WC2010 Quarterfinal - Spain vs. Paraguay

Paraguay vs. Spain
Saturday 3rd July - 20.30 (local time)
Johannesburg


Another park-the-bus team to challenge Spain!

Yeah, but the one with slower attacking players and worse goalkeeper, should be a little bit easier than today for Spain.

Not the most enticing quarter final after the games today.

Spain against Argentina or Germany should be awesome

Hopefully the SouthAmericashite don't deprive us of it

stinger wrote:Yeah, but the one with slower attacking players and worse goalkeeper, should be a little bit easier than today for Spain.

I hope they play Cardozo from the start. It will be more interesting to see a game where Puyol is struggling in the air all game long.

Will be interesting to see if Del Bosque has the guts to stick with Llorente, Spain look so much better with him in place of Torres.

Jaime wrote:Will be interesting to see if Del Bosque has the guts to stick with Llorente, Spain look so much better with him in place of Torres.

I can't wait to see what Aragones has to say about this game.

Yeah, but it worked for 30 minutes, can it work full time? Formation with Llorente on was seriously loopsided, with all the pre-game preparations decent coach can look to exploit it - there was absolutely no one on the right side to help Ramos offensively, and he needs plenty of cover (from Pique and/or Xabi Alonso) defensively. There's also question about his conditioning, if he would be asked to do it for the whole game.

Olé wrote:

Jaime wrote:Will be interesting to see if Del Bosque has the guts to stick with Llorente, Spain look so much better with him in place of Torres.

I can't wait to see what Aragones has to say about this game.

Well he cannot complain about the substitutes this time.

stinger wrote:Yeah, but it worked for 30 minutes, can it work full time? Formation with Llorente on was seriously loopsided, with all the pre-game preparations decent coach can look to exploit it - there was absolutely no one on the right side to help Ramos offensively, and he needs plenty of cover (from Pique and/or Xabi Alonso) defensively. There's also question about his conditioning, if he would be asked to do it for the whole game.

The formation is always lopsided because Spain don't play with out and out wide players. Llorente created more danger in 30 minutes than Torres has in the entire WC.

Jaime wrote:

stinger wrote:Yeah, but it worked for 30 minutes, can it work full time? Formation with Llorente on was seriously loopsided, with all the pre-game preparations decent coach can look to exploit it - there was absolutely no one on the right side to help Ramos offensively, and he needs plenty of cover (from Pique and/or Xabi Alonso) defensively. There's also question about his conditioning, if he would be asked to do it for the whole game.

The formation is always lopsided because Spain don't play with out and out wide players. Llorente created more danger in 30 minutes than Torres has in the entire WC.

He got on the end of two crosses

That is all he did Jaime.

Torres was waiting for a good cross all game and Ramos CONSISTENTLY failed to produce one.

Jaime wrote:

stinger wrote:Yeah, but it worked for 30 minutes, can it work full time? Formation with Llorente on was seriously loopsided, with all the pre-game preparations decent coach can look to exploit it - there was absolutely no one on the right side to help Ramos offensively, and he needs plenty of cover (from Pique and/or Xabi Alonso) defensively. There's also question about his conditioning, if he would be asked to do it for the whole game.

The formation is always lopsided because Spain don't play with out and out wide players. Llorente created more danger in 30 minutes than Torres has in the entire WC.

In first half it was quite similar to standard Diamond - overlapping full backs and two strikers playing close to the touchline, with Iniesta as AM maybe drifting a little bit more to the left, because of his natural tendencies (or experience from Barca).
After Torres was benched, everything was much more left-sided, which helped Ramos offensively, because he aften had a space ahead of him, unlike 1st half, when Coentrao wasn't dragged out of position and stopped him in 1 on 1 situations.

KUYT #6 wrote:

Jaime wrote:

stinger wrote:Yeah, but it worked for 30 minutes, can it work full time? Formation with Llorente on was seriously loopsided, with all the pre-game preparations decent coach can look to exploit it - there was absolutely no one on the right side to help Ramos offensively, and he needs plenty of cover (from Pique and/or Xabi Alonso) defensively. There's also question about his conditioning, if he would be asked to do it for the whole game.

The formation is always lopsided because Spain don't play with out and out wide players. Llorente created more danger in 30 minutes than Torres has in the entire WC.

He got on the end of two crosses

That is all he did Jaime.

Torres was waiting for a good cross all game and Ramos CONSISTENTLY failed to produce one.

Llorente actually occupied the portuguese centrebacks. I know you have to stick up for Torres and everything but he's not in a good moment right now.

Jaime wrote:

Llorente actually occupied the portuguese centrebacks. I know you have to stick up for Torres and everything but he's not in a good moment right now.

Not saying he is, I just see the Llorente praise as nonsense as he didn't do anything either apart from missing two chances. He just happened to benefit from Iniesta and Villa producing a moment of good football which he had nothing to do with. The game was opened up after that as a result.

KUYT #6 wrote:

Jaime wrote:

Llorente actually occupied the portuguese centrebacks. I know you have to stick up for Torres and everything but he's not in a good moment right now.

Not saying he is, I just see the Llorente praise as nonsense as he didn't do anything either apart from missing two chances. He just happened to benefit from Iniesta and Villa producing a moment of good football which he had nothing to do with. The game was opened up after that as a result.

Better than doing nothing at all.

Jaime wrote:

KUYT #6 wrote:

Jaime wrote:

Llorente actually occupied the portuguese centrebacks. I know you have to stick up for Torres and everything but he's not in a good moment right now.

Not saying he is, I just see the Llorente praise as nonsense as he didn't do anything either apart from missing two chances. He just happened to benefit from Iniesta and Villa producing a moment of good football which he had nothing to do with. The game was opened up after that as a result.

Better than doing nothing at all.

As I said, Torres was waiting for Ramos to put decent crosses in all game long. He didn't do it so Llorente isn't getting praise from me for missing the one time Ramos did actually decide to do something useful

KUYT #6 wrote:

Jaime wrote:

KUYT #6 wrote:

Jaime wrote:

Llorente actually occupied the portuguese centrebacks. I know you have to stick up for Torres and everything but he's not in a good moment right now.

Not saying he is, I just see the Llorente praise as nonsense as he didn't do anything either apart from missing two chances. He just happened to benefit from Iniesta and Villa producing a moment of good football which he had nothing to do with. The game was opened up after that as a result.

Better than doing nothing at all.

As I said, Torres was waiting for Ramos to put decent crosses in all game long. He didn't do it so Llorente isn't getting praise from me for missing the one time Ramos did actually decide to do something useful

And all the other times when Ramos was not crossing the ball Torres was doing...........

The same thing as Llorente

Sweet FA while waiting for the cross

KUYT #6 wrote:

The same thing as Llorente

Sweet FA while waiting for the cross

FA?

Sweet

Fuck

All

KUYT #6 wrote:Sweet

Fuck

All

AH. Well, I'm sure if he played 60 minutes like Torres did he would have done more than Sweet FA.

Jaime wrote:
AH. Well, I'm sure if he played 60 minutes like Torres did he would have done more than Sweet FA.

With Ramos falling over everytime he tried to cross it

Nah mate

Hey COTR..will you ever consider the possibility Torres is a bit of a kick and runner?

KUYT #6 wrote:

Jaime wrote:
AH. Well, I'm sure if he played 60 minutes like Torres did he would have done more than Sweet FA.

With Ramos falling over everytime he tried to cross it

Nah mate

I see you keep trying to blame Ramos when really it is the little midget cules who you should be mad at because they never give him the through passes that Torres likes.

L r dd wrote:Hey COTR..will you ever consider the possibility Torres is a bit of a kick and runner?

Good one though Lrd

Up there with Ronaldo in the kick and run stakes, slightly less greedy though

Jaime wrote:

I see you keep trying to blame Ramos when really it is the little midget cules who you should be mad at because they never give him the through passes that Torres likes.

I'm bored of blaming the midgets

Ramos I expected more from

Spain will very likely make the WC semi-final for the first time in their history this year.

I can see Spain getting in the semis, cant see them beating Germany or Argentina.

Juligen wrote:I can see Spain getting in the semis, cant see them beating Germany or Argentina.

I can. Why not?

^^