Why did Spain lose?
I love and hate that football can affect my mood so much, and I'm still really upset about the defeat yesterday. I want to think that this is a blessing in disguise because it's only the first group match and we still have chance. If this had been a knock out round we would be eliminated already and not being able to learn from mistake. I want to make several points on why we lost, and see what you think.
p.s. Sorry Mod, can you help me tag. Thanks
Sorry for the badly drawn pictures,
1) Like my beloved Barcelona, Spain seems to only have one attacking tactic, which is to attack by weaving through the defense from the middle. The picture below shows the defensive minded opponent (in red x's) and Silva/Iniesta/Villa in blue trying to weave through the defenders. When the defense "parks the bus" by using the whole team to defend, it is almost impossible to penetrate.
2) it was a mistake to have just one short striker Villa upfront. The Swiss defenders were so much taller than Villa, so it was useless trying to cross the ball to him, the tall defenders could simply head it out without problem. I was getting frustrated yesterday seeing each one of Spain's crosses getting headed out. We need to have one tall strikers (maybe Llorente since Torres is still shorter than the defenders) in the middle waiting for the crosses. Once there is a big striker inside, the defenders will feel the threat of the cross, and will spread out to defend the cross, which would give the shorter striker/wingers (i.e. Villa, Iniesta, Silva) spaces to weave their way into the goal. The two pink x's in the middle should be the tall strikers who can actually receive the crosses from the pink x's on the wings.
3) Another way to change up the tactic and open up the crowded space inside the box is to have a long shooter. Having players that can shoot from distance will also open up spaces by drawing defenders away to defend these long shooters. Players like Silva/Iniesta/Villa can do their weavings and then pass the ball back to Alonso and have him take a shot from distance. Alonso has the force in his shots that if he shoots alot, maybe he will get one in and we will have one point! From yesterday's game it looks like Navas has the ability to do long shot too. The green x shows Alonso making long shots.
4) If we have weavers, tall strikers in the middle to make crosses danger for opponent, and long shooters, the defender cannot just all congregate in the box to defend. They will have to spread out, which makes our weavers more effective.
5) The goal yesterday was the fault of several people. First, I don't think Iker deal with the ball very well, and if he wasn't so sure, he should'nt have leave the goal. Second, maybe there was misunderstanding between the Barca defenders and RM keeper. Third, Busquet's mispass created the chance for the Swiss.
6) We had a lot of chances yesterday and could've scored many, but with a combination of bad luck and lack of confidence we didn't convert any. There were several ocassions I thought various players should have tried for goal instead of pass( i.e. at one point I was surprised that Villa opted for the pass). So I think it's important that the players have more confidence in taking shots
7) We can never do a counter attack since we always have the ball and we are always already in the opponent's half and it's always packed with defenders...
Anyways, like the Spain World cup Blog article and some of you said, the defeat has taken off the pressure of the favorite tag off Spain's shoulder. And from now on, we can just regroup and win without the pressure and the radar.
I have faith in this Spanish team, and I think now we can set the record to be the first team to win the tournament by losing the first match! Vamos España !!
p.s. Sorry Mod, can you help me tag. Thanks
Sorry for the badly drawn pictures,
1) Like my beloved Barcelona, Spain seems to only have one attacking tactic, which is to attack by weaving through the defense from the middle. The picture below shows the defensive minded opponent (in red x's) and Silva/Iniesta/Villa in blue trying to weave through the defenders. When the defense "parks the bus" by using the whole team to defend, it is almost impossible to penetrate.
2) it was a mistake to have just one short striker Villa upfront. The Swiss defenders were so much taller than Villa, so it was useless trying to cross the ball to him, the tall defenders could simply head it out without problem. I was getting frustrated yesterday seeing each one of Spain's crosses getting headed out. We need to have one tall strikers (maybe Llorente since Torres is still shorter than the defenders) in the middle waiting for the crosses. Once there is a big striker inside, the defenders will feel the threat of the cross, and will spread out to defend the cross, which would give the shorter striker/wingers (i.e. Villa, Iniesta, Silva) spaces to weave their way into the goal. The two pink x's in the middle should be the tall strikers who can actually receive the crosses from the pink x's on the wings.
3) Another way to change up the tactic and open up the crowded space inside the box is to have a long shooter. Having players that can shoot from distance will also open up spaces by drawing defenders away to defend these long shooters. Players like Silva/Iniesta/Villa can do their weavings and then pass the ball back to Alonso and have him take a shot from distance. Alonso has the force in his shots that if he shoots alot, maybe he will get one in and we will have one point! From yesterday's game it looks like Navas has the ability to do long shot too. The green x shows Alonso making long shots.
4) If we have weavers, tall strikers in the middle to make crosses danger for opponent, and long shooters, the defender cannot just all congregate in the box to defend. They will have to spread out, which makes our weavers more effective.
5) The goal yesterday was the fault of several people. First, I don't think Iker deal with the ball very well, and if he wasn't so sure, he should'nt have leave the goal. Second, maybe there was misunderstanding between the Barca defenders and RM keeper. Third, Busquet's mispass created the chance for the Swiss.
6) We had a lot of chances yesterday and could've scored many, but with a combination of bad luck and lack of confidence we didn't convert any. There were several ocassions I thought various players should have tried for goal instead of pass( i.e. at one point I was surprised that Villa opted for the pass). So I think it's important that the players have more confidence in taking shots
7) We can never do a counter attack since we always have the ball and we are always already in the opponent's half and it's always packed with defenders...
Anyways, like the Spain World cup Blog article and some of you said, the defeat has taken off the pressure of the favorite tag off Spain's shoulder. And from now on, we can just regroup and win without the pressure and the radar.
I have faith in this Spanish team, and I think now we can set the record to be the first team to win the tournament by losing the first match! Vamos España !!