Can Spain's Euro triumph give England hope?

As I sit on a bus heading to Seville from Madrid I look out upon Spain's yellow desolate landscape and I think to myself that it cannot be more different to England's luscious, green countryside. The dusty, uneven football pitches I pass by are a total contrast to the grassy, usually muddy pitches we are used to at home. Spanish football is based on flair and tiki-taka, a nonsensical term for pass and move whereas English football is a much more physical direct game. English and Spanish football has many differences but the fortunes of our respective national teams are not so different at all.

Before Euro 2008 England and Spain had won one major tournament each. In 1964 Spain were victorious in the European Championships and two years later England lay their hands on the Jules Rimet trophy to become world champions. The similarities start here. The 1964 European Championships were hosted by the Spanish and they defeated the USSR in a packed Bernabeu to claim the trophy. Two years later England hosted the World Cup and went on to beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley in a memorable World Cup Final. England and Spain have each won a major tournament when they hosted the event but this is just the start of the similarities.

Since the 1960's England and Spain, in most peoples eyes at least, have been two of the biggest underachievers in world football. Spain are famous for usually losing in the quarter-finals, despite the fact that they always seem to qualify with ease and are normally fancied by many in the build up to the tournaments. England also have a problem with the quarter-finals, going out at that stage in the last three tournaments they have participated in. Rather famously, England's biggest problem appears to be penalty shoot outs. In the last eight major tournaments England have played in since Italia 90' (four World Cups and four European Championships) England have been eliminated five times on penalties, losing two semi-finals, two quarter-finals and one last 16 tie. The only penalty shoot out we have ever won, was inevitably against the Spanish in Euro 96'.

England and Spain's failure at international level is all the more remarkable when you consider the strength of their respective domestic leagues. The Premiership and La Liga are two of the best three leagues in Europe, Serie A obviously completes the trio. English, Spanish and Italian clubs have exactly the same record in the Champions League, all winning the trophy with big ears eleven times. Despite having identical records at club level England and Spain simply cannot be compared to the Italians who can boast four World Cups and one European Championship. To have such a pedigree in arguably the best competition in the world, England and Spain have had to have produced many world class players over the years just like the Italians. But why have the Italians been so successful at international level and not ourselves or the Spanish? Why is it that despite possessing powerful leagues, great players and being so successful at club level ourselves and Spain have constantly underachieved over the years? We always seem to bow out early and have to watch the Germans, Italians or the Brazilians celebrate yet more success.

The main reason for English and Spanish failures over the years is a lack of mental strength or winning mentality in my opinion. Fabio Capello believes the English players need more of a winning mentality and he is currently trying to foster this in his squad. The amount of times England and Spain have buckled at the business end of competitions is beyond a coincidence now, whether its a penalty shoot out or a quarter final. No matter how good a German, Italian or Brazilian squad may be, they are usually there or there abouts at the end, competing in semi-finals and finals. Would anyone have put money on Germany reaching the final in 2002, or Brazil winning it? Italy were not fancied in 2006 but they still went all the way. No matter how good there squad may be on paper, they will always be competing because they are winners and they know how to win the big games. If England and Spain are ever going to challenge consistently in the future then they will need to address this urgently.

Yet despite the fact that Spain seemingly always played well until the quarter-finals, when they would inevitably lose, something happened that can give England a lot of hope for the future. Spain not only won Euro 2008, but they won it in style and maybe more importantly they beat the Italians and the Germans on they way, something that has been understated because everybody has been raving about the beautiful football they played. The Germans and the Italians are very dangerous opposition but they overcame them on penalties and 1-0 respectively, games that they would surely have lost in the past. England are not fortunate enough to have a substitutes bench with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Xavi Alonso or Pepe Reina on it at the moment but if Spain can change there ways, shed there quarter-finals hoodoo and beat the big boys in the big games then why can England not become champions again. The national teams of England and Spain have a similar past, it would be nice to think we could have a similar future to.