Jack Wilshere has revealed that England have been using their warm-up games to practise a shape best suited to limiting the threat of Italy's Andrea Pirlo.
The Three Lions face the four-time World Cup winners in their opening match of Brazil 2014 in the tropical climate of Manaus at 11pm on Saturday evening.
When the two nations met at the 2012 European Championships, Pirlo helped Italy dominate a quarter-final contest which they eventually won on penalties, but Wilshere has insisted that England are prepared to stifle the Juventus playmaker this weekend.
"We had two in midfield with one ahead of you and it will be his job to screen him," he told reporters.
"There will be times in the game when he gets on the ball and then we just have to narrow in and stop his forward balls.
"He is a great player, the anchor. He picks the ball up, he's a playmaker. He gets the game started and we saw that a couple of years ago in the Euros. He was great in that game. We know that he is getting on but we know he has the quality."
Wilshere, 22, may be the man tasked with thwarting Pirlo should he be given the nod ahead of the likes of Jordan Henderson and Frank Lampard to partner captain Steven Gerrard in the England midfield.
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