It’s time to end Spain’s reign in Europe
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 29 Jun 2012 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Euro Championships, football, Germany, Italy, Spain
Spanish players celebrate at the end of the penalty shoot out. AFP PHOTO / DAMIEN MEYER
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It is not often that Germany goes into a major tournament as a popular underdog. But if the three-time European champion reaches the Euro 2012 final against Spain in Kiev, there will be plenty of fans cheering for a German win.
Naturally, if Germany progress to the final in Ukraine’s impressively rebuilt Olimpiyskiy Stadium, it’s because they’ll have beaten Italy overnight.
Spain beats Portugal on penalties at European Championship
But even if it’s the Azzurri who take on defending World and European champions Spain, could anyone begrudge neutral fans for hoping to see a different name on the trophy?
After all, Spain could only manage a 1-1 draw with Italy during the group stage of the tournament and needed penalties to see off Portugal in their all-Iberian semi-final.
They might be the kings of possession football but the Spaniards haven’t exactly blown their opponents out of the water on their eastern European sojourn.
Italy have been their usual functional selves and were largely the better team in their quarter-final shoot-out win over England, but perhaps the most attacking side left in the tournament are Germany.
They’ve been an overtly attacking side since the World Cup in 2006 – a tournament in which Germany’s attractive style so readily pleased fans in the host nation.
Much was made then of Germany’s multicultural line-up but to anyone who has spent time in the country, the fact die Mannschaft has such a multi-ethnic composition comes as no surprise.
It’s more the fact Jögi Low has his team in sparkling attacking form which should give Spain coach Vicente del Bosque cause for concern, not least because Germany has so many interchangeable attacking weapons.
Mario Gomez might be their top scorer at the time of writing – ironically he also holds Spanish citizenship – but six other players had got on the scoresheet before Germany’s semi-final.
Some, like new Borussia Dortmund signing Marco Reus, are seen as the future of German football while others such as Arsenal-bound Lukas Podolski have been long-term mainstays of Low’s side.
And if they can get past an Italy side which kept clean sheets against the Republic of Ireland and England, Germany’s multi-faceted and oft-varying line-up may just have the weaponry to unlock a Spanish defence missing the lion-hearted Carles Puyol.
Whoever reaches the final, it will thankfully be screened on free-to-air TV on SBS after much of the tournament was hidden away on Setanta.
Pay TV is one thing but being forced to fork out extra for the Irish station is far from an ideal scenario for Australian football fans.
Maybe I’m just being sour because Setanta have ended their J. League coverage, but having being blown away by a Euro ’96 covered memorably on free-to-air, I’ve been largely underwhelmed by every European Championship ever since.
That’s partly because I now pay most of my attention to Socceroos and A-League fixtures, anyway.
Many Australians have ties with European countries – although personally I’m not one of them – but the more discussion there is surrounding the A-League and Australian football matters, the less I’m interested in what’s going on in Europe.
That said, I’ll still be tuning in to the European final and with no disrespect to Spanish fans, I hope to see someone other than Iker Casillas lift the trophy come Monday morning.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
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- Explore:
- Euro Championships, football, Germany, Italy, Spain
June 29th 2012 @ 7:16am
MV Dave said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:16am | Report comment
Spain have largely been painful to watch. Any team that puts to the field without a striker/forward is seemingly intent on playing keepings off and wearing the opposition down. I was hoping Germany could finish the Spaniards but now l will have to rely on ‘Super Mario’ and Italy to do it…VIva Italia!!
June 29th 2012 @ 9:17pm
Kasey said | June 29th 2012 @ 9:17pm | Report comment
I can’t believe I’m agreeing with a t@rd;), but I’m 100% with you MVDave. If Spain were to win the title, the threat is that their striker-less system could spread. That would be a blow for proponents of the beautiful game IMO. Spain have been painful to watch, that’s why it as such a breath of fresh air to watch Balotelii beast the German defence this morning. I still haven’t forgiven Italy for 2006, but I’d rather they win with Super Mario blowing the Spaniards off the field than have La Roja bore the crap out of us for 120 minutes and pinch it on pens.
June 29th 2012 @ 7:46am
Mike Tuckerman said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:46am | Report comment
Well, there you have it. It’s not Germany but Italy many of us will be cheering for in the final. Mario Balotelli really is an X-factor for the Italians (some dreadful German defending in this morning’s semi-final notwithstanding).
I’m with you, Dave. I admire tiki-taka football as much as the next person but sometimes you just want to see a striker smash home an unstoppable long-range strike, a la Balotelli this morning. Viva Italia indeed!
June 29th 2012 @ 7:59am
Bondy said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:59am | Report comment
Tyson with no gloves,that bloke.
June 29th 2012 @ 8:14am
Bondy said | June 29th 2012 @ 8:14am | Report comment
I was saying to Fussball Mike that I subscibe’d for setanta but realised if you want a pay as you go structure”instead of $130 a year or something like that” they bite you for another months payment after your initial payment,so you have a subscription fee, a fee for the month you watch “which is fair” ofcourse,but they then bite you for another month after the tournament ,I said im not interested after the euros,im being slugged for another month where in which they no people dont want.
While im on the subject I dont know about these new platforms to transmit new technoligy I could have watched the euros on my notebook but the inconveniance of it all had me subscribing to Setanta after watching two games on the net with buffering at times which was hard to watch. I chose to buy the euros over sitting infront of a notebook for free.
June 29th 2012 @ 11:59am
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | June 29th 2012 @ 11:59am | Report comment
We saw both sides of Balotelli in that match,the pure brilliance and stupidity.I mean getting a yellow card for taking your shirt off in the 39th minute what was he thinking(maybe leave that for a stoppage time winner Mario).
June 29th 2012 @ 7:47am
Silvio said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:47am | Report comment
Forza Italia!
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June 29th 2012 @ 10:10am
tonysalerno said | June 29th 2012 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Forza Italia!
June 29th 2012 @ 7:58am
Bondy said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:58am | Report comment
With the Spanish its very hard to remain on an upward spiral for 4-5 years if you look at Xavi he’s not excactly over the top as a player but,I detect slightly from some scribes a sense of c,mon lets have something new,imagine if they the Spanish went on to win this championship and the world cup in Brazil !.
It must be noted that generally when a scandal breaks out in Italian football prior to a tournament thats involved match alterations in the Seria A it generally means the Italian players are ready, their finely tuned to carry scandals through major tournaments.
Best of luck to both nations as a neutral.
June 29th 2012 @ 10:05am
Savvas Tzionis said | June 29th 2012 @ 10:05am | Report comment
The eternal bias of The Roar writers against Spain’s recent achievement’s reveals itself again.
Granted, in this tournament, they have, sadly, been less entertaining than previously, but you have not even acknowledged this. Simply stating that you are sick of them (which implies that you never really enjoyed their football over the last 4 years).
But Spain are lacking two of their lynchpins in Puyol and, perhaps, more importantly, their frontman, David Villa. Fernando Torres lack of form over the previous 2/3 years has counted against him it appears. And maybe Spain are also suffering in the front half from what ails EVERY ASPECT of England’s football.
That is, Barcelona have not nurtured a home grown frontman (other than David Villa) because they have the worlds best player there in Messi. This may have conconstrained Spain’s national team in this tournament.
Your point about the lack of free to air coverage (even IF you have Foxtel, this is not enough) is quite pertinent though. There is a distinct lack of coverage in the mainstream media and I am sure that this lack of free to air coverage is one reason.
June 29th 2012 @ 10:19am
Savvas Tzionis said | June 29th 2012 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Mike, I see that in a comment you state that you do in fact enjoy their football. So, perhaps I was a little harsh. I still think that there is an overall bias against Spain on this site.
June 29th 2012 @ 1:46pm
Brian said | June 29th 2012 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
Don’t know about a bias but yes I am over Spain winning 1-0. They don’t concede goals by holding the ball. The rules surrounding tackling from behind or with studs showing have benefited them greatly. They are brilliant don’t get me wrong but their games lack goals – that is why people are bored of them.
June 29th 2012 @ 10:25am
Worlds Biggest said | June 29th 2012 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Forza Italia indeed !
Germany have yet to beat Italy in a major tournament, incredible.
June 29th 2012 @ 10:28am
Savvas Tzionis said | June 29th 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
This fact reminded me of how Brazil and Germany had NEVER met each other in the World Cup until the 2002 Final.
Yet, we must remember that the 2 major tournaments are only ever held ever 2 years, so it is not as surprising as it seem’s.
June 29th 2012 @ 11:17am
Roger Rational said | June 29th 2012 @ 11:17am | Report comment
Germany – semifinal bottlers.
June 29th 2012 @ 11:20am
Savvas Tzionis said | June 29th 2012 @ 11:20am | Report comment
I think this is the FIRST time I have ever seen the word’s Germany and bottler/choker etc, used at the same time.
The PIGS are having their revenge?
Even Greece scored twice against them.
June 29th 2012 @ 12:01pm
Worlds Biggest said | June 29th 2012 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
Indeed you don’t associate Germany and bottlers in the same sentence. 2006 World Cup on home soil they lost to Italy in the semi finals. They were playing sublime football in that tournament and had a good mixture of youth and experience. That was like this morning a stunning upset. 2008 Euro Final lost to Spain and again in the 2010 World Cup Semi from all people a Puyol header.
June 29th 2012 @ 12:04pm
Savvas Tzionis said | June 29th 2012 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
The 2010 World Cup was the worst (granted, I have not seen this mornings game yet.. highlights on SBS tonight).
They capitulated… never looked like winning. But perhaps Spain were at their peak and Germany’s young guns had not fully developed yet.
June 29th 2012 @ 12:20pm
Worlds Biggest said | June 29th 2012 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
I would have thought it doesn’t get any worse then losing on home soil in a World Cup Semi. If they never looked like winning in 2010 then you acknowlege that as you said, Spain at there peak and inexperience played it’s part. In 2006 they had a core of the 2002 Finals Team plus some great youngsters, Podolski, Bastien etc… and an entire country behind you in your own backyard.
June 29th 2012 @ 1:39pm
Brian said | June 29th 2012 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
They had no expectations in 2006 having overperformed in 2002 and after a horrible Euro 2004 where they were beaten by a Czech R B team.
June 29th 2012 @ 1:58pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | June 29th 2012 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
ITA v ESP in the final – so Group C proved to be stronger than “Group B: The Group of Death”.
Only 1 team has scored a goal against ESP at Euro2012. Yup, the Italian lads. If this match is similar to the respective Group match, we’re in for a treat.
It’s the first time in my 35yrs following football that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the Italian NT – for me, they’re the most entertaining at Euro2012.