Euro 2008 -- Who Says Spain Will Win?

Fatima is getting increasingly suspicious, because I am apparently calling her "Fatima" on this blog. Usually she goes by the name "Fart", so she finds it disturbing that it isn't the case on this blog.

Well, as crude as I usually am in real life, I do wish to preserve some form of formality on this blog. Besides, if this blog finds it way to the eyes of Queen Elizabeth for some peculiar reason, I do not wish for her to think that I have unsavoury and unwashed friends.

Also, I am quite surprised that Motor Ace has disbanded. I didn't see a comment left by a very helpful person (muchos gracias to you, kind person), seems like they disbanded sometime ago. O, life is dealing me with strange blows.

On another note, the glorious and majestic Rekha Makalingam has returned from the historic place of Liverpool to brighten our dark lives in Singapore. Thank you very much for the Fernando Torres scarf, Rekha. I am trying to come up with a number of things to do with it, and as much as I wish to hang it outside my door as sort of a WELCOME BANNER-like thing to my room, I think my mother will pull it off after one day. Right now, it is draped beautifully across my bed, right next to the Spanish jersey that I always have there and this Brazilian football bear thing and a very nostalgic Milan jersey. As enormous as my bed sounds with all the things I seem to have on it, sadly it is not very large.

So. Euro 2008 is here. Strangely enough, I am not very excited. After years of following Spain, what is the point? As much as I wish to believe it will definitely be different this year, I can't. We just don't seem to be playing as a team enough, we have too many talented individuals but that is just the first stage of greatness. Knowing how to USE these individuals is another thing altogether. Look at how Real Madrid self-destructed during the Galacticos era, they had so many stars and yet they flopped. Football is a team sport, and individuals can save the game maybe once or twice, but not forever. Individuals don't win the trophies, the team does.

So all the talk about Fernando Torres being in the team is bull. I enjoy the man, mind you I have supported him since he was just a skeleton-face in Atletico. But we have all seen how ineffective he can be without proper support from his teammates. I have been very frustrated with people supporting Spain just because of Torres, because they insist that he will do great things and might even be top scorer.

I am confident he can shine occasionally, but Torres is Not Spain. It is not a one-man team, and his presence is not going to help bring Spain to greatness. It can, and of course I do hope he will. But I just do not believe that it will happen.

For one, Liverpool's style of play is entirely different from Spain's. And Spain's style is not Torres' style. And thus the logical conclusion. As long as Torres is able to adapt to the team's style of play, he will shine as he does for Liverpool. However, unless Torres is secretly Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort, I doubt he can magically transform himself just for this tournament.

And people forget that Steven Gerrard does not play for Spain either.

So all the talk about Torres' great season with Liverpool is not reason for Spain's success. I hope people get that straight because I hate it when people support teams without knowing anything about the team and just do it for one or two players.

Personally, I am more fascinated with the younger and less fortunate Spanish players. What more joy can one feel when the unfortunate players suddenly shine, and then you can say that you believed in them when no one did?

If Spain really wants to win this, the entire nation must back them. Sad to say, it seems like most of the team's fans hail from other countries.

Well. As long as they have fans. But ME supporting them is not going to mean much to them, because who would want a half-walrus half-squid person supporting them? It would mean more to them if their own people supported them.

But we know it's always complicated. And I cannot blame the ordinary Spaniards for rejecting their national team. It's changing of course, but let's not be ridiculous. The divisions will probably always be there.

So here it goes. Euro 2008. Spain plays tomorrow. Let's not get carried away. I will support them but I will not expect them to do great things. Maybe this year will be different, maybe this year will be the same, who knows?

Because right now, I need my food and I have no patience to analyse this issue any further. So goodbye.

Signed,

Sincerely, me

Pearlyn

P.S. I think I forgot to mention that Adrian Gonzalez scored yet another goal for Nastic. Am actually very proud of him, because he has been looking so pitiful and unfed. I am very comforted that at least he has something in his life to smile about.

P.P.S. David Silva will leave Valencia if the price is right. I wonder if it is possible to send a petition to Valencia with me forging 15,000 signatures?

P.P.P.S. I don't know why I always insist on using this font, when I actually dislike it very much. The thing about me is that I like to give things I don't like many different chances, but it seems to be not doing any good.