Vicente Del Bosque is a wise man,generally understated in public who does not believe in courting controversy But even he must be finding it somewhat irritating to find himself having to defend La Roja’s reputation from its critics. Boring, they say. A lesser man, like Jose Mourinho would have no doubt thrown not just one tantrum by now, but several.
The fact is that La Roja is a match away from setting a new record in world football. Success in Sunday’s final would mean that it will become the first national team ever to have won two Euro championships in a row, and World Cup. Spain will confirm its claim to being the best football nation in the world.
Its progress in this tournament has been not by default but by sticking firmly to its style of play, however rough and fatigued the tiqui-taca has seemed at times. La Roja may have not destroyed its opponents, but it has shown its capacity to control them and prevail despite being identified at the outset as the team all the others had to to find ways of beating. It owes its unbeaten record to a combination of factors among which I would identify quality, endurance, and self-belief, all measures of a true champion.
And yet the problem of being champion is that you are expected to play as champions in every game as if players were gods not ordinary mortals subject to bad moods and bad luck and periods of mental and physical pain,which may be hidden from the public but which Del Bosque knows about and throws into his calculations.
Against Portugal last night, La Roja succeeded in reducing the best player in the tournament to his worst. Ronaldo played selfishly and inaccurately, his performance marked more by negative theatrics than by genuine skill. Alongside this narcissist, the majority of the Portuguese team seemed to be playing to a battle plan set under advice from Mourinho, Spanish football’s agent provocateur. The tactics would have undermined a lesser team. La Roja for a while lost its rhythm, its passing and possession losing its apparent capacity to remain fluid and deliver. But then , somewhat belatedly in extra time,it rallied and played some of the best football in the tournament. To have lost on penalties, would have been a travesty of justice. La Roja remains the national team that generates most lines of comment, and is followed by the biggest world wide audience, and deservedly so.
In each game of this tournament , Del Bosque has selected a team that generally has risen to the challenge of defending their title, with intelligent substitutions made around which the team have rallied. There were parts of the crowd yesterday -a combination of Portuguese and Mourinho Real Madrid die-hards -who whistled La Roja‘s passing game. Late they fell silent, and millions of fans celebrated another Spanish victory and the fact that Del Bosque had kept the faith.
Vicente Del Bosque is a wise man,generally understated in public who does not believe in courting controversy But even he must be finding it somewhat irritating to find himself having to defend La Roja’s reputation from its critics. Boring, they say. A lesser man, like Jose Mourinho would have no doubt thrown not just one tantrum by now, but several.
The fact is that La Roja is a match away from setting a new record in world football. Success in Sunday’s final would mean that it will become the first national team ever to have won three Euro championships in a row, and World Cup. Spain will confirm its claim to being the best football nation in the world.
Even if it fails to win,its progress in this tournament has been not by default but by sticking firmly to its style of play, however rough and fatigued the tiqui-taca has seemed at times. La Roja may have not destroyed its opponents, but it has shown its capacity to control them and prevail despite being identified at the outset as the team all the others had to to find ways of beating. It owes its unbeaten record to a combination of factors among which I would identify quality, endurance, and self-belief, all measures of a true champion.
And yet the problem of being champion is that you are expected to play as champions in every game as if players were gods not ordinary mortals subject to bad moods and bad luck and periods of mental and physical pain,which may be hidden from the public but which Del Bosque knows about and throws into his calculations.
Against Portugal last night, La Roja succeeded in reducing the best player in the tournament to his worst. Ronaldo played selfishly and inaccurately, his performance marked more by negative theatrics than by genuine skill. Alongside this narcissist, the majority of the Portuguese team seemed to be playing to a battle plan set under advice from Mourinho, Spanish football’s agent provocateur. The tactics would have undermined a lesser team. La Roja for a while lost its rhythm, its passing and possession losing its apparent capacity to remain fluid and deliver. But then , somewhat belatedly in extra time,it rallied and played some of the best football in the tournament. To have lost on penalties, would have been a travesty of justice. La Roja remains the national team that generates most lines of comment, and is followed by the biggest world wide audience, and deservedly so.
In each game of this tournament , Del Bosque has selected a team that generally has risen to the challenge of defending their title, with intelligent substitutions made around which the team have rallied. There were parts of the crowd yesterday -a combination of Portuguese and Mourinho Real Madrid die-hards -who whistled La Roja‘s passing game. Late they fell silent, and millions of fans celebrated another Spanish victory and the fact that Del Bosque has kept the faith.
If Iniesta’s goal, the “Iniestazo”, against Chelsea back in 2009 was the moment that Barça reached new heights and dominated world football for 3 years, the defeat against Chelsea in 2012, when Chelsea went onto gloriously win the European Cup, should be now known as the “Drogbazo”, the moment Tique-Taca was buried, and relegated to football history.
The writing is on the Wall. Barcelona & La Roja have lost the plot. They are not physically tired, but mentally demolished by the events of April this year.
The game against Portugal, and long phases of previous games, show a headless team, like that of Barça failing to make any significant impression on Di Matteos team. Pep as a result throw the towel in, and the result is what you see in Ukraine.
Del Bosque hasnt a clue whether to put a target man on, or not. Cesc in, Torres out…no, Negredo in, Cesc out…no, maybe Torres in and Xavi (a ghost of his former self) out……
I am afraid no records will be broken this Sunday, and next season we shall be seeing a Barça struggling…. bye, bye, Tique-Taca, boring as you were, new ideas are in from new dynamic strategies played by, Germany, Italy & Chelsea!!
PS you can also leave out the cheap jibes against the best manager in the world (Mourinho, has triumphed in 4 European leagues) and Madrid supporters booing La Roja (a cheap invented piece of journalism).
Brilliant article Jimmy. Let them enjoy their only Champions League so far, and probably the only one for a very long time. Last night represented the defeat of arrogance, selfishness, vanity and dirty playing, main traits of mourinho style. Chelsea’s style and bad losing skills clearly do not reflect the essence of the fair play and beautiful game traditionally shown by English football. Let them cry..
Captain Terry shows us all again what a deluded football fan he actually is. What new dynamic strategy did Chelsea bring to the table with their champions league victory? Sit back, defend in numbers and hope that the opposition have an off day in front of goal. How can you accept that this is a way to play the game. Should we be encouraging children to not pass and move and develop a good first touch but instead just stand back and watch the ball and if it comes anywhere near you hoof it away as hard as you can then retreat back to a defensive position. Spain may not have fired on all cylinders all the time but they are the team to beat at the Euros and deserve to be in the final. Tique- taca is not dead and if anything has been relegated to history it’s the strategy and style employed by captain Terry’s Chelsea side in the flukiest cup run in history and as a woeful England team tried to replicate but without much success.
Also captain terry can you tell me where the similarites are with Germany, Italy and Chelsea’s strategy. I can see only 2 teams here who actually play with the ball and has players who can retain possession and pass with intent and purpose. I’ll let you figure out which 2 teams I’m referring to.
Quite frankly the post just written is probably the biggest load tripe I have ever read on the subject of the beautiful game. It is so bad, I will not deem it with a response!!
Wake up Cules the tide has turned. You had your 3 years of glory, now back to the drawing board now Tique-Taca has been exposed for what is was: A NEGATIVE STYLE TO KEEP THE BALL AND KILL THE GAME WITH BOREDOM!
All Chelsea did is apply an intelligent tactic for 3 games, the 2 against Barça and the 1 against Bayern, to gloriously bring home the European Cup. The other 51 games last season they worked different tactics and destroyed teams with wonderful attacking football.
You see we had a Plan B & C. Pep only had a Plan A, it failed aginst a better tactician and he then abandoned the club within days!
You Cule’s are just a touch bit angry that as a result of a brilliant tactical game by Chelsea, your house of cards collapsed: Pep resigned, a complete non entity has replaced him and missed a glorious chance to try and catch up with the Number 1 Club in the world, Real Madrid (9 European Cups).
The myth you are self appointed guardians of the “beautiful game” is hog wash. The bubble has burst, Chelsea was the first to proclaim the King has no clothes!
So you think I am a lone, rogue Chelsea bandit with tripe views?! Check out todays BBC artciles on Spain, in particular; ARE SPAIN BORING?
Implicit in the question is the answer.
Rhe second comment says it all, and it applies equally to Spain as to Barcelona:
Are they talented? Yes. Do they get results? So far. Are they boring? YES.
Look, they were passing the ball between themselves at the 20TH MINUTE in one of their games in their own halves. The game was still 0-0…it wasn’t a semi-final at the 89th minute while leading 1-0. Italy, of all countries, was looking for their 3rd goal against GERMANY in the latter half of the game on Thursday.
All Spain does is pass-pass-pass-pass. They are afraid what will happen when the opponent gets the ball. It’s become ridiculous. I have several Spain fans who have had enough of this nonsense. It’s like watching Italy in the mid-2000s. So many great strikers and yet always sitting on a 1-0 lead and defending with 10 men in the box.
So yes, Spain ARE boring. The media tries to spin this as “bored of winning”. No. We see the same 3-4 clubs win the Champions League every year and yet it’s a thrill. We are bored of their dull possession passing. It’s horrid and is killing the game. Thank GOODNESS no other team is adopting this policy in spite of the results it gets.
Or todays Guardian: ARE SPAIN BORING?
Who thinks Spain are boring?
Approximately 50% of the football-watching population. It’s the philosophical debate that has defined Euro 2012. Mark Lawrenson says if they win it will be “a bad advertisement for football”. Boris Becker says they’re boring. In Italy, the Corriere dello Sport says they are “terribly boring”.
Or todays DT:
Euro 2012: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque holds his ground over negativity accusations ahead of Italy final
In conclusion: Captian Terry has seen the writing on the wall way back – you read it here first. Control football, as championed by Barcelona & Spain, is killing the game, Thank god Chelsea demolished Barça in April and got rid of Pep, the Master Mind behind this cul-de-sac style….
Well Captain Terry…. What does the world think this morning… A mere 4-0!