Spain

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Hassan Chamas 

Spain head into Euro 2008 more determined than ever to win a major trophy. Being dubbed the greatest “underachievers” in the history of the game, they will be looking to erase that label for good once they win the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland this summer, and end a 44-year trophiless drought, with their last-and only-major title being 1964’s European Championship.
Spain’s road towards the finals wasn’t a smooth one: Even though they finished qualifiying by topping their group, they suffered defeats at the hands of Sweden and Northern Ireland.

Squad

Almost all players in La Seleccion are stars, a scenario you don’t see in much in international football. However they are some key, essential players that Spain will be counting on come this summer. The first name is of course, Spain’s number one Iker Casillas. The shot stopper has been in wonderful form this season for his club, and a lot of credit for winning the domestic league title goes back to him. If he can make sure to reproduce this form come June, there’s no reason why Spain should be eliminated.

Other names include midfield duo Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, who despite not having the best end to the season at club level, will be looking to dictate the motion of play in the middle of the park. Also, expect Fernando Torres to spearhead Spain’s attack in the recently adopted 4-5-1 formation.

In terms of surprises, the only outsider whose inclusion can be a shock, albeit a positive one, is Raul. The Real Madrid skipper had a good season, guiding his club to a second consecutive league title, and his personal sixth. And with growing pressure from the media for him to be included-he’ll even work as a “water boy”, he said, during Madrid’s celebration of the league title-you can just hope that he will be included in the end.
Players that can be the tournament’s revelation are many, but, if he makes the final squad, keep an eye out for young Bojan Krkic. The player will become Spain’s youngest ever player if he disputes the finals, and one can certainly bet on him to make some sort of impact, just as he did this season with his club, FC Barcelona.

Coach

Ah, now comes the interesting part. Luis Aragones. The man needs no real introduction. A popular figure to the press and players alike, he will be competing for his first major trophy, trying to forget the hard exit at the last World Cup in 2006. Aragones will probably deploy his newly adopted 4-5-1 formation, using the vast array of class midfielders at his disposal to support the lone striker.

Group Stage

Spain was placed into the relatively balanced Group D, along with Greece, Sweden, and Russia. On paper, they have a realistic chance of progressing into the next round, if they work as a unit, and produce the kind of display that allowed them to win the friendly against Italy last month.
Technically, their most difficult game could be against the Swedes, where they will have to face Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the rest of the boys. However, they should not underestimate Greece, who proved to be a tough nut to crack during the last Euros.

View from the Country

Supporters of La Furia Roja will be eager to see their team end years of failure, and finally win a major trophy. The feeling in Spain is that this could finally be their year, as they have a large array of superstars that will be able to make it happen. Coach Luis Aragones’ job won’t be in the balance, since he will step down anyway after the tournament in favour of Vicente del Bosque.

Writer’s Verdict

Spain’s biggest threat could be their lack of function as a team. While the squad is very balanced in all areas, it isn’t the tightest of units. Also, poor defensive performance can be key to their doom, so Casillas, Puyol, Sergio Ramos and the rest of the back four will have to take extra care. If all goes well, there’s no reason why Spain cannot advance from the group stages. A final four finish is realistic, but I don’t see them going all the way with the likes of Germany and Italy around.