FIFA World Cup 2010: Spain Vs Paraguay Spain’s chances of winning the quarter final
Spain is one of the top football nations in Europe, and has contested for the coveted trophy a number of times. This would be their thirteenth World Cup, to enjoy the quality and class in their squad to lift the trophy. They were the pre tournament favourites, but had shaky start after losing to the underdogs Switzerland in their opening match. However, Spain has not looked back and has won every game there on. When they meet Paraguay in the quarterfinals, Spain would be the favourites to win.
World Cup History: Spain is yet to win a single world cup, with a four place 1950 finish being the best record in the tournament. This would be Spain’s 13th World Cup Appearance. They lost to finalist France in the 2006 World Cup in the Round of 16. Thirteen is considered to be an unlucky number, but Spain would want to prove that wrong and try to win the coveted trophy. Spain would want to avoid a penalty shootout at all costs. They are yet to win one in the World Cup, and seem to be weak in this area. Spain has never played a Semi final, despite making it into the Quarters four times.
Qualifying Campaign: Spain won all of their qualifying matches so far. They were undefeated in campaign and outplayed their opponents. No one stood a chance against the La Furia Roja, as they scored 28 times, while conceding only five times.
Performance In South Africa: Spain had a unsteady start to their World Cup campaign, and lost to Switzerland in their opening match. They however came back, and defeated both Chile and Honduras to top their group. They met a much celebrated Portugal side, who were red hot favourites after dismantling Korea DPR 7-0 in the group stages. Spain however outplayed the Portuguese, defeating them 1-0. Their star forward, David Villa, enjoys top form in the tournament, and is a contender for the Golden Boot.
Key Players: Each player of the Spanish side are World Class players. They have the best players for each position and also enjoy an equally talented substitute bench. So much so, that Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas is unable to find himself in the starting XI. They enjoy an all star back four. Carlos Puyol and Gerrard Pique partner Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila at the back, which play for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. They may not play for the same club, but are feared by almost all Europeans clubs. In the midfield, stars Xabi Alonso, Xavi and Iniesta torment the opposition with their amazing passing and impressive style of play. They are lethal when they combine, and their short passes confuse the most composed of defences. They make truly magical opportunities for the forwards, and with David Villa and Fernando Torres forming a formidable partnership upfront, those opportunities usually find the back of the net. Such is the quality and class of the Spanish side, and this may be closest they can come to winning the tournament. All of these players have enjoyed top forms in their respective clubs.
European Champions: Spain crashed out of the 2006 World Cup in the round of 16 but came back much stronger. They enjoyed a 35 match unbeaten streak, and won the 2008 Euro. USA broke the streak in the Confederations Cup 2009. Spain outplayed their European Counter parts, as they competed against sides like World Champions Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and Netherlands. Having won a tournament featuring all of these sides, Spain is not new to facing quality sides
Strengths: Spain plays a beautiful game. They keep most of the possession, and keep on passing until they make an opportunity. This may be effective since this frustrates the opposition and if they don’t have the ball, they wouldn’t score. On the average, Spain enjoys a 60%+ possession in almost all of their game, and it’s an exciting feat to just watch them retain most of the possession. This is effective, which can be seen from their 35 match unbeaten run. Apart from this, they have Iker Casillas as their goal keeper who is considered to be one of the top 5 in the World.
Spain are strong favourites of winning their contest against Paraguay in the Quarter Finals. David Villa is in top form, and has already scored four times in the tournament. He is tipped to winning the Golden Boot and would want to win it for his nation.
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