What threat could Italy provide?published at 11:41 British Summer Time
11:41 BST
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist
Though Italy only scored three goals in the group stages, they have scored first in each of their four outings in Switzerland.
Andrea Soncin’s side controlled possession in the first half against Norway and transitioned from defence to attack with frightening speed.
England’s defence have already struggled with the pace of France and Sweden’s forwards, and that has been an ongoing concern since the World Cup in 2023.
“Italy load the line. They do it really effectively and the Norwegians just couldn’t deal with how they stretch the game,” former England defender Anita Asante said on BBC One.
Italy like to make the pitch as wide as possible. Against Norway their wide players hugged the touchline, meaning makeshift left-back Guro Reiten was unable to contribute to attacks. They could look to pin back England full-backs Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood in a similar way.
Media caption,
Italy through to semi-finals with late winner