Spain Euro champs again - World cup 2014 question/discussion

[Shahrukh]

so spain make history, i dont want to argue/ discuss if this current spain squad is the greatest team in the history of football


my question is, who can stop spain in brazil at world cup 2014..... seriously


2 years a lot of teams can get better, i think portugal with a proper striker could do damage, italy will get better, germany will get better, and brazil is playing in brazil so i know they are going to be on top gear


but wont spain also get better? and they are already above the rest. The current roster will not change and they will have David Villa back.


so who stops spain? or does spain win the world cup again?

 

[SanghaSoldier]

India world cup 2014 champions !!! 8)

 

[Jacquizz Rogers]

haha india played in a world cup in the 1960s. i think i heard they played with no shoes cause they couldnt afford ithaha.
brazil will obviously have alot of their young talent (neymar, pato) develop even more so it will be scary how good they become, especially is neymar goes to europe and his development continues at the pace that it's at. i think the defense of brazil will be in question. will players like thiago silva and david luiz step up when some players like lucio will be too old to compete. they are instant contenders either way.
germany has been the most consistent international team. they've made semis or further in just about every major tournament since the early 90s. also their goalkeeper neuer is amazing. hes confident and has decision making skills especially in corners and free kicks that go beyond his age. goalkeepers get better with age and experience (see buffon). and germany is a young squad with just about all of its starters on big club teams.
i think argentina will pull of something amazing. they're attacking options with sergio aguero, higuan, di maria, cavani, and backups like tevez will probably make them the most deep attacking squad at the world cup. and messi, barring no injuries, will still be the best player in the world. after scoring 73 goals this year, if he gets any better its scary. there will be huge pressure on him being in his prime and having played in 2 world cups already to produce on the international stage like he does on the club stage. my vote is for argentina to win the world cup on their rival Brazil's turf

 

[Jacquizz Rogers]

sorry for the long post but i realized i didn't respond to sharukh stating that spain will have david villa back and probably improve.
first, even though david villa is spain's best attacker, its not guaranteed he'll be at the same level in two years. also spain may not utilize a true target striker if they feel theyre strikers arent up to par, even though torres played great when he had the chance.
second, i think spain can be beaten but it depends on if the other teams are willing to make adjustments to their tactics. spain, like barcelona, play a posession heavy attack. they have the best midfield in the world, no comparison. and if xavi retires iniesta is ready to take his mantle with players like fabregas as well to accompany their midfield prowess.
teams like chelsea, inter milan, were willing to let barcelona (identical style/players w spain)have the ball and play a very defensive game. even though it wasnt the most "attractive' style of football, it worked. chelsea played defense the entire game and then counter attacked with deadly efficiency. spain also lacks in size. only real threat for headers is pique and busquets who are central defenders. if they are attempting headers that far up the pitch, then teams that can counter attack well (germany, brazil. argentina) can take advantage of this.
alot can happen in two years. a new star that emerges on any team can really change the forecast for any group.
either way, i hope argentina wins it with messi breaking (brazil)ronaldo's record of 8 goals in the world cup.

 

[Shahrukh]

sorry for the long post but i realized i didn't respond to sharukh stating that spain will have david villa back and probably improve.
first, even though david villa is spain's best attacker, its not guaranteed he'll be at the same level in two years. also spain may not utilize a true target striker if they feel theyre strikers arent up to par, even though torres played great when he had the chance.
second, i think spain can be beaten but it depends on if the other teams are willing to make adjustments to their tactics. spain, like barcelona, play a posession heavy attack. they have the best midfield in the world, no comparison. and if xavi retires iniesta is ready to take his mantle with players like fabregas as well to accompany their midfield prowess.
teams like chelsea, inter milan, were willing to let barcelona (identical style/players w spain)have the ball and play a very defensive game. even though it wasnt the most "attractive' style of football, it worked. chelsea played defense the entire game and then counter attacked with deadly efficiency. spain also lacks in size. only real threat for headers is pique and busquets who are central defenders. if they are attempting headers that far up the pitch, then teams that can counter attack well (germany, brazil. argentina) can take advantage of this.
alot can happen in two years. a new star that emerges on any team can really change the forecast for any group.
either way, i hope argentina wins it with messi breaking (brazil)ronaldo's record of 8 goals in the world cup.

the spanish national team is better than barcelona, they play the same style but they are defntly better. ramos, silva, xabi alonso casillas and jordi alba(now on barca) are the difference makers. xavi is not retiring until after the following worldcup

xavi iniesta bisquit xabi alonso silva (who can take the ball from these guys?) mata on bench, fabregas as well.

i agree, torres lost a lot of form and confidence after his injury the same may happen to villa. BUT take villa out of the argument, this current spain squad is going to get better, sharper, i just dont see anyone touching them. You know how some teams can have those one off victories? like bolton wanderers beating mancity or united or whatever. I think portugal and uruguay and teams like that can have that one off victory. I dont think anyone will be able to beat beat spain.

the current brazil squad is over hyped for me lets not forget URUGUAY won the copa URUGUAY. Brazil has stars but its not translating on the pitch. and if this world cup wasnt in brazil i wouldnt give any credit going into this tournament. Since its in brazil i have a feeling it will be a bit special but i dont think they are better than the spanish, or uruguay or germany or portugal for that matter.

Argentina- most disappointing, they have a suspect defense but with all that mid-forward star power they should atleast be scoring at will, but they dont so i cant take them seriously.

who beats spain!??????????

 

[bballkid2592]

i think spain can be beaten but it depends on if the other teams are willing to make adjustments to their tactics.

I think the two specific things as far as adjustments go is keeping possession (trying to play like spain) and capitalizing on opportunities. The latter is all up in the air because you never know if a player is gonna have a good game or not even if they are on streak when your playing spain (examples - bolatelli and di natale). And you can't be reckless with the ball when you actually have it. I remember watching England and a few other teams in the Euro cup just launching the ball down the field or across the field. Most of the time, Spain keeps the ball low to the ground and works with short passes. They only cross the ball to the other half if there field is too congested on one side. I feel like this is so logical, even high school soccer teams practice and play like this (they obviously dont pass as perfectly as spain but they keep possession).

 

[somi15]

hope this helps

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

Single knockout games are unpredictable and while Spain has been dominant in two years the soccer landscape can change dramatically. Who thought the Netherlands would suck so hard? Who thought Italy would pwn Germany? They will be favorites for sure though.