Italy defender: Stop Rooney and England are finished

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Italy defender Thiago Motta believes that England are a one-man team and that his side will triumph if they shut down Wayne Rooney.

Italy are the first team to face England at the World Cup in what will be a crucial encounter but defender Thiago Motta doesn’t think the Three Lions have much strength in depth.

The 2006 World Cup winners, Italy, come into the tournament in a confident mood but theirs is a competitive group with England, Uruguay and Costa Rica to overcome.

While some Italian pundits believe this side can match the achievement of 2006, others have suggested that the Azzurri could even go out at the group stage.

The opening match in Manaus on June 14 against England will be pivotal and Paris Saint-Germain defender Motta knows what his job will be.

“We know that by shutting Rooney down in the opening game against England we can get the result that we want,” he told CalcioNews24.com.

“He is a very good player, one of the best, but their problem is that they depend completely upon him.

“We have lots of good players and don’t just rely on one. The same can be said of Uruguay who have Luis Suarez but also Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani.”

Italy needed penalties to knock England out of Euro 2012 and went on to lose 4-0 to Spain in the final.