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Like everyone, I’ve been watching Spain own the ball in every game they play, usually around 66% possession on average. For Spain their tactics are simple, own the ball and you deny the opposition a chance to win the game leaving only two positive results possible for themselves as the likely outcome.
So how does Croatia counter that?
We have seen at both the last world cup and at Euro2012 where Spain boss Vincente Del Bosque has changed his team selection to have superior numbers in the midfield.
During the World Cup he said that Spain didn’t have enough of the ball in one game (It was 67% from memory, I couldn’t stop laughing) so he dropped Fernando Torres and played with just the one striker in the next game.
Against Italy in the Euro 2012 Championships, Spain opened their campaign playing with no striker.
It’s all about the midfield for Del Bosque and his Spaniards.
Remember this, Spain will start with Torres up front against Croatia.
Croatia boss Slaven Bilic should start with a 4-6 formation. Yes, do a Spain and play with 0 strikers.
Yes, this means Croatia’s goalscoring threat of Nikica Jelavic and Mario Mandzukic start on the bench and a six-man midfield which is boosted by the inclusion of Danijel Pranjic and Niko Kranjcar.
Tactically, the inclusion of Pranjic gives Croatia an attacking option on the break, he played as a marauding left back at the last Euros and was responsible for setting up the opening goal against Germany in Croatia’s 2-1 win at Euro2008.
The inclusion of Kranjcar ahead of a Mandzukic in midfield is to help the Croats keep the ball. Kranjcar is a skilful player who can not only knock the ball around in midfield but he can retain possession of the ball.
Man Marking Spain
Ivan Perisic will do a man-marking job on Iniesta. Just sit in his hip pocket for the entire match. Iniesta seems to always find space, usually on the left, that’s a flaw in today’s game where teams just drop into their defensive formation (Zone) and wait, it gives Iniesta an opportunity to always get possession of the ball with no actual pressure on him.
I think a man marking job on him will cut down his influence by 75%…you have all seen how the large majority of good things that Spain do almost always have him as a major contributor to the move. Letting him run around free is asking for trouble.
Another couple of man marking jobs. Ivan Rakitic to stand next to Xavi. The five yard pass master is extremely slow and Rakitic should be able to not only stay with him around the park but he should also be able to leave him in his wake when Croatia take possession of the ball sprinting off towards goal.
The thing about Iniesta and Xavi is as I said, they always get the ball when they are under no pressure. Man marking those two is a must for success. You do not have to be quick too keep up with them, as I said, Xavi is slow, he has no leg speed and is a liability defending on a break.
Iniesta is nippy at best, I wouldn’t call him quick. It will be a lot easier for Croatia to win this game if all Iniesta can do is knock it back or square because he has someone right up his ginger everytime he gets the ball.
One last man marking job on Busquetes. Xavi and Busquetes are the key players who get the ball from the back two or three. Everything starts with them.
Deny them the ball and let the B-graders try and beat you with a 30 yard ball from defence to one of the other midfielders, good luck with that Spaniards.
A quick look at what is left to influence the game in the midfield battle, Modric, Kranjcar and Pranjic for Croatia v Silva and Alonso for Spain. That’s 3 v 2 hmmm I fancy the Croats.
Torres for Fabregas
Let’s rewind to Del Bosque, remember we already know he likes to own the midfield. 67% of the ball isn’t enough for him.
When do you think he will sacrifice Torres for Fabregas if things, as I suspect, aren’t going to plan because of Croatia’s superior numbers in midfield?
The other option available to Del Bosque is to take off one of his spare centrebacks that are marking eachother. This is a major problem for him because the moment he does that Bilic should make a double substitution with both Mandzukic and Jelavic coming on and the Spaniards have zero height at the back.
Beauty
The beauty of bringing on the two big men is it gives the whole Croatian team a lift, they have just seen their gun strikers come onto the field to help them win the game. You can imagine for the Croatian players on the field they are now believing they are going to win. What’s between the ears goes a long way in the world of sports. Look at Federer and Nadal, their head to head record is all about belief not talent.
Anyway, Del Bosque now has to give his side a handicap. He has to remove a player he doesn’t want to take out the game. I think he will be comfortable removing a Torres because he doesn’t want to be taking off an Alonso to put on a fourth pick centreback.
The Croatian defence, which has looked suspect at best, will be absolutely ecstatic to see Torres go off. I have no doubt his pace terrifies the Croatian centrebacks and so it should they both turn like the QE11, for Del Bosque to remove him is a gift for the Croats.
Croatia has a big advantage against Spain. It knows what to expect from both the Spanish players and Del Bosque.
The element of surprise is with Bilic and his men.
This lineup and formation will confuse the Spanish players on the park not being able to get the ball to their prime movers… The ball will have to go through Alonso, if he can beat you then good luck to them. Now some may think it is better to give the ball the Busquetes and man mark Alonso.
I see your point. However, Busquetes doesn’t tend to give the ball away, Alonso will try to play passes he doesn’t have the ability to play which will result in Croatia getting the ball back, Busquetes is more likely to turn around and give it to the centreback than play a pass he knows he can’t make.
Catastrophic panic can set in really quickly for Spain and it won’t even need Croatia to steal a second goal on a counter attack for that panic to set in.
Team selection and tactics can make for an intriguing contest…chances are it will be a regulation 2-0 win for Spain against a Croatian lineup playing 4-4-1-1. Sounds a bit boring, I’d much rather see what the end result is in “my game,”
TEAM NEWS:
Croatia: Pletikosa, Vida, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Srna, Modric, Pranjic, Mandzukic. Subs: Kelava, Simunic, Buljat, Jelavic, Badelj, Vrsaljko, Dujmovic, Kalinic, Kranjcar, Perisic, Eduardo, Subasic.
Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva, Torres, Iniesta. Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Javi Martinez, Juanfran, Pedro, Fabregas, Negredo, Mata, Llorente, Santi Cazorla, Jesus Navas, Reina.
Maybe I will get my wish....Bilic has just opted for Mandzukic rather than Kranjcar.
So how does Croatia counter that?
We have seen at both the last world cup and at Euro2012 where Spain boss Vincente Del Bosque has changed his team selection to have superior numbers in the midfield.
During the World Cup he said that Spain didn’t have enough of the ball in one game (It was 67% from memory, I couldn’t stop laughing) so he dropped Fernando Torres and played with just the one striker in the next game.
Against Italy in the Euro 2012 Championships, Spain opened their campaign playing with no striker.
It’s all about the midfield for Del Bosque and his Spaniards.
Remember this, Spain will start with Torres up front against Croatia.
Croatia boss Slaven Bilic should start with a 4-6 formation. Yes, do a Spain and play with 0 strikers.
Yes, this means Croatia’s goalscoring threat of Nikica Jelavic and Mario Mandzukic start on the bench and a six-man midfield which is boosted by the inclusion of Danijel Pranjic and Niko Kranjcar.
Tactically, the inclusion of Pranjic gives Croatia an attacking option on the break, he played as a marauding left back at the last Euros and was responsible for setting up the opening goal against Germany in Croatia’s 2-1 win at Euro2008.
The inclusion of Kranjcar ahead of a Mandzukic in midfield is to help the Croats keep the ball. Kranjcar is a skilful player who can not only knock the ball around in midfield but he can retain possession of the ball.
Man Marking Spain
Ivan Perisic will do a man-marking job on Iniesta. Just sit in his hip pocket for the entire match. Iniesta seems to always find space, usually on the left, that’s a flaw in today’s game where teams just drop into their defensive formation (Zone) and wait, it gives Iniesta an opportunity to always get possession of the ball with no actual pressure on him.
I think a man marking job on him will cut down his influence by 75%…you have all seen how the large majority of good things that Spain do almost always have him as a major contributor to the move. Letting him run around free is asking for trouble.
Another couple of man marking jobs. Ivan Rakitic to stand next to Xavi. The five yard pass master is extremely slow and Rakitic should be able to not only stay with him around the park but he should also be able to leave him in his wake when Croatia take possession of the ball sprinting off towards goal.
The thing about Iniesta and Xavi is as I said, they always get the ball when they are under no pressure. Man marking those two is a must for success. You do not have to be quick too keep up with them, as I said, Xavi is slow, he has no leg speed and is a liability defending on a break.
Iniesta is nippy at best, I wouldn’t call him quick. It will be a lot easier for Croatia to win this game if all Iniesta can do is knock it back or square because he has someone right up his ginger everytime he gets the ball.
One last man marking job on Busquetes. Xavi and Busquetes are the key players who get the ball from the back two or three. Everything starts with them.
Deny them the ball and let the B-graders try and beat you with a 30 yard ball from defence to one of the other midfielders, good luck with that Spaniards.
A quick look at what is left to influence the game in the midfield battle, Modric, Kranjcar and Pranjic for Croatia v Silva and Alonso for Spain. That’s 3 v 2 hmmm I fancy the Croats.
Torres for Fabregas
Let’s rewind to Del Bosque, remember we already know he likes to own the midfield. 67% of the ball isn’t enough for him.
When do you think he will sacrifice Torres for Fabregas if things, as I suspect, aren’t going to plan because of Croatia’s superior numbers in midfield?
The other option available to Del Bosque is to take off one of his spare centrebacks that are marking eachother. This is a major problem for him because the moment he does that Bilic should make a double substitution with both Mandzukic and Jelavic coming on and the Spaniards have zero height at the back.
Beauty
The beauty of bringing on the two big men is it gives the whole Croatian team a lift, they have just seen their gun strikers come onto the field to help them win the game. You can imagine for the Croatian players on the field they are now believing they are going to win. What’s between the ears goes a long way in the world of sports. Look at Federer and Nadal, their head to head record is all about belief not talent.
Anyway, Del Bosque now has to give his side a handicap. He has to remove a player he doesn’t want to take out the game. I think he will be comfortable removing a Torres because he doesn’t want to be taking off an Alonso to put on a fourth pick centreback.
The Croatian defence, which has looked suspect at best, will be absolutely ecstatic to see Torres go off. I have no doubt his pace terrifies the Croatian centrebacks and so it should they both turn like the QE11, for Del Bosque to remove him is a gift for the Croats.
Croatia has a big advantage against Spain. It knows what to expect from both the Spanish players and Del Bosque.
The element of surprise is with Bilic and his men.
This lineup and formation will confuse the Spanish players on the park not being able to get the ball to their prime movers… The ball will have to go through Alonso, if he can beat you then good luck to them. Now some may think it is better to give the ball the Busquetes and man mark Alonso.
I see your point. However, Busquetes doesn’t tend to give the ball away, Alonso will try to play passes he doesn’t have the ability to play which will result in Croatia getting the ball back, Busquetes is more likely to turn around and give it to the centreback than play a pass he knows he can’t make.
Catastrophic panic can set in really quickly for Spain and it won’t even need Croatia to steal a second goal on a counter attack for that panic to set in.
Team selection and tactics can make for an intriguing contest…chances are it will be a regulation 2-0 win for Spain against a Croatian lineup playing 4-4-1-1. Sounds a bit boring, I’d much rather see what the end result is in “my game,”
TEAM NEWS:
Croatia: Pletikosa, Vida, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Srna, Modric, Pranjic, Mandzukic. Subs: Kelava, Simunic, Buljat, Jelavic, Badelj, Vrsaljko, Dujmovic, Kalinic, Kranjcar, Perisic, Eduardo, Subasic.
Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva, Torres, Iniesta. Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Javi Martinez, Juanfran, Pedro, Fabregas, Negredo, Mata, Llorente, Santi Cazorla, Jesus Navas, Reina.
Maybe I will get my wish....Bilic has just opted for Mandzukic rather than Kranjcar.
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a tolstoy-esque summary doesnt neccesarily mean croats will win, it would almost appear from that line-up croatia would settle for a 0-0 which obviously won't do them any good.I believe it is possible that croats may sneak a win but very unlikely.
i think that posting may have gone over some betfairians heads, powerfan,you should've just said something like, ' croatia will maulify the spanish.'
spain, like barcelona, are quite heavily dependent on villas movement to execute the moves which actually break down so many defences
without him they don't have the same interchange at the head of the field
if torres can adopt villas movements tonight then they should win with ease but i feel torres is far too selfish to be "the wall" for them for 90 minutes
if he plays ball and does as he's told, spain will run riot
without him they don't have the same interchange at the head of the field
if torres can adopt villas movements tonight then they should win with ease but i feel torres is far too selfish to be "the wall" for them for 90 minutes
if he plays ball and does as he's told, spain will run riot
Never said it means they just win.
1. It keeps them in the game because Spain will find it almost impossible to score.
2. With Modric, Rakitic, Kranjcar (or in todays case Mandzukic) Croatia have players who can get forward on the break and find the back of the net.
3. Croatia can always throw caution to the wind later on in the game (my way bringing on 2 strikers) when players are tired, defenders tend to be more likely to make a mistake. It gives them a chance. A 1-0 win is enough for them.
4. You're presuming all those players in midfield means Croatia is just defending, no, they will have more of the ball than Spain, they will be spending more time attacking rather than defending.
1. It keeps them in the game because Spain will find it almost impossible to score.
2. With Modric, Rakitic, Kranjcar (or in todays case Mandzukic) Croatia have players who can get forward on the break and find the back of the net.
3. Croatia can always throw caution to the wind later on in the game (my way bringing on 2 strikers) when players are tired, defenders tend to be more likely to make a mistake. It gives them a chance. A 1-0 win is enough for them.
4. You're presuming all those players in midfield means Croatia is just defending, no, they will have more of the ball than Spain, they will be spending more time attacking rather than defending.
I like to keep things simple. No point writing a book, then watching Spain smash Croatia to pieces.
im sorry i cant have this,,,great report i must admit but spaspain will not allow them to p
spain will harrass them to death an stop them playing,,there be under imence
Enjoyed reading the post powerfan, not that I agree with it 
Good luck with your bet. The biggest problem I had with it was the idea of man-marking Xavi and Iniesta. It's been tried by so many clubs and they find the space, that is what puts them a cut above the rest. In fact I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that has succesfully stifled Iniesta and Xavi, I guess RM on the odd occasion.
Good luck with your bet. The biggest problem I had with it was the idea of man-marking Xavi and Iniesta. It's been tried by so many clubs and they find the space, that is what puts them a cut above the rest. In fact I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that has succesfully stifled Iniesta and Xavi, I guess RM on the odd occasion.
Spain's weakest link, if if it can be called that, is at the back. Croatia have been good offensively but now they've reduced their attacking options by playing 1 up front. Personally I would have fancied them more if they had started with the 2 up front and had a go. I now expect this to fall back into a typical Spain match with Spain dominating the position and very little threat from Croatia. Famous last words 
@the mover,
As i said in the post, Xavi is slow. You can stop him doing anything with the ball other than push it back and sideways.
Iniesta he is a little more crafty but i dont think anyone has ever gone out there to just sit in his hip pocket for the entire game. Thats because of that zonal marking, playing 0 strikers gives you the extra players in midfield to waste one or two on man marking jobs. IMO.
GERMANY with Klose and Gomez on the bench can play same system. Mueller is a goalscoring midfielder as is Ozil. Schweinsteiger gets forward, doesnt score too often buthe gets up the park.
What it does is changes the Spain "starting 11" that they picked b4 the game to the one you would like them to play.
As i said in the post, Xavi is slow. You can stop him doing anything with the ball other than push it back and sideways.
Iniesta he is a little more crafty but i dont think anyone has ever gone out there to just sit in his hip pocket for the entire game. Thats because of that zonal marking, playing 0 strikers gives you the extra players in midfield to waste one or two on man marking jobs. IMO.
GERMANY with Klose and Gomez on the bench can play same system. Mueller is a goalscoring midfielder as is Ozil. Schweinsteiger gets forward, doesnt score too often buthe gets up the park.
What it does is changes the Spain "starting 11" that they picked b4 the game to the one you would like them to play.
Great to have proper analysis without the playground antics this forum is synonomous with.
Don't agree though, think Spains movement will be too much and go for 3-0 or 3-1.
Don't agree though, think Spains movement will be too much and go for 3-0 or 3-1.
I should be a Football Manager. I know what del Bosque is going to do before he does. Tactically i was smarter than Bilic too. Kranjcar had to play instead of Mandzukic, he gave the ball away the entire first half.
remember this,
2. With Modric, Rakitic, Kranjcar (or in todays case Mandzukic) Croatia have players who can get forward on the break and find the back of the net.
Rakitic coulda/shoulda won the game for Croatia. Referee could have awarded a penalty too for the foul on Corluka.
Modric best player on the park by that far its not even debatable. He did more damage in 60 seconds than iniesta and xavi did in an hour.
remember this,
2. With Modric, Rakitic, Kranjcar (or in todays case Mandzukic) Croatia have players who can get forward on the break and find the back of the net.
Rakitic coulda/shoulda won the game for Croatia. Referee could have awarded a penalty too for the foul on Corluka.
Modric best player on the park by that far its not even debatable. He did more damage in 60 seconds than iniesta and xavi did in an hour.
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