World Cup 2014: Paul Scholes says Andrea Pirlo can destroy England cannot afford to underestimate Andrea Pirlo again when they face Italy in their World Cup opener in Manaus on 14 June, according to Paul Scholes. The former England midfielder says Pirlo, 35, was allowed to dictate play when the teams met at Euro 2012. And the Manchester United legend says Danny Welbeck should be deployed to man-mark the Juventus midfielder. Scholes says Pirlo is the worlds greatest playmaker, adding: Give him time and he will destroy you. Peerless Pirlo - the numbers No player scored more free-kick goals than Pirlo in the 2013-14 (four) and 2012-13 (five) Serie A seasons. Pirlo has had 26 assists in Serie A in his three seasons at Juventus, which is at least 10 more than any other Bianconero. He delivered five assists in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which is more than any other Italian player. England drew 0-0 with Italy at Euro 2012 but lost 4-2 on penalties to bow out at the quarter-final stage. Scholes, 39, said Englands management are well aware of Pirlos threat and warned they cannot make the mistakes of 2012 again. We paid nowhere near enough attention to him, he added. Pirlo is not renowned for his athleticism but that day he ran 11.58km, more than any England player. He also had more passes (131) than Englands four starting midfielders. Scholes says man-marking Pirlo worked when Manchester United faced AC Milan in a Champions League tie in 2010. On that occasion, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson tasked South Korean international Park Ji-Sung with stopping the midfielder.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 12:13:06 +0000
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