The Road to South Africa

Nobody made it to South Africa in more style than Spain. They won every game and at home they did not concede so much as a goal. Only once was their 100 per cent record threatened when a 92nd-minute winner from Albert Riera gave them three points against Turkey in Istanbul. David Villa was the outstanding figure, scoring seven times in qualification. The group was not especially taxing for a team that had just won the European Championship but it proved the managerial transition from Luis Aragones’s regime to that of Vicente del Bosque would be smooth.

The Star Players

Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) Although Iker Casillas may the man who wears the armband for Spain, Fabregas’ time in London has proved that he is a natural leader around whom a young but very talented Arsenal side gelled. He was a product of the Barcelona youth system and it may be a matter of time before he returns to Camp Nou.

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) He has more than a 100 caps and he will have turned only 29 when the World Cup opens. Casillas may be the best goalkeeper in the world but he is certainly the best shot-stopper on the planet who made his debut for his boyhood club, Real Madrid, when he was 16 and won the Champions League while still a teenager.

Carles Puyol (Barcelona) For so many years, the big wild-haired centre half has been the beating heart of Camp Nou. While David Villa and Fernando Torres stole the headlines in Euro 2008, it was the defence marshalled by Puyol that conceded just twice in five games that was as responsible for Spain’s triumph.

The Coach

Vicente del Bosque Real Madrid have frequently acted stupidly when sacking their managers but no dismissal surely was as undeserved as when the moustachioed veteran was shown the door in 2003, just after he had won La Liga and a year after he had delivered his second Champions League. He was deemed insufficiently glamorous for the galactico era that was about to begin; a period in which Madrid have generally been second best to Barcelona and made no impact in the Champions League. Del Bosque had one unsuccessful spell with Besiktas in Turkey before accepting the post of national manager after Euro 2008. The key to his success is that he has an ability to soothe egos and mould a team from disparate talents – a perfect quality to manage La Rioja.

Honours

World Cup: Quarter-finalists 1986, 1994, 2002.
European Championship: Winners 1964, 2008. Finalists 1984.

Analysis

They could make a mess of it and last year’s Confederations Cup, where they lost 2-0 to the United States in Bloemfontein was hardly encouraging but after Euro 2008 nobody is asking the question: is the split between Castile and Catalonia, Real Madrid and Barcelona too wide for a national team to bridge? However, if the group is straightforward, what follows is not. Assuming they top Group H, Spain’s likeliest opponents in the round of 16 in Cape Town are Portugal or the Ivory Coast. If they get through that, it will probably be Italy waiting for them in Johannesburg in a repeat of the quarter-final the Spanish won in Euro 2008.

Verdict

Squad (4.5/5)
A wonderfully balanced team, perhaps lacking something in the full-back positions but otherwise as good as any in South Africa.

Coach (4/5)
There was some doubt that Del Bosque could recapture the magic he wove at Real Madrid. Ten straight victories gave you the answer.

Attack (5/5)
There is probably no better attack in world football than Torres and Villa supported by Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas and Xabi Alonso.

Defence (4/5)
It is not as feted as the forwards – defences never are - but not to concede a home goal in qualification is an awesome achievement.