Modric was great v Spain, but I don't think he reaches that level very often.
Modric was brilliant against Spain.
He was. He is quite brilliant on his day, but I think those days are few and far between.
I saw that Guti said that Modric was not good enough for Madrid and that they should sign Silva instead. Bit of a Spanish bias going on there I think.
I'd be amazed if Modric could force himself into a Madrid starting XI. He'd be excellent cover though.
"They've betrayed their philosophy. Originally they wanted possession in order to attack; now it's a way not to lose." - Wenger
Yay Arsene! He's right, their philosophy is now defence before attack, to starve the opposition of the ball even if that means long periods of sterile possession in areas where there is no conceivable way they can harm the opposition in terms of actually scoring. So much so that playing without a recognised CF has evolved as an almost natural consequence of how they play.
That said I hope this game is as good as the group encounter, think Italy will need to score first for that to happen again. Anything that injects more urgency, energy and real attacking purpose into the Spanish play will make this more exciting to watch.
@Y va, so its sort of like that first episode of Star Trek where those beings had evolved to the point where their bodies began to shrivel up and they had massive brains with which to do everything in a kind of telepathic/virtual way, rather in any real way, so they kidnapped Kirk to watch some other being have a life with emotions and feelings and whatnot.
I totally buy that.
😆 Never seen the first episode of Star Trek.
🙂 But you could say that it's what happens when you have a team built around the skills of technically brilliant Masia trained tika taka midgets brought up in the belief that conceding possession is a form of evil and a reason for shame.
wenger put it very well there
qs! wrote: "They've betrayed their philosophy. Originally they wanted possession in order to attack; now it's a way not to lose." - Wenger
He's the full column
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/arsene-wenger/spain-lost-sparkle-082831822--sow.html
Spain are my favourites for the Euro 2012 final. Throughout their years of success, they have tried to keep the same philosophy, which is based around wanting to have the ball. Although they have struggled to score goals, they are the masters of possession, they are the best in the world technically and I have big respect for what they have done. To show such consistency at that level is absolutely unbelievable - three finals in a row. Negative possession These guys are more than outstanding footballers; they are really intelligent and they are winners. I want to give them credit for that. However, they have betrayed their philosophy and turned it into something more negative. Originally they wanted possession in order to attack and win the game; now it seems to be first and foremost a way not to lose. They have become more conservative, and they don't want to give the ball up because they don't want to give you a chance to score. That's the impression you get from Euro 2012. Yes, it can be hard to break down defensive opponents, but this is a challenge that confronts every successful team. They are still absolutely outstanding, but they have less penetration than before. Fabregas as a 'false nine' When Spain play with Cesc Fabregas, they play 4-6-0, which means four defenders and six attacking players because they can all go forward. I'm not sure what their best option is. Vicente del Bosque has tried all the formulas, but he doesn't look happy with any of them, so that is a problem he must sort out. What should he do? I would be inclined to think that because he tried Alvaro Negredo up front in the last game, and it didn't work, he will start with Fabregas as a 'false nine'. But I really don't know. Spain favourites As I said, I would make Spain slight favourites for the final. I expect them to be a bit fresher physically. Although Italy did not have extra-time in the semi-finals, the third game inside a week can be difficult, and that's where you pay the price. Against Germany, they were still on a high from their penalty shoot-out victory against England. Maybe the energy of being in a final will carry them through, but I think they could struggle. No matter what happens, I am happy because I have seen a fantastic Italian team that showed a very positive attitude in every game. We all wish them well, but Spain can become immortal if they win the final, so they will be difficult to stop. They have been there before, which is very important in a final. Sometimes the event is so big that players struggle to play to their full capacity.
Fabregas doesn't play as a false 9 at all BTW. I see so many people talking about it but he's way too deep to be considered a false 9, he's deeper than most 10s. They're just playing without a forward.
Spain haven't 'betrayed their philosophy' they've always been negative.
Euro 2008 they were brilliant to be fair, although that was a very different system with quite a few different players.
Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Piqué, Alba; Busquets, Xabi, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas.
Buffon; Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Pirlo, Marchisio, De Rossi, Montolivo; Cassano, Balotelli
As expected then.
I don't think much of Abate. Would have preferred to see Balzaretti continue on the right flank for Italy. Penalty or not he was very good against Germany.
He was very good indeed. Why don't you think much of him? Abate has looked solid this tournament.
Klaus wrote: I don't think much of Abate. Would have preferred to see Balzaretti continue on the right flank for Italy. Penalty or not he was very good against Germany.
Aye. Wouldn't mind at all if we picked up Balzaretti to compete with Sagna.
Abate hasn't impressed me in Serie A. Doesn't look outstanding in either end of the field, and even less so when filtering between them. His only noteworthy quality seems to be speed.
Rex: Balzaretti is usually a left-sided player though. Maggio is a much better right-back than both him and Abate. It's a shame he seems to be injured tonight.