finals, if they lose they are out. A draw leaves them reliant on Sweden failing to beat Portugal in the other group game. Italy, for their part, must win and hope for the best elsewhere.
There is scope for heroism then but the image of Ince channelling his inner Terry Butcher gives a slightly false impression of that night 18 years ago at the Stadio Olimpico. That was in fact a controlled England performance, one characterised by smart possession football and guile rather than Ince’s blood and bodies-on-the-line thunder. And a little guile is something that Southgate would not mind seeing from his young side.
“One of the things from the Toulon tournament last year, which was a brilliant experience, was that the players had to learn how to be streetwise and savvy,” he said. “It is something that is a bit of an unspoken in our country with young players. When do you start? How far do you go? But if we think we can win by playing different rules to everyone else, we are probably going to inhibit ourselves.
“We have got to be wise to our position and the tactics they might use. It is the same for us. Managing ourselves, managing the clock. Game management and game understanding is a big part of it now.”
It probably will not go as far as the England manager Glenn Hoddle in 1997, who asked Southgate to help out with a few mind games – “I had a fitness test that morning. Glenn said to me that he didn’t want to give his hand away. I had trained already so he just told me to have a wander around the pitch and if you want to hobble the odd time, that’s fine.” It is safe to assume Alex Pritchard’s tournament-ending ankle injury is genuine.
England’s difficulties in beating Italy in the past are also very real. The under-21 sides of the two nations have met four times in the group stage since 2000, with Italy winning three and the other a draw. The senior England side have not beaten their counterparts in a competitive fixture since the qualifying stages for the 1978 World Cup.
Southgate’s charges, though, are not particularly encumbered by history. The defender Calum Chambers, for example, was unaware of Kevin Keegan’s memorable “I’d love it” speech when riled by comments from Alex Ferguson in 1996. “You can’t blame Calum, he was born in 1995 so why is he going to remember?” Southgate said. “That’s the players’ age and we’ve got to try to keep that innocence as long as possible.”
He added: “The younger age-groups have beaten Italy already this year, the under-17s at the European Championship. I think we have got to free those lads of the past and they have got to believe in themselves as a group. This group is unique because it is the first time they have been together. It’s their first shot at it. We are focusing on how do we improve, how do we get better?
“Italy will be a difficult challenge and they warrant being on more than one point, given how they have played so far. We are under no illusions it will be a tough challenge but it is one we believe we can come through.”
Pritchard’s absence should open the way for Jesse Lingard, who scored the late winner against Sweden, to come into the starting lineup on the left flank while John Stones’ return from concussion should help improve the sometimes sluggish movement of the ball from the back.
Italy have concerns over the freshness of their chief attacking threat, the Juventus forward Domenico Berardi. “He’s not perfect but he’ll play,” said the head coach, Luigi Di Biagio.
