The ability of Vicente Del Bosque to leave out Saul and Isco from his squad speaks volumes about Spain’s greatest strength.
‘Embarrassment of riches’ is the perfect phrase to describe the options available to Del Bosque in midfield – the wealth of talent at his disposal really is quite embarrassing.
It all starts, of course, with Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta, who just happened to be the scorer of the most important goal in Spanish football history with his World Cup-winning strike in 2010.
Two more members of that team are still going strong in the form of Catalan duo Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas, with all-action Atletico Madrid star Koke and mesmeric Manchester City creator David Silva adding further class.
And that’s only for starters: Del Bosque has also selected Bayern Munich’s impish playmaker Thiago Alcantara and composed Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano, making the absence of Saul and Isco – hugely talented as they are – no great loss.
Indeed, Del Bosque can even afford to be without two more players who have been regular fixtures in the national squad in recent years, Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata, making it even clearer that Spain’s midfield will boast – by a considerable distance – the most talent in depth out of all competing nations in France.
Isco being left out of Spain's squad is depressing. He needs to leave Real Madrid. Absolute no-brainer for Pep and Man City.
— Andy West (@andywest01) May 31, 2016
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Spain have so many great midfielders within their ranks when you consider their style of play, which is so reliant upon retaining possession with accurate, patient passing, would be impossible to achieve without talented players in the centre of the field.
The consistent methods of Spanish coaching over recent years has bred a generation of performers who are comfortable in possession and know how to find a team-mate.
It has become the ‘Spanish Way’ to dominate the midfield, and hence clubs have logically become adept at developing players who can perform in such a manner. It equally follows, however, that Del Bosque’s squad is similarly weak in another position: goalscoring.
Old-fashioned centre forwards are almost looked down upon in Spain, where it is regarded far more important for children to learn the basic technical skills of controlling and passing the ball before they start to think about anything as vulgar as whacking it towards goal.
That is admirable enough. But goals, as everyone knows, win games. And for all their midfield brilliance, Spain’s lack of players who can execute that task could cost them dear.
