Anaethetising the opposition: passing & shooting analysis for Euro 2012
The key is to control the game. If we have the ball, he'll participate less and cause us fewer problems.
The above quote by Gerard Piqué about Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the semi-final with Portugal summed up Spain's approach during Euro 2012. In a typically excellent piece by Sid Lowe for the Guardian (from which the above quote is taken), Spain's approach is described as being anaesthetic rather than aesthetic. The crux is that by controlling the ball, Spain are able to …
