Gone but not forgotten: football in the Spanish Civil War

“In 1937, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, Republican areas of Spain formed la Liga del Mediterraneo (the Mediterranean League) and la Copa de le Espana Libre (the Free Spain Cup) as the national league was suspended. These competitions mark a period many in Spain would like to forget, but one club wants them officially recognised.” World Soccer

La Copa De La Espana Libre

1937 map showing the areas held by Republicans in white and Nationalist areas in grey
“In 1937, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, Republican areas of Spain formed la Liga del Mediterraneo (the Mediterranean League) and la Copa de le Espana Libre (the Free Spain Cup) as the national league was suspended. These competitions mark a period many in Spain would like to forget, but one club wants them officially recognised. The competitions are just as important because of the teams that were omitted as they are for those that took part. Held in the Republican strongholds of Valencia and Barcelona, the most notable omissions were Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.” In Bed With Maradona

For Spain, no time for nostalgia

“If there is one thing in football that not only sells stories but also gives off very nearly the same degree of endorphins as a brilliant live match, it is nostalgia. We drink to it, we daydream of it, and like a life belt in a sea of mediocrity, it can salvage something beautiful from the stormiest of times for your club or country.” ESPN

Nationalities of managers in European leagues

“England are without a manager, and the FA are known to favour an English candidate for the job. Harry Redknapp is the overwhelming favourite, but the problem with favouring an English candidate is that there are so few English managers working in the Premier League. How does this situation compare to other major footballing countries in Europe?” ZonaL Marking

Soccer Cities: Northern Spain

“There are currently five La Liga clubs in the regions that spread across northern Spain – Racing Santander in Cantabria, Sporting Gijon in Asturias, Osasuna in Navarre, and Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in the Basque Country – and with most being situated close to the coast, a weekend football break can easily be accompanied by some seaside relaxation.” World Soccer

Wembley sunset

“The last time Spain won at Wembley, the old one – was in 1981. They won 2-1, and I was there in schoolteacher mode, surrounded by a phalanx of adolescent schoolkids that I’d accompanied on a coach from Hull. If any of them are reading this, I forgive that kid who ‘forgot’ to pay for his hotdog. It seems like another life ago, from a different planet, and not only because I no longer earn my bread from teaching ‘Kes’ on a Friday afternoon, but because of the different set of expectations that accompanied the game back then.” ESPN

Spain continue to dominate possession but need more penetration
“A criticism of Spain days after an unfortunate 1-0 defeat to England is always likely to come across as a wild knee-jerk reaction, but Spain’s problems against decent sides have been evident for over a year now. They were handed an extremely easy qualification group for Euro 2012 where they had few problems, but in friendlies with larger nations they’ve struggled. Since the World Cup, they’ve drawn 1-1 with Mexico, lost 4-1 to Argentina, lost 4-0 to Portugal, lost 2-1 to Italy and lost 1-0 to England.” Zonal Marking

Brian Glanville on England’s shock victory over Spain
“The general euphoria which followed the wholly unexpected victory of a patched up England team against the mighty Spaniards was easy to understand but hard to justify. The first half approach by England was surely a deep embarrassment to any objective watcher. Nine men behind the ball against a Spanish team which weaved patterns around them but were desperately prevented from scoring.” World Soccer

Pressure is on Portugal in playoff
“International football seems to be increasingly unpopular these days — for various reasons, the club game has completely superseded it, both in terms of quality and reputation. International friendlies are considered irrelevant, while international qualifiers are often a formality for the bigger teams that naturally attract the most attention.” ESPN

World Soccer Daily: 10 stories you need to read, November 15th, 2011

“Given that Japan had already progressed to the next stage of the 2014 qualifying process and North Korea had been eliminated, the result when the two countries met in Pyongyang was academic. Nevertheless, the North Koreans were clearly intent on ensuring that their visitors did not forget their time in Pyongyang. The Japan team was held up by a baggage and immigration inspection at the airport on the eve of the game. Korean officials berated players when they laughed, and confiscated items including bananas, chewing gum, and instant noodles, according to both Nikkan Sports and Sports Nippon. At a stretch one can see how certain items such as chewing gum might be seen as embodying the decadent, immoral and corrupt capitalist world, but a banana!? Really?” World Soccer (Video)

Is Silva Spain’s Messi in disguise?

“Just less than a month ago Spain lined up to play for them a dead rubber European Championship qualifier against Scotland. Even amongst the Scottish media and fanbase – despite the game being very much a live match in Scotland’s quest to seal a play-off place – the pre-match talk was of how many the World Champions would win by and which of his array of talented stars Vicente Del Bosque would field.” Spanish Football

Is The Future Strikerless For Spain?

“When Spain played Scotland last month in Alicante,two goals and an assist from David Silva killed off any hope Scotland had of making the Euros via a playoff. One may say that this was a typical Spain performance and an expected win,it was,but for one important change. Vicente Del Bosque played David Silva as a false 9 against the Scottish and it paid off. With Fernando Torres out of form and Llorente,Negredo and Soldado lacking international experience,can we say that this move is a permanent one?” the false 9

The race to the Euros

“By Tuesday evening we’ll know the 12 of the 16 nations which will participate at Euro 2012. Poland and Ukraine will be there as hosts of the tournament, while England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain can already book their flights. The eight group winners qualify automatically along with the best runner-up. As three groups only have five teams, the groups with six teams will have the record of the team finishing bottom of the group ignored to calculate the best runner-up. We take a group-by-group look at who can still qualify, and how they can get to the finals. Head to head record comes before goal difference in this qualifying campaign.” ESPN

Czech Republic 0 – 2 Spain

“Spain continued their 100% record in Euro 2012 qualifying and kept Scotland’s hopes of sealing a play-off place from Group I alive with a dominant win over the Czech Republic. Juan Mata’s calm finish in the sixth minute put the visitors in control and they doubled their lead midway through the first half as Xabi Alonso slotted home a fine cut-back from David Silva.” ESPN

Valencia – On The Road To Recovery?

Roberto Soldado
“Despite losing to Sevilla last weekend, Valencia have made a very promising start to this season, most evidently when they led reigning champions Barcelona twice before securing an unexpected draw. On the one hand, this should not be too much of a surprise, as Valencia have finished third in La Liga in each of the past two seasons, though admittedly they were a hefty 25 points behind Pep Guardiola’s superlative team last year. On the other hand, this represents a hugely impressive achievement for Los Che after all the upheaval they have faced both on and off the pitch.” Swiss Ramble

Fernando Torres’ form an ongoing concern for both club and country

“Juan Mata slotted the ball into the net, rushed across to the man who had provided the pass and leapt into his arms. Chelsea had just got its second of the night, securing a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in its opening Champions League game at Stamford Bridge and the former Valencia player had scored his second goal in just three games. Yet Mata handed the credit to someone else, pointing at the tall, blonde striker who provided the assist: Fernando Torres. The message was clear: cheer him, everyone, cheer him.” SI

Pazzini seals Italy’s Euro 2012 berth

“Substitute Giampaolo Pazzini ensured Italy became the second team after Germany to qualify for next summer’s Euro 2012 finals as his late goal handed them a 1-0 win over Slovenia in Florence. The Slovenians had put up a brave fight before Pazzini, a 61st-minute replacement for Antonio Cassano, pounced five minutes from time to give his side an unassailable lead at the top of Group C. Serbia took full advantage to move into second place with a 3-1 stroll over the Faroe Islands in Belgrade with goals from Milan Jovanovic, Zoran Tosic and Zdravko Kuzmanovic, while Estonia are still in with a shout after ending Northern Ireland’s hopes with an impressive 4-1 win in Tallinn….” ESPN

Trouble in paradise

“My first, already fading, memories of a Real Madrid-Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu go back to December 1990. After a long history of failed efforts, a bunch of friends and myself finally managed to get tickets to watch the two giants face to face live. It was the second leg of that season’s Supercopa, and even though the tournament was perceived as second-rate when compared to La Liga or the old European Cup, the atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic.” ESPN

Germany down Brazil, Italy slay Spain

“Germany claimed an impressive 3-2 scalp of Brazil in Wednesday night’s international friendly in Stuttgart. The impressive Bastian Schweinsteiger opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Germany before Mario Gotze doubled their lead, capping off a fine attacking move. Robinho reduced the deficit on 72 minutes, slotting home a spot-kick, but Andre Schurrle restored Germany’s two-goal advantage as he lashed into the top corner before Neymar scored a curled consolation.” ESPN

Switzerland’s New Dawn

“Switzerland’s 1-0 victory over Spain caused a seismic upset at last year’s World Cup. The result galvanised the Swiss who now find themselves with a blossoming talent pool at their disposal.” In Bed With Maradona

Recap: USA 0 – 4 Spain

Philips Wouwerman, Battle Scene
“Saturday’s friendly between the USA and Spain sadly provided what many American fans were fearing, with the World Champions thoroughly dominating possession on the way to a four-goal win. The re-match of the memorable 2009 Confederations Cup semifinal took place in Foxboro, Massachusetts in front of a packed crowd of more than 64,000, just three days ahead of the US beginning their quest for a fourth Gold Cup title and a spot in the coveted 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.” Yanks Abroad

Santi Cazorla helps Spain rout U.S.
“After allowing three goals in a 13-minute span, United States goalkeeper Tim Howard pounded his hands on his thighs in frustration. And there was still another half to go. ‘When you get knocked down, you see what you’re made of,” Howard said Saturday after World Cup champion Spain overwhelmed the U.S. 4-0 in an exhibition that the Americans used to tune up for the Gold Cup.” ESPN

Friendly – USA 0-4 Spain
YouTube

Real Oviedo and the Passion of Asturias

“I’m standing on a mountaintop, at the foot of a large statue of Jesus. It’s a beautiful day and from up here I can see miles into the distance. Behind me lies the sea while in front of me there are mountains. Below me lies the city, its cathedral, a controversial shopping centre and an impressive looking football stadium. Despite appearances, I’m not in Rio de Janiero but in Oviedo, capital of Asturias. Unlike much of Spain, Asturias was never captured by the Moors, a fact not lost on the locals. In these parts they have an expression, Asturias is Spain and the rest is recaptured land.” In Bed With Maradona

Lithuania 1 – 3 Spain

“Xavi and Juan Mata combined to make sure world and European champions Spain were not embarrassed by Lithuania on a difficult surface in Kaunas. Xavi, embarking on his second century of appearances for Spain after winning his 100th cap in their Euro 2012 qualifier against the Cech Republic on Friday, opened the scoring after 20 minutes.” ESPN

Lithuania 1-3 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
The 90th Minute

Czech mate

“I arrived in Prague last Wednesday night and wandered through customs into the arrival zone. A chap waved a banner that had ‘Ball’ written on it, and although I thought it was a tad rude to just use the surname, I was relieved to see that someone had come to pick me up.” ESPN

Hungary 0 – 4 Netherlands

Dance to the Music of Time, Nicolas Poussin
“Holland turned on the style as they cruised past Hungary at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in Budapest. Tottenham playmaker Rafael van der Vaart gave the visitors an early lead and Ibrahim Afellay’s goal shortly before half-time ensured the scoreline reflected Holland’s dominance.” ESPN

Hungary 0 – 4 Holland: Dutch tiki taka football
“Holland beat Hungary in spectacular fashion to obtain Van Marwijk’s 13th consecutive qualification victory, combining both WC 2010 and Euro 2012 qualifiers. And in the process, national manager Bert van Marwijk extended his unbelievable 90 minutes record in competitive matches to 19-1-0, that one being the World Cup final against Spain.” 11 tegen 11

Wales 0 – 2 England
“Early Frank Lampard and Darren Bent goals turned the spotlight off Fabio Capello as England eased past Wales in the teams’ Euro 2012 qualifier in Cardiff. England manager Capello had endured a torrid week in the media over his handling of John Terry’s reinstatement as captain and defeat at the Millennium Stadium would have seen the pressure increase considerably.” ESPN

Wales 0-2 England: Lampard and Bent seal the victory early on
“England recorded a comfortable victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Gary Speed sent Wales out in a broad 4-5-1 system. Craig Bellamy started on the right, with Andy King on the left. Aaron Ramsey, in his first game as captain, lined up behind Steve Morison. Fabio Capello named a surprising starting XI. Ashley Young was given a game on the wing, with Wayne Rooney also out wide, off Darren Bent. Michael Dawson partnered returning captain John Terry at the back.” Zonal Marking

Luxembourg 0 – 2 France
“The return of Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery failed to inspire France as, for the second time in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, they laboured to a 2-0 win over Luxembourg. Evra and Ribery were back in the team for the first time since their misdeeds at the World Cup contributed to their side’s humiliating first-round exit. But the result with the pair in the team was the same as the result without them as goals from Philippe Mexes and Yoann Gourcuff saw them to a 2-0 win, just as when the sides met in France in October.” ESPN

Spain 2 – 1 Czech Republic
“David Villa scored twice to bring Spain from behind to beat the Czech Republic, and eclipsed Raul as Spain’s all-time goalscorer in the process. Spain were trailing to a 29th-minute wondergoal from Jaroslav Plasil but Villa fired home from the edge of the area in the 69th minute, moving clear of Raul’s record of 44 goals and relieving the tension in Granada.” ESPN

Slovenia 0 – 1 Italy
“Thiago Motta’s second-half strike handed Italy a narrow win over Slovenia in Ljubljana in their Euro 2012 qualifier. The Brazilian-born midfielder, who made his debut with the Azzurri in last month’s friendly against Germany, struck in the 73rd minute to hand the Italians their first-ever win on Slovenian soil. The result has lifted Italy six points clear of second-place Slovenia at the top of Group C after five games, bringing them significantly closer towards qualifying.” ESPN

What to Watch This Weekend – Interlull Edition, Pt 1 (Friday March 25)

“The Interlull is upon us. Just when the domestic and Champions leagues are hurtling towards their conclusions, getting us all hot and bothered…they take a break so the best players can fly all over the world to risk injury playing for their respective national teams in largely meaningless international games. (Full disclosure: we picked up the ‘Interlull’ terminology from the indispensable Arseblog.)” Cult Football

Beauty Is No Longer Irrelevant

“If true strength can come from real adversity, can ideals of beauty be pulled from an ugly defeat? Welcome to IBWM Brian McDonnell” In Bed With Maradona

Protests, Presidents and Promotion: The Rayo Vallecano Story

“Discounting Liverpool fans marching from a pub to the ground or Manchester United supporters wearing gold and green scarves to show their opposition to their owners, protest at football is not something we are used to in England. In Spain, public displays of disaffection by fans are a bit more common. In 2009, tens of thousands of Real Betis fans marched through the streets of Seville to demand the resignation of then president José León Gomez. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad fans (and sometimes players) have long been known for publicly supporting the cause of Basque independence, while the same goes for Catalan self-determination at Barcelona.” In Bed With Mardona

Ronaldo and the Thief of Culture

Ronaldo
“Does anyone know who’s leading the Liga? No, not La Liga; the Liga, the Primeira Liga—Portugal’s first tier of domestic football. Does anyone know? Does anyone care? Heck, even I’ve been known to look past the Primeira Liga, and I’m Portuguese. That’s the lure of the fast-paced, money-rich, crowd-packed Premier Leagues and Bundesligas and La Ligas of this world, whose fan-friendly cable packages are often too much to resist when the alternative is a game between Paços de Ferreira and Olhanense in an empty back-lot stadium that wouldn’t make it in League Two in England. Most teams in the Championship have bigger attendances and heftier budgets than, oh, around 12 of the 16 teams in the Primeira Liga.” Run of Play

Year of Xavi

“Nearly two years ago, the Daily Mail’s Matt Lawton published a piece under what should surely be considered one of the most dunderheaded headlines in recent football journalism: ‘The best players of the world (and Xavi): Ronaldo crowned king of football.’ In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ascension as the world player of the year in 2009, Lawton took the time to cheekily ridicule Xavi Hernández, a player whose patience, measure, and impeccable sense of the tempo in attack and defense has helped to make Barcelona the best club side in Europe (arguably) and Spain the best national side in the world (most certainly).” Run of Play

The Question: How did tactics develop in 2010?

“In August, I wrote a piece for the Guardian’s pre-season supplement in which I speculated that, after the World Cup and Internazionale’s success in the Champions League, we may be about to witness a return to reactive football. Since when we’ve seen probably the most attacking Premier League in living memory, which goes to show two things: first, never believe anything anybody writes when trying to predict the future of football; and second, the World Cup is no longer a bellwether.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Spanish Football in 2010: A Retrospective

“It’s been an historic year in the life of Spanish football. On the evening of the 11th July, with one swing of his right foot, Andrés Iniesta lit up Johannesburg to win his country its first World Cup and confirm Spain’s place at the very pinnacle of the global game. With La Liga commencing its annual winter hiatus next week, I thought I would use this week to review the year and give out some prestigious awards – Los Equalisers de Oro (The Golden Equalisers), as I like to call them.” The Equaliser

Abramovich and the Fight For Tomorrow

“The stifling of domestic talent is a concern that many countries with a strong league face. While Spain and Germany just about get the balance right, England stutters. Domm Norris looks at the issue in Russia.”
In Bed With Maradona

Spain: The Next Generation

“Since 2008, Spain, first under Luis Aragonés and then Vicente Del Bosque, have thrilled the world with their wonderfully aesthetic ‘Tiki Taka’ style of football. Reaping the benefits of a remarkably gifted generation, the likes of Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and David Villa have driven La Furia Roja to both the European and World titles.” (Equaliser Football)

Villarreal 1-1 Valencia: Emery’s three-man defence copes with two strikers, but not three

“Valencia had a specific plan to stifle Villarreal’s fluid 4-4-2 system – and it almost worked. The home side made one change from last week’s defeat to Barcelona. Mateo Musacchio was dropped in favour of the returning captain Gonzalo Rodriguez, so Carlos Marchena moved across to the left side of the centre-back pairing.’ (Zonal Marking)

Portugal 4 – 0 Spain

Cornelis Van Poelenburgh – View of the Campo Vaccino
“Portugal gained a measure of revenge for their World Cup exit at the hands of Spain by inflicting a heavy defeat on their Iberian neighbours in tonight’s friendly in Lisbon. Goals from Jorge Carlos Martins, visiting defender Sergio Ramos, who put into his own net, Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida sealed a deserved win for the Portuguese, who were knocked out at the last-16 stage in South Africa as Spain went onto win their maiden World Cup crown.” (ESPN)

Portugal 4-0 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

Lazio 0-2 Roma: two penalties settle tight game

“Two similar systems and little creativity in open play. Top of the table Lazio set up with a 4-3-1-2 formation, a shape they’ve used in roughly half of games so far, the other option being a 4-2-3-1. Tomasso Rocchi started his first game since mid-September upfront alongside Sergio Floccari, whilst Guglielmo Stendardo started in place of the suspended Giuseppe Biava at the back.” (Zonal Marking)

Sevilla 2-0 Valencia: Emery doesn’t change despite red card, both Manzano subs score
“Sevilla eventually broke through after Valencia’s Mehmet Topal was sent off in the first half. For the home side, only Martin Cacares remained from the back four that conceded five goals at the Nou Camp last week. Further forward, it was the same midfield and attack, with Frederic Kanoute pushed up closer to Luis Fabiano.” (Zonal Marking)

Spain yet to discover the root of cardiac problems among players

“When the final whistle blew, the cameras closed in as the two men embraced. These were not adversaries recognizing each other’s merits after the most honorable of contests. Nor were they teammates sharing the spoils of victory. In fact, they weren’t footballers at all. But they were heroes. Together, the two doctors, José Ignacio Garrido and Tomás Calero, had just saved someone’s life. Live on TV.” (SI)

Villarreal 2-0 Atletico: Villarreal impress with technical quality and ruthless finishing

“A 2-0 win that was both aesthetically impressive and quietly professional, as Villarreal move back up to second place. The home side fielded a narrow 4-4-2 / 4-2-2-2 with two quick forwards, and wide players looking to move into the centre of the pitch. Cani made a rare start on the left, whilst Gonzalo Rodriguez was played at centre-back alongside Carlos Marchena.” (Zonal Marking)

Villarreal’s South American-European fusion:
“If Jonathan Wilson’s explanation as to raison d’être of the 4-2-3-1 formation is true (affording licence to playmakers and dribblers in an age of increased physicality), then little wonder it first became popularised in Spain, that country that produces a phalanx of ball-players; players who would be miscast if they were to operate as traditional box-to-box dynamos in a 4-4-2. Witness, for example Roy Hodgson’s struggles to impart lessons on Liverpool’s more adept ball players, or more pointedly, Joe Cole’s entire history as a young footballer.” (santapelota)

Out of Villarreal’s old orange grove grows ‘the perfect football eco-system’
“It was Benjamin Franklin who said nothing in life is certain except death and taxes but what does he know? Sure, he built a few libraries and did some experiments with electricity and catheters and fireplaces and stuff, but he didn’t know the first thing about what really matters: football in Spain, that magical world where death and taxes aren’t certain at all; where football clubs owe the taxman €627,266,721.38; where a player literally came back from the dead this weekend – Salamanca player Miguel García’s heart stopped beating, the doctor who saved him revealing: ‘He was dead for 25 seconds’, and where it’s not just that death and taxes aren’t inevitable, it’s that plenty of other things are.” (Guardian)

Scotland 2-3 Spain: Scotland come back from two down, but plan B Llorente grabs winner

“Scotland scored two goals against the World Champions, but that still wasn’t enough to take any points from an exciting encounter. Craig Levein abandoned his midweek 4-6-0 formation in favour of a slightly more traditional 4-1-4-1 system, with Lee McCulloch between the lines of defence and attack, and the two wide players tucked in level with the midfield. Kenny Miller came in upfront.” (Zonal Marking)

Scotland 2 – 3 Spain

“Steven Naismith scored a goal he will never forget – but it was not enough to secure a point against Spain at Hampden. Naismith sparked an impressive comeback after Scotland had fallen behind to David Villa’s penalty and strike from Andres Iniesta, before a Gerard Pique own goal set the home side on course for a precious point.” (ESPN)

Scotland 2-3 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
(The 90th Minute)

Archibald: Scots must capitalise on Xavi’s absence

“Reigning World and European champions Spain have an unblemished qualification record in Group I following consecutive victories over Liechtenstein and Lithuania, and former Scotland striker and La Liga aficionado Steve Archibald says his countrymen should count themselves lucky they’ll at least be spared the task of trying to stop two of the world’s best when the two sides clash on Tuesday.” (ESPN)

Spain’s ugliness a problem for Scotland

“It was the kind of game Harry Redknapp would have loved had he been a national team manager and widely successful at the job to boot. ‘I woz daaahn to the bare bones,” he would have tooted. “Eight of the lads wot were in the squad wot won the World Cup wasn’t abaaaht. But we dug deep, stuck the big lad up front with that kid that looks like an ‘amster aaaht wide and they done the business.’” (FourFourTwo)

Spain 3-1 Lithuania – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying

“Without Xavi and Fernando Torres available, Spain would get a 3-1 win to remain unbeaten in qualifying. Fernando Llorente led the way with two goals while David Silva had the third for Spain. Llorente’s goals were in the 47th minute and 56th minute and Silva’s was in the 79th minute.” (The 90th Minute)

Portugal 3 – 1 Denmark
“Nani grabbed two goals in the space of three minutes to set Portugal on course to victory over Denmark in coach Paulo Bento’s first game in charge. Although Ricardo Carvalho’s own goal 11 minutes from time gave Denmark a lifeline, Cristiano Ronaldo made sure of Portugal’s first win in Euro 2012 qualifying Group H with five minutes left.” (ESPN)

Portugal 3-1 Denmark – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
“Portugal earned their first win of the group stage behind two goals from Nani. It was a much need for Portugal who had a draw and loss in their first two matches. They are now with four points, two behind leaders Norway, while Denmark are in third place with three points.” (The 90th Minute)

Ireland 2-3 Russia – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
“Russia would get a much needed win as they scored three goals in the first 50 minutes and held onto that lead. It was a poor start for the Irish who conceded two first half goals. The goals were from Alexander Kerzhakov in the 11th minute and Alan Dzagoev in the 28th minute. Russia’s third goal came in the 50th minute from Roman Shirokov.” (The 90th Minute)

Czech Republic 1 – 0 Scotland
“Craig Levein’s decision to drop Kenny Miller and play a defensive line-up failed to pay off as Scotland suffered the first defeat of their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign against Czech Republic in Prague tonight.” (ESPN)

Czech Republic 1-0 Scotland – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
“The Czechs would get their first win of qualifying while Scotland suffered their first defeat. It was a conservative start for Scotland who didn’t start Kenny Miller and were in a very defensive formation. Many will question if they weren’t aggressive enough and should have played a regular 4-4-2 formation.” (The 90th Minute)

Batista gives Argentina cause to wonder

“What might have been? It’s not two months since Spain won their first world title to continue an utterly dominant spell which had begun with their Euro 2008 triumph. At the same World Cup, Argentina initially sparkled but were ultimately humiliated when the going got tough. Yet now, with a manager who’s swept through like a new broom, Argentina are able to not just beat, but demolish, the newly-crowned champions of the world. It makes one wonder.” (ESPN)

Argentina 4-1 Spain: good audition for Batista

“Argentina beat Spain at their own game – passing them off the pitch, and finishing chances ruthlessly. Sergio Batista has replaced Diego Maradona as manager, but is not yet certain of the position on a full-time basis. He chose a 4-3-3 system, bringing back Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso, who had both been omitted from the World Cup squad. Ever Banega played in a tight midfield three, whilst the Messi-Tevez-Higuain trio was retained, in a different format.” (Zonal Marking)

Spain put to the sword
“Argentina handed Spain only their third defeat since 2006 after putting the reigning world and European champions to the sword early on in their friendly at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, two players who ply their trade in Spain, put Argentina two up inside the opening 14 minutes and Carlos Tevez made it 3-0 in the 34th minute following a costly slip by Jose Reina.” (ESPN)

Spain lose ‘the final that never was’
“See. Even when La Liga Loca is completely wrong, it’s right. While the blog was suggesting that the Argentina v Spain friendly was the flounciest of flimflams, something to tune into if there was nothing better to do of a Tuesday night, a channel-filler during the normal 35 minute blocks of adverts on TV and a chance to swoon at Santi Cazorla’s little hamster face, the Spanish press was happily hyping the game into something that resembled a meaningful game of football.” (FourFourTwo)

Argentina 4-1 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

Belarus beat France, England cruise

“England opened their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 4-0 win over Bulgaria, but Laurent Blanc’s first competitive game as France manager ended in a shock 1-0 defeat to Belarus and Portugal were held by Cyprus in an eight-goal thriller. Meanwhile, Spain cruised to a 4-0 win in Liechtenstein and Italy came from behind to beat Estonia.” (ESPN)

Torres grabs brace for Spain

“World champions Spain began the defence of their European Championship title with a thumping 4-0 win over outclassed Liechtenstein in Vaduz. Fernando Torres struck twice while David Villa and substitute David Silva were also on the scoresheet as the world’s top-ranked side, who this summer added the World Cup to the European crown they won two years ago in Austria and Switzerland, kicked off their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in impressive style.” (ESPN)

Liechtenstein 0-4 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
“The defending Euro champions, Spain, begin their qualification for Euro 2012 with a match against Liechtenstein. Spain were heavily favored heading into the match and anything less than a win would be very surprising.” (The 90th Minute)

Central players World Cup 2010

“Soccer analysis focuses on particular moments of the game, usually highlights or events preceding a goal. Goals are nice to watch and few events preceding the goal keep it comprehensible. Advanced chess players might be able to do better, but in general we memorize around seven to nine events. In the short term, judging player performance is based on seven to nine actions. Let alone putting those actions back in to team perspective.” (Sport Analysis)

My Favourite Footballer…Xavi Hernandez

Xavi Hernandez
“Great players can be measured in a variety of ways. Whether it’s a brimming medal cabinet or incomparable statistics you’re looking for, Xavi Hernández has it all. When this era is eventually consigned to the history books, we will look back and wax lyrical about the all-conquering Barcelona side and the European and World champions, Spain. Xavi has been the heartbeat of both.” (The Equaliser)

Will a defensive-minded World Cup mean a defensive-minded Premier League season?

“ZM was planning to publish an extended article about how the defensiveness of the World Cup could result in a more defensive Premiership season. However, Jonathan Wilson got there first and covered everything. The last time we had this was 2004, the year of the underdog – Jose Mourinho’s Porto won the Champions League and Otto Rehhagel’s Greece won the European Championships by playing defensive-minded football. The start of the next Premier League season was the most negative in the short history of the division, with Mourinho summing it up with his legendary ‘park the bus’ comment following a goalless draw against Tottenham.” (Zonal Marking)

The Match-Fixing Allegation Tainting Spanish Soccer

“As Spain continues to revel in reigning supreme after lifting soccer’s World Cup in South Africa last month, a match-fixing allegation is threatening to overshadow the start of the country’s top domestic league. The scandal surfaced when the main shareholder of second division team Hercules was allegedly caught on tape boasting that he paid €100,000 to the goalkeeper of the opposition side Cordoba to throw a match in May.” (TIME)

Moans and groans strike La Liga

“La Liga Loca loves a good moan. Really, really loves it. More than sleeping, in fact. And that show where Jennifer Love Hewitt talks to ghosts through the medium of her boobs. In a mere eight-minute spell this morning, LLL grumbled that someone else was using what the blog considers to be its personal lift. And that it had to wait at the traffic lights before it could cross the road. And that the newspaper kiosk attendant refused to acknowledge LLL’s presence, despite it playfully waving its AS in his grumpy face for a good ten seconds.” (FourFourTwo)

The Case for the US 4-3-3

Jozy Altidore
“As I promised at the end of that roster discussion, I am writing now to discuss US tactical strategy going forward into the 2014 World Cup cycle. In the last 4 years, outside of one disastrous night at the Saprissa, we’ve seen two lineup formations employed by Bob Bradley’s men – the traditional 4-4-2 and the traditional 4-5-1. In fact, what may shock some USMNT supporters who are less familiar with Bob’s lineup choices until recently, we didn’t settle into the 4-4-2 formation until the 2009 Confed. Cup where two things happened: 1.) Charlie Davies emerged as a viable option at striker. 2.) We used the 4-4-2 to beat Spain.” (Yanks are coming)

The Question: Is 4-2-1-3 the future?

“Evolution never stops. As the World Cup showed, 4‑2‑3‑1 has come to replace 4‑4‑2 as the universal default (18 of the 32 teams played some form of 4‑2‑3‑1 at some stage, with another three fielding a 4‑4‑2 that perhaps should have become 4‑2‑3‑1) so the system at the very highest level has already begun to mutate. Spain, by the end of the World Cup, had followed what Barcelona did at times last season, what Arsenal seemed to be reaching towards, and set up in a 4‑2‑1‑3.” (Guardian)

The Changing Landscape of FC Barcelona

“Today’s announcement that Rafa Márquez has agreed with the club to rescind his contract, making him eligible for a move to the New York Red Bulls, should come as no surprise to anyone. Márquez played for 7 years at FCB, amassing 242 appearances and 13 goals in all competitions. His first goal for us was in the 2-1 home win over Real Betis on November 9, 2003 while his last goal was this stunner of a freekick in the 4-0 home win over Racing Santander on February 20 of this year.” (ESPN)

Polishing the Future in Barcelona and Madrid

” Sports must sometimes send out the most confusing messages to its young. Over the past weeks, Spanish teams and athletes have been the best in the world in soccer, basketball, tennis and cycling. Yet the country’s two major sporting institutions, F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid, pursue disparate philosophies in reaching for the major club trophies in soccer.” (NYT)

The curious reluctance to love the Spanish: Part 1, Barca

“A debate is raging on the excellent Minus the Shooting regarding the dissatisfaction wrought by Spain’s performance at the World Cup so far. A lot of really interesting points are being made about the cognitive dissonance of the media’s framing of Spain and the difficulty to be excited by the virtuosity inherent in their performances.” (Vieira’s Weary One)

On Losing

Paolo Uccello, The Battle of San Romano
“Now that the World Cup is over and the Spaniards and everyone else who admired their elegant way of playing soccer is happy, and the few nations whose teams either exceeded expectations or did okay in the month-long tournament have returned to their normal lives, the fans in underachieving countries are still fuming, many of them destined to recall for the rest of their days how their side either disgraced themselves, or were the victims of gross injustice. For those of them that have been following their national team for years, they’ve most likely already suffered more than any holy martyr in the history of the church, and yet it’s doubtful that even one of them will go to heaven, because they cursed and swore till they were blue in the face each time their team lost.” (NYR – Charles Simic)

New FIFA Rankings

“No surprise — Spain is the new No. 1 in the world rankings released by FIFA only days after the completion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Brazil, ousted in South Africa by the Netherlands, was replaced by the Dutch as the No. 2 team in the world. The rest of the top five: Brazil, Germany and Argentina.” (NYT)

The W-W formation: the future?!

“It is hard to envisage how formations will evolve in response to the current formational hegemony 4-2-3-1. It is an adaptable format which matches up well against other approaches. Two defensive midfielders provide a shield for the back four, which allows the full-backs to advance. The attacking midfielder has the freedom in behind the centre-forward to influence forward play without being mired in the opposition’s central defence – and they also prevent the team from being outnumbered in midfield.” (World Cup College)

Brazilian league lacks bite

“Spain or Barcelona? No contest. Week in, week out, Barcelona combine the midfield interplay of Xavi and Iniesta with the cutting edge of Lionel Messi, Daniel Alves and co. The comparison serves to confirm the impression that these days club football is of a much higher standard than international – as long as we restrict the debate to the major European leagues. The big clubs in Spain, England, Italy and Germany are in front of the national teams because of the time their players spend together and because they count on the best talent from all over the planet. When the World Cup stops and domestic football returns, the level of play goes up.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

The final analysis, part five: Iniesta takes up increasingly advanced positions before pouncing

“The first sign that Andres Iniesta was the danger man came midway through the second half of normal time, when he found himself through on goal (pink), but took too long to get a shot away.” (Zonal Marking)