Thing is, as I've said earlier they are SUCH a bad watch... 80 minutes of passing back to the midfielders.... Ugh
Now I know and understand why they do it, and yes it clearly works, but from a fan standpoint you have to be a Spanish fan to enjoy that type of game IMO...
Ill take Germany's style personally for a neutral watch...
I get this, I really do. I disagree completely as I think they are a joy to watch, but I get why you would think that, and there are times when I watch them that I get frustrated myself when they don't attack north and south. But seriously, as you probably know, A LOT of it has to do with how the opponents play. And almost every single opponent bunkers down and puts 10-11 behind the ball and in the middle of the field, giving Spain very little space to go forward once they reach the final 3rd. And I understand when teams like Paraguay do it, but when teams like Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, etc do it, it's shocking and it makes for boring soccer despite the best players in the world playing in the game.
Take Germany, perhaps the most talented team in the world...the past 2 times they played Spain the bunkered down and refused to commit players forward in numbers, and this was after KILLING teams with a beautiful style of soccer that had me scared shitless. It's like they get in front of la Furia Roja and they change everything that made them great. And it sucks to watch, especially b/c Spain basically says "eff you, we'll just keep the ball and keep the ball and keep the ball until you make a tiny mistake, and then we'll capitalize on it." There's a reason you see so many 1-0 games with Spain in the big tournaments, despite having such firepower, and that's because teams won't come out and challenge them.
But the book, at least for me, has been out on Spain for awhile. Clog the middle, but have confidence on the ball and commit players forward, and Spain can be had. Easier said than done, but a disciplined team like Italy or Germany can beat Spain. We'll see if Brazil is disciplined enough defensively to do it. There is no better time for them to beat Spain (for all the reasons I listed in a post above), so it should be a fascinating battle.
(And fwiw, I love watching that style. I played on a competitive team in L.A. that tried to play that style, and it is soooooooo hard to do. The movements and technical skills of the players on the team is absolutely amazing and extremely difficult to duplicate.)
Yea I'd almost root for France to beat them even though I hate the French soccer team
B, upset Italy didn't win. Really had some amazing opportunities in the 1st half. Now I have to say go Brazil.
I'm really getting sick of Spain.
I love it...Spain has turned into the New York Yankees (except, we've done it organically through player development and commitment to a system).
You guys have to realize, Spain was the laughingstock of high-level futbol for decades. The Red Sox, the Cubs. To see my dad's country now hated for winning is absolutely stunning and nobody would have believed this just 5 years ago. It's crazy. I don't blame people for hating them (I start to hate teams when they start winning too much too), but I do hope people appreciate the beauty and intricacy of their game, and the way they've suddenly gone from all-time choke artists to a team with incredible will that refuses to lose. Other than their incessant overacting on fouls (sooooo embarrassing), I love this team...
