WC2010 Group H - Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Well, well, well....just came home to find out Espana lost!
Oh dear o dear!!!

Luis wrote:Wow...well that was a surprise!

Spain's problem today was clear for all to see - lack of natural wingers. I don't know why Iniesta is played in that wide position for both club and country, IMO he's far better in central midfield. There's no real need for Busquets in a game like that, should be

-------------------Alonso----------------

-----Xavi---------------------------Iniesta------------

And then Spain could play a wide man such as Pedro or Navas who both changed the game IMO when they came on but it was too late.

Obviously when Torres is fit again they'll play him up top with Villa wide and I imagine Busquets/one of the brilliant centre mids will be dropped.

When Xavi plays alongside Alonso, as the central midifield pairing, he's half the player. Rather than just keeping hold of the ball, and looking to pick a pass, he ends up playing the simplest passes to him.

Silva definitely needs to be dropped. He had a poor season with Valencia and has not performed in any of the warm-up matches leading to the friendly.

We have to get used to the fact that any team we face will line-up in a similar manner to the Swiss and have to play more offensively.

I'd like to see this line-up for the next match.

------------Alonso----------------
-----Xavi----------Iniesta--------

--Navas---Llorente---Villa------

shazlx wrote:

Big 4 Billy Bollocks wrote:Busquets & Alonso in the same team is pointless to me. Iniesta should be in the middle for one of them, and a natural winger should be on the left... IMO.

Of course both in the same team is pointless but also neither are good enough to do what Senna did. Someone has said that just because Alonso isn't black it doesn't mean he can't play the DM position. Well it’s not Senna's defensive game that Alonso can't replicate. Senna's passing is different to that of Xavi's and it completed it well unlike Alonso. Alonso just doesn’t have the cutting vision to play that role...Busquest passing also compliments Xavi but he's too risky to have in the team. IMO Cesc should play the DM role. His passing also compliments Xavi and he is good enough defensively.

I never said they needed a "Senna" at all. Everyone is now wise to them and will set out to stifle them - Look at the team Brazil have put out, it's almost like Dunga has set them up purely for beating Spain when the time comes! Switzerland (and the USA in the ConFed) showed exactly how it must be done. I agree with you about possession being their biggest strength & weakness. They need to get more Physical upfront & More direct from the wings. Cesc is still better as a sub coming on to up the urgency, he mostly sucks when he starts. Playing all of Cesc, Xasvi & Iniesta against Chile could be suicide, La Roja have some serious counter attacking strength, and are not afraid to commit bodies forward.

Silva (an orthodox winger in Mata/Navas) & Busquets (a TM in Llorente/Negredo) have to go IMO, and we all know it's status & not ability/form that's keeping Casillas ahead of Reina.

I Agree with Olé's line up

Wow, I had to leave at half time can't believe the Swiss beat Spain!

blutgraetsche wrote:Good move, another good save by Benaglio.

Bundesliga keepers.

Go, Dieeeeeegooooooo!

Oh, and from the 11Freunde Liveticker for this match:

16:59 Uhr
Beckmann und Scholl, das ist eine Besetzung wie im Sanitätszelt beim Kirchentag 1963. Zwei Medizinstudenten in grauen Pullundern verarzten fromme Büßer mit Nasenbluten. Fußballgott, warum hast du uns verlassen?

Can anyone explain how it's possible for a goalkeeper to run more than 7,5 km during the game? According to stats at fifa.com it's distance covered by Benaglio in game against Spain. Casillas run 4,5 km and for comparison, North Korean goalkeeper (his situation was similar to Benaglio's)... slightly more than 3 km. WTF?

Just got home thats amazing. Spain lost!!! thats a big screw up.

Mes Amis! I miss you all mes amis! enjoying the World Cup so far? I am!

Psst! get ready for the Honduran ambush against España. Told you they didn't match up well against Chile (they were at 60%, them Chileans), their coach went to spy on España while he rested two of his best players.

EVERYONE WILL BE BACK for the España game though, the coach, the team at 100% plus fully motivated 'cause they KNOW they match up really well against España, unlike against Chile.

Yes mes amis! HONDURAS WILL THROW ALL THE STEAK ON THE GRILL against España. Honduras for the win! Sí señores!

Wow, so Spain are not going to get a single point from this group?

stinger wrote:Can anyone explain how it's possible for a goalkeeper to run more than 7,5 km during the game? According to stats at fifa.com it's distance covered by Benaglio in game against Spain. Casillas run 4,5 km and for comparison, North Korean goalkeeper (his situation was similar to Benaglio's)... slightly more than 3 km. WTF?

Modern goalkeeping - the goalkeeper is like a sweeper for the team. Benaglio is a very good one.

Spanish inquisition blames WAG after Swiss vanquish the favourites





Spanish football fans bewildered by their team’s World Cup 1-0 defeat by
Switzerland were focusing their anger last night on a beautiful TV sports
presenter whom they accuse of distracting the goalkeeper.

As people back in Spain struggled to take in the result, Sara Carbonero, who had stood on the touchline throughout, asked her shattered boyfriend, Iker Casillas, on live TV: “How did you manage to muck it up?”

The goalie appeared dumbfounded, but many in Spain thought they knew the answer. Carbonero has been voted sexiest journalist in the world. It was she, the fans insisted, who had sapped the strength of the Spain goalkeeper and caused him to fluff what seemed an easy shot.

Carbonero, 25, who works for the Telecinco channel, has been Casillas’s
girlfriend since they met at last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa.
She is famous in Spain for her instant touchline interviews with the stars
after big games. Weeks ago, with hopes high that Spain could win the World Cup for the first time, it was disclosed that Carbonero would be in South Africa to cover the tournament.

Doubts were expressed even then. Unlike the England team, esposas y novias (that’s Spanish for WAGs) do not normally accompany the players to the World Cup.

Carbonero was questioned on Telecinco about whether she might prove a
distraction to Casillas, who plays for Real Madrid. The brunette presenter
replied: “Can I destabilise the team? I think it is nonsense.”

It might not necessarily seem to be so now. Carbonero has become by far the best known of Spain’s own group of WAGs. Her relationship with Casillas has featured regularly in Spain’s tabloid press.

After yesterday’s match, websites were full of angry comments suggesting that Casillas’s mind may have been on “other things”. Others claimed that there had been overconfidence in the Spain camp, ranked alongside Brazil as favourites.

Casillas could only remark: “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if this
defeat will have consequences. The dressing room is fed-up.”








Any gloating England fans watching in Spain were swiftly reminded that Robert Green’s mistake allowed the United States to equalise in last Saturday’s match. Javier Oms, a journalist in Barcelona, said: “You may be laughing but how did England mess up so badly?”

As Spain went into mourning, horns sounded in the streets of Geneva, strangers hugged each other and the beer flowed as freely as if the Swiss team had already won the World Cup itself. Not even the torrential rain could dampen spirits.

Students took a celebratory dip in the lake. Businessmen and women in Berne and Zurich left their offices early to settle in for a night of celebratory drinks.

In parliament, proceedings were suspended with 15 minutes of the game
remaining so that the historic triumph could be witnessed.

One student, Stefan Muet, 23, said: “Switzerland is the happiest nation on
Earth. We have beaten the favourites. We can now go on to win the
tournament. Anything’s possible now.”

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/international/article2559556.ece

Video of the interview


http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/international/article2559556.ece

Firstly I didn't see the game. However, just to throw some more agendas into the pot. How did Xavi do? Any incision or just lots of sideways passes?

Also from what I have heard, Chile threw men forward in attack, whilst Spain (a so called attacking team) had far fewer players pushing on into the box.

Yes, plenty of incisive passes through the two banks of four.

Derdiyok's run and almost-goal against Spain earlier: