SPAIN 6 - 0 POLAND: Spanish set off for South Africa in style

After two unconvincing displays against Saudi Arabia and South Korea, Spain came good just at the right time. Poland were knocked for six as Spain recovered that lost razzmatazz that made them so untouchable two years ago in Euro 2008. Passes were crisp and found their man every time. The delicate flicks were back. The backheels, the one-twos, the no-look passes. An absolute joy to behold. Xavi was as mobile as ever, orchestrated proceedings from the centre. Andres Iniesta was simply irresistable, with the first two goals from David Villa and David Silva courtesy of two stunning passes from the Barca man. His scooped pass which set Xavi free to cross for Silva was magical. Iker Casillas answered those doubters who pounced on the Madrid shotstopper after his Arabian error with an assured performance. The defence, with Pique and Puyol at the fore, was rarely troubled. Even Sergio Busquets put in a solid shift alongside his Barca teammate, Xavi.

Things got even better for Spain after Xavi Alonso had put them three up, as Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres put any injury problems firmly behind them with the fourth and fifth strikes. Cescs goal was thanks to a superb threaded ball from Xavi Alonso, and gave the Arsenal man an extra reason to celebrate after becoming the youngest player to reach 50 caps for Spain. As for Torres, a goal on his long-awaited comeback was a sure sign the few weeks lay off hasn't affected his eye for goal. He won't show it, but Vicente Del Bosque must be absolutely delighted. To top this festival of football in Murcia, Pedro came off the bench to chip in his first goal for 'La Roja'. Three caps to his name and he's already on the scoresheet. I've said it a million times. Everyone has said it a million times. But the strength in depth in this Spain squad is nothing short of astounding. So off they fly to Johannesburg with a record of only one defeat in their last 48 matches. If they play like this they have every chance of winning the World Cup. No doubt about it. No-one can get near them in this form. Is this Spains time?

Well, tommorrow I'm off to Berlin for a few days, so this is the last you'll hear from me until the World Cup is already in full swing. I'll be lucky enough to catch the first Germany match against Australia and the England match against the USA before flying back for the first Spain match. Should be fun. So wherever you're from, whoever you're supporting, I wish your nation the best of luck. Enjoy ;)

THE MOURINHO METHOD: Why so many victories?

Ever wondered what sets new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho apart from the rest? Why it is that wherever he goes, silverware is never far behind? Me too. So it was a pleasant surprise to read an article in todays AS about four Portuguese authors who have written a book about the self-proclaimed 'Special one'. The title of the book is 'Mourinho: Why so many victories? and it analyses Mourinhos methods on the training pitch and in the dressing room, outlining ten key factors in his unrepentant search for domestic and European glory. It also provides a fascinating insight into what awaits Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates when they return for training after the World Cup. So, translated into English, here they are, accompanied by quotes from the great man himself:

1. THE ONLY STAR IS THE TEAM: 'My greatest worry is the team. The collective effort. I have no idea where the physical aspect ends and the tactical/psychological aspect begins, but football encaptures both. I can't separate the two, but what I can say is that football is not all about the physical aspect, it's about much more than that. In the grand scheme of things, the physical aspect is probably the least important element. Without organisation and a talent in exploring the different tactical models of the game, your weaknesses quickly become apparent, regardless of how fit you are'.

2. TACTICS ARE WORKED ON FROM DAY ONE: 'The most important thing in football is to have a style of play, a set of principles that offer organisation to the team. For that reason, my focus is on tactics from day one'. Exactly what is required at Real Madrid.

3. THE RUI FARIA METHOD (No circuits, no gyms, no laps around the pitch): 'Have you ever seen a pianist run around his piano before sitting down to unleash a masterpiece? In our methodology we don't send them on laps around the pitch either'. For Mourinho and his right-hand man/physical trainer Rui Faria, the gym is only for recovering from injuries.

4. THE BALL IS OBLIGATORY. TRAINING SESSIONS OF NO MORE THAN 90 MINUTES: 'My training sessions aren't long, they're dynamic and incredibly time-efficient. I like my team to learn to love the ball, and to know what to do with it once they win it back. Three hour training sessions will only serve to bore the players. They would quickly fall out of love with the ball'.

5. A TEAM WITHOUT PEAKS IN FORM: 'Weekly training sessions are solely focused on the next game. There's no plan to come good in December or May, no looking ahead. No plan to play better against the top teams'.

6. MOTIVATION COMES FROM TRAINING, NOT FROM THE BIG MATCHES: During his time in Portugal with Porto, there came a moment when the team were winning everything domestically, with the danger of the players only being motivated for the European ties. Here's how he overcame that potential obstacle. 'With a 4-3-3 formation, space is perfectly occupied naturally, it isn't necessary for the players to be intelligent. They don't have to think too much. With a 4-4-2 they are required to think because the field is occupied irrationally, no-one is naturally open. With a constant need for tactical discipline comes motivation, regardless of the importance of the match.' Real Madrid fans know what to expect there then.

7. THOROUGH STUDY OF THE OPPOSITION. BUT NEVER TO PLAY ACCORDING TO YOUR RIVAL: ' We analyse our rivals and we try to imagine how they will play against us. Using these thoughts we position certain players in certain positions according to the oppositions strengths and weaknesses. But these are only positional details. They don't interfere with our principles, or even with our system'.

8. THE CREATIVE PLAYERS ARE THE FIRST TO DEFEND: 'For me defending well is defending during the least amount of time possible. It's to have the ball among your most creative players for as long as possible. Having the initiative for as long as possible. This takes away the need for defensive actions. But when the need to defend arises, everyone has a role to play. There are those that say the creative players should be liberated of defensive duties. They know nothing about football. All players need to know what to do with the ball and what to do without the ball'. Cristiano Ronaldo, you've been warned.

9. WE BEGIN TO RECOVER DURING THE GAMES: 'After each game I like to give the players a days rest. It may not be the most appropriate thing to do physically speaking, but it allows them to recover mentally. Unfortunately, with so many games during a season this is rarely possible. Therefore as incredible as it sounds, they need to start recovering during the game itself. If the team plays how I want them to, the players will start to recover mentally by having total control of the ball. Instead of finishing the match mentally exhausted, they would come off the pitch in a great frame of mind, raring to go once more'.

10. ONE METHOD FITS ALL -  FROM THE FIRST TEAM TO THE YOUTH TEAM: 'The basic methodological concepts must be instilled in both the elite and the base. At Porto I regularly met with the youth and reserve team directors to explain exactly how all the different teams should play. That way no player gets lost when making the step up. Everything is already trained into his mind'.

What a guy!

SPAIN 1 - 0 SOUTH KOREA: Jesus Navas saves Spains blushes (Highlights)

Spain struggled for the second time in a week as 'La Roja' scraped past South Korea courtesy of a scorching goal from young Jesus Navas six minutes from time. Perhaps it's the pressure that comes with being named World Cup favourites by the bookies, but having seen the comments left by various Spanish fans across Marca and the forums, many believe the blame lies elsewhere. One thing is for sure, right now there is something lacking. Many are questioning Vicente del Bosques tactics, playing with a 4-1-4-1 formation which has served to clog up the middle of the park, stemming that natural flow of the ball so characterisitic of Spain in Euro 2008. Today they were slow, predictable and lacking that penache they had in Austria two summers ago. Leaving Marcos Senna at home could be Del Bosques biggest error as Spain coach. The unsung hero who lets Xavi, Silva and co get on with their job of terrorising defenses won't be around in South Africa. And there's no ready made replacement. Sergio Busquets simply doesnt cut it at international level in my view, and Javi Martinez has only just made the leap from club football.  

With Victor Valdes making his long-awaited debut in the second half (strangely ten years to the day since Iker Casillas made his debut), the shining lights in a drab showing were the two young guns Pedro and Jesus Navas. The Sevilla winger a constant threat down the right, and with only Cesc Fabregas' effort which smacked the crossbar to show for their efforts with 84 minutes on the clock, up stepped Navas to thump a cracking effort into the top right corner of Woon-Jaes goal. As the rest of Spain rejoiced, Florentino Perez was cursing his bad luck. That'll be another €10million euros he'll have to fork out for Sevillas electric winger.

So, another friendly win and another lacklustre outing. There's certainly no reason to panic (todays team was a second-string XI remember), but Spain will be expecting more against Poland in Murcia next week.

Spanish Government to restrict reckless spending among La Liga clubs

I'll start this post with a tricky little question. Three Spanish clubs managed to achieve an operating profit during the 2008/2009 season. Real Madrid, Barcelona and one more. Who? With the aim of increasing this number, the Spanish government is set to lay out a new set of rules which will restrict the amount La Liga clubs have to play with when it comes to forking out for players. Jaime Lissavetsky, the countrys Secretary of State for Sport, has proposed that clubs will not be allowed to spend more than 70/75% of their income on transfers and wages, with the measure pencilled in for the 2011/2012 season. It remains to be seen if the proposal will become law or not, but those already worried that Barca and Real Madrid are turning Spanish football into a posh SPL won't be best pleased with what Lissavetsky has put forward.

But something has to be done as the combined debt among Liga clubs rose to €3.5 billion, with the salaries demanded by stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo pushing wages to an outrageous 85% of total operating income. Six or seven of the Liga clubs are running bankrupt or in administration, with Mallorca the most recent to enter into voluntary administration as they posted a pre-tax loss of just over €5 million, even after finishing fifth. Spain has even more reason  to act urgently, as UEFA finalise their 'Financial Fair Play' rules which are set to be implemented in 2012/2013, and will require ALL teams to be running an operating profit in order to participate in European competition. 'Florentino summers' may well be a thing of the past.

Read the whole fascinating article, and find out the answer to my initial question, in the Wall Street Journal HERE. Spanish football is in for a rough ride in the coming years, as the sport is forced to come to terms with it's own financial crisis, brought about by reckless spending and dreadful money management.