Euro 2012: England need to stop being the nice guys if they want to beat Italy, says Jamie Carragher When you play an Italian side, you know you're in for the ultimate test of your mentality and professionalism. They stretch the boundaries to the absolute limit. The England players will feel every tug of the shirt, every Italian boot on their shin and will see opposing players trying to get them booked or sent off. The sensitive among us will say this isn't what sport is about. I say don't be so naive. What you have to ask yourself as a player and supporter is how much do you want to win? I'm not talking about blatant cheating. That's a completely different issue. I'm talking about playing on the absolute limit for 90 minutes and doing everything to ensure the result goes your way. There's a quote from the legendary American football coach, Vince Lombardi, that I related to the first time I read it. Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. The Italians embrace this view. I'm not convinced the England national team have always followed this mantra. Some of our club teams have, but as a nation we seem to favour an idea of being "gentlemanly" when we play, as if it's possible to win without adopting some of the more cynical tactics of the game. I'm telling you now, you either get on board with how the rest of the world approaches a game or you go home. My view has always been to win the match first and let everyone debate about how it was won later. Other countries are quite happy for everyone else to argue about whether someone has gone down too easily for a penalty, or whether an overreaction has led to a player being sent off. We've been left to moan for a few days afterwards while they prepare for semi-finals and finals. I can remember both David Beckham and Wayne Rooney being sent off in circumstances when the Argentines and Portuguese made sure the referee showed a red card. To beat Italy, we're going have to defeat a decent nation in the knockout stage for the first time since Euro "96, when we overcame Spain on penalties. Our club sides, in contrast, have fared well against the top Italian teams. The key, I believe, is to try to impose the intensity of a Premier League match. I'd like to see England come out with a quick tempo from the first whistle, trying to force the Italians into a high energy game which does not suit them. They like to keep the pace slow and tactical, waiting for their moment. Their weakness is some of their best players are nearing the end of their career and they lack pace. I'm not sure they have the legs for a high intensity match. If we can find a way to make it well-charged match for 60 or 70 minutes, I believe we have the ammunition on the bench with the speed of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to pick them off. Substitutions are proving crucial for England in this tournament. The Italians reverted to 4-4-2 against Ireland, but they could play three at the back as they did against Spain and Croatia. That poses a tactical problem for Roy. He'll need much more from the wide players, James Milner and Ashley Young, dragging the Italian defenders into areas they're less comfortable. Daniele Di Rossi has been good, but he is not a recognised centre-half, and the potential loss of Giorgio Chiellini through injury is a huge blow to them. If Roy sticks with Danny Welbeck, he can utilise the space between the centre-halfs and wing-backs. The one loose cannon, Italy have, of course, is Mario Balotelli. Just as he does for Manchester City, Balotelli blows hot and cold. It is to England's advantage that Joleon Lescott knows Balotelli as well as anyone. He'll understand his tricks, his mood swings and those things that happen in a football match that would get under the striker's skin. Balotelli, we know, is volatile character. Lescott may even be quietly encouraged to wind him up so much it will distract him from his game. The kind of thing the Italians have been doing to opposing players for years, in fact, and we should not be shy to do ourselves.