| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Iker Casillas | Goalkeeper | Real Madrid |
| Pepe Reina | Goalkeeper | Liverpool (England) |
| Santiago Canizares | Goalkeeper | Valencia |
| Antonio Lopez | Defender | Atletico Madrid |
| Pablo Ibanez | Defender | Atletico Madrid |
| Carles Puyol | Defender | FC Barcelona |
| Juanito | Defender | Real Betis |
| Mariano Pernia | Defender | Getafe |
| Michel Salgado | Defender | Real Madrid |
| Sergio Ramos | Defender | Real Madrid |
| Carlos Marchena | Defender | Valencia |
| Cesc Fabregas | Midfielder | Arsenal (England) |
| Jose Antonio Reyes | Midfielder | Arsenal (England) |
| Andres Iniesta | Midfielder | FC Barcelona |
| Xavi | Midfielder | FC Barcelona |
| Joaquin | Midfielder | Real Betis |
| Luis Garcia | Midfielder | Liverpool (England) |
| Xabi Alonso | Midfielder | Liverpool (England) |
| David Albelda | Midfielder | Valencia |
| Marcos Senna | Midfielder | Villarreal |
| Fernando Torres | Forward | Atletico Madrid |
| Raul | Forward | Real Madrid |
| David Villa | Forward | Valencia |
| Head Coach: | Luis Aragones | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Luis Aragones hasn't settled on a starting formation yet, although he has been known to flip flop between a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2. Spain plays a patient brand of soccer, focusing on retaining possession and building the attack from midfield. The two outside fullbacks, Antonio Lopez on the left and Michel Salgado on the right, often make overlapping runs down the wings and try to hook up with the two outside midfielders. Jose Antonio Reyes and Joaquin give the Spanish attack more width as they'll use their speed down the flanks before cutting inside and towards goal. In the centre, Xavi and Xabi Alonso form the creative fulcrum, with Xavi as the main playmaker and Alonso playing further up the field and acting as the direct link to the forwards. Up front, Fernando Torres will play as the lead striker with Raul playing just slightly behind him. If coach Aragones goes with a 4-3-3 formation, look for him to replace one of the central midfielders and put David Villa, another forward, into the game alongside Torres with Raul in a supporting role.
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Iker Casillas - (D) Carles Puyol, Pablo Ibanez, Antonio Lopez, Michel Salgado - (M) Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Joaquin, Jose Antonio Reyes - (F) Raul, Fernando Torres
Strengths:
Attacking depth - Spain has several world-class strikers such as Fernando
Torres, Raul and David Villa. They are supported by a crop of awe-inspiring
and creative midfielders: Joaquin, Cesc Fabregas, Jose Antonio, Xabi Alonso
and David Albelda. 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 rock-solid - the Spaniards only conceded five goals in
the qualifiers. Veterans Carles Puyol and Michel Salgado have a wealth of
international experience. Youngsters Sergio Ramos, Joan Capdevila, Antonio
Lopez, and Carlos Marchena are all tactically astute defenders who combine
strength and superb man-marking skills.
Goalkeeping - Spain has nothing to worry about between the posts. In
Real Madrid's Iker Casillas, it has one of the world's best goalkeepers, a
player with great agility and fantastic reflexes. Backup Santiago Canizares
is a veteran shot-stopper with plenty of experience and can easily take over
for Casillas in case of an injury. Third-stringer Pepe Reina sparkled in his
first year as a starter for English club Liverpool this season.
Weaknesses:
The Raul Factor - Coach Luis Aragones seems insistent on using Raul as
one of his starting forwards even though he's coming off an injury-plagued
season and has failed to produce for Spain at the last World Cup and Euro
2004. With Fernando Torres taking up the other forward spot, that leaves David
Villa, the top scorer in Spain's La Liga this season, out in the cold. Why
Aragones insists on starting Raul is a mystery, especially as he doesn't seem
to gel with his teammates.
Aragones's indecision -Luis Aragones has an astonishingly deep reservoir
of world-class players to choose from but he still isn't set on his starting
11 since taking over as coach two years ago. He's also flip flopped between
formations (4-4-2 vs. 4-3-3) and can't seem to figure out a) whether to play
with two or three forwards, 2) whether to use wingers or not and c) which
two players to slot into the centre of midfield.
History - Spain's track record of underachievement is like a noose
hanging around its neck. Every four 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, serves as a constant reminder
of its ineptitude at the World Cup, and puts even more pressure on the Spaniards
to succeed.
Players to watch:
Fernando Torres - Nicknamed El Nino - The Kid, the 22-year-old Torres
supplanted Raul as Spain's most dangerous forward by scoring a team-leading
seven goals during qualification. Torres is lightning quick, a deadly finisher
and a player of such high class with the ball at his feet that he routinely
makes the spectacular look ordinary. Look for him to be one of the breakout
stars in Germany.
Xabi Alonso - An exquisite midfield talent noted for his vision on
the field and refined playmaking ability. Alonso, who plays for English club
Liverpool, cuts defences to shreds with his wide range of accurate passes,
driving runs and blistering shots on net from distance. Alonso also possesses
a deft touch and unparallel composure in the field, making him one of the
most complete central midfielders in soccer today.
Carles Puyol - One of the best defenders in the world. The tough-as-nails
Puyol is a versatile central defender that can also play at right fullback.
A strong tackler and tenacious marker, Puyol provides Spain with a stalwart
presence in defence and inspires those around him with his heart, drive and
passion. The backbone of the Spanish back line.
Injuries/omissions: For some reason, coach Luis Aragones decided only to name three strikers to his roster, leaving former national team mainstay Fernando Morientes out in the cold. Aragones named an extra defender, instead, selecting Carlos Marchena, even though the centre fullback is coming off a mediocre season. Other star players that did not make the cut were midfield creators Ruben Baraja and Vicente, and defenders Joan Capdevila and Javi Venta. Baraja was a regular in the team during Spain's qualifying campaign, but Vicente has been struggling with ankle problems throughout the season and only recently recovered. Centre fullback Asier del Horno was originally named to the team but was forced to withdraw because of a calf injury. He was replaced by Mariano Pernia. Forward Raul and midfielder Xavi were both included despite missing much of the season with serious knee injuries. In a bit of surprise, youngster Andres Iniesta was named to the team. Defender Michel Salgado and midfielder Xabi Alonso suffered muscle strains in a recent training session.
Prognosis: Spain is, unquestionably, the greatest soccer nation never to win the World Cup. Although it has qualified for the last seven tournaments, Spain's best showing came in 1950 when it finished fourth. Since then, Spain has routinely bowed out early and has failed to progress past the quarter-finals. It's become an all-too familiar past time at every World Cup to watch Spain self destruct and fail to live up to its potential. This year could be different, though. The team has great depth at every position, and the players seem eager to finally to bury the country's reputation as a World Cup underachiever. The draw has been kind to the Spanish (first timers Ukraine, and lightweights Tunisia and Saudi Arabia make up Group H) and a first-place finish seems assured. If Spain can get some momentum going early, they could be dangerous as it progresses through the later rounds. Don't be surprised to see Spain get past the quarter-finals this time around.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #5
1st round matches:
June 14 vs. Ukraine in Leipzig
June 19 vs. Tunisia in Stuttgart
June 23 vs. Saudi Arabia in Kaiserslautern
2006 qualification route: Spain defeated Slovakia in a two-game playoff
after finishing second in Europe's Group 7 (20 points) behind Serbia and Montenegro
(22 points).
Qualifying record: 12 games played, 6 wins, 6 draws, 0 losses
Goals for: 25 Goals against: 5
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Fernando Torres (7)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
Sept. 8, 2004 - Bosnia-Herzegovina 1, Spain 1
Oct. 9, 2004 - Spain 2, Belgium 0
Oct. 13, 2004 - Lithuania 0, Spain 0
Feb. 9, 2005 - Spain 5, San Marino 0
March 30, 2005 - Serbia and Montenegro 0, Spain 0
June 4, 2005 - Spain 1, Lithuania 0
June 8, 2005 Spain 1, Bosnia-Herzegovina 1
Sept. 7, 2005 - Spain 1, Serbia and Montenegro 1
Oct. 8, 2005 - Belgium 0, Spain 2
Oct. 12, 2005 - San Marino 0, Spain 6
Nov. 12, 2005 - Spain 5, Slovakia 1
Nov. 16, 2005 - Slovakia 1, Spain 1
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1904
Team nickname: La Seleccion
All-time caps leader: Andoni Zubizarreta (126)
All-time leading scorer: Raul (42 goals)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 11
All-time record: 45 games played, 19 wins, 12 draws, 14 losses
Goals for: 71 Goals against: 53
World Cup History:
1930 - Did not enter
1934 - Quarter-finals
1938 - Did not enter
1950 - Second Round (4th place)
1954 - Did not qualify
1958 - Did not qualify
1962 - First Round
1966 - First Round
1970 - Did not qualify
1974 - Did not qualify
1978 - First Round
1982 - Second Round
1986 - Quarter-finals
1990 - Second Round
1994 - Quarter-finals
1998 - First Round
2002 - Quarter-finals
Biggest victory: 6-1 vs. Bulgaria in 1998
Biggest defeat: 6-1 vs. Brazil in 1950
Overall top scorers: Estanislao Basora, Emilio Butragueno, Fernando
Morientes and Fernando Hierro (5 goals)
Most appearances: Andoni Zubizarreta (16 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1982
Other Achievements:
European Champions: 1964
Under-20 World Champions: 1999
Under-21 European Champions: 1986, 1998
Under-19 European Champions: 1952, 1954, 1995, 2002, 2004
Under-17 European Champions: 1986, 1988, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2001
Olympic Gold Medal: 1992
Olympic Silver Medal: 1920, 2000
Greatest Players:
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.