Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona: two goals for Messi
Lionel Messi scored a poacher’s strike and then a superb solo effort to give Barcelona a major advantage in the tie. Jose Mourinho named his expected side – Lassana Diarra was in for Sami Khedira,...
View ArticleSpain 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...
View ArticleEuro 2012 preview: Spain
Spain didn’t win World Cup 2010 through pure tiki-taka. They won because they mixed tiki-taka with different options that brought more directness and urgency to their play. When they went with pure...
View ArticleSpain 2-0 France: Blanc’s double right-back plan fails and Alonso deservedly...
Laurent Blanc named an extremely reactive team – but France neither stifled Spain’s threat down the left, nor played their own game effectively. Vicente del Bosque had hinted he would make changes from...
View ArticleReal Madrid 1-1 Valencia: Xabi Alonso dictates the game but Real fail to find...
Mauricio Pellegrino’s debut as Valencia coach resulted in a draw at the Bernabeu. Jose Mourinho’s side was very familiar from last season – no new signings played. The main surprise was that Lassana...
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