Earning the (re)cap: Raining on Spain's parade

Photo: Fernando Torres sneaks by Philipp Lahm en route to scoring the only goal of the Germany-Spain final Sunday (Photo from BBC Sport).

Breaking down the European Championship final...

Spain 1, Germany 0

Well, that was a bit of a lackluster final compared to some of the tournament's other games. There was still some good soccer on display, but not a ton of great offensive chances or climatic moments, in my mind at least. Also, the Spanish team fell left, right and centre whenever a slight breeze came up: it worked, but they really didn't need to spoil a good game with a diving exhibition. Spain certainly deserved the win on the basis of their play yesterday, and they probably should have had at least two goals. Perhaps I'm just a grumpy German, but I don't think their win somehow prevents them from criticism, though, and I certainly haven't been drinking the same Guinness as those pundits who are heralding them as the greatest side in the world.

The praise that bugs me the most is from those who talk about how Spain's "beautiful soccer" is an example for everyone else to follow, reading from the script laid down by the ancient manager Luis Aragones in his post-match press conference. Yes, Spain has scored some beautiful goals in this tournament (particularly in their two thrashings of Russia), but I really didn't see too much of that yesterday, and I'm concerned with our conception of beauty. Fernando Torres made a nice break past Philipp Lahm and chipped the ball over Jens Lehmann for the match's only goal, and that was about it for the highlight reel. There were a couple of other good chances, including a shot or two off the post, but the longer-lasting image of the match will be the countless times when Spanish players had a clear shot at goal and held up only to try and make two or three more passes and setup a highlight-reel goal, which of course didn't work. The Spanish friend I was watching the match with commented that there were probably heart attacks all over Spain at the squandered chances.

True attacking soccer is great, and a joy to watch, but please don't lower the quality of a real goal of beauty by trying to artificially create them when you don't need to. The best equivalent from another sport I can think of would be an NBA star attempting a slam-dunk contest move in a real game with a high chance of failure, instead of just dropping in the layup (Vince Carter, anyone?). Please, just go for the goal when you have a chance. Soccer is really about winning, not just about beauty (even if no one's ever got the message about those "Total Football" Dutch teams: sure, they were fun to watch, but they usually came up short in the end).

Germany failed to impress Sunday, though. They were acceptable, but let Spain have too much of the ball and didn't create enough chances of their own. They displayed little of their trademark aerial superiority on set pieces, surprising given the massive height advantage they held over the Spaniards. Schweinsteiger had a good match, but his crosses weren't as spot-on as normal, while Ballack was intense but not particularly effective, Podolski was invisible and Klose was far from dangerous. I was also disappointed with Joachim Low's decision to take off Philipp Lahm shortly after the halftime break: sure, he let Torres through for the crucial goal, but you need your best offensive players on the pitch when you're coming from behind. As we found out against Turkey, the Lahm giveth and the Lahm taketh away: there's no point taking him away when he has yet to giveth.

Again, Spain had a solid tournament and deserved the win. They weren't as absolutely dominant as many would have you think, though: sure, they won all of their group stage matches, but Sweden and Greece each only lost by a goal and were very much in the contest. The only really impressive win was their 4-1 thumping of Russia in the opener. They scraped through on penalties against an Italian side that muddled through the group stage in mediocre fashion, then laid a second whipping on the Russians and squeezed out that 1-0 victory over the Germans in the final.

Overall, it was a great tournament and provided plenty of fantastic matches. I think the real lesson of the tournament is how even European soccer is becoming, though: Austria, probably the worst side in the tournament, put in a very good effort and was close in every match, while there was little between most of the other teams. Newcomers like Russia and Turkey showed they can run with the big boys, while France and Italy learned the hard way that past glory and six euros might get you a pint. The overarching impression isn't of Spanish dominance, but a very even field that produced some magical soccer, which bodes well for what we'll see at the World Cup in 2010.

Related:
- Stephen Brunt's column on the final [The Globe and Mail].
- Hirshey and Bennett weigh in [Two-Footed Tackle, Page 2]
- Ben Knight's take on the celebrations in Toronto [On Soccer]
- Duane's thoughts on the final [Out of Left Field]
- The tournament produced some great TV ratings in Canada [William Houston, The Globe and Mail].
- The excellent Mike Cardillo's thoughts on the final [Deadspin]
- Neate strikes back with a classic Simpsons video: "holds it... holds it... HOLDS IT!" [Out of Left Field]

Earning the (re) cap: Preparing for a memorable final

Photo: David Silva scores for Spain in their 3-0 win over Russia Thursday [Photo from Virgin Media].

Breaking down Day XVIII of the European Championships...

Spain 3, Russia 0
Well, Spain did a lot to dispel their reputation as chokers, but they still have the most difficult task of all remaining. The first half was reasonably even, but Spain poured on the jets in the second while the Russians came out flat, and they were soon rewarded with a beautiful Xavi Hernandez goal. To their credit, the Spanish continued to attack, and added insurance goals from Daniel Guiza and David Silva later on to clinch the win.

Russia, on the other hand, looked much more ordinary than in their stunning victory over the Netherlands. Still, they held the Spanish attack in check for an entire half and created chances of their own as well, no mean feat. The best team won, but the Russians' accomplishments here shouldn't be minimized. I think they'll probably knock off Turkey in today's third-place game, which should be quite entertaining.

Prediction: Russia 2, Turkey 0

Now, on to the match everyone really cares about: Germany v. Spain. Interestingly, it's not as much of a stereotypical battle of Teutonic defence and Latin attack as you might think. Germany has shown throughout this tournament that it has numerous attacking options of the utmost class, including Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and they've demonstrated that they can win high-scoring battles (see the 3-2 victories over Portugal and Russia).

The real question for both sides is their defence, and both have looked shaky at the back to this point. I give a slight edge to Germany on the back four, but Spain recoups that with the goalkeeping advantage of Iker Casillas over Jens Lehmann. It's going to be a bloody close match, and it should hopefully provide a feast of football as well. In the end, I'll stick with my pre-tournament pick of the Germans. As Gary Lineker famously said (and even Spanish coach Luis Aragones has picked up on this one), "Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."

Prediction: Germany 3, Spain 2.

Earning the (re)cap: Deutschland marches on

Photo: Wingback Philipp Lahm seals the Germans' place in the finals with a stoppage-time goal. [Photo from The Daily Telegraph]

Breaking down Day XVII of the European Championships...

Germany 3, Turkey 2

What a game that was. Unlike their snooze-fest against the Croatians, the Turks went for the throat right from the start and created chances by the bushel. The Germans, meanwhile, seemed to be caught flat-footed, and could only defend for the first little while as Turkey racked up 10 shots to their two in the first 20 minutes: amazing, considering the short bench Turkey was left with due to suspensions and injuries.

The offensive pressure soon paid off for the Turks, as Ugur Boral drilled a rebound off the crossbar through the legs of Jens Lehmann in the 22nd minute. However, Germany quickly equalized four minutes later against the run of play on a great combination from Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and it was 1-1 going into the half.

In the second half, watching began to get frustrating. The on-pitch product was superb, but it was rarely available, as a lightning strike [The Associated Press via The Globe and Mail] overloaded the satellite transmission and blacked out the broadcast for most of the world three separate times for over 25 minutes in total. Unfortunately, one of these times just happened to coincide with Miroslav Klose's brilliant header off a Philipp Lahm cross in the 79th minute to drill the ball past Turkish keeper Recber Rustu, which we didn't find out about until later. The feed came back just in time to see Semih Senturk work his magic again, snatching a desperate late equalizer for the Turks by sliding in to knock what looked like an easy ball for Lehmann to collect past him into the back of the net.

The Germans weren't finished yet, though. In stoppage time, Lahm made a great run forward from his wingback position, put a brilliant move on Colin Kazim-Richards and played a beautiful give-and-go with Thomas Hitzlsperger to break into the box. Rustu came out and cut down his angle, but Lahm made no mistake on the finish from 12 yards out, slotting it into the top left corner. Unfortunately for the Turks, they'd already used up not only their supplies of last-minute miracles, but probably those of the entire footballing world. Unfortunately for the viewers, another power outage meant we didn't get to see their last-ditch attempt.

It was a remarkably even game overall. The Germans only recorded nine shots to Turkey's 22, and only five of those were on target, but they made the most of their limited opportunities while Turkey wasted many of theirs. The first half was all Turkey, but the Germans showed their class in the second, and the end result was probably fair. An amazing stat is that Turkey made it through five matches and ten hours of play during this tournament, but only led for 14 minutes. They gave a great account of themselves, and we'll hopefully see more from them in the future. In the end, it truly was a feast of football... just with portions slightly charred by the power surges.

Related:
- Stephen Brunt's great column, focusing on Lahm's contributions (and so what if he can't spell Low or Hitzlsperger?). [The Globe and Mail]
- Ben Knight has an excellent piece comparing Turkey's run this time around with Greece's tournament four years ago. [On Soccer]
- Duane has a good recap of the game (complete with an awesome picture). [Out of Left Field]
- Brunt has a hilarious story about his train trip to Austria. [On Soccer]

On deck today: Spain vs. Russia (Kick-off: 2:45 P.M. ET)
Should be a great match. Russia will give Spain a run for their money, but like I predicted yesterday, I think the Spanish will advance in the end. Either way, we'll have a fantastic matchup for Sunday's final.

Earning the (re) cap: Germans and Croats triumph

Photo: Lukas Podolski, who scored twice for Germany against Poland (Photo from soccerati.net)

Breaking down Day 2 of the Euro 2008 Championships...


Match III: Croatia 1, Austria 0

I didn't get the chance to watch this one live, as I was watching the Jays finally snap their losing skid. Still, I caught up with the details afterwards, and according to reputable authorities such as the Globe's John Doyle, the Austrians surprisingly gave the Croats all they could handle. In the end, the only difference between the sides was a fourth-minute penalty kick. Croatia did well for the first half, but the Austrians rallied and were the dominant side for much of the rest of the contest. Really, the only reason this finished 1-0 was Croatian keeper Stipe Pletikosa, who was recognized for his superb play with the award of Man of the Match. As Doyle points out, this not only shows that the Austrians (ranked 92nd in the world going in, beneath Iceland, Qatar, Mozambique and Armenia and a whopping 77 places behind the Croats) are much better than expected, it also suggests that the Croats may not be the giant-killer everyone had predicted. It will be interesting to see how both sides do in their next match: Austria may be able to achieve a decent result against a demoralized Poland, while the Croats will have their plate full against the in-form Germans.

Related: John Doyle's column on the game [The Globe and Mail]

Match IV: Germany 2, Poland 0

I saw most of this one live, and I'm quite glad I did. The Poles put in a valiant effort and created several good chances, but they really weren't a match for an impressive German side that looked quite capable of living up to the hype surrounding it. Michael Ballack was his ever-dangerous self in midfield, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez constantly threatened in attack, Bastian Schweinsteiger made some crucial runs and even Jens Lehmann looked to be in fine form. Oh, and how about that Lukas Podolski? Many thought he'd been going downhill since his FIFA Young Player award at the 2006 World Cup, and he wasn't even in his natural position, shifted from striker to the left wing. He silenced the critics with a brace of goals against the country of his birth (his family moved to Germany shortly after he was born), both particularly well-struck. The second one was a real cracker: a cross from Schweinsteiger found Klose in the box, but he mishit it and the ball looped its way over to Podolski, who smashed a thunderous left-footed volley into the netting and secured his Man of the Match title as a result. All in all, a great performance from the Germans, and a debut that should strike fear into the hearts of the other teams in the competition. Yes, there's a long way to go, and Germany will eventually draw tougher sides, but they looked absolutely capable of lifting the trophy with this win.

Related:
- The Associated Press game recap [The Globe and Mail]
- Another take on the game [ESPN Soccernet]
- Stephen Brunt was very impressed with the Germans [On Soccer]. As he writes, "But they just keep on running, they have a remarkable work-rate, they know what they're going to do with the ball before they get it, they're beautifully organized, and in this tournament, it's going to take an awfully good team to beat the Germans." My pick of them to win it all is looking good so far.
- Cathal Kelly is accepting all bets against Germany [Star Sports Blog].
- John Doyle describes the German side as "awesome".
- Graham Wood has an interesting story on the Euro 2008 website about Podolski's conflicting feelings over scoring against Poland.

Today's matches:

Match V: Romania vs. France (Group C, kick-off at 12:00 p.m. ET)
Well, the Group of Death gets underway with what should be a very interesting match. Romania's currently the dangerous outsider in that group, whereas France has a solid team with plenty of experience: the question for them is if their older players still have enough gas in the tank. This game should be pretty crucial: France will be eager to take full points, given that they still have to play the Netherlands and Italy, while Romania will be eager to prove that they belong in the group. If they pull off the upset, it will make Group C even more interesting. France should be able to take this, though.

Prediction: France 2, Romania 1

Match VI: Italy vs. the Netherlands (Group C, kick-off at 2:45 p.m. ET)
This is the first match of the tournament between two sides that most consider true contenders, and as such, it should be fantastic. Both sides are missing key players, though: for Italy, it's 2006 World Cup MVP Fabio Cannavaro (out for the tournament with a) and defender Cr, while the Dutch will be without star wingers Arjen Robben (groin) and Ryan Babel. The Dutch will also likely miss Robin Van Persie and Mario Melchiot due to their own injuries. They apparently plan to use Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt instead of Robben, which Bergkamp of Drunk Jays Fans compared to using David Eckstein as a "replacement" for Scott Rolen (for the non-Jays fans, think not-so-good for good: Georges Laraque replacing Sid the Kid, Curtis Sanford in for Roberto Luongo or Brian Scalabrine in for Paul Pierce). It will be interesting to see how both sides react to such key losses.

Prediction: Italy 1, Netherlands 0

Record so far: 2-0 (results), no scores exact

Other tournament pieces of interest:
- Stephen Brunt's column on the detached nature of Swiss fans [The Globe and Mail]
- Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press has an interesting piece on the on-pitch rivalry between Germany and Poland
- Cathal Kelly's column on how international matches are less violent these days [Toronto Star]
- Kelly has quite the story on his Star blog about an Eastern European journalist and his bag [Star Sports Blog]
- Duane Rollins on how Canadian media are now taking the tournament seriously [Out of Left Field].

European Championships set to kick off

Photo: The Euro 2008 Trophy (Photo by Petros Giannakouris, Associated Press, via Daylife.com)

Well, one of the greatest tournaments for any (European) football fan is set to kick off tomorrow, as 16 teams from all over take to the pitches in Austria and Switzerland for the 2008 European Championships (popularly known as Euro 2008). Over at Out of Left Field, Duane makes the argument that this tournament’s superior to the World Cup. I don’t agree for a couple reasons: first, any tournament that doesn’t include the likes of Brazil and Argentina is a step down in my books, and second, it’s much more fun to see sides from all over the world competing than merely those from around Europe. He also suggests that the weaker teams in European tournaments are usually better than those in the World Cup. As he writes:

"The World Cup is sexier. It’s a World Cup, after all. And, it must be said that the samba beat of a Brazil doesn’t hurt either. But, the hardcore soccer fan understands that the European championship is the better tournament. Ask England how difficult it is to even qualify. As Greece if upsets ever happen. There are no Saudi Arabias in the draw. Ever game is contested and you never know who is going to emerge on top. To borrow a cliché, the World Cup is sizzle. The Euros are steak."

This is an interesting point: I don’t completely agree, as there are some pretty bad teams in the European championships too (cough, Austria, cough), but I think the majority of the teams in the Euros are probably better than the majority of the teams in the World Cup. There's also a great deal of parity: as the Globe and Mail's Ben Knight and John Doyle each point out, almost anyone could win this.

That isn't necessarily a good thing, though: just look at the NHL for the marvelous television that parity brings. When teams are confident of a victory in hockey, they tend to play a more free-wheeling, offensive game that's a delight to watch. When it's going to be close, they often buckle down, bring out the old neutral-zone trap and defend, defend, defend, hoping to get a break and win 1-0. Similar things often happen in soccer, as many sides become more conservative when faced with a tough opponent. The counter-attack becomes in vogue, along with extra holding midfielders clogging up the middle of the park in a soccer version of the trap and a lone striker hoping for a lucky bounce up front. European teams also tend to be much more defensive-minded than the Brazils, Argentinas and Mexicos of this world, leading to even better chances of them settling for defensive shells in close matches.

Many great games have been close or even low-scoring, however, and I'm not saying that there can't or won't be good soccer matches at this tournament, as I expect the opposite. The point is, parity alone is not sufficient grounds to sell a tournament. The European Championships are fantastic soccer, and they should be enjoyed on their own merits, which are more than ample. It's fine to prefer one tournament to the other, but in the end, the question is moot, as they take place two years apart. I'm a confirmed World Cup fan, but I'm still incredibly excited for this year's tournament, and I'll be watching as many games as possible.

As mentioned above, the parity of this tournament makes it bloody hard to predict anything. There are many contenders with the potential to take home the trophy, including France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal. All of them have glaring flaws, though: France's squad continues to age, Spain will undoubtedly pull a Spain and choke so desperately they require the Heimlich Maneuver, Italy's team is also getting old, and they're without their best player in Fabio Cannavaro, the Dutch have some defensive issues and also never seem to pull it together on the big stage, and Portugal can only have Cristiano Ronaldo carry them so far.

Thus, I'm going to go with my cultural heritage and pick the Germans to win it all (and even the oddsmakers agree with me)! There's a lot to like about this team, including the in-form Michael Ballack (now with Premier League experience!), the young talents of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski and the embarrassment of riches up front, including Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez, Podolski, Kevin Kuranyi and Oliver Neuville. They're coming off a solid third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, and their fortunate place in the draw leaves them with an easy group (Austria, Poland and Croatia). They also won't have to face any of France, Italy, the Netherlands or Spain until the final, given the way the draw's set up. The only team I can see derailing them on their path to the final is Portugal, but in the end, Germany's strong team play should triumph over Cristiano Ronaldo and his supporting cast. They've also won the tournament three times, more than any other nation, and two of those wins were with only half the country! In the end, it may very well be Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles once more. As former England captain Gary Lineker famously said, "Football is a game played by 22 players, and in the end, Germany wins."

Related:
- Stephen Brunt's excellent column on how the host nations may fall short.
- Brunt and Ben Knight have lots more at the Globe's On Soccer blog.
- Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star has some very interesting stories about his time covering the tournament so far on his blog there: he also has a good column about some of the weaknesses the best teams have.
- Duane Rollins has some great tournament coverage at Out of Left Field.
- Mike Cardillo has an excellent preview over at Deadspin .
- David Hirshey picks Spain to win it all in his final column as Deadspin's soccer closer.
- Hirshey has a nice preview of the tournament (co-written with author Roger Bennett) over at his new gig at ESPN.com.
- The Poles are already taking Photoshopping to new extremes in anticipation of Sunday's clash with Germany: their tabloids have manager Leo Beenhakker holding the severed heads of Michael Ballack and Germany manager Joachim Low (Via the excellent World Cup Blog, which also incorporated a nice Fawlty Towers reference).