Did you watch the American’s hand a lesson or two to Spain???

Two things common between the recently concluded T20 Cricket World cup and the Confederations cup-

1. While the pundits firm favourites- India in the Cricket world cup and Spain in the football tournament bit the dust, teams with little practice like USA (Football) & Pakistan (Cricket) performed admirably

2. While players from India and Spain looked visibly tired mentally & physically after a long season playing almost 2 matches every week, American & Pakistani players looked fresh and raring to go as their seasons were limited and they played just enough to keep them fresh.

It did raise questions on how much should an international sportsman really play. Aren’t there any sort of protection for them??? And the never ending debate in soccer- Does playing for the nation really have any value for these international superstars? Iniesta, the real star of the recent UEFA Champions league final withdrew from the tournament and I can’t see a fully fit Spain losing to USA even if the latter was at their best!!!

Spain were on the back of a 35-odd match unbeaten streak and came into the match boasting of being in sublime form passing the ball around, running teams ragged with their Latino style football sandwiched with European discipline. On their day, Spain could crush teams and leave many a fans gasping for breath and asking for more!!!
But what hit them on June 24th was nothing short of a hurricane. The famed midfield and defense of Spain was left wondering and asking questions of what hit them. Coach Bradley (USA) had signaled his intentions a day before the D-day by noting that, “If Spain is left to play their natural game of possession and short passing, then they would finish us off.” It sometimes felt like an American Football team playing within the rules against a soccer team. Their tackles were inch-perfect and a second late here and there would have resulted in several cards. But, this was their day. They flung themselves at the ball and the intimidation that came with it, resulted in Spain moving away from their short pass style to something which was more foreign to them. 29-9 shots for Spain but what was evident was the quality of the attacks. When USA attacked they really did attack with venom. Dempsey and the real star- Landon Donovan were simply brilliant in the attacking side of midfield and enjoyed a great deal of space on the back of that extra yard they had over every other Spanish player on the field. Oguchi Onyewu in defense and Tim Howard (ex Man United and current Everton goalie) was simply superb behind the bars. While Altidore scored in the 27th minute, Dempsey added another in the 74th. They became the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006. The second goal was so true of what actually hit Spain. Sergio Ramos had the ball in his feet to clear, but took that extra second with it. It almost felt like he was brain dead for a second and did not know what to do with the ball. Dempsey was quick to pounce on it and knock it into the empty net. Remember the last world cup- Roberto Carlos bending down on his knees against France, only for Thierry Henry to score? Sergio Ramos & Carlos Puyol looked jaded, while the famous Spanish midfield sans Iniesta looked a pale shadow of its real self!!!

I can’t help going a month back and wondering why Sir Alex Ferguson could not devise something similar. In the past teams have surprised units which play “true football” with some dogged defence, lighting quick counter attacks and loads of heavy tackling. Who can forget what Cameroon did to Argentina in the opening game of the 1990 world cup and the recent US defeat of Spain

Yes he missed Owen Heargreaves and his physicality but what were all the others doing? Iniesta, Xavi & Messi ran Man U across the pitch. Carlos Puyol almost played like a winger and spent more time in Man U’s half than doing his primary duty of defending, for there was no meaningful attack coming his way. Sergi Busquets was like a dream in the centre knocking off attack after attack along with Pique. The latter was a man possessed. Who wouldn’t be on a cup final night and playing against Europe’s most successful football team. They deserved to win the final by a wider margin, albeight they did not deserve to reach the final. Let’s remind ourselves that they walked into the final on the back of the worst refereeing I have seen in 15 odd years with atleast 2 clear penalties not given to Chelsea. How else do you expect players like Drogba, who have given their all to react? An opportunity to reach a Champions league final does not come around every year!!! Wish there was a way to red card referees!!!

Ronaldo looked like a 100 meter runner who had no business with the ball. He presented a disappointing picture in front of a sublime and nimble feated Messi. Michael Carrick was busy passing (being displaced) the ball to Pique. Someone needed to remind him that Pique had moved clubs long back…. Park and Anderson were busy wondering where to go on vacation at the end of the match, while a certain Mr.Ryan Giggs was still counting his stars on how we got the EPL player of the year at this age when he should be planning for his retirement!!!

Talk about fatigue taking a toll on players and coaches alike!!!!!

But, I am sure that next season Barcelona will find it harder to repeat its performance as teams would come for them and not wait for them to dictate terms in the midfield. 2010 world cup is not far away and Spain needs to buckle up and plan for different scenarios, else the clear favourites could be cleared away early and left waiting for another 4 years!!!