We’re better than Italy, no doubt.

Italia Sux

Posted from  Canada

Out of curiosity Anthony, if trophies are suddenly discarded, then what exactly do you mean by saying that Spain are “better”? Do you mean that they’re more likely to win if the two teams were to face each other right now? If that’s the case, then what is your metre of judgment? Clearly not Euro 2008 because the teams drew on the pitch and anyway it’s seven months ago so by your own judgment it’s no longer a case of WE ARE. In fact, if you want to look at some more recent performances, how about the Champions League where the Juventus of Del Piero and Buffon erased the Real Madrid of Casillas and Sergio Ramos (not even including Raul) at home and away?

Or to spell it out more clearly: THERE IS NO SUCH THING IN FOOTBALL AS AN OBJECTIVE METRE OF QUALITY. The only things that matter are trophies and the verdict of the pitch. And since you’re writing out the first one (conveniently only as far back as 2008 rather than 2006) and there’s no game planned between Italy and Spain in the near future, your argument is just a load of footbally fantasy fluff. Exactly the kind of stuff any football fan wishing to reason critically about football should avoid. Re-think your criteria.

Posted from  United Kingdom

^Agree 100% with John Silver. That’s exactly why articles like these shouldn’t be here.

Posted from  Netherlands

Hahaha, I love it how all these Italy fans get all defensive, and like to brag about all their World Cups they got, and all that garbage. I always have to say the same thing to them. We are better now. We’re #1, not Italy. What’s now is what matters, not what happened 20, or even 3 years ago. And, we didn’t just beat them in penalties, but we beat them in a friendly shortly before the Euro. 1-0, with a beautiful volley by David Villa (the best player ever.) Spain have more talented players, and Casillas is the best Keeper in the World, not Buffon. Currently, we are number one, and there is nothing any Italy or Germany fans can say about.

See you in 2010!

VIVA ESPANA and VILLA MARAVILLA!!!

Posted from  United States

Hahaha, yeah, love the comment about David Villa on the ground(sarcasm). Listen, stop complaining because we beat you on penalties. Italy has won quite a few tournaments on penalties, and you guys didn’t complain for the other team.

I have to admit, Italy played a great defensive game, but Spain played better, and played the best football of the tournament. Also, I notice a lot of Italy fans like to “forget” about that friendly played with Spain before the Euro. 1-0, with a great volley by Villa. And another thing, Villa is never on the ground whining like some of your Italian players. The whole Spanish team put together doesn’t dive more than just one of yours.

Since you Italians love living in the past, let me give you a classic example of your diving antics. Australia vs. Italy in the 2006 WC. Grosso’s little dive at the end wasn’t a fake right? There have been many times where your players are on the ground complaining and whining, and just begging for penalties. If there was a cup given to the team with the most dramatic dives, you’d guys would take that without a doubt, so stop complaining about David Villa. Some of the tackles your players did took Villa and Torres down a few times, and it was legitimate. You were actually very lucky the referee didn’t give a penalty, which was very well deserved at times. Even

Plus, Villa is a better striker than any of your old veterans, or new players would ever be. He’d run circles around them. He’s pure class and skill, and you can’t argue with that. He doesn’t need to dive, like your Italians do. He can score with pure talent.

And another thing, Casillas is a better goalkeeper than Buffon. He made more stops then Buffon in the shootout, and he’s just better. He’s a really talented keeper, and he’s the best in the World.

Like I said, see you in 2010.

Viva Espana

Posted from  United States

“What’s now is what matters, not what happened 20, or even 3 years ago.”

lololol dumbest comment ever!!!!

Posted from  United Kingdom

A really stupid post. Spain are probably the best team in the world right now. I expect you will put up posts saying why spain are better than argentina,brazil,england,france etc etc.

If your selective memory recalls Villa dived so much he got carded that game. For the friendlies you obviously don’t know Italy enough to know they don’t care about friendlies. Check out the Grosso penalty on youtube where they focus on it then tell me it’s fake. As for Casillas, he makes more stops on a shootout and he’s the best? How about when Ricardo stopped all but one of Englands in 06, does that make him the best or does your selective memory not go back that far. The penalties…. Italy has lost more shootouts than won the ratio is like 3-1.

Posted from  Canada

4 WORLD CUPS AND A EURO MORE THAN SPAIN HAS ACHEIVED HOWS THAT FOR A HISTORY LESSON.

Posted from  Canada

denise, looks like you have the same deficiency as anthony with respect to temporal concepts. as i asked anthony, if you dont want to use “the past” as a measure of quality for these respective teams, why are you conveniently using a tournament from a year ago to justify your claims? it’s a little too convenient to be isolating a two week tournament from last year (aka ‘the past’) to make a claim about ‘the present’. given that spain barely scraped past italy in that tournament, it’s hardly convincing EVEN IF i was to accomodate your conveniently edited time frame.

only a team (and their fans) that have an inferiority complex (justified by the fact that spain has only ONE victory over italy in tournaments, and that being on pk’s) would take the time to try and proclaim superiority over a footballing powerhouse like italy. feel free to brag to the portuguese who are more in your league.

Posted from  Canada

“And while Italian fans may hate to admit it, it’s clearly true.”

here’s your opening line. it sure as hell sounds like you are claiming it as being factual based on you stating it as being “clearly true”. it’s not so clear, though, nor is it a fact. it’s more wishful thinking on your part.

no, spain did not outplay italy in that game and the scoreline was very relective of the game. maybe you’re just easily seduced by ball posession or have a hard time understanding that ball posession in the neutral zone of the pitch does not constitute “outplaying”. if you are unable to penetrate the opposing penelty area, then posession does fuck all other than run down the clock. clear cut scoring chances would be a more apt criteria and i recall italy actually had the exact same amount in that game, when you include the 2 long range strikes from senna. you also may be a little light on knowledge of the nuances of the game where good defending is just as integral to a team’s success as is a good offence. in spain’s case, they really had no offence because the italians are the masters at team defence and closing down time and space of an opposing attack. also, a more ’sophisticated’ observer would understand that there are different tactics employed by each team that play on the strenghths of that given team while simultaneously countering the tactical strengths of the opposition. so, while spain may be able to hold onto the ball for 60% of the match, italy is able to absorb loads of pressure and lulling the opposition into a false sense of security by inviting the opposition to press forward with a high defensive line. that, of course, plays right into a counter attacking strategy where as soon as posession changes hand, they can more readily work the ball up quickly and gives your forwards more opportunity to run in behind an opposing defensive line given the amount of real estate a high defensive line concedes in their own zone. all of this seems to be a bit beyond you since your assessments seem to be geared more towards the endorsement of a popularity contest set up by uefa. try enlightening yourself with the actual game itself rather than the fabricated rhetoric you read.

Posted from  Canada

Anthony, most of my responses were for Denise but remember this team tied AUSTRIA in a friendly a few months ago with one Austrian own goal.

Posted from  Canada

Being overly defensive is the same thing as counterattack. I didn’t hear anyone complain when the Dutch screwed the Azzurri with it.

Posted from  Canada

“Look, lamagica, it’s a blog in which I’m free to state my opinion. These are not concrete facts set in stone or scientifically proven. I believe that at this current time Spain are better than Italy because of a bunch of minor things, and until the World Cup is over I doubt I’ll change my mine. When WC2010 is over we’ll talk about the facts.”

If all of this was meant just as speculative fantasy football, then it’s perfectly fine and a topic I normally love to read and indulge in myself. Next time you write something like this, though, do yourself a favour and frame the article more clearly as ‘SUBJECTIVE OPINION’ from the outset rather than using ‘no doubt’ in your title and expressions like ‘proof’ and ‘Sorry Italy, your Mediterranean brothers are simply better than you are’ in the body. You’re going to get almost as many readers and you won’t come off as a dickhead.

Posted from  United Kingdom

A post to clarify the subjective nature of this stuff and perhaps to apologise for the absolutist tones would be much appreciated, Anthony.

Posted from  United Kingdom

It’s true I remeber watching that game when it seemed like they had 3 men on each of ours. All of them were counters though but Italy didn’t deserve the win, but it might have been becuase of the first goal shock them upside down

Posted from  Canada

It’s great that you accept other’s criticisms, Anthony. And sorry for being a little too harsh on you, had a bad mood for a long time. Wondering what you’ll write next.

Posted from  Netherlands

Well, now I have to address a lot of people.

@Anthony: I agree with you on pretty much everything you said in your comments. In my opinion, Spain did outplay Italy in the Quarterfinal. Italy did play a great defensive game, and that’s why there were no goals, but other than that, Spain dominated the game. I also agree that Holland played an amazing match with Italy, and clearly Holland was the better team. I saw the whole game, and I was glad that Holland won, because that was a win they completely deserved. I also think Italy play too much of a defensive game. Spain play great football and its very fun to wathc, but it also works, not saying that a defensive style doesn’t work, its just boring. If Italy would have ventured from their comfort zone of defensive play against Spain, I think Spain would have scored some.

@John Silver: Well, if we are talking about now, what happened before doesn’t really matter. When I say now, I’m talking of the most recent events and/or competitions, and based on that, Spain are the best team in the world. Many Italy fans are just sour right now because they thought their team can pull it off again. Italy hasn’t been doing to well in WCQ’s either. They haven’t been getting very good results, and one that you mentioned, was the Austria game. By the way, I know very well that Italy has a better International history record than Spain, and believe me, I’ve heard it many times. Sorry, and although you may not like to hear it Italy are not #1, Spain is. I know that if Italy would have won the Euro, all you fans would be harping on it right now, so let us Spain fans enjoy a Euro cup, and a #1 ranking that our team fully and completely deserves.

@lamagica: Well, I’m very well aware that Villa got carded. Villa did not dive. I think its pretty funny, because actually referees let Italy get away with so much. A more Sophisticated (or less blind) observer would have noticed that the referee was clearly letting Italy get away with murder. Even Tommy Gray, who I’m sure you probably know, mentioned the extremely poor refereeing. There were a few times where Villa and Torres, and even Silva were cut down in the box, and no penalties were given. It should have been. Maybe you need glasses or something.

On one of your other posts: Spain are just as much a powerhouse as Italy. Italy may have won more things, yes, and of course that proves that they are a good team, its just very unfortunate that Spain have nothing to show for their hard work and excellent team, although they did deserve it at times. We’re not inferior, in history, maybe, but right now, we are better than you.

Also, on your post to Anthony, I understand what you are saying, and a defense is great, but believe it or not, if given enough time, teams can eventually penetrate a tough defense. Italy played an excellent defensive game, I will admit, but possession is also very important, and Spain were the ones creating most of the chances, not saying Italy did not have their share.

To all:

Please, nobody waste my time with another explanation of time concepts. Let me clear it up now. Look. Italy will be champions of the world until the next world cup, that’s just how it goes. Just like right now, Man U are the best club in the world, until someone else wins the champions league this year (or if they win it again, which I’m not hoping for.) Spain is #1 right now, and they will be #1 until someone else comes and grabs the top spot. They are Champions of Europe now too, until someone else wins the Euro (or they do again, and that would be great). That’s what I mean when I say we are the best right now. Italy hasn’t been doing that well, and as lamagica has mentioned, they tied Austria in a friendly or a WCQ I’m not sure which it is. Technically, right now, we are the best. I’m not making this up, go to FIFA.com and check out the World rankings, and Spain is #1. That is a fact. As much as the Italy fans may not like it, its the truth, and you guys will just have to wait until the World Cup 2010 to prove us wrong.

Posted from  United States

All these uselsss posts. What is the point? the Spaniards are the new force on the soccer world front and this (Euro 08) is just the beginning. Nothing is sure in this world, but with the talent and the youth and number of extremely gifted players, no one is poised to win as much as them. For all the years they have underachieved, this will be just as diametrically strong. The world will see the superior genetics of the Spaniard, and it will and has thus far been FUN AS HELL! Enjoy the ride Spaniards, Much like Tiger Woods said before displaying his dominanace, ” Hello World!”