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Euro 2012: David Villa Sidelined for Six Months, Are Spain Still the Favorites?
Published: December 15, 2011
A year ago this would have been a huge blow for Barcelona as Villa was a key to Barcelona's offense and success.
This year has been a different story as Villa had been relegated to a supporting role and was only seeing limited time off the bench. Last week Barcelona beat Real Madrid without Villa and will surely be able to move forward and win without Villa's services.
But the Spanish national team might not be able to say the same.
Spain has dominated Europe and the rest of the world for the past four years. Heading into the Euros this summer they were unquestionably the favorites to win it all.
But even during their recent dominance, everyone knew that Spain's main weakness is their inability to score goals.
In the 2010 World Cup, Spain only scored eight goals, the lowest in World Cup history for a winning country. Villa scored five of those eight goals.
To say that Villa carried Spain's attack would be an understatement. They owe much of their success to Villa.
Before teams felt that if they can only score a couple goals, they have a decent chance of beating Spain. Without Villa, one goal might be enough to take down Spain.
Granted, even without Villa Spain still has a strong squad. Spain's midfield is a world-class lineup that includes Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas.
They also have a solid defense that includes premier players like Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and arguably the best goalie in the world, Iker Casillas.
So even though one goal might be enough to beat Spain, it is still a difficult task as the dominant defense and possession-crazed midfield don't provide their opponents with many scoring opportunities.
With such strong players, Spain will still be a tough opponent.&n...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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