Double Trouble From David Villa Keeps Spain Alive

David Villa celebrates one of his 2 goals against Honduras with his teammates. Villa just missed the chance for a Hat-Trick, as he put a penalty just wide, but his brace keeps Spain alive and gets them the 3 points they needed in Group H.



Spain vs. Honduras: A match that both sides needed desperately to win in order to stay alive. Spain came to play however, as they turned it around as was hoped, and got the 3 points they needed to advance. The one to thank for all of this? None other than our own "Siete de Espana", "El Guaje", and "Villa Maravilla". That's right. David Villa was the man of the match by far. He opened up the scoring for Spain early in the match, and what a goal it was. He weaved around 2 defenders as he came in from the flank, fought off another inside the 18, and took the shot, watching it go past the Honduran keeper. His second would come later, as he would take a brilliant shot from just outside the 18 that was probably going to sink into the far post, yet it deflected off a defender and went in through the top netting instead. Soon after, Jesus Navas would go down in the box, meaning a penalty kick in Spain's favor. The fans held their breath as Villa stepped up to hopefully convert the shot that would make his set a complete 3, meaning a hat-trick in the World Cup finals. Villa, who is an excellent penalty taker, gets them in practically 9/10 times. Unfortunately for Villa, this was one of those 1/10 times, as he shot it to the right, and had the keeper beat....however, it went just just wide. In an instant, the opportunity to convert the penalty had come and gone, as did Villa's chances of successfully completing a hat-trick. It was a real shame, as Villa played phenomenally, and without a doubt, deserved that Hat-Trick. Villa would get one more chance about 8 yards out, off a ground cross from the right flank, but his extra touch used to set-up cost him the opportunity, as the Honduran defender came from behind just as he placed his shot, stealing the hat-trick from Villa.


Overall, it seemed like the real Spain was starting to show again. Their passing game was fluid and methodical, and they converted a few opportunities, with the help of Villa. The other players missed some chances that they maybe should have put away. Still, even though this win gives Spain hope, and also the 3 points needed to stay alive, we shouldn't be jumping for joy yet. We still need to win against Chile if we want to advance further in the competition. That match is going to be a crucial one....but it won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination. If Spain wants to win, they need to come to play. And right now, every match counts. If Spain play at the best of their ability, there is no doubt in my mind that we can go on to win the entire competition.

Denise

Disaster Strikes As Switzerland Pulls Off The Upset Against Favorites Spain

Pedro leaps over a Swiss defender as he attempts to create a chance on goal from the left flank. None of Spain's efforts would be successful, as Switzerland's defense would hold tight, causing Spain to go down 1-0 in the biggest World Cup upset so far.



Today was quite the upset, as Spain would go down to Switzerland in the first match of their World Cup campaign. The World Cup favorites could not come up with the win against Switzerland, who played a mainly defensive style all game.


Spain were the clear aggressors in the beginning of the match, possessing the ball as is typical of their style of play. But, Switzerland played an 11 man defense to keep Spain at bay. Spain had the better chances in the 1st half, although most of the time was spent trying to (unsuccessfully) break down the defense. The first half would end with neither scoring. Spain had most of the chances, as Switzerland rarely strayed from their defensive tactic.

The second half would start, and the same type of play continued, with Spain possessing and attacking, and with Switzerland holding down on defense. Disaster would strike soon, however, as Switzerland would capitalize on a break. Spain's defense made some bad mistakes in clearing the ball, as it came over the top. The Swiss were in the box and it became a scramble for the ball, as Casillas would charge out and slide in. The ball went loose as Spain's defenders and Switzerland's strikers would scramble for the it. Pique fell on the ball, but in the midst of the confusion, Fernandes of Switzerland would emerge with it, and would put the ball in the back of the net, even with Casillas sliding in from behind to prevent what was inevitably going to happen.

Spain obviously became frustrated, as the remainder of their 1st half efforts, and also almost their entire 2nd half efforts would suffer from it. Spain put way too much pressure on themselves to do well, so when the Swiss came out and scored, Spain became frustrated, desperate, and lost concentration. Their passing and play-making a hit because of it. Both became erratic, sloppy, and very willy-nilly. They were trying anything they could to break down the defense. They changed their formation from a lone striker to a standard 4-4-2, which did help, but other than that, Spain could still not break through. Their plays were predictable as well, as they relied a lot on the wings for support into the box, as Spain could not enter from center field. Spain was clearly taken out of their element, and since they were frustrated and cracking under pressure, were not able to deal with the situation properly. Spain would have one close chance, which would come off a corner. Xabi Alonso, stationed outside the 18, would send one flying, just to see it hit cross bar and deflect back towards Swiss defenders. Spain would go on to lose the match 1-0, giving away the biggest upset so far in the World Cup.


The one thing Spain should learn from this match, is that they can't lose confidence, and can't allow themselves to be taken out of the game. This isn't time to go back to the old Spain who cracked under pressure, and became frustrated too easily. Its time to move forward. They have to remain confident and concentrated, otherwise their plays and passes will suffer, meaning they will have very little hopes to score. Also, the lone striker formation has got to go. David Villa is a talented striker and has carried Spain through friendlies and World Cup Qualifiers, but in a game like this, lone striker can be a disadvantage. Villa had no room to breathe, as he was double or triple-teamed constantly. There was always a defender attached to Villa's hip, no matter where he went. A double striker formation, or the classic 4-4-2, gives more of an offensive opportunity. Having 2 strikers is a great formation if you're an attacking team. It opens up space, relieves defensive pressure on the other striker, and helps create more opportunities. There were better chances in this match with Villa passing it off to Torres, than there were in the 1st half, with Xavi and Iniesta trying to find a double-teamed Villa who was alone up front. If Spain wants success, I think the key will be the 4-4-2 formation, with Villa and Torres up top.

Its hard to decide how to look at this result. Is this a taste of what's to come from Spain? Or can this be a wake-up call for them? Not exactly sure. To be honest, I'm glad that Spain is getting a loss out of the way now. I'd rather they just make it out of the group stage and go on to win, rather than have them totally dominate in the group stage, then fizzle out when they get to the Round of 16 or Quarterfinals. Besides, this might prove to be a wake-up call to Spain. This will teach them the lesson that no team can be taken lightly in this World Cup, and also, that if they want to win, they will have to step up their game and leave it all out there. Spain needs to win their next 2 group stage matches against Honduras and Chile respectively, in order to get out of the group stage.

Historically, no team has ever won the World Cup after losing their first match. I think we might be able to break this tradition. If Spain just takes from this and wakes up, they can turn it around and pull through. If they don't, then they didn't deserve to be here. I have faith in Spain to change things for the better in this tournament.


Denise

Spain Win 1-0 Against Historically Troublesome Opponents, But Are Still Showing Lackluster Form

Jesus Navas, who started the match for Spain today, scored the only goal in the match. It was a stunning shot from outside the 18 that led to his first goal on the national team.


Today was another international friendly for Spain, this time against a team who we've had serious bad luck against in the past: Korea. We would crack that bad luck today, but in a rather unconvincing win.


From the start, the game was sloppy, resurrecting my fears that maybe Spain has suddenly lost their form. In all fairness, Korea was also rather erratic and sloppy in their play, and were actually rather pushy and physical. Spain had a few good looks in the first half, the first real dangerous chance coming from when a long ball was played into Mata right outside the 6 yard area. Mata went to volley the ball towards goal, but a Korean defender blocked his leg from releasing the shot, resulting in cries for a penalty from the Spaniards, but the referee waved away the protests. Korea would create their first real threat when a striker blasted a shot from outside the 18, going just wide of the left post. Spain would again get a chance when Mata would have a give-and-go on the wing. He received it once more and passed it to Fabregas who was waiting outside the 18. Fabregas let one fly towards the top right, but it would deflect off the cross bar and out. Korea's last dangerous chance, and probably the most dangerous one of the half, would come right at the 45 minute mark. The Koreans would enter the 18 and would attempt a shot, but Reina rushed out to block it. As the ball went loose, the Spanish defense would scramble for the ball, but would fail to clear it, leaving Reina off his line, and the net practically wide open. The Korean took the shot, but Reina stretched out and blocked the ball, keeping Spain and Korea level at half time.

The first half play was sloppy, and in most cases, predictable. Spain played too many long balls in to the head of Llorente, but he would never capitalize. Also, the overuse of the right flank and Jesus Navas as an option would become very predictable, as the Koreans caught on quickly, sending 2 defenders shortly after to double team him. Spain's ground play, particularly smack dab in center field of the opposing side, would be rather inaccurate, unorganized, and would lead to a few sloppy turn overs. The Koreans weren't much better, as they too had the same issues. Spain had most of the possession, but the plays became so readable and inaccurate, that nothing would even come of them. The toughest obstacle for Spain was probably the Koreans physicality, as they were pushy and put a ton of pressure, giving the players practically no room to breath.


The second half started and it was the same game, until maybe 20 or so minutes in when Del Bosque decided to bring in a few substitutes that were sitting on the bench. Spain's secondary team got the start today, so many of the starters sat the bench. However, Del Bosque brought in a few key players that changed the game for sure. The entrance of David Villa, Pedro, and Xavi all had a huge impact on the game. The plays became more effective, Spain moved up and attacked a little faster, and the accuracy improved quite a bit. Xavi had an immediate impact on the midfield, creating accurate plays plenty of times to give the offense the chance to score. He moved the ball up and controlled the midfield efforts. Villa was a breath of fresh air in the offense, as Llorente was ineffective. Villa helped spur offensive chances by pulling back and helping make plays with the midfield. He had a few chances to give Spain the edge, the best of which would have been a sure goal, as he was in the 18 with a defender on him. He took a shot that would have been the goal to put Spain ahead, only, the Korean defender put his leg in at the last minute, causing it to deflect and go out for a corner. Pedro also improved Spain's game, as his work ethic would have an influence on the offensive efforts. He put a lot of pressure of the Korean defense, and would win a few balls. Also, his speed and attacks on the left flank would create chances for Spain, none of which would be finished off, however. Eventually, as the match came to a close, it looked again like a sub-par game would end in a tie. However, Spain proved everyone wrong again, after Jesus Navas would score a golazo from outside the 18 late in the second half. The game would stay 1-0, and Spain would notch another win in their Pre-World Cup campaign.

Its hard to decide how to take Spain's lackluster form as of late. Is Spain just not showing everything they've got? Are they just taking it easy, as the World Cup is only 8 days away? Are they just having a few bad games? I'm not exactly sure. Honestly, I'd rather they get these sloppy and inaccurate games out of their system now, and show up for real in South Africa, but I still can't stop worrying. Teams like England and The Netherlands are winning their friendlies convincingly...but still, maybe that can come back to bite them. Its all fine and dandy to impress everyone before the World Cup, but what really matters is whether or not you show up in South Africa. Its great if you win all your friendlies and look threatening, but you have to save it for when it matters. Maybe Spain is just taking it easy, rather than risking injury and getting tired, all over a friendly that means nothing. Still, their form has been pretty bad, and its a little unsettling to see them play like this only 8 days before the World Cup. What happened to the old Spain that would convincingly take down any opponents in a heartbeat, playing beautiful, accurate, attacking football in the process? I'm not sure, but all I hope is that Spain regains their solid form and brings it to South Africa, and leaves this lackluster one behind.


Denise