SPAIN 1-1 ITALY

Not quite sure what to make of Spain.

Anyone who suffered my WC2010 blog will know that I'm mildly in love with Andres Iniesta, and tiki-taka in general, but there are undeniably cracks starting to appear.

Before Chelsea fans start dancing upon the beautiful game's grave, I don't think the little man's game is dead. Just resting. And Spain are still trying to work out how their plan B properly functions. Or perhaps even what that plan B is.

If any team is missing any player at Euro 2012, then Spain are missing David Villa - just as Barcelona have since December:



What's noticeable about this goal is that the 41st pass (out of the 42-pass move) is route one - straight over the top from Pique to Villa.

The lesson here is that tiki-taka only works if there's a genuine outlet: a plan B. This is especially true when it comes up against teams that get men behind the ball. And when Barcelona or Spain are involved, let's be honest, that's every other team.

All of which makes the decision to play without a striker even more baffling.

What a terrible indictment of Fernando Torres and how far he has fallen from grace in the four years since the last European Championships. It's heartbreaking and I blame Chelsea.

As my good friend, the concert pianist G. W. Le Flanc said "you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone". For Spain, this is true of both Villa and Torres.

Having said all that, Italy's midfield three looked dynamite.

THE STORY SO FAR

Match of the tournament: Poland 1-1 Greece

Player of the tournament: Andrea Pirlo (Italy)

Goal of the tournament: Di Natale (Spain v ITALY)