by Mohamed Haniff

For 120 minutes it worked, the English were hanging on by the skin of their teeth keeping the Italians at bay. The boys in blue had seen the bar hit twice and a goal chalked off for offside as England retreated deeper and deeper into their own penalty box. The English fans felt like for once the rub of the green was going their way; they’d spent the entire game on the back foot but a penalty shootout doesn’t always go to the best team. England had successfully reduced the game to a 50-50 shot whether this was a good decision or not is debateable.

The truth is that the English didn’t have much of a choice with their attacking players offering very little of threat as they broke out from the back. England’s distinct lack of ability to hold onto the ball kept them under pressure for the majority of the game, chasing the ball in their own half. The players seemed content to go to penalties and when Riccardo Montolivo skewed his penalty wide the hopes of a nation were suddenly lifted; up stepped to Rooney to blast the ball into the back of the net to put the English 2-1 up in the penalty shootout.

At this point the man of the match and arguably the tournament’s best player so far changed the entire complexion of the shootout. We often hear that psychology is an important part of sport, anyone who has ever played sport at any level has encountered the prick that just won’t shut up in an attempt to put you off. There are of course other ways to influence the game in a psychological manner. As Pirlo placed the ball on the spot 12 yards out, the Italians were fearful, up until this point Hart had looked impenetrable. Having guessed right for both penalties and seen one fizz past his post, many of the Italian players were probably wondering what it would take to beat him; the pressure was building in them, then Pirlo did the unthinkable.

Joe Hart lay sprawled out on the ground as the ball floated beyond him and into the empty net. Pirlo had not only humiliated Hart on the world stage and given us all a jaw dropping moment to share with our grandchildren; he had humanized the English goalkeeper. It was as though he turned to his teammates and told them “I told you he’s not that good.” Tellingly as the camera pans away from the scene of the crime you can see the relief in the Italians eyes, it was as if a giant weight had been lifted off of them, while the English were awestruck and seemed unable to process what hit them. When Ashley Young stepped up he looked completely rattled and just seemed to want to get it over with as fast as possible, subsequently smashing the frame of the crossbar.

The question is had Pirlo chosen to simply smash the ball home would it have had the same kind of impact? In hitting that penalty the way he did he reduced the game to a schoolyard shootout for the Italians. He had shown that them it wasn’t so hard to stick the ball in the back of the net while the English who were leading the shootout at this point couldn’t quite believe what they had just witnessed. It’s the small details like this that change the course of history, as terrible as England were on the night they were not too far off from reaching the semi-final, and the Italians owe a great deal to “L’Architetto”.

Composure was the difference between the two sides tonight, for about 100 of the 120 minutes the Italians displayed supreme composure over the English who didn’t seem to know what to do with the ball when they got it. Ultimately it was the perfect display of composure which changed the whole course of the shootout and arguably the identity of the team which would play Germany in semi-final number two on Thursday.

The debut of something novel is what's most exciting about The RYGO League.

Wenger: How to improve your 7-a-side

Play 7-a-side? Had any specific training? That's about to change, courtesy of Arsenal's genius gaffer

So in the upcoming RYGO League I've decided to give you guys a bit of a tip. In a bit of browsing around the web I stumbled across this gem of an article that is perfect advice for players in the upcoming tournament. Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, provides six rules that will help your 7-a-side football... instantly.

1: Play in the right position

“It’s important that you have the right players in the right positions,” says Arsene, which sounds like stating the obvious. But remember that this is the man who turned Emmanuel Petit into a holding midfielder, Lauren into a full-back and Thierry Henry into a striker.

“If you have doubts about what positions suit each member of your team, you might want to look at their personality,” he continues. “I find that quiet, efficient guys make the best strikers. If they are cool and even a little aloof, they can be very effective up front.

"Those who like to share, are more gregarious and outgoing, are made for midfield. Then you have the more aggressive ones, the type who likes to take from others, stop their progress. Make those people your defenders.”

Sorting out your team’s best positions is fundamental to your success, says Wenger. “If you get that right, their natural qualities develop, they become better in their positions and your team can progress and reap the benefits.” It’s like having Fitz from Cracker in charge of your team.

2: Choose a 2-3-1 formation

Most seven-a-side players like to do a bit of everything with no fixed positions: total football, they often call it, though opponents prefer another two-word phrase: easy pickings.

So how can you set your team out most effectively? After all, you don’t have the freedom to play 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-1-3-2 and so on when you’ve only got seven players...

“Like the 11-a-side game, you do have options when it comes to picking the right formation,” says Arsene. “You can play two at the back, three in midfield and one up front, or you can have two attackers, three defenders and one midfielder but I would suggest a formation that nicely marries defence with attack.

“On the face of it, my recommended formation is 2-3-1. Two defenders, one attacker, with two what I would call offensive full-backs. These two players should fall back and defend when you don’t have the ball but be ready to get forward and attack when necessary.

This is a formation that I feel will allow you to play the best and most effective seven-a-side. You’ll be strong in defence, and dangerous in attack.”

3: Find a proper goalkeeper

How do you build your seven-a-side dream team? From the back, says Arsene. “First of all try and secure a good keeper, someone not just willing to stand in the goal but who’ll give you a confident last line of defence. The other option is to take it into turns but for me this is a negative tactic and doesn’t allow for any cohesion. Get yourself a goalkeeper.

“In front of your goalie, you need a good defender. This position is very important. Not only should this player be willing to block, tackle and spoil, he or she must also be comfortable starting attacks and therefore should be a decent passer.

"I like to think of the defender as a quarterback type of player. If you get it right, you can be the player who dictates the team’s performance.”

4: Counter-attack beats possession

Possession is the key to success in football, right? Well, not necessarily…

“If you watch seven-a-side, most goals will come from a quick burst upfield,” explains Arsene. “One or two passes and then shoot. It is the teams that have too much of the ball and are playing too many passes amongst themselves that have the least success. Be quick, be ruthless and you’ll be successful.”

Ah yes, the good old counter-attack. “Playing on the break with quick passes from defence can be a hugely effective and entertaining tactic in 11-a-side and the same can be said for the smaller version of the game,” continues The Guru.

“By sitting back and defending you are tempting your opposition to lose their shape, frustrating them, before winning the ball and scoring on the break. But to do it well, the two full-back/midfield players are vital. They must support the defender and nullify the other team, but in a flash, break out and get among the goals.”

Which brings us to…

5: Leave your ego in the dressing room

There are many differences between 11-a-side and its seven-a-side sibling, but one universal truth remains: goals win matches. That’s why your striker has to be something special, but it’s also why a little humility goes a long way.

“Attacking egos must be left in the dressing room,” says Arsene. “Your striker needs to have a lot to his or her game. They must be eager to get in behind and to score goals, of course, but in seven-aside they must also be very unselfish. They must be able to play with their back to goal, bring in the attacking full-backs with little wall passes.”

And when you are attacking, don’t forget to have one eye on defence: things change quickly in these games.

“You are always susceptible to a goal on the break and should guard against it. So attack as a team but always leave a player safely at the back. It doesn’t have to be the defender: don’t be rigid, but be safe.”

6: Enjoy yourself

We all love winning, but let’s face it, the world won’t end if we lose. Which is why Arsene has one final point to make.

“The last bit of advice I can give is to go out and enjoy yourself,” he smiles. “There’s nothing better than playing the game with your mates, giving it your all, hopefully winning and then going for a drink afterwards.

“That doesn’t have to be alcoholic drink, by the way,” he adds, “but if you must, go on – you deserve it.”

Article published on FourFourTwo.