Spain worthy winners – 2008

I wan’t exactly supporting Spain at Euro 2008 but must admit to being won over by their play in the final.

The only team who really played nice flowing football in the game thoroughly deserved the crown as champions after the 90 mins and to finally get a trophy after 44 years is a great achievement.

Torres’ goal was a superb dink over the keeper, and the German defence was abysmal to say best.

Much has been made about the Germans weakness at the back throughout the tournament but I can’t help but feel their weakness up front was even more worrying.

The only German player who came out of the game with any credit was the outstanding Schweinstiger who for me was one of the payers of the tournament.

So congrats to Spain, who also had midfielder Xavi named as player of the tournament. I can’t help that they must now also be favourites for the World Cup!

What makes a good footballing nation?

With all the uproar about no British clubs making it through to Euro 2008, I started wondering what exactly it is that makes a nation good at football.

Being from Wales I’ve grown used to having a mediocre National team who don’t qualify for major tournaments, but can more than hold there own against some of the big boys and even occasionally cause the odd shock or two.

Many of my English friends though just can’t believe that their national team is not good enough to qualify for the Euro’s. When you look on paper you’d think they’re good enough or is it just familiarity blurring our judgement? I mean if Gerrard, Terry, Ferdinand etc where really as good as we think why hasn’t a club like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Inter Milan tried to take them off abroad?

These English players are, I must admit, players I would welcome into any club I support, but just how good really are they?

I’d rather have a team of 11 good players who were willing to work hard together and play as a team than have a team of 11 excellent players who won’t give the ball to one another.
Having watched a couple of England friendlies lately it’s been quite notable that one of their brightest players David Bentley is excluded from most moves and passing sequences and even seemed to warm up and down on his own. If I were an England fan I would find it quite worrying that a man who can use both feet and work so hard at club level should be pushed out of “the click”.

It would also worry me a little that one of the teams best performers is a man who in effect plays part time football in a minor league. Of course I mean Mr beckham. I have always been a massive fan of his football. His workrate puts a lot of the younger players to shame even now and he actually looks like it means something to him to pull on the national shirt. Unfortunately when it comes to a lot of the other players who seem to think having a glamourous wife and multicoloured football boots makes them a star. Maybe I am a little unfair, but there is no doubt whatsoever that several players, more so in an England shirt than any other nation I can think off, have one eye on who they’re playing in the premier league next week than caring about the opponents in front of them at the time!

So what does make a good footballing nation? Well It’s hard to say but when premier league teams pay millions for players that are only just teens, then train any natural ability out of them until they reach an age where they are told they are not good enough, it’s unlikely we’re going to turn up the gems we once did.

Unfortunately in building the wonderful league that the premier league has become we’ve created a monster. A monster that eats up talented youngsters and spits them out, to be replaced by hard working foreign imports who will do the job for half the price.

I think the sooner the 6 plus 5 rule kicks in the better, at the moment it looks like 2012 so role on world cup 2018!! We should be in with a shout!