Spain vs. Germany: When Stereotypes Collide

Well I'm about to head to Cape Town for the Netherlands vs. Uruguay semi-final. I suppose I should be writing about that game but to be honest it holds little interest for me. Uruguay, lacking the suspended Suarez and injured skipper Lugano, look like sacrificial lambs. The Netherlands have been competent, but never spellbinding. Instead I want to look forward to tomorrow's game: Germany vs. Spain (I'll be traveling and I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write).

What we have here is essentially the collision of two great stereotypes (call them "myths" or "legends" for a more romantic interpretation) in world football: the "Overachieving Germans" and the "Underachieving Spaniards."

Comedian Louis CK once asked why we can't have stereotypes that are ignorant, but pleasant ("Oh those Chinese people . . . they're made of candy!"). In the case of Germany,we have just such a pleasant stereotype. Four Four Two magazine ran a pre-World Cup article with the following headline: "Q: Why will Germany do well at the World Cup finals? A: Because they always do." Indeed, Germany are one of, if not the most consistent teams in the history of the tournament. They (well, technically West Germany) have won it three times and reached the finals an unprecedented seven times. What's astonishing about this is their ability to succeed even when the collection of individuals is nothing to write home about. They reached the finals in 2002 pretty much solely on the brilliance of Oliver Khan. The 2010 edition was called by some the "worst German World Cup team ever" and regarded as far too young to succeed.

Despite this, they have once again lived up to their billing in Germany as a Turniermannschaft, or "tournament team." Shattering all expectations, they have scored four goals on three occasions and so thoroughly outplayed Argentina that Diego Maradona, usually quite active on the touchline, could do nothing but stand like a statue while tears flooded his eyes. German teams are usually regarded as efficient and workmanlike; these guys are playing the best football of the tournament.

In contrast, the Spanish are the team that are constantly lauded as contenders, only to capitulate sooner than expected. Up until two years ago, all they had to show for their troubles was the 1964 European Championship, won on home soil. After that is was a long procession of baffling disappointment. How could a nation which features one of the best leagues in the world, and two of football's biggest powerhouses in Real Madrid and Barcelona, fail over and over again on the biggest stage?

People thought this demon had been exorcised in 2008, when Spain finally lifted more silverware at the European Championships. I'm not so convinced. Yes, they are into the semis, but they have been lackluster all tournament. They started with a loss to Switzerland and have hardly been as impressive as the Germans in their subsequent victories. Fernando Torres has been absolutely useless, and the usually infallible Xavi looks out of sorts by his impossibly high standards. David Villa has been the only thing standing between Spain and elimination.

We tend to think of the word "stereotype" as a dirty word, but the stereotypes we're familiar with are always based on at least a grain of truth. The Spanish team does habitually perform as less than the sum of its parts. The German team does habitually perform as more than the sum of its parts. In the case of this match, I think this will be born out yet again.