Unfortunately for us in Israel the Under 21 Championship came to end last night with Spain showing why they are the class of the field. We did not want this tourney to end, it was that good! Fortunately for us we were able to host such an important tournament and high profile event and Israel was able to show to the world that yes, we can host an event of this magnitude to the hisghest levels!
The Good:
Spain was good. Actually they were great. Spain was hands down the class of the tournament and deserve the championship without a shadow of a doubt. I was able to see them play 3 times live and I can tell you that Spain is the class of the world with their technical ability, ball handling and intangibles. From David de Gea finally allowing a couple of goals to Alvaro Morata the Real Madrid youngsters to Thiago Alcantara the Barcelona stud to of course Isco, Spain brought with their top players and they showed exactly what they can do on the big stage. A match between the senior squad & the U21 would be an interesting match up, both would play the same style and would create a competitive game.
Italy was the 2nd best team, but were still way behind the big boys, who don’t just ride the pine at their clubs in Spain but see significant minutes. This is much different than almost any other club who came to Israel.
Congratulations to Spain! And as I am fan of Italy, I can still tell what greatness is.
The Bad:
That the tourney had to end! After seeing 6 matches with my 3 boys we did not want to go home last night! We stayed until all the players finally left the pitch and disappeared into the night. We left the stadium area long after everyone else. We stood and contemplated what we had just seen. Greatness at the highest levels in Israel. Who would have ever believed it! We were standing in a European tourney, in a European style stadium just trying to take in what had happened the last 2 weeks.
We knew & understood that what we had just witnessed was very, very special.
The Ugly:
Other than the 3 morons who ran on the field and made a mockery of the game and the security services present the only thing I can think of is that we in Israel need to now translate what we experienced at this level to the domestic league.
How can we get more people into the stadiums for regular league games?
How can we have prices lowered to what was paid for at the tournament instead of more than double the price for a regular league match?
How can we have the higher quality fan and their family attend a league game?
How can we make the whole fan experience better for a league match up.
Surely Avi Luzon & the Israel Football Association proved in this tournament that we can raise the level of our game when we need to, let’s not stop here and rest on our laurels!
Please, Avi Luzon & friends take advantage of this tournament and take our league to the next level! You proved that we belong in Europe, let’s do it!
Kol HaKavod & keep up the good work!
Looking forward to seeing all of you at the European qualifiers next month!
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