Euro 2012 SF#2

If I ever question myself that I have too little faith in people, examples such as last night's whistling of the Spanish kickabout answer me.

Spain play football pretty much like Floyd Mayweather boxes.  They are so confident in their technical ability that they will probe the defense and back out.  If they find that you've bunkered up, whereas Germany will let you attack them to expose yourself, Spain will probe and wait as long as it takes to get you open.

But, people are apparently tiring of Spain's cautious patient style.  Rather than bemoan the bunkered up defense, they whinge about Spain having so much of the ball.

Despite everybody's sudden perverse aversion to the tiki-taka- they weren't whistling when Spain were tearing holes in the Portugal defense- the better team advanced.  They should really be whistling when Spain get the ball to/in the box and the strikers decide to go backwards.  Then, they could acknowlege the real problems; Messi doesn't play for Spain, David Villa is hurt and Torres is damaged goods, so there are no strikers to finish the dance.

C. Ronaldo took to the wing more than the previous two matches and was not as effective in this match, skying and shooting over on several occasions.  Princess also decided he was going to go 5th on the PKs, thinking he'd snag the winning kick, only to be closed out.  Can you imagine what flopping, crying dance he had in store?  He would've made Nadal look like Raymond Bourque.

Still, I did not expect that both Pique and Ramos would convert.  That was the separation.

GER over ITA - So, will Germany prove to be the same "Culona Inchiavabile" that Berlusconi purports its prime minister to be?  My Italian buddy says, "Dobbiamo chiavarla. Se no, non si va in finale."  They will have to hold their collective nose and venture/succeed where Silvio could/would not.

While generally reasonable, he is almost cocksure that Italy will advance, citing that Germany has never beaten Italy when it has mattered.  That, all those other times, Italy has had the team to do it, is immaterial.

In addition to playing up the importance, status and supposed effectiveness of Schweinsteiger, he is banking on the Italian philosophy that the goal will come from somewhere; it will be conceived/begotten, even if they don't actively try to score.  He's probably also banking on the Germans not being fast enough to stretch the Italians, so that when the Italians do make a goal out of thin air, they will do it late enough that it will be enough to win.

Hey, Germany's not THAT good.  I do think Italy, much more so than Greece, have the wherewithal to destroy the game and demoralize the German attack.  They still have to score, however, otherwise they'll again wind up in PKs, where Germany almost never lose.  I do not believe that Italy can both hold out and score.