The rain in spain

June 11 – 2008

Like the rain that fell throughout the match, and like the goals that trickled into the Russian net, the praise for Spain is being poured on thicker than a Julie Foudy thigh. Whether it was the actual performance or the sight of a wet Fernando Torres that has pundits in such a state remains to be seen.

Spain are good. Or, specifically, the pairing of Torres and Villa is good. I do not envy the backs tasked with defending that duo. Villa needs constant attention – defending him requires staying close enough to deny him the ball or prevent him from turning. Torres, on the other hand, blooms when defenders get too close – as soon as he feels a defender, he can use his strength and explosion to simply toss him aside.

But let’s get one thing straight: Russia were made to be beaten by Spain. They are a team, under Guus Hiddink, whose confidence has grown by leaps and bounds. They came to play yesterday, attempting to out-possess the Spaniards and look good doing it. They created the number of chances needed to win, and hoped against hope they would be able to keep the Iberians at bay. But, considering Spain’s raw talent, it was a naive attempt. Sweden and Greece won’t waste time with such frivolous pursuits as good soccer, and so the Spaniards have plenty of chance remaining to reclaim their status as underachievers.

Some other thoughts, in no particular order:

• In honor of his hat-trick, you owe it to David Villa to watch his mostly unfunny spot in a very funny EA Sports ad-campaign. I admit, though: I lose it when he makes the clicking sounds to the Eagle.
• If I were to declare a rooting interest in the Euros, it would probably be Sweden. My heritage, you see, is mostly Swedish. But the truth is this: I’m too embarrassed that, if I root for Sweden, someone will speak Swedish to me. Or they’ll ask what town in Sweden my great-grandparents were from. Or they’ll ask when was the last time I visited Sweden. To all of these I can only reply, “I like the pancakes.” And so, until my true native country of White-Trashistan qualifies for the Euros, I’ll remain a closeted Swedish fan.
• Speaking of Sweden, that was quite a goal. Whether it was a good idea or not to unfreeze Henrik Larsson for this competition remains to be seen, but the one-two that led to the goal was an example of what he can still do. And how young do you have to be to play combinations with energetic teammates?
• I’ve heard it kicked around that Luis Aragones should be praised for showing the courage to leave Cesc out of the starting eleven; “He didn’t fit the game plan,” they are saying. I’m not so sure it wasn’t simply a case of Aragones keeping his powder dry against the team Spain would match up with best in the group. Or, Argones might just be a homophobe.
• I haven’t found a picture of Carlos Puyol playing in last night’s rain, but I could smell wet dog through my television.