SPAIN 6 - SOUTH KOREA 1 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

Spain Football Team continued with their Euro 2016 preparation programme playing this afternoon South Korea in an International Friendly. The final score Spain 6 - South Korea 1 in a one side match with Spanish Coach Del Bosque mixing players about all match but introducing some "heavy-weights": Iniesta, Pique, Casillas etc , for this ocassion.

The goalscorers for Spain were:

• David Silva 29th min
• Cesc Fabregas 31st min
• Nolito 37th min
• Morata 49th min
• Nolito 53rd min
• Morata 88th min

with Nolito & Morata scoring both twice & making a claim as candidates for a permanent place in the Spanish Team starting line-up.

For South Korea there goal came through

• Ju Se-Jong 82nd min

Overall a positive & promising performance from Spain which should lift their spirits & confidence. The local media are a bit euphoric with the result & should put the encounter in a proper perspective. Overall South Korea performed as a low grade "sparring partner" & is no indicator to the true level that the Spanish Team will meet in the upcoming Euro 2016 competition in France next month.

Spain still has to incorporate a few more players, those from Real Madrid & At. Madrid to complete the squad. Plus has another scheduled Friendly game soon to keep experimenting & fine tune the team.

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | FULL LIST OF 23 PLAYERS FOR EURO QUALIFIERS

Spanish Football National Team Coach & Selector Vicente del Bosque has handed in his list of 23 players that will make up the Spanish squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 Group qualifying matches. Spain is scheduled to play Slovenia & Luxembourg.

The novelty is Valencia CF forward Rodrigo, while Gerard Pique & Bernat are called back. Those dropped are young Barça player Muñir & Isco.  

Full list of 23 players: 

Iker Casillas, David de Gea, Casilla, 

Juanfran, Carvajal, Albiol, Pique, Ramos, Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, 

Koke, Iturraspe, Busquets, Raul García, Cazorla, Rodrigo, Pedro, Fábregas, Silva, Iniesta, Bernat, 

Paco Alcacer & Diego Costa.

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WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT IS NEXT? | SPAIN ELIMINATED FROM 2014 WORLD CUP

What happened? What now? We here in Spain along with the rest of the World has witnessed the debacle of the reigning World Champions which has dominated World Soccer for the pass 6 years. The end of a "cycle" was predictable as players age & along with that their physical powers, but what has shocked us is the way, the manner & the exhibition shown in the elimination of the Spanish National Football Team from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The 1 - 5 hammering by Holland in the first of the Group B games was thought of as being some kind of anomaly or perhaps a Football "accident". But the 0 - 2 defeat yesterday at the hands of Chile washed clean those thoughts & gave evidence that Spain arrived at this competition not at a level that is required from a National Team to defend title.

As expected the disappoint & the frustration mixed with the emotion of the Spanish population & Spanish Sports media has given birth to a barrage of criticisms, some totally out of hand, that now looks for logical explanations. 

Before giving some humble points of view, it is worth remembering that theses players have captivated World Football in ways Football lovers dreamt about, managing to gather European Nations Title (2008), FIFA World Cup Champion (2010) & European Nations Title (2012) again, apart from staying Nº1 on the FIFA Ranking from 2008. Respect & admiration is called for independently of recent circumstances or events. Historically its the greatest Spanish Team in its History & in World Football it will be remembered as one of the finest ever.

Said all this, some deep analysis is needed, if for no other reasons than to learn, rectify & work to return to the Football levels that everyone knows can be achieved once again. Here every piece & element of the Spanish Team puzzle has to accept their part of the failure & responsibility; the Spanish Football Authorities, the Spanish Selector & Coach & the players. I have my opinions,  & will feed off the many other opinions being expressed by qualified local Sports & Football experts:

• The Spanish Football Team preparation was lacking. The priority on local & European competition at Club level gave only 2-3 weeks to concentrate on this tournament,

• The heavy burden of Liga & European competition exhausted the players & most came into the World Cup physically hammered & carrying injury. Both games between Holland & Chile saw an exhausted Spanish Team in the second halves that limited any attempts of recovery under match conditions,

• Bad management by Spanish Football Authorities perhaps with over emphasis on commercial obligations locally, & bad adaptation to the Brazilian weather conditions. The "Spain HQ" was in a region with temperatures of 15 degrees while games were played in locations with 25-30 degrees & humidity of 85% & above. Flying over from HQ the day before with players already limited psychically perhaps was not the best idea,  

• Selector & Coach Del Bosque did not take the best possible Spanish players over to Brazil. Better in form players like Fernando Llorente, Carvajal, Isco, Gabi, Raul Garcia...etc & etc. were dismissed or not even contemplated. Del Bosque decided to "please" the old guard & reward players that were out of form &/or carrying injuries. Said differently, Del Bosque succumb to "interests" & preferred to be "politically correct",

• The "Diego Costa" experiment failed. The player did not have time to adapt to the Spanish Team "way" nor the squad to the way Costa plays. The Spanish Team had to "change" its usual methods to fit in Costa. It is worth reminding that Costa is a player that suits the counter-attack with long passing, not the "tiki-taka" close touch Football. Surprising that the technical team did not factor all this in,

• The players were not motivated. Coach Del Bosque commented weeks before the World Cup that he did not see "the fire in the eyes" of his players, while Xabi Alonso
  post-Chile game said that they lacked the inner will, 

• Iker Casillas was terrible. Understandable if your the second choice goalkeeper in your Club & only play 25-30% of the Clubs seasons game. The player came in without form & worst, without confidence. Pique went into the World Cup  recently recovered from a serious injury, as with Jordi Alba & Busquets. Xavi Hernandez was sadly out of form & physically out,

• Spain failed to solve their recent Football problem: the lack of goal, the inability to score goals &/or convert their opportunities. Coach Del Bosque took to Brazil forwards who have spent more time on the bench with their Clubs than playing, like Villa & Torres, & Diego Costa was always a risk,

• Bad tactical & line-up decisions. Players like Javi Martinez, Koke & Cesc Fabregas ( to mention just three) should have been used from day one. Plus locally some observers add that Juanfran was perhaps better than Azpilicueta & should have started,

• Lastly, Holland & Chile were simply better. Deserved winners who did their homework & executed their strategy to perfection. They were better in all the aspects: more motivation, more hunger & physically superior. Six years of World Football domination by Spain gave plenty of time & examples to other to "study in depth" the Spanish ways which allowed rivals to figure & adapt effective antidotes. The Spanish sin was not innovating, not discovering & adapting more "surprise factors" in their game. Simply said, Spain become predicable. 

Naturally all this is very easily to say after the fact. Criticism is always easy. I agree, as mentioned I just express my humble observations & the more vocal opinions from local Football experts. What is unanimous is that this Spanish Football Team has ended a glorious period & that the "old guard" has to give way to the new talents. The great news that the new talents are many & are very, very good players. I am sure we will all be seeing more of Koke, Isco, Carvajal, Alberto Moreno, Javi Martinez, Thiago, Ander Herrera, David De Gea ...etc.

Lastly the style of play has been questioned. The so called "tiki-taka" or touch Football has caused doubts. Naturally, to execute this perfectly you need exceptionally talented Football players in maximum form. Here too, perhaps,  we all need reminding that it was this precise style that gave Spain its Football titles & glory. The current style is more organic & natural for Spain than the other styles & I my opinion, should be maintained & simply bettered. This last is a challenge, here is were the Selector & Coach along with the technical team has to be creative & brave in the needed decisions. 

To finish, locally calls are being heard that Selector & Coach Del Bosque should stand down & allow new ideas. The latest news is that Del Bosque is considering continuing. But the more immediate event for Spain is their last Group B game against Australia were they can at least attempt to exit with a better exhibition & image. Perhaps the upcoming "revolution" can begin here with a more youth & fresh line-up that include some of the players left on the bench up till now, & more importantly win back some - even if minimal - lost pride.

The weeks & months ahead will be full of criticisms, varied opinions & news concerning the Spanish National Team. But there is enough new talent on hand to return to were Spain has fought so hard over decades to be in World Football, the future is more optimistic than negative.

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SPAIN vs CHILE PREVIEW | PLAYER CHANGES ASKED FOR IN STARTING XI LINE-UP

Tomorrow is "D-DAY"  for the Spanish Football National Team. After their disastrous start in their Group B match losing 1 - 5 to Holland, they must win Chile tomorrow to stay alive in the FIFA World Cup 2014 being held in Brazil.

The match against Holland put into doubt same players, Casillas, Pique, Busquets, Xavi Hernandez & Silva. Many local Football observers, media specialists & Spanish Fans are calling for a "radical change" to the starting line-up against Chile. Most want youth, pace & more goal instinct-opportunity creators.

However, the initial reactions were more emotional than rational. Lets not forget that Spain is 2 x European Nations & Current World Cup Champions, with the same players. A "radical revolution" may not be the solution but a few touches in key areas maybe what is needed.

While Selector & Coach Vicente del Bosque meditates his starting XI line-up against Chile, in Spain the media & Spanish fans have spoken. According to the results of surveys, online voting & media observers comments, the starting XI being asked for is:

Casillas, Azpilicueta, J.Martinez, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Iniesta, Koke, Pedro & Diego Costa.

Spanish media & fans choice

Those being asked to be left out are : Pique, Xavi Hernandez & Silva. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas has his detractors but with third keeper De Gea injured the chances of Del Bosque leaving out Casillas is slim, apart that it would be blatant finger pointing exercise that could psychologically affect player & the dressing room.

Latest news from Brazil is that Coach Del Bosque maybe considering returning to a 4-1-4-1 system, a formula used against Uruguay in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Here the team may look like:

Casillas, Azpilicueta, J.Martinez, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Iniesta, Koke, Cazorla, Pedro & Costa.

In both cases, they are SPECULATIONS. No one can say the actual official starting line-up XI for Spain for tomorrows Group B match against Chile. We will only know 45 minutes before kick - off time.

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM CRITICISMS | THE AFTERMATH

Yesterday was Friday the 13th. For those suspicious it was perhaps the worst day to start a World Cup campaign, for others Iker Casillas needs to be asked if he saw a Black Cat cross his path yesterday. The 1 - 5 defeat by Spain at the hands of Holland was humiliating & complicates their Group B qualification. Spain has to now defeat (yes or yes) a very difficult Chile, & then defeat Australia with plenty of goals.

In theory this can be achieved, but the unknown is if Spain & some of its players can lift out of the hole they dug last night for the occasion. The unexpected result was so savage that the open wounds inflicted may not scare in time. The psychological "torture" so intense that Spain may not be able to recover its lost confidence. The situation is critical & will need the "DNA" of Champions to recover. I am optimistic but the feat is a challenge in itself. 

While Spain spend these days licking their wounds, locally the critics have come out from under the carpet to voice their opinions. There are very severe words flying around Spain, with little respect for a squad that has been spectacular the last 8 years. However, the more moderate observer does separate himself from the the emotional kick in the teeth methods, the "Black Cat Theory" & does give some interesting points that need comment & analysis. Lets look at some elements:

• The Spanish Football Authorities: can anyone explain how a team can prepare its World Cup campaign in a city (Curitiba) where the temperature is around 15-18 degrees to later fly a day before to another city (Bahia) were it is nearly 30 degrees & a humidity of 85% to play its opening match? As shown Spain could not even run in the 2º half as they were physically suffocated. The Dutch by the way, trained at the beach in Rio.

• Selector & Coach Vicente de Bosque: accused of not taking the best possible Spain 23 over to Brazil. The existence of a "paternal instinct" that has prized out of form players like Villa, Torres, Xavi, Mata & Casillas etc. has left home watching the TV players who deserved their "Brazil ticket" like Fernando Llorente, Gabi, Carvajal, perhaps Raul Garcia, perhaps Ander Herrara...etc. I personally understand Del Bosque better proven experience over youth, but last night showed that many starting players are badly out of form & physically "wasted" after a long Club season.
  Added, there is some criticism of why Spain has taken Diego Costa. The Spanish Football Team has had to change its style in order to incorporate Costa, with more long balls. However, the player himself has not delivered the expected goods & on top is a constant "red card" danger.
  
  
• Iker Casillas: if two World Class Coaches like Mourinho & Carlo Ancelotti decide to sit Casillas at Club level, there must be a reason. The UEFA Champions Final against Atletico de Madrid warned us that Iker was not well. The Spanish Captain has two grand technical weakness, his aerial play & his foot work, plus now a third which he has been carrying for almost a year, lack of confidence. Technically Iker Casillas should not be the starting goalkeeper, the man is simply elsewhere.

• Xavi Hernandez: physically not up to the standards needed at World Cup level. The player is feeling his 34 years of age. In fact Xavi has not been all that great with FC Barcelona all season, & perhaps could have stayed home & given his place to another. Atletico de Madrid player Koke would have been a more appropriate starter with more youth & in complete form.

• Sergi Busquets: the player is on the field with an injury. In the second half Sergi was not able to reach & halt the Dutch creators. Coach Del Bosque takes off Xabi Alonso when it should have been Busquets. Some say that Busquets is the "favourite" of Del Bosque.
  
  
• Pique: the last weeks of Liga the player was out with an injured hip. The Barça player lacks playing time & yesterday suffered to reach the 90 min under the steamy conditions. Bayern Munich player Javi Martinez was the obvious choice but ...
  
  
• Sergio Ramos: all the recent praises & awards have not done any good. The player is undoubtedly a talent but Ramos suffers from over-confidence & lapses in concentration. His Club Coaches have managed this aspect by bring the player "down to earth", perhaps a "wake up call" from Del Bosque would be in order.
  
  
• Lack of goal: to win in Football you need to score goals, it is that simple. Spain has a problem up front, there is no "goal area Killer". The rivals have Spain more than studied & worked out, Diego Costa is an alternative but the player has yet to find his place in the team. 

In conclusion, the Spanish Football National Team has soon real problems that need drastic solutions. The 1 - 5 defeat has only brought them to light & it all begins with bad planning & bad choice of players not in form for the World Cup. The solutions will need some very brave decisions that I wonder if Coach Del Bosque is really up to the occasion. Local observers are advising that Casillas, Pique & Xavi Hernandez be dropped for starters. On the physical front I am not sure the players can recover as their legs are carrying more than 70 games of Liga & European Football. Mentally, it will be a challenge to comeback, here the veterans will have to guide the younger members & pull from pride & history. 

All the answers will be made clear against Chile, here we will be able to gauge if Spain has improved & perhaps predict their near future. The positive side is that Chile is not as sharp as we thought as they struggled against Australia in their opener, but they managed to win & will not have the enormous choking pressure on their shoulders as will the Spaniards. A loss against Chile will be the end of a fabulous period of Spanish Football that will herald the beginning of a "new era".

Lets be optimistic & give the current World Champions a vote of confidence. But the reality is that it is a very, very complicated & delicate situation. I would avoid "Black Cats" just in case.  

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SPAIN THE MOST VALUABLE TEAM IN FIFA WORLD CUP 2014

Have you ever wondered which Nation participating in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil is the economically most valuable? That is, if we sum up the current Football Market Prices of the individual players in their respective squads, which National Team would have the highest value?

The answer is the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM according to the prestigious American magazine "Time"

The Spain Football Team is worth 668M€ (916M US$), followed by Germany & third Brazil as represented in the above diagram. Said this if you were to add the total value of all 32 teams, that is, all 786 players that value would be 9.69 Billion $US. 

On the individual players front Nº1 is Argentina player Lionel Messi is estimated to be worth 177M $US while Portugal player Cristiano Ronaldo is close in second place with 147M $US. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LEGEND LUIS ARAGONES DIES AT 75 YEARS OF AGE

Spain has woken up this morning with the news the mythical Spanish Football Coach Luis Aragones passed away during the morning at the age of 75 years of age. Victim of a leukaemia the news has shook the Spanish Football World.

Luis Aragones will always be remembered for this connection with Atletico de Madrid & the Spanish National Football Team breaking the Internationals "curse" to win the 2008 European Nations Cup & with beginning the reign of Spain in World Football. He is also credited as the Father of the so called "Tiki-Taka" way of Football, that is, domination of the ball with touch play until the opportunities arise & breaks up the opposition defence.

Luis Aragones Honours List:

Club:

Spain Atlético Madrid
La Liga: 1966, 1970, 1973
Copa del Generalísimo: 1965, 1972

Manager/Coach :
Spain Atlético Madrid
La Liga: 1977
Copa del Rey: 1976, 1985, 1992
Intercontinental Cup: 1974
Supercopa de España: 1985
Segunda División: 2002
Iberian Cup: 1991

Spain Barcelona
Copa del Rey: 1988

Spain National Team
UEFA European Football Championship: 2008

Individual
Pichichi Trophy: 1969–70

Don Balón Award for Best coach in La Liga : 1977

Sad day for Spanish Football. RIP Don.Luis Aragones, Aupa Atleti!

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SPAIN 2 BELARUS 1 | WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP I QUALIFIER GAME RESULT

The Spanish Football National Team took a mayor step forward to qualifying themselves for the upcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup after defeating 2 - 1 at home Belarus in their Group I match. A game that made Spain work hard to find their goals & the three points.

The news was the inclusion from the start of Victor Valdes as goalkeeper & the debut of Swansea forward Michu. Both played in line with the match, Valdes had relatively little work to do - expect at the end - & Michu could not shine "trapped" in the defensive Belarus wall. 

Most teams have basically figured out a way to play against Spain, that is put 10 men in defence & wait for a Spanish mistake to counter-attack. This gives the ball on a platter to Spain which dominates with possession but they bounce off the rival wall. The Spanish frustration was such that Spanish Coach Del Bosque resorted after half time to just 3 defenders pushing an extra man up front ( took off defender Monreal for Iniesta ) in the style of FC Barcelona ex-Coach Guardiola.  

It took 60 mins to open up the Belarus can & that came after a ball fumbled in the goal square to  have Xavi Hernandez smash it into the net.  This calmed the nerves of the Spanish Team & the second came in the 77th min when Alvaro Negredo ( on for Michu ) headed a Sergio Ramos pass.

Spanish Coach Del Bosque them changed the midfield to give Koke a run & in the "settling period" Belarus took advantage of a field mistake to score their only goal from Kornilenko in the 88th min. A last minute game "scare" for Spain.

Important win for Spain that gives them half a ticket for Brazil that can be totally secured as mathematical Top of the Group team by beating Georgia next Tuesday.

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SPAIN 3 NORWAY 0 | U-21 EURO SEMI-FINAL RESULT

The Spanish U-21 Football National Team has won a place in the Final of the UEFA U-21 European Championships being held in Israel win a 3 - 0 victory over Norway in the semi-final. The reigning Euro Champs deserved the win as they were far the superior side although Norway did create opportunities that they could not materialize. 

The first half was relatively even with Norway defending & waiting for a counter-attack or for a set play opportunity. However, if you decide to give the ball to Spain this will cause you to run after them & you will tire. The "exhaustion factor" for Norway played its part towards the end of the match. Meanwhile , Norway goalie Nyland kept Spain out with some superb saves but Spanish striker Rodrigo "opened the can" in the 45th+ min.

The second half saw Norway lift in their efforts in order to attempt to find an equalizer. They nearly achieved the objective but missed their chances, plus they began gradually to tire from the physical effort. Spain made some changes to keep the side fresh & put on Munian & Morata (Sarabia in the end)

The sealer came in the 87th min when Isco did his magic in the goal square & scored the second. Brilliant piece of individual work & quick thinking that highlighted why Manchester City & Real Madrid are bidding for the young man. Lastly, Morata scored the third when he broke away & ran into the goal square to shot but managed to get the rebound off the goalkeeper Nyland & slip the ball into an open space that found the net. Superb!

Spain now will meet the winner of the other semi-final currently in play while I write this post, Italy or Holland next Tuesday.

Match details:

SPAIN 3: De Gea; Montoya, Bartra, Íñigo Martínez, Alberto; Illarramendi, Thiago, Koke; Tello (Muniain, 73’), Isco (Sarabia, 89’) & Rodrigo (59’).

NORWAY 0: Nyland; Elabdellaoui, Berge, Strandberg, Hedenstad; Henriksen, Johansen (Berisha, 80’), Eikrem (Nordtveit); Berget, Pedersen & King (Nielsen, 46’).


Goals: 1-0 (45+) Rodrigo 2-0 (87’) Isco. 3-0 (93’) Morata

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FRANCE 0 SPAIN 1 | FINAL SCORE GROUP I WORLD CUP 2014 QUALIFIER

Objective achieved. The current World & European Champions Spain managed the three points to take the top spot of Group I from France. The final result in tonight's World Cup 2014 qualifier was 0 - 1 in favour of the Spanish Football National Team in a worked, difficult but deserved victory.

Two distinct style with Spain true to its ball possession philosophy & France with tight defending complemented with dangerous counter-attacks that needed severe attention & concentration by all the Spanish defence.

Spain started with a "number 9" this time in David Villa & regained two pivotal elements that were the key in tonight's victory; midfielders Xavi Hernandez & the all present Xabi Alonso. Both of these exceptional players gave Spain a more vertical direction that pushed the balance towards the Spaniards in the end.

The French started strong on a terrible playing field which was uneven & not favourable to the Spanish style of Football. Slowly Spain regained composure & Xavi missed a sitter in the small goal square area that signed the sides recovery. Then in the 32nd min the most controversial moment of the match came when French goalkeeper Loris fouled Spanish forward Pedro in the goal square. To the disbelief of all the Spanish Squad & most observers the referee failed to call a clear penalty & perhaps a red card to Loris.

Things see-sawed as a grand match of Football was unfolding between two great sides playing intense Soccer. Spain decided to make a change to freshen up the forward line & inject new ideas. Jesus Navas came on for Villa who was silent up to this point & the Sevilla FC winger revolutionized the right wing. From Navas started a play that defender Monreal found on the left wing to control, look up & see Pedro running into the space were he connected with the ball to push into the goal. This was the 58th min & Spain had broken through to be finally be rewarded for all their earlier efforts.

Naturally France had to go for it & made the changes to become more offensive, but found tonight a superb Spanish goalkeeper in Victor Valdes who make three-four match saving stops that put him as one of the main protagonists of the night. The French had their chances but failed to convert & to make things more difficult lost Pogba in the 78th min to a red card ( second yellow ).

With France down to 10 men Spain looked to "kill off" their rivals but the French looked more dangerous with one less. Spanish Coach Del Bosque decided to secure the midfield with Cesc Fabregas & preserve the result with more ball control which further wore down the French team.

As expected tense & close shaves for the Spaniards in the last 5 minutes as France attacked & attacked, but important interventions from defender Monreal , Pique & Valdes managed to conserve the result, & most importantly defeat France at home to take the three points & the Group I top position. 

Special mention to Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso who was superb & the "man of the match". The contribution of Xavi Hernandez was outstanding & guiding, defender Monreal was excellent substituting the injured Jordi Alba & Andres Iniesta showed why some call him a Football magician. The Spanish Football side played tonight as a solid team & this made them stronger & more determined in the objective. There was some luck as well as in every game of Football, but also some uncalled decisions - like the clear penalty on Pedro - that were not enforced & could have reinforced the result.

Great match of Football. Thanks to France & of course Spain.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM LIST FOR FINLAND - FRANCE

Spanish National Football Team Coach & Selector Vicente Del Bosque has handed in this mid-day his list of 24 Football Players that will make up the Spanish Football Team for the upcoming World Cup Group qualifiers against Finland & France. 

There are 24 players named with notable absences in Carles Puyol, Fernando Torres & Javi Martinez. The novelty is the call up of Manchester United & Spanish International U-21 goalkeeper David De Gea, plus Azpilicueta & Isco repeat.

David De Gea

Below is the full list of 24 players called up:

Goalkeepers: Valdes (Barcelona), Reina (Liverpool) & De Gea (Manchester United).

Defenders: Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Piqué (Barcelona), Ramos (Real Madrid), Albiol (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona) & Monreal (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Javi Garcia (Manchester City), Busquets (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Iniesta (Barcelona), Silva (Manchester City), Cazorla (Arsenal), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Isco (Málaga) & Jesus Navas (Sevilla).

Forwards: Pedro (Barcelona), Mata (Chelsea), Negredo (Sevilla FC) & Villa (Barcelona).

From my personal point of view I see a short list of forwards. Seems odd. 

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REAL MADRID | WILL IKER CASILLAS REGAIN HIS GOALKEEPING PLACE ?

Diego Lopez is the current goalkeeper of Real Madrid CF. Born & raised in the "White House" the keeper had to find our pastures to gaze ( ...Villareal, Malaga FC ) in order to practice his profession. One of the reasons for his departure is due to the man that he is now replacing Iker Casillas,  Spanish National Team & Real Madrid Captain. 

The hand injury to the latter which required surgery has sidelined Casillas for up to 8 weeks. With this situation Real Madrid signed a another goalkeeper to fill the position knowing that important & vital Spanish Cup & Champions League matches were on the upcoming schedule.

The Club restored to Diego Lopez, also Spanish International & at Malaga FC where he was not getting the playing time one would expect for a player of his caliber. The Club needed a profile that would adapt quickly to the team & the Club as an institution, who better that Diego Lopez under the circumstances.

After the initial games, Lopez has shown again his abilities & skills being pivotal in the FC Barcelona games ( Spanish Cup & Liga ) & Manchester United clashes. In fact only 4 goals had gone through his "hands" in said encounters, but with more than half a dozen match winning saves. His Coach Jose Mourinho poured praises over his goalkeeper after the Manchester United Champions League match & this signals that Lopez has lived up to/ his expectations. 

This raises the question, a "serious" question. What happens when Iker Casillas recovers?

At this point there is no justifiable reason to replace Diego Lopez, that is, Iker Casillas would be the second goalkeeper. This is exactly what Coach José Mourinho wanted to create, serious competition for the goalkeeping spot as he felt that Iker Casillas was "unconsciously" resting on his "laurels" . This season Casillas has received more criticism than usual for lapses, fixed play mistakes & perhaps not following the Mourinho line of thought. The relationship between the Real Madrid Captain & José Mourinho is said to be strained-tense & that Casillas was a suspected  "supergrass" of the press on dressing-room matters. What now?

I personally think that if Diego Lopez continues this line & in growing form that it will be difficult to see Iker Casillas win back his place this season barring injury to Lopez. The last Tuesday night exhibition by Diego Lopez against Manchester United not only consolidated his position as Real Madrid goalkeeper it has also lifted him psychologically & given him a push in self-esteem perhaps lacking before due to his few minutes at Malaga FC. Diego Lopez has already won his place with his saves & efforts for the Spanish Cup Final & if Real Madrid continue onto the Final of the Champions League objectively & morally Lopez will have solid arguments.

This raises another issue, can Spanish Football National Team Coach Del Bosque justify calling up & placing as goalkeeper Iker Casillas if he isn´t playing? If this does occur we will have another debate, intense in itself & with some possible ramifications for Iker Casillas.

Interesting & changing times ahead  as always at Real Madrid & Spanish Football.

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MONREAL & THE EXPANSION OF SPANISH FOOTBALL

That English Club ARSENAL has signed Spanish International & MALAGA FC defender MONREAL for 9,3M GBP is old news. From here we wish the player luck & send a message over to the Arsenal fans that this is a very good buy. Monreal joins other Spaniards at the Club like Arteta & Cazorla with many more scattered across other English Premier League Clubs. 

It now is a familiar story to read about Spanish Football Players making a jump out of Spain to play in overseas Clubs. But it was not like this at all until recent years. This "phenomenon" is new as traditionally Spanish Soccer players preferred to stay in Spain even if that meant not playing at all.

The reasons for being reluctant in this aspect, in my opinion, were two: cultural & lack of prestige overseas. The first comes from a lack of International awareness & primarily from not being able to dominant a foreign language. This last is still a problem in Spain as very few ( relatively ) speak well other languages especially English. The decades of European isolation under Dictator Franco ( 1939 - 1973 ) created a "bubble" that due to propaganda reasons had everyone believe that Spain was the centre of the World & languages was not a bonus. This along with strong family ties lead to a low desire to leave & an inferiority complex - or scare - with everything related with outside Spain. Basically without knowledge of overseas cultures & language leaving home was not an option. Said this, paradoxically those who could not earn a living from Football immigrated by the their hundreds of thousands lead by need.

The second aspect is the lack of knowledge of Spanish Football players overseas. The explosion of the current generation of Spanish Football Players has placed Spain & its Footballers in the Nº1 World Football position, just like Brazilians back in the 1950s - 80s. The incredible achievements of winning the Euro 2008 - World Cup 2010 - Euro 2012, along with dominating European Football at Club level has turned Spanish Football Players into high valued assets that every Club wishes to have in their squad.

The Spanish Football pioneers in making the jump overseas are many & now househlod names here & in Europe. Remember the wave the went to Liverpool FC ? Coach Benitez, Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa , Reina & Torres, which gave the Club a European Title ? Arteta to Everton, Cesc Fabregas to Arsenal, Mata  to Chelsea, Silva to Man City, De Gea at Man Utd, Raul Gonzalez to Schalke 04...now Bojan to MIlan, Michu at Swansea, Cazorla & now Monreal to Arsenal...the list goes on & on.

Overcoming cultural & personal barriers has in return bettered Spanish Football & more so the Spanish National Team. Those Internationals playing overseas have brought back "new ways" of playing with has enriched the National side & has played a part in their recent success.

Monreal is just the last that has endeavoured to play away from home which will enrich is profession Football career & his personal life. New horizons, new adventures & new friends are nothing to be sacred about, & return we back home gain in the new Football ideas won & to be applied locally by those that left & later returned.
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SPANISH FOOTBALL | CARLES PUYOL CLOSE TO HIS 100 TH INTERNATIONAL CAP

This post is more about a person & a Football professional that deserves a post & a mention, a special mention. FC BARCELONA Captain & Spanish International defender CARLES PUYOL has been called up today by Spanish National Team Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque. The Spanish team will play Uruguay in an International Friendly next Wednesday in Qatar. The news is that if Carles Puyol gets a run in that game it will be his 100 th International Cap with Spain, & this deserves a mention.

Carles Puyol

There are few players in Spanish Football that receive the admiration from all sides of Spanish Football. Carles Puyol has won that "honour" with his play, dedication, spirit, sense of honour & leadership. Admired at Camp Barça, the player receives the same accolades from Real Madrid fans as from any other Club here or around the World. 

His list of achievements are unquestionable; World & European champion, Champions League, Super Cup, Spanish Cup, World Clubs...etc y etc. Plus he is considered one of the best defenders in World Football.

The last couple of years injury has hampered the man but his personality & drive brings him back with the same enthusiasm as any youngster. His age of 34 does not seem to be wearing out the defender, the man has said that he would like to play until 38 - 40 years of age. We will need to see. Until then lets enjoy this player & send a sincere congratulations for his 100 th International Cap with Spain - if he plays - something I don´t doubt from Coach Del Bosque who will give him the honour at some stage of the match.

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INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY | SPANISH FOOTBALL PLAYERS LIST FOR PANAMA

SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM Selector & Coach Vicente del Bosque has handed in his list of players that will make up the Spanish National Team for the upcoming Friendly International against PANAMA next Wednesday in Santa Cruz de Tenerife ( Canary Is., Spain).

Novelties are Athletic Club Bilbao player Susaeta, Martin Montoya of FC Barcelona & Juan Mata from Chelsea FC who has been recalled.

Susaeta - At Bilbao

Full list Spanish players:
Iker Casillas, Víctor Valdés, Juanfran, Montoya, Jordi Alba, Javi Martínez, Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Beñat, Busquets, Iniesta, Cesc, Cazorla, Susaeta, Villa, Navas, Soldado, Pedro & Mata.

Del Bosque has given rest to Xavi Hernández, Arbeloa & Xabi Alonso. Fernando Torres & Reina have been "dropped" , while  Piqué & Puyol are still injured.

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WORLD SOCCER BEST OF CANDIDATES

Football magazine “World Soccer” has released its list of candidates for the “Best of Awards” for Players, Managers  & Clubs/Teams. As expected there are plenty of names that are either Spanish or work in Spain in the Liga. Apart, the Spanish National Team gets a candidacy in “Best Football Team of the Year”.

The winners are given via the voting of the readers, plus this time around journalist & “Football experts” from around the World place their votes. The winner in the player category here could give us clues to the upcoming “FIFA World Player” scheduled for the 7^th of January 2013. 

Here are the full lists of candidates in each category:

Players:

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Chelsea/Shangai Shenhua.

Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Atlético de Madrid.

Eden Hazard (Bélguim), Lille/Chelsea.

Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Barcelona.

Leo Messi (Argentina), Barcelona.

Neymar (Brazil), Santos.

Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Juventus.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Real Madrid.

Yayá Touré (Ivory Coast), Manchester City.

Xavi (Spain), Barcelona.

Managers/Coaches:

Marcelo Bielsa (Argentina), Athletic de Bilbao.

Vicente del Bosque (Spain), Spain.

Roberto di Matteo (Italy), Chelsea.

René Girard (France), Montpellier.

Jürgen Klopp (Germany), Borussia Dortmund.

José Mourinho (Portugal), Real Madrid.

Hervé Renard (France), Selección de Zambia.

Diego Simeone (Argentina), Atlético.

Luis Tena (México), Selección olímpica de México.

Tite (Brazil), Corinthians.

Teams/Clubs

Atlético de Madrid (Spain).

Borussia Dortmund (Germany).

Chelsea (England).

Corinthians (Brazil).

Juventus (Italy).

México National Team.

Montpellier (France).

Spain National Team.

Universidad Católica (Chile).

Zambia National Team

"World Soccer" will also announce their "World Best XI".

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | VILLA CALLED BACK

SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL Coach & Selector Vicente del Bosque has handed in today his list of players to represent SPAIN in an upcoming Friendly International against Saudi Arabia on the 7th of September, then later an official World Cup 2014 Group match against Georgia on the 11th of September away.


Novelties are that Javi Martinez & Fernando Llorente fall off the list, while Xavi, Soldado, Beñet & David Villa get the call-up. In the last case, Villa returns after an 8 month injury spell which forced him to miss the last European Championships.

David Villa

Here is the full list of Spanish players:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Víctor Valdés (Barcelona) & Pepe Reina (Liverpool).

Defenders: Juanfran (Atlético), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Piqué (Barcelona), Albiol (Real Madrid) & Monreal (Málaga).

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Busquets (Barcelona), Iniesta (Barcelona), Silva (Manchester City), Cazorla (Arsenal), Cesc (Barcelona), Pedro (Barcelona), Navas (Sevilla) & Beñat (Betis).

Forwards: Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Roberto Soldado (Valencia) & David Villa (Barcelona).

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SPAIN LIST FOR PUERTO RICO FRIENDLY MATCH

The recently re-crowned European Champions & current World Champions SPAIN will be back in action next 15th of August when they fly off to the Puerto Rico for a Friendly International.

With this motive Spanish Football National Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has handed in the list of players to travel. The changes are that the Olympic players (Martinez, Alba & Mata) get a rest & defender Monreal (Malaga FC) comes back into the list. FC Barcelona player Xavi gets a rest as well & Sevilla FC forward Negredo was not called up.

Iker Casillas

Here is the Full list:

Goalkeepers
Casillas (Real Madrid). Reina (Liverpool).Valdés (Barcelona)
Defenders
Juanfran (Atlético).Arbeloa (Real Madrid). Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid). Piqué (Barcelona). Albiol (Real Madrid). Monreal (Málaga)
Midfielders
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid).Busquets (Barcelona).Iniesta (Barcelona).Silva (Manchester City).Cazorla (Arsenal).Cesc (Barcelona).Pedro (Barcelona).Navas (Barcelona)
Forwards
Fernando Torres (Chelsea).Llorente (Athletic)

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LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC FOOTBALL | SPAIN GOES HOME | SPAIN 0 MOROCCO 0

The SPANISH FOOTBALL OLYMPIC TEAM goes home & last placed in their Group after drawing 0 - 0 in the last 2012 London Olympics match against MOROCCO. This is a real down to earth situation which put the Spanish youngsters perhaps into their place. The most significant aspect however is that Spain has not scored one single goal in all their Group games & this is for deep analysis.

Juan Mata for Spain

The Nations which have qualified from Group D are Japan & Honduras, two teams which most probably under different circumstances Spain would have won comfortably.

Locally the easy criticism will slowly surface - its the national sport in Spain - & some will begin to "put the boot into the side". Perhaps we all forget that the majority of the players are in their early 20s & have not the experience of the "big time". Also the three European Champions ( Martinez, Alba & Mata ) did not live up to their status & here to food for thought.

My only observation was that the Spanish youngsters before the start of the Olympics looked to "loose" & not tense enough for the competition. The "easy-going" way of things & the favourite tag beforehand played a negative part & the youngsters paid for it in a big manner.

There is no doubt that this is a "Spanish Football Disaster" but far from & light years away from find reason to now start to criticise Spanish Football as a whole, it is just a slip on the way.  Better to congratulate the winning & qualifying teams & wish them luck, & the Spanish side better look onto bigger pastures like the upcoming 2014 Brazil World Cup, which needs to be qualified for beforehand.
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IKER CASILLAS | FRANCE FOOTBALL CALLS FOR "GOLDEN BALL AWARD"

The "inventors" ( back in 1956 ) of the "Golden Ball Award ", France Football, has come out publicly today to defend Spanish National Team Goalkeeper IKER CASILLAS & let drop that perhaps it is time that the Spanish Captain receive the Award.

The accolades have been close to perfect for any Football professional: "...for  the breathe of his work & the length of permanence at at the Top, but for his calming presence, personality, influence & leadership...Casillas deserves the Golden Ball Award"

Casillas is 137 times Spanish International ( 100 are victories), is 2 time European Nations Champions & 1 X FIFA World Cup Champion. This & a host of European & Spanish competition titles. 

Iker Casillas

Personally I could not be more in agreement with France Football along with many other Sports commentators & professionals. The fact the Casillas is a "goalkeeper" perhaps takes the glitz out of the man as a candidate as compared to the forward profile whom give the Sport its life-blood: goals!

There is another Spanish "Golden Ball Award" option in the name of ANDRES INIESTA. The FC Barcelona player was named the MVP of the EURO 2012 competition & also deserves to be prized.

Either way still lots of months still ahead for the voting which now is hot with the recent Euro 2012 memories,  & may be "cold" by October 2012.

Stay tuned!
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