Calling all conquistadors - 西班牙

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http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Kind=4/newsid=425955.html

Calling all conquistadors
Friday, 2 June 2006
by Graham Hunter
from Barcelona

The process of constructing a credible argument for Spain's chances
as dark horses at the impending FIFA World Cup is almost as tricky
as the actual process of constructing the team itself. To some extent
there is no one more suited to that job than Luis Aragones: calling
him impervious to criticism would be wrong, but to suggest he is
thick-skinned and a little idiosyncratic is as much of an understatement
as saying that Diego Maradona has lived a little and Ronaldinho may have
a future in football.

Thankless task
Spain's inability to punch their true footballing weight for the 42
years since they last won a tournament is so dramatic, so repetitive
and so depressing for those who adore the Primera Division that it
has become a pretty thankless task to manage the national team. Who
better than the 'Wise man of Hortaleza' to deflect all the pressure
and negative energy from his predominantly youthful squad?

Unbeaten run
Take the fact that Aragones is now unbeaten in 19 matches since taking
charge, and that of all the 32 sides who have qualified for Germany
only the Netherlands have a better 'pound for pound' defensive record.
When El Seleccion's chances this summer are analysed there is barely
an acknowledgement of those useful nuggets of information. That said,
the nervy and toothless nature of their 0-0 draw with Russia as they
prepare for kick-off against Ukraine in Group H on 14 June underlined
the fact that,
subtracting their goal-fests against San Marino in qualifying, Spain
only scored eight in as many matches. Not tournament-winning goal-power.

Raul debate
As has been the case for some time the debate surrounds Real Madrid
CF's Raul Gonzalez. Most national coaches would sell their soul for
a player with such leadership qualities, such a scoring record and
a trophy list as prestigious as his. No one has more UEFA Champions
League goals and he is also his country's all-time top scorer. Yet
since Raul was decoupled from Fernando Morientes at both club and
international level his goal average of 30 in each of the previous
five seasons has dried to a trickle of around 14 for the last three.
More startling is the fact that, injury notwithstanding, Raul has
managed just seven club goals in 32 matches this season and only
four in two calendar years for Spain - one of which was against
San Marino plus a couple in friendlies.

Crucial win
If those statistics applied to anyone else they would be happy to
be dropped and relieved not to be left at home altogether. The
nagging fact, however, is that the last time Raul scored twice in
one match for Spain it was in a crucial 2-1 win over Group H rivals
Ukraine back in September 2003. So is Aragones daring enough to drop
Raul, use him as an impact player and unite Fernando Torres, David
Villa and Luis Garcia up front in a 4-3-3 formation? Villa, with 27
club goals this season, looks like the perfect tournament striker
and Torres's view of his potential partner lends credence to the
argument that Spain may yet punch their weight. "David and I have
spent four years playing together at our age-group levels for Spain
and I understand perfectly how he likes to work," explains the Club
Atletico de Madrid forward.

Great hope
Above all Torres, who has been the great hope of Spanish football for
two or three seasons even though he is only 22, has needed a partner
who complemented him at international level. He recently admitted:
"Until this qualifying campaign I felt like a bit of a villain
because it seemed that the whole country was criticising me when
I was truly trying my hardest. But I have to admit that I wasn't
playing particularly well for Spain - I needed goals."

'Miracle goals'
Torres's situation was a metaphor for the national predicament. If
Spain could be relied upon to score just slightly more reliably at
crucial moments then they would be short-priced for at least the
last eight, and probably beyond. In Liverpool’s Luis Garcia they
posses another who fits the Torres profile. Scorer of a hat-trick
to eliminate Slovakia from the play-offs, he admits ruefully: "My
Liverpool team-mate Steve Gerrard regularly teases me that I fluff
all the easy chances and then only score
'miracle' goals. He's right. Too often I put a simple one into the
clouds and then connect with some improbable volley which hits the
top corner."

'Massive potential'
Yet Garcia is like a number of Spain's younger players including Xabi
Alonso, Torres, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi Hernandez, Jose
Antonio Reyes and Iker Casillas, who are all in their early twenties
and yet have played in, or won, a UEFA Champions League final, a world
youth final or a UEFA European Championship final. Casillas argues:
"Spain has this massive potential in our squad because we younger
players are used to reaching and winning semi-finals and finals for
both our club and country."

For Aragones to unleash that potential it will nonetheless need
confidence, some well-timed goals and the crucial element of a
lucky break here and there.



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