> Italy are the only nation culturally > less equipped than England to deal > with a shoot-out.
How prophetic. I guess the end of Italy-France must have forced you to rethink your views ... by the way, if you had watched Euro2000, you would remeber that Italy won against - of all teams! - the host country at penalties.
England are out. On penalties, again. There would be ample space for teasing, but there's no point: the team has played without the usual urgency and speed, and it has not replaced those with ball control and clever plans. Hiring a foreign coach was not a mistake in itself: hiring Eriksson was, as two World Cups and one European Cup have proved. Wenger would have been a better choice. Lippi, Capello or one of the Travelling Dutchmen would do. But it's time for an English coach now, good luck to McLaren.