THE PAIN IN SPAIN

SPAIN:

Spain are rated 4^th in the world by FIFA.

The ranking shows that Spain are a really good team, but for years and years they have stacked up wins in friendlies and not performed on the big stages. Only in February they won 1-0 against France. Apart from the Euro 1964, they have never won a big competition.

They struggled to qualify and had to wait for the last day even in a weak group with Sweden, Denmark and Northern Ireland. Spain have some of the best players in the world such as Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas who at 20 is already being compared to Zidane or Platini. There is also Liverpool’s Fernando Torres who scored 24 goals in his first year in England - more than Van Nistelrooy in his first season. It is rumoured Chelsea could offer €70 for Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos.

Then there are Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta and Xavi, Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso and a certain ex-Arsenal player called José Antonio Reyes and goalkeepers such as Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina . On paper a beautiful team. On the pitch it can be another story. Their coach Spain is the racist Luis Aragones the former coach of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid who is now 70. He has failed before and yet hope springs eternal.

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