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Scouting
Report
Style of play: Coach José Antonio Camacho
is a traditionalist, strictly adhering to a standard
4-4-2 formation. With so many offensive threats, Spain
plays an offensive style of soccer, driven by a crop
of creative and attacking midfielders, while a pair
of strikers rely on service and ball distribution from
the midfield. Spain's midfielders are very good on the
ball and are not afraid to support their strikers up
front. Spain fields a quartet of defenders at the back
with one of the centre midfielders dropping back and
playing almost as a libero (attacking sweeper). The
other centre midfielder serves as the playmaker, responsible
for creating scoring chances and getting the ball up
to the forwards, in addition to scoring himself.
Strengths:
Attacking options -- Raul, Diego Tristan and Fernando
Morientes are all potent strikers with a track record
of scoring big goals. Each one brings something different
to the table, complementing each other beautifully and
making Spain's attack more complete.
Midfield depth -- Spain have a number of superb midfielders
it can call upon, each one with a unique set of skills.
Gaizka Mendieta is an accomplished playmaker, Ivan Helguera
is a hardworking ball-winner and Luis Enrique is superb
at carrying the ball forward to join in the attack.
A weak draw -- Spain tops a week group consisting of
Slovenia (making its World Cup debut), Paraguay (a team
in disarray) and South Africa. Spain is in the weaker
half of the tournament and won't have to play France,
England, Brazil or Argentina, all but ensuring a spot
in the quarter-finals.
Weaknesses:
History -- Spain's track record of failure at the World
Cup hovers over them constantly as it has yet to progress
further than the quarter-finals. The expectations of
fans and its media serves as a constant reminder of
Spain's ineptitude at the World Cup, and puts even more
pressure on the Spaniards to succeed.
Questionable selections -- José Antonio Camacho
surprised a lot of people when he selected defender
Enrique Romero (only 3 caps) and striker Alberto Luque
(0 caps). The exclusion of attacking defender Michel
Salgado and Real Madrid striker Pedro Munitis is simply
baffling.
Untested in qualifying -- Liechtenstein, Bosnia-Herzegovina
and Israel provided very little threat in the qualifying
round, as Spain won its group in a cakewalk. This lack
of serious competition could come back to haunt Spain
in the World Cup, where the opposition will be tougher.
Injuries/omissions:
Starting goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares severed
a tendon in his toe and will not travel with the team
to South Korea. Backup keeper Iker Casillas will take
his place…. Coach José Camacho raised many
eyebrows when he did not select Real Madrid forward
Pedro Munitis, and instead went with Albert Luque of
Real Mallorca who has yet to earn a single cap for Spain.
Camacho also overlooked talented fullback Michel Salgado
of Real Madrid (he picked Enrique Romero instead)….
Fullback Sergi Barjuan missed out on being named to
the final squad after undergoing surgery on his left
ankle…. Right-back Manuel Pablo was not selected
due to a nagging injury…. Playmaking midfielder
Josep Guardiola was not selected after tests on a knee
injury revealed ligament damage….
Outlook: Spain is notorious for underachieving
at the World Cup, its best showing coming in 1950 when
it finished in fourth place. Since then, Spain has routinely
bowed out in the opening group stage and has failed
to progress further than the quarter-finals. Sure, it's
been said before, but this time should be different.
Spain is clearly the class of Group B and has the skill
and players to advance to the quarter-finals, where
it would likely meet Portugal. If it can put its underachieving
ways behind itself and put forth a strong effort against
the Portuguese, Spain will advance to the semi-finals.
The
Country
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the
Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean,
and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Capital: Madrid
Area: 504,782 sq km
Population:39,996,671 (July 2000 est.)
Government type: Parliamentary monarchy
Climate: Temperate; clear, hot summers in interior,
more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters
in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast.
Ethnic groups: Composite of Mediterranean and
Nordic peoples.
Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%.
Languages: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%,
Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%.
History: A powerful world empire during the
16th and 17th centuries, Spain ultimately acquiesced
command of the seas to England. Spain did not embrace
the mercantile and industrial revolutions, causing it
to fall behind Britain, France and Germany in terms
of economic and political power. Spain remained neutral
in the First and Second World Wars, but was devastated
by a bloody Civil War between 1936-39. For the past
50 years, Spain has tried to catch-up (and make amends
for its neutrality) by taking a more active role in
the western international community. Current issues
plaguing Spain include massive unemployment and the
growing Basque separatist movement.
The Community in Canada
There are not more than about 7,000 Spanish in all
of Canada. There are about 2,000 from Ottawa, Montreal
and Atlantic Canada combined and about 5000 starting
mostly in Toronto and trickling west to Victoria. Given
the size of the communities combined with the hour of
the games, not much community activity is planned or
expected surrounding World Cup.
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