Spain are in it to win it! If La Furia win the upcoming European Championship this summer, they will be the only team to ever win the tournament three times in a row and a record breaking four European Championships. So it’s definitely all to play for!

A closer look at Spain’s style of play

Spain have a very unique and entertaining style of play. Tiki-taka as its’ known, involves very short, accurate passing and movements, maintaining possession and using many players to move up the ball in the opposing half. This particular style was most recently mastered by Pep Guardiola while at Barcelona, and Vicente del Bosque incorporated this winning style into the Spanish national side. La Liga is all about technique and it comes as no surprize that the Spanish side make Tiki-taka look so simple to execute. But it’s far from simple. Players practise for hours on end to move the ball so gracefully, knowing precisely where the ball should be, when to cut inside and how to create the space. The style has also been compared to a video game as everything is executed to perfection. And that’s what their opponents are facing.

Counteracting Tiki-Taka

When executed correctly, the style looks flawless and Spain look unstoppable. But, they’re not. Although the Spanish side is very technical, opposing managers need to play the high pressure game and not let the Spanish get too close to each other in attempt to stop the frustrating build up play. While this is a way of trying to stop the Tiki-taka play, it also leaves the midfield vulnerable to through passes and counter attacks. The opposing team will need to come out attacking with lightening speeds, catching the Spanish side off guard and trying to get an early goal, which pushes the Spain forward to further expose their defensive line. La Furia are calm on the ball though and getting an early goal will surely not be enough against the European Champions. Plus, how long can a team last with Spain mounting pressure without conceding? It’s going to take something special to stop the Spanish side from breaking records this Euro Football 2016.

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