Spain vs. France: Midfielders' Performance Proves La Roja Will Win Euro 2012

The Spanish midfield was dominant again in its quarterfinal 2-0 win against France and the group will lead Spain to the title at Euro 2012.

The team has often opted to forgo a striker and put six midfielders in the starting-11. The formation, known as the “false No. 9”, ideally suits the team’s talents. 

Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets dominate the center of the field and ensure that Spain keeps constant possession. La Roja are far and away the leaders at the European Championship in this statistic. They have controlled the ball 67.5 percent of the time while Germany is a distant second at 59.3 percent, according to Whoscored.com.

David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas have featured in more attacking roles for the Spaniards and they have helped keep pressure on the opposing team’s backline. With 18.5 shots per game, Spain has created more chances than any team that advanced past the group stage, again via Whoscored.com.

The Spanish midfield is seasoned, skilled and disciplined. Its ability to control the ball and put pressure on opposing defenses is the driving force behind the strategy that has brought the team so much success. 

Apart from its 3-0 thrashing on Russia in the Euro 2008, the Spaniards did not post any lopsided score lines in the knockout stages of the previous European Championships or at the 2010 World Cup.

Spain defeated Germany 1-0 in the finals four years ago and won all four of its elimination matches by the same score in South Africa.

Despite the abundance of attacking talent, the team’s tiki taka style does not produce many goals or blowouts. Instead, it often leads to an even more demoralizing sort of victory.

Once the Spanish go a goal up, they do not fall back in defense. They maintain their constant passing and possession, causing the opposition to continue chasing them around the field. Fatigue and frustration constantly builds throughout the match for  Spain’s adversaries. 

Spain’s defense is remarkably talented and Iker Casillas is the best goalkeeper in the world, but their midfield often makes their job easy.

The team’s opponents rarely keep the ball more than 30 percent of the game, so the defense rarely deals with dangerous attacking opportunities. As Whoscored.com notes, the team has only conceded seven shots per game, the fewest at Euro 2012. 

When the opposition does attack, it is usually tired and out of sorts because of the midfield’s maddening skill and passing. 

This is arguably the greatest collection of midfielders any national team has ever had and it will solidify its legacy by leading Spain to a third consecutive championship at a major tournament.