Jonathan Wilson: Italy-Spain Euro 2012 final promises to be clash of polar opposites

[Jonathan Wilson]

The final was supposed to be a battle between the two schools of proactive soccer. On the one side Spain, the increasingly cautious protectors of the ball, a side that has used its mastery of possession to prevent the opposition from playing; on the other, Germany, having moved away from the reactivity of the last World Cup, playing in a more carefree way. It's a battle, in a sense, between the bloodless purists and the more visceral entertainers.

More...