2014 WC Qualifiers - Europe

[FinCulé]

Do you really think Finland should have approached the game differently? Spain is the only one to blame for their bad result. They lacked passion all game long whereas Finland players fought their hearts off. I mean, Spain is the best team in the world and Finland should come to El Molinón to play attractive football.

For me this is the beauty of football. There just isn't one concept for winning, you can play and succeed in different ways. I love this game.

 

[Ode to Django]

Do you really think Finland should have approached the game differently? Spain is the only one to blame for their bad result. They lacked passion all game long whereas Finland players fought their hearts off. I mean, Spain is the best team in the world and Finland should come to El Molinón to play attractive football.

For me this is the beauty of football. There just isn't one concept for winning, you can play and succeed in different ways. I love this game.

Nothing wrong with how you played.

 

[FCBarca]

Nothing beautiful let alone brave about camping out in front of your goal...It's called fear...Even Finland can luck out to get a draw but earn it?...Don't delude yourself

 

[Irish_Cules]

Nothing beautiful let alone brave about camping out in front of your goal...It's called fear...Even Finland can luck out to get a draw but earn it?...Don't delude yourself

I didn't see the game but it does sound like you're being a bit harsh there. We judge a lot of teams on the style of football they play against Spain on Barca but its not necessarily always a choice to play this way but the only way they can play. They're so good at keeping the ball and have such a group of talented players that its only natural to sit deep. Counter-attacking with purpose is what gives this way of playing more credibility and if they didn't even look to do this then your argument has more of a basis. Otherwise I think you are being a bit harsh.

 

[FinCulé]

Nothing beautiful let alone brave about camping out in front of your goal...It's called fear...Even Finland can luck out to get a draw but earn it?...Don't delude yourself

This is just crap. The draw was earned. Can you please name other ways how Finland could have possibly earned a result like this? Challenging Spain to an open football war would be a pure stupidity since it would pretty much be a suicide. It's quite interesting how people can say that the draw wasn't earned since the goals are really the thing that counts in football, not aesthetics or the amount of possession.

 

[Deco 20]

Spain should've played Navas at RB instead of Arbeloa and they might've won the game

 

[Cule4life]

Spain should've played Navas at RB instead of Arbeloa and they might've won the game

Navas is RW. You mean Azpilicueta for Arbeola

 

[FCBarca]

This is just crap. The draw was earned. Can you please name other ways how Finland could have possibly earned a result like this? Challenging Spain to an open football war would be a pure stupidity since it would pretty much be a suicide. It's quite interesting how people can say that the draw wasn't earned since the goals are really the thing that counts in football, not aesthetics or the amount of possession.

Luck isn't earned, by definition...Even a blind squirrel can find a nut now & then again

Should Finland qualify or win anything of any note in the near future, then sure, we could entertain flights of fantasy like earning anything

 

[FinCulé]

Luck isn't earned, by definition...Even a blind squirrel can find a nut now & then again

Should Finland qualify or win anything of any note in the near future, then sure, we could entertain flights of fantasy like earning anything

Good teams have luck. My point is that you can achieve certain things with a good attitude and earn things that way. Finland fought very well yesterday and deserved the point. Spain was sloppy but they created a lot of danger as always and they didn't really deserve more. The best side is the one that wins. Yesterday there was no winner.

By the way, Spain had also luck with their goal as Finland didn't have a man standing by the goalpost this time. It could have been even an away win.

 

[FCBarca]

Yep, Spain have been lucky for more than 5 years now - winning every International tournament along the way...Finland, meanwhile, earns every point they've ever gotten - which I imagine is less than 5 in the past 5 years, is it even more than 3?

 

[FinCulé]

Yep, Spain have been lucky for more than 5 years now - winning every International tournament along the way...Finland, meanwhile, earns every point they've ever gotten - which I imagine is less than 5 in the past 5 years, is it even more than 3?

Are you really that simple? If luck was the only factor we could just throw the dice and see who wins. Spain deserved to win those three major titles whereas Finland have often played very badly in the qualifiers. Yesterday we played well and managed to defend brilliantly against the best team in the world. How can you say the point wasn't deserved?

Read this carefully: If luck enables you to achieve something, you deserve your achievement if you find the necessary ways to complete it. It's just ridiculous to claim that "they would have deserved more" if they haven't even tried.

 

[Eetu]

Luck isn't earned, by definition...Even a blind squirrel can find a nut now & then again

Should Finland qualify or win anything of any note in the near future, then sure, we could entertain flights of fantasy like earning anything

Should Spain have wanted an open game, they shouldn't have held on the ball like that. When Finland saw a glimpse of the ball, Spain just took it away. Bullies. That's what they are.


Seriosly speaking though, even when fighting their hearts out Finland's defense is what it is. The only player that seemed to want to get anything done was Iniesta. Each time he headed towards goal I was scared as hell. Luckily enough no-one bothered to offer him support to do any one-twos with. Other than Andres, Silva and Santi are players that could walk through that defense a couple of times a game, if they tried. Then, even Ramos' goal was bad marking and an awkward header. But yes, Spain earned at least a win. For being Spain.

 

[Barcaman]

Not a nice thing to be that hateful and bash Finland, Mike.
Spain has noone but themselves to blame for their last 2 home failures.

Also, if you wish to talk of luck, I remember Spain having more than their fair share of luck in winning last 3 big tournaments.

 

[Stric]

Motivation? Finland had 10 players camped *IN* the box, ffs. Formation was a 4-5-1 or a 4-6-0, with about 2 yards between the lines. Boring-ass game, but don't blame Spain. Stopped watching at the half, surprised either side scored. It was clear Finland was going after a 0-0 draw from the start.

You could put it that way, but if you compare how Spain played before Finland scored and after, it's clear their motivation to score went 500% up when Finland equalized. They were trying a lot harder, so...yeah, motivation.

 

[DucdeOrléans]

Why are people with no ties whatsoever to Spain (certainly not ancestral) so passionate about defending it? This is not a club team but a national team. You can't just cherry-pick a national team just because you happen to follow a team that is based in Spain (FCB), which is actually exclusively tied to Catalonia more than anything else.

Finland deserves every bit of credit for that result. Personally I only watched the extended highlights but drawing against the defending World and European champions is a great feat for any time - especially a team of Finland's calibre.

At the end of the day the ultimate goal in football is to win or get a favorable result. Spain have proved to be the best team in that department for the last 5 years whether people like their playing style or not. It's completely irrelevant.

Finland played the way they did because that was their best chance of getting a favorable result and they did just exactly that. Also if anything one of Spain's main strengths have been their defense and calculating playing style which have earned them results.

I am partially Spanish so I am not biased here at all or anti-Spanish. I just happen to appreciate when huge underdogs like Finland are able to surpass all expectations and achieve a favorable result. I may not like the tactical approach used but I have realized that such tactics were, are and always will be employed by the underdog and who are we to blame them? Football is not only about entertainment (itself a subjective parameter) and individual/collective class but unpredictability, determination, tactics and thus the clash of styles etc. as well. That's also what football is all about.