Spain Again

despite all the chatter across what can be called a game-changing tournament, the script for Euro 2012's final read all too familiar.

Spain versus a pretender, and Spain outplaying the pretender.

it is familiar not that La Roja only managed 52% of possession against Italy, but that they again lifted the trophy at the end of the contest, the first time a national side has won three straight major competitions.

substitute Juan Mata providing the icing on the cake with Spain's fourth.

four unanswered goals may be cool, but it's silly to read much into it since the Azzurri completely capitulated when down to 10 men. what is of significance is that the Spaniards have now defended their Euro title, never before done in this highly competitive cup.

unlike their club-level doppelganger Barcelona, who bulge the net for fun, Spain do blow hot and cold. but what stands as a fact is the Spanish tiki-taka plays fellow pros off the field in a majestic display of resilience. Spain, unbelievably, have now kept clean sheets in all their knockout games these three victorious campaigns.

acclaim was showered on Spain after Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010, but a long overdue debate has finally begun -- are we witnessing the greatest national team ever?

Zinedine Zidane's France 1998-2000 were unstoppable, the Mighty Magyars of Hungary 1950-56 were stuff of legend, Franz Beckenbauer's Germany 1972-76 have to be the vintage from that sterling nation, while the omnipresent contender is Brazil 1970. but this is a subject for another day.

a success or not?

i call Euro 2012 a game-changer because tactics are slowly evolving in the modern sport again.

for one, the Italians showed that a three-man defence isnt outdated and can still work. it didnt last long but i reckon it would have worked anyhow.

furthermore, they got so many things right tactically, paving a way to the final. the midfield wasnt a diamond, dont let writers fool you. Italy's 4-1-3-1-1 ensured the middle of the park was dynamic and suffocating for the opposition.

cards couldn't stop Riccardo Montolivo and Claudio Marchisio.

this essentially summarises a key characteristic at Euro 2012 --the removal of traditional wingers. other teams opting for this include champions Spain, semi-finalists Germany and Portugal, France, England, Russia, Ukraine and the Netherlands.

Spain, of course, were never a wing team, and most notably introduced here a ball-keeping strategy of six midfielders. the main duty of Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribery, Alan Dzagoev, Andriy Yarmolenko, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Arjen Robben is to bomb the opposing goal. Lukas Podolski, Marco Reus and Andre Schurrle did the same for the Germans.

Russia, for all the flak they've gotten for an underwhelming exit, brought a breathtaking brand of football that involved multiple lines in the final third and interchanging players. more than once their opponents were left flat-footed, so it was a major surprise the strategy failed so badly against Greece.

negativity

Euro 2012 succeeded on a few fronts. the overall disciplinary record is good and the "Respect" campaign was upheld well with little playacting, scuffles or hounding of referees. off the field though left much to be desired, UEFA having to step in several times to sanction participating countries for fan behaviour.

football always needs a touch of unpredictability, and this tournament succeeded in that despite throwing up several, like Italy's run, the Netherlands' and Russia's exit, and the final-day drama in Group D, we can safely say there was no terrible injustice (except maybe Ukraine should be in the quarters?).

what is regrettable, was the negativity amidst admirable intentions to entertain. the eventual winners were labelled "boring" on many occasions, seemingly content to pass the ball sideward than forward. flair teams Sweden, Croatia, Ukraine, Russia and the Netherlands took the early flight home.

those latter two were responsible for the most shots in a game, 31 against Greece and 32 against Denmark, but both lost.

quarter-finalists Czech and France put in appalling performances -- the Czechs couldn't muster a shot on target against Portugal while the French played to lose against Spain. the flagbearer of negativity at this tournament, England, gave us one of the worst showings in recent memory during their defeat to Italy, when their most frequent passing combo was between keeper Joe Hart and big man Andy Carroll.

whether it's negativity or an evolution of tactics, the striker role is declining. many teams played with one (or less hurhur) here, and the top scorers only had three goals. the last time this number made you top scorer, whether in the Euro or World Cup, was 1992. 

the Dutch need another Dennis Bergkamp, who was only 23 when he scored three at Euro 92.

it's a wrap

before Euro 2012 began i compiled an Idiot's Guide. i look back rather fondly now.

what did i get right? Andrea Pirlo, Mario Gomez, Mario Balotelli, Steven Gerrard, Antonio Cassano, Dzagoev and Yarmolenko had a superb campaign. Yohan Cabaye, the German central defence and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain emerged as international stars. Ivan Perisic did fairly well but it wasnt enough to send Croatia through.

on the flipside, Rasmus Elm didnt meet my expectations, while Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Christian Eriksen and Yann M'Vila made no impact whatsoever considering their reputations.

regarding the David Villa spot, Vicente del Bosque's answer was a false nine, but when needed, he preferred Fernando Torres over my preferred Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Llorente.

lastly, the likes of Mario Goetze, Kevin Strootman, Mathieu Valbuena, Tomas Necid and Fabio Borini couldn't even get minutes, although their future is surely bright.

best xi

• Manuel Neuer is for me the best goalie in the world, while Gianluigi Buffon's experience is unparalleled. but Iker Casillas edges them by being both of that. no other man you rather have between the sticks at Euro 2012.
• Czech's Theodor Gebre Selassie was the only right-back who impressed, but the full-back role was dominated by left-sided men this tournament. versatile German skipper Philip Lahm switches to the right in my team, while Jordi Alba tops Fabio Coentrao, who was all-action but not exactly effective.
• Sergio Ramos is the casualty as I want Daniele de Rossi in my team, but midfield's too packed for him. after all, he deserves credit for giving some of the best centre-back performances here, despite not being one.
• going with Andrea Pirlo as the sole regista is no doubt enough, but given the attacking talent upfront, i pick an additional Steven Gerrard, who was Captain Fantastic for England. these two edge Xabi Alonso by carrying their countries on their own backs. Russia's Igor Denisov is also worth a mention, for achieving the mean feat of second-most completed passes during the group stage.
• no prizes for who's first overall, and despite a rather average campaign, i trust no one more than Xavi, especially when im circling him with partner-in-crime Andres Iniesta and David Silva. Mesut Oezil gets no place, while Greek man-of-war Giorgos Karagounis, Poland's talisman Kuba and Czech workhorse Petr Jiracek deserve mentions.
• strikers dont need partners these days, and i almost went for the invincible Cristiano Ronaldo, but taking into account his fluffed shots all tournament, i decided on the outstanding Mario Balotelli. following closely in third is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while Mario Mandzukic's three goals and the combined four of Danes Nicklas Bendtner and Michael Krohn Dehli make them dangerous.

best subs

they're all forwards, but that's what they're for -- impact players.

two of the best footballers sitting at Euro 2012's benches (excluding Spain's) must be Antonio di Natale and Miroslav Klose. the former was Serie A's top scorer for 2010 and 2011, the latter has more than 60 international goals.

it was wise that the coaches sent them on regularly, two players who dont just give you fresh legs, but whole new problems for opponents.

winger Jesus Navas is one of del Bosque's fave replacements, and he always adds a different dimension to Spain's game. for that one critical moment, i pick Silvestre Varela, whose winner from nowhere against Denmark was priceless.

finally, how can i ignore Fernando Torres. i hate him, but he took home the Golden Boot off the bench. that's something.

breakout stars

it was a thrill to watch my prediction unfold in front of my eyes as early as Matchday One. with three goals and some wondrous play, Dzagoev is sure to hit the big time now.

not sure why Schalke's top defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos was not a guaranteed starter for Greece, but he seized his opportunity soon after and showed viewers the sleep-inducing team has players to watch for.

and at just 23, Vaclav Pilar's departure from the woeful Czech league will be keenly watched. the winger grabbed two goals and a man-of-the-match at this tournament.

best collective performance

the final was a washout and it was done against the 2006 World Cup winners so no point i rejig that.

among other games, Denmark's stunning victory over the Netherlands was one, plus co-hosts Ukraine's choking of Sweden. the Swedes hit back later with an eye-catching win at France, but that came too late.

the tight Group A saw some interesting matches. Russia destroyed Czech on Matchday One with breathtaking football, in a tie expected to be close. but the capitulating Russians allowed Poland and then Greece some amazing performances too. the Poles came into Euro 2012 lowest ranked, but turned the tables on their former rulers. on the other hand, we all know what happened in the Greeks' do-or-die game.

Italy will be remembered for a dominant display against England and a flawless one at Germany, who themselves were the form team up till the semis, toying with the Netherlands and steamrolling Greece.

on a whole Portugal had an average tournament, but they did manage to be the first country in a long time to put Spain on the backfoot, in their titanic semi-final. unfortunately they came out second-best.

best goals

• Ibrahimovic's sublime scissors kick vs France

• Danny Welbeck's backheel winner vs Sweden

• Balotelli's difficult finish off the bench vs Ireland

• and when the ball was sent towards Balotelli against Germany, you just felt something special was coming.

worst players

• Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Russia's chief striker who put the ball wide every of his 14 attempts, setting a championship record. the media later used his name as a synonym for missing a chance.
• i pity the Czechs, who have to depend on over-the-hill striker Milan Baros. he needed 217 minutes of football to get his first shot on target.
• as is the case at previous major tournaments, Helder Postiga was woeful.
• the whole Netherlands team, with special mentions for Arjen Robben, Huntelaar, Mark van Bommel and Maarten Stekelenburg. i wanted to include Ireland too but hey at least they weren't expected to win the goddamn tournament.
• the Portuguese had some good defensive displays at Euro 2012, but Bruno Alves did not contribute to them. 
• Federico Balzaretti, Italy's worst starter and antagonist in Cesare Prandelli's nightly nightmares.
• Wojciech Szczesny was a goalkeeper sent off on Matchday One and never returned to the lineup.
• much was expected of veteran Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, a Bayern Munich player, to be the foundation for Andriy Shevchenko, Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka. he was crap.