A cursory look at Vicente del Bosque’s batch of 2014 invariably brings the words El Clasico to mind.
This year, though, the 65-year-old will be looking beyond the great Spanish duopoly for inspiration. In fact, he’ll be asking his players to watch Sevilla’s relentless European hat-trick and tell his men to do it on the grandest of European stages.
At club level, the reigning European champions have established a stranglehold on the continent. The 6 most recent European titles have gone there, as did this year’s Champions League.
On the international stage, the Spaniards relentlessly seized 3 international competitions on the trot, including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Their 4-0 whitewashing of Italy in the final set the standard in Europe - they became the only European side to defend the continental trophy.
However, Spain were humbled at the 2014 World Cup as their legendary squad were stunned right out of the blocks. The Dutch walloped 5 past them and they tumbled out at the group stage.
This year’s call-ups will be thirsting to prove to the world that La Furia Roja is as lethal as ever.
The Squad
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David De Gea (Man United), Sergio Rico (Sevilla).
Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra (all Barcelona), César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Mikel San José (Athletic Bilbao), Héctor Bellerín (Arsenal), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid).
Midfielders: Bruno (Villarreal), Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta (both Barcelona), Thiago (Bayern Munich), David Silva (Manchester City), Pedro, Cesc Fábregas (both Chelsea), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid).
Forwards: Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao), Nolito (Celta Vigo), Álvaro Morata (Juventus).
The Coach
Vicente del Bosque is one of his history’s most decorated and most respected coaches. He’s the first to guide a team to back-to-back Euro victories (Euro 2008 & Euro 2012), and his World Cup Win in South Africa puts him in an elite club of only 19 triumphant managers in the 20 tournaments held. At Real Madrid, he brought in an era of success that is unparalleled in recent history – despite being sacked half-way through it.
His team pride themselves on their flexibility and control in midfield. He often packs his team with so many midfielders that little space is left for true forwards – but this year is an exception. Having tried Diego Costa, he’s settled on a brand new front-line including Aritz Aduriz (35) & Lucas Vazquez (18).
His tactical acumen is boosted by his love of continuity – he doesn’t alter the systems his squad play at club level too much (a hybrid of Madrid & Barcelona), which reduces the time it takes for them to click. He’s a veritable heavyweight, and after that smarting World Cup exit, he’ll uproot nations to bring Spain back to the top level.
UEFA Euro 2016 Team Preview: Formations & Tactics
Formation – 4-3-3
The Spaniards enjoy lining up in a 4-3-3 or even a 4-5-1 because it brings the best out of their possession-heavy style. With five midfielders parked in the middle of the pitch (the striker is often actually a false 9, for a total of 6) they can take the ball to and from the wide areas with a rapid succession of short, easy passes.
If need be, Jordi Alba can move forward and Cesar Azpilicueta comes inside so they can add another man in midfield. The first-choice CB pairing comprises of the fast & furious Sergio Ramos, who is never shy of going forward either.
This formation allows the Spanish players to rotate around the pitch in Del Bosque’s style but at their own tempo, as they can switch positions around very easily and neatly. The exchanges between their midfielders are often designed to pull defences apart from the edge of the box, where diagonal overlapping runs or extremely tight through-balls can hurt.
This freedom & flexibility in their formations (allied with the quality and versatility of their players) makes the Spanish team a veritable beehive.
Road to the Euro Finals
As expected, the Spaniards hardly broke a sweat in their qualification campaign.
Apart from their second round (1-0) loss to Slovakia in Zilina, the Spaniards coasted through their relatively easy group. They conceded only 3 goals while pummeling 20 more into the opposition’s net.
Macedonia were first, scoring 1 but conceding 5! Slovakia stunned them with a victory, but Luxembourg were hit for 4. The Belarussians only fared a bit better, losing 3-0. Ukraine cut the deficit further, losing (1-0) to a single Morata goal.
David Silva edged the Belarussians out by the same scoreline, before Alba and an Iniesta spot-kick completed the revenge on Slovakia. The Macedonians were much better in their home pitch, only losing to an own goal in the 8th minute.
Santi Cazorla & Pablo Alcacer then netted a pair of braces in the 4-0 defeat of Luxembourg – oddly enough, neither of them were picked in the final squad; despite Alcacer finishing as their top scorer in qualification with 5 goals.
Their final match was a 1-0 victory in Kiev over the Ukrainians.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: The Spaniard’s have incredible strength in depth, boasting the widest array of ball-playing defenders and exquisite midfielders. Their greatest strength is not even a secret though – it’s the mastering of possession on a football pitch.
The Spaniards tend to play at least 5 to 6 midfielders in their squad, to ensure that they’ve always got someone available for a pass. Their movement isn’t as revolutionary as some other Spanish coaches might like (Mr. Guardiola), but they never stay still within their midfield block; attacking space, covering opponents and making the pitch small.
If they can hold the ball for long enough, then they absolutely have the players to hurt any team. Now, they’ve added some fearsome forwards to the mix – but will it work?
Weaknesses: Your biggest strength can also be your biggest failing – as Chile and Netherlands ruthlessly exposed in Brazil. Spain will always move as a large, midfield unit comprised of 3 or 4 players locking down geometric areas on the pitch.
If one can completely by-pass their positions on the field, then they will always be in trouble. Arjen Robben was the biggest exponent of this, catching Sergio Ramos out and tormenting him on the break.
Spain often seek to play a cohesive, flowing football – if you can cut up the game and prevent them from building momentum, their positions on the field will be in somewhat of a disarray. If you can hit them in that transition period, then they’re not always quick enough to recover – although Azpilicueta & Jordi Alba will object to that.
Our Prediction
Spain have consistently brought home the biggest prizes in club and international football in the past decade.
Their squad is chock-full of a plethora of dynamic, rapid and technically-gifted players capable of slotting in anywhere across the pitch. In Vicente del Bosque, they have one of the most gifted managerial minds in history, whose success at Real Madrid and the Spain national squad are unparalleled in the modern era.
In other words, unless world champions Germany or another top-notch contender does anything, the back-to-back champions are set to dominate once more. If they do, they will cement their legend as the most brilliant European team of all-time.
Upcoming Fixtures
07/06: Spain vs Georgia (Friendly)
13/06: Spain vs Czech Republic (Euro 2016)
17/06: Spain vs Turkey (Euro 2016)
21/06: Croatia vs Spain (Euro 2016)
