You're living in the dark ages my friend, and getting the ball by trying to rough house Barca/Spain mostly doesn't work. Mourinho used to try it with Madrid and came unstuck, Holland tried it at the last World Cup final and came unstuck. Not only does their physical size bely their actual power and stamina, their actual skill levels are superior, these players can receive and give a pass before opponents can get near and the space they leave is exploited. If only it was just a case of getting the ball.
Well, I'm of the opinion that teams are too afraid to tackle against "Tiki taka". 'The 2009 Champions League Final showed what happens when you try. Throw in an easily-fooled referee and....*shrug* So players stand off the ball too much and give Spain or Barca far too much room. Again, again, and again I bring up Istanbul 2005. I'm not even a Liverpool fan but they showed that you GO AND GET THE BALL from teams that are keeping it. It involves rough football though. And refs seem to favor protecting players who play pretty-like.
But Italy also did Spain favors in this game by having their defense go to sleep for the last 2 goals.
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