Congratulations spain

Great team it's also evidence how impactful a managerial change is, being totally written off only 24 months ago being dumped out the world cup by Morocco to then being the best in a major tournament two years later.

Don't even think it's a case of having the most fantastic individuals on a position to position basis but being the best team as a cohesive. That's been the difference this tournament.
 
The gushing over this Spain team is a little over the top in my book, both in terms of quality and how attacking their football was - I thought both Germany and France were a bit better in their matches, and France were objectively much more attacking.

Still, they're worthy winners, a well balanced and resilient team, and incredible at game management, both light and dark arts.
 
The Hilton said:
The gushing over this Spain team is a little over the top in my book, both in terms of quality and how attacking their football was - I thought both Germany and France were a bit better in their matches, and France were objectively much more attacking.

Still, they're worthy winners, a well balanced and resilient team, and incredible at game management, both light and dark arts.
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Germany, yes, but France were toothless.
 
The whole tournament was pretty wretched in terms of quality. I think it was a real shame Germany and Austria got knocked out so early because they did play some good stuff but I don't think anyone would argue Spain weren't the best side overall. Terrible tournament though.

Please let Portugal, England and France in particular make severe changes at coaching level or in terms of their squads because there's no way they should have been that bad. I was going to add Belgium to that list but they always disappoint.
 
GlasgowCeltic said:
Gotta be an all time great in his position at this point, I’m still taking him over any of the English right backs
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no doubt, he's a motherfecker and a dirty rat, but I wouldn't have any other right back over him in my 30+ years lifetime, maybe Lahm but it's very close.
 
Kopral Jono said:
Germany, yes, but France were toothless.
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France had more shots, both on and off target, over double the number of touches in the Spanish box than vice versa, and lost to a ridiculously low percentage goal and an own goal. So I'd say they can feel pretty hard done by.
 
Congrats Spain
Easily the better team.
It would be great if more of the Spanish players got the chance to play for Madrid instead of them just buying all the best non Spanish players from the other leagues around the world.
 
The Hilton said:
France had more shots, both on and off target, over double the number of touches in the Spanish box than vice versa, and lost to a ridiculously low percentage goal and an own goal. So I'd say they can feel pretty hard done by.
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Fair enough but having watched the game I thought Spain looked comfortable throughout and had another gear in them if they had needed it. The Germany game was a different story, though. I thought Germany were the better side and created the better chances (though Kroos had zero business being on the pitch for the full 120 minutes having committed cynical foul after cynical foul).
 
Cascarino said:
Does not winning in xG in two games mean they didn’t deserve it? I don’t think it can be argued that any team was more deserving than Spain over the course of the whole tournament. They played entertaining and effective football.

xG can be misleading as well.Spain went 2-1 up early against France, the xG is going to reflect the fact that France were chasing the game for the majority of it. The German game was a little different, I actually thought Germany were the better side, but they had the home advantage, and again, does Germany being better in this one game mean Spain are undeserving winners?
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Agree. Spain deserves to win for this alone:

 
This Spain team is really the blueprint for how we should be looking to build and play. They aren't the Tiki taka, possession obsessed side that needed Xavi/Iniesta/Busquets to dominate games to that level. Just a really well balanced team with of course talented players, but the right players in the right position who offer complimentary qualities, not getting in each other's way and just ticking off the clear football profiles that you need for every position. It really wasn't a complicated system from them, but showed the effectiveness of just getting the standard things right and to a high level.

Get 2 wingers who balance each other and can both create and score, both can carry, take on their fullback, go inside or outside, but are direct. Olmo as a #10 providing directness and a goal threat, but also supporting the midfield. Normal fullbacks, not inverted, just a group of talented players, encouraged to control games and just balance each other perfectly.
 
The Hilton said:
The gushing over this Spain team is a little over the top in my book, both in terms of quality and how attacking their football was - I thought both Germany and France were a bit better in their matches, and France were objectively much more attacking.

Still, they're worthy winners, a well balanced and resilient team, and incredible at game management, both light and dark arts.
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They played football that was nice in the eyes, scored the most goals and won every game, including games against the host nation Germany and France, who were the favourites coming into the tournament as well as England who were second favourites coming into the tournament.

They deserve all the praise they get.

The Spain v Germany game was the real final in my eyes. The tournament peaked with that game.
 
Incredible midfield, the full backs played way better than I expected them to, and even without a prolific striker they were the best team in the final third. Unlike the extremely boring (and superb) Spain teams that dominated 15-20 years ago, this team is actually a delight to watch.

They really should have put this game to bed way before Palmer got on, and then they had chances before the eventual winner.
 
Kopral Jono said:
Fair enough but having watched the game I thought Spain looked comfortable throughout and had another gear in them if they had needed it. The Germany game was a different story, though. I thought Germany were the better side and created the better chances (though Kroos had zero business being on the pitch for the full 120 minutes having committed cynical foul after cynical foul).
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Spain looked relatively comfortable against France because they're excellent front runners, but if both teams had taken their chances France would have made the final.
 
Dirty Schwein said:
They played football that was nice in the eyes, scored the most goals and won every game, including games against the host nation Germany and France, who were the favourites coming into the tournament as well as England who were second favourites coming into the tournament.

They deserve all the praise they get.

The Spain v Germany game was the real final in my eyes. The tournament peaked with that game.
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Seems to be like you've justified the hyperbole around them with more hyperbole.

Spain played good football, but I'd have Germany as playing the best football of the tournament, and both Germany and France should have beaten them.

Plus England being among the favourites is a meme nowadays, they were always going to lose to the first decent team they came up against - they barely fluked past Slovakia!

Don't get me wrong, Spain do deserve a lot of praise, but the idea that they were clearly the best team isn't true, they edged all of the big contests and it could just as easily be Germany or France lifting the trophy.
 
hasanejaz88 said:
That loss will always haunt me like 2016 against France. We could've won the trophy had we gotten past Spain.
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Fine margins as well. Fullkrug had his moment at the end of the match where he sent the header wide. Football can be painful sometimes.

Tournament in your home country where your team looked very good, there will always be that lingering feeling of 'what if'
 
The Hilton said:
Spain played good football, but I'd have Germany as playing the best football of the tournament, and both Germany and France should have beaten them.

Don't get me wrong, Spain do deserve a lot of praise, but the idea that they were clearly the best team isn't true, they edged all of the big contests and it could just as easily be Germany or France lifting the trophy.
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France could have well lifted the trophy, yes, but they would have still been worse than Spain, they were mediocre all tournament.
 
The Hilton said:
Seems to be like you've justified the hyperbole around them with more hyperbole.

Spain played good football, but I'd have Germany as playing the best football of the tournament, and both Germany and France should have beaten them.

Plus England being among the favourites is a meme nowadays, they were always going to lose to the first decent team they came up against - they barely fluked past Slovakia!

Don't get me wrong, Spain do deserve a lot of praise, but the idea that they were clearly the best team isn't true, they edged all of the big contests and it could just as easily be Germany or France lifting the trophy.
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So if France had won it, a team which scored 1(one) goal from open play, would they be the best team of the tournament?
Also they were completely toothless vs Spain so I'm not sure they could have have easily lifted the trophy.

Germany had a good game and was slightly better than Spain but Spain won 7 games out of 7 and is a deserved champion.
 
Cloud7 said:
Fine margins as well. Fullkrug had his moment at the end of the match where he sent the header wide. Football can be painful sometimes.

Tournament in your home country where your team looked very good, there will always be that lingering feeling of 'what if'
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Exactly, there was a new energy and excitement with the tournament being at home and us playing well after being sh*t for 6 years. So unlucky that we had to face the other best team in the QF otherwise I would've fancied ourselves against anyone else in the tournament.

I wasn't in Germany in 2006 but I expect the mood was similar because even then the team was coming off horrible performances and seemed rejuvenated in that tournament.
 
Spain the best team of the tournament, by a mile. England going through on luck to the final.
 
Spain has definitely been the dominant force in world football in the last 25 years.
Interestingly enough, before 2000, Spain had only won one Euro, Real Madrid hadn't won the Champions League for 30+ years, and Barcelona had only one Champions League trophy, which they won in 1994.
 
As you said, I think we are fair winners but it could have been different against Germany. In that game I thought we were out. Without Yamal and Nico, with Germany pushing hard and two minutes from penalties against Neuer.
Bondi77 said:
Congrats Spain
Easily the better team.
It would be great if more of the Spanish players got the chance to play for Madrid instead of them just buying all the best non Spanish players from the other leagues around the world.
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Carvajal said in an interview that every day he tells Rodri to sign for Madrid, but like many other Spanish players they are very expensive and a bit risky when they are not yet fully elite, although they could risk a bit more.
 
The Hilton said:
Seems to be like you've justified the hyperbole around them with more hyperbole.

Spain played good football, but I'd have Germany as playing the best football of the tournament, and both Germany and France should have beaten them.

Plus England being among the favourites is a meme nowadays, they were always going to lose to the first decent team they came up against - they barely fluked past Slovakia!

Don't get me wrong, Spain do deserve a lot of praise, but the idea that they were clearly the best team isn't true, they edged all of the big contests and it could just as easily be Germany or France lifting the trophy.
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Beating top teams is hard and Spain still came through... They also beat every team you expect then to beat. International football is not club football, it's far more disjointed and Spain seemed the most cohesive team alongside Germany, either of those winning the tournament would be well deserved.

You tell me, who was better than Spain?

France? Who scored one open play goal all tournament? England, who should have been out against Slovakia? Portugal, who were playing with 10 men the entire tournament?

Only Germany, but the two teams played each other and Spain came out on top.
 
Real Name said:
So if France had won it, a team which scored 1(one) goal from open play, would they be the best team of the tournament?
Also they were completely toothless vs Spain so I'm not sure they could have have easily lifted the trophy.

Germany had a good game and was slightly better than Spain but Spain won 7 games out of 7 and is a deserved champion.
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I've stated multiple times that I think Spain were worthy winners, I'm just disagreeing with the narrative that they were clearly the best team, given that both Germany and France should have beaten them based on chances created in each match.
 
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