The harsh fact for Spain is that they should not be in Sunday’s final. But the beauty of football is that they can be.
There’s good reason to watch two sides fight for the ball, wrestle for midfield control at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night and think: “Azzurri, not La Rosa.”
This is more admiration for Roberto Mancini’s Italy than any humiliation for the Spain team which, let’s face it, is absolutely fun to watch. You’ll either get them banging their heads in frustrated fury while they miss every conceivable type of target opportunity – or run away completely when they slash rivals with swords.
It’s not just about the general belief that we’re witnessing a sort of modern evangelical miracle when Mancini’s Italy is at play – a once pragmatic, professional, fierce “anti-football” nation now singing gospel and tra-la-ing He flings the ball from blue shirt to pink boot, chugging around while opponents gasp for breath and applaud Italian audacity.
I think it’s all really true. Italy is like a good dose of wasabi on your meal: The synapses clear, your head explodes with shocking pleasure and very soon, you want more. Azurri Wasabi.
What should make the veteran watcher a little conservative about Spain reaching their third European Championship final in just 13 years is the fact that they are a little green like Wasabi.
Let’s say La Rosa Verde. I think Luis Enrique’s team is a little ahead of time. Bursting with faith, talent, unity, fun, joy and not without the people who have fought the big battle of football (for their clubs) have not yet become “men” as a group.
They are also very... good. As a group of people, once you stop admiring their admirable technical prowess, you will find that almost all of them are multicultural, linguistically gifted, winners at the club level. The fact is that they don’t really resemble those things, with a few small exceptions, for example, the Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci specials. Nor do they have the same steely rigor that elevates Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Gerard Pique and David Villa above the simple fact that they were special football players.
This is not a criticism of any kind. I think the seeds planted here and during the Nations League campaign have begun to suggest that Spain could make a realistic relegation at the 2022 World Cup. They also have that Nations League semi-final, against Italy – who else – in the autumn, and win or lose or draw here, you’d think La Rosa would be better equipped, experienced better to try to win that one.
But the kind of battle scars Chiellini and Bonucci claim – well, maybe only Cesar Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are similar to them.
If you add the fact that Italy have seen a higher probability of completing a good percentage of their goal chances (I think they make less but give away more of them) as well as the fact that they Well, the Spaniards have a task at hand.
The craziest thing about football is that if Italy stammers and if Luis Enrique’s team “uncorks the cava” against Slovakia and Croatia, it’s entirely possible we’ll see an upset.
Much is being made of the fact that Italy under Mancini is like a twin football soul to Spain.
They demand the ball, they threaten you with the ball, they don’t want to play “cent” football; They want to dominate possession, be the master of the match and want to bat with goals if possible.
This means that neutrals, especially neutrals who understand and appreciate technical football, are in for a treat.
However, not much is being made about the fact that Italy often don’t have to face a team that wants to play like them.
Across the vast panorama of their massive unbeaten runs it is a fact that Bosnia and Herzogovina, Moldova, Poland, Estonia, Finland, Armenia, Greece, Liechtenstein, Northern Ireland, San Marino, Bulgaria or Lithuania have made them either level or distinct. Not offered. Spain will take the exam.
With some skin in the game, because I’d love La Rosa to win this tournament, I’m getting some encouragement from that fact.
I am sorry that Leonardo Spinazola is injured and is not playing. But not as sorry, as the Spain coach appears to be.
“I wish he never got injured and played at Wembley because the way I understand it, the more great players on the pitch, the better for football,” Luis Enrique said on Monday night.
Still, no matter how well Emerson adopts, you’d guess that Spain – via Ferran Torres or Gerard Moreno or maybe even Marcos Llorente – will check and press and see that Chelsea The player who has managed only seven, four different competitions his club is up for this past season.
One fact remains constant. Beyond the quality of football we can see between these two Mediterranean masters, there are old-school routes to semi-final wins.
For example set plays and headers. Spain has not only conceded major goals against Poland and Croatia, they have repeatedly offered to score in most of their matches – most of them against the Swiss. If you do this with a team where the big, bad, rookies like Bonucci and Chiellini love to rampage, smash home goals—well, you’re playing with fire.
Overall, I can’t rid myself of the idea that Spain is more than enough to match Italy’s game and, ultimately, this could be a match they win the easy way – clinical Taking away opportunities with glee. The evidence just doesn’t support me.
What is a racing certainty, still strong from the sidelines bookies will undoubtedly hand Italy, is that this is a football opportunity not to be missed. One where talent and technology will be king. Not just “Viva Espana!” This time but “Viva El Soccer!”