Spain: Three Thoughts from the Friendly Against South Korea

There are three things I noticed from Spain's friendly against South Korea earlier today in Bern.

Yeah, I know there were no Barcelona players in the lineup for Spain, as they were being rested after the Copa del Rey final. Also, Vicente Del Bosque inserted a bunch of players who won't likely see any action in Poland or Ukraine. And of course, it was a friendly that's totally meaningless and lost much of its flow when all the substitutes arrived.

Nevertheless, there are some interesting things I noticed.

Fernando Torres Is Still Not in Form 

Yeah, he did score his first international goal in almost a year in the 12th minute, but he really didn't show that he's returned to his elite level from Liverpool.

He didn't do much other than score the goal, and he blew a wonderful opportunity in the 20th minute—he was officially offside, but the referee's assistant got that one wrong. It still remains to be seen if he'll start at Euro 2012. 

Spain's Back Line Is Still a Question Mark 

That's not earth-shattering, but if there's something that could prevent the Spaniards from winning a second consecutive European title, it's the back four.

Aside from their goal, the only way the Koreans threatened Spain was through balls down the middle of the Spanish defense. It remains to be seen how better teams will attack the Carles Puyol-less defense. 

It's Still Awfully Fun to Watch Spain on the Attack

Of course, everyone probably feels the same way. But even while not clicking on all cylinders, David Silva and Juan Mata are always capable of producing magic—such as putting an attacker through on goal. 

When Iniesta and Xavi return to the lineup, the Spanish side will once again hold the lion's share of possession against their opponents. Whether or not their forwards will be in form is another question.