Spain got their World Cup campaign off and running with a 2-0 win in their second group game against Honduras.
However, regardless of the result, the coach of the Spanish team, Vicente del Bosque, says that his side were not good enough in the attacking half of the team. He wanted them to be more ruthless and score more goals when they got into attacking positions.
Spain strolled to the win and the match lacked a real intensity, which has been evident in some of the group games over the last few days. Spain won this match without really even trying and it is clear that the coach wants his team to up their levels ahead of a potentially devastating match against Chile.
Chile have emerged as one of the best outside teams at this World Cup and if they manage to beat Spain then it will mean that the Spaniards will be forced to take an early plane ride home to face a disgruntled and upset media and public.
Ruthless
Del Bosque does not seem pleased with the number of chances that Spain wasted in front of goal. They were always in control of the game and key striker, David Villa, did very well in bagging a brace for his team, which secured them three points.
The fact is that Spain will not be let off of the hook against better teams and they need to cash in every single time they get a goal scoring opportunity. It could well have been a cricket score yesterday but Spain did not produce enough in the attacking half to mirror a similar score line to Portugal’s 7-0 demolition of North Korea.
It is likely that Spain will play either the Portuguese or the Brazilians if they manage to get through to the knock out stage of the World Cup. Therefore, you can easily understand the sorts of frustrations that the Spanish coach must be experiencing.
It’s also important to remember that this coach led the side to victory in Euro 2008 when Spain were clearly the best team in Europe and probably the world at the time. They have the potential to win this World Cup but the point is that unless they can get huge leads, better teams will punish them.
Improvements
There were a number of improvements in the Spanish team from the side who was defeated by a determined Switzerland team. The passing in the final third was much more precise and this led to many chances for the strikers to score. However, the ball went over the top of the bar much more often than it going into the goal.
Defensively Spain looked very solid and it was clear that neither Carlos Puyol nor Gerard Pique minded putting themselves on the line. Pique has now actually had to leave the field for blood treatment in the two World Cup games that Spain have played so far.
Spain just needed a win and the manner of their display was very positive. However, it is natural for a coach to pick on a few things when the side have played well to stop them from getting complacent and to keep them on edge ahead of a very important last game.
Advice
It’s very difficult to call between Spain and Chile. Chile have emerged as the strongest team in the group and they are playing very well. They play a similar sort of game to Spain and will want nothing more than to send the Spaniards home early.
However, Spain have the quality to bring down Chile so go with your instinct ahead of this game or stay conservative and back some individuals.
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