Counter-attacking Spain

Torres and Villa show how it's done

Spain, Spain Spain! Are you flattering to deceive us one more time?

With the two best strikers in the tournament in Torres and Villa, surely the Iberian giants have a great chance to win the tournament for a second time.

That’s right, people often forget that Spain actually won the Euros in 1964. Exactly the same number of big tournament wins as England.

And yet, just as the boys on MOTD2 said last night, they are labelled as the ‘perennial underachievers’.

Commentator Marcel Desailly questioned their ability to stand up to the big boys. Taking Russia apart 4-1 would have been a great result whatever stage of the tournament but the former Chelsea man reckons Spain don’t have the backbone or fight to beat Germany, Italy or maybe even France.

They’ll face one of those teams along the way but let’s remember too that Russia hit the post twice and were in the game for long periods of time.

It also seems this tournament is shaping up to be the counter-attacking tournament. The Dutch and Spanish won well by scoring with fast, incisive breaks from their defence.

The tournament has not actually seen an attacking team yet. It’s impossible not to imagine how England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales would be getting along if they had qualified.

If swift counter-attacking football with a high degree of precision and skill gets you far, then we can only conclude the answer would be badly.

share this story: