Spain beat Portugal on penalties last night to reach yet another major international final where they will face either Italy or Germany. The 4-2 spot-kick victory over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal was preceeded by some pretty mundane activity but nevertheless Spain's quality ensured they prevailed at their Iberian neighbours' expence. Here is what we learned from last night's game. … [Read more...]
Lessons learnt from Spain vs Ireland
I dissect the latest Euro 2012 game in which Spain ran riot against Giovanni Trappatoni's Republic of Ireland side. Goals from Fernando Torres (2), David Silva and Cesc Fabregas sealed a 4-0 victory for Spain, but what else did we learn? Too easy for Spain as they win at a canter Nothing new to learn from this game, simply revision. Imagine you were reading the ‘Spanish handbook to winning football matches’; on … [Read more...]
Spain’s Euro 2012 Squad
As defending champions and many people's favourites to retain their European crown, Spain head into Euro 2012 under strength. When I say under strength, I don't mean it on England-scale proportions but just that key men, Carlos Puyol and David Villa are absent. Add to that the pressure of holding the 'favourites tag' and playing against 10 man defences and this particular tournament could be Spain's greatest triumph yet. … [Read more...]
Win a copy of Jimmy Burns’ brand new book – La Roja!
In conjunction with Simon and Schuster, La Liga Blog has a very exciting competition for you all to get involved in. Jimmy Burns, a well-respected football writer and the author of the critically acclaimed Diego Maradona biography has released a new book this week entitled 'La Roja' which takes you on a fascinating journey through the roots of Spanish football. The book is a must-read for any La Liga lover or indeed anyone with even the remotest interest in the history of Spanish football. To celebrate the release of this new book, Simon and Schuster have given us 10 free copies to give away … [Read more...]
Three Spanish bets you should consider for this year’s European Championships
With the titans of Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid now left with nothing to play for this season following their dramatic Champions League exits and Madrid's La Liga title clincher last night, the attentions of Spain will now turn to their national team, in their bid to win back to back European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next month. España of course go into this competition as favourites with a price of 5/2 with Bet 365 to win the tournament outright but we've highlighted three other bets you might be tempted to place during Spain's defence of their European title. … [Read more...]