2012 Euro Cup Final Preview: Spain Vs Italy

Saturday, June 30, 2012 Report by Kanad Basu

Italy and defending champions Spain are set to clash on Sunday, July the 1st at Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine in order to determine the champion of the present edition of Euro Cup. Spain will be looking for their third Euro Cup, equaling the record set by Germany in this tournament, while Italy will be chasing their second victory in this tournament after a hiatus of 44 years.

In the first semifinal, Spain defeated Portugal to advance to the finals. The game ended in a goalless draw even after 120 minutes. Spain won 4-2 in the tiebreakers. On the other hand, Italy defeated the mighty Germans by a margin of 2-1 within the regulation time of 90 minutes.

Spain has been starting mostly in a 4-6-0 formation throughout this tournament, with Fernando Torres coming in the second half and playing as the solo forward. The best part of the Spanish team is the strong midfield comprising of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and Sergio Busquets from Barcelona FC, Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid and David Silva from Manchester City. This midfield allows the Spanish team to play a beautiful passing football, which the opponent find extremely hard to break. Although their game might not be as open as Germany, it is effective and results prove that their coach Vicente del Bosque is successful till now.

Italy, on the other hand, have completely changed their ultra-defensive gameplan. When was the last time we saw the 7 Italins in the opponent’s penalty box during the 80th minute of the game when they are leading by 2 goals? With Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli in the front, the Italian attack is looking formidable. Andrea Pirlo, perhaps in his best form in the blue jersey is contributing to that. Of course, how can you forget the man who leads from behind – Buffon. With some amazing saves in the semifinal, he is sure to put wrinkles on del Bosque’s forehead.

Both the teams are well prepared and full of talented players. It is extremely difficult to decide a favorite based on the teams’ performance in this tournament. It will be interesting to see whether Spain completes their third win or Italy their second.