At halftime of Spain’s World Cup clash, all the pundits on the ITV panel were talking about Spain. In particular, Graeme Souness began to wonder exactly why Spain was so much better than England. Little did he know, six minutes into the second half, Japan would be in front.
La Roja had taken the lead against Japan through Álvaro Morata in the first half and was heading into the break.
It led Souness to wonder why England don’t play more like Spain.
“Why aren’t we like that?!”
“That makes you win World Cups and big competitions!”
Graeme Souness can’t get enough of this Spanish midfield! ??#ITVFútbol | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/EnfZ9OpjM1
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 1, 2022
Although he acknowledged in advance that he was Scottish, it was not lost on many how odd it was that he would later refer to English football as ‘we’.
While it would be crude to criticize Souness on the basis of the result, which ended 2-1 to Japan, it seemed typical of what many have perceived as a flaw in the English psyche regarding international football. Whenever a team is successful, they tend to lean towards the style of play that was successful instead of developing their own style.
It also ignores the fact that England have been to the World Cup semi-finals and Euro Cup final in their last two tournaments, a better record than Spain’s. Although Luis Enrique’s team plays attractive football and there is a general idea that pervades the team, each coach adapts it to his needs.
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