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How Spain can beat Brazil

June 7th, 2006 | By: Ian | 8 Comments »

An article on SI.com caught my eye. It addresses how teams can beat Brazil.

Says Gabriele Marcotti:
1. Maintain possession (if Brazil doesn’t have the ball, it can’t score), something at which Spain, Mexico and Holland are very good.
2. Make sure you have a top-shelf goalkeeper.

Spain is certainly capable of playing some keep-away. And Iker Casillas is in that “top-shelf” group. On a good day, no doubt Spain can defeat the Brazilians should they meet in a dream quarterfinal.

Tags: Brazil, Iker Casillas, Spain

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Comments

By Kelvin | June 7th, 2006 at 12:46 am

IMO they will be eventually beaten by the team that goes on to win the World Cup. Whether during the Quaterfinal, Semifinal or final.

Posted from Canada

By Miguelinho | June 7th, 2006 at 2:45 am

Meanwhile, scientists have identified the best way to beat Spain:

1. leave your goal empty.

2. give the ball to Spain, preferably to Raul or some other attacking player.

3. watch the ball fly up into the sky; left into the corner flag; or right into Sepp Blatter and/or King Juan Carlos sitting in the stands.

Posted from United States

By Tony O | June 7th, 2006 at 3:33 am

Keeping possesion is key, but easier said than done. First they need to get posession something Spain does not excel in. Brazil is every bit as good as Spain in keeping posession. However, it is not in either teams nature to just hold the ball, they both want to score so while Spain is capable of beating Brazil, there are teams like Italy or Argentina for example that have a better chance. Of course, you never know, but my guess would be Spain have more of a chance of exploiting Brazil’s old backs if they put pressure on them, not simply hold the ball.

-Tony

Posted from United States

By abdul mahamed | June 7th, 2006 at 3:35 am

hi to allu peeps out there

Posted from United Kingdom

By Euler | June 7th, 2006 at 5:46 am

Miguelinho, you are very funny!!!

Why this fixation on beating Brazil? In football anything can happen always!

By tony6 | June 9th, 2006 at 1:47 pm

I get the feeling that if Spain scrapes through the first round,
and just gets through the first knock out phase playing a bit uncertain, it will start believing in its talents that it has undoubtly. Then it will start to really perform some great football and will win the world cup in Germany 2006.

Posted from Australia

By Roland | June 12th, 2006 at 5:31 pm

Miguelinho, I can’t stop laughing from that comment, lol. Maybe we should put the king in a kit and send him out to defend!

I think if Spain meets Brasil in the quarterfinals it will be because Spain is playing well. That would be an EPIC game.

No matter what the Brazilians say, I know they would rather face Ukraine or Tunisia in that match. So you all keep hoping Spain stumbles, because if they don’t…

Posted from United States

By Panarol | June 13th, 2006 at 1:16 pm

I belive that some magical stuff will done by Raul Gonzalez. Long time they not get any proud for them aviation. Captain Madrid and Spanish, Raul will kiss once more time his right hand. You will see it.

Posted from Malaysia