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With the football world cup now only a few months away, debate is growing across the globe regarding which team is going to return from South Africa triumphant. However, what with their flair, individual talent and form, it is difficult to conceive of any team other than Spain lifting the trophy in July.
Spain is currently number one in the FIFA World Rankings, and it is easy to see why. From February 2007 to June 2009 the Spaniards went on world record 35-game unbeaten run, during which they were crowned the worthy winners of Euro 2008. Since this run was finally broken, their form has been even more impressive, winning nine games in succession, amassing 30 goals, and managing 5-goal routs on 3 separate occasions.
The Spanish team has built its success around an ideology of attacking, aesthetically pleasing football; in which emphasis is put on skill, flair and keeping possession. The other team renowned for this style is Barcelona, the club currently considered the best in the world. Key to both sides play is the irresistible, telepathic midfield pairing of Xavi Hernandez (euro 2008 player of tournament) and Andres Iniesta (described by Wayne Rooney as ‘the best player in the world’). The two knit together the Spanish team, and whose qualities of vision, movement and passing create chances, maintains possession, and brings out the best from their team mates.
Profiting from the midfield’s creativity are arguably the two best strikers in the world, Fernando Torres and David Villa. The talent of Torres is well known by the British public due to the 62 goals he has scored in his 106 appearances for Liverpool, whilst Villa’s record of 37 goals in 55 international games is one of the best in the world. The quality of this pairing contributed to Spain’s total of 28 goals scored in the qualification round, the second highest tally in Europe.
Their defence is also rock solid, with only Holland and Slovenia conceding less in qualifying. With the consistently brilliant Iker Casillas in goal and the in-form centre-back partnership of Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique – who have overseen Barcelona concede less goals this season than any other major European club - the Spaniards will be very hard to score against.
The other two nations cited as favourites for the World Cup are Brazil and England, however both fall short when compared to Spain. Although England has improved considerably under Fabio Capello, their style remains too ‘English’; in other words, Rooney aside they lack players of flair who possess the creativity needed to break down the strongest of defences. It says a lot for the difference between the two sides that Cesc Fabregas, who if he were English would probably be the player the team was built around, is mostly used by Spain as a substitute.
Perhaps surprisingly, Brazil has a similar problem. The traditional Brazilian characteristics of attacking football and inventiveness have been suppressed by coach Dunga, and replaced by an efficient, counter-attacking style. Whilst their defence looks solid, they often struggle to break teams down – in 6 out of their 18 qualifiers they failed to score.
Spain therefore look set to follow on from the success of Euro 08 and 100% record in qualification to win the world cup for the first ever time. And their victory can only be good for football, to show how the beautiful game ultimately triumphs over more defensive, cynical styles of play.
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