European Final: Italy v Spain

[Ted Hughes]

Half of the Italian team got to the final whistle walking around the pitch, it was just normal that Spain would murder us. No manager could overcome this kind of tiredness against an opponent which makes its strength of running into space after moving the ball around to create those spaces to run into.

Still proud of my national team for having reached the final when nobody thought we could even go through the group stage.

I think I stated pretty the same - at half time.
still You should explain me what's worth in taking off Balotelli for an off-side prone dwarf vs. a very physical side like Croatia or starting an average and injuerd defender like Chiellini tonight.
Do think Fabregas would have overtaken Balzaretti to set up the first, let alone the other embarssments of covering showed by him in just 20 mins.
I won't expand on the Thiago Motta sub for country's sake.

I take my hat off to Italy. Well played to you.

Let's face it, if Spain are allowed to just play football without having to worry about their manager, there is no other international team who are even close. They have the possibility of picking their team from two of the best league teams in the world, with few changes.

Now tonight Spain decided they were going to come out & try to win (Hoorah!) & play fast, attacking football but Italy could have played this game like England & tried purely to stop them. Spain had no strikers on the pitch. Italy could have played not to lose. THEN you find out if Spain need a plan B (same as City last season). Instead, Italy played two up front & tried to win the game honestly. All credit to them.

Spain were fantastic but if every team tries to play exactly the same way, football will die. We should copy what they do & try to improve on it. Not try to mirror it. Same with Barca.

[getdressedmctavish]

Only two teams in the world are equipped to play like Spain, and we are fucking one of them, lol

[Ted Hughes]

Only two teams in the world are equipped to play like Spain, and we are fucking one of them, lol

But if we did play like Spain all the time, we wouldn't have won the league.

[Sideshow Bob]

Fuck Spain. I think even our Dave was embarrassed by their arrogant celebration...walked away, maybe to find Balo?

[Dameerto]

I loved Big Dave's towering header for their first. Quality. Pity Mario didn't score though.

[Superbia]

I dunno were all the hate for spain comes from to be fair there brilliant with one of our own in their team people always hate the best and Dave will do more and has for our team then mario ever will

[DoomMerchant]

Fuck Spain. I think even our Dave was embarrassed by their arrogant celebration...walked away, maybe to find Balo?

what was arrogant about their celebration? honest question as i switched it off at the final whistle, after seeing Balo storm off the pitch.

cheers

[Pretty Boy Lee]

what was arrogant about their celebration? honest question as i switched it off at the final whistle, after seeing Balo storm off the pitch.

cheers

He went and saw his mum and dad and came back out did he not?

[Beefymcfc]

I dunno were all the hate for spain comes from to be fair there brilliant with one of our own in their team people always hate the best and Dave will do more and has for our team then mario ever will

I agree mate. I think a few were willing them to lose as they hadn't really put a show on in previous games. Some people just want the best to fail and some simply wanted Mario to win the Euro's.

Me personally, who just wanted to see a good game, thought Spain were fantastic. Regardless if they didn't play an out-and-out forward they utilised players that you could now class as forwards anyway. Gone is the 4-4-2 and the game is now about fluidity where 3 forward thinking players, who can drop when required, over-run the midfield and defence.

Would we class Sergio, Carlos or Dave as out-and-out forward players or would we class them more as attacking players?

I think our system has become more and more akin to Spain/Barca and to be honest, it's the future of football. For the time being anyway.

[CityFanFromRome]

I think I stated pretty the same - at half time.
still You should explain me what's worth in taking off Balotelli for an off-side prone dwarf vs. a very physical side like Croatia or starting an average and injuerd defender like Chiellini tonight.
Do think Fabregas would have overtaken Balzaretti to set up the first, let alone the other embarssments of covering showed by him in just 20 mins.
I won't expand on the Thiago Motta sub for country's sake.

I have only one thing to object to Prandelli in this tournament, and that's that I would have played the final like we did in the group stage game against Spain, with a back three and two wing backs. That would have stifled them in the middle in front of our goal, leaving them more space on the flanks but impeding their runs into space right in front of goal as there would be a sort of sweeper to stop them from doing that.

We did it well in the 1-1 game, and that would not even need De Rossi to go into the back three, we could have played Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli there, or Ogbonna, who's quite fast and fresh and could have coped with Spain's runs into our box, instead of Chiellini who was clearly not good to play if he left the pitch after 15 mins with the same injury he had already suffered some games ago. With De rossi in midfield together with Pirlo and Montolivo we would have not lost the spark in the middle of the park and we could have provided Balo and Cassano with good service to hurt the Spanish back line.

As for Thiago Motta, I agree with you there, we should have taken off Marchisio, not Montolivo, and subbed him with Nocerino which was fresher and one of the best midfielders in Serie A this term; but by then the game was already gone so I don't think it would have changed much. We might have lost 2-0 instead of 4-0 but we would still have lost.

[david yearsley]

stats at 66 mins just as motta went off and left italy down to 10


46% v 54% - posession to Italy
10 shots on goal for Spain 11 shots on goal for Italy
6 on target for each side
1 v 3 corners in favour of italy1

It was the same v Portugal in 90 mins but Portugal were much tighter . The Italians were very naive . Before long Spain´s luck will run out and the oppo will get one and hang on. This idea that they are better than Pele´s 1970 Brazil is laughable. He won 3 WC´s and that team knew nothing else but attack

[Ted Hughes]

I dunno were all the hate for spain comes from to be fair there brilliant with one of our own in their team people always hate the best and Dave will do more and has for our team then mario ever will

I agree mate. I think a few were willing them to lose as they hadn't really put a show on in previous games. Some people just want the best to fail and some simply wanted Mario to win the Euro's.

Me personally, who just wanted to see a good game, thought Spain were fantastic. Regardless if they didn't play an out-and-out forward they utilised players that you could now class as forwards anyway. Gone is the 4-4-2 and the game is now about fluidity where 3 forward thinking players, who can drop when required, over-run the midfield and defence.

Would we class Sergio, Carlos or Dave as out-and-out forward players or would we class them more as attacking players?

I think our system has become more and more akin to Spain/Barca and to be honest, it's the future of football. For the time being anyway.

I think football is fucked if the way Spain played this tournament is the future of it.

The equivalent is a City side without Tevez, Aguero, Balotelli or Dzeko. With Yaya & DeJong behind for example Silva, Nasri, AJ & someone like Jack Wilshire.

Perhaps we allow one striker to play, occasionally.

If we played like Spain (or Barca without Messi) and won the Premier League over & over, what would happen ? The answer: all the top sides would emulate us & Moyes, Fat Sam, Hodgson types would work out a way of stopping us. So we'd have top sides with no strikers keeping the ball for half an hour whilst we patiently closed them down, then it would be our turn to pass the ball around for half an hour whilst they patiently closed us down. Meanwhile, Fat Sam & Moyes would put 6 athletic defenders in midfield, kick the shit out of us & score from a corner.

It's all great to watch with Spain, so long as people don't play purely to stop them. In which case it's boring as shit & that is their fault because they don't take any risks to win.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

I dunno were all the hate for spain comes from to be fair there brilliant with one of our own in their team people always hate the best and Dave will do more and has for our team then mario ever will

I agree mate. I think a few were willing them to lose as they hadn't really put a show on in previous games. Some people just want the best to fail and some simply wanted Mario to win the Euro's.

Me personally, who just wanted to see a good game, thought Spain were fantastic. Regardless if they didn't play an out-and-out forward they utilised players that you could now class as forwards anyway. Gone is the 4-4-2 and the game is now about fluidity where 3 forward thinking players, who can drop when required, over-run the midfield and defence.

Would we class Sergio, Carlos or Dave as out-and-out forward players or would we class them more as attacking players?

I think our system has become more and more akin to Spain/Barca and to be honest, it's the future of football. For the time being anyway.

My thoughts exactly.

[Im_Spartacus]

Why do people keep insisting that Spain play like Barcelona. They are generally setup with the intention to not concede primarily, and have little intention of forcing the issue. They keep possession well, but that for me is where the comparisons with Barca end, as Barcelona are vey much set up to force the issue.

spain are much more like we were throughout much of last season, probing, passing, and often without a cutting edge if an opponent works out how to play us. Every now and then an opponent will, like last night, get it wrong and get hammered. Spain have the advantage in that if their principle tactic succeeds, they will at the very least get a penalty shoot out to give them a chance to score.

Citys wheels almost came off last season because we didnt have the luxury of penalties to get us the win after 90 minutes of possession, so our aim has to become a hybrid of what spain and barcelona do.

[CityFanFromRome]

Why do people keep insisting that Spain play like Barcelona. They are generally setup with the intention to not concede primarily, and have little intention of forcing the issue. They keep possession well, but that for me is where the comparisons with Barca end, as Barcelona are vey much set up to force the issue.

spain are much more like we were throughout much of last season, probing, passing, and often without a cutting edge if an opponent works out how to play us. Every now and then an opponent will, like last night, get it wrong and get hammered. Spain have the advantage in that if their principle tactic succeeds, they will at the very least get a penalty shoot out to give them a chance to score.

Citys wheels almost came off last season because we didnt have the luxury of penalties to get us the win after 90 minutes of possession, so our aim has to become a hybrid of what spain and barcelona do.

Barcelona can be shut out the same way you can do it to Spain; tight defence (more like parking the bus really), counter attack and some luck will see you get one over them, like Mourinho's Inter in 2009 and Chelsea this season. If you consider last night's setup they had 5 players out of 11 coming from Barcelona, and that's because Villa and Puyol were injured otherwise they would have even more on the pitch; it's normal that those players play together like they do for their club.

[Ted Hughes]

Why do people keep insisting that Spain play like Barcelona. They are generally setup with the intention to not concede primarily, and have little intention of forcing the issue. They keep possession well, but that for me is where the comparisons with Barca end, as Barcelona are vey much set up to force the issue.

spain are much more like we were throughout much of last season, probing, passing, and often without a cutting edge if an opponent works out how to play us. Every now and then an opponent will, like last night, get it wrong and get hammered. Spain have the advantage in that if their principle tactic succeeds, they will at the very least get a penalty shoot out to give them a chance to score.

Citys wheels almost came off last season because we didnt have the luxury of penalties to get us the win after 90 minutes of possession, so our aim has to become a hybrid of what spain and barcelona do.

Barcelona can be shut out the same way you can do it to Spain; tight defence (more like parking the bus really), counter attack and some luck will see you get one over them, like Mourinho's Inter in 2009 and Chelsea this season. If you consider last night's setup they had 5 players out of 11 coming from Barcelona, and that's because Villa and Puyol were injured otherwise they would have even more on the pitch; it's normal that those players play together like they do for their club.

The biggest difference is that City have strikers.

The way we can evolve the game to be better than Spain or Barca is to pass it like they do but have a plan B & C.