In what turned out to be a tight affair between the English and the Italians, several Arsenal players and transfer targets were in action.
Mario Balotelli was the only Arsenal-related player to start, with speculation mounting that Arsenal are in for the Italian striker to bring him back to the Premier League. The striker scored the winning goal for the Italians early into the second half and also looked a threat for the majority of the game. He looked dangerous with his runs behind the defence and at times Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka looked unable to cope with his movement. He will offer a similar approach to Olivier Giroud at Arsenal by being the ‘target man’, able to hold up play and playing in fellow teammates. However, last night showed he is far more clinical than the Frenchman, scoring his only real chance of the evening, with a close range header after losing his marker Cahill. He was subbed off late on to a standing ovation from the Italy fans.
Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain didn’t make an appearance last night, as he remained an unused substitute. Teammate Jack Wilshere was subbed on with 17 minutes to go with England trailing, however he made very little impact and it wouldn’t be too extreme to suggest he was not noticeable on the pitch when he came on. He did make one or two runs, unlike other England players, and he tried to link up with fellow substitute Ross Barkley, but nothing even slightly came from it. It would be good to see Wilshere start this coming Thursday against Uruguay, since he was willing to run at defenders, which England missed throughout the game. It could be argued the Ox deserves to play next Thursday, with either Wayne Rooney or Danny Welbeck making way to allow for extra pace going forward, against a Uruguay defence which was exposed by the pace of Costa Rica last night.
Another two transfer targets for Arsenal, James Milner and Lorenzo Insigne, didn’t feature in the game. Neither of them will be expected to start in the following games either, barring injuries. Milner offers hard work and constant effort for the side, but with already one defeat England will be going for a win and not a draw, meaning Milner’s role is a lot less vital. Insigne is a very pacey winger who likes to also play on either side, but the wingers were very impressive for Italy yesterday. The full-back overlapped effectively with them and they obviously shared a bond, as they always seemed to know when the other was bombing forward. Insigne, however, could still be useful for Italy, especially if they are losing late on, due to his impressive pace.
In the other game in Group D, Arsenal striker Joel Campbell stunned Uruguay with a ferocious goal and a great assist, as Costa Rica stormed to a 3-1 victory. With the possibility of Balotelli joining the London club, perhaps Campbell could strike up a good partnership with the Italian striker.