Netherlands:
Wc finals: 1974, 1978, 2010
Semis: 1998, 2014
Uefa winners: 1988
Semis: 1976, 1992, 2000, 2004
In the last 50 years, they have 4 finals and 10 semis on Wcs and Euros.
Spain:
Wc win: 2010
Semis: 1950
Euros:
Win: 1964, 2008, 2012
Finals: 1984
4 wins, 5 finals, 6 semis.
On the other hand, Germany:
Wc wins: 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
Wc finals: 1966, 1982, 1986, 2002
Wc semis: 1934, 1970, 2006, 2010
Euro wins: 1972, 1980, 1996
Euro finals: 1976, 1992, 2008
Euro semis: 1988, 2012, 2016
7 wins, 14 finals, 21 semis
So:
21 semis Germany
10 semis Netherlands
6 semis Spain
In terms of consistency of Spanish football over the last 70-100 years, are they closer to a tier of Germany and Italy or Netherlands/Portugal?
When you remove Xavi-Iniesta generation, Spain has 3 semis in the last 100 years of World cups and Euros.
That doesn't sound like successful or consistent NT team.
Imo, Spanish domination is just a modern myth/revisionism of history.
When Barca was winning during Pep, we had to read false shit like: La Masia is better than all academies in the world.
Or: Barca is different. We don't buy superstars, we create superstars from our academy.
Lol. 2021 says hi.
The same is with a Spanish NT team. Due to a recency bias, a lot of fans started to believe that Spain is the force and that they were always the force.
But now, 10 years later and when you check stats from the last century, 2008-2012 seems more like a fluke/golden generation than like a consistent pattern.
And if we take into the account that football is evolving towards more pace, strength, height, stamina and muscles and how Spanish people are usually overly nice and humble guys who aren't dirty or combative, one has to wonder how their short, light, nice guys, slowish technical players will cope in the future in a high pressure fast & furious & physical football.
