So England aren't that bad after all. There was plenty of doom and gloom when Frank Lampard, Gary Cahill and Gareth Barry were all ruled out with injury whereas most felt the omission of Rio Ferdinand was a mistake as purely a footballing decision. England's best player Wayne Rooney was of course suspended for the first two matches.
But things have turned out ok. Joleon Lescott scored a crucial goal against France and has played well alongside John Terry, with whom he has formed a good understanding. Lescott would probably have been below both Ferdinand and Cahill in the pecking order if they had been around.
Steven Gerrard hasn't had quite the impact that is expected of him in terms of tackling, passing and shooting but he's more than made up for that with three fabulous crosses that all led to goals. Scott Parker has been his usual reliable self. Who knows if they would have been paired together if both Barry and Lampard had been fit?
As for Rooney, each minute sat on the sidelines of those first two games must have felt like the duration of a Lord Of The Rings film, but his understudies were good in his absence. He's back now and it's worth remembering that with the business stage of the tournament coming up and extra-time very much on the cards, the fact that he is fresher than most, could be a big factor. His goal against Ukraine and France's unlikely demise at the hands of Sweden mean that England avoided Spain in the quarter-finals, though Michael Lintorn isn't sure that's such a blessing. It's a tough match to call and the match odds market is probably the tightest of any game at the tournament so far - England 3.02/1, Italy 2.829/5, the draw 3.1511/5.
Surprisingly it's Italy who appear to be the more adventurous of the two sides. For twenty minutes or so they were on the back foot against Ireland when 1-0 up but for the rest of the match and the ones against Spain and Croatia before that they were ambitious, with the wing-backs bombing forward and the central midfielders prowling the edge of the opposition box.
Andrea Pirlo is an amazing footballer, a real drying breed. I can somehow imagine him becoming a music conductor when he calls it a day playing football. He's got that look about him: a slightly moody genius with the face of an older man and an unfashionable hairstyle that he'll keep for the rest of his life.
He's a maestro on the football pitch already of course and has been for over a decade. He could be the difference between the two sides whether it's dictating matters in the middle of the park or coming up with something special from a set-piece. Italy's adventurous nature makes me think 0-0 isn't on the cards but 1-1 (7.2) could be. That, along with 2-1 Italy (12.5) would be how I'd approach the betting on this match.
As for France, they've drifted to 13.525/2 in the winner market on the back of their shock defeat and quarter-final match-up with Spain. Cynics would say that they'd be even longer if Philippe Mexes wasn't suspended for that match.
The defeat against Sweden may not necessarily be a bad thing. Just like their rugby team at the last World Cup, they're a side you feel are more comfortable being the team who needs to bounce back and prove everyone wrong - the wounded animal - rather than the team who is consistent throughout and people begin to fancy.
Back 1-1 in England v Italy @ 7.26/1 and 2-1 Italy @ 12.523/2
