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SPAIN thread

I hope they will be too.

I cheered for them tonight as I had a bet on Spain and all in all they were better than Portugal in a close game but Vicente Del Bosque who is a man I've ALWAYS been a fan of and respect is trying to REINVENT football and I don't like it one bit!

Since when does a team need 5 playmakers but no speed!? Busquets, Xavi, Alonso, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas, these guys are ALL great passers with great vision and playmakers but they don't have speed. They even go past their man only for Coentrao or someone to appear in front of them again!

They need RUNNERS! Off the ball movement players. REAL Wingers and ONE Real FORWARD!

Today they started with one in Negredo but subbed him off for Fabregas which was a mistake. Fabregas can play but not instead of a forward but instead of Xavi if you want to go for a different option.

Even without a real forward, you saw that as soon as TWO FAST off-the ball players came in like Pedro and Navas, Spain instantly created much more chances and being much more dangerous.

How good would Pirlo of Italy be if there were 4 others in midfield just like him next to him but no off the ball fast runners to pass to?

I JUST DONT GET IT! Are they trying to win games and create/score chances or KEEP the ball?!

David Villa has been a HUGE miss but it's not like Spain has no options. Llorente should be starting every game and if not you have Negredo and Torres who can provide alternatives. Yet they're sticking a guy in Fabregas up front who's neither fast enough to trouble defenders nor strong / tall enough to play role of a target man and hold the ball up. It just MAKES NO SENSE!

Luckily for them, they have a FREAK in Jordi Alba who can sprint the whole pitch even after 120 minutes (and this kid's only getting better!) and an incredible defense with players that will go down in history for their national team like Ramos/Pique and behind them the legendary Casillas.

But this is a team that needs to CHANGE. Del Bosque needs to play a real forward and real wingers. If Navas/Pedro actually had a central player like Llorente to pass to, this team would be amazing!

Anyway, job is done now but I do hope you lose in final and I can see Germany in particular give you a lot of trouble.
 
When you see Spain like that in extra time it just makes you want someone to punch Del Bosque until he gets them to play like that generally. Width, incisive passing, risk-taking - actual football.

Not glorified piggy in the middle.

Spain need to beaten so they get over their arrogance and start playing football again.
 
Actual football, against a solution-less, tired portuguese team when compared to Spain's bench... That doesn't sound right.

They simply didn't do enough to win it. Not saying you guys don't deserve it ('cause penalties are a bloody lottery), but with the incredible team you guys have, having as the only apparent solution the "patient" football you guys are so proud of is absurd.

It didn't work today, and if we were able to finish our chances it wouldn't even have gone to extra time.

Oh well, it's not about what it could have been, it's about what it was. Congrats guys.
 
_anderson said:
Actual football, against a solution-less, tired portuguese team when compared to Spain's bench... That doesn't sound right.
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Not sure how you lot can use the fatigue excuse when you had two more subs to use in extra-time, as well as two days extra rest compared to Spain.
 
Exactly.

Spain need to get beat in the finals to learn from their imperfections and improve. They're trying to reinvent the wheel. When the fuck did Fabregas become a striker ? When did teams play with no wingers ?

They're blessed with the best players any national team has arguably ever had and yet they're misusing all that talent. I mean look at their bench! THAT team is good enough to win the World Cup and reads out like a World All-star! Yet we're seeing dumb tactical decisions which hasn't yet quite cost them but has already shown glimpses into their fragility and a better team than Portugal can punish them for that. That may well be Germany or maybe Italy.

I did find it weird how late Bento left it to make subs. Varela and Custodio should've come in much earlier. Veloso and Meireles were DYING on the pitch of fatigue!
 
that's the problem, they win even if they don't give so much playing volume ..
if they lose 3 or 4 consecutive games, they will change ..
but, as I said last page, they want to keep the ball to prohibit the opponent of attacking them .. that's why they only conceeded one goal and against the team who was BRAVE against them ..

anyway, no team can combine beautiful game (direct play) with titles .. only one team was almost able to do it this season but Ramos sent the ball to Mars ..
 
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Aboutreika18 said:
Not sure how you lot can use the fatigue excuse when you had two more subs to use in extra-time, as well as two days extra rest compared to Spain.
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Pretty simple, we spent the whole game putting absurd pressure on Spanish players. And, like I said, whatever subs we do, we have no real solutions, both defensively and on the attacking side.

It's those 11 man (or 9 tbh, 9 + João Pereira and Hugo Almeida...) and pretty much no one else.
 
I don't think the striker issue is that important. Playing Fabregas up front would be fine if they had a direct threat from the wings like Navas and Pedro, we've seen this over the years with Roma, Man Utd and Barca.

But it's very surprising to see Llorente hasn't played at all. He looked fatigued at the end of the season but he should be match fit by now, surely?

Silva should definitely be dropped IMO. He's been very poor and just means they have another passer in there that they don't need.
 
Yeah Silva should be dropped for a faster / more wide player like Navas/Pedro. Or give Mata a minute or two if you want to keep a leftie on field other than Alba.

I still think you need a central attacker. Who are Pedro and Navas gonna drill balls to? Sure Fab will score some but a real striker will do much more!

Xavi can also be replaced by Fab at times.
 
Spain always try to be the first to score, if it's the opposite, they will be forced to play directly and that's what they can't do ..

in WC, against Switzerland, they couldn't win, also against Italy, also against USA in 2009 Continental Cup ..
just score against them (it would be better to score 2 goals) ..
Spain built a culture based on only the situation of comfort ..
 
Aboutreika18 said:
Not sure how you lot can use the fatigue excuse when you had two more subs to use in extra-time, as well as two days extra rest compared to Spain.
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Actually Spain is resting all the time, especially during its matches.

That's the major point of their success, the tikitaka allows Spain to conserve lots of stamina, jogging all the time, passing and passing and passing until the opponent is hypnotised and tired and then for a few seconds to speed up the pace to make that one goal or to make a sudden killerpass, one goal and then to go back to sleep.

When I first saw this perfect passing-system I was amazed at the precision and vision but after years of the same I now think it actually kills football and I hope that Spain loses big time so that it won't get copied by other teams.

Football is not only about results, it's about passion and entertainment, too, but this is lacking big time with Spain's sort of play, Barcelona as well if it didn't have Messi who is sometimes a joy to watch.

I hope that some day Barcelona finds back to the play it had when Ronaldinho was the star in the team.

Congratulations to the win, Spain, even though I really hoped Portugal would win this for the sake of football.
 
lol, I'm all for Spain getting punished and not winning the whole thing as they practice KEEP Ball more than actually creating chances, but all these people saying I wish Portugal had won for sake of football, lol.

What like Portugal was playing beautiful football all tournament? I know only one guy who thinks that and he might even be gay and secretly want Ronaldo's babies! The better team won after all I'd say actually. The one who created most chances (Remember Iniesta could've wrapped it up with that great chance) but it was a close tight game and both teams deserve credit. Hopefully they'll be taught a lesson by Germans and Italians though.

Portugal played as well as it could have but it was more about defensive organization and unity with the odd counter-attack here and there which isn't exactly beautiful eitehr but just reliant on one player's PACE (Ronaldo).

I don't think FOOTBALL would've won if Portugal won. They play less football than Spain in my opinion anyway. It's not like they created chance after chance and Spain was parking the bus.

Now if Germany and its entertaining varied attacks which include both patient passing, direct passing, headers, shooting, cutting inside, wins over Spain, then I think football has won.
 
this euro is mostly boring tournament..congrats to spain but this is not a great football as in past.. i feel this tournament is more about tactics than real football joy...
 
Don`t forget Germany holds the ball too. Germany`s backline is not strong . Portugal imo has the strongest backs in the whole tourney. Hummel is strong and good going forward but their Full backs aren`t strong nor very fast. Italy plays very good and intelligent I wouldn`t mind a Spain vs Italy final.
 
I'm talking about only this tourney.

I very much like what Spain did in other tourneys and enjoyed watching them more too. Prior to Euro 2012, I had no problem with Spain whatsoever.

It's almost like with David Villa out, these 'silly' tactics like Fabregas playing as striker started and no wingers, etc.
 
PIPA23 said:
this euro is mostly boring tournament..
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And this by somebody who has been watching all the Liverpool matches of the past season. By now you should be an expert in boring football, yet you don't get it.

Well done Spain. It was a narrow escape, they didn't play their best match, but the better team won in the end (don't forget that Portugal had two days of supplemental rest, that is a very important plus point in a tournament).

I dreamed of a final between Germany and Spain. We are almost there. I have nothing against Italy, but if Spain plays Italy in the final they will win it. Against Germany they will loose. I don't care how wins, i want to see a good final.

On the other hand, this generation of Spanish football players, is one of the best i've ever seen (and i've seen a lot). I see only two teams who might be better or more talented: Holland in 1974 (but they never won silverware) and the legendary Brazil team of 1970.
 
beachryan said:
Wow, 1 shot on target from either team in the first 90 minutes.

Sigh. Not exactly giving football a good name internationally (watching in a bar in san francisco, attention has switched to baseball)
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Let them.

If they can't appreciate the nuances of football then that's their choice. They can stick to American football and basketball so that their attention spans don't wander.

Thoroughly merited win with the best chances created by Spain.

Ronaldo. Injustice ? He screws up Portugual's best chance and then moans about injustice ? Messi took Argentina's first penalty in the Copa last year. Perhaps he should have asked Bento to do the same.

More unnecessary histronics from a first rate drama queen.

Ramos was superb last night wasn't he Sabatasso ?

All the excuses in the English media blaming lack of rest for the abysmal failure in these Euro's seems to ignore the amount of football Spanish players play.

They should be looking at the technical level of these Spanish players with defensive midfielders capable of pin point eighty yard passes, roulette turns and central defenders who can play the ball from the back or take a panenka with ease.

del Bosque reduced Spain to nine men in the first half. Our idiot on the BBC was constantly asking for Torres presumably as he is an EPL player but what about the other Fernando. Llorente ?

Has he played a prank on del Bosque and is being punished ?

Silva has been poor for several months. For the final DB needs to play a recognized nine and either of Navas or Pedro to allow himself room for substitutions and tactical flexibility.

The defensive unit is excellent. That goes without saying but their needs to be clarity of purpose upfront which can be acheived as the team showed from the hour mark onwards.

No minutes silence courtesy of UEFA for Miki Roque and why were the black armbands removed at halftime. UEFA bureaucracy again ?

Spain can live with all the accusations of being boring which is rubbish for those with an eye to technical ability. The fear of the opposition is palpable.

More rubbish commentary from the BBC. And another awful montage at the end with more appalling music. Truly when you think they have plumbed the depths they actually sink further.
 
bebo said:
Fabregas does it again! Ronaldo waited to the last man :LOL: Portugal stood and played well against a well passing machine. Spain didnt have their best game tonight ,but Portugal had 2 days of rest.

Spain will rest and be very sharp for the final, they were excellent in ovetime too. Ramos penalty look what Pirlo started :LOL:
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What are the odds that it happens again if there is another penalty shoot out ? And this time the keeper stays where he is and saves it.

When it comes off it is fantastic but when it doesn't.....

Always hit them hard to the corners. Nonetheless to see the technical level of a central defender to do that.....
 
Deranzeef said:
Why do you answer like that? He's right, friendlies doesn't count, since nobody plays them seriously... except in the case of some very specific derbies where there's something else in the middle (Argentina vs Brazil and Boca vs River come to my mind)

I'm pretty sure that the final will be Germany vs Spain, they are the best teams hands down, with great coaches, amazing individualities and a REAL idea of what they're doing in the pitch. The only way for Portugal to win is if Ronaldo gets truly motivated and he don't misses his chances, otherwise he'll get nervous, and we all know what happens then, we've seen him in Madrid vs Barça matches before.
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My bad but if i wear my nation's kit with my nation's crest i would do anything to win otherwise i would be ashemed. And who doesnt take every match seriously should be banned from the national team forever.

But last night it was proven that Spain is not better than Portugal. ...or Spain didnt take it seriously...yet again? :P
 
gabe.paul.logan said:
My bad but if i wear my nation's kit with my nation's crest i would do anything to win otherwise i would be ashemed. And who doesnt take every match seriously should be banned from the national team forever.

But last night it was proven that Spain is not better than Portugal. ...or Spain didnt take it seriously...yet again? :P
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As you can see, last night Portugal didn't win 4:0. Friendlies don't count, that's why they are played loosely by all involved, including the coaches. It would be unwise to play for real in friendlies because you would risk injuries and you let your opponents see your strenghts and weaknesses so...

Unfortunately Spain won yesterday because Portugal was not decisive enough. Portugal should have worked harder to create opportunities and not to rely only on counterattack with Ronaldo as pace-maker... and opportunities should have been exploited more successfully.

Spain's football is technically brilliant but boring nonetheless, even more so when playing without dedicated strikers. It's most unfortunate that other teams haven't developed the courage to take Spain full on and defeat them with a fast attacking formation. Italy nearly did it, but it wasn't a ko-game.

Most coaches get the chickens and opt for a defensive formation with counter-attacking-option which is playing into Spain's hand as they can dictate the pace of the game and control the midfield.

I hope that Italy wins today and again has the courage to play a 3:5:2-formation, with Di Natale from the 65th minute on in place of Barlotelli.
 
ALBICELESTE2010 said:
Let them.

If they can't appreciate the nuances of football then that's their choice. They can stick to American football and basketball so that their attention spans don't wander.
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Not sure if this reply will reach way up upon your lofty throne of football omnipetence, but the reason I fell in love with the game was the thrill of it. Please let us not forget that before it became big business and all about debt, expenditure and so forth, football used to be about entertainment. About grabbing your kids and taking them to the local stadium, or watching a game on tv.

If all football teams played like Spain do, no one would bother watching. It would never have taken off. Spain literally suck the fun out of football. England were rightly criticised for doing the same thing.

Footballers shouldn't be so terrified of making mistakes, of losing, that they forget that in essence they're a bunch of kids running around with a ball.

Spanish football has lost the romance for me. If I were to show up what we called 'Saturday soccer' and see a bunch of 10 year olds refusing to go forward, refusing to take their men on and refusing to take risks I'd tell em to man up and try and score.

Spain, the 'greatest national team ever' just played a 90 minute European semi-final and mustered 1 shot on goal, which was comfortable, in the entire regular time. That's not the greatest team ever for me, even if the win loss column suggests it is.

Great athletes transcend results. This Spanish team does the opposite in this tournament. (and the WC to an extent - but they were awesome 4 years ago)
 
bebo said:
Don`t forget Germany holds the ball too. Germany`s backline is not strong . Portugal imo has the strongest backs in the whole tourney. Hummel is strong and good going forward but their Full backs aren`t strong nor very fast. Italy plays very good and intelligent I wouldn`t mind a Spain vs Italy final.
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Lahm? Badstuber? sorry, but that is just plain wrong. i give you boateng who often is a bit of a hit and miss but the other 3 are probably the best defensive players in this tournament.
 
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