Saturday, July 7, 2012

Spanish juggernauts ruling the world of football


Champions of Euro 2008, Champions of world 2010 and now champions of Euro 2012 again. Well, Spain has learnt how to dominate footballing world for sure. It is not about domination; it’s the way they dominate that amazes me. Spain has always been a team with great talent but has always under- performed when it comes to big stages. Ever since they were crowned as the champions of Europe in 2008, they have learnt their lessons and have started dominating the game like never before.

The main reason behind Spain’s victory over the years has been the kind of football they have played. Their style of football which is called as ‘Tiki-taka’ is something that is so amazing to watch. The selfless football they play is a lesson that other footballing nations must learn. There are so many other reasons which can be attributed to Spain’s success in recent past. The first and foremost is their domestic footballing structure. Although they do not have a competitive league as the English, their top two domestic clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid have always produced quality players. Most of the players in the national side are representatives of these two clubs which makes the team so strong. Not only that, the kind of football they play at domestic level ie.’tiki - taka’ is something that is being groomed and followed even at international level.

To highlight few more positives, the players playing for Barcelona and real are of Spanish origin and hence, it becomes easy for them to coordinate and play as a team when it comes to national duty. This is something that is missing in English football. Despite English having a competitive club footballing structure, they fail to dominate international stages. This is because most of the clubs in England have foreigners and the failures to groom local talents have cost them high at international level. Too add to the woes, the EPL is too long and it makes life more difficult for players to play at international tournaments. Whereas on the other hand the Spanish league gets over much early and it becomes easy for players to forget their club rivalry and play in unity.

As a matter of honesty the kind of talented players that Spain has in its’present team, the likes Xavi, Xabi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Silva and Casillas can be regarded as their golden generation. It’s not only individual talent but the talent as a team which Spain possesses that makes it a special side. To be able to play as a team with so many great names is not easy and is something that Spain has been successfully doing. If Spain continue to play the kind of football they have, they will not only be considered as ''the juggernauts'' but will also be regarded as team that has touched the pinnacle of glory not once but as many as possible,a feat that no team has ever touched before.