the final
there are only two reasons why an inferior team can beat a superior team
1) the inferior team had lots of luck
2) the superior team didnt show up to play.
for the first ten minutes of the final, i thought maybe this was happening, maybe germany could pull it off, because for those 10 minutes, spain resembled a certain team that flopped so miserably.
but big games are decided by single, crucial moments. lahm made the wrong decision, and torres scored.
to be honest, germany played really well, tactically especially. they closed down all the spaces, and spain never really got going. spain played only up to 70 percent of their level. that they still created such dangerous, beautifully-crafted chances was really simply down to their superiority. there was nothing tactics could have done about it.
i must say that i was wrong about thinking that villas injury could be a blessing in disguise for spain. he was missed. he brought a lot of dynamism into their play, took the pressure off torres, and basically facilitated their passing game. fabregas was simply dropping too deep, leaving torres a sorry figure at the top. and at one point, i saw ramos, iniesta and senna standing in one line. whats the use of that? thats why they couldnt play their passing game. there was no depth, there was no movement.
and yet, they were still the better team, winning without needing to be brilliant.
lehmann was the best player for a very inconsistent germany. he singlehandedly kept germany in the game. i tried very hard to think of a german player who had an outstanding tournament, but i couldnt. there was no single player who really stood out. i don't mean to say that all of them played well as a team or what, because you know that is not true. germany had stumbled into the final. podolski faded off after the croatia game, schweinsteiger was brilliant only against portugal. ballack and klose never got going. lahm was a disaster against turkey. there was no one individual who stood out.
unlike the spanish team. but to me, xavi is without a doubt my player of the tournament. there hasnt been anyone else who has so dictated the game, the tempo like him. he is the brain of the brilliant spanish midfield, pulling the strings, orchestrating the play. with this outstanding display, i dare say he can put the disappointment of barcas season behind him now.
here is my team of the tournament
GK: Casillas
i would have loved to put van der sar here, he was instrumental in making the scorelines against france and italy that, but casillas has done very well to make up for the weaknesses in his team's defence.
Left-back: Zhirkov
i forgot all about him right at the start of the tournament, forgot how he terrorised the English, and he made me pay. a brilliant, cultured attacker.
center-back: Marchena
seriously, i thought very very hard, and realised that i couldnt find a central defender who has impressed. marchena is the closest, although definitely not the most popular. he is a downright dirty player who keeps trying to get to you, with his dirty nudges, kicks and all. yet at times, he has shown his class to turn his way past tiring forwards.
right-back: sergio ramos
why the spanish game functioned so well was because of ramos, how comfortable he was on the ball. he proved himself defensively against zhirkov. but what really impressed me was his attackin play.
left-mid: sneijder
the only player who fought and would have continued fighting in that russia game. when you look back on that game, you can only shake your head and feel that the whole dutch team has let him down. because he could have been the player of the tournament. or at least given xavi a fight for it.
center-mid: Xavi
need i say more?
center-mid: hamit altintop
he epitomised the turkish spirit. his versatility underlines his class. you can really put him anywhere on the pitch.
right-mid: iniesta
xavi's partner in crime. another joy to watch, seriously.
left-forward: villa
tournament top scorer, always a thorn in the opposition defence.
center-forward: torres
might have only gotten two goals, might have looked very awkward in the fluent spanish game, but added another dimension to their play and rose to the occasion in the final.
right-forward: arshavin
pathetically anonymous against spain, but one should not be judged by one single game. his off the ball running, intelligence drove russia forward. but spain were just too good.
and with this, the EM comes to a close. the best team of the tournament has won. and rightly so.
strength can never beat intelligence.
1) the inferior team had lots of luck
2) the superior team didnt show up to play.
for the first ten minutes of the final, i thought maybe this was happening, maybe germany could pull it off, because for those 10 minutes, spain resembled a certain team that flopped so miserably.
but big games are decided by single, crucial moments. lahm made the wrong decision, and torres scored.
to be honest, germany played really well, tactically especially. they closed down all the spaces, and spain never really got going. spain played only up to 70 percent of their level. that they still created such dangerous, beautifully-crafted chances was really simply down to their superiority. there was nothing tactics could have done about it.
i must say that i was wrong about thinking that villas injury could be a blessing in disguise for spain. he was missed. he brought a lot of dynamism into their play, took the pressure off torres, and basically facilitated their passing game. fabregas was simply dropping too deep, leaving torres a sorry figure at the top. and at one point, i saw ramos, iniesta and senna standing in one line. whats the use of that? thats why they couldnt play their passing game. there was no depth, there was no movement.
and yet, they were still the better team, winning without needing to be brilliant.
lehmann was the best player for a very inconsistent germany. he singlehandedly kept germany in the game. i tried very hard to think of a german player who had an outstanding tournament, but i couldnt. there was no single player who really stood out. i don't mean to say that all of them played well as a team or what, because you know that is not true. germany had stumbled into the final. podolski faded off after the croatia game, schweinsteiger was brilliant only against portugal. ballack and klose never got going. lahm was a disaster against turkey. there was no one individual who stood out.
unlike the spanish team. but to me, xavi is without a doubt my player of the tournament. there hasnt been anyone else who has so dictated the game, the tempo like him. he is the brain of the brilliant spanish midfield, pulling the strings, orchestrating the play. with this outstanding display, i dare say he can put the disappointment of barcas season behind him now.
here is my team of the tournament
GK: Casillas
i would have loved to put van der sar here, he was instrumental in making the scorelines against france and italy that, but casillas has done very well to make up for the weaknesses in his team's defence.
Left-back: Zhirkov
i forgot all about him right at the start of the tournament, forgot how he terrorised the English, and he made me pay. a brilliant, cultured attacker.
center-back: Marchena
seriously, i thought very very hard, and realised that i couldnt find a central defender who has impressed. marchena is the closest, although definitely not the most popular. he is a downright dirty player who keeps trying to get to you, with his dirty nudges, kicks and all. yet at times, he has shown his class to turn his way past tiring forwards.
right-back: sergio ramos
why the spanish game functioned so well was because of ramos, how comfortable he was on the ball. he proved himself defensively against zhirkov. but what really impressed me was his attackin play.
left-mid: sneijder
the only player who fought and would have continued fighting in that russia game. when you look back on that game, you can only shake your head and feel that the whole dutch team has let him down. because he could have been the player of the tournament. or at least given xavi a fight for it.
center-mid: Xavi
need i say more?
center-mid: hamit altintop
he epitomised the turkish spirit. his versatility underlines his class. you can really put him anywhere on the pitch.
right-mid: iniesta
xavi's partner in crime. another joy to watch, seriously.
left-forward: villa
tournament top scorer, always a thorn in the opposition defence.
center-forward: torres
might have only gotten two goals, might have looked very awkward in the fluent spanish game, but added another dimension to their play and rose to the occasion in the final.
right-forward: arshavin
pathetically anonymous against spain, but one should not be judged by one single game. his off the ball running, intelligence drove russia forward. but spain were just too good.
and with this, the EM comes to a close. the best team of the tournament has won. and rightly so.
strength can never beat intelligence.
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