Chapter 146 Matador
This World Cup semi-final between Belgium and Spain is the second time the two teams have met in an international competition since the European Cup final in 2008.
Regarding this old enemy, the evaluation given by many domestic media in Belgium is: "This Spanish team is no longer the team from the 2008 European Cup. At that time, the Spanish team was very threatening and played very special, but now this team This Spanish team has long lost its previous glory, they are almost no threat, they always leave opportunities for their opponents in the game, we have no reason to be afraid of this Spanish team."
The second semi-final of the World Cup in South Africa is about to start between Spain and Belgium. At the press conference before the match, the Spanish generals unanimously stated that the semi-final encounter with Belgium, an old enemy, will inspire the team's fighting spirit.
In the previous quarter-finals with Paraguay, Spain did not show the momentum of the runner-up in the European Cup. The media also criticized the current Spanish team for not playing a pleasing attack. In this regard, coach Bosque said that Spain's game style and attack The way will not change.
"We will consistently maintain the current style of the Spanish team, and we must be more determined. So far, we have performed perfectly. The game against Paraguay was more or less beyond our expectations. There will be so much tension, we will not be comfortable with the ball and lose our rhythm, so we have to admire Paraguay's success at this point."
The old coach firmly believes that Spain's current strength is enough to win the championship: "Our performance and the results of the semi-finals are enough to become the greatest moment in Spanish football. It is very exciting to meet the Belgian team again. Although the Spanish team is not perfect now, but I believe that such strength is enough to defeat any opponent, including the Belgian team."
At the same time, Bosque said that revenge is not the key to determining the outcome of this strong collision: "There are too many games in the football world today. Two years is enough to forget the outcome of a game. A great team will always value the future, and I don't care about the games that have passed, so this semi-final has nothing to do with revenge."
Currently, in the Spanish team, Torres is not in good condition in this World Cup, but he still won the trust of Bosque. Before the game with the Belgian team, Bosque said that Torres may not necessarily start the game.
Villa, who single-handedly sent Spain to the semi-finals, currently ranks second in the world cup scorer list with five goals. When talking about the Belgian team with a terrorist attack group, the Valencia Belgium's attacking style will rekindle Spain's pent-up attack at the World Cup, says the striker.
Villa's high efficiency in offense made him the absolute core of the team, and the five goals he contributed in the first five games were all priceless. As a striker who can't take advantage of any physical confrontation, Villa can always use his speed and technical advantages to get rid of the opponent's defender to get a chance to shoot. With the strong support of the Spanish midfielder, Villa's The characteristics of flexibility and strong drilling ability can also be fully utilized.
"Belgium's attacking quality is indeed better than what we have shown so far. They are a great team, probably the best team in this World Cup. The result of the game proves that they strength, but there are 90 minutes in the game, and miracles may happen at any moment."
The Belgian team's offensive power in this World Cup is astonishing, and they have scored 19 goals so far. Spanish team captain Iker Casillas believes that the current Belgian team is very different from two years ago. The emerging Hazard and Kukaku are becoming the hottest stars.
"Belgium is the best team in the World Cup. Their victories against Mexico and Germany left us in awe. I can feel that this game will be very difficult. The Belgian team will try their best to fight for the championship."
In the final of the European Cup two years ago, the Spaniard, who regarded the championship as his pocket, finally lost to Belgium in the final. Two years later, the two teams met again in the semi-final of the World Cup in South Africa. Meeting for the first time in years, the Spaniard wants revenge while the Belgian wants to replicate victory.
After sweeping the German team out 3:2, the ferocious face of the Belgian team became clearer. In fact, as a young team, the Belgian team's performance in this year's World Cup was really amazing.
Except for the draw with Argentina in the third game of the group stage with several main players in Xuezang, the Belgian team showed strong attacking power against Nigeria, South Korea, Mexico and Germany. Scoring 19 goals, the attacking power of the young European Red Devils can be seen.
The Spanish team stumbled to the semi-finals. Although this record-breaking result made the fans very satisfied, every process was always frightening. The strength is really unflattering. They only scored 6 goals in 5 games, and 5 of them were scored by Villa.
Facing the Spaniard, for Belgium, as long as there is a game in 2008, they can draw infinite confidence from that beautiful memory.
The Spanish team needs to get rid of the shadow of failure as soon as possible. Iniesta played a full 90 minutes in the game two years ago. For the Belgian team again, Xiaobai showed a strong desire for revenge: "again When I met Belgium, I don't think that what happened two years ago will be completely repeated. Belgium's performance in this World Cup is really amazing. They played beautiful football that made people's eyes shine. Although I don't want to mention revenge Words, but the memory of the past will definitely keep us full of desire to fight, we hope to go further, the final and the championship are our ultimate goals."
The players seemed to be full of confidence, but the team's head coach Bosque believed that the Spanish team had reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, and their performance so far was only a pass. For the upcoming semi-finals, he also seemed Some cautious.
"I think that since the last European Championships, the transformation and renewal of the Belgian team has been very successful. This has been verified in this World Cup. They have made some important adjustments and integrated a team with great combat effectiveness. A strong team, and this change has made them better and better."
"Facing Belgium again is exactly what I want to see. To reach the semi-finals is already great for us. The game against Belgium is a contest between two elite teams in Europe. What's more, there are now three European teams participating in the semi-finals. This is a very good number, at least representing this World Cup. European football has achieved an overwhelming victory in the contest against South America. We respect the Belgian team, but we will definitely not be afraid They, this World Cup have been making history and we are one of them!"
Regarding the tactics of the semi-finals, Bosque said that he would not disclose the tactical arrangements of the Spanish team: "As for the key tactics against the Belgian team, it is not the right time to tell everyone. I think we must play our own style. He showed his desire to win and his competitive spirit in this game."
The former Spanish team coach Calagones had been bombarding the performance of the "Matador" in this World Cup before, but when the game was about to start, when he was interviewed by reporters, he changed the subject and said that he was optimistic about the team's performance in the World Cup. Beat Belgium in the upcoming semi-finals.
The 71-year-old Aragones once led the Spanish team to the runner-up in the 2008 European Championship. Before that, he was very dissatisfied with the performance of the Spanish team in South Africa, and repeatedly bombarded the current head coach Bosque's tactics. But when the game is about to start, he said that the Spanish team is playing better and better, and he believes that the team can win the World Cup for the first time.
"The morale of the team is very high at the moment. I firmly believe that they will reach the final. The Spanish team has stuck to their style of play in the previous games. Although they encountered some difficulties in some games, they performed well overall. Against Belgium, I hope Spain can continue to control the ball and play at a fast pace."
Calagones said that he would like to see the final match between Spain and the Netherlands: "The Netherlands and Spain play similarly. They are good at offensive football. The contest between the two teams will present the most exciting game to fans all over the world. Showdown!"
In this evenly matched semi-final between Spain and Belgium, who can take the initiative on the field?
Undoubtedly, the outcome of the game will be determined by the competition in the midfield. Whoever has more possession of the ball in the midfield will be able to get more offensive opportunities and more likely to win the game.
Belgium can go to the present, relying on the effective control of the midfielder's rhythm. This is a problem that the European Red Devils never solved in the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Cup. With the arrival of the genius Hazard and Ferrey As Ni gradually matured, this problem was easily solved.
All of Spain's tactics are based on possession of the ball. Therefore, in this game, the two sides are bound to gather heavy troops in the midfield. Relatively speaking, the Spanish midfielder has a higher technical content. In the duel with Belgium, it may be able to Occupy no small advantage.
The continuous cooperation ability of the Spanish team enables them to find gaps in the opponent's defense through continuous passing. With the continuous improvement of Iniesta's state, Harvey's direct pass can exert greater power.
But the game hasn't started yet, so it's still too early to say anything. All the suspense will have to wait until the game starts, and it will be left to the court to solve the suspense.