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Spain has passed the ball over 1100 times against Russia on Sunday. More than 800 passes in regulation, a World Cup record since they started tracking down such things in 1966. Russia completed 300 passes in the same game.
Spain has lost to Russia in penalties, 4-3.
There is a belief in sports that if a team has the ball for the majority of the game, it must mean that they are attacking. Having the ball means that you are in attack, and when you are in attack, you try to score. Not true?
The use of possession by Spain is often as much a defensive tactic as offensive – it prevents the other team from scoring by not allowing it to have the ball. This is a common observation with the Spain team, but it was brought to its extreme Sunday against Russia.
And that is the whole thing of Spain . They take you apart. Death by 1000 paper cuts. Except for this game, when they are bled to death.
The main problem of Spain was that they were too conservative with their possession. Yes, they had the ball for almost 80% (!) Of the game, but it was irrelevant because they kept possession especially just to maintain it, and wait for a Russian mistake that was not coming never, and we were all sitting on our couches screaming "FOR GOD'S LOVE, DO SOMETHING" at the TVs for two hours.
Spain has already won countless games by keeping possession, passing the ball, pushing and pushing until the other team goes out of the way. . gets tired of the hunt, and Spain exploits this moment of weakness and benefits from it.
When Spain led 1-0 after a first goal against Russia's side, they seemed to settle in this mode. They had their goal. Russia was pocketing it. They were passing in the 90 minutes, scoring maybe a second goal late when Russia had to throw the guys, and that would be it. Onward
Then Spades put his arm in the box and gave Russia a penalty kick. Dzyuba is converted, and we had a 1-1 match.
During the last five minutes of the first half, after the equalization of Russia, Spain seemed lively. They were more direct, pushed hard to pass the ball to Diego Costa in the penalty area, and several opportunities were created because of that. It seemed like they were not content to keep possession … they might lose it, of course, but Russia did not seem too dangerous going the other way, and they l & # 39; 39; attack.
Then after part-time, Spain came back and … began to circulate again. The franchise was gone. Yes, they dominated the possession. Sure. So what? It was the most strangely conservative game plan I've seen, and resulted in a horribly boring second half and overtime. Spain seemed happy to do what she did, to go around, to hold the ball, to push and to push, to push and to push
For me, the question was: what would it be like? was waiting for Spain?
Apart from Isco and a bit of Iniesta when he came, most Spanish players seemed disinterested in creating, well, anything. Russia shut down quickly and worked hard on defense, and Spain did not want to make mistakes or something, and that's all. They won the possession game, which Russia did not take into account. Russia was delighted to lose the game of possession.
Russia packed it in the box, worked hard on defense and tried to last until the penalty kicked. It worked. Paper cuts have never done any damage. Koke and Iago Aspas have seen their penalties saved, and that's all.
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