EURO 2012 - Spain are the kings of Europe

[Elessar78]

While you're busy roughing him up, Xavi is carving you up.

Also, if you notice Spain doesn't really oblige you the chance to rough them up. Ball is gone before opponents get within arms/legs reach of them. Can't really foul someone when you can't even touch 'em.

[pointyfootball]

Italy really looked horrible. The only place they could possess the ball was their backline and in their defensive 1/3 with their GK. As soon as they tried to play it forward to their CMs, they would lose the ball. Portugal did a fairly good job against Spain, but defending them is exhausting, and the reason why Portugal looked to be hanging on by their fingernails by the end of extra time.

What's fun to watch about Spain is how effortless and seemingly "simple" their soccer is, which is a testament to their individual skills and team chemistry. They rarely force passes, instead they play the ball away and are content to move the ball around before trying another attack. Their technical abilities across the board are second to none, and each player's first touch makes their play so fast because it is almost always perfect.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Spain MADE Italy look horrible.

The Italians, on the whole, had a wonderful tournament. Prandelli's rebuilt squad did a fantastic job of restoring Italian pride after the shameful debacle in South Africa 2 years ago. And it was real pleasing to see them far more adventurous than traditional Italian teams. The future's bright for Italy going forward. They've shown they can still live with and better most out there. But then there's Spain. When Spain play football like that, ANY side would look poor and ordinary. Going down a man just compounded it, but Italy were LONG out of the game before that. But then it's hard to get into a game when you don't see the ball for long periods.

It's more a case of just holding your hands up and saying we were beaten by arguably the greatest International side of all time, who played a perfect final most everyone else could only dream about; then looking at Italy individually and collectively and asking why the final went so wrong and was just one game too far.

Hail.

*Edit* Oh, Elesser, Xabi's got another tournament or two in him. Xavi maybe less so. But then there's some wonderful playmaking talent coming through like Barca's Brazilian-Spaniard Thiago, and Valencia's Isco. Let's not forget Spain are currently European Under-21 and Under-19 Champions too, and finished third at Under-18 level. The conveyor belt in that Country, playing and coaching talent, is ridiculous.

I honestly don't see anyone coming anywhere close to stopping them any time soon.

And the neutral purist in me is more than happy with that. When football's played to such a standard, on such a consistent basis that entertains the Hell out of you, how can you fail to fall in love with it?

And Rodrigo, as has been answered, Spain are FAR more than merely Iniesta. Stop him, you only have another 9 outfield players playing their way to a level far and above any other Nation out there. I honestly don't know how you game plan and set a team up to stop them. Their so good and relentless at what they do. To be head and shoulders above the rest of Europe again, playing with no recognised forward ..... honestly, I'm running out of superlatives to describe Spain at this current time.

The challenge now is for every other Nation, Brazil included, to raise their game another few notches to the plateau the Spanish are at.

Either that or start praying. Like HARD.

[Elessar78]

Two years just isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things. So hopefully they bring along Thiago Alcantara and the others by giving them lots of chances at club, friendlies, and qualifying to step into these roles.

The beauty of Spain Barca is that they have this sixth sense when it comes to playing. They hit the split second runs and passes because they are confident someone will see it and be on the other end. I do have to admit that the Madrid guys and the other guys fit right in. I hate to call what they do simple, because it's the furthest thing from it, but as long as you're a good, smart player you can fit right in. It's too "easy" not to.

I don't think the pipeline will come into play too much at the WC, but for beyond that. Yes.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Thanks renaissance BTW for the thread.

Awesome and diligent job in updating the OP after every game, and the upcoming fixtures in the title.

Thanks kiddo'. It's been a blast having somewhere to discuss what's been a pretty darn good tournament. And there's been some great fun and knowledgeable discussion throughout.

Hail.

[MattFancy]

Thanks renaissance BTW for the thread.

Awesome and diligent job in updating the OP after every game, and the upcoming fixtures in the title.

Thanks kiddo'. It's been a blast having somewhere to discuss what's been a pretty darn good tournament. And there's been some great fun and knowledgeable discussion throughout.

Hail.

We're gonna get em next time GHH. Our boys played well and surprised a few.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

We're gonna get em next time GHH. Our boys played well and surprised a few.

No question bro'.

As I said a few posts up, after the joke of South Africa, Italian pride was firmly restored. Prandeli's done a fantastic job in such a short space of time in completely turning it around. The final aside where no Nation on the planet could of lived with the Spanish, Italy have had a wonderful tournament.

And Pirlo was the player of the tournament for me. Pity he didn't bow out with a winners medal, but he was a joy to watch throughout.

Hail.

[DjTj]

While you're busy roughing him up, Xavi is carving you up.

Also, if you notice Spain doesn't really oblige you the chance to rough them up. Ball is gone before opponents get within arms/legs reach of them. Can't really foul someone when you can't even touch 'em.

What is most amazing to me is how Xavi or Iniesta can receive the ball and avoid contact even in a crowd of defenders. They run into these tiny spaces, and their first touches are so precise that they can keep possession even in a tight crowd, and then find the narrowest passing lanes. Traditional big strikers will use their bodies to muscle defenders away and create their own space, but the Spanish players didn't have to do that - they just go around and through defenders, and the ball is gone before they are even touched.

...I kind of understand the complaints that Spain was boring earlier in the tournament, but I think it reminded me of the Miami Heat. When a team has its eyes on the championship the whole time, they might not play at 100% in the earlier rounds. It requires a certain level of adrenaline and urgency to play at the absolute highest level, and I don't think the Spanish reached that level until overtime in semifinals. It was very similar to how LeBron turned it on once he was facing elimination against the Celtics.

[Elessar78]

What is most amazing to me is how Xavi or Iniesta can receive the ball and avoid contact even in a crowd of defenders. They run into these tiny spaces, and their first touches are so precise that they can keep possession even in a tight crowd, and then find the narrowest passing lanes. Traditional big strikers will use their bodies to muscle defenders away and create their own space, but the Spanish players didn't have to do that - they just go around and through defenders, and the ball is gone before they are even touched.

...I kind of understand the complaints that Spain was boring earlier in the tournament, but I think it reminded me of the Miami Heat. When a team has its eyes on the championship the whole time, they might not play at 100% in the earlier rounds. It requires a certain level of adrenaline and urgency to play at the absolute highest level, and I don't think the Spanish reached that level until overtime in semifinals. It was very similar to how LeBron turned it on once he was facing elimination against the Celtics.

One of the finer points of Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Busquets, Pique's play (the Barca guys) is the amount pre-planning they do with out the ball. Constantly scanning, constantly "taking pictures", they are always looking for open pieces of grass and before the ball gets to them they know where they can take that first touch. It's really a beautiful nuance of their game. If you watch them, they are constantly checking over their shoulder.

The macro and the micro of Spain is very enthralling. Tracing it back is even more interesting, part of it goes back to, of course, Cruyff and the Dutch and a lesser known Spanish coach Maguregui (80s) who "took" it from futsal influences he derived from Portuguese migrants who brought it back to Europe from South America. So it really is this global realization of how to play soccer. And the fundamentals are stunningly simple and it's so indoctrinated into the players that they can back off of these "principles" and still maintain control of the game.

The fact that they did it with a bunch of really good players but no all-time greats (Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane, Van Basten) . . . in all fairness Xavi should be mentioned in the same breath but doesn't really happen all that much and same with Casillas.

Now that I think about it, that's probably the key to disrupting Spain's attack

[renaissance]

Thanks renaissance BTW for the thread.

Awesome and diligent job in updating the OP after every game, and the upcoming fixtures in the title.

Thanks kiddo'. It's been a blast having somewhere to discuss what's been a pretty darn good tournament. And there's been some great fun and knowledgeable discussion throughout.

Hail.

Yea I am disappointed I couldn't participate more. Was really hard to watch the games at work. But awesome to see 800+ posts on ES about a soccer tournament

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Yea I am disappointed I couldn't participate more. Was really hard to watch the games at work. But awesome to see 800+ posts on ES about a soccer tournament

That time difference thingie is a biatch huh? Bit different when you have the luxury of most all the games being live at either 5:00 PM or 7:45 PM. But meh, catching a DCU game means a VERY late night so we're even.

And so many posts is awesome to see on soccer. Particularly so many well informed posts from many well astute posters who genuinely love the beautiful game.

Hail.