Post by Syuhada Marhani

Like playing chess, Spain plays with GM Anatoly Karpov's style (the beehive), playing close-quarters with a compact, high-pressure defense, guarding France's key players in 2-3 formations, while waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. In any sport, where the quality is almost equal, strategy influences 80% of the game. In both chess and football, this strategy is difficult to beat, because they are not ambitious/focused on attacking (but maintain a balance between attack and defense). The only player who can beat GM Anatoly Karpov is GM Gary Kasparov, whose playing style is full of novelty (new, creative moves). Challenging for France, who never loses, requires creative games (many strategies/methods), including sharp jabs and especially player rotations that can be in many places (not static). Like boxing, Spain played like the undefeated boxing champion (Floyd Mayweather Jr.), who is highly adaptive (defusing his opponent's advantage with defense and a keen eye for reading his opponent's attack, patiently waiting for the right moment to score). Floyd Mayweather is a boxer who doesn't have a particularly hard punch, but is a top-notch boxer with the flexibility and speed to avoid his opponent's attacks, yet able to control the match and know the right timing to strike. Spain's victory over France was determined more by the precise and effective strategy implemented by Luis de la Fuente and the mentality of a European Champion. France was unable to develop its game for almost 70% of the time due to the precise strategy. Indeed, the key factor in their superiority is not talent or intelligence, but rather the ability to read patterns, and tactical flexibility, yet consistent in implementing their strategy.