Spain

[ManusXavi]

I love the challenge of trying to guess the squad for a tournament. (injury replacements don't count as failing)
I've never guessed correctly all of it before. 21 is my best. Confederations cup 2013

 

[Behrox]

What if I told you Arbeloa is gonna make the trip to Brazil

 

[ManusXavi]

Bother. . . I kind of put him to one side after he got injured thinking he was confirmed out.
I'm still going to stick with what I have got and guess that Arbeloa won't make it.

May the best guess win.

 

[Behrox]

Bother. . . I kind of put him to one side after he got injured thinking he was confirmed out.
I'm still going to stick with what I have got and guess that Arbeloa won't make it.

May the best guess win.

Actually my reply was to someone else who said the coach would choose the best players on form

 

[ManusXavi]

This man could be a bigger threat to my guess than Arbeloa's injury. Daniel Carvajal.
Done well. . . . . .well enough for a 6 min Youtube video. This came out within the past 2 weeks. It has 1000+ likes out of 44,000 views.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9gnveAnijY

 

[ManusXavi]

Actually my reply was to someone else who said the coach would choose the best players on form

Sweet az

 

[Armando929]

I have thought awhile about this line up. The question being who should play on that left wing. I tossed between Silva/Iniesta and Koke. In the end I chose Silva. Id like him to cut into the middle of the field regularly. Sometimes Alba will pop down the wing. Busquets can slip into the Centre back position to cover during Albas runs (or Martinez depending on who is playing).
No Xavi starting. Personally I would like to not see Xavi start in any world cup game.

The thing with Xavi is that he thrives nowadays depending on the situation... He can still keep possession, and when given enough time, deliver a nice through ball, and he's still good at regulating the tempo of the game. The problems he has is that too many times he wants to keep possession and he hardly attempts those through balls anymore. Plus on defense he's a liability when the opponents are quick on the counter attack and athletic...

If I really ask myself, he's still the best at organizing and initiating the quick short passing rhythm that Spain thrives on. Thiago is not likely to play because of injury . Cesc is more attack minded than Xavi, while Alonso is best at just distributing and providing more steel in the midfield. Iniesta could play the Xavi role, but he's at his best taking guys in the final third...

I have mixed feelings on Xavi. On one hand, his decline is obvious and if we encounter a team that can dispossess at will, then Spain are in trouble. On the other hand, he still understands probably better than anyone else the Spanish style of play and the TEAMWORK of Spain is probably the reason they're so hard to beat. In the end, I'm very sure Del Bosque will go with Xavi and we'll live with the good and the bad of it.

Up top, other than Costa nobody has been scoring consistently. But Costa doesn't seem to fit in the quick short passing system. I think Spain need to play with 2 strikers. Either Villa or Pedro maybe.

Del Bosque will have his hands full picking the lineups.

 

[barcanuck]

Poor ThIago he moved to Bayern so he can make the world cup team and his injury may prevent him from going to his native country. If he doesn't make it that's some bad mojo

 

[Jenks]

His native country?

 

[te amo barca]

Brazil

 

[Jenks]

Isn't he from Italy?

 

[Hamzah]

Born in Italy to a Brazilian dad, grew up in Spain.

 

[Stric]

He's a Spaniard Born in Italy to a Brazilian family.

 

[aaron101]

Isn't his mother a Spaniard?

 

[Flavia]

Isn't his mother a Spaniard?

No, she's brazilian.