Spain (Group D)
Squad | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2008 | Euro History
| Squad | ||
| Player | Position | Club |
| Iker Casillas | Goalkeeper | Real Madrid |
| Pepe Reina | Goalkeeper | Liverpool (England) |
| Andres Palop | Goalkeeper | Sevilla |
| Sergio Ramos | Defender | Real Madrid |
| Joan Capdevila | Defender | Villarreal |
| Raul Albiol | Defender | Valencia |
| Carles Puyol | Defender | FC Barcelona |
| Carlos Marchena | Defender | Valencia |
| Fernando Navarro | Defender | Real Mallorca |
| Alvaro Arbeloa | Defender | Liverpool (England) |
| Juanito | Defender | Real Betis |
| Cesc Fabregas | Midfielder | Arsenal (England) |
| Andres Iniesta | Midfielder | FC Barcelona |
| Xavi Hernandez | Midfielder | FC Barcelona |
| David Silva | Midfielder | Valencia |
| Santi Cazorla | Midfielder | Villarreal |
| Xabi Alonso | Midfielder | Liverpool (England) |
| Ruben de la Red | Midfielder | Getafe |
| Marcos Senna | Midfielder | Villarreal |
| David Villa | Forward | Valencia |
| Daniel Guiza | Forward | Real Mallorca |
| Sergio Garcia | Forward | Real Zaragoza |
| Fernando Torres | Forward | Liverpool (England) |
| Head Coach: | Luis Aragones | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Luis Aragones preaches a fast-paced, pass-and-move game, with emphasis on making a quick series of slick passes and maintaining possession for as long as possible. Spain builds the attack from midfield, and which is why Aragones often uses a 4-3 -3 formation, with a deep-lying deep-lying anchor (Marcos Senna) playing in the area in front of the defence and supporting two playmaking midfielders (Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas) in the centre. Senna has a key role, as he has to protect the centre of defence, and create space for the creative Hernandez and Fabregas by breaking up the opposition's attack. Up front, Fernando Torres lines up as the lead striker, with David Villa and Andres Iniesta playing behind him on either side. Villa and Inesita are not wingers by trade, so Spain relies on the two outside fullbacks (Joan Capdevila on the left, Sergio Ramos on the right) to make overlapping runs down the wings and provide the attack with width.
Probable starting formation (4-3-3): (GK) Casillas - (D) Capdevila , Marchena, Puyol, Ramos - (M) Hernandez, Senna, Fabregas - (F) Torres, Villa, Iniesta
Strengths
Attacking depth - Spain has a pair of world-class strikers in Fernando Torres and David Villa. They are supported by a crop of attacking and creative midfielders: Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. All of them bring something different to the table, complementing each other beautifully and making Spain's attack more complete.
Defence - Often overlooked because of the depth of its attacking options, Spain's defence is plenty tight - the Spaniards posted seven shutouts and conceded eight goals in the qualifiers. Veterans Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena have a wealth of international experience. Youngster Sergio Ramos has emerged as of the best right backs in the game, and Joan Capdevila, Juanito, and Fernando Navarro are all tactically astute defenders.
Goalkeeping - Spain has nothing to worry about between the posts. In Real Madrid's Iker Casillas, Spain has one of the world's best goalkeepers, a player with great agility and fantastic reflexes. Backup Pepe Reina only has a handful of caps for Spain, but as Liverpool's starting goalkeeper, he could easily take over for Casillas in case of an injury. Third-stringer Andres Palop, No. 1 at Sevilla, is an excellent shot .
Weaknesses
Too stylish for its own good – With its slick-passing game, Spain plays a beautiful brand of soccer, but it's not always effective. The Spaniards are too pre-occupied with playing attractive soccer, and are loath to employ a more tactical and a less attractive style, even though the situation and opponent might call for it. Spain has to know when to be less stylish and play with a more ruthless and cutting edge.
Lack of midfield steel – Spain has a dizzying array of star midfielders with attacking qualities, but only has one defensive midfielder (Marcos Senna) to speak of. The bulk of Spain's ball-playing midfielders are small in size and lack a physical presence. While it's important to have midfielders who can make things happen offensively, you also need some grit, steel and nastiness, and Spain is a bit lacking in those traits in midfield.
History – Spain's track record of underachievement is like a noose around its neck. Every two years, Spain claims to be ready to take the next step and win the big one, but ends up crashing out in the quarter-finals. The memory of its consistent failures, combined with the expectations of its demanding fans and the intrusive Spanish media, serve as constant reminders of its ineptitude at Euro and the World Cup, and puts even more pressure on the Spaniards to succeed
Players to watch
Iker Casillas – One of the best goalkeepers in the world, the Real Madrid star provides Spain with a secure presence between the posts thanks to his knack for making highlight-reel saves. Even more important is his ability to read the game and organize his defenders, allowing him to snuff out the opponent's attacking endeavours before trouble even forms.
Sergio Ramos – Captain Carlos Puyol is the anchor of the defence, but this Real Madrid youngster has really come into his own the past season. A talented, powerful and tough-tackling right back who plays a physical style, he also offers Spain an attacking option with his fast and probing runs down the wings.
Fernando Torres – The golden boy of Spanish soccer and one of the most dangerous forwards in the game. Nicknamed El Nino (The Kid), Torres is coming off an incredible debut season for Liverpool in which he scored 24 goals. The former Atletico Madrid star has always under-achieved for the national team, so look for Euro 2008 to be his coming-out party for Spain and for him to build on his stellar form this season in the Premiership.
Key injuries/sqaud omissions: Former national team captain and Real Madrid forward Raul and FC Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic were left out of the Spain squad by coach Luis Aragones. Raul's exclusion was hardly a surprise – he hasn't played for his country since September 2006 – but a lot of people wanted him on the team, because he was coming off a solid season at Real Madrid and is Spain's all-time leading scorer. Krkic, still only 17, had a breakout campaign at Barcelona, but ruled himself out of the Spanish squad for personal reasons. Poor campaigns from Valencia and Espanyol cost the Joaquin, David Albelda, Fernando Morientes, Albert Riera, Luis Garcia and Raul Tamudo spots on the roster.
Road to Euro 2008
1st round matches:
June 10 vs. Russia (Innsbruck)
June 14 vs. Sweden (Innsbruck)
June 18 vs. Greece (Salzburg)
Euro 2008 qualification route
Finished first in qualifying Group 6 (28 points) ahead of Sweden (26 points).
Record in qualifying: 9 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses
Goals for: 23
Goals against: 8
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: David Villa (7)
Qualifying results:
09.02.2006: Spain 4 - Liechtenstein 0
09.06.2006: Spain 2 - Northern Ireland 3
10.07.2006: Spain 0 - Sweden 2
03.24.2007: Spain 2 - Denmark 1
03.28.2007: Spain 1 - Iceland 0
06.02.2007: Spain 2 - Latvia 0
06.06.2007: Spain 2 - Liechtenstein 0
09.08.2007: Spain 1 - Iceland 1
09.12.2007: Spain 2 - Latvia 0
10.13.2007: Spain 3 - Denmark 1
10.17.2007: Spain 3 - Sweden 0
11.21.2007: Spain 1 - Northern Ireland 0
Euro History
Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 7
All-time record: 30 GP - 10 W, 9 T, 11 L
Goals for: 31
Goals against: 32
Most goals: Alfonso Perez Munoz (3)
Most appearances: Rafael Gordillo (9)
Biggest win: 4-3 vs. Yugoslavia in 2000
Biggest loss: 0-2 vs. France in 1984, vs. West Germany in 1988
Euro Results:
1960 - did not qualify
1964 - CHAMPIONS
1968 to 1976 - did not qualify
1980 - first round
1984 - finalist
1988 - first round
1992 - did not qualify
1996 - quarter-final
2000 - quarter-final
2004 - first round
Legends from the past
Emilio Butragueno: Butragueno earned the nickname "The Vulture" as one of the most dangerous strikers of the 1980s. He scored four goals in a game against Denmark at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, helping Spain reach the quarter-finals. A Real Madrid legend, he led the club to six Spanish league titles between 1986 and 1995.
Andoni Zubizarreta: Zubizarreta is one of Spain's greatest goalkeepers, appearing in four World Cups (1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998). He earned 126 caps (a Spanish record) before retiring from international competition after the 1998 World Cup.