Spain Analysis
The Force That Birthed And Sustained Luis Rubiales
Because soccer is unpredictable and fun and joyful and compelling- because it's a very good thing- it attracts the amoral, cynical, and outright awful people, who seek to capitalize on our interest in it. Read more »
Spain Fill Sergio Ramos' Absence With Missed Penalties, Goals
As Spain struggled for goals and a definitive penalty taker through the group stages, Sergio Ramos was giving his final goodbye at Real Madrid as he was also left off the Euro roster. Read more »
Better With Age, Aritz Aduriz Says Goodbye Before Our Dream Final
Maybe Aritz Aduriz was never going to be what he became without a decade of struggle and study. And maybe his career unfolded exactly as it should have. Read more »
Soccer & Storytelling Series: Sergio Ramos Redefines His Own Narrative
If there was any athlete who needed to tell their own story considering the gap between how they're perceived and how good they actually are, it was Sergio Ramos. Read more »
Possession, Pressing, Powerplays: Julen Lopetegui Puts The Past Behind
Strangely, in a roundabout way, Julen Lopetegui lost his chance to lead Spain on the world's biggest stage but he finds himself firmly in the national team picture. Read more »
Luis Enrique's Spain: Like The Old Spain But Renewed
Possession or transition? Why not both? It is a modern style that gets goals and results, as last weekend can attest. Read more »
End-To-End Stuff: David De Gea
United's back line- good, but shaky; organized imperfectly- did us a favor last season in (accidentally) letting David de Gea cook with the club's league-best goals conceded tally standing as evidence of his brilliance. Read more »
A World Cup Abstract: Russia 1 (4), Spain 1 (3)
You knew who was winning this match if it survived to penalties. Read more »
The Defining Matches Of The 2018 World Cup Group Stage
The struggles of the traditional soccer powers gave an opportunity for bubbling sides like Belgium and Croatia to stamp their mark in Russia. Read more »
Spain Discombobulated On The Eve Of The World Cup
Spain fired Julen Lopetegui and if the players pull this off, it will mean making it up as they go along, playing only for each other and furiously against the myopic suits who have put them in this predicament. Read more »
Iniesta, Torres & The Remnants Of Spain's Golden Generation
It wasn't just about winning trophies, but how they were won. Andres Iniesta brought the control, Fernando Torres the goal. Read more »
National Team Overhauls & The Early Impact Of The 2018 World Cup
The 2018 World Cup has already had a significant impact in sparking existential debates about a country's football identity. Why were so many traditional World Cup stalwarts struggling to qualify this time around? Read more »
Piqué's Inextinguishable Antipathy For Real Madrid
Barça have become more like Real Madrid over the years because occupying the moral high ground doesn't feel as good as winning titles. This is what Piqué is bristling against, when he periodically plants a couple jabs into Madrid's ribs. Read more »
Replacing The Irreplaceable Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets was never Barcelona or Spain's best player, but he was always the most important. The success of the tiki taka era was defined by his play as much as anyone else. Read more »
The Good & Bad Of Sergio Ramos
Despite his penchant for the dramatics, Sergio Ramos' value is told in the organization, the leadership, the way he handles criticism, and the little things that don't necessarily win or lose a match as obviously as giving away penalties or scoring off headers, but are essential in keeping a backline and team moving forward throughout an entire season. Read more »
The World According To Slaven Bilic
A charismatic communicator with the resume to match, it's easy to see why Slaven Bilic's post-match analysis proved to be popular with audiences. Here's a breakdown of some of his best quotes. Read more »
Spain Without Purpose: All Sideways Passes, No Teeth
Spain need a manager who understands the style is dead and the team requires, not a complete overhaul, but a few significant tactical tweaks in order to get the best out of a fresh generation of very good players who are differently skilled than the legends that preceded them. Read more »
The Renewal Of Spain's Soccer Cycle
The days of 600 passes per match may be gone as Spain will move the ball more quickly and play more directly. Unlike the 2008-2012 period, they also now represent 14 different clubs across Europe instead of loading up on Barcelona and Real Madrid players. Read more »
The Year Of Ronaldo & The Sledgehammer
Carlo Ancelotti’s sledgehammer in the UCL semifinals made sure there were no more pieces of Pep Guardiola and tiki taka left to put back together. Read more »