And then there were two. | burgundy's Blog

To begin with I offer a tribute to the teams who are not here; among them the relentless Turks, the tragic French, the unheralded Romanians, and the unfortunate Croatians. Soccer fans everywhere appreciate your contributions.

Now, however, there are only two teams left. My personal favorite, Spain, is set to take on the German national team for the European championship. The German side is full of promise from a soccer perspective. In goal, Lehmann is masterful. Although prone to minor positioning mistakes; Lehmann guard's the German net with the combination of strength and vision. The German backline is where I find some problems - with an overzealous Metzelder getting caught too far up and a less than solid Phillip Lahm i think it is the German side that has defensive weaknesses ripe for the exploiting, not the Spanish side. On defense for la Furia are Ramos, Marchena, Puyol, and Capdevila and with each consecutive game they have played more and more as a unit and they have each showcased their individual talents. The firebrand that is Sergio Ramos has played more to his attacking style while at the same time developed his defensive skills with more patience and vision. If I had to guess, I think his maturity displayed over the tournament might have something to do with his Real Madrid teammate and team captain - Iker Casillas. It also might be a more cohesive feeling alongside Puyol; one of the exemplars defendig for FC Barcelona. Yes, Sergio, some of us did see that brush off you sent Puyol's way in group play versus the Russians and not having seen it sense is a positive sign that you are not who the media has tried to make you.

At midfield every fan should be ready for some truly remarkable play. German technical skill and proficiency at midfield is legendary but they are not without their creative flair (I'm talking about you Herr Ballack and Herr Schweinsteiger). Germany, with unheralded coach Joachim Low, does have some creative capabilities and they can sneak up on you from midfield if you aren't paying attention. Fortunately for Spain, their complete midfield (Xavi, Xavi Alonso, Cesc, Silva, Senna and Iniesta - sweet merciful God what a midfield to choose from) is both technically sound and capable of subtle creativity. No? Cesc Fabregas knew exactly what he was doing dishing it out to Guiza - don't be fooled. Fabregas is that good. Silva has been a force in midfield, operating at a high level of creativity and preseverance. Marcos Senna, conversely has allowed Silva to risk at midfield by pue force of willpower on defense. Senna, in terms of defense alone, needs to be given his proper respect as a team-first, no-nonsense, human barricade at midfield. Keep your eyes on Iniesta as well - slowly he has come into his game at the Euro and peaking at the right time, for Iniesta, will prove to be a delight for those soccer fans who enjoy absolutely creative midfield play.

Podolski and Klose are not the non-entities they appear to be on Germany's front line, however, when comparing attacking options (even with the possibility of Villa sidelined) Spain has the advantage. Fernando Torres will make himself felt in the final game. Just as with many of his counterparts, he has slowly acclamated himself to this tournament and he will peak at the right time - this Sunday. Would it be surprising to see a Guiza/Torres front line? Hardly. Do not put it past Aragones to start Guiza in Villa's place if Villa cannot play; Guiza is deceptively fast, much more creative than he is given credit for, and has no real compunction about doing the little things that ESPN announcers have all but written off in their commentaries. This might even be more true since it is apparent that Aragones likes bringing Cesc off the bench. There is something menacing about being able to bring that amount of creative talent into the game with little or no notice; meaning, Aragones could start Guiza and Torres to pound the German defensive line and then, if that fails to yield results or if it completely knocks the Germans back on their heels, send in Fabregas.

It has been my pleasure to blog and share my thoughts on this tournament - or at least the parts of it that I understand the best - with the many other soccer fans on this board. Best of luck to you, your favorite players, and your favorite team.

My call? 3-1, Spain.