in which i babble about the selección...
I probably shouldn't post this because people will accuse me of not being faithful to my own country and supporting what seems to be everybody's darling at the Euro. But I'm going to post this. Also, I'm going to affirm here, once and for all, that I'll still support Germany. (Yes, despite everything. I've made up my mind.) However, there's no harm in wishing other countries to do well, like the Czech Republic (where my roots are) and Spain (where the beautiful football is - and I'm NOT talking about the players' looks here!).
Anyway, I just watched the Euro qualifier match between Spain and Sweden in which Ray Hudson said several times that Spain have a chance to win the title this time because they have a much better squad than during the World Cup. This made me wonder. I really enjoyed watching Spain during the World Cup. They had a lot of world class players amongst them. And they were terribly unlucky to face France in the Last 16. People kept saying that they could be so much better if they got over their internal quarrels (though nobody mentioned any details), but back then, I wondered how much better they could get. They won all their group stage games, were head of their group, and their game was beautiful to watch. They were one of my favourite teams in the World Cup, and I was sad to see them get kicked out by France, who, in that game, weren't really much better than Spain, just lucky to finally rise from their group stage ashes. Bad timing.
If I believe Ray Hudson (which I'm always very reluctant to, as you might know) they're better (and hopefully luckier) this time. And Ray Hudson has a point to assume it: their qualification went smoothly, they really seem to master Aragonés' tactics, and it looks as if they've grown closer together as a team.
The coach made a lot of changes after the World Cup, but I think most of them were good ones.
World Cup SquadEuro SquadGoalkeepers 1Iker CasillasReal Madrid CF1Iker CasillasReal Madrid CF19Santiago CañizaresValencia CF13Andrés PalopSevila CF23José Manuel ReinaLiverpool FC23José Manuel ReinaLiverpool FCDefenders2Michel SalgadoReal Madrid CF2Raúl AlbiolValencia CF3Mariano PerníaAtlético Madrid3Fernando NavarroRCD Mallorca4Carlos MarchenaValencia CF4Carlos MarchenaValencia CF5Carles PuyolFC Barcelona5Carles PuyolFC Barcelona12Antonio LópezAtlético Madrid11Joan CapdevilaVillarreal CF15Sergio RamosReal Madrid CF15Sergio RamosReal Madrid CF20JuanitoReal Betis Sevilla18Álvaro ArbeloaLiverpool FC22Pablo IbáñezAtlético Madrid20JuanitoReal Betis SevillaMidfielders6David AlbeldaValencia CF6Andrés IniestaFC Barcelona8XaviFC Barcelona8XaviFC Barcelona10José Antonio ReyesArsenal FC10Francesc FàbregasArsenal FC13Andrés IniestaFC Barcelona12Santi CazorlaVillarreal CF14Xabi AlonsoLiverpool FC14Xabi AlonsoLiverpool FC16Marcos SennaVillarreal CF19Marcos SennaVillarreal CF17JoaquínValencia CF21David SilvaValencia CF18Francesc FàbregasArsenal FC22Rubén de la RedGetafe CFStrikers7RaúlReal Madrid CF7David VillaValencia CF9Fernando TorresAtlético Madrid9Fernando TorresLiverpool FC11Luis GarcíaLiverpool FC16Sergio GarcíaReal Zaragoza21David VillaValencia CF17Daniel GüizaRCD Mallorca
In case anyone wondered, I completely agree with the decision of replacing Cañizares with Palop. That should have happened last year already, after Sevilla's UEFA Cup victory.
Replacing Pernía seems to pay off, too. From what I've seen of Capdevila, he's a quick, intelligent player who doesn't hesitate to take the occasional shot on goal. I like that. I'm also ecstatic about Arbeloa's nomination. The guy deserved it.
And the midfield. Look at that midfield. Iniesta, Xavi, Fàbregas, Alonso... So much talent, so much brilliance. Not to forget the excellent fallback positions, especially David Silva and Rubén de la Red. I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I'm fascinated by how Iniesta and Xavi play together, how the one of them always seems to know where the other is. The two of them didn't start togehter in one single World Cup game, only played about 30 minutes together against Saudi Arabia, but I'm sure that will change at the Euro. I'm missing Joaquín, of course, but I guess that considering his erratic performances, it's reasonable to leave him out. *sigh*
Of course it's sad for me as a Real Madrid fan to see that Raúl, our icon, isn't a part of the squad this time. Aragonés probably still bears him a grudge for not having scored against France in the World Cup Last 16. *sigh* And Luis García (whom I still miss a lot) didn't make it either. Maybe he was just unlucky to play for Atlético, since Aragonés didn't call up ANY Atlético players this time, for whatever reason. *winks* However, there are a couple of great strikers, for example Daniel Güiza, RCD Mallorca's Primera División scorer king, who won with 27 goals against Luis Fabiano (Sevilla CF, 24 goals) and Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, 19). Not to mention Fernando Torres, Aragonés' #1, who played an excellent season at Liverpool, scoring 24 goals as a newcomer in the Premier League (which beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 23) - remarkably without a single spot kick amongst them. He was awarded February FA Player Of The Month and Liverpool FC Player Of The Season. Any further questions?
So, to summarise all this babbling, I do believe that Spain can win the Euro. I'm not an expert, of course, and I know the Primera División (where all but four players earn their money) much less than I'd like to, but if they continue with the same spirit and effort they showed in the qualifiers, they might be able to bring an end to their image of the perpetual underachiever. And I think it's high time for that.
Anyway, I just watched the Euro qualifier match between Spain and Sweden in which Ray Hudson said several times that Spain have a chance to win the title this time because they have a much better squad than during the World Cup. This made me wonder. I really enjoyed watching Spain during the World Cup. They had a lot of world class players amongst them. And they were terribly unlucky to face France in the Last 16. People kept saying that they could be so much better if they got over their internal quarrels (though nobody mentioned any details), but back then, I wondered how much better they could get. They won all their group stage games, were head of their group, and their game was beautiful to watch. They were one of my favourite teams in the World Cup, and I was sad to see them get kicked out by France, who, in that game, weren't really much better than Spain, just lucky to finally rise from their group stage ashes. Bad timing.
If I believe Ray Hudson (which I'm always very reluctant to, as you might know) they're better (and hopefully luckier) this time. And Ray Hudson has a point to assume it: their qualification went smoothly, they really seem to master Aragonés' tactics, and it looks as if they've grown closer together as a team.
The coach made a lot of changes after the World Cup, but I think most of them were good ones.
World Cup SquadEuro SquadGoalkeepers 1Iker CasillasReal Madrid CF1Iker CasillasReal Madrid CF19Santiago CañizaresValencia CF13Andrés PalopSevila CF23José Manuel ReinaLiverpool FC23José Manuel ReinaLiverpool FCDefenders2Michel SalgadoReal Madrid CF2Raúl AlbiolValencia CF3Mariano PerníaAtlético Madrid3Fernando NavarroRCD Mallorca4Carlos MarchenaValencia CF4Carlos MarchenaValencia CF5Carles PuyolFC Barcelona5Carles PuyolFC Barcelona12Antonio LópezAtlético Madrid11Joan CapdevilaVillarreal CF15Sergio RamosReal Madrid CF15Sergio RamosReal Madrid CF20JuanitoReal Betis Sevilla18Álvaro ArbeloaLiverpool FC22Pablo IbáñezAtlético Madrid20JuanitoReal Betis SevillaMidfielders6David AlbeldaValencia CF6Andrés IniestaFC Barcelona8XaviFC Barcelona8XaviFC Barcelona10José Antonio ReyesArsenal FC10Francesc FàbregasArsenal FC13Andrés IniestaFC Barcelona12Santi CazorlaVillarreal CF14Xabi AlonsoLiverpool FC14Xabi AlonsoLiverpool FC16Marcos SennaVillarreal CF19Marcos SennaVillarreal CF17JoaquínValencia CF21David SilvaValencia CF18Francesc FàbregasArsenal FC22Rubén de la RedGetafe CFStrikers7RaúlReal Madrid CF7David VillaValencia CF9Fernando TorresAtlético Madrid9Fernando TorresLiverpool FC11Luis GarcíaLiverpool FC16Sergio GarcíaReal Zaragoza21David VillaValencia CF17Daniel GüizaRCD Mallorca
In case anyone wondered, I completely agree with the decision of replacing Cañizares with Palop. That should have happened last year already, after Sevilla's UEFA Cup victory.
Replacing Pernía seems to pay off, too. From what I've seen of Capdevila, he's a quick, intelligent player who doesn't hesitate to take the occasional shot on goal. I like that. I'm also ecstatic about Arbeloa's nomination. The guy deserved it.
And the midfield. Look at that midfield. Iniesta, Xavi, Fàbregas, Alonso... So much talent, so much brilliance. Not to forget the excellent fallback positions, especially David Silva and Rubén de la Red. I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I'm fascinated by how Iniesta and Xavi play together, how the one of them always seems to know where the other is. The two of them didn't start togehter in one single World Cup game, only played about 30 minutes together against Saudi Arabia, but I'm sure that will change at the Euro. I'm missing Joaquín, of course, but I guess that considering his erratic performances, it's reasonable to leave him out. *sigh*
Of course it's sad for me as a Real Madrid fan to see that Raúl, our icon, isn't a part of the squad this time. Aragonés probably still bears him a grudge for not having scored against France in the World Cup Last 16. *sigh* And Luis García (whom I still miss a lot) didn't make it either. Maybe he was just unlucky to play for Atlético, since Aragonés didn't call up ANY Atlético players this time, for whatever reason. *winks* However, there are a couple of great strikers, for example Daniel Güiza, RCD Mallorca's Primera División scorer king, who won with 27 goals against Luis Fabiano (Sevilla CF, 24 goals) and Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, 19). Not to mention Fernando Torres, Aragonés' #1, who played an excellent season at Liverpool, scoring 24 goals as a newcomer in the Premier League (which beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 23) - remarkably without a single spot kick amongst them. He was awarded February FA Player Of The Month and Liverpool FC Player Of The Season. Any further questions?
So, to summarise all this babbling, I do believe that Spain can win the Euro. I'm not an expert, of course, and I know the Primera División (where all but four players earn their money) much less than I'd like to, but if they continue with the same spirit and effort they showed in the qualifiers, they might be able to bring an end to their image of the perpetual underachiever. And I think it's high time for that.