Spain: Del Bosque's Torres Tactics

Originally posted by trev33
players who follow and execute good tactics win matches.

ok then, i put it towards those tacticians, what tactics won Germany the game?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
ok then, i put it towards those tacticians, what tactics won Germany the game?

when the coach said "score more goals than argentina" maradona obviously failed to say this... 😵

seriously though, they're not a bunch of 11 year old mindlessly kicking the ball around, they've all been told by the coach how to play during the game. the best example i can give you for tactic winning is greece in 2004, they were far from the best side in the tournament but they used what they had well an ended up winning the tournament because of the coaches defensive tactic, not because they were good players. you could have the best 11 players in the world playing with each other but if they stepped onto the field without a well thought out plan they're probably going to get beat by any decent well-organised team. tactics is everything in top-level football, but of course flashes of brilliance or silly mistakes can totally erase a teams tactical plan, that's why we love the game.

edit: tactics on their on can't win matches but they most certainly can lose them.

Originally posted by trev33
when the coach said "score more goals than argentina" maradona obviously failed to say this... 😵

seriously though, they're not a bunch of 11 year old mindlessly kicking the ball around, they've all been told by the coach how to play during the game. the best example i can give you for tactic winning is greece in 2004, they were far from the best side in t ...[text shortened]... me.

edit: tactics on their on can't win matches but they most certainly can lose them.

i bow 😵

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
i bow 😵

kiss the feet... kiss them 😛

Originally posted by trev33
kiss the feet... kiss them 😛

i shall be honoured to kiss your ruby encrusted ring 😉

Paul, the eight-legged mystic of Oberhausen, has tipped Spain to win.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Paul, the eight-legged mystic of Oberhausen, has tipped Spain to win.

Careful. Paul is very manipulative.

Originally posted by hopscotch
Throughout the tournament Del Bosque has been saying that Torres has been doing a very good job. However his playing on the pitch hasn't been great, and he has no goals. Could he still be doing a good job anyway?

The way that they're set up, Torres out in front, is very interesting from a tactical perspective. Torres isn't on form, but he does pose a cr ...[text shortened]... t results according to plan, or are they underachieving and playing lacklustre football?

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Are you saying he's there because he generates some sort of "fear factor" that Llorente or others do not? Is that the tactic you're mentioning?

Originally posted by Palynka
I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Are you saying he's there because he generates some sort of "fear factor" that Llorente or others do not? Is that the tactic you're mentioning?

Somewhat. He provides the potential threat more than the actual threat, and a team would be dumb not to mark him. He's willing to follow Del Bosque's instructions to the letter, so he just stays up there and waits. He's not playing very well, but the obvious truth is that he can play very well, and that's what keeps opponents confused and possibly hesitant to push too many men forward. This allows Spain the space to relax and build up attacks with 50 passes and then a goal attempt.

Then as we saw in the Chile, Portugal, and Paraguay games, after exhausting the opponent Del Bosque takes Torres off, (usually) puts Fabregas on, and suddenly Spain look like they all have fresh legs. The overarching tactic is to simply wear the opponent down, then strike. I don't think opponents would be as fearful of Llorente, even though he is pretty good. Del Bosque's tactic has been to trade on Torres' name more than his current ability.

Originally posted by hopscotch
Somewhat. He provides the potential threat more than the actual threat, and a team would be dumb not to mark him. He's willing to follow Del Bosque's instructions to the letter, so he just stays up there and waits. He's not playing very well, but the obvious truth is that he can play very well, and that's what keeps opponents confused and possibly hesitant ...[text shortened]... ood. Del Bosque's tactic has been to trade on Torres' name more than his current ability.

Fair enough, that's an interesting reading.

Maybe I give Del Bosque too little credit, but I see it more as DB not benching him to cover his behind. If he loses with Torres on the bench then heads will roll.