We are there.
It feels like an eternity since we reached the knock-outs of a tournament. Let's not stop there!
Italy played a solid game. Of course there would be nerves and moments of Irish aerial pressure. But all told, Italy were deserved winners of a match played largely against their own anxiety.
Up front, Cassano continues to harass defences, unselfishly. Di Natale looked less potent, striking rather tamely on a few occasions. Cassano's goal did much to settle the azzurri. Balotelli's winner put a punctuation mark on a professional, if risky display.
There are still problems in other areas of the field, however. Prandelli seems unable to find a formation that suits everybody. Last night his 4-3-1-2 gave the wingbacks license to drive forward and, in all fairness, Balzaretti and Abate were big improvements in that department on Maggio and Giaccherini.
Any system that limits Pirlo's influence, in my opinion, is a bad one. Admittedly, Andrea didn’t have the best start (almost handing the Irish a goal after 9 seconds!) but overall he was over-tasked with breaking up play and chasing the ball - not his speciality. He had a wayward game, but he's not the only one. Marchisio also looked lost - as he did in WC2010 - bombing around, slightly unsure of what he is supposed to be doing. Every system has its flaws, of course, but this one worked only because the opposition was so weak.
FALSE NEGATIVES
There's a great cry that our strikers need to score more goals - but I don't agree. The beauty of our run to the WC in 2010 was that each of the strikers scored a goal or two, not that we had one lethal striker. The goals also came from midfield and defence. So far, Balotelli, Cassano and Di natale have one a piece. In three games, that's fair going. What we need now is for De Rossi and Marchisio to start popping up at the right time. And if Borini or Giovinco contribute, it may be enough to get us to the latter stages of the competition.
Motta. Many people hate Thiago Motta, but he has played well. He is a good tackler, a good passer, decent in the air and has real composure.
FALSE POSITIVES
Set piece play. It was a fluke that Italy scored from two corners. We must find ways to put our strikers through on goal more often in open play.
REAL NEGATIVES
Italy's formation. It would probably be crazy to try a brand new formation in the next game but how about a 4-3-3? Of course it depends who we are playing, but a midfield of Pirlo, De Rossi and Motta behind Di Natale, Balotelli and Cassano would be tasty. If we play France, the 3-5-2 will be perfect. France hog the ball, and we would be set up to counter.
Chiellini's injury. A big, big loss, anyway you look at it. He has not been a confirmed absentee, but if he has a thigh strain, he;s probably out.
REAL POSITIVES
Italy's heart. Italy battled hard with Ireland and won enough in the air and on the ground to carve out enough room to play real football. Bonucci was a monster when he came on, showing he adds real value to the squad.
It was also good to see some intelligent free-kick winning in the last twenty minutes to break the game up. Clever.
PLAYER RATINGS
BUFFON - 7. What he did, he did well. As usual. Great save from a late free-kick. Silly booking. GIANT.
ABATE - 7. Got forward well, made some great tackles and clever fouls. ASTUTE.
CHIELLINI - 7. A hard-man performance against a rough Ireland team. Enjoyed aerial duels and atoned for his mistake against Croatia. REDEEMED.
BARZAGLI - 7. Solid performance from the Juventus man. Showed no rust or dust after his injury spell. SOLID.
BALZARETTI - 7.5. Pushed forward very well. Set up two goal-scoring opportunities. Showed enough defensive smarts to believe he can thrive at left-back. STAR
PIRLO - 6. Pirlo's worst game in an Italy shirt for years - as he admitted after the game. Still, he curled in both corners for the goals. LYNCHPIN.
DE ROSSI - 7.5. Back in midfield, De Rossi was busy, aggressive and clever with his passing. A few wild shots when something simple was required, but great game overall. GLADIATOR.
MARCHISIO - 6.5. Edged out of significance by the system, Claudio didn't do much wrong or much right. Plenty of tackles, little inspiration. FAIR.
MOTTA - 7. Simple, composed, tall. Motta's presence helps oil the wheels, simple as that. ESSENTIAL.
DI NATALE - 6.5. Worked hard, smart runs but has to be judged on attempts, which were a bit weak by his high standards. DECENT.
CASSANO - 8. While he's on the pitch, Italy's football IQ soars. Cassano makes great passes under pressure and wins useful free-kicks. CUNNING.
SUB: BONUCCI - 7.5. Won everything in the air, clamped Mario's mouth shut. SUPER.
SUB: DIAMANTI - 7. Kept working the defence, made some good interceptions, won lots of free-kicks. Looks like a 700BC lunatic. CAVEMAN.
SUB: BALOTELLI - 8. Scored the winner, ran Ireland's tiring defence ragged, half-raped by John O' Pies. RAMPANT.
PRANDELLI - 7.5. Not for his tactical choices tonight, which didn't work so well, but for motivating the team and getting them into a winning frame of mind. INSPIRING.
LOOKING FORWARD
Italy will face either France, Ukraine or England. I would much rather Italy faced Ukraine or France, simply because their strengths are more likely to count against those teams. Ukraine are a technically poor team and Italy can impose their will. France are a possession team who lack a bit of killer instinct. Italy should be able to counter effectively.
England are a different proposition. They are physically strong, have quite a few monstrous players (Rooney, Carroll, Lescott, Terry) and it will be hard for Italy to break them down.
Saying that, we should fear no-one. Italy broke a long streak of drawn or lost games in tournaments, so should back themselves against most teams in this half of the draw.
Going forward, Prandelli will have a lot to think about with regards to his tactics. Let's hope he can find the right mix.
What did you guys think of the match? How far do you think we can go?
