Game Blog: Spain v Armenia

Iniesta the Great, Bojan debuting, Villa bagging a brace and some melodrama about substitutes as always . . oh, and Spain beat Armenia 4-0! And while it wasn’t quite the 7-0 slaughter that Bosnia inflicted on Estonia, it was pretty much over by the 16th minute. Iniesta had a mesmerizing homecoming at Albacete, quickening pulses whenever he got the ball and racking up 3 gorgeous assists. Villa was magnifico, back to his hungry ways, and just missed a hat-trick AND a repeat of his wondergoal from the last game by mere inches. Senna got his first goal for la seleccion! Congrats, Marcos. Capdevila also scored, there was a new sport invented, synchronized bicycle kicking, and more – here is my game blog:

After Spain walked away with the lion’s share of possession against Bosnia but only 1-0 to show for it, Del Bosque is ripping up the papers and starting anew . . or so we thought. I saw at least 8 different squad lists over the past 2 days, including the biggest surprise: Xabi Alonso replacing Marcos Senna??? Say it ain’t so! Senna is our rock – he can’t be sacrificed for the sake of your science project! I also heard that Capel would be pulled due to criticism that he was too “selfish” while making all those “headless” runs of his in the last game that opened up whole new ridges and planes where none existed before, and won us a bunch of free kicks and corners. O-hay. And of course, there were those eager for the debut of young Bojan Krkic – to the consternation of one Dani Guiza.

Match day, I have given up guessing who will start, and now the players are out, as Dani Guiza and Santi Cazorla happily join the lineup for their first starts, in the Euro-winning 4-1-3-2:

. . . . . . . . . Iker . . . . . . . . .
Ramos . . Puyol . . Albiol . . Capdevila
. . . . . . . . . Senna . . . . . . . . .
Cazorla . . . . Xavi . . . . Iniesta
. . . . . Villa . . . . .Guiza . . . .

Of all the WC qualifiers, Spain plays last, so the players already have this eye-opening confidence-booster under their belts: Bosnia beat up Estonia 7-0??? Jesus Christ! Turkey tied Belgium 1-1. And the surprise of the day: England 4-1 Croatia? IN Croatia? Good job, Theo!

History: Armenia has NEVER scored against Spain and has allowed 10 goals overall, including 4 from the last encounter in 2003. Expect a goal-fest tonight.

5:00 With both Guiza and Villa up front, they are linking up nicely with the midfielders and creating a lot of movement. A great near-chance between Guiza and Santi! Except Guiza’s pass just missed Santi’s run.

6:40 GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Already??? Holy cow! 1-0.
All the action’s been on the left side, and from Spain’s second corner – this one, played short as we always do, finds gold. From Xavi’s pass, Iniesta circles the front of their defense, like a wolf against nervous shepherds, drawing all eyes . . while his teammates crept into position amidst their backline, 3 across, ready to spring the offside trap, ready on a moment’s notice to punish them for not putting 10 men behind the ball.

And with laser-like accuracy, Iniesta slips the ball straight to Capdevila, the defender tries but cannot get to it, and that allows Capdevila exactly what he needs to turn and shift that ball onto his left foot before cracking it towards goal, it is almost too easy, and the goalkeeper can only dive in desperation before the ball hammers past him into the back of the net. That’s more like it!!! That’s the Spain that this crowd has come to see!

Haha, Joan Capdevila is so modest about that goal, almost to the point of being sheepish about it, that he shrugs and laughs when Puyol pulls him into a headlock to celebrate. Sergio kisses him! Iniesta should get all the credit here, that was an amazing assist. No wonder Sergio said he wants him on his team!

11:34 Iniesta again, he owns the left side, and now he tries to dribble through 2 defenders and loses it – or was that a “pass” to Villa? It was a pass! Villa grabs it, now he swings back to face the goal from 30 yards out and fires one towards goal! The keeper must sky to deflect that –

OOH, it bounces out!!! Sergio gets it! Except he’s being dragged down by a defender who’s got one knee on the ground, still trying in vain to stop him. “WTF, just let me have it already!” The ref blows the whistle to stop the shirt tugging, and a free kick is given. What the . . we do a “decoy”, where Santi runs towards goal and it is Villa who gives him the pass – but ARGH, he is no Iniesta, is he? And the ball rolls too fast for Santi to catch it, hopelessly out of bounds.

Ray Hudson, the GolTV commentator, LOVES Marcos Senna. He describes him as “fireman and policeman all in one”! LOL

14:45 Ack, so close! Short corner for Spain, Xavi to . . Villa? Can’t tell. But they fire up a high cross that comes straight for Sergio on the near post, he has no trouble beating his marker, but he is a bit too far towards the right side of the goal to really put more power onto it, and the keeper takes his header in stride.

16:00 GOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VILLA!!! 2-0 in a matter of minutes!
Oh, oh, Iniesta is some player, huh? Once again, it is his ball that finds our striker in position, of course it is Villa who squares and pummels that into the net, but it is Iniesta who fights through countless defenders to get it to him, who delivers it on a plate, who watches with avid eyes as it is delivered into the back of the net. The commentators are full of praise for the little Catalan, calling his dribbling skills “better steering mechanism than a Ferrari”.

Replay: Iniesta guides the ball in from the left, one defender is not enough so a second one closes in, and just as they mug him, he manages to squeak that ball through the closing door towards Villa, saving it from the fire, and the defender in front of Villa knows he’s doomed, he tries to see what he will do, if he can block it, but there is no mercy from Villa, who so coolly positions himself and squares up before lashing it past the keeper into goal.

I have to remind myself that the replay is in slow-motion. Now that you see it again, you marvel: how can you make such a decision so fast? How do you beat a defender in front of you AND a keeper who’s eyes are trained on you? By chipping it into the far, far corner, out wide past the outstretched hands of the keeper, so that even as they dive, they cannot get to it. Cold, predatory, and precise. And now Villa gets mobbed with kisses from his teammates!!!

18:30 LOL, the commentators are already chatting about which second-half subs we’ll see on shortly. Uh, we’ve only played 18 minutes? But there is a sense that the game is already over. They are taking bets on whether we will see 18 year old Bojan, or Cesc, or Capel . . del Bosque’s got to “keep the clan happy”.

21:18 Awww, Santi!!! So adorable! Sergio passes to him, stationed on the far right wing, and Santi tries to tip it forward for himself, but it rolls out of bounds. As he walks back, disappointed, his eyes on the ground – he lifts them up for a brief moment to glance at Sergio, to tell him he’s sorry – and flashes those dimples that are just so boyish, so puppyish . . *melts*!

23:30 Villa with a backheel to Iniesta! Now the ball threads its way from left to right, it is mesmerizing watching Spain’s confident ball-control, and Sergio goes down in a tangled heap on the right wing trying to keep possession from a Santi pass. We get a throw-in.

25:30 Hmm. The cross comes in from the far left side, and it is too fast for Sergio to control, so he does well to trap it with his foot, but then he slides onto the grass, letting the ball bounce and roll helplessly out of bounds. What’s up with you today, bb? The commentators, having just gotten done paying no attention to the match and telling the story of Pepe and Iker’s #1 v #12 shirt mix-up in the last game, now wonders too about Sergio today. “Ramos seems to be on a different page”.

True . . this is the 2nd ball that he’s failed to control from the left wing, and just now, too, when Armenia counter-attacked, he had been almost too easy on them, letting them get away with all sorts of antics to get a (soft) shot on goal, as if we’d already won the match. Well . . we are up 2-0. Against the worst team in the qualifying group. But still . .

26:20 See? See what I’m talking about??? There’s a danger on the right side, the ball is in the air, Sergio heads it to Albiol, who is forced to head it out under pressure – and now Armenia gets a throw-in. From that, they are trapped into a corner by Sergio, who tries to push a little and use his body to intimidate that ball out of bounds – but in fact, the Armenian player manages to turn around and sneak that ball out of there to a teammate, who links up with another teammate in front of goal, so that now Iker must save their shot by the far post! That was dangerous!!!

27:00 Iniesta is brought down by a hard tackle by their #15, and the fans are livid over the suffering of their hometown pride and joy. The ref promptly whips out a yellow card.

30:12 OOOOOHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VILLA! So close!!! From a ball that looked like nothing would happen, a bad pass that ends up in Armenian hands – suddenly the defender makes a mistake clearing it away from Sergio, so desperate was he to simply get it out of there that he doesn’t look to see if there’s a anybody there – there isn’t! – and now faster than lightening Santi is tearing off towards it, he chases into the far right corner, and with one look he knows Villa is there. Left of the far post, the cross whips in for him, and the keeper somehow gets a hand on it but it spills forward for Villa! It’s still his ball! And now David must scramble for it, recover it, steady it – but the shot is deflected!!! AGH! He was only 2 yards from goal!

32:30 WOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO DAMN CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!! Villa is on the ground, hands on his face and screaming silently to God, for having missed such a chance!

What a great effort by Sergio! He gets the ball on the right wing, almost invites the defender to step closer, c’mon I won’t bite – then he side-taps it to Santi, who slots the ball forward for him to run onto. And I am almost screaming – it is too far, it is too fast for him! But Sergio just flat-out sprints for it, he wants this one, and he so barely catches it that it is millimeters from going out! But now that he has it, he’s in full control. And look at that! Taps it forward for himself, it’s almost too easy, he beats his marker and lines up the perfect cross for Villa, who jumps for it – but OH! The header’s just wide! How close was that?! How close? 2 feet from goal?

The keeper breathes a huge sigh of relief. Haha, now they are full of praise: “Great run by Sergio Ramos, when he joins in, he’s a big Joe, and he fires this gem to David Villa. Who, by world-class standards should’ve done better, b/c David Villa is world-class.”

33:22 Villa again! With a stinging shot that’s saved by the keeper, great 1-2 with Guiza, the two of them weaving the ball in between the white shirts as if they’re just lampposts, it is Guiza who guides the ball from the goalline for him, and even though it was saved, the two are so happy they hug!

33:52 ROFL – too funny! “Double scorpion!!” Sergio and David both wanted to do the bicycle kick, to claim their spot in the ESPN Top Ten highlights that day, and maybe got into each other’s way. But no worries! Sergio laughs and claps Davy on the back. We had gotten a corner from David’s goal attempt, and Sergio gets a header that he smartly directs towards Albiol, who returns the favor by crossing back in for him and David. Two double flips later – and they get up laughing as if sharing a joke on the training pitch. Classic!

35:09 AARGGHH!!! Armenia rifles a shot at goal, and it just so narrowly clips over the bar, the player having slipped! Biggest scare so far for Iker!

39:00 Crap! Sergio comes in full of determination to tackle that ball away, but the Armenian player just waltzes on through! He tests Iker with a shot, which Iker saves but lets it spill out, and thankfully Sergio is there to quickly hoof it away. And now in the mad scramble, Senna has fouled a white shirt = free kick = buried right into de wall. “Tight knit wall,” Ray praises, though its short – what is Villa doing?? He is part of the wall, but is making as if to sprint off the other way at the first sign of movement, so eager is he to get back to what he should be doing, attacking.

43:00 Phil is theorizing about the Armenian shot that just went over the top of the bar 8 min ago, what if? What if it had gone in? It would’ve been 2-1, and put Spain on their heels? But Ray is simply so aghast at that suggestion that he can’t even say anything for a second, so shocked is he, and it’s hilarious to hear him try to describe the impossibility of it, to even entertain the notion! “But it’s – but the quality! – but it’s just – I mean, like between a racehorse and a donkey. With all due respect! It’s – under complete control by Spain.”

44:00 Albiol? What are you doing so far up?? Is no one back there to keep Iker entertained? He saves the ball though for Guiza, whose shot, too hurried and weak, is saved by keeper.

Halftime: Something is off. This game is just not as much fun as the previous two, for some reason. Oh, how much I loved Denmark and Bosnia! But this one? I dunno . . maybe it’s the bad camera shots, which leaves one almost wanting to break out the binoculars to see what’s developing on the left side, so small are the figures even on my 52”. Having just come from Goal 2 yesterday, where the soccer shots were simply stunning, it makes you never want to see a regular game again. Maybe it’s the stupid DirecTV technology, which automatically backs up 15 seconds from where I want it to stop, trying to “autocorrect” me but who do you think is smarter, me or the remote??? Or maybe its b/c I already knew they’d scored 2-0. Bloody GolTV showing it on delay and yet still calling it “live” . .

47:00 LOL, did Iniesta just hit the ball against Villa? No, I think it was a defender . . Anyway, we get the ball back, Villa just saunters down the left side of the box, and then chips in a curling ball that is meant for Guiza, very nearly finding him! But the keeper reads it well and takes it away.

48:45 Xabi and BOJAN are warming up!!! Will we see the Barcelona teenager soon?

49:00 OH, beautiful, beautiful buildup, exquisite linking, Iniesta just takes it too far, but this Spanish side is just begging for another goal, a table 5-topping goal, and every single pass they make seem full of that fatal attraction, the doom for Armenia that nevertheless must fill them with a joy to watch, to behold, so many leagues closer to the beautiful game than us the poor viewers.

53:00 Oh, Puyol! Great, great clearance to beat the Armenian to a dangerous runaway ball and hoof it clear just in the nick of time. Heck, this game is so dunzo already that the play by play guy is giving us the scoreline from the other WC qualifiers, and even delving into how Spain’s U-21 did! 7-0 Bosnia, 4-1 England . . please call the game, will you?

55:00 Xabi on for Guiza. And Dani boy comes off looking very sad, very disappointed, nodding blankly to the well wishes that his teammates give him on his exit. Awww . . I really feel sorry for him now. I’m not a big fan of Guiza, but even I am touched to see the big guy go out. He can’t sulk like Cesc, but he’s biting his lip on the inside. I mean, think about it: this was such a rare start for him, he really wanted to do well, and he did have some good runs and close chances – but with a 2-0 scoreline, we don’t really need 2 strikers, so he becomes the first to be subbed off. Xabi, though, will be a good buffer in midfield for us.

Huh, interesting! The announcer astutely notes that there might be a bit of politics involved here, that Guiza is being taken off for Xabi b/c the even worse scenario would’ve been him being taken off for the 18 year old Bojan, and that would’ve really riled his cage. So Xabi plays buffer. So like him!

57:20 LOL!!! An Armenian player works himself into a corner and is all by himself, he’s got no chance, yet he tries a sideways shot on goal anyway. The “shot” rolls so softly towards Iker that he ambles out to collect it as if he was picking up the Sunday paper!

58:00 Um . . Guiza is walking towards . . the locker room?? Not the bench? What’s going on – he can’t stomach the rest of the game? It’s that tragic for him? The commentators are wondering too – is he injured? Not likely. So then . . what is up? If he is really going off to shower and change, that is not good for the unity of the team. I mean – your teammates are still playing. Would it behoove you to simply stay put and watch?

58:45 AAAAAWWWW!!!!!!!!!! INIESTA! You should’ve had that!!!! Great, great ball that he gets all alone on the left wing, boy, the Armenians are really pushing forward trying to look for a goal, huh? This is nothing like the Bosnia game, where sometimes the box area seemed like the mall traffic 2 days b4 Xmas. Iniesta so cleverly sombreros his marker, then takes off towards goal and dances around 2 more defenders before teeing up – who? – but the pass is deflected!!!! Villa wasn’t there! You should’ve SHOT that!!!!! Oh, oh, to be 3 yards out from goal, and not shoot . . !

59:15 Sergio makes a fantastic move to strip the Armenian winger of the ball, saves it from going out of bounds, then shepherds it onto the feet of our midfielders, who immediately turn tail, they cannot get enough of this drink, this intoxication of finding a goal, a treasure chest, and VILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Breaks loose into the box and guns that ball into the far left corner of the area, then whips that ball across, it is so full of promise – but no one is there! Xavi or Santi arrives a step too late, and it’s cleared and goes out for a corner. LOL – the Armenian defender that’d just cleared it looks at the camera and is so winded, so bewildered, so cannot keep up with La Furia Roja, he looks almost dizzy – brilliant!

63:00 Bojan is coming in! Still wearing his yellow warm-up jersey, he listens intently as del Bosque explains his vision for him.

64:00 Bojan, now wearing the royal red of Spain, #13, is coming in for Santi. This kid, just turned 18 a month ago, has just trumped Cesc as the youngest debutant for Spain in 70 years. And see, Santi isn’t mad. He knows how big of a moment this is for Bojan, and as he jogs off, he gives the crowd a nice hand to show his appreciation. See, Guiza? Hopefully there’s no hard feelings. Ray Hudson is certainly excited, as are the fans: “[Bojan]’s sharp as a carpet tack”. What the hell is a carpet tack?

65:15 AAAARRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So close! We are just passing the ball around, everything’s calm – and then all of a sudden Xavi sees something that nobody else can see and splits the defense with such a high quality ball that we are screaming, the announcers are screaming, Bojan has run onto it like a deer and on the far left corner swings in a cross for Villa – but the linkup is just inches missed! INCHES! Villa has run a bit too far or the cross is a bit too late, but anyhow the chance is missed and a second later its gone and cleared out. Already this kid has our pulses jumping – “there is that jackrabbit pace!” and “slippery as an eel covered in Vaseline” indeed!

67:00 Iniesta! I forget to breathe as he fights and fights and with one deft turn somehow steals that ball clean off the feet of the Armenian! Then they are tugging and shoving as he tries to take his precious gift towards goal, he loses his marker but finds himself tackled to the ground by another, and now the crowd is baying for a foul! Iniesta himself just stays on the turf, propped up on his elbows for a better look at the referee, smiling and silently begging for a free kick. Ray Hudson chuckles and calls him a “scallywag” sometimes for trying to “buy a penalty”. We do get a corner . .

68:20 Just breathtaking football from Spain, even in defense they can make the ball dance, there is absolutely no uncouth bone in them. Every movement is fluid, every pass and lightness of touch an instinct, a marvel, and here, even the rearguard can give you spellbinding tiki-taka as they are confronted with a danger, then so calmly deal with it by taking the ball away from the Armenian winger. There is no panic in sight, no hurried movement, no desperation to clear the ball out – no, all that is beneath them, beneath the mission of juga bonito, and even with Armenians in plain sight 25 yards out from goal they are stroking it around, letting everybody have a touch. It must be mind-boggling for the white shirts to see the speed at which the ball is taken out of their hands without even the slightest raised eyebrow from the Spanish. The announcer is so in awe that he begs the US national team to “watch this” to learn – not to do it, but to try to learn to do it. $*@)$(*#)%#(%*)(#udjfosjf! *faints*

And it doesn’t stop. It continues – it only gets better once we start picking up speed and getting near goal. “OH!” Ray Hudson can only exclaim as Senna finds Bojan on the right wing perfectly, the teenager trying to loop it forward for Villa, then when it deflects back, guns forward again trying to win it anew, and now Villa has got it again, he twists and turns, Bojan has gone on ahead but now Xabi steps up and fires! Just wide of the net! UGH!!

70:45 Cesc is up and about, will he be coming on for Villa?

71:00 Bojan gets the ball on the right wing and with a wink Sergio hurdles forward, Bojan releases it for him, he taps it to Xabi without breaking his run, and now Xabi slots it forward for him, Sergio has acres of room to run and only then do the defenders look alarmed and race in to close him down. Surrounded by white shirts from all 3 sides, Sergio nonetheless manages to sheperd the ball away from them and into safety towards the left side – uh oh, but Iniesta and Capdevila looses it! Iniesta chases it down against the Armenian, it’s basically gone out of bounds – but Capdevila has to come in and bump him! Now it’s a foul! Crap! The ensuing free kick is pretty good – but it’s cleared out safely.

72:45 Cesc on for XAVI! Huh, okay.

73:15 AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VILLA ALMOST GOT WONDERGOAL #2! But not to be! And now you understand how tough that Bosnia game-winner was, how miraculous, how full of skill and luck. This one is almost exactly like it, it is a mirror image, Cesc coming on for all of 2 seconds immediately finds our target man, Villa, with such a pass that will break your heart, and then Villa runs onto it with so much cunning and desire that you are leaping out of your seat, screaming yourself hoarse –

– but no, no, no!!!!! GODDAMN IT! This time, the keeper is smart to keep on his feet, he has obviously watched tape of the last game, and he has come out so far that he is basically another defender. He in fact parks himself in front of Villa for so long that when David finally lets that ball go, it cannot round the first post and clanks against it, just as the other one would have, could have, but through skill and luck, did not. So, so close, another inch and he would’ve had it, but this one, is not to be. David is so mad at his failure that he pummels the ball against the side netting before jogging away in anguish.

78:25 GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Villa doubled!! 3-0! And this one, this one he does not let get away.

After a couple minutes of stoppage due to Armenian player #15 getting injured and subbed off, we start again, and its almost as if the Armenians are in a daze, because the Spaniards are moving like a dream. Everything is one-touch, there is nobody to get in our way, and it is almost too good to be true when the ball makes it into the box in 6 seconds flat and the shot bangs in for the exclamation point. Super Villa!

Replay #1: It is Bojan on the right wing, luring 2 defenders before cutting it back for Cesc, who slots it perfectly forward for Xabi, who looks up once and knows where Villa is, gives it to him, and Villa, with one deft touch settles it for his right foot to blast that in, straight as an arrow, no diagonal this time, and the keeper is left guessing too long and drops to the ground as the ball whizzes by him for the goal.

Replay #2: Only in the slow-motion replay from the goal outwards do you realize the brilliance of Villa – to come to the ball with his body open as if to slam it into the right side of the net, so that the keeper is ready for that, ready to lunge towards that – only for Villa to turn at the very last second and swing his right hip inwards so as to strike it straight and true, to the left side of the net, and thus leave the keeper stranded and dogged and lost. Pure, pure class, this one was like a knife through butter, and Villa tops off the passing virtuoso with a cherry on top.

80:00 Puyol is tripped up defending and #16 is given a yellow card.

81:54 GOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SENNA BABY!! 4-0!
And Marcos Senna, finally, after so many near-chances blasting from space, gets an entire park to work in on this one and cannot turn it down, runs onto Iniesta’s inviting pass some 25 yards out and just blasts that thing into goal, it seems to pierce time and space altogether before spiraling into the net, the keeper cannot hope to put a hand on it. “The coup de grace!!” And so deserved!

After all his hard work, after the questions about whether del Bosque will have the stones (or stupidity) to take him off for Xabi Alonso, Senna steps up to catch the defense napping and fires home the emphatic fourth goal. Beautiful, exhilarating shot, and Senna is so happy he is on the ground, soaking it all in, with Capdevila kicking him just to make sure he’s awake and not dreaming. Haha, and he smiles at the cameras with a thumbs up! HIS FIRST GOAL!

84:20 Iniesta with a breathtaking twist of his body, so full of control, almost like a ballerina, dare I say, to beat a man taller than he and heavier than he for the ball on the left wing. And as Capdevila tries to put in a cross that goes out for a corner – what do you mean “Marchena has to wait”, Mr. Commentator?? They do not play the same position!

86:00 Sergio makes up so much ground, so fast, to track back on defense – then expertly parks himself in order to deflect an Armenian pass for a corner.

87:20 Iniesta seems to have that ball on a string, I am still awed at how he beat clean thru his marker, then Cesc with a backheel to Bojan who squares up and FIRES! AGH! But the keeper is there to palm it away. The replay shows that the ball was going a bit wide anyway. And now we get a corner. Unfortunately, Albiol wastes it into the crowd. Um, is this what del Bosque meant when he said he wanted more attacking full-backs? He meant Capdevila and Albiol?

90:00+1:20 Cute Sergio, Xabi is trying to defend against a winger along the sidelines and having no luck, so Sergio comes in matter-of-factly and dinks that out of bounds.

90:00+1:44 A breakaway! A fast break! A counter attack! Go, Go, Go! What happened??? Aww . . Bojan! It was 3 on 2, I don’t think we’ve ever sprung them 3 on 2, it is a gift, but as Iniesta pushes the ball out wide to Bojan, while he and Villa position themselves . . Bojan just taps it a little too hard ahead of himself, and it gets poached by a defender. The boy pulls up from even trying to contest that ball, and walks away. Huh?

90:00+3:00 And that’s the game! 4-0 Spain, that is more like it, they were in control all the way, and now they are atop their qualifying table. I am still curious about the Guiza saga . . hope he’s fine, as Bojan showed spirit but certainly won’t be threatening any of the top 3 ahead of him right now for a starting spot.

Post-game Thoughts:
Here’s what Dani Guiza said after the game, from goal.com:

Güiza: I Care, I Am Not A Bricklayer

The Fenerbahçce striker was fuming when his number was shown after 56 minutes of the World Cup qualifier on Wednesday evening in Albacete and he made it quite clear that he was not happy. But Güiza admitted that if he had not been frustrated then he would have been doing himself a disservice after being unable to score or create many chances.

“If it did not annoy me I would not be a football player, I would be a bricklayer,” he stated. “The ones that criticise me would prefer to see me walk off the field laughing before the end of the game.”

“When you are playing for Spain, which for me is the ultimate, and things do not go as you would like them to, it can make you angry because it is more and more difficult to find a space in the team. If I am angered by it then it is because it hurts not have played better or to have scored, because that is what I live for.”

After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, Güiza gave his boots to a fan and then trudged down the tunnel for a shower and the critics were unhappy he did not stay and watch the rest of the game. “There is nothing in that. Spain won and that is what is most important. I hope to have more chances and to continue enjoying playing for the team,” he added.

Güiza has had a slow start to his time in Turkey having not scored since the Champions League qualifiers against Partisan last month in Belgrade.

I loved his comment about coming off the field laughing – LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So true! Though Santi was happy for Bojan replacing him, and Xavi welcomed Cesc. And I really, really, love his second answer, when he says that it is harder and harder to find a spot on the first team for himself. That is the truth, from the bottom of his heart, and when you are the reigning pichichi winner in Spain – to have to fight that hard just to play some minutes with la seleccion must be a bit startling, if not downright insulting, to look towards the bench and fear that an 18 year old is getting ready to replace, and possibly trump, you – and, worse, that he will be welcomed with more fervor and gusto than you. So he had to head for the showers, see?

And so, for the second game in a row, someone comes off with a thunderous face. Cesc, however, came back in this game none the worse for wear, immediately slotting through a fantastic ball for Villa to chase down and so nearly convert. We’ve also seen Fernando taken off and replaced in half his recent games with Spain, no? So it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

Except . . this one, was such a direct contrast. You had Guiza come off with such a sad face, refusing to sit through the rest of the game, while not 10 minutes later Bojan bounded on, happy, smiling, to huge applause, and was so eager about his debut that he had all the players sign his kit later on the bus, and gushed to the media that he was always gonna play for Spain, not Serbia. I know Guiza fears that his one chance to shine in this game went up in smoke, he was the first to be subbed off, and that he may not get another chance – ever – with Torres soon to come back in the fold.