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A while back I was thinking this is something that could be a problem for Spain. Barca has Messi, and so much of the goal scoring is on his shoulders. Take him away and Spain can't cover for his impact, they don't have anyone of his ability. I think that hurts the Spanish team, because no one is taking it on themselves, or can take it on themselves, to fill his shoes.
Thy are current world and double European champions
Thy are current world and double European champions
Yes, indeed, but coaches and players are already figuring out how to cancel their game. The main challenge for del Bosque until the WC is to figure out alternative plays for Spain. IMHO they have basically just one major game style, which is to keep possession in the midfield thanks to their incredibility skilled players in that sector, waiting for a gap or opportunity to advance and score. I must say, watching Spain play against teams that are unable to prevent their game is one of the most boring chores for a soccer fan like me, who's idea of soccer is, well, to attack and score goals! I know a lot of people and some sports journalists think Spain revolutionized the game because of the high possession and refined passes in the midfield. Me and most of my soccer friends (not all of them are from Brazil) find their game rather tedious, like reading a bad book and checking all the time how many pages are left till the end. Look at their performance in the last WC. They just could not score! They lost to the Swiss in the first match because they allowed them to score first and could not break the rigid defense by just moving the ball around in the midfield. They were the champions scoring an goal average of a trace over 1 goal per game, that's the lowest average ever for a WC champion. Sorry, but that was ridiculous. Make no mistake, Spain has a very good team but they will definitively have to think outside the box and reinvent alternatives for their game if they want to win the WC in Brazil.
Thy are current world and double European champions
Correct. What i was thinking about was that they are relieing more on the magic of Messi now (compared to prior WC) at Barca. I never said they were bad, but that having the players used to Messi bailing them out at Barca, coupled without a strong back up on the national team may have them lost to score goals. It was just a thought as it may be a weakness going forward.
Why are Spain getting this scrutiny though? They have nothing to prove every other nation does!
I agree with that.
Spain are doing something incredible. They are WC and European champions and have one of the best sides ever. Don't think they need to prove anything at this stage and if so, let them prove it when it matters. Losing out in the Confederations Cup doesn't really matter. Its all about next year for Spain.
Why are Spain getting this scrutiny though? They have nothing to prove every other nation does!
Champions always get scrutiny. It's like any other sport when a champion has a rough patch...its what we do.
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