Five things we learned from Brazil's 4-2 win over Italy

Life without Pirlo and De Rossi

Too much dependence on Pirlo and De Rossi?

Montolivo did not last long enough to showcase his ability, and Aquilani was rusty for most parts of the game, although later on he did spray some good diagonals once Brazil gave him more breathing space. Italy’s calm passing from the back game was disrupted by the constant pressing by Brazil, and Aquilani and Marchisio found it impossible to instigate attacks from deep. Perhaps the test came too soon, but Italy’s midfield was made to look ordinary for large spells of the game. It would have been interesting to see how Pirlo and de Rossi would have performed under such pressure for the Brazilians. One has a feeling that it would have certainly made for better viewing for Prandelli. Individually, Pirlo and de Rossi are perhaps replaceable, but Italy’s passing game gets affected heavily in the absence of both. A Plan B will have to be put in place for the Azzurri.