Spanish Inquisition: Turkey Can Beat Spain On Wednesday

Spain have been heralded as the best team on the planet at the moment and extended their unbeaten run at the weekend to maintain the feel-good factor that victory in last summer's European Championships brought.

While the attractive, fast-flowing passing game does continue to produce the results, Turkey gave an idea on Saturday of how Vicente del Bosque team can be beaten.

Spain did end up winning the game through Gerard Pique's goal in the Santiago Bernabeu, while stopping their visitors from scoring, but it was no easy task for la Furia Roja.

It may not have taken a genius to work out that space is what the Spanish require, both in midfield and when going forward, if they are to play to their best and undo teams.

Most coaches know that, of course, but not enough try to block up those areas and stifle the middle of the pitch to limit the role that Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso, to name the latest pairing, can play.

Turkey's boss Fatih Terim set up his side to do exactly that and on occasion looked likely to cause an upset as they won back possession before Spain could reach the last third, and launched a counter-attack.

Nihat may not have had his best day, but if the visitors had been slightly more adventurous and allowed more of their midfielders to press forward when Senturk or Tuncay broke, then Gerard Pique or Raul Albiol could have been exposed in the Spanish defence.

Limited Space

It was clear that Spain were not comfortable as even Xavi struggled to move away from his marker and produce the trademark passes that saw him named as the best player of the tournament at Euro 2008.

The Barcelona playmaker found freedom on one memorable occasion in the first half and picked out Torres with a glorious pass, but considering his usual rate of visionary balls that was a rare moment.

Xabi Alonso was also not allowed much to work with although his more direct style of first or second touch passing meant that things kept moving when he received possession.

The flanks were a trouble area for Turkey as Sergio Ramos was able to move forward on numerous occasions, but to compensate Turkey ensured that he had little to aim at as they packed the area if he lined up a cross.

That brings the debate firmly towards the two frontmen for the hosts who patently failed to live up to their billing as the best striking partnership in international football.

David Villa has not been a regular for Valencia this season and coach Unai Emery was not overly pleased that he was to play in the game at the weekend; afterwards the player himself probably wished he had not bothered.

No Room In The Middle

His runs forward were very few and far between, while he did not drop back and take aim from the edge of the area as he was unable to find any room with which to control the ball and line up a shot.

Fernando Torres did not fare much better, but he was able to test the keeper on one occasion before the break, though that was 20 yards from goal.

When the Liverpool forward did look to manouevre a way through, he was quickly crowded out and left frustrated with the lack of service from the flanks and the lack of room in the middle.

Both forwards were taken off and that was a sign that Turkey had done a very good job and shown every nation how to stop Spain from producing the kind of football that they have become renowned for.

The Turkish tactics are not that new as Luis Aragones' side often looked far from the dazzling, passing team that everyone talks about now, when faced with a stubborn nation that put everyone behind the ball.

While other countries will indeed look back and see how Spain were limited by Turkey, it is in fact the Turks themselves who must analyse what they did right and wrong in the Bernabeu ahead of the second meeting between the two teams in Istanbul on Wednesday.

If Terim will allow his players to be slightly more adventurous when moving up field then the 32-match unbeaten run of la Furia Roja's could be about to come to an end.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com