101SL’s 10-point outlook with no chronological significance at the European Championships and a look at the Germany-Spain title match, which is only the third time in tournament history two nations from the Association’s big four leagues will meet (a post-match look at all 10 to follow here later in the day):
1. Expectations should be nothing less than high for a real good championship ballgame considering these were the top two names on most of the respectable pre-tournament betting boards.
2. Among things to do to kill all the anxious time in the hours before kickoff, conjure in your mind how a would-be nice looking Turkey-Russia third place game might have ended up.
3. Trying to pick out a single individual on either side as the face of their team for this tournament is still difficult, though help is on the way with the spotlight brightness kicked up a few notches here in the search for the true stars of the stage.
4. The theory about the type of lackluster momentum Germany has carried around in the wins after the Croatia loss can be rendered useless in the opening 25 minutes with a strong showing reinforcing to Spain that it’s down to one match with the rest of the tournament essentially insignificant and now behind.
5. There’s the chance Luis Aragones will admonish repeated blog requests here the past few days about a Cesc Fabregas sighting in the starting lineup with David Villa out, but also the reality that Daniel Guiza, a super wild card in this case, will emerge the as the second member making up the ‘2′ in the 4-4-2 setup that has carried the Spanish to this point — indeed, it will be the formation versus Fabregas battle to win a part in Aragones’ starting scheme.
6. Michael Ballack and Villa are out, so that afforementioned spotlight may very well find itself on Fernando Torres and Bastian Schweinsteiger all night long in a prime opportunity for both to come away with something epic-like and new to put on their respective growing international resumes.
7. If Italy contributed anything to the tournament, it was the exposition of the simple principle that possession is important against the Spanish, who — get this — can’t be dangerous offensively when they don’t have the ball.
8. Don’t underestimate the importance of this game for Jens Lehmann, who in one facet for international play at least can topple peer predecessorOliver Kahn with a Euro Championship ring as a starting goalkeeper.
9. The starting Spanish back line of Carlos Marchena, Carlos Puyol, Joan Capdevila and Sergio Ramos has not yet been forced by an opponent to run a full day at the races, something Lukas Podolski and friends will want to change in a hurry.
10. Aragones with his retirement situation is in much more of a hurry to win a major championship than his German counterpart Joachim Low, who still will want nothing more than to get a leg up on constructing one of his country’s great coaching legacies.
