Scotland 2, Spain 3, Or, Harder Than It Seemed, Easier Than It Looks

October 13th, 2010 | by: Ade C. |

As some of you pointed out last night after the match, this isn’t such an impressive result, considering it comes after the 0-4 to Liechtenstein and the 3-1 to Lithuania, not to speak of the recent good results of some others of the possible Euro contenders, like Germany or The Netherlands.

But, and you know I’m not above despairing of the team when they play poorly, it was not a bad match.

Awkward, like this picture, maybe, but not bad...

Vicente Del Bosque lied to us when he promised not to use his double-pivot. There was only one change from the squad that played Lithuania, but it completely changed the face of the team:

Team against Lithuania………………………………………………………Team against Scotland

—————-Casillas—————— …………………………………. ——————–Casillas——————-
Ramos—-Piqué—Puyol—-Capdevila ……………………………… Ramos—-Piqué—Puyol—-Capdevila
——————-Busquets——————– ……………………………… ———-Alonso—–Busquets———–
——-Cazorla—Iniesta——Silva——— …………………………. ——-Cazorla—Iniesta——Silva———
———-Llorente—–Villa———– …………………………………………. ——————Villa—————–

It was like Our Wise Walrus sat back and said, ‘I’m going to replaced this team’s sucessful two-man attack with my favoured double-pivot. Let’s see if anyone notices’. Oh, we noticed alright…

Scotland’s Craig Levein, maybe heartened by the atmosphere at Hampden park, ditched the unsucessful 4-6-0 he tried to use against the Czech Republic and employed, novelty of novelties, a striker, Miller, and ten other men, as such: McGregor, Bardsley, McManus, Weir, Whittaker, Dorrans, Darren Fletcher, McCulloch, Morrison, Naismith, Miller.

If our hosts were impressed to be playing the World Cup Champions, they certainly did not show it, and the first couple of minutes were all Scotland attacking. Fortunately, Spain recovered the ball soon enough, and it was down to our familiar script of controling, attacking, and coming up against a 9-men-defence. David Silva was, in my opinion, the best man in this half, setting up opportunities for Villa, and having opportunities of his own, that unfortunately did not come to fruition. Cazorla and Iniesta were both in fine form too, and I doubt there were many people mourning Xavi’s absence even with the lack of goals.

But Scotland had its dangers, in particular their quick counters, and both Capdevila and Busquets had world-saving moments when Naismith or Miller were almost at Casillas’ door, usually by sneaking past Sergio Ramos, who was too busy playing midfielder/winger. In the end, though, it took a handball in Scotland’s box, and David Villa’s PK, to get Spain in the scoreboard with one minute to go until half-time. With this goal, Villa equals/surpasses (depending on who you ask or if you consider the first goal in the Poland friendly an own goal) Raul’s mark as top goalscorer for La Selección.

VillaScotland

No subs for the second half, and no changes in the way the match was going, either, until Iniesta scored a lovely goal, after a Villa assist saw Cazorla shooting on goal and Don Andrés picking up the rebound. 0-2 by the 55th minute, and the Spanish commentators were already putting their feet on the table and talking smack about the ‘poor level of Scottish football’.

Three minutes later, one of those counters finally bore fruit, in the shape of Naismith heading one past Casillas after a great cross into the box that left Piqué just standing there, and Ramos nowhere to be seen (he was the one who had to be there to mark Naismith!). Encouraged by this, Scotland kept up their attack going and were rewarded by poor Piqué pushing the ball into Casilla’s net in his attempt for a desperate last-ditch tackle. Once again, I’m pointing the finger of responsibility to Ramos too, who was galloping off into the sunset when he should’ve been defending.

Two unfortunate goals that could have, and should have, been prevented, and suddenly the match looked much tougher than it had ten minutes before. Del Bosque chewed his moustache for a moment and made his first sub, Pablo Hernández coming in for Cazorla, and then finally obeyed either the voice of his conscience or my screams from Spain, and put in Fernando Llorente for David Silva.

LlorenteScotland2

And what do you think happened? What happens every 58 minutes Llorente is on the pitch for Spain, obviously: he scored. He needed four minutes to do it, and the question was, what would’ve happened if he had a whole match? Why didn’t Del Bosque play him from the start?

In any case, Spain weren’t about to let go off their lead again, so they held on tightly to the ball, which was made easier when Scotland’s Whittaker was shown his second yellow of the night and walked off early. The final minutes were a bit nervewracking, all things considered, and it was with great relief that we saw the match end.

A good result, 9 points after 3 matches, that sees us stay at the top of the Group I table, with the Czech Republic, who beat Liechtenstein 0-2 earlier, in second place, and Scotland third, but one that was shadowed by those two unnecessary goals, the brief moments of ensuing panic, and the knock on his left knee that David Villa picked up late in the match and might see him sidelined for this weekend’s FC Barcelona vs Valencia.

Highlights of the goals:

So, what did you think? Did you also miss Llorente? Do you understand Del Bosque’s attachment to the double-pivot? How good did you think the match was?

In happier news, the boys of the Spain U21s beat Croatia 0-3 (Domínguez, Adrián, Jeffren), for an aggregate of 1-5 that ensures their presence in the 2011 U21 Euros and opens the door to the Olympics too, perhaps. It was a good match for La Rojita, and they seem to be picking up speed even with the absences of Capel, Javi Martínez and all the other injured… I see a bright future for Spain’s football!

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eternally_tmh

I didn't get to watch the match as different time difference and would've been a walking zombie at work. But by reading your review & analysis. I can really picture the match in my head (even with the humorous bit). Of course, thank god for highlights as I've seen Pique's own goal. Stuff happens, at least Spain won that's the important thing.
Jim

Don't be too hard on Ramos. It was his shot that drew the hand ball and subsequent yellow card and penalty kick for the first goal. (Interesting that he is playing more defensively in club play and getting some criticism for it on the RM blogs.) I agree on Cazorla, Inieste and Silva, who I thought worked really well together. I enjoyed the game, except for the few minutes we were tied and when I was worrying about our small players getting crushed. I heard about Villa's possible injury and also Ramos(not that he's a small player) to his right knee. I was happy to see Llorente come in and save the day, and I did miss him. And I'm always impressed when Villa actually scores on those penalty kicks.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

I'm glad you found the post useful and amusing! Poor Piqué, but yeah, at least we got the three points, which is what matters in the end!
ROD

Pique was just as bad as ramos
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Let's say I'm blaming Ramos only defensively. He had a very good match on the midfield and in Scotland's half, but his defending was definitely subpar last night, which mixed with Piqué's not-too-out-there form… well, two goals that got past San Casillas. I think he's still working at finding the equlibrium between attack and defence, and how to change tactics depending on how the match develops, but he's a great player anyway. Hope the knock he picked up isn't serious, and Villa seems will be alright for the weekend.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Well, that's up for debate. I've been saying that Piqué is tired and easily-distracted for a couple of matches now, and Ramos was out of position half the time. Maybe we can agree that the back-four as a whole wasn't particularly briliant last night?
ROD

yes
Rojillo

Who would you replace Ramos with Ade? I see Azpilicueta as the future right back for Spain with Ramos perhaps taking Puyol's place in the centre in the long run.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

I really like Ramos as a CB, so the idea of putting him there when Puyol retires is one I've been spousing for a time now, in the face of (usually madridista) opposition. Azpilicueta is definitely my candidate for his place (in fact, he should've been called up already, before Venezuela snatch him up), just like Monreal is my candidate for Capdevila's place sooner than later.
We could do great things with a Monreal–Piqué–Ramos–Azpilicueta backfour!
Rojillo

Exactly what I was thinking! I like thinking that ex Osasuna cantera products from Tajonar can play in the Spanish national team. Players such as Azpilicueta, Monreal and Javi Martinez.
Louise

I know you dislike the double pivot, but I thought Alonso was excellent, running the show and providing great chances, even if many were ultimately wasted. Definitely worth a mention.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Yes, Alonso was excellent. The number of passes he made was incredible. Problem is, DM is an ungrateful position and doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I'll try to remedy that in future posts.
And I don't so much dislike the double-pivot as much as think it's a waste in certain matches, with this team…
Timothy Lakefront

Ade, no offense, mate. But please quit with the OR,….and the AKA… I can't be alone in thinking it's lame, forced, and corny. It's tragic, as you are a great writer/analyst otherwise. Que Viva Espana!
Timothy Lakefront

I guess you'll get your punishment for these titles when my beloved Los Che embarrass your bandwagon team at the Camp Nou.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

OK, I admit this match's title wasn't the most inspired, but come on, give me a break, I wrote it at 8 AM… and I've had some good ones, like Backstreet Boys references and the like! What's not to like about that?!

And oh, yeah, I'm a bandwagon fan all the way. In fact, I've been following Barça since, er, yesterday. Because, um, I'm totally in love with one of their players. Yeah, call me Mrs Sergi Busquets, please!

But thanks for the compliments, otherwise! And good luck for Saturday's match!
James

It's an overall enjoyable match. Both sides played a quick tempo game, with Spain holding pocession but Scotland pressing closely most of the time with pace and energetic challenges ( EPL style? ) and creating many chances.

Agree Ramos was quite bad, very unlike his world cup form. He was the main culprit in the first Scotland goal, leaving the Scotland striker completely unmarked to head in the ball in front of the net. As for Pique, I thought he had an overall OK game, not his best though and the own goal was very unfortunate. He has split second to decide which is either to attempt to clear the ball at odd corner or concede to the opponent waiting right in front of the net and take the risk that Casillas can clear it. Iniesta was the best player in this match easily, with great passes and movement to penetrate the opponent's defences and creating chances for our strikers. Of course, he also scored the 2nd goal, from a very tight spot also. In the absence of Xavi, it's Xabi that takes control of midfield with Busquets and I think both did a good job. The new player wearing the #20 shirt ( cant remember his name ) was very weak and clearly not in the same league as the others in the starting 11, loosing the ball most of the time and being ineffective. He shouldn't start again. Villa had many good chances and he took them, but he was closely man-marked and the chances that he could have scored was denied by good defending and goalkeeping from Scotland. Well, at least he had a penalty score for consolation. The rest of the team did well. Puyol at the ripe old age of 32 ( or is it 33? ) still defends like a champ. Capdevilla had a great pass that leads to the 3rd goal. The other new guy ( Pablo something? ) shows good potential.

As for why Del Bosque didn't start Llorente, well, there might be another way to look at it. Maybe Del Bosque, being the tactician that he is, reasoned that Scotland will be man-marking Llorente closely if he started, wary of his previous goals against Lithuania, thus rendering him in-effective. By introducing him at the later stage after Scotland had equalized, a revitalized Scotland will be keen to try to kill the game off quickly with a third goal, thus giving Llorente more space to work with while they attacked and let him scored the crucial third goal. Del Bosque knows how to play his cards. OK, I'm just seeing it from the tactical point of view. I might be wrong.

Kudos to Scotland. A team that didn't even qualify for the World Cup tournament this year. And for a team without any star players, they played a great game with great pace, enthusiasm and great team effort, leaving Spain largely frustrated and having to fought hard for the win. England and their over-paid stars can learn a thing or two from them.
Ryan

The Spanish team would love for the opposition to closely mark Llorente, as Villa thrives when he is partnered with a tall striker who takes some of the focus off of him. And yeah, Cazorla (he's number 20) might not be the best that Spain can offer, but he's part of the reason why Villareal is above Real Madrid and Barcelona at the moment. He's not actually a new player, though, as he played in Euro 2008.
Andres_85

Ramos was not totally at fault for the first scotland goal he stepped up in order to catch the guy offside but pique didnt , i dont understand how you guys act as if he was the worse of our defenders he was NOT

anyways MOTM was Xabi hands down he was running the midfield , spraying balls left , right and center if Villa wasnt in such a shitty form he probably would have had a couple of assists , Llorente should start next match if Villa continues to suck
Andres_85

And Ade blaming pique's goal on Ramos is as ridiculous as it could possibly be , that cross came from Capdevilla's side and didnt even get to where Ramos was supposed to be , sorry but your bias is showing there
http://real.theoffside.com/ Bassam

i second that
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

It was an enjoyable match, and I agree with most of your analysis.
I do think, however, that Cazorla (No. 20) had an alright game, seeing that he's just getting back with the team. Also, even if Llorente is man-marked, a) he's big and fast enough to slip free of his mark, and b) this clears Villa of the defenders that like to stick to him like leeches. I always think that Villa does better as a second striker with a target man on the team, be it Torres or Llorente.
But yeah, Scotland had a good game. And Del Bosque is alright most of the time.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Ramos was totally at fault in the first goal; he wasn't stepping back to activate the offside trap, he was getting to his man (or rather, not getting to his man) way late after being distracted in the Scotland half. I am not saying he was horribly bad, mind you, just that he had plenty of distractions from his defending. For the second goal, both he and Piqué are at fault, Ramos for not being there to mark his man and Piqué for arriving late at the clearance. I'm not clearing one at the expense of another, I think both made mistakes.
And really, if you think Villa's current form 'sucks'… well, have I got bad news for you. I'm all for the inclusion of Llorente in the starting XI, but as a partner for Villa, not a replacement.
Andres_85

Ok lets say that Ramos was “totally” at fault for the first goal but you got to be kidding me when you say that he should be partly blamed for the second , Pique's own goal , are you serious ? the ball was crossed from Capdevilla's side and it didnt even reach where Ramos was supposed to be , if anything where was Puyol huh ? he was supposed to be where Pique was no ? Casillas had the ball covered anyway and he acted as if he told Pique to let it go …..but yea thats Ramos's fault he must used some sort of mind power to make Pique kick it in his own net , poor Pique

I dont “think” that Villa;s current form sucks i KNOW so , so does everybody else who isnt biased , Llorente deserves to start ahead of him right now if only one of them has to play

you're a good writer Ade but try to be more neutral eh
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Neutrality is hard, man. I'm trying my best here, but I can be blindsided, so bear with me…

What I see in the second goal, Piqué's, is that he made the right decision from his POV; there was a Scotland player right in front of the goal and I don't think Casillas had him covered as surely as you seem to think. If Piqué would've let the ball through, it would almost surely have meant a goal, whereas his last-ditch tackle had a chance of becoming a clearance (which it didn't and it was bad luck). But how did that Scotland player get right in Casillas' face? Because The Ramos left his flank unguarded.
But maybe I am being too hard on Sergio. He and Piqué are not in the best of forms right now, and it frustrates me, especially when I compare with how they used to be at the World Cup…

As for the Llorente-Villa debate, we're going to have to agree to disagree. I don't think that Villa is in bad form, and moreover, I don't think Llorente can replace him; they're simply not the same type of striker. Llorente should play, but he should play alongside Villa; playing together would benefit them both. If only one of them can play, then I'm still going with Villa except against the biggest defences, simply because he is more dynamic and builds play better.

Thanks for your comments, Andrés, debate really spices this blog up!
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

We need more RM supporters in this blog to keep me honest… and Sevilla fans too, while we're at it.
Andres_85

i sincerely think that Iker had it covered if Pique doesnt touch it Iker catches it ( that said i dont blame Gerard for doing what he did , i would have done the same )
yes there was a guy running behind him but if Puyol and Capdevilla were where they were supposed to be then the cross doesnt happen in the first place and even if it had Puyol/pique would have had the guy threatening to score covered

As for Villa/Llorente yes they are different but i do believe that Llorente can play up front alone yes El Guaje is better at build up plays but we have plenty of players who could do that Llorente is in too good a form to be wasted away on the bench and we all know that Del Bosque isnt going to play both of them because he cant leave his precious double pivot alone , having said that i hope that scoring against scotland will give villa some confidence so he can go back to his deadly best ( For la roja that is not for Barca lol ) if not then the coach should bench him like he did with el nino when he was struggling

and anytime about the comments