Spain

Dublin_Gunner

Dr Galen wrote: »

Would agree on that for sure. While its important to teach young ones how to take a kick and get on with it, and that like it or not, football is a physical game, it shouldn't override everything we do.

The fannying about is a more complex issue. More often than not, people do fanny about with the ball. Thats because the basics of passing, looking for pass and awareness of the players around you isn't fully hammered home. You thus get a player stuck with the ball caught in two minds, hoof it or fanny about. Its cart before horse situation really. teach the kids how to use the ball properly and they will. Its been said before, by many with a better grasp of it than me, but sticking 11 year olds on a huge pitch is not the greatest idea, small pitches, small goals, impress on them the need for good control and vision and things will improve.

Apparently in Spain, in the younger age groups, the kids are taught how to play WITHOUT any goals.

That comes later on in their development. Passing and moving and using space is encouraged.

Dr Galen

Thats probably what confused Pedro last night

Kiwi_knock

I think the majority of what Spain does up until they get to the opposition box is close to perfection. The passing and movement is a joy to watch, and they all look so comfortable with ball at foot.

It is when they get within shooting distance that they look far from a perfect team. They lack as previous posters have said the clinical touch in front of the goal. They pass when they should shoot and they shoot when they should pass. Pedro was a perfect example, he went it alone last night instead of squaring the ball to Torres for a tap in.

I think people (myself included) appreciate that clinical nature of the Germans who can convert the few chances they have into goals.

Spain are a good team to watch but they have not entertained me to the same extent as Germany. They deserve to be in the final and if they win they will be worthy winners

gimmick

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Apparently in Spain, in the younger age groups, the kids are taught how to play WITHOUT any goals.

That comes later on in their development. Passing and moving and using space is encouraged.

Same as in Holland. They do not start using goals until U12 level afaik. They are taught comfort on the ball as the bedrock of their footballing education.

LuckyLloyd

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

In my opinion, the nay-sayers are severely lacking in technical football knowledge, or have never played the game to a decent standard, or both.

ugh :rolleyes:

LuckyLloyd

Dr Galen wrote: »

On the playacting thing, well its pretty sickening to watch. Its not an excuse that everyone does it. LL mentioned the Americans. They didn't do it, they just get up and keep on going. Diving around the place like a pansy is one of the biggest blights on the modern game. The really sad thing is that its catching on at all levels. Was down watching a schoolboy game the other day, and the i saw the kids at it, then running and shouting at the ref

The USA were commendable in that respect. It is so clear to me that the sports culture there is so completely and utterly different to what we accept in Europe and the UK, and much, much better for that.

I have also noticed young lads doing that (not to mention adults in a park on a Saturday FFS) and it really grinds my gears.

parker kent

Ush1 wrote: »

What I'm on about there is just the act of getting excited about football.

I know that is why I said it could be construed...not that it was what you said.

stovelid

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

In my opinion, the nay-sayers are severely lacking in technical football knowledge, or have never played the game to a decent standard, or both.
.

Football has many styles - some more attractive than others - and even though we all have our favourite styles, each game has its own intrigue and interest. I've as little interest in consuming only fantastic football as I have in only consuming hoof ball although I can clearly understand why the former is more attractive than the latter.

The assertion that only being bothered with the very top-level of football ability somehow confers superior knowledge of the game is the worst kind of Andy Grayism. You may as well bookend it with twenty exclamation marks.

+1 on the anti-playacting. I'd love to see it stamped out with automatic reds (or being made sit out the game for , say five minutes, if you magically go from agony to fighting fitness in a few seconds) for obvious examples.

Dublin_Gunner

stovelid wrote: »

Football has many styles - some more attractive than others - and even though we all have our favourite styles, each game has its own intrigue and interest. I've as little interest in consuming only fantastic football as I have in only consuming hoof ball although I can clearly understand why the former is more attractive than the latter.

The assertion that only being bothered with the very top-level of football ability somehow confers superior knowledge of the game is the worst kind of Andy Grayism. You may as well bookend it with twenty exclamation marks.

My post was in relation to the fact that in general, when you play at a higher level, you can more appreciate the technical difficulty for the type of game Spain play, as when playing at the lower levels of football, you don;t really come up against this type of play, or perform it yourself.

This is a generalisation, and I make no apologies for it.

In my opinion, if people cannot appreciate the skill level required for the football Spain play, there is really no hope.

Superb football, does not only come in 5-4 thrillers. In fact, those types of games are more likely to contain some abosultely awful football.

People's opinions on what they find exciting are one thing, but excellent football is excellent football - and maybe these 2 things are being confused by some people here.

stovelid

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

My post was in relation to the fact that in general, when you play at a higher level, you can more appreciate the technical difficulty for the type of game Spain play, as when playing at the lower levels of football, you don;t really come up against this type of play, or perform it yourself.
.

So, as you don't play for Barca and Spain, you don't really have much football knowledge?

:pac:

parker kent

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

In my opinion, the nay-sayers are severely lacking in technical football knowledge, or have never played the game to a decent standard, or both.

To see what Spain do, and to understand the technical ability of the players to play how they play would not have anyone thinking they are 'boring' to watch.

The quick 1 and 2 touch passing, the sudden switch of pace, switching play to the other side of the field with precision and speed, awareness of where the other players are is almost telepathic looking at them.

And then when they don't have the ball, they track back so quickly, and try to retrieve the situation. Everyone sticks to their task and doesn't hope 'someone else will do it'.

They are a fantastic team. All they are missing is the cutting edge up front, due to their other main striker Torres, being unfit.

There plenty of "naysayers" who have agreed that they are a fantastic team. I said they are clearly the best team in the world over the past 4 years. Xavi and Iniesta are 2 of the best midfielders in the history of European football. I could go on listing their qualities. But I feel no affinity for them and I happen to dislike the attitude of many of the players (see my earlier post referring to their gloating in front of the Germans at Euro 2008 and other stuff).

I will also add that they suffer from the era they play in. If they were around 10 years ago they would have had better teams to play against. Zidane's France were in their pomp, Portugal had Figo and Rui Costa at their best, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho at Brazil, Italy had that amazing defence in Euro 2000 etc. They may be a little unlucky (in terms of reputation and being liked) to play at a time when other countries are between eras. This looks like being a potential great German team, but it is just that at the minute.

prinz

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

People's opinions on what they find exciting are one thing, but excellent football is excellent football - and maybe these 2 things are being confused by some people here.

This gets to the core of the issue..... last nights match wasn't an excellent display by either team. There were periods of brilliant football from the Spanish but to call it an excellent display is over stating it completely. It was adequate and got the job done.

Dublin_Gunner

stovelid wrote: »

So, as you don't play for Barca and Spain, you don't really have much football knowledge?

:pac:

????

I said at a 'decent standard', I didn't indicate you had to be a pro.

LuckyLloyd

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

My post was in relation to the fact that in general, when you play at a higher level, you can more appreciate the technical difficulty for the type of game Spain play, as when playing at the lower levels of football, you don;t really come up against this type of play, or perform it yourself.

This is a generalisation, and I make no apologies for it.

In my opinion, if people cannot appreciate the skill level required for the football Spain play, there is really no hope.

Superb football, does not only come in 5-4 thrillers. In fact, those types of games are more likely to contain some abosultely awful football.

People's opinions on what they find exciting are one thing, but excellent football is excellent football - and maybe these 2 things are being confused by some people here.

Can't beat a good old fashioned appeal to authority. Added to ignore list.

Dublin_Gunner

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Can't beat a good old fashioned appeal to authority. Added to ignore list.

Appeal to authority? Plenty of people here agree with me, and understand exactly the points I'm making. Get off your high horse.

The fact is, people who don;t think Spain played excellent football last night have not got a clue what they're talking about in fairness.

Pepe LeFrits

I don't agree with the argument that they effectively hold on to the ball for the sake of it. They're just too good technically and the only way teams can live with them is by dropping deep and in numbers. Then we get the endless short passing around the box.

They played better ball in 2008 (3 sitting midfielders, really?) and weren't so indicative of the increasingly SPL-like nature of La Liga (1 non Real/Barca player last night vs 6 in the 2008 final), which considering how increasingly unpopular Real and Barca are amongst a lot of fans, is obviously going to be a big factor in whether people enjoy watching Spain.

I'm happy for van Persie that Holland got to the final but it's a shame for the spectacle because I think Brazil are one of the few teams who would give Spain a game. The Dutch will get well beaten.

parker kent

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Appeal to authority? Plenty of people here agree with me, and understand exactly the points I'm making. Get off your high horse.

The fact is, people who don;t think Spain played excellent football last night have not got a clue what they're talking about in fairness.

I think Lloyd is talking about you using the "I know more than you do" approach to winning an argument. There are plenty of people here who know what they are talking about, play football at a decent level and are not overly enamored with the Spanish. They ARE a fantastic team no doubt. Juts not one that I'll remain fond of forevermore. I am not going to restate my opinions on why that is again as I have done so a few times in the thread so far.

stovelid

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

????

I said at a 'decent standard', I didn't indicate you had to be a pro.

What you appear to be suggesting is that any questioning of the tyranny of beautiful football, any assetion that enjoyment can be gleaned from football outside the upper-echeleons is indiicative of a lack of knowledge of the game.

I stand by my fawning comments. I love a good passing game as much as anybofdy but its like listening to people drone on about fine wines at this stage.

kinaldo

parker kent wrote: »

I will also add that they suffer from the era they play in. If they were around 10 years ago they would have had better teams to play against. Zidane's France were in their pomp, Portugal had Figo and Rui Costa at their best, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho at Brazil, Italy had that amazing defence in Euro 2000 etc. They may be a little unlucky (in terms of reputation and being liked) to play at a time when other countries are between eras. This looks like being a potential great German team, but it is just that at the minute.

If Spain win the World Cup, which I expect they will do (been saying that ad nauseum for the past 2 years now), I'm going to start a thread on this. People will go on about Germany but Spain will still be the team to beat at Euro 2012. With time on their side, hopefully they will eclipse that great French side of 98-20.

Dublin_Gunner

stovelid wrote: »

What you appear to be suggesting is that any questioning of the tyranny of beautiful football, any assetion that enjoyment can be gleaned from football outside the upper-echeleons is indiicative of a lack of knowledge of the game.

I stand by my fawning comments. I love a good passing game as much as anybofdy but its like listening to people drone on about fine wines at this stage.

Not at all - but if someone cannot appreciate how good Spain played last night, they're missing something.

As I said, I think a lot of people confuse what they deem to be 'exciting' and what is deemed to be 'excellent football'.

The two very rarely happen at the same time. And when they do, you are more likely to get a 0-0 thriller.

eagle eye

I really enjoyed watching Spain last night. People don't give them nearly enough credit.

Germany hammered Argentina and England but looked almost second rate against Spain. This is a case of just how good this Spanish team is rather than other teams are not at the top of their game.

The problem for the Spanish is that most teams are now setting up like Inter did against Barca in the Champion's League to stop them scoring and hope to catch them on the break. The average Joe doesn't rate a team unless they are scoring a lot of goals.

Pro. F

prinz wrote: »

There's liking a team, then there's fawning. Descriptions of last night's match as a superb performance and master class falls into the latter category.

I have no issue with people liking Spain. No business of mine, but it gets irritating when people like a team so much their response is automatically OTT positive however they play in any given match, be it good, bad, or indifferent. It's not begrudgery to call that. Especially when trying to point that out today has gotten responses such as 'you don't understand football', 'were you watching the match?' etc etc.

It's irrelevant whether the team concerned is Spain, or Bohs, or Aberdeen.

Last night's performance from Spain was superb. Some people didn't find it entertaining, which is fair enough, but as a match winning display of skill, strategy and tactics against a much fancied team it was excellent. To deny that is nonsense.

Most of the fans of Spanish football on this forum have been critical of Spain during this competition. The accusations of fawning are unfair.

Kiwi_knock

Some posters are describing the performance as excellent and while they were excellent in most parts of the game I felt they were less assured in front of goal. While they dominated the rest of the game they did not convert their dominance into goal scoring opportunities. When they got within goal scoring range they seemed bereft of ideas of how to break down the German defence. I for one did not think it looked likely that Spain would score in open play, they did not test the German defence enough. While they shut down the German midfield and attack they failed to truly test the German defence.

To label the overall performance as excellent is misguided to me, in parts they were excellent but they were lacking in others

Boskowski

...soulless, sterile muck. The anti-christ to the beautiful game...:rolleyes:

oh wait...

davyjose

Pro. F wrote: »

Last night's performance from Spain was superb. Some people didn't find it entertaining, which is fair enough, but as a match winning display of skill, strategy and tactics against a much fancied team it was excellent. To deny that is nonsense.

Most of the fans of Spanish football on this forum have been critical of Spain during this competition. The accusations of fawning are unfair.

They scored from a corner. Now, I'v nothing against scoring from a corner, but tbh for all Spain's possession around the centre circle, it took an old school header from a set-piece to secure victory.

LuckyLloyd

Oh dear. It is possible to understand how good their performance was without enjoying it. Ye dig?

Muff_Daddy

Let me start off by saying I like the Spanish team. I wouldn't call myself a fan, per se, but I can definitely appreciate the way they pass, the way they can create space, the way they can play themselvs out of impossibly tight pockets of space, and the way they press when they don't have the ball - it is brilliant to watch. I hope they beat Holland in the final (I stand to win a great deal of money if they do). This 'Fawning' over them doesn't even bother me, as I can see what people are Fawning over.

What does grind my gears is the superior attitude deployed by some Spain fans - which is quite apart from 'fawning' over them. The assumption that if you so much as question the Spanish method, you're automatically accused of being a Bolton fan, or lacking the ''basic' (hate that word) knowledge of football. I am capable of appreciating the merits of a blood and guts 4-4 draw just as much as I'm capable of appreciating the Spanish performance of last night. The Spanish game isn't perfect, and is very much open to criticism - the lack of cutting edge in the final third being the glaring criticism. Naturally, not everyone is going to find the possession football Spain play exciting, and I find that every bit as understandable as people 'fawning' over them.

It's not jealousy or begrudgary either - like I said, it doesn't bother me if people want to carry Xavi or Iniesta's babies, there's just no need to belittle other people for not sharing your view. It's football snobbery, and like all forms of snobbery, I just find it a horrible trait in people and it can be infuriating to discuss football with people who have that view of others.

pickarooney

Actually no, Spain are more like ice-skaters. Perfect technique, synchronisation, a little bit poncey maybe. You can appreciate the excellence, but you're really only watching it hoping someone falls.

tolosenc

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

if someone cannot appreciate how good Spain played last night, they're missing something.

An imagination?

FUNKY LOVER

i think there is a certain arrogance about them that annoys people.like there they are at a world cup yet they come out with their fabregas has barca DNA lark.they have no respect for arsenal who said on numerous occasions he is not for sale.and i know people will say were not talking about barca its spain.well then pique puyol xavi should stop talking about barca and fabregas at the world cup.they think they are above the rules in football.

eagle eye

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Oh dear. It is possible to understand how good their performance was without enjoying it. Ye dig?

I've often heard you rave about a great defensive performance but you say you didn't enjoy watching a team who pass the ball wonderfully and those same players were able to smother Germany as soon as they got possession and win the ball back quickly.

I'm amazed that you didn't enjoy that performance.

Bodhisopha

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

i think there is a certain arrogance about them that annoys people.like there they are at a world cup yet they come out with their fabregas has barca DNA lark.they have no respect for arsenal who said on numerous occasions he is not for sale.and i know people will say were not talking about barca its spain.well then pique puyol xavi should stop talking about barca and fabregas at the world cup.they think they are above the rules in football.

Way to shoehorn an irrelevant gripe into an unrelated thread!!!

FUNKY LOVER

he he you like!

nacho libre

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

Some posters are describing the performance as excellent and while they were excellent in most parts of the game I felt they were less assured in front of goal. While they dominated the rest of the game they did not convert their dominance into goal scoring opportunities. When they got within goal scoring range they seemed bereft of ideas of how to break down the German defence. I for one did not think it looked likely that Spain would score in open play, they did not test the German defence enough. While they shut down the German midfield and attack they failed to truly test the German defence.

To label the overall performance as excellent is misguided to me, in parts they were excellent but they were lacking in others

in italy, when it was of high quality, most games were usually won 1-0.

in other words against top sides, who are well organised, it's harder to score so it's unlikely you'll get a lot of goals. while watching a game full of mistakes, which leads to an abundance of goals is exciting, i prefer watching a team who can give a master class of passing, fluidity and movement even if they don't score lots of goal. While watching Germany hammer Argentina and England was exciting on one level, i thought both matches were poor games because to me a really good match is where a team really have to work for a goal- it take something special for one team to prise open the opposition's defense and score.

FUNKY LOVER

he he you like!

Pro. F

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

While they dominated the rest of the game they did not convert their dominance into goal scoring opportunities. When they got within goal scoring range they seemed bereft of ideas of how to break down the German defence.
...
To label the overall performance as excellent is misguided to me, in parts they were excellent but they were lacking in others

I don't think anyone has claimed their performance was flawless. It is possible to have an excellent performance while still being not perfect.

While they did lack a bit of thrust (Pedro, Silva, Navas and Torres have all failed to properly add that to the team) you still have to acknowledge that Germany packed the defence and any team would have found it tough to break them down. Spain did get at them at times while also largely denying the Germans the chance to attack and also saving themselves a lot of energy.

davyjose wrote: »

They scored from a corner. Now, I'v nothing against scoring from a corner, but tbh for all Spain's possession around the centre circle, it took an old school header from a set-piece to secure victory.

So what does that prove?

All that possession does more than just create goal scoring chances (which they did have more of) it also keeps the other team out of the game. Germany have a very dangerous attack and Spain have a very creaky defence - the Spanish strategy is perfect for the Spanish team.

I guarantee that if Germany had won that game 1-0 last night, loads of people would be on here saying how they had tactically out thought Spain.

The bottom line is Spain dominated the possession, had the better chances, scored from a well worked set piece and protected their weak back four. They did all that against against a good team. They deserve plenty of credit in my opinion.

#15

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I don't agree with the argument that they effectively hold on to the ball for the sake of it. They're just too good technically and the only way teams can live with them is by dropping deep and in numbers. Then we get the endless short passing around the box.

Well, it's definitely not possession for the sake of it. But it is possession as a means of defence, and as a means of wearing down the opposition.

Some teams deliberately defend deep in numbers, but that's not true for all.

Some teams are effectively forced to do so, because Spain often don't push the ball on a counter attack. They are quite happy to allow the defence to regroup and start a cycle of possession.

They achieve a number of things:

1) Force the opposition deep which limits numerically advantageous counter attacks against Spain.

2) By continously recycling possession, they force the opposition to chase and tire themselves out. This is one of the key reasons why you will see Spain pass up a decent shot on goal - it's actually more beneficial for them, in the long run, to keep the opposition working rather than have a 50-50 chance of scoring.

3) Keeping possession high up the pitch allows sufficient numbers to get forward to begin the high pressing in the event Spain lose the ball.

I think it's misguided of people to say that every team who defends deep is doing so as a deliberate gameplan.

Often, it's Spain's gameplan to force them deep:
What do Spain expect when they recycle the ball at every opportunity, press high and cut off passing angles high up the pitch? It is logical that such moves will pin a team into their own half - and I cannot believe that the Spanish coaching staff do not know the outcome of their tactics.

It suits them to have to have teams camped out in their own box - the last thing Spain want is for the opposition to have sufficient numbers all over the pitch to challenge Puyol and Pique.
Keep them pinned back, and the defence won't get exposed (not saying they have crap defence, but it is their weakest point - it's natural to play a game that simultaneously protects your weak link and allows Xavi/Iniesta to flourish).

the_monkey

Spain = A Bunch of cnuts...

Shanotheslayer

the_monkey wrote: »

Spain = A Bunch of cnuts...

Thank you for that valuable input.

the_monkey

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Thank you for that valuable input.

No problem, I aim to please.

Boskowski

Pro. F wrote: »

I guarantee that if Germany had won that game 1-0 last night, loads of people would be on here saying how they had tactically out thought Spain.

we couldn't have won the game

parker kent

Boskowski wrote: »

we couldn't have won the game

Well that is not really true, even allowing for the Spanish dominance. All it would have taken was for the referee to award a penalty for the incident with Klose and Ramos or some other similar incident. When a game is 0-0 for so long, any team is vulnerable, not matter how technically superior they are.

Portsmouth/United in the FA Cup quarter final is a good example of a superior team being undone by a counter attack.

davyjose

Pro. F wrote: »

So what does that prove?

All that possession does more than just create goal scoring chances (which they did have more of) it also keeps the other team out of the game. Germany have a very dangerous attack and Spain have a very creaky defence - the Spanish strategy is perfect for the Spanish team.

I guarantee that if Germany had won that game 1-0 last night, loads of people would be on here saying how they had tactically out thought Spain.

The bottom line is Spain dominated the possession, had the better chances, scored from a well worked set piece and protected their weak back four. They did all that against against a good team. They deserve plenty of credit in my opinion.

Fair enough, but to me, it's not great to watch. They are incredibly good at what they do, holding on to the ball, pressing other teams, but lets not pretend they've unlocked the secret to the universe. They are effective, and excellent, but quite boring to watch. Sure, they dominate possession, but last I checked there was only one criterion used to decide the winner of matches, and that's goals. And Spain have hardly blown us away in that regard. They create very little for a team with so much possession, because they play "safe". The first rule is: don't give it away. The second rule is: don't give it away. The third rule ... etc, etc.

They are probably the best team in the world at the moment, but people seem to speak of them in the same hushed reverence as Brazil '70, or Holland '78. That could not be further from the truth, IMO.

davyjose

Boskowski wrote: »

we couldn't have won the game

If Kroos had taken his chance right before Puyol scpred from a set piece.

This is the thing, you'll never get much of the ball against Spain, but take your chances and you can win. If Holland are clinical, they'll do the job, I reckon.

prinz

Pro. F wrote: »

They did all that against against a good team. They deserve plenty of credit in my opinion.

Credit yes, I don't think anyone would deny them that. Sycophantic praise no, they don't quite deserve that yet IMO.

SlickRic

prinz wrote: »

Sycophantic praise no, they don't quite deserve that yet IMO.

and i'm pretty sure nobody's giving them that.

flahavaj

ziggy wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I brought it up in connection with Spain because its a thread about Spain, a thread in which the subject of Spanish players diving is being discussed.

flahavaj

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

If Holland do win there will be an apocalyptic reaction in the media and on places like here. Go chaos imo!

The fascinating thing about the final is I can't think of a team at the World Cup that is as well equipped to replicate Inter's defensive masterclass against Barca than Holland. Decent back four, two teak tough defensive midfielders, Schneider himslef, he likes of Kuyt tracking back tirelessly and brilliant finishers up top in Robben and RVP.

Incidentally the footballing performance that I enjoyed the most from last season and will live longest in the memory for me was Inter's brilliantly executed defensive showing at the Nou Camp. I wonder does that mean I know little about football?

The point is there are more than one way to play the game, and they can all be equally as enjoyable to watch as Spain's brand of possession football. Spain's way is not the only "right" way to play the game as some on here would have you believe.

Dublin_Gunner

flahavaj wrote: »

The fascinating thing about the final is I can't think of a team at the World Cup that is as well equipped to replicate Inter's defensive masterclass against Barca than Holland. Decent back four, two teak tough defensive midfielders, Schneider himslef, he likes of Kuyt tracking back tirelessly and brilliant finishers up top in Robben and RVP.

Incidentally the footballing performance that I enjoyed the most from last season and will live longest in the memory for me was Inter's brilliantly executed defensive showing at the Nou Camp. I wonder does that mean I know little about football?

The point is there are more than one way to play the game, and they can all be equally as enjoyable to watch as Spain's brand of possession football. Spain's way is not the only "right" way to play the game as some on here would have you believe.

Why would it mean that.

Inter's display was very composed and well organised. Credit where its due. They can thank Mourinho for setting them out to do a job, and they did it, well.

Ush1

flahavaj wrote: »

The fascinating thing about the final is I can't think of a team at the World Cup that is as well equipped to replicate Inter's defensive masterclass against Barca than Holland. Decent back four, two teak tough defensive midfielders, Schneider himslef, he likes of Kuyt tracking back tirelessly and brilliant finishers up top in Robben and RVP.

Incidentally the footballing performance that I enjoyed the most from last season and will live longest in the memory for me was Inter's brilliantly executed defensive showing at the Nou Camp. I wonder does that mean I know little about football?

The point is there are more than one way to play the game, and they can all be equally as enjoyable to watch as Spain's brand of possession football. Spain's way is not the only "right" way to play the game as some on here would have you believe.

How profound.

Anyway, most people enjoy attacking, possession football, so many enjoy watching Spain. It's not to do with right or wrong, it's what you personally enjoy.