The trouble with the reign of Spain

My Eircom SportsHub Column

It's a complaint voiced all too often in the modern age. From club managers and pundits on to the supporters who vote with their feet; international friendlies, what's the point? Not everyone buys into this line, but the Spanish Federation, the RFEF, continues to pour petrol on the critics' fire like few others.

On Wednesday night, we were treated to the Zlatan show in Stockholm. In New Jersey, Brazil were testing themselves against a rapidly improving Colombia. Holland v Germany never quite lived up to its billing, but where were the World and European Champions?

In Panama.

It's worth asking what they were doing there.

Pedro in action for Spain against Panama

Ostensibly, they were competing for the Copa del Quinto Centenario. The what? Exactly. The Panamanian federation organised this to mark the 500th anniversary of Spain's conquistadores reaching the Pacific Ocean. Spain played their part to perfection by trampling all over the natives.

Trophy or not, this was just the latest in a line of questionable friendlies laid on by the RFEF since they conquered the world back in 2010. The players' reward for their historic achievements in South Africa was an August friendly in Mexico City before the season had even begun, to the fury of fans who wanted to see their heroes in action closer to home. A month later, an ill-starred jaunt to Buenos Aires saw them mauled at the hands of Argentina.

At least the argument could be made that this represented quality opposition, even if the interest levels of the players appeared questionable. But since then, matters have sunk into farce. Spain have taken the mantle of Brazil as the embodiment of the beautiful game, but their grand tour of meaningless exhibition games is outdoing even the worst of the Samba boys in the early Nike days.

Venezuela, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the USA; all tackled on the other side of the Atlantic. Even closer to home, they tend to travel. Indeed, they've played as many friendlies in St Gallen as they've played on home soil since claiming the world crown.

Much was made of several awful performances and defeats in these games, but in competitive games the Selección barely skipped a beat. Indeed, they qualified for this summer's Euros off the back of a second straight perfect campaign. But recently, there's been signs that the legginess is creeping into the games that matter.

In Tbilisi in September they were dreadful in their opening qualifier. A spirited Georgia side showed far more conviction and desire than their illustrious guests. They escaped with an unmerited 1-0 victory, before trouncing Belarus last month. But in the follow up, they found themselves on the back foot in Madrid as France fought back to earn a point.

At least last night's 5-1 win offered Vicente Del Bosque the chance to run the rule over some new options. Atlético Madrid's Juanfran got a roasting against Franck Ribery, but predictably fared much better this time out.

Benat of Real Betis has had an excellent start to the season, and it's to his credit that he didn't look at all out place alongside Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta and, later, Cesc Fábregas. Athletic Bilbao's Markel Susaeta marked his debut with a goal from the bench. Del Bosque was quick to sing his praises when prompted, but in his customary fashion sought refocus attention on the team effort.

Raúl Albiol has barely seen game time at club level despite Real Madrid's injury crisis in defence. Indeed, when brought on for Cristiano Ronaldo at the weekend he played up front as a targetman. Here he partnered the Bayern midfielder Javi Martínez. A double for Pedro takes him to five goals in his last three internationals. David Villa took his international tally to 53 with his 299th career goal.

But in truth, how much of merit can be taken from a game like this? The answer must surely be: not a lot. Panama have reached their highest ever FIFA ranking of late as they scraped through to the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. But, not surprisingly, the gulf in class meant this was never going to be any sort of a contest.

In other words, this was another FIFA date that might have been put to better use. Del Bosque is too much of a gentleman to come out against his employers, but one wonders what he must make of it all. Come March, Spain host Finland before travelling to Paris for a game that should decide the group. No such jet lag for the French, who prepared last night with a 2-1 victory away to a strong Italy selection.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE ON EIRCOM SPORTSHUB

Questions for Del Bosque as Ireland await

Question marks remain ahead of tonight’s game against Ireland for Spain. Criticism has rained down on manager Vicente del Bosque for his choice to play a strikerless system against Italy on Sunday. This criticism has come in different forms. The idea of Spain playing with no reference point up top is hardly something new though

Many credit Luciano Spalletti, then at Roma, for pioneering the idea of strikerless system. In 2005/6, he moved towards a scheme that was widely described as a 4-6-0 (though perhaps its more accurate to see it is a 4-1-4-1. Francesco Totti, that most classic of trequartistas, is not a number 9. But he served as the reference point for a fluid attack, allowing the more attack minded midfielders to push on as Totti dropped deep to create space. The result, even against teams used to systems with more than three bands, was to create havoc. Spalletti employed variations of this, along with an unorthodox 4-2-3-1 throughout the remainder of his highly successful tenure at the club.

4-2-3-1, proclaimed by all and sundry on the BBC and ITV as something new during the last world cup is anything but. Least of all, in England. When a Manchester United, shorn of several key players, played Arsenal at Old Trafford in December 2002, changes were needed. Sir Alex Ferguson, influenced by his then assistant, Carlos Queiroz- more on him later) played what could be described as a version of 4-2-3-1 more rigid than those seen these days. Nominally a full back, Phil Nevill’s  moved into the line of two, giving a wonderfully industrious performance.

The system offered more solidity than United’s standard two banks of four, and permitted those further up the park behind Van Nistelrooy to cause mischief between the lines. a gutsy United prevailed 2-0 on the day to many people’s surprise against what was aone of Arsene Wenger’s greatest Arsenal side, at the peak of their powers too. That result, following on from another surprise victory at Anfield shortly before offered the impetus for United to mount an ultimately successful title charge.

With all personnel available in the spring, the system was to become United’s default selection. It also, to an extent, solved Ferguson’s headache on including all three of Keane, Seba Verón, and Paul Scholes in the team. It also meant there was no room form David Beckham. Instead, a line of three behind Van Nistelrooy; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer starting on the right, Ryan Giggs on the left and Verón or Scholes in the middle, interchanged at will.

Versions of 4-2-3-1 (and also 4-3-3) have become United’s staple since 2007, and the hand of Queiroz can be clearly seen in this. It was his time in charge of the golden generation of Portuguese players in the last 1980’s and early 90s youth sides that first saw the use of both 4-2-3-1 and genuinely strikerless variations of that system. He solved Portugal’s perpetual problem of producing strikers that were nowhere near the level of the glut of playmakers and wingers available to him by dispensing with fielding any entirely. Portugal won everything around them.

Of course, the strikerless system with a false 9 became synonymous with Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. It’s hard to imagine that there’s every been a player suited to this role than Lionel Messi. And here’s the crux with Spain who according to some - if not this writer - can be a little bit boring. Spain don’t have a Lionel Messi type player. But this doesn’t mean experimentation with strikerless systems is wrong, or indulgent, for them. Contrary to those in the British and Irish media who didn’t do their homework, it wasn’t an eccentric departure to line up like that against Italy.

One reason for going with this system was that Spain misjudged Cesare Prandelli’’s intentions for Italy, but of course with the lack of a fit and firing striker- with no David Villa to call- and far too many good creative players in the squad, it simply made sense.

It’s not about taking self parody to new heights either. What Spain are about first and foremost is winning football games. That they do so in such beautiful ways is beside the point. Spain don’t play like they do because the they’re trying to win a beauty contest. They do so because it’s what they do best, and better than anyone else. They are as ruthlessly pragmatic as they are addicted to winning. 

Contrary to widespread belief, Scotland’s Craig Levein didn’t invented strikerless football. But it was his Scotland team who were the first to come up against a Del Bosque Spain without a fixed reference last Autumn. It was David Silva who played the false 9 that evening and he ran riot, scoring twice. Scotland had no answer to the array of options going forward, nor the angles of attack. This system was used in subsequent fixtures, including a defeat at Wembley were Spain were a bit off colour, and England defended fantastically and intelligently. Against Italy, the personnel for the system wasn’t quite right, lacking depth and width.  Michael Cox explained this in his breakdown of the game for Zonal Marking. 

The question now is whether Spain will use the same set up against Ireland on Thursday.  Spanish media opinion has been split down the middle on this. The issue dominates their daily press conferences. One of their most vocal critics has been a certain José Mourinho.

They may well go with it, and barring an act of god they will win. A plus with this set up is that, with quick passing and and movement and without a reference, they can pull Ireland’s rigid defenders to places they never wanted to go. But this is the key- they will do this anyway. Even if they played with a three man midfield, Rául Albiol, Victor Valdés and Pepe Reina up front, their passing and moving will be too much for Trapattoni’s side. They’re just that good.

Really, the question facing Del Bosque is twofold- does he pick the system best suited to winning this game, or continue to test this false 9 system in a game that they probably know deep down that they will win anyway? Del Bosque is going to keep us guessing, though this writer suspects it will be the latter. Personally, this writer would do the former.

If we accept that Spain’s passing and movement would be too good for Ireland even if they fielded 11 players who began on the bench last Sunday, then there is little to be gained in the here and now by lining up similarly. Many comments on the end of columns in The Guardian have people crying out for Fernando Lllorente. It’s a good call, but it must be remembered that the big man from Athletic Bilbao is, like all of his club mates, exhausted. It was for that very reason that Iker Muniain isn’t in the squad. Nobody in Europe’s top leagues played more games than the Basques last season, and Marcelo Bielsa neither had the depth of squad nor inclination to rotate. Llorente is more likely to feature as an impact sub, if needed.

Given that Ireland’s defenders, on the evident of the Croatia game, don’t like it up them, a physical option like the Basque or Sevilla’s Álvaro Negredo would discomfit them. Negredo is also able to play off the shoulder. And given the way in which he opened up the game against Italy, it’s clear that Fernando Torres can add an extra dimension to the play. Forget the misses which, as ever with Torres this past year, were not as bad as some people would like to claim- well, not all three of them, anyway.

For a aide that likes to move the pall around quickly and probe, Torres offers what the Spanish called verticality, or directness- something they were missing until he came on. It allows them to play with more depth in attack and offers a reference point for the players behind him. With the likes of Seán St. Ledger and Dunne especially slow on turn, the former Liverpool man would surely enjoy playing off the shoulder of the Irish defenders. That he has a goal threat matters too, but it’s not the whole point. 

Even if he doesn’t score himself he would pose distinctly different questions to this Irish backline. And, as Michael Cox also noted in his aforementioned piece, a player such as Jesus Navas or Pedro in the team offering genuine width (Álvaro Arbeloa was lamentably poor in this facet of the game last Sunday) would provide the variety to hurt Ireland in numerous and varied ways. Del Bosque is an conservative coach in some ways, so it will intriguing to see how he lines his men up in Gdansk. And it may prove instructive≠ as to how Spain are configured for the games that will follow.

Spain stand on the verge of making history at Euro 2012

My preview of Spain's chances for STV Sport. Original article can be found here.

STV 9 June 2012 15:33 BST

 

Spain stand of the precipice of making history this summer in Poland and Ukraine. But they also enter the tournament with question-marks hanging over their hopes of winning a third major tournament on the bounce.

A cursory scan of their squad list shows an embarrassment of riches in midfield. The fact that talents such as Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla will have to be content with sitting on the bench illustrates this point.

But two key absentees cast a shadow over the defence and the attack. David Villa, their deadliest marksman, finally conceded defeat in his battle to regain fitness following a leg fracture last December. At the other end, Carles Puyol, their talisman at the back, has also been forced to sit out the tournament.

Many were surprised to see Valencia’s Roberto Soldado miss the cut, but despite his hat-trick off the bench against Venezuela in the spring, there were always questions about whether or not he would be a good fit for Spain’s system. His lack of form in front of goal in the latter part of the season may have contributed to Vicente del Bosque preferring Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo.

Del Bosque’s employment of the double pivot of Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets drew criticism in the last World Cup, but we can expect both the start in this tournament too. Alonso’s passing range and Busquets’ intelligence in breaking up the play offers a solid platform which is all the more necessary given the composition of the back line. Xavi will slot in to a more advanced role in the centre.

With Puyol out, Sergio Ramos will move into the centre to partner Gerard Pique. The Real Madrid man excelled in this role for his club this season, having edged out Ricardo Carvalho.

But, as ever, questions remain about his temperament and positionally he has been found wanting at times. Alongside him, Pique has been somewhat inconsistent for some 18 months now, and all the more so on the many occasions that Puyol has been out for Barcelona.

Jordi Alba comes into the side after an impressive season at left back for Valencia. He provides an attacking thrust down that side, but as a converted attacking midfielder he will be relying on his team-mates to cover for him. On the other flank, Alvaro Arbeloa is still an injury concern ahead of the Italy game, with Atletico Madrid’s Juanfran – another converted winger coming off the back of a great season – his likely deputy.

Silva fell out of favour at the World Cup in 2010, but the Manchester City man looks certain to start here. Along with Andres Iniesta, he will be expected to drift in from the wide areas to support Fernando Torres up front. Silva has also shown against Scotland that he can be devastating when employed in a false 9 role – a role that Fabregas has also been used in at club level.

The bench is likely to prove crucial if Spain are to go all the way here. Del Bosque likes his game-changers, and doesn’t lack variety. Fernando Llorente and Negredo provide a more physical reference point, and Jesus Navas provides width and great crossing ability on the right. On the other side, we can expect Barcelona’s Pedro to stretch the play, comfortable as he is off either foot.

The key factor for Spain is that they have been here and done it before. Stretching back over a decade, and across the age levels, they have gained a winning mentality that previous generations have lacked.

The players know what is expected of them on the field, have the flexibility to adapt to game situations, and their pressing and monopolising of possession makes play against them a dispiriting task. History awaits them should they succeed.

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