Spain’s Under Achievement

In anticipation of this year’s Euro 2008, I thought it’d be illuminating to look at the history of La Furia Roja, who’ve underachieved time and time again.

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 …