Spain need the spine to reign again

For all Vicente del Bosque’s confidence that he has the right balance of experience and youth to return Spain to their familiar place on the winner’s rostrum, questions remain about his best starting line-up ahead of Euro 2016.
On the surface, Spain’s qualifying record of nine wins out of 10 going into the tournament looks impressive but they rarely delivered performances to suggest they could pick up a third successive title or banish the memories of their 2014 World Cup failure.
No-one will be keener to prove the doubters wrong than Del Bosque in what looks to be his last hurrah as Spain’s coach.
Once again he can call on trusted stalwarts Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Cesc Fabregas, all regulars before or since the 2010 World Cup triumph, this time blending them with a new generation of young players such as Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke and Juventus striker Alvaro Morata.
“I really believe in the veterans who have spent a long time with us and we trust the newcomers, who give the squad impulse and fresh blood,” said Del Bosque.
“Our objective is to think beyond the two European Championships we’ve won, because people are only going to value what we do in the next one.”
Another triumph will require a settled spine to his team, yet there remains uncertainty over who will start as central striker and in goal, where the manager must decide whether to demote Iker Casillas in favour of De Gea, whose consistently outstanding performances in the last three seasons contrast with the long-standing captain’s waning powers.
Up front, the situation is equally fluid. After leaving out Diego Costa and Paco Alcacer – top scorer in qualifying – Del Bosque is likely to opt for Morata as first-choice striker, although he made just 16 league starts for Juventus.
Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz is in the form of his life at the age of 35 and scored more goals than any other Spaniard in the campaign but there are doubts about whether his physical, direct style fits in with Spain’s possession game.
At the back there remains an alarming lack of depth to cover for Sergio Ramos, who appears to have hit form at the right time after an inconsistent season, and Gerard Pique, who arrives on the back of another brilliant campaign with Barcelona.
Injury to either would be a major headache because the inclusion of Barcelona’s Marc Bartra, who has played relatively little first-team football this season, suggests experienced cover is not at hand.

Deep-lying Iniesta aims for more glory
Reuters/Barcelona
Andres Iniesta, the driving force behind Spanish triumphs at the last two Euros and scorer of the goal that delivered their only World Cup in between, will hope to provide further inspiration as his country target a record fourth European Championship triumph.
The virtuoso midfielder’s extra-time strike against the Netherlands in Johannesburg in 2010 earned him universal devotion in Spain, with even Real Madrid supporters giving the Barcelona man a standing ovation on his most recent visits to the Bernabeu.
With his trusted midfield companion Xavi Hernandez retired from international football, Iniesta is the last architect of the ‘tiki-taka’style of fast-moving passing football which Spain mastered to dominate the world game between 2008 and 2012.
He has also evolved his game in recent years, dropping deeper and dictating the play rather than just fuelling the attack. His influence on games is more subtle now, yet it is no less important.
“Iniesta has unique peripheral vision. He is a magical player,” said Barca coach Luis Enrique earlier this year, while Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said recently that the midfielder was “in the form of his life”.
Named best player at Euro 2012, Iniesta is set for his sixth major tournament with Spain in France. At the age of 32, it could well be his last.
He is likely to captain the team in their opening group game against Czech Republic if, as expected, Ike Casillas drops to the bench.
As Spain try to rise again after their painful early exit from the World Cup two years ago, the elegant pass master is best placed to orchestrate another triumph and reassert their credentials among football’s elite.