Fernando Torres might have finished the season with Liverpool trophyless, but he’s in damn fine form. El Nino was the main man as Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool beat Juande Ramos’ Spurs (is this the Premiership or La Liga?) 2-0. He made the first with a flick on to Andriy Voronin and then turned Michael Dawson inside out and back again before poking home for the second.

Now bring on Euro 2008…

Their best finish ever at the World Cup was 4th place in 1950.
Their only major tournament victory was Euro 1964, a mere 44 years ago.

You could say they’re due.

Spain is often many people’s pre-tournament favorites, with good reason. They boast one of the best leagues in the world and some of the best players on the planet.
But although the team starts well, they flounder in later stages. They’re the classic case of football underachievers.

Why is this?

There are many reasons.

For starters, Spain’s a very divided country.

Many regions in Spain, like Catalunya and the Basque Country, don’t want to be a part of the united country. They want independence for their regions. Obviously, when players from these regions are picked for the national team, their allegiances are divided.

Some regions even field their own ‘national teams’ that play internationals during the Spanish winter holiday. It causes confusion.

Another reason could be that the squad is mentally demoralized.
Being that it’s been 44 years since their last major tournament victory, it’s probable that the team doesn’t believe it can win.

They’ve had their hearts broken often in recent tournaments:

- Needing to defeat Bulgaria by a huge goal differential, they win 6-1 only to be eliminated by Paraguay and Nigeria anyways. A massive disappointment.
- A stirring exit to France in the Euro 2000 quarterfinals via a missed penalty by Raul.
- Disallowed goals and a disappointing exit via penalties against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.
- A heartbreaking first round exit at the hands of neighbors Portugal at Euro 2004.
- A decent performance in the first round of the 2006 World Cup followed by an early exit at the hands of a more experienced France side.

Again and again, Spain fails to deliver.

It’s not for a lack of talent. This year, they boast the striking talents of Liverpool ace Fernando Torres, who’s scored 23 goals in his first season in England. They can also count on Valencia scorer David Villa, one of the most sought after strikers on the continent.

Behind them is a plethora of talent. Midfield aces such as Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and the amazing Cesc Fabregas provide the width and breadth of the squad.

Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena man the backline, stopping the opposition dead in their tracks. Not to mention the mercurial Sergio Ramos, who really came into his own this season with Real Madrid.

And in goal, there’s no one to match Real Madrid ace Iker Casillas. ‘Saint Iker’ as he’s been dubbed by the Spanish press.

So why the underachievement?

Who knows, really?

It could be one of the above stated reasons.
Or as current coach Luis Aragones has said, it could be that the current squad lacks passion.

Whatever it is, it should be an interesting ride.

The squad is full of talent, rich in attacking and defensive acumen at almost every position.

And to think, this team doesn’t include Raul, the inspirational leader of the current epoch of Spanish football.

Raul might make the squad before all is said and done. He’s had a renaissance at Real Madrid after being considered dead and buried a few seasons ago. He’s the leading scorer in national team history and his leadership would be handy during the tournament.

Still, Aragones believes Raul’s time has come and gone. That doesn’t mean he won’t pick the Real Madrid captain before the tournament. But his chances are slim.

With everything said, this tournament affords La Furia Roja the opportunity to cleanse the ghosts of the past 44 years of underachievement.

Spain will have to battle to get past their Group D opponents Sweden, Russia and 2004 surprise champions Greece.

Should they advance, they’ll likely have to face 2006 World Cup winners Italy, 2006 finalists France or perennial power Holland in the quarterfinals.

That’s when we’ll find out if Spain has what it takes to cleanse their souls.

Should be an interesting match to watch! If they can get past the Group stage …

Today, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger attempted to quell most of Spain’s fears regarding midfield maestro and reality TV star Cesc Fabregas’s status for the tournament.

He’ll be fine. ‘WHOO!’ said Spain.

Fabregas warmed the bench for Arsenal’s win over Everton on Sunday and Wenger confirmed the midfield magician was sidelined due to injury.

A three-week absence has been predicted for the Spaniard, which Wenger feels will enable him to make Spain’s squad for Euro 2008.

“Cesc wasn’t in the side because he was injured,” said Wenger after the 1-0 win over Everton.

”He came in yesterday morning, we made a scan and we couldn’t take a chance to play him.
On the scan it is a three-week injury. He’ll be ready for Spain but not for us.”

Sorry, Gunners. Tough luck for you, but great news for us.

Rest up, Cesc. Prop that pillow up and watch your TV show. And come back in one piece …

A: It doesn’t.

According to published reports, FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants Spain to bid for the 2018 World Cup.

“I have good memories of the 1982 World Cup in Spain,” Blatter told a visiting party of 50 soccer officials from Spain led by Angel Maria Villar, a vice president of FIFA.

Talk about inflating someone’s head …

“I have heard that you might have some interest in hosting another World Cup,” Blatter said Monday while stroking a white cat and sipping on bourbon. “I encourage the Spanish FA to present a bid and the next occasion when this would be possible is for 2018,” Blatter added while slipping a love note to Villar with the question, ‘Do you like me?’ on it.

Blatter added that should Villar like him, he should check the box that says, ‘Yes’.

South Africa will be the first African nation to host the tournament in 2010, and Brazil has been awarded the 2014 World Cup.

The English Football Association has set aside $29.5 million for its bid to host the 2018 tournament. Other likely candidates include the United States, Mexico, Canada, Belgium and Netherlands as a joint bid, Russia, China, Japan and Australia.

FIFA votes on the host nation in 2011.

Would be great to see the World Cup Final at the Bernabeu … on second thought … USA!! USA!!!

But now Koeman is gone and Voro is in charge at the Mestella. And one the new man’s first act was to welcome the trio back into the Valencia team, which in turn allowed Aragones to re-open the door (ever so slightly) to the Spanish national team.

“It all depends on how they play from now on,” Aragones told Marca.

“The players will pick themselves, it’s down to them, they have to be in good shape, tactically, physically and mentally.

“I just hope Valencia begins to do well as they have three great players in their team.”

The smart money probably isn’t on the three players returning, simply because with just five games to go, it’s hard to see them finding form in time. Canizares and Angulo in particular won’t make Aagones’ first eleven even if they’d played, and played well, all season. There’s just too much talent in front of them.

But from what I understand, David Albelda could be useful. I recently heard Sid Lowe of the Guardian Football Weekly podcast describe Albelda as “the player [Spain are] lacking, which is basically a horrible, nasty, evil bastard in the middle of the midfield” (if you listen to the podcast it’s around the 22:15 mark.)

Of course it all depends on whether Albelda actually plays any part for Valencia this weekend against Osasuna. If he gets on the field, and looks like he still remembers how to play, then Luis Aragones will have some thinking to do.

The national team in Spain is a funny one. They have this entire ‘dear me’ attitude about them.
On one hand, they’re one of the most talented sides around, capable of beating anyone on any given day.

On the other hand, they’re frighteningly inconsistent. They choke on big occasions, as any follower of the side will tell you. They’re maddening, to be sure.

But where does this hail from?

Could it be that the side is simply not cohesive, being that club football is king in Spain?
Or does it have to do with the politics of the nation, an entity that doesn’t have a central underlying theme to it besides the national flag?

We’re a mere 50 days from Spain’s June 10th tournament opener against Russia in a competitive Group D that includes defending champions Greece and the always tough Sweden … what are Spain’s chances this time around?

We’ll get to that in the days and weeks ahead. For now, let’s enjoy the remainder of the league and figure out who Spain will bring with them to the tournament in Austria/Switzerland.

No Raul (no surprise) but young Bojan is in there. Squad looks like this:

Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Bojan Krkic (Barcelona), Daniel Güiza, Fernando Navarro (Real Mallorca), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal), Jose Reina, Álvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Rubén De la Red, Pablo Hernández (Getafe), Andrés Palop (Sevilla), Juanito (Real Betis), Carlos Marchena, Joaquín, David Villa, David Silva, David Albelda (Valencia), Pablo Ibañez, Mariano Pernía, Antonio López (Atletico Madrid), Marcos Senna, Ángel, Joan Capdevilla (Villarreal), Raúl Tamudo, Luis García, Albert Riera (Espanyol).

(Sorry, I felt the need to put this up since I used to sing this song drunk while watching any football game)

Daryl already got some of you up to speed on the fact that Raúl will yet again not be called by Aragonés for La Furia. Is this really a shock to anyone? Really? I didn’t think so.

To start off, here is the team picked by the Old Man himself.

Arsenal: Cesc

FC Barcelona: Puyol, Iniesta y Xavi

Betis: Juanito

Espanyol: Luis García y Riera

Getafe: De la Red

Liverpool: Arbeloa, Reina, Torres y Xabi Alonso

Real Madrid: Casillas y Sergio Ramos

Mallorca: Fernando Navarro y Güiza

Valencia: Albiol, Marchena, Silva y Villa

Villarreal: Capdevila y Senna.

De La Red Gets the Call

There has been all sorts of talk surrounding this game the last few days. The biggest buzz is the call up of Rubén de La Red, who is on loan to Getafe this season from Real Madrid. Last year, de La Red couldn’t get a shot in Madrid, but a small move to the suburbs of the capital city sees him take on a pivotal role for el geta this season.

He’s on 2 goals and 3 assists for the season, but he has played in 29 games so far. Laudrup looks to the young Madridista as a solid player in the middle of the field and he can prove his worth. I’ve only seen him in a few games this season, but from what I remember the boy can play.

In an article today in AS, the youngster said ‘If it was up to me, I would go back to Madrid’, though he said he does thank Getafe for giving him an opportunity this season (but I can’t find the article it was on).

Luis had this to say about the youngster.

“Es un jugador que está creciendo, puede jugar por delante de la línea de centro del campo. A cualquier jugador que veamos en buena forma le vamos a dar la oportunidad de poder venir’

‘He’s a young player who’s growing, he can play in front of the midfielders. Any player that we see looking good, we will give him the opportunity to be able to come.’

Battered and Bruised: Puyol, Torres, Marchena

Fernando Torres and Carles Puyol are questionable for the game on Wednesday. Puyol was able to come into training and run for about 10 minutes, while Torres wasn’t able to make it onto the training ground from being banged up in the game against Manchester United this past weekend.

We will know more about ‘El Niño’ tomorrow I’m sure.

Marchena was at training after being pelted with the ball during the Real Madrid tie on Sunday. He was taken to the hospital, checked out and sent on his way and was on the pitch for Monday’s training session.

Under Whistles from the Fans

The team arrived in Elche under a barrage of whistles from the fans for not signing autographs for a hoard of little children waiting outside of the hotel. The only Spaniard to sign was Cesc Fabergas, why am I not surprised? I would have even thought de La Red would want to sign as many notebooks as he could get his hands on.

Cesc Thinks He Can ‘Give Much More to the Team

Cesc has been critisized as of late for not playing his best matches under the National Colors. In an interview this week he said ‘I can give much more with Spain, answering to some of these rumors of a Cesc that exists for Arsenal, and the ‘bizarro’ Catalan Ces that doesn’t play well when he returns to his native soil.

The last game I saw I wasn’t overly impressed with Cesc, but I wasn’t disappointed either. It is one thing to be a leader for a team you play with day in and day out, but it is more difficult to step in and step up with a group of guys you see once in a blue moon practically.

At any rate, Cesc will need to be a factor in the game against the Italians.

We Must Protect This House

La Furia have the upper hand in Elche, having gone 4 for 4 in games played in the Martínez Valero. Spain have only given up 1 goal in those for games and have scored 10 goals for.

Belgium (3-0, en 1986),
Macedonia (3-0 en 1995),
Ukraine (2-1 en 2003)
Egypt (2-0 en 2006).

The Italians

Roberto Donadoni (who by the way was my favorite player ever growing up as a kid brings 21 players with him to Elche.

Buffon, Oddo, Materazzi, Barzagli, Pirlo, Aquilani, Zambrotta, Camoranesi, Borriello e Di Natale. La otra formación estaba compuesta por Amelia, Panucci, Cannavaro, Grosso, Ambrosini, Gattuso, De Rossi, Perrotta, Quagliarella, Iaquinta, Toni

Aside from that, when I tend to get outside of Spain ‘I don’t know my ass from a hole in the ground’ to quote my father. So I won’t event try to speculate what the Italians will do for the game.

But if anyone else has a preview for the Italians, post it in the comments below and I can add it here.

The game will be televised in Spain on TVE1 at 10:00 Spain Time (5:00 EST in the States since they haven’t changed their clocks yet).

I’ll post links to the game when I get them as well.

Betis 1-2 Athletic (susp.)

Recreativo 4-2 Murcia
REC: Sinama-Pongolle (19′, 71′), Ruben (59′), Marquitos (86′)
MUR: De Lucas (15′), Iván Alonso (75′-PK)

Valencia 1-2 Sevilla
VAL: Albiol (90′)
SEV: Luis Fabiano (11′, 22′)

Sunday
Espanyol 2-1 Mallorca
ESP: Luis García (58′, 89′)
MLL: Güiza (13′)

Villarreal 2-0 Zaragoza
VIL: Nihat (11′), Rossi (65′-PK)

Valladolid 0-0 Osasuna

Getafe 2-1 Racing
GET: Uche (66′), Gavilán (76′)
RAC: Smolarek (54′)

Almería 2-2 Barcelona
ALM: Pulido (30′), Uche (85′)
BAR: Krkic (17′), Eto’o (57′)

Atlético 3-0 Levante
ATM: Simão (25′), Forlán (39′, 52′)

Standings

1 Real Madrid 62
2 Barcelona 55
—————————————–
3 Villarreal 53
4 Atlético Madrid 47
—————————————–
5 Sevilla FC 45
6 Espanyol 45
7 Racing Santander 44
—————————————-
8 Getafe 39
9 Almeria 38
10 Valencia 36
11 Mallorca 34
12 Osasuna 34
13 Deportivo La Coruña 34
14 Athletic Bilbao 33
15 Real Betis 32
16 Real Zaragoza 32
17 Valladolid 32
—————————————-
18 Recreativo Huelva 32
19 Murcia 23
20 Levante 19

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