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Sustainable Spain: Far From ‘Boring’

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The first few fixtures somewhat fluctuated for the World Champions. Looking at Group C, the whole story is far from explicitly told; with 7 points and a superior goal difference, Spain entered the first knockout round after topping the table. However, they did so narrowly. The determined Croatia snapped at the Spaniard’s heels and a late substitute, Jesus Navas, scored the game’s solitary goal, sealing qualification to the last eight following a controversial decision to not award the Croats a penalty kick. They may well have breezed past Giovanni Trapattoni’s Irish, however the media and watching world could not decide if Spain would even make it close to defending their prestigious silverware. Nevertheless, you are reading this because Spain are once again European Champions; the instant the trophy was lifted signified journalists and pundits alike to change tune and (in some cases) forcibly accept that yes, Spain are quite incredible. Conclusively, the only ones labelled as ‘boring’ were the repetitive critics themselves.

And that, in a nutshell, is Vincent Del Bosque’s Spain and their reputation momentarily. However, what will the future bring? Is there sustainability in La Roja‘s seductive brilliance? Will there be more silverware, broken records and history made for years to come? If anyone hopes for exactly that, it is the next generation of footballing Spaniards to represent their country, there to prolong and preserve the present domination of football. Players like Javi Martinez, Isaac Cuenca, Cristian Tello and Thiago Alcantara are the men who may well be doing something along those lines in the near future. To begin with, 23 year-old Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao has already been dubbed a ‘future captain’ of Spain, after an outstanding season with the Europa League finalists. His talents are many; he is tall, strong and an excellent reader of the game at centre-half, or covering the back four as a midfielder, have resulted in international recognition – and rightly so.

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Isaac Cuenca, Cristian Tello and Thiago Alcantara, all of Barcelona, play a major role in the Spanish future too. Thiago is a promising attacking midfielder, who therefore, unsurprisingly, is finding it difficult to gain vast amounts of time playing first team football for the Catalan giants, given the midfield they already possess. Both Cuenca and Tello are at home on the left wing and are both currently linked with loan moves to gain experience. Last season, both were gifted glimpses of football alongside Barça’s elite: Cuenca made 16 appearances scoring 2 goals, whilst Tello, making his Champions League debut against Bayer Leverkusen in the incredible 7-1 win at the Nou Camp in March, scored twice and established his name (to those previously unaware) as one to watch.

It is clear, after looking at these factors, that Spain are going nowhere soon. If they do, they will not be thrust from their throne with just a whimper, nor will they change style to avoid defeat. A transitional period is inevitable and in the near future; however, the typical Spanish way, which many have fallen in love with, will continue to produce constant brilliance for the long term, meaning the next countless generations may well be on par with the Xavi, Iniesta and team mates of today – it would seem this ‘boring’ football may be around for some time to come.

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