Spain vs. Italy Recap: !Campeones de Europa!

By El Maestro

A game that many thought was going to be the hardest game of the tournament, turned out to be Spain’s easiest match in a long time. From start, Spain clearly showed they wanted it more and had a dream start when Silva scored after just 14 minutes. Despite the goal, Italy did not back down and attacked Spain head on. They created a few great chances, but Iker kept the shots out. Unfortunately, Italy’s hopes of winning would slightly be diminished when Jordi Alba broke the offside trap to beat Buffon and give Spain a 2-0 lead five minutes before halftime.

In the 2nd half, Spain had full control of the game as they looked to finish it off. For Italy on the other hand, the game looked like a serious of universal signs that it was not to be their night.

Italy:

– They concede a goal in the first 15 minutes of the game.

– Silva (5’7) scores from a HEADER! Something that all opposing coaches tell their players not to allow.

– Giorgio Chiellini suffers an injury and is substituted just 20 minutes into the game.

– Worst of all, Thiago Motta suffers a hamstring problem and is taken off just five minutes after coming on. To add more insult to injury, he was Italy’s final substitute and were left to play the final half hour with 10 men.

With the game under control, Del Bosque would remove Silva and put in Pedro to give Spain more explosiveness on the side. Later he would swap Torres for Cesc with 15 minutes remaining.

It would be Torres who would ice the game in the 84th minutes after putting away Xavi’s wonderful through ball and getting his third goal of the competition. A goal that made millions of Spaniards happy.

But angered every single Chelsea fan in the world who were all thinking:

“With Chelsea Torres couldn’t find the net even against a 5th division opponent, but with Spain he scores against Italy in the Euro final.”

“Let’s cut off his leg!!!!!”

I‘m sure Liverpool fans would love to join that party.

With such a brilliant performance, the only downside of the match was Del Bosque’s lack of respect towards Mata. A player who had not played in the entire Euro, and occurred to “el Marquez” to put him in with four minutes until stoppage time. Just another of the disrespectful things he did during the Euro (like playing with a “falso nueve” when he had three strikers).

At least those few minutes weren’t a total waste for Mata as he scored the fourth and final goal of the evening to make Spain the first country to win Euro-World Cup-Euro.

Who would have thought. Looks like Spain did leave their best for last. After so many boring performances, Spain finally played the way we have all been accustomed, but with more entertainment. A great way to finish a tournament.

Well Done

!VIVA ESPAÑA!

Portugal vs. Spain Recap

By El Maestro

If you are a Spanish-Real Madrid fan, this was probably one of the hardest matches to watch. On one hand, you have Spain, your country playing in the semifinal of the Euro on the brink of making history; also consisting of five Madrid players (Casillas, Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa and Xabi). However, you also have all the problems with the image sold by the Spanish media that Spain is Farsa except Messi. That Spain is no longer Spain, but “La Roja” (La Coja). As well as “experts” saying that tiki-taca is the right way to play, which is a straight offense to Madrid’s direct style of play.

On the other hand, you have Portugal. A country the plays exactly the same as Real Madrid and consists of the three Madrid players (Ronaldo, Pepe and Coentrao). Not to mention that the Euro is a fundamental part to “La Maquina” winning the Golden Ball this season.

Once again, Del Bosque couldn’t go one game without messing something up when he started Negredo, a player who has only played a few minutes in this Euro and lacks international experience at striker. Negredo did very little to help the team, and was the first player substituted in the early minutes of the 2nd half. However, instead of doing a straight swap for Llorente, “el bigoton” went back to his old ways of playing with “el falso nueve”, and put in Cesc. Del Bosque’s changes also had very little influence, and almost saw Spain’s chances of repeating go out the window when CR7 had a golden opportunity to score in the final minutes, but his shot went over the bar.

In extra time, Spain’s performance increased as Portugal began to tire out. After 112 minutes of play, Spain had the perfect chance to take the lead when a great team combination had Iniesta alone in front of goal, but his shot was stopped by the keeper.

Penalties:

Spain shot first. Unfortunately, the man of the match against France was the first to miss as Xabi Alonso’s shot was blocked. Thankfully, Iker made sure to keep the shootout at zero.

Then came Spain’s fourth penalty shooter: our own Sergio Ramos. A man ridiculed after his famous “field goal” against Bayern Munich that saw Madrid get eliminated from the Champions League on penalty kicks. With all of Spain holding their breath and barely being able to watch, Ramos stepped up and kicked it the way many didn’t expect it: panenka. Chip shooting it into the back of the net to give Spain the lead.

That goal must of stunned Portugal’s next shooter, Bruno Alves, who hit the crossbar and left it to Cesc to qualify Spain. Like watching the same movie twice, Cesc did the same thing he did against Italy in 2008 and scored to send Spain to the final.

!VIVA ESPAÑA!

Spain vs. France Recap: Xabi, Xabi, Xabi!!!!!

By El Maestro

After five days of preparation, the day final came to take on France in the quarter finals of Euro 2012. Although Spain was the clear favorite, they had a date with history as the Spanish had never beaten the French in an official tournament. From the start, Spain were determined to change that as they came out strong in the early minutes, while France struggled to get their game going. After 19 minutes of play, the tie was broken when Jordi Alba’s wonderful cross found a wide open Xabi Alonso, who simply headed past Hugo Lloris for the 1-0 scoreline.

The 2nd half was a very bleak performance by both sides. Spain had possession, but didn’t create many opportunities to score. On the other hand, France tried to attack, but lacked the ideas to level the score. It wasn’t until the 91st minute that Spain would finally finish the game off after Pedro was taken down and were rewarded a penalty. Once again, Xabi Alonso stepped up to score his second goal of the night, and send Spain to the semifinal where they will take on Portugal.

What a way to celebrate your 100th performance.

Croatia vs. Spain Recap

By El Maestro

If the Ireland game was Spain’s best performance since the last World Cup, Monday’s match against Croatia was the exact opposite. From the start, Spain lacked that enthusiastic energy as the circulation of the ball was slow and sloppy, and looked to have no ideas to break Croatia’s 11 man wall. In fact, the game in general was so bad, it appeared at times that both teams were looking to intentionally draw the game at two, which would see Spain and Croatia go through.

1st half can be summed up in one word: nothing.

The 2nd half was just slightly better as Croatia began to open up and Spain started to get some ideas going. However, it would be Croatia who would create the first real chance, after almost 60 minutes of boring futbol, when a marvelous cross by Modric found the head of Rakitic, but Casillas showed why they call him “San Iker” by keeping it out. With Croatia playing their defensive counter attacking style, Spain struggled to get anything going. Spain needed to open up the Croatian defense. How do you do that? Simple:

Navas for Silva, Xabi, or Busquets

Llorente for Torres

Mata for Silva, Xabi, or Busquets

On the other hand, that’s not what Del Bosque had in mind. Apparently he thought they would get more results by putting in Navas and Cesc, and taking off Torres and Silva. In other words, playing with “el falso nueve” to break the Croatian back line. The changes did very little to help the side.

The game got to a point where nothing was happening and the first goal would decide the fixture. With about three minutes to play, and on their first real opportunity, Spain would score after Iniesta broke the offside trap to receive Cesc’s wonderful pass and touch it to Navas who blasted the ball into the wide open net. A goal that would give Spain the victory and allow them to finish first in the group.

Quarter Final against France

Spain will take on France in the quarter finals. Despite Spain’s success in the last four years, history is not on their side against the French. In fact, the Spanish are yet to beat Fran in an official match.  However, those are just stats, and stats are meant to be broken.

France came in with low expectations and many saw them as the possible dark horse team of the Euro. However, they have gone from good to bad, which saw them lose the number one spot in the group in the final game against Sweden (who had already been eliminated before the match). With an inconsistent back line, France’s strong point is their attack led by Nasri, Ribery, and our very own “Benzecrack”. If those three players get going, they can make things very difficult for Spain.

With that said, it is Spain’s responsibility to keep those players in check and play the way they have been accustomed to playing. While many people have underrated this match, it is actually more important to Spain than it is. Not just cause of the stats, but because of the controversial guiñoles brought out by Canal + France, which accused many Spanish athletes of doping. In fact, if Del Bosque wants to get the best out of his players, he should show every single one of those videos in the dressing room right before they take the field.

Nevertheless, videos or not, they should be able to take of France without a problem. If Spain are strong in the back, have players who can open the defense, and Del Bosque doesn’t mess anything up, they will see Portugal in the semifinal.

!A POR LOS FRANCESES! !A POR LAS SEMIFINALES!

!VIVA ESPAÑA!

Spain vs. Ireland Recap

By El Maestro

For the first time since the World Cup semifinal against Germany, Spain actually played like the team many have called to be “the best country team in the world.” For this game, Del Bosque did not remove that “doble pivote” many have been asking to take out, but at least came out with a true striker; putting Fernando Torres in the starting 11.

From the get go, Spain came out with that attacking mindset many Spaniards have been asking for and in just the 3rd minute, Del Bosque would not regret his decision of starting Torres when he scored the opening goal after blasting his shot through the hands of Ireland keeper Shay Given. From then on, Spain controlled the entirety of the game and created numerous chances to extend the lead. However, it wasn’t until the 2nd half that Spain would get their second goal after a poor clearance from the Irish keeper fell to the feet of David Silva, who to gently slip the ball into the back of the net after taking on three Irish defenders.

Del Bosque would then, for the first time in his life, look like a genius when Torres scored his second goal of the game after breaking the offside trap and miraculously getting his shot off to beat the keeper.

If you don’t understand why I said “miraculously”, check Torres’ goal for yourself and see why.

Spain would score their fourth goal of the night through Cesc after poor defending allowed him to laser his shot off the far post and into the goal to finish the game off.

With Italy’s 1-1 draw, Spain are now tied on 4 points with Croatia, but ahead on goal differential. This means Spain rely solely on themselves to go through entering their final game against none other than Croatia. Already, many “experts” have started to say that the Spain vs. Croatia game could end 2-2, which would qualify both Spain and Croatia, and send Italy home.

While that would benefit both teams, I’m going to say Spain should not have that idea anywhere in their mind. With a place in the quarter finals at state, and also taking into consideration that Spain can still get knocked out, they should not be worrying about helping Croatia or Italy. For Spain’s final group game, their mindset should be one thing and one thing only: win and go through as group winners!

¡VIVA ESPAÑA! ¡A POR LOS CUARTOS!

 

Euro 2012: Spain vs Italy Recap

By El Maestro

A game that many people thought was going to see Spain have 80% possession and 11 Italian men stack in their own box turned out to be a very attacking and wide open match. From the start, Italy attacked Spain and created the better chances in the 1st half, but were not able to capitalize on their opportunities. Although Italy controlled most of the 1st half, their fearless attack allowed Spain to have some spaces to work with, but were not able to create many occasions. The 2nd half was much of the same until Italian manager Cesare Prandelli made his first move by taking out Balotelli for Di Natale. A change that would prove worthy as Di Natale would score the opening goal just a few minutes later after beating Casillas in a one on one.

However, Spain would tie the game just four minutes later as Cesc beat Buffon after receiving a wonderful pass from Silva.

After the goal, Spain started to get their rhythm back and dominated the last half hour of the game. With 20 minutes to play, some common sense finally hit Del Bosque when he finished this whole “falso nueve” (fake nine) system by taking off Cesc and putting in a true striker.

I say “some common sense” because the striker he put in was none other than Fernando Torres.

While people were saying, and are still saying:

“Torres is going to blow up in the Euro”

“He looks hungry”

“He will lead Spain to the Euro title”

Torres showed, once again, why he shouldn’t be on this squad when he blew two golden opportunities to give Spain the lead. One of those opportunities coming just a minute after coming on when he broke away from the Italian defense only having Buffon to beat, but couldn’t even get it past the Italian keeper. In fact, that play was so humiliating Buffon didn’t have to dive on the ground to snatch the ball from Torres; he took it away with his feet like a defender. However, if the 1st miss was bad, the 2nd was even worse when a miscalculation by Buffon had him 18 yards out of his goal and only needed a gently chip to take the lead, but Torres couldn’t even complete that as he chip wen over the bar.

He wasted two opportunities that even a striker from Spain’s 2nd division could have finished off, and yet their are still people who think it was just a bump in the road and he will do better in the next game.

Despite Torres’ misses, Spain continued to attack, but it was Italy who almost stole the game in the last five minutes through Marchisio, but his shot went straight to Casillas. Spain did create one last chance to win the game, but Xabi Alonso’s long distance shot went wide right of Buffon’s goal.

The game ended 1-1. A point a piece for each team. Spain did not play a horrible, but there are things that need to improve for Thursday’s important match against Ireland.

First, the circulation of the ball must to be faster and passes need to be more precise, which Spain lacked in the first 60 minutes of the game.

Second, Del Bosque has to forget about “el doble pivot” and bench either Busquets or Xabi. Yes, Spain did win the World Cup with this formation, but it affects both Busquets and Xabi, who cancel each other out, and end up affecting the teams overall performance.

Third, never use “el falso nueve” (fake nine) again in this tournament. We don’t pose any threats when we play with a midfielder at striker. In fact, it is a relief for opposing teams when they see Spain is playing without a true striker. Put in Llorente, Negredo, or even Torres at that nine position, but don’t go with a fake nine.

Lastly, if the game against Ireland gets to a point in the 2nd half similar to the Italy game, put in Llorente. If Torres and Llorente are both on the bench, PUT IN LLORENTE!!!! I won’t blame Del Bosque if he starts Torres, but if the score’s tied after the 60th minute, take off Torres and PUT IN LLORENTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The most important thing is not to panic. Spain are only two points behind Croatia, who they play in the third game of the group stage. Spain needs to focus solely on beating Ireland and Croatia, and not worry about what happens in the other games. If they win the next two games, they qualify. However, as I said, Spain will have better performances if “el Bigoton” makes the necessary changes and adjustments. If Spain continues with “el doble pivote” or using a midfielder as a striker, they will struggle, especially playing against Ireland who might stack 11 men in their own box. If he forgets those system, and remembers not to stick in Torres after the 60th minute, it will allow Spain to play with more fluidity and have a quicker attack. The next two games will not be easy, but they are very beatable opponents and there are no reasons why Spain shouldn’t win those games.

!VIVA ESPAÑA!

Spain’s Euro 2012 23 Man Roster

By El Maestro

When I saw Del Bosque’s 23 man roaster for Euro 2012, I imminently got a feeling that Spain’s chances of repeating slightly went out the window. I knew Del Bosque had done a lot of questionable things since taking charge of the Spanish national team, but I didn’t think he could possibly do any worse until I saw Torres, Negredo, and Pedro all included for the Euro 2012 squad. I don’t know how, but somehow “el Bigoton” has made his job more difficult than it really is. Since the 2010 World Cup, Spain’s biggest problem has been their lack of scoring goals, which has lead to big loses to Argentina, Portugal, Italy, and England. While many “experts” were debating who Del Bosque would take as strikers, it was actually more easier than people thought.

Spain needs players who can attack and score goals:

Torres has only scored a total of 12 goals in all competitions in his 18 months at Chelsea. Soldado is the Spanish pichichi with 17 goals in La Liga, as well as scoring a total of 27 goals in all competitions with Valencis. Take Soldado!

Negredo has had an average season with Sevilla while Adrian has been an enormous help for Atletico winning their second Europa League title in two years. Not to mention Adrian is a talented striker who in a 4-3-3 formation can play as a center striker or on the sides, and can take on opposing defenders; and if you don’t believe me, ask Victor Ruiz from Valencia what he thinks of him. Take Adrian!

The only good thing Pedro has done is score two goals in the final of the Copa del Rey. Besides that, he has had an off year. Iker Muniain has had an outstanding season with Athletic Bilbao and was a vital piece in getting the Basque side to two finals (Europa League and Copa del Rey). Take Muniain! 

But apparently those stats aren’t good enough for Del Bosque. He leaves out 3 players who have had phenomenal seasons to take Torres, Negredo, and Pedro who have had sub par campaigns. In fact, their performances were so disappointing, Del Bosque shouldn’t have considered them even if he had made a 30 man roster.

As I mentioned before, the problem with Spain is not the lack of technical players (we have more than enough of that on the team), but the lack of scoring. With “el Marquez’s” selections, I’m really trying to figure out where are the goals going to come from. Torres is Torres, Negredo and Pedro are average, and Llorente (the best striker on this squad) struggles in the tiki-taca system. Personally, I really don’t know what was going on in Del Bosque’s mind when he made the squad. In fact, it is possible this is what led him to picking these three players.

Torres was on the field when Chelsea won the Champions League title. IN!

Pedro scored 2 goals in the Copa del Rey final. IN!

And Negredo is more resentful to Real Madrid than Soldado. IN!

Now, I could be wrong. In fact, it could be possible that on July 2nd (the day after the Euro final) you may find an article written by me praising Torres or Negredo or Pedro (or all three) for making Spain the first country to win the Euro, the World Cup, and the Euro all in a row. Or I could be writing for Del Bosque’s sacking or resignation. Either way, I believe Spain’s fate in this tournament will be determined in the opening game against Italy. If they win, they have a chance of going far. If they tie or lose, things won’t look good. Only after the Euro will we see if Del Bosque’s selections were a success or a failure.