The experts are starting to chime in. You’d think I’d wait to hear from them before I offer my half-baked take on things. Jonathan Wilson explains exactly when Spain quit being incompetent:
[H]ow long can Vicente del Bosque carry on trying to fit two strikers into his system? …
[I]t was only after Torres had been withdrawn for Cesc Fabregas 10 minutes into the second half last night that Spain really began to play….
Del Bosque now has a serious decision to make. Can he really carry on playing Torres when he seems so to unbalance the side, or would he be better making the switch … and adopt a five-man midfield? The thought of Xavi, who has had a quiet tournament by his standards, Iniesta and Fabregas combining in the same midfield, whether with Busquets and Xabi Alonso holding or with Fabregas deeper and Pedro on the flank is mouthwatering …
Sean had this from the start, tweeting as the goal was scored, “Iniesta's run that created the goal. Exact type of run I expect with inclusion of Cesc. Probing, asking questions of the defense.”
Its been quite obvious for some time that Torres is a detriment to the way the team wants to play. Rather than Cesc, I would prefer someone to supply some real width to the team, be it Silva, Navas, or Pedro. Due to the quality in the middle (including Iniesta as "in the middle"), any one of these players will have ample time and space on the ball, and should be able to make the right pass, and not necessarily just float the ball in every time, hoping the size-challenged Spanish can latch onto one (paging Sergio Ramos).
Posted by: Sean | Sunday, July 04, 2010 at 09:20 AM