A machine must face a true test to see if its recalibrations have fixed its faults or if it will fall apart at the first sign of stress. The Germans are not completely in the image of its past, but th...

Spain sorted out their top task in the Group of Death before the beginning of this fixture. Even though a second string selection stepped onto the field for this formality, the players put on a profes...

An eruption of euphoria across Germany at their two triumphs from the outset of the EUROs. Nonetheless, the journey to the top is never a smooth sailing ride. An outfit that had few backers has demand...

Continental royalty wrestled on the grand stage, but only one outfit looked to be in contention for the crown. The fiery and fury of La Roja rallied the charge as Spain sauntered into the knockout sta...

An identity should not slow success but only act as a platform from which further achievement can arise. Spain showed that the tools exist to enable this development. Though their standard style put a...

Ball possession is dead! Long live ball possession! The Spanish search for an identity has been a short lived endeavor. Much more problematic has been their proficiency in both penalty areas. Now, a m...

Real Madrid maintain their magic. Dortmund’s deep running daggers powered their transition tactics before the break, but Ancelotti’s astute approach patched up the problems. Resilience res...

Bayer Leverkusen lost grip of their goal in Europe but the stranglehold in Germany is firmly theirs. A red card could have ruined their rigorous work in the first half of this final, but the response ...

A hot shot striker, as a man on a mission, strived successfully to personal glory. However, his club could not correspond with those efforts on the field, stumbling to a fatal stalemate. Tactical anal...

Deceptive and devious deeds cannot fool audiences forever. Juventus are no longer the force of Italian football, stumbling to see out their season in Serie A. However, there are two ways to depart cen...