Farrugia impressed with England’s tactical organisation

Since the final group matches earlier this week confirmed that England and Italy will be meeting in the quarter-finals, the football-mad Maltese population has been captivated by this mouth-watering clash. Kevin Azzopardi caught up with Malta U-21 coach Ray Farrugia and Malta players Daniel Bogdanovic and Andrew Cohen to hear their views.

“Some games at these Euros have kept us on tenterhooks in terms of excitement but a few were also boring,” Ray Farrugia said.

“Overall, I believe it’s been a good tournament though.

“The game has changed and all the teams have been very organised tactically. We haven’t had many big scores as most of the matches were balanced.

“Portugal have upped their game as all teams are placing greater emphasis on a strong defence.

“Look at England. Traditionally, the English are known for their high-tempo, attacking approach but they’ve been very solid at the back with their players dropping behind the ball when they lose possession.”

Farrugia is not siding with any of the European superpowers in this tournament as he was cheering for co-hosts Poland who have missed out on a place in the quarter-finals.

“I supported Poland because my wife was born there,” Farrugia said.

“I’m disappointed that they have not made it from the group stage.”

The Malta U-21 coach insists Portugal, who sealed their place in the semi-finals on Thursday with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic, should not be written off.

“Ronaldo has been superb in the last two games. He is often criticised for being too selfish on the pitch but he’s been Portugal’s leading light lately.”

Turning his attention to the eagerly-anticipated England-Italy meeting in Kiev tomorrow, Farrugia said: “For many football followers in Malta, this is a very big occasion because the majority support Italy or England.

“Personally, I wish that the Maltese fans show more interest in our national teams.

“England vs Italy is a 50-50 game. England are hard to beat because tactically they’re very organised while Italy are strong in defence and have a good team.

“Surely, there are no clear favourites here and the match can go either way.”

For Malta winger Daniel Bogdanovic, Euro 2012 has offered very few surprises.

“My pre-tournament expect-ations have been met so far,” Bogdanovic said before the quarter-finals got underway.

“In the group phase the big guns have justified their billing as favourites.

“England are the dark horses and I also expected Greece to qualify from their group. The only result that surprised me in the first phase was Denmark’s win over the Netherlands.”

An admirer of Italian football, Bogdanovic hopes the Azzurri come out on top from their duel with England but he’s not too optimistic.

“I hope Italy win but it’s not easy,” Bogdanovic said.

“Their attack is not really good... Mario Balotelli is very talented but I’ve not been impressed with Italy’s build-up play.

“England have been playing like the Italians at these Euros. The influence of Fabio Capello is still strong and Roy Hodgson also worked in Italy in the past.

“England look a more compact side these days. Although I want Italy to win, I think England will go through.”

Andrew Cohen declared him-self pleased with the level of football produced at the Euros.

“Most of the games have been entertaining,” Cohen said.

“England are delighting their fans and Spain are attractive.”

Like Bogdanovic, Cohen is a fan of Serie A football.

“I fancy Italy,” he said.

“I hope they do well. Our national team play Italy in the World Cup qualifiers coming up and I’m looking forward it.”

Although Italy, like England, have not been one of the most eye-catching teams at the European Championship, Cohen is backing Cesare Prandelli’s Azzurri to rise to the occasion now that the tour-nament has reached the knock-out stages.

“It will be a balanced game but I think Italy are more clinical than the English in do-or-die matters,” Cohen said.

“Italy have a better chance because they are more astute from a tactical point-of-view. They don’t play fancy football but they are known for efficiency.”