“The last time Spain won at Wembley, the old one – was in 1981. They won 2-1, and I was there in schoolteacher mode, surrounded by a phalanx of adolescent schoolkids that I’d accompanied on a coach from Hull. If any of them are reading this, I forgive that kid who ‘forgot’ to pay for his hotdog. It seems like another life ago, from a different planet, and not only because I no longer earn my bread from teaching ‘Kes’ on a Friday afternoon, but because of the different set of expectations that accompanied the game back then.” ESPN

Spain continue to dominate possession but need more penetration
“A criticism of Spain days after an unfortunate 1-0 defeat to England is always likely to come across as a wild knee-jerk reaction, but Spain’s problems against decent sides have been evident for over a year now. They were handed an extremely easy qualification group for Euro 2012 where they had few problems, but in friendlies with larger nations they’ve struggled. Since the World Cup, they’ve drawn 1-1 with Mexico, lost 4-1 to Argentina, lost 4-0 to Portugal, lost 2-1 to Italy and lost 1-0 to England.” Zonal Marking

Brian Glanville on England’s shock victory over Spain
“The general euphoria which followed the wholly unexpected victory of a patched up England team against the mighty Spaniards was easy to understand but hard to justify. The first half approach by England was surely a deep embarrassment to any objective watcher. Nine men behind the ball against a Spanish team which weaved patterns around them but were desperately prevented from scoring.” World Soccer

Pressure is on Portugal in playoff
“International football seems to be increasingly unpopular these days — for various reasons, the club game has completely superseded it, both in terms of quality and reputation. International friendlies are considered irrelevant, while international qualifiers are often a formality for the bigger teams that naturally attract the most attention.” ESPN