English make case for defence

ITALY 0 England 3 read the headlines in Italy yesterday and the third consecutive English win in the Champions League over Italian opposition left the journalists asking why their clubs do not seem able to compete with the best in the Premier League.

“They win because of almost limitless funds,” said the Gazzetta dello Sport. “They win because they can choose the best that the foreign market has to offer, both in terms of coaches and players. They win because the Premier League is a model that functions in terms of economics, management and culture.”

But the Italians also believe that the success of the Big Four from England owes a lot to a less well-known factor, namely their strength in defence.

Roma’s coach Luciano Spalletti was full of praise for his opponents after their 2-0 win — he argued that the English “were more Italian than us”.

And while the English papers raved about Cristiano Ronaldo, the Gazzetta pointed out that “for large parts of the game Manchester Utd pulled 10 men behind the ball, just as Liverpool always do. It’s clear that English clubs have become ‘defensists’.

They know how to play attractive, entertaining football. But with people of the calibre of Terry, Ferdinand, Vidic, Carragher, Gallas, Toure and Carvalho they are also capable of closing down the game.”

It has been argued that Italian clubs are less effective in attack than in the past. Not so, argues the Gazzetta: “Before they faced the English armada, the Italian clubs had scored 46 goals in the Champions League, plus four by Lazio in the preliminary round.

But when they came up against the Premier League clubs the only player to score was Mancini, in the irrelevant Roma-Man Utd group game.

“So all honour to the English defences, who have conceded just 15 goals in 37 matches – more or less one goal every two-and-a-half games.”

“As the Americans say “The attack sells tickets, the defence wins matches.”