2014 WC Qualifiers - Europe

[DonAndres]

Actually it is numbered but not for the reasons Garrus gave. Spain's core players are all aging and will decline sooner rather than later. And the new crop while being talented and skilled don't look as good. Who's gonna replace Xavi? Puyol? Casillas? Even Alonso and Busquets have been so essential to Spain's success and I don't think Javi Martinez and Javi Garcia, or others, can replace them seamlessly. And Villa? And the cohesion they all play with, the complete understanding of each other?

This Spain is a special generation and easily proven by 3 major titles in a row. Isco, Muniain, Canales, Benat, Michu, Mata, etc are all exceptional but don't have what it takes to emulate this generation.

There are PLENTY of phenomenal players in Spains ranks for the future. I'll give you some based on every position that are good and young:

GK-De Gea, Kepa (who has more potential than De Gea), Guaita, Unai Simon (possibly)

CB-Inigo Martinez, Nico, Tarin, Quintilla, Dominguez, Bartra, Muniesa, (Aurtenexte if he moves to CB), Ramalho, Amat

LB/RB- Manquillo, Mallo, Carvajal, Montoya, Alba, Grimaldo, (Aurtenexte if he remains at LB),

MF- Busquets, Thiago, Mata, Herrera, Koke, Oliver, Samper, Camacho, Illiarmendi, Benat, Muniain, Isco, Canales, Jose Rodriguez, Saul,

FW-Deulofeu, Jese, Rodrigo, Santi Mina, Sandro, Raul de Tomas, Morata, Paco, Pozo, Traore, Baptistao (if he chooses Spain instead of Brazil)


And this is all just off the top of my head. All of these players have potential to be among the best in the world and a good deal of them will likely achieve their potential. There's actually MORE depth in the future generation than there is in this one, from what we see now.

 

[Stric]

I think a 4-2-3-1 could work well for a few more years to come. This is without the "older" players.

-----Soldado/Llorente/Negredo----

---Iniesta------Cesc-------Silva---

-------Busquests---Martinez-------

--Alba-----Pique---Ramos--Montoya-

--------------Casillas--------------

Then you still have Mata, Pedro, etc.

 

[Kerrybai]

I never understood the concept of cheering for a national team that you have no connection to. You can obviously have sympathizes for whatever reasons but to cheer for national team x as you cheer for your own? Or more if you are of mixed heritage? I have to admit that I don't understand that concept. But to each his own I guess.

Well some people like myself really like certain players. For example Ireland is number one foe but I would love to see Messi win a world cup.

 

[DonAndres]

I think a 4-2-3-1 could work well for a few more years to come. This is without the "older" players.

-----Soldado/Llorente/Negredo----

---Iniesta------Cesc-------Silva---

-------Busquests---Martinez-------

--Alba-----Pique---Ramos--Montoya-

--------------Casillas--------------

for a team like spain they need a midfield orchestrator. In a few years, Thiago could easily inherit that role from Xavi.

 

[Kerrybai]

Yes! I'm just glad I wasn't the only one who was watching that. Absolutely horrible.

Poor game but I'm delighted with the result.

 

[Stric]

Iniesta was used as the midfield orchestrator on each occasion when Xavi was subbed out, so that's another option.

 

[PearLBLacK]

There are PLENTY of phenomenal players in Spains ranks for the future. I'll give you some based on every position that are good and young:

GK-De Gea, Kepa (who has more potential than De Gea), Unai Simon (possibly)

CB-Inigo Martinez, Nico, Tarin, Quintilla, Dominguez, Bartra, Muniesa, (Aurtenexte if he moves to CB), Ramalho, Amat

LB/RB- Manquillo, Mallo, Carvajal, Montoya, Alba, Grimaldo, (Aurtenexte if he remains at LB),

MF- Busquets, Thiago, Mata, Herrera, Koke, Oliver, Samper, Camacho, Illiarmendi, Benat, Muniain, Isco, Canales, Jose Rodriguez, Saul,

FW-Deulofeu, Jese, Rodrigo, Santi Mina, Sandro, Raul de Tomas, Morata, Paco, Pozo, Traore, Baptistao (if he chooses Spain instead of Brazil)


And this is all just off the top of my head. All of these players have potential to be among the best in the world and a good deal of them will likely achieve their potential. There's actually MORE depth in the future generation than there is in this one, from what we see now.

And who from those keepers is at Casillas' level? And the defenders, who is at Puyol's level? The midfielders, who is at Xabi and Xavi's level? Thiago is spectacular but no way he'll replace Xavi.

They're all skilled and wonderful but player for player they're not at the same level of this generation's core.

 

[DonAndres]

And who from those keepers is at Casillas' level? And the defenders, who is at Puyol's level? The midfielders, who is at Xabi and Xavi's level? Thiagio?

They're all skilled and wonderful but player for player they're not at the same level of this generation's core.

kepa and de gea definitely have what it takes to be as good as casillas. It'll be hard to be that good, but they both have it. Simon might but he's too young to tell right now.

The next crop of defenders has way more depth than the current one. While individually, none may be as good as Puyol, the combination of them could definitely be better than what spain has now (especially considering that some of them play on the same team in juvenil a so their connection will be perfect). And the next generation of fullbacks is easily better than this one who have had weaker players like Capdevila and Arbeloa.

The younger midfield will likely not be as good as the current one but I'd say it could possibly get pretty damn close.

Also a big plus for the future in Spain is that the forward line could be absolutely phenomenal unlike now. Villa and Torres have been good for the NT but there aren't a great deal of world class forwards in this generation for Spain. The younger generation has too many great forwards to choose from.

Comparing the core players is hard to do as the current generation is so much more prestigious than the future one, therefore it has more merit. Although players like De Gea, Thiago, Isco, Deulofeu, Inigo Martinez, and Busquets make up a great core that could possibly reach the levels of this one if they play well as a team.

 

[spark]

And who from those keepers is at Casillas' level? And the defenders, who is at Puyol's level? The midfielders, who is at Xabi and Xavi's level? Thiago is spectacular but no way he'll replace Xavi.

They're all skilled and wonderful but player for player they're not at the same level of this generation's core.

Puyol's level? They just won Euro 2012 conceding one goal without him. Pique and Sergio Ramos are 25 and 26. It will be years before they have to to think about breaking up that partnership. Xabi was a bench player when Senna was holding the role. If they could move past Senna who was way better on his own at Euro 2008 by inserting a 21 year old Busquets who many didnt even think should be at the world cup, they can move past Alonso. Alonso is a good player, not an all time great. What is this level that Javi Martinez wont be able to reach after he plays with Pep next year? He already proved to be better than Gustavo which was very good against Madrid last year.

 

[Flavia]

I wasn't talking about the entertainment. Everyone gets excited about different things and excitement is a subjective matter.

I think that Spain could have won the game and make it more open by creating little more variation in their game. Negredo was a good call by the manager and he was close to scoring on a few occasions but really, if you are just passing and passing and passing the ball and not even trying to score a goal, you can blame yourself if you don't win. I've been frustrated even during Barcelona's games when there is no progress and all the players do is pass, pass and pass. Things started to improve from the Depor game though and I was satisfied to see more variation which eventually played a major role in the results as well, in my opinion.

If you think that the game is entertaining when the other team scores 8 goals against the other team's zero, then that's your opinion. I prefer the match to be exciting and yesterday it really was. There were moments I couldn't breathe but in the end all I could do was laugh and smile since the result was so brilliant.

The game might have been exciting for those cheering for Finland, but it was a really boring game for neutrals.

 

[Cruijffista]

And who from those keepers is at Casillas' level? And the defenders, who is at Puyol's level? The midfielders, who is at Xabi and Xavi's level? Thiago is spectacular but no way he'll replace Xavi.

They're all skilled and wonderful but player for player they're not at the same level of this generation's core.

Spain will just be fine for many years to come. We have plenty of young players coming up like De Gea, Isco, Inigo Martinez, Deulofeu, etc. I fully expect Thiago to be the leader of this team someday just the way he is for the u21 squad. Most of the guys on the team are not exactly old like Cesc, Alba, Pique, Ramos, Javi Martinez, Mata, etc.

Nobody can predict as far as say the 2022 World Cup but I know this team is going to be challenging for trophies for the next 5 years.

 

[FCBarca]

Are you really that simple? If luck was the only factor we could just throw the dice and see who wins. Spain deserved to win those three major titles whereas Finland have often played very badly in the qualifiers. Yesterday we played well and managed to defend brilliantly against the best team in the world. How can you say the point wasn't deserved?

Guess you'd have to show where I said luck was the only factor, sounds like you're arguing with yourself...Carry on

Read this carefully: If luck enables you to achie
ve something, you deserve your achievement if you find the necessary ways to complete it. It's just ridiculous to claim that "they would have deserved more" if they haven't even tried.

Read carefully, luck and deserve are incongruent...Finland got more than they deserved, clear?

Not a nice thing to be that hateful and bash Finland, Mike.
Spain has noone but themselves to blame for their last 2 home failures.

Also, if you wish to talk of luck, I remember Spain having more than their fair share of luck in winning last 3 big tournaments.

Come on Bojan, I've never been hateful in my life - that's a poor characterization

I also don't contest the reality that Spain could've/should've done better than they did but I didn't blame Finland, their fans or anyone else for the draw...I have no empathy for negative football and certainly don't equate it with courage, hard work or football

Luck exists but that's not the same thing as it being earned, it exists for everyone...Everyone can get lucky, as I said, even blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes

Why are people with no ties whatsoever to Spain (certainly not ancestral) so passionate about defending it? This is not a club team but a national team. You can't just cherry-pick a national team just because you happen to follow a team that is based in Spain (FCB), which is actually exclusively tied to Catalonia more than anything else.

So says the fan of countless national allegiances...Until there are regulations/rules on what teams a fan can support, I'll carry on supporting whom I like, d'accord?

I am partially Spanish so I am not biased here at all or anti-Spanish.

Precisely my point, you've got multiple nationality disorder and you're weighing in on who should/can support whom?...Good grief

 

[Cruijffista]

The Spain-Finland match was not exciting at all, it was the very definition of "parking the bus" and playing 10 behind the ball at times. Finland needed 3 points as badly as anybody needed in that group and they very much were playing for 1 point, I can't respect that.

What's really unfortunate is Alba getting hurt and possibly out for the 1st Leg of the PSG tie. La Roja will be fine because they can play Monreal but Barca may have to throw Montoya out there @ LB if Adriano doesn't heal in time because it would be asking a lot of Abidal for one of his first starts to be a CL game. It would be an incredible moment if Abidal did come out and lock shit down in Paris though.

 

[FinCulé]

The game might have been exciting for those cheering for Finland, but it was a really boring game for neutrals.

Well, I understand that. Spain vs. any other team of Finland's calibre would be equally boring for neutrals. You can't assume to see sexy football by both teams as the other dominates that kind of playing style and the other one doesn't. 6-0 trashing would have been equally boring. At least now there was a genuine fight for the points (I'm not sure if Spain really put up any kind of a fight though).

So, perhaps Spain is the problem. They've evolved a playing style that they can use every single time and their opponent has to adjust its strategy according to Spain's way of playing. I still think that excitement is a subjecive matter. I've really enjoyed same kind of games, like Spain vs. Georgia or Spain vs. Switzerland at the World Cup. For me it is fascinating to see that Spain's style isn't always so effective and other teams have also chances to succeed with a good gameplan.

 

[FCBarca]

Sure, Spain is the problem...I can't wait to get out this weekend to play a little football and camp out with the rest of my mates around our 6 yard box, for the afternoon...Joy

Gotta be every future footballer's dream