Imagine for one moment if two identical spanish national team were lined up one against the other. Would that game be exciting to watch? As with so many other thing, money has the last word over performnace. Professional sport sport has to to got some magic to be fun fun to watch and to generate revenues by building a fan base. Professionnal sports will never tend to aim at ultimate performance whatever the cost is because athletes need to be paid in the end, especially soccer athletes. However, in general the more sports become a religion, the less it is entertaining in my opinion
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Spain's metronomic passing, movement, ball control and defensive work is every bit as beautiful and enjoyable as germany's vertical football. Isn't it awesome to watch a group of 5'-6" tall men, who are slow, harrass teams that are twice their size and much faster?
i guess it s a matter of taste. I do enjoy watching confrontation of styles but i think spain versus spain versus spain all the time would be boring a bit. to think of it, Germany vs germany would be even worse.
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Cheeky, but I like it and hope for the same result🙂
Makes me hope for an Italy? Portugal? Final
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Not even remotely true...with the exception of the Italy vs. Spain match, Spain has been rather dull in their play...while Germany has been far more aggressive...Italy has thrown a lot of ball at the net as well, particularly in their match against England...
Spain and Portugal have been much more conservative in their approaches, so from a spectators standpoint less engaging.
My relatives in Eastern Europe are rooting for anyone other than Spain fearing that the latest iteration of Spanish football might become a more widespread tactical template adopted by other countries.
As in the World Cup, Spain do what they need to do. When in an early game they went a goal behind they scored one back immediately, then carried on like nothing had happened. A draw was enough, so they drew.
Spain gets the sympathy vote, even though they are world champions.
Spain v Spain wouldn't work, I don't think. They'd end up having to change, just to break the deadlock. Soccer is a bit like scissor-paper-stone: it doesn't work if everyone adopts the same template.
A Spain-Germany final would be so much more significant than any other combination. Spain certainly transcends the established game but Italy and Portugal don't. The only question looking for an answer is whether Germany has also broken the mould. Only Spain can answer that question.
Much of Europe is stuck in the same rut as England. Forwards are heroes and the rest of the players are there to support them. Both "total football" and "beautiful game" tend to backslide to this condition.
Spain plays like a myriad shifting mini-teams, and Germany is one organic whole. The big question, to my mind, is whether Germany is more than the one team that Holland was when they won stuff. Spain took the Dutch game and, seemingly impossibly, alloyed it with quick-witted inventiveness. If Germany have added something new, then the only real test of their mettle will be Spain.
Whoever wins, your relatives should hope for change, or keep losing.
I would be very happy for change. Almost any change. At present, the route to becoming a footballer in England is shockingly full of opinion and disorder. Considering how many young lives are involved, it's a scandal. Athletics is organised in a much more rational and caring way.
Spain can't beat Germany , their game is not cohesive enuff to do so , IMO Germany is in the cat bird seat , it's theirs to lose , Portugal will dismiss Spain tomorrow , Ronaldo wants it ....
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I've found it much more interesting to read and hear about the Euro from my South American friends. Apparently this tourney is watched intently and scouted actively by the national football associations of Brazil, Argentina and others.
Spain has been cultivating this mystique of invincibility just as Brazil did in the 80s and 90s until, that is, European Teams got wise and simply brought their own game to the South Americans...this is where the importance of coaching comes in...and in watching Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Germany's Joachim Löw one can immediately see that neither one is unsure, hesitant or lacking the courage to face Spain's del Bosque...and IMO when the going gets roughest, will be able to do more to coax brilliant individual and collective efforts from their teams to break Spain.
I don't know enough, quite frankly, about Portugal's coach Paulo Bento to assess whether he can rally his own troops if they are behind or flagging, Can Bento overcome the tactics of del Bosque?
I think Portugal's best and only chance is not to play the typical Portuguese style but use their forwards vertical advantage and speed to press the Spanish from the get-go and get Spain off its game...if there is one thing Spain cannot deal with it is having their short pretty little passing plays interrupted!
Don't get me wrong...Spain is superbly coached and talented but they are not invincible..it's simply going to take a team and a coach that have steely determination and loads of confidence from start to finish....
Yes...to change!
Spain has been cultivating this mystique of invincibility just as Brazil did in the 80s and 90s until, that is, European Teams got wise and simply brought their own game to the South Americans...this is where the importance of coaching comes in...and in watching Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Germany's Joachim Löw one can immediately see that neither one is unsure, hesitant or lacking the courage to face Spain's del Bosque...and IMO when the going gets roughest, will be able to do more to coax brilliant individual and collective efforts from their teams to break Spain.
I don't know enough, quite frankly, about Portugal's coach Paulo Bento to assess whether he can rally his own troops if they are behind or flagging, Can Bento overcome the tactics of del Bosque?
I think Portugal's best and only chance is not to play the typical Portuguese style but use their forwards vertical advantage and speed to press the Spanish from the get-go and get Spain off its game...if there is one thing Spain cannot deal with it is having their short pretty little passing plays interrupted!
Don't get me wrong...Spain is superbly coached and talented but they are not invincible..it's simply going to take a team and a coach that have steely determination and loads of confidence from start to finish....
Yes...to change!
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He's our fat version of Inspector Clouseau. Nice chap but clueless.
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OK, I'm gonna talk about football. We are still in the competition because we have great players not because of our coach. This tiki-taka kind of playing comes from Barcelona, Spain have most of their players except Messi. Still, del Bosque is no Guardiola (Barcelona's coach), he's afraid of too many things. Actually 80% of the country is really annoyed with him (20% are just pussies that only care about winning) because we're not really attacking. PlasticisGood has a clue. We just do the minimum, only what is necessary at each moment, but this country wants more. This country wants total domination, this country demands total annihilation and humiliation. We have a team that can play better than this. During the game against Croatia I was so annoyed at the constant speculation that I wanted Spain out. Maybe, the game against Germany will be a good one. I expect Germany to try to attack us, Portugal won't, that's for sure.
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Keeping the ball with quick short passes while probing the other team's defense for opportunities is a proven strategy and very effective. The best teams train to play in this fashion. It takes years of practice to master it and is therefore hard to adopt for national teams.
Brazil can do it well because beach football (the national past time) favors that style of play. Interestingly, during the winter months Germany has an indoor football championship and short quick passes is the only way to play it.
What we are seeing in Euro2012 is the countries with great youth training establishments are producing a generation of players that can execute this style of play with deadly precision (Germany, Spain, Italy). Countries where more traditional style of play is favored like England and Eastern Europe have been struggling to keep up in this tournament.
Spain can play this style in the midfield and defense but they are lacking in their attack. Their team still seems to favor 2 attacking players at the front in contrast with Germany where most players find themselves in a position to score at some point. It's great to watch Italy and Portugal in this tournament who still rely on explosive improvisation in the front but Germany looks unstoppable this time around.
Brazil can do it well because beach football (the national past time) favors that style of play. Interestingly, during the winter months Germany has an indoor football championship and short quick passes is the only way to play it.
What we are seeing in Euro2012 is the countries with great youth training establishments are producing a generation of players that can execute this style of play with deadly precision (Germany, Spain, Italy). Countries where more traditional style of play is favored like England and Eastern Europe have been struggling to keep up in this tournament.
Spain can play this style in the midfield and defense but they are lacking in their attack. Their team still seems to favor 2 attacking players at the front in contrast with Germany where most players find themselves in a position to score at some point. It's great to watch Italy and Portugal in this tournament who still rely on explosive improvisation in the front but Germany looks unstoppable this time around.
I do enjoy watching Ronaldo flop. So, I'm hoping for bad touches, missed opportunities, hands on hips, and all the other annoying things he does.
Chelsea (and Inter) have shown how to beat Spain. Extreme defensive work, and getting lucky on the break. Portugal have a chance, but my money is on Ronaldo "Messi-ng" up.
Chelsea (and Inter) have shown how to beat Spain. Extreme defensive work, and getting lucky on the break. Portugal have a chance, but my money is on Ronaldo "Messi-ng" up.
You must have lived through different '80s than me.
The '80s were probably Brazils worst period: 3 World Cups and Brazil did not even make the semis in any. Germany on the other hand played in every one of those finals, losing twice (to Italy and Argentina) and winning once.
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