It has been nearly four years since Andres Iniesta slammed the ball past Martin Stekelenburg to send the La Roja into an exultant explosion. The perennial underachievers in football had arrived on the world stage, albeit a little late. And the golden period in Spain’s history continued as they retained the Euros in 2012 and now strive to light up the World Cup in Brazil.
But, unlike the World Cup in 2010 when they entered the tournament as overwhelming favorites, Spain don’t quite inspire the same amount of confidence this time around, despite the treasure trove of skill at Vicente del Bosque’s disposal. While some see this Spain side as one of the golden generations in the history of football, others see it as an aging side implementing a tiki-taka style that could be neutralized by stronger and well-drilled opponents.
As beautiful as the tiki-taka is, Spain’s inherently pleasing style could well be their Achilles heel. Much like they discovered against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final last time around when Brazil took them to the cleaners in a 3-0 demolition. But with a group as talented as Spain have, they are sure to be in contention come the business end of the tournament.
Let’s try and predict what could be the Spanish line up and how will they play.
Goalkeeper And Defense
Iker Casillas
Captain fantastic Iker Casillas is one of the certainties for the starting 11. While one could argue than Manchester United keeper David de Gea deserves a place in the team purely on the basis of form, the World Cup in Brazil may have come a little too early for the former Atletico goalie. He will get his chance eventually, and is undoubtedly going to be the man to slip into Casillas’s boots. Or, gloves should I say!
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta
CB: Gerard Pique
CB: Sergio Ramos
LB: Jordi Alba
Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos select themselves. The duo is one of the most solid central defensive partnerships in the game at present, and Raul Albiol will have to get used to the bench in Brazil.
Things get really interesting when we come to the right back slot. Cesar Azpilicueta has had a fantastic season for Chelsea, while Juanfran has been equally impressive for the Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. Juanfran’s attacking instincts may offer the La Roja a different edge, but Azpilicueta’s no-nonsense approach to defending wins it for me.
Jordi Alba is another who has well and truly sealed his place in the Spanish team, and barring any injury concerns which could see Azpilicueta shift to left back, the Barcelona man will take his place in the starting 11.