So the mind games have started...Spain's style is...

[Karl]

boring?

What rubbish!
Some astute fans of other teams started to boo Spain's passes to take the Spainsh out of their comfort zone/disrupt the 'sweet' sensible display of technical ability...hoping a 'pressing' and intemparate trying for passes not on that could lead to lowing Spain's percentage pass rate, lower rate of possession and thus giving those fans team's greater share of ball and greater number of goalscoring opportunities.

Good tactic by those teams' fans...and should be viewed as underscoring the brilliance of Spain's style of play! (...and by extention Barcelona's style).

The various technical bosses need to "call Spain and raise"! Use their best technically gifted players ( must also be fast, strong, intelligent players) and attempt to 'take it to another level'! Those who engage in the nonsense about Spain being dull must stop and work at playing even better than Spain.

[Zeppo]

Spain's "Tiki-Takanaccio" proves boringly effective

[Karl]

Nice article...but the passing sideways, backwards, etc. is with purpose - retention of the ball and 'pulling apart' the opponents defensive wall - and defensive walls they are!

[Muadib]

suh if di oddah team put 11 mean behind di ball.. wheh Spain fi duh but move ball back and forth, side to side to pull apart ?

Ah wheh di...

If di fans want to see 'exciting' football dem fi tell dem team fi play an open game..

Poor dem !

lol !

[Zeppo]

Boring? Winning is everything for Spain

One of the stupidest theories to take hold at Euro 2012 is that the Spanish game - which hinges on them hogging the ball as much as possible - is somehow ''boring.''

As it has advanced, this team that contains some of the most skillful players anywhere has not only had to contend with the likes of Italy, France and now Portugal, it also has had to defend its style of play.

And it has played in front of crowds here in Donetsk that either don't appreciate or don't understand why Spain plays as it does and how difficult its game of intricate passes is to execute. No other national team plays like the Spanish - and that's mainly because they couldn't, even if they tried.

(continue)

[Willi]

All mi know is that Spain drop some exceptional ball in extra time last night. Suhweeet!

Would have been a crime if dem eliminated.

Cant understand why dem neva play dat in regular time.

[Jawge]

Karl you speak as if this is new. Spain is no way near Brasil in this type of game.

Ah nuh lass night Brasil inna dis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5WRwUIUEn4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5if_...feature=relmfu

[Muadib]

yuh right.. Spain is better..

[Willi]

How much man get pile last night by Pedro?

[Muadib]

bout 10... mi si 3 one time !

lol ! woiee !

[Zeppo]

yuh right.. Spain is better..

The FIFA World Rankings certainly say so!

[Lionpaw]

when da fk did Uruguay become the second best team in the world? where have i been?

[Zeppo]

when da fk did Uruguay become the second best team in the world? where have i been?

The FIFA World Rankings aren't without their flaws.

But I'd say that reaching the World Cup semi-finals two years ago and then winning the Copa America last year is a pretty good recent record. Wouldn't you?

[Peter R]

Plus dem have a yute name Suarez!!!

[Gamma]

great footballer ... but also a reprobate