WORLD CUP 2006
Spain
Introduction
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Some things never change. It’s World Cup time again and the Spanish – some of them, at least – are once again vowing that this year, at long last, will be their year. Even coach Luis Aragones is at it, gathering his squad together to announce: “Gentlemen, you’re going to get beyond the quarter-finals.”
The trouble is, of course, that we have been here before. And the outcome has always been the same. The words “Spain” and “dark horses” seem destined to go together – rather like “Spain” and “early flight home”.
Spain’s superiority complex is matched only by their inferiority complex. They’re convinced they use the ball better than anyone else, that teams such as England lack subtlety, while teams such as Italy lack beauty. There is a sense that victory by any means other than neat passing football is illegitimate, but they are equally convinced that fate, or some dodgy plot,
will conspire against them.
And so it has proved – or, whisper it quietly, maybe they just haven’t been good enough. They have never been in a semi-final (though they finished fourth and bottom of the final, trophy-deciding group in 1950) and they seem to have a thing about the quarter-finals, falling at that stage in 1986, 1994 and 2002. In 1990 they fell a round before and in 1998 they didn’t even get out of their group.
It particularly hurt in 2002. In the run-up to the tournament, sweaty-pitted national team boss Jose Antonio Camacho demanded that Spain win the World Cup, and yet still they fell at the same old hurdle. Sure, they were robbed by a scandalous refereeing display from Gamal Ghandour; sure, they went out unluckily on penalties. But they had blown the greatest opportunity in their history. They’d had an easy group, needed penalties to defeat the Republic of Ireland and then lost to South Korea.
Some are studiously avoiding talking up Spain for fear of jinxing them, but there is genuine room for optimism this time. Failure to emerge from a group with Tunisia, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia would be a disaster, and a potential second round game against Switzerland will not cause too much trepidation. The problem is that if results go as predicted, Brazil will await in the quarters.
As ever, Spain have the players to do well. In fact, they have greater, more varied options than in 2002. Not only that but many of the players now have experience of different playing styles after joining clubs in other top European leagues. Xabi Alonso, in particular, has become a far stronger, more all-round midfielder since signing for Liverpool, while the Spanish public couldn’t
get enough of young Cesc Fabregas as he starred for Arsenal in their Champions League tie at Real Madrid.
Valencia striker David Villa is another who could provide Spain with something they have been sorely lacking. The team simply didn’t score enough goals against decent sides during the qualifiers. Villa is the top-scoring Spaniard in La Liga and for a club that create relatively few chances. But if you play him, what do you do with Fernando Torres and Raul? The latter has performed dismally over the past three seasons and has yet to make a mark on a major tournament. Aragones is reluctant, but it may be time to drop the captain. That might be what it takes to finally get Spain through the quarter-finals.
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