Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is not wetting my pants over Spain's football. This from the Guardian's Fiver sums it up -
"If the Fiver appeared on an episode of Mastermind and passed 14 times in a row, everyone would laugh at us for being as thick as 10 short planks. Of course if Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez did it, the same people would be falling over themselves to coo appreciatively before hailing their genius. While you'd have to be a complete philistine to take umbrage with the Spanish football team's masterful technique and skill on the ball, watching their hypnotic death-by-a-thousand-cuts style of tiki-strangulation at this World Cup has been, at times, downright tedious.
But if nothing else, it has helped the Fiver answer the puzzling question of why these fast-talking Iberian folk traditionally don't finish their evening meal until midnight or later. At one Spain team dinner we were privy to, Sergio Busquets asked Iker Casillas to pass the salt at 7pm, but didn't actually get the condiment into his hand until three hours later.
"From defence through to attack, I think we played a great game," ole-ole-oled Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque. "From defence through to attack, then back through to defence, then back through to attack, then back through to defence, then back through to attack, then back through to defence. then back through to attack, then back through to defence, then back through to attack," he could have added, but mercifully didn't.
Del Bosque's midfield metronome Xavi was equally enthused. "We dedicate this victory to Spain. If we play on Sunday like we did today, we will have a great chance," he said, failing to elaborate on whether he meant they'd have a great chance of winning the World Cup, or causing all-out war on the Guardian Sportblog between snobs who think there's something inherently "wrong" with people who don't get a bulge in their trousers watching 11 footballers take 481 passes to move the ball 10 feet sideways, and philistines who think such faffery is all well and good, but would rather more goals and violence.
"Now it is a final against Holland, a great team playing great football with great players in midfield and up front," said Xavi, looking ahead to the final, where pantomime villain Mark van Bommel will almost certainly add to the gaiety of the occasion with his attempts to ensure Spain can't out-pass the Dutch on the left (or right) hand side. Will the Spanish prevail? They've started so they might as well finish."
"If the Fiver appeared on an episode of Mastermind and passed 14 times in a row, everyone would laugh at us for being as thick as 10 short planks. Of course if Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez did it, the same people would be falling over themselves to coo appreciatively before hailing their genius. While you'd have to be a complete philistine to take umbrage with the Spanish football team's masterful technique and skill on the ball, watching their hypnotic death-by-a-thousand-cuts style of tiki-strangulation at this World Cup has been, at times, downright tedious.
But if nothing else, it has helped the Fiver answer the puzzling question of why these fast-talking Iberian folk traditionally don't finish their evening meal until midnight or later. At one Spain team dinner we were privy to, Sergio Busquets asked Iker Casillas to pass the salt at 7pm, but didn't actually get the condiment into his hand until three hours later.
"From defence through to attack, I think we played a great game," ole-ole-oled Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque. "From defence through to attack, then back through to defence, then back through to attack, then back through to defence, then back through to attack, then back through to defence. then back through to attack, then back through to defence, then back through to attack," he could have added, but mercifully didn't.
Del Bosque's midfield metronome Xavi was equally enthused. "We dedicate this victory to Spain. If we play on Sunday like we did today, we will have a great chance," he said, failing to elaborate on whether he meant they'd have a great chance of winning the World Cup, or causing all-out war on the Guardian Sportblog between snobs who think there's something inherently "wrong" with people who don't get a bulge in their trousers watching 11 footballers take 481 passes to move the ball 10 feet sideways, and philistines who think such faffery is all well and good, but would rather more goals and violence.
"Now it is a final against Holland, a great team playing great football with great players in midfield and up front," said Xavi, looking ahead to the final, where pantomime villain Mark van Bommel will almost certainly add to the gaiety of the occasion with his attempts to ensure Spain can't out-pass the Dutch on the left (or right) hand side. Will the Spanish prevail? They've started so they might as well finish."