It may be excellent passing football but for me it lacks some excitement. That may sound odd but if this encourages all teams to play this way then I will miss players running with the ball, the art of dribbling, wing play, crosses into the box with a queue of players to challenge for it and so much more.
It's very skillful, masterful etc but there are just not enough attempts on goal for me.
Question: Would Maradona (or in England's case: Gascoigne, Barnes or Waddle) have been allowed to do what he did in this Spain team? Answer: No Conclusion: A loss to football.
The only reason it lacked excitement is because the game was over once they got the second. This was the best they have played all tournament, the tempo was much higher and the quality of passing better. Plus they did make loads of chances.
Messi is allowed to do what he does for Barcelona, who play the same way, so that conclusion is wrong.
It may be excellent passing football but for me it lacks some excitement. That may sound odd but if this encourages all teams to play this way then I will miss players running with the ball, the art of dribbling, wing play, crosses into the box with a queue of players to challenge for it and so much more.
It's very skillful, masterful etc but there are just not enough attempts on goal for me.
Question: Would Maradona (or in England's case: Gascoigne, Barnes or Waddle) have been allowed to do what he did in this Spain team? Answer: No Conclusion: A loss to football.
Iniesta can dribble and run with the best. Fabregas is not scared of driving past his man and cutting it back across the box. We could go on.
I know we all see things differently but 'a loss to football' just leaves me speechless tbh Jimmy.
that Spanish team has to be right up there with the best I've seen in 50 years of following football.
England 66 for obvious reasons
Brazil 70 were pretty awesome as have been other Brazilian sides over the years but the way this Spanish side keeps and passes the ball and how hard the players work for each other is awesome.
I'm not really one for superlatives but this was special.
They moved thru the gears as and when they had to as the tourney progressed with a little stutter here and there but that was sublime last night The passing and movement was special I suppose in an ideal world they would have slaughtered everyone and played to their max every game or maybe they could have burnt out looked brilliant and not won the trophy .... They did it with real style in the end and I'm glad they got there and they definitely deserved it , admittedly I didn't see it coming , I thought they were burnt out !
Feel for Italy to be honest, losing Chiellini after 20 minutes when he maybe could have soldiered on, and then Motta doing a hammy 4 minutes after coming on as the last sub killed this game. First half Italy posed a couple of problems but second half you could see all their heads drop.
So, if we had beaten Italy on penalties, we would have obviously have beaten Germany too because we drew with Italy. How would we have performed against Spain then? Better, worse, about the same?
So, if we had beaten Italy on penalties, we would have obviously have beaten Germany too because we drew with Italy. How would we have performed against Spain then? Better, worse, about the same?
Deffo better will keep the score down to 0-1 cos of the fact England has a better defence...
What a superb performance. The Spanish showed they have the lot: speed, skill and steel as well as a pride in their country and a togetherness that English teams will probably never be able to match. To see Basques, Andalucians, Castillians and Catalans pulling together is akin to the English, Welsh and Scots doing likewise. It happens in Rugby on Lions' tours .. why not in football or in 'real life' ?. Will it take the break up of the United Kingdom to reinvigorate our national football teams ?. Look at Croatia, a tiny population, a team that always punches above its weight. Or is too much 'nationalism' a bad thing ?
The commentator called it when the spanish were taking it in turns to lift the cup, all were very very good individual players who would get in virtually any team, but played as a team for each other, I was rather hoping the Italians could pull it off but was blown away by the commitment to each other that the spanish displayed even with so called key players missing. Can see them winning another world cup too.
What's astonishing is that they managed this without their main goalscorer (David Villa).
I honestly think they are the greatest national side of all time. I don't know how it can be debated really with what they've achieved and the way they have turned the game on its head.
so which Spaniard would be dropped to accommodate a world class player like Rooney? :-)
You seem to have it in for Rooney, Len. I don't think he has shone in an England shirt particularly, but he is a pretty decent player and would be a better player in a better team. His weakness seems to be that he is either in or out of form with arguably less middle ground than you would expect from a player of his calibre. As for 'getting in the Spanish team', it's hard to judge as I've not seen enough of the Spanish national team. I suspect he would look pretty good in their team even though it would be hard to pick someone to leave out. Mata is also left out and he is a decent player too - he only managed about 5 minutes in the whole tournament, which was enough time to score a goal.
They certainly looked outstanding last night and it's how to understand how they managed to lose to England recently albeit in a friendly. You do wonder whether Germany would have given the Spanish a better game.
so which Spaniard would be dropped to accommodate a world class player like Rooney? :-)
Pointless comment.
There are a number of top, top players who wouldn't get in the Spain team. I would go as far as saying that the likes of Xavi and Iniesta are ABOVE world class. They are in a class of their own which nobody can really get near.
There's no such thing as above world class. World class isn't a fixed bar, it changes all the time. In the mid-90s World Class wasn't that high compared to now, that's just the way it goes. That is exactly the difference between being a top top player and being world class.
so which Spaniard would be dropped to accommodate a world class player like Rooney? :-)
You seem to have it in for Rooney, Len. I don't think he has shone in an England shirt particularly, but he is a pretty decent player and would be a better player in a better team. His weakness seems to be that he is either in or out of form with arguably less middle ground than you would expect from a player of his calibre. As for 'getting in the Spanish team', it's hard to judge as I've not seen enough of the Spanish national team. I suspect he would look pretty good in their team even though it would be hard to pick someone to leave out. Mata is also left out and he is a decent player too - he only managed about 5 minutes in the whole tournament, which was enough time to score a goal.
They certainly looked outstanding last night and it's how to understand how they managed to lose to England recently albeit in a friendly. You do wonder whether Germany would have given the Spanish a better game.
Strange player Rooney - for Man U and Everton before that he looks everything he should be, hard to tackle, great work rate, he can play deep, or as the target man in the box and he scores goals. But for England he looks like a boy lost. Clearly he has the temperament to play internationally, I just wonder if deep down he's mentally immature and needs as a father figure as a manager which he seems to get with Fergie.
They certainly looked outstanding last night and it's how to understand how they managed to lose to England recently albeit in a friendly. You do wonder whether Germany would have given the Spanish a better game.
Spain disappointed me in the tournament as a whole, they had a lot of possession but didn't seem to do much with it and hardly shone in getting past Portugal in the semi. I got the impression that Iniesta missed having Villa playing on the left and cutting in and that removed some of Spain's attacking threat and therefore they resorted to pass the parcel football until something happened. Unquestionably they increased the pace in the final and were back to how they were in the WC and the last EC. All in all it reminded me of the Barcelona-Man U CL final two years back. That day Barcelona were outstanding and I doubt any team would have lived with them then and I doubt that Germany would have lived with Spain last night either.
Comments
It's very skillful, masterful etc but there are just not enough attempts on goal for me.
Question: Would Maradona (or in England's case: Gascoigne, Barnes or Waddle) have been allowed to do what he did in this Spain team?
Answer: No
Conclusion: A loss to football.
Messi is allowed to do what he does for Barcelona, who play the same way, so that conclusion is wrong.
I know we all see things differently but 'a loss to football' just leaves me speechless tbh Jimmy.
England 66 for obvious reasons
Brazil 70 were pretty awesome as have been other Brazilian sides over the years but the way this Spanish side keeps and passes the ball and how hard the players work for each other is awesome.
I'm not really one for superlatives but this was special.
The passing and movement was special
I suppose in an ideal world they would have slaughtered everyone and played to their max every game or maybe they could have burnt out looked brilliant and not won the trophy ....
They did it with real style in the end and I'm glad they got there and they definitely deserved it , admittedly I didn't see it coming , I thought they were burnt out !
Shows that you don't have to be screaming great hulks to play brilliant, technical football.
Alba for 14m euros looks a bargain.
Can see them winning another world cup too.
I honestly think they are the greatest national side of all time. I don't know how it can be debated really with what they've achieved and the way they have turned the game on its head.
They certainly looked outstanding last night and it's how to understand how they managed to lose to England recently albeit in a friendly. You do wonder whether Germany would have given the Spanish a better game.
There are a number of top, top players who wouldn't get in the Spain team. I would go as far as saying that the likes of Xavi and Iniesta are ABOVE world class. They are in a class of their own which nobody can really get near.
Strange player Rooney - for Man U and Everton before that he looks everything he should be, hard to tackle, great work rate, he can play deep, or as the target man in the box and he scores goals. But for England he looks like a boy lost. Clearly he has the temperament to play internationally, I just wonder if deep down he's mentally immature and needs as a father figure as a manager which he seems to get with Fergie.
Spain disappointed me in the tournament as a whole, they had a lot of possession but didn't seem to do much with it and hardly shone in getting past Portugal in the semi. I got the impression that Iniesta missed having Villa playing on the left and cutting in and that removed some of Spain's attacking threat and therefore they resorted to pass the parcel football until something happened. Unquestionably they increased the pace in the final and were back to how they were in the WC and the last EC. All in all it reminded me of the Barcelona-Man U CL final two years back. That day Barcelona were outstanding and I doubt any team would have lived with them then and I doubt that Germany would have lived with Spain last night either.
I couldn't help but thinking that was just how they had played the game - passing it around and not letting an Italian anywhere near it...