The Spanish Encore-Nothing But The Class
By now the football fever must have long subsided in our country,but the one thing that must have created a lasting impression( i believe i am saying this for everyone) must have been the total dominance of the La Roja(The Reds),referring to the Spanish football team.For the football critics,and enthusiasts,the poland- ukraine edition of the euro cup was a special one yet never a dull one (though the dutch might have a different opinion),for it was unique in the fact that a team for the first time in the footballing history managed to retain the prestigious title.
As I watched through the idiot box(sorry!) the celebrations of the spanish team ,my wandering mind thought of the spanish renaissance,which to my knowledge followed closely after italian renaissance(co incidence?),and how it has started very late,despite the fact that almost every movement,civil war and what not has already started almost two centuries ago.In the same vein, i questioned as to why the spanish football has taken such a long time,(if not two centuries) to create a legacy of their own.Spain ,has had a long and celebrated footballing history with a well established sports infrastructures and to my belief has certainly not lacked the supply of young prodigal talents,not to mention the fact that Spanish clubs like F.C Barcelona and Real Madrid had been household names for a long time.Yet,they have long remained the underachievers while their west european neighbours ,France,Germany and Italy walked away with the honours.During the '06 world cup in Germany,they had the same services of Iniesta,Fabregas,Xavi,Puyol,Villa.Torres,Casillas,only to be humiliated in their 3-0 thrashing by France,led by the illustrious Zidane and their consequent exit.
Come 2008, and voila! we witnessed a major breakthrough not only in terms of the pattern of football dominance,but in the very style of football.Spain awed the spectators with their quick, (and i mean it) bewilderingly slick style of short passing football,which came to be nicknamed as the "tica-taca".They won the Euro'08,surprising, and almost, inspiring everyone towards a new era of football.They brought that same flow to South Africa,and walked away with their first ever world cup,awing many ,including Pele,who remarked "I worry whether Brazil will win the world cup in our own soil", indicating the 2014 world cup to be held in Brazil .Such was the fear and awe that the armadas managed to create and they completed their conqest of the third major consecutive title with nothing other than the Euro'12 .And talk about Spanish legacy!!
The Spanish Armadas did that in some style,with their unique formation which ruled out a traditional central striker,total midfield control control and superor ball possession ,which left the opposition in a pitiable state of running for the ball helter skelter.The critics might say that eventhough the reds mantained their clinicality they were monotonous and at some point tiring the audience (as much as the opponents),but i feel, in the end they managed to win the fence-sitters and detractors over,by comprehensively destroying if not defeating the Azzuris,by 4-0,(the largest margin in the history of the tournament's final), inspite of the fact that during their last meeting they drew against each other in the group stage.The final was defining game for Spain and chroniclers inthe years to come will find no adequate lexis to fittingly illustrate its mastery and artistry on that spectacular Kiev night.Neverteless,generations will remember the team , and the win will inspire many to fall in line and follow, the 'tiki-taka' way.
Adios,amigos!
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