TIK-TAK, tik-tak, tik-tak, is that the clock counting down on Spain’s reign as European champions?

Listening to some people since England beat Ukraine, you’d think they had made a mistake finishing top of their group and booking a quarter-final date with Italy.

Some believe the world’s finest team are there for the taking. After all, they had only won their group by two points, conceding one goal, and put four past the hapless Irish in the most one-sided game of the tournament so far.

Even their “off day” against Croatia ended with a 1-0 victory. And yet we’re all forecasting the end of their dominance in world football, and even the purist footballing system they employ.

What nonsense.

Spain, like Germany and England, are struggling a little after a long season. But to dismiss them as a spent force entirely is premature.

How often have we seen a World Cup or European Championship-winning side take time to find their groove? Good sides tend to win when they have to.

Yes, it seems we have found a counterplan to Spain’s immense possession football but however impressive your “banks of four”, I’d be willing to bet that Iniesta or Xavi will find a way through, eventually.

Other than the Germans, who haven’t quite hit their stride either, I’ve yet to see anyone who are really capable of doing enough damage to the Spanish.

We’ll find out a lot more about Joachim Low’s team in the knockout stages too, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Bayern players react if a penalty shootout looms large.

I’d say the stage was set for England if I honestly believed they had a lot more to give. I pray they do, but aside from Wayne Rooney sharpening up, I wonder how much more Roy Hodgson can really squeeze out of them.

At least they are playing a team that also goes weak at the knees at the thought of a penalty shootout, with the Italian record of two wins and five defeats at major competitions only slightly better than our own (one in five) – the world’s worst, incidentally.

Looks like it might be a long night on Sunday then.