The Spanish
entered the tournament as the favorites and backed up the hype by winning Group
C in convincing fashion. They defeated
Croatia 1-0 today, which eliminated the Croats as the Italians came in second
place. Once again, they showed why they
are the defending European and World Cup champions.
As in their
previous games, the Spanish controlled the tempo throughout. Undoubtedly, they
have the best squad in the world. The
mere fact that they can afford to have Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas on the bench
is a reminder of their quality, and youthfulness.
What have we
learned from Spain’s group stage games?
They are beatable, and they know it.
Their initial game versus the Italians served as a wake up call that they
are not invincible. Italy showed the
world that Vicente del Bosque, the Spanish manager, does not have confidence in
Fernando Torres or his other strikers, and that he is still unsure of whether
to play Fabregas or David Silva. Ireland
showed that you cannot give Spain space behind the backline since all of their
players are capable of delivering the ball into these spaces. Meanwhile, Croatia may have given future
opponents the best way to play them.
Their opponent must defend the entire field with high pressure, and
eliminate gaps that Spain can use for through balls. Most importantly, teams
like Croatia must convert their opportunities on goal.
Luckily for
Spanish supporters, they have a good coach, and he will find ways of adapting
their game to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses. One of their most glaring issues is their
constant search for perfection. They constantly
have great opportunities, but they do not pull the trigger. They look for something better. As the tournament progresses, and the quality
of their opposition increases, they must take more risk when attacking.
Spain is still the
favorite, but even with their brilliance I do not see them lifting the
trophy. No team wins every game and Spain
has already won more than their fair share.
By Lorenzo Zignago
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