Paul Hartley: Spain deserve to win final, but Germans will sneak it

Jun 29 2008 Paul Hartley

SWASHBUCKLING Spain take on the mean-machine might of Germany tonight and I reckon I'll be in a minority when the game kicks off.

I will be cheering on the Germans because I tipped them from the start of the tournament - and put my money where my mouth is too.

I managed to get them at odds of 4-1 and if they do the business today I'll make a nice wee profit!

I'll probably be one of the few neutrals supporting Germany because the Spanish have undoubtedly been the best footballing side in the tournament and deserve to win it.

It's sure to be a fascinating battle of contrasting styles with the silky Spanish awash with world-class creative players trying to carve open an organised, stuffy and physically stronger German outfit.

Germany only have one truly worldclass flair player in captain Michael Ballack and I am such a big admirer of how he makes his side tick and breaks forward in support of the strikers. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the difference again tonight.

The fact Germany are vastly more experienced at winning big tournaments might just see them through.

It won't be a popular win if Germany do pull it off as Spain have to be the choice of any football purist.

They play an open, exciting brand of football and have so many goal threats throughout their team.

David Villa will be a big loss as he has lost his fitness battle but with the likes of Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi in their team they have more than enough quality to finish the job.

They would certainly be fitting champions for such a fantastic tournament.

I've really enjoyed the three weeks of football served up in Austria and Switzerland and it has made me all the more determined not to miss out againwhen the next major tournament comes along.

In two years' time the World Cup Finals get under way in South Africa and I have no doubt Scotland can be there.

Euro 2008 has seen a lot of top quality football from some of the best players in the world but watching it unfold has only reinforced my belief that Scotland have nothing to fear from the bigger nations.

I reckon if we had got a little bit more luck when we needed it in qualifying and made it to this summer's tournament then we would not have found ourselves out of our depth. There are always one or two surprise packages at every finals - in this case it was Turkey and Russia - and I think you could maybe have included us in there had we made it through our qualifying group of death.

Sadly we didn't make it to the Alps but we still climbed a mountain with our displays in the qualifying campaign.

The belief we should take from running Italy and France so close will be the springboard to going all the way in our World Cup campaign.

And while we're on the subject of the Italians and the French, let me lay something to rest right now.

People have said France and Italy's failure in the finals makes what we did against them less impressive.

They say they are not the teams they once were and that many of the French stars in particular were over the hill.

Some players were nearing the end of their international careers but to make out France were not a top-class side is well wide of the mark and it's wrong to try to belittle the scale of our achievement in beating them home and away.

They also conveniently forget the French and Italians were in the toughest group at the finals with Romania and an immensely talented Dutch side.

And don't forget Italy only lost their quarter-final with Spain on penalties and Luis Aragones' side will now go into today's showdown as hot favourites.

The Spanish have been the best footballing side in the tournament but Scotland's World Cup qualifying rivals Holland were not far behind and some of their attacking play was dazzling.

There's no doubt they are a good side but we'll be a stronger prospect ourselves, galvanised by the experience we gained against France, Italy and the Ukraine in our previous campaign.

We have amassed valuable experience and our lads measure up just fine to many of the players on show at Euro 2008.

There aren't many right-backs you'd pick out at the finals who have more in their locker than Alan Hutton and he is just one of a number of guys we have playing every week at the highest level.

Darren Fletcher mixes it with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo every day at Man United and a lot of us regularly play top class sides in the Champions League.

With our recent results and the experience of the players in our squad why shouldn't we believe we have what it takes to hold our own with the best international football can throw at us?

_____________________

DAVID VILLA is topping the scoring charts but for me it's the Spaniard's scoring partner Fernando Torres who is the biggest star of Euro 2008.

The Liverpool man might not have scored as many goals on the way to the final but I'll bet Villa would be first to recognise the crucial role Torres (below) has played in his success.

From start to finish, his link-up play with the midfield has been outstanding and his workrate, constantly taking defenders away and giving options for his team-mates in possession, cannot be underestimated.

Torres' strong running makes him a thorn in the side of his markers and his unselfish attitude says everything about a true team player. Outstanding.

He pips inspirational Michael Ballack - who has repeatedly pulled Germany through when they needed their skipper most - to my vote for top man of the tournament.

So far.

But whoever steps up today to make the final his own will decide once and for all who is remembered in history as the brightest star of the tournament.

_____________________
AS a midfielder it's only natural I've been studying the men in the engine room at Euro 2008.

And I've picked who I would love to line up beside in a fantasy midfield.

So many teams have gone for two sitters in the middle - and few play the role better than Spain's Marcos Senna.

The Villarreal man is an unsung hero and sniffs out danger early to break up opposition attacks.

His hard work lets others shine and two more Spaniards make my line-up.

I have seen first hand how good Andres Iniesta and Xavi are thanks to Celtic's Champions League clashes with Barcelona.

They always seem to have time on the ball no matter how tight the situation and their passing, movement and vision is second to none.

Germany's Michael Ballack completes my dream team. I've always admired how he gets into the box so often and he has scored some vital goals.

Ballack can look like a lazy player but that's because his movement and timing are so good.