Spain: My analysis about the Champion of the World Cup 2010

We know that Spain are the Champion in the World Cup 2010. It's the first time in their soccer history to lift the most prestigious trophy. They have completed their achievement because before this, they have won the European Champion trophy. However, there is a question about their achievement. How can they become so superior in the last few years? Here is my analysis about this team. Let's look at this team from every department.

Let's start from the back. Under the cross bar, they have Iker Cassillas, the Real Madrid goal keeper. He is now in his top form. He has made a couple of saves during the tournament.  Next, they have Carlos Puyol and Gerrard Pique as the center back and Sergio Ramos  and Joan Capdevilla as full back. Carlos Puyol and Gerrard Pique are very solid defenders because they are from the same club, Barcelona. Sergio Ramos  and Joan Capdevilla are typically modern full back. They often overlap to help their teammates in attack but they return to their positions quickly when there is a counter attack. 

Now let's look at their midfield. I think this is the strongest part of Spain. They have Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, the mastermind of all Spanish attacks. They orchestrate Spanish attack from  midfield. Iniesta is a small player, but he has a nimble footwork and low-center gravity. His control of the ball is excellent. Xavi also has the same quality as Iniesta and he can also pass the ball accurately to his teammate. They also have Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets as holding midfielders. They are the first players to stop the opponents' attack and they have done their job well. 

Upfront, They have David Villa, a prolific goal scorer from Valencia. As a striker, he has a great goal-scoring instinct. He has quick feet and speed that enable him to beat any defender. In short, David Villa is a complete striker.

All in all, Spain deserve to win the World Cup 2010. They are a very good and solid team in every department. Congratulations, Spain!

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Germany vs Spain: Spain deserve to win.

The second semifinal match between Germany and Spain was expected to be a thrilling match. Germany have a long tradition in the World Cup tournament and Spain are the recent European champion. It was a tight match with both teams trying to take initiatives in order to control the match. After a while, it was clear that Spain were more superior and they started to control the match. It was not a surprise when they won the match by a single goal. In my opinion, there are some reasons why Spain deserve to win.

First, they got hold of the midfield and looked more composed in that part of the pitch. Orchestrated by Xavi and Iniesta, Spain controlled the play during the match. They passed the ball quickly from one player to another. They rarely made a mistake in doing so. As a result, German players couldn't get a touch of the ball. They tried to win the ball but to no avail since Spanish players were very effective in passing the ball. In that match, It was clear that midfield belonged to Spain.

Next, the counter attack that has been the German trademark during the tournament did not work. They did it very well against Argentina or England. It did not happen against Spain because Spanish players were very disciplined. They returned to their half so quickly  when they lost possession that it did not give much space to German players to create goal-scoring chances. To make things worse, German players were not able to play one-two touch football and failed to show individual skills to open up resolute Spanish defense.

Then, Germany lost a key player in a shape of Thomas Mueller, the Bayern Munich striker. Before the match against Spain, Mueller has been an important player in the team. His collaboration with Klose and Podolski has created a solid trio in the German front line. Without Mueller's presence upfront, German attack was somewhat less menacing than the ones before. Piotr Trochowski who took over Mueller's place failed to carry out his role as Klose and Podolski's partners.

In brief, Spain really deserve to win the semifinal match. They controlled the midfield, were very disciplined and were a bit fortunate with Thomas Mueller's absence in the German team.

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The Menacing Young German Team

Do you see anything different in the German national team in the World Cup 2010? That's right. They  consist of young players, yet they are menacing. So far until the quarterfinal, they have scored 13 goals in the tournament and they have only conceded 2 goals. It's a remarkable statistics, isn't it?. How can they become such a productive and menacing team? Now let's take a closer look into this team.

Let's begin from the back. The goalkeeper, Michael Neuer, is only 22 years old but his performance looks promising. The Schalke goalkeeper has shown that he deserves to be the right person under the crossbar.  In front of the goalkeeper, they have Arne Friedrich and Per Mertesacker as centerback and Phillip Lahm and Jerome Boateng as full back. Except Boateng, the others are senior and experienced players who have won a lot caps for the German national team. They are very solid at the back.

In midefield, they have young squad. Bastian Schweinsteiger is only 25 years old. Sami Khedira is only 23 years old and so is Mesut Ozil. Schweinsteiger and Khedira play very well as holding midfielders and Ozil functions as an attacking midfielder behind the three strikers. All of them are harworking players in midfiled.

Upfront, they have Thomas Mueller, a twenty-year-old striker from Bayern Munich, accompanied by two senior strikers, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. This combination of young and senior players are lethal. They can work together very well and score many goals.

So, after looking at the profile of the German team, I think you've got the picture why this team consisting of young players can be so menacing to other teams in this tournament. They are solid at the back, strong in midfield and productive upfront. Consequently, I don't feel surprised if finally, this young German team become the Champion of the World Cup 2010.

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