Italy’s Andrea Pirlo’s Euro 2012 is far and away better than his 2010 World Cup

On a cool morning north of Johannesburg two years ago, we all waited for Andrea Pirlo. It was Italy's last training session before their final bows of a colourless World Cup title defence, and with Pirlo returning from injury maybe the magic would return with him. That was the thought, anyway. The reality, even a casual observer could see. In a ski hat and baggy sweats that looked straight out of the House of Bellichick catalogue, Pirlo hardly broke out of a light jog.

The cameras had barely recorded 30 seconds of shuffling before Italy's press followers were dialing home, each update within earshot sounding more like a moan of despair. Pirlo would come on as a desperation substitute with half an hour to go in their group finale versus Slovakia, the last bit of business of Marcelo Lippi's second, doomed go-round as Azzurri boss. He breathed a little invention into a side lacking in it, but not enough, and they went home.

[Dirty Tackle: Buffon feared Germany would rally and beat Italy 9-2]

This time around, the invention and the magic has been on full display. This Euro has seen star turns from top pros, beginning with aging Shevchenko's opening night brace for Ukraine, and continuing most spectacularly with Cristiano Ronaldo's pair of games for Portugal leading up to their semifinal exit.

But after adding a successful second act to his club career since that 2010 World Cup, moving from Milan to Juventus, it's Pirlo who has delivered the most consistent top-level Euro performance. Ronaldo was tournament MVP material a few days ago, but he's been supplanted by one of the game's elder statesmen of the string-pull. In Italy's semifinal win over Germany, the 33-year-old ran nearly 12 kilometres - second only to midfield partner Claudio Marchisio, and a fair sight better than the gifted 23-year-old maestro of Germany's attack, Mesut Ozil. That workout came, incidentally, just four days after he ran 15+ kilometres, and several circles, around the overmatched English.

Italy's first goal began with Pirlo, Ozil nipping in at midfield to force a Pirlo retreat but not continuing the move. Instead, Ozil froze, stepped back and perhaps absorbed a lesson. Pirlo was given time and space to scan the field, and like Tom Brady in the pocket, he found Bonucci ranging uncovered deep left. The long ball was the start of a neat four-pass sequence that ended with Balotelli's opening goal. (It also came a few moments after Pirlo tracked back to clear Mats Hummel's goalbound ball off the line - no one-trick metronome, this guy, with 11 intercepted balls among his haul.)

This is the tournament of the headed goal, for sure - Balotelli's bonk was No. 21 in that Euro 2012 category, well up on the last Euro's numbers. But Pirlo has delivered the art of the deadball better than anyone else. His free kick goal against Croatia was one of the tournament's best, and his infamous Panenka penalty in the shootout against England perhaps the most memorable moment.

Now comes a matchup with Spain, in what is at its core a battle of midfields - Pirlo at the base of Italy's diamond, the decorated pair of Xavi and Iniesta pulling the strings for Spain (the analysis of Zonal Marking, as ever, is where you want to go for more on this, including the question of whether Italy might revert to the 5-man midfield of their 1-1 opening match vs. the Spanish).

However it turns out, it's been a long, long way back from Jo-burg for Pirlo and Italy.

Follow Chris Young on Twitter @HighParkCy