So, tonight is the night. We (that is the whole Dutch nation as long as we are in the winning mood) are playing against the current World Champion, no big deal as long as they stick to ‘Mañana’. Can the Spanish team, just to be sure, please focus on mañana for tonight?

To be clear, the Spanish mañana means more than just tomorrow, it is the key concept that implies a postponement of any definitive action or answer and turns it into something more vague, a dot on the horizon. For Spaniards, strict planning and keeping to tight deadlines is not something to strive for, they value spontaneity, flexibility and improvisation a lot more. Does this help us in playing against them tonight?

Let’s just think how Spanish people in general cope with conflicts. First of all, Spaniards are direct in their discussions, but never as blunt and straight forward as the Dutch. For Spaniards conflicts are not discussed openly, particularly as the person and the problem are not seen as two different entities – and getting personal is not what they favour during a conflict. Rather they opt for diligently moving away from negative criticism and opt for positive conflict resolution. But, that does not mean they will be nice to us on the field – when the going gets tough, Spanish are known to be able to perform under pressure (as if we did not experience this before ourselves!).

Where do we stand a chance to win from the Spaniards? If we are able to act as a true team, willing to act as one and without doubt willing to sacrifice personal interest for the greater good of the team. Because that might be the Achilles heel of the Spanish football – acting as a team. In Spain the concept “team” means a group of individuals working individually under a strong leader.

Maybe the labour mobility in the world of football is our best friend here? While the Spanish club teams dominate the Champions League, the national Spanish team may have not had enough opportunity to build the essential team spirit to beat the Dutch?

Nannette Ripmeester,
Expertise in Labour Mobility

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