What makes the Spanish national football team so dominant right now?

[Wozza]

Anyone else use Quora? Decent replies here, I thought.

http://www.quora.com/Football-Soccer-2/What-makes-the-Spanish-national-football-team-so-dominant-right-now?__pmsg__=+amdiNDlmd2JXMDJ5eVhjS194TlU6YS5hcHAudmlldy5wbXNnLmFsbC5Mb2dnZWRJbkZyb21MaW5rOltbNzQyNDQwXSwge31d

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

I put it down to Sun, Chorizo and Rioja. What a combination they are!

TNBA

TTF

 

[Wardy]

I put it down to the players they have

 

[albion534]

theyre not afraid to come to the ball, and their close ball control is outstanding

 

[Gritt23]

They have the best players, playing a system that suits them, and no-one else can handle. In short they are the best team. Simples.

 

[Marshy]

Touch

 

[Aadam]

I think this is the key part:

The Spanish have simply worked out that there is only one ball on the pitch, and if you have it, then only your team can score. And so they have ball players throughout the side, even to the extent of playing 6 midfielders, and defenders who were once midfielders, in defensive positions. They do not carry a single player who cannot play with the ball to his feet and be part of a network that can be trusted to circulate the ball and utterly dominate possession. Spain regularly 'out possess' their opponents at unheard of ratio's as high as 60 -70%. This means that the opposition routinely have less than half the game to score and win.

Although I can think of one of their players that looked average all tournament... Arbeloa.

 

[Easy 10]

They have had a GENUINE "golden generation" of players who have come through at roughly the same time.

Iniesta, Busquets and Xavi are at a level above any other midfielder in the world, and they all play together in the same team. Nobody can live with that.

I said during the tournament that if those three are on the pitch then Spain could play the whole game with 10 men and still beat just about any other team there.

Then when you chuck in a Fabregas and an Alonso it just starts getting silly.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Anyone else use Quora? Decent replies here, I thought.

http://www.quora.com/Football-Soccer-2/What-makes-the-Spanish-national-football-team-so-dominant-right-now?__pmsg__=+amdiNDlmd2JXMDJ5eVhjS194TlU6YS5hcHAudmlldy5wbXNnLmFsbC5Mb2dnZWRJbkZyb21MaW5rOltbNzQyNDQwXSwge31d

ZOMBIE VOODOO MAGIC

 

[terryberry1]

Because they spent serious money many years ago on getting in the right coaches that can develop youngsters into playing the right way. It is not by chance that they are by far the greatest nation at the moment. Its years and years of hard work that is now coming together. I believe the current Spanish team is the best of all time. They are set to dominate for years to come.

 

[JCL666]

I put it down to Sun, Chorizo and Rioja. What a combination they are!

TNBA

TTF

and tapas.....

 

[nwgull]

The football culture has something to do with it, but it's mainly due to the fact that this generation's team benefits from having a handful of incredibly talented players all at their peak at the same time.

Similar questions used to be asked about the dominance of Australian cricket, and a lot it was put down to their national academy. In reality they had 4 of the most naturally talented players the game has ever seen - Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Waugh - all playing in the same team for a number of years. Once those 4 retired they didn't look quite so tasty.

 

[Wozza]

They have had a GENUINE "golden generation" of players who have come through at roughly the same time.

Iniesta, Busquets and Xavi are at a level above any other midfielder in the world, and they all play together in the same team. Nobody can live with that.

I said during the tournament that if those three are on the pitch then Spain could play the whole game with 10 men and still beat just about any other team there.

Then when you chuck in a Fabregas and an Alonso it just starts getting silly.

As amazing as they are, it's not just about those star players. It's about the system and philisophy.

Their under-19 and under-21 teams are pretty decent too...

 

[We're the Stripes]

Although I can think of one of their players that looked average all tournament... Arbeloa.

True enough. They always seem to be one quality full-back away from being absolute perfection all round (in terms of both team and individuals). In Euro 2008 and at the WC they had Capdevila at LB, who was just not quite on the same level as everyone else. They've now replaced him with the BRILLIANT Jordi Alba, but Puyol's absence this summer obviously meant Ramos moving into the centre with Arbeloa (who is just a bit average, like you say) coming in at right-back. Maybe WC 2014 will be the one.

 

[spig100963]

I read somewhere that youth employment laws in Spain allow the club a lot more hands on time with their youth than British clubs.
Our employment laws state that clubs are only allowed to have use of a youth player for 16 hours a week.

This must make huge difference.