World Cup 2014: 5 Things England Must Consider In Group D

5. Italy Are A Proper World Cup Team

Italy might have been off the radar for a while with the emergence of Spain and other teams in these tournaments. However, it's worth remembering that it was the Italians that beat us in Euro 2012 as they reached the final before being beaten by Spain, so it will be a good early test on how England have progressed in two years. It's also worth noting that Italy really comes to life in World Cup events after winning the tournament four times in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006. They have also performed well in the Confederations Cup recently by finishing third in 2013. So, the test that England face could hardly be bigger. This current Italian side is managed by Cesare Prandelli and has a more attacking approach than teams from Italy traditionally have. The current rankings don't lie either, which currently shows Italy in seventh place. All this is obviously very freighting from our point of view and all the evidence points to Italy performing very well in the 2014 World Cup, but keep in mind that not everything goes to the form book. The fact of the matter is we just don't know how Italy will react to the conditions, so the best thing for England is they just put up their best performance €“ and not be scared of the opposition.