Doha: Following their failure to defend their only title eight years ago in Brazil and their poor showing in Russia 2018, the Spanish team reclaimed their position and now are facing a challenge to prove themselves and challenge for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 title, the first-ever World Cup to be held in winter.
Spain will recall memories of winning the first World Cup held in Africa when they start their journey in Qatar’s World Cup. They will be facing Costa Rica with hopes of winning the first-ever World Cup held in the Middle East and Arab region.
The first match on November 23 will be a big challenge for Spain, who no longer have many players of the team that made Tiki Taka famous and won the title in Johannesburg.
Spain’s squad includes mostly young and inexperienced players, while Costa Rica’s squad includes many players who qualified for the quarterfinals in FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.
Spain and Germany are the Group E favourites which also includes Costa Rica and Japan given their great history, yet football only recognizes the performance and effort of players on the pitch.
The match that catches the eye in the second round of Group E will be Spain vs Germany. The two teams have a long history at the international level and this match could be decisive for both teams, especially in case of losing the opening match.
Although the final Spain squad will not be announced soon, the most prominent expected to feature in Qatar will be: David De Gea, Sergio Busquets, Koke Merodio, Jordi Alba, Alvaro Morata, Cesar Azpilicueta, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Daniel Carvajal.
Despite their good form and strong showing at EURO 2020, which saw them lose to champions Italy in the semifinals, coach Luis Enrique dismissed his team’s chances winning the title in Qatar.
Enrique believes the title will be decided by either Argentina or Brazil. But Spain were never the favourites when they won the title in 2010.
Spain’s desire for more success on the pitch has not diminished over the years, yet they will need something special to win their second World Cup title. If Spain manage to win the title, they will give Europe its 13th World Cup title, compared to 9 for South America. The latter has not won the title since Brazil’s victory in FIFA World Cup Korea and Japan 2002.
Spain’s historic squad that won the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 included a group of distinguished players, especially in midfield, like Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets, all of whom either retired or grew old. As a result, Enrique’s mission will not be an easy task in Qatar World Cup.
With Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and David Silva, Spain had a group of players with the best passing skills in world football, which made it the only team in the world without an outright striker, relying on players arriving late to the box.
To make their best appearance during this edition of the World Cup, Enrique, who assumed charge of Spain four years ago, will have to set a new philosophy for the team that relies on a mixture of youth and experience.
Spain will start their matches in Group E against Costa Rica at Al Thumama Stadium on November 23. On November 27, Spain will face Germany at Al Bayt Stadium, before concluding their Group E matches against Japan on December 1 at Khalifa International Stadium.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation chose Qatar University as the national team’s camp during their participation in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. They will train on playfield 1 within the training playfields of the university.
Although most of Spain’s players have won several titles at the national and club levels, their recent participation in various tournaments proved that they could be easily defeated. Despite that, Spain remain among the strong candidates for the title.
Spain qualified directly for the first World Cup in the Middle East after finishing on top of Group B that included Sweden, Greece, Georgia, and Kosovo. Spain managed to get 19 points from eight games (6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss).
The Spanish national team, whose federation was established in 1904, is one of the strongest and most prestigious national teams in the world. Spain have always been among the nominated teams to win titles, whether at the international, continental or Olympic level.
The history of Spanish football is filled with titles, whether for the national team or clubs. In addition, Spanish football offered the world some of the best midfielders in the history of football.
During their 15 participations in the World Cup, they waited 66 years to secure their first World Cup title in FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 under the management of Vicente del Bosque, thanks to Andres Iniesta’s goal against the Dutch national team.
Spain failed to qualify for the World Cup on 6 occasions, the last of which was in 1974 FIFA World Cup Germany. Spain hosted the World Cup once, in 1982. They were eliminated from the group stage.
Spain played 63 matches in its total participation in the World Cup. These matches included 30 wins, 15 draws, and 18 losses. They scored 97 goals and conceded 72.
At the European level, Spain and Germany are the most successful teams. Together, they hold the record of winning the UEFA European Football Championship with three titles each.
Spain participated 10 times in UEFA European Championship. In 1964, Spain hosted the tournament and secured their first title after beating the former Soviet Union (2-0) in the final.
Spain made an unprecedented European achievement when it secured the title of the UEFA European Football Championship two consecutive times in 2008 and 2010.
Spain played 41 matches in the UEFA European Football Championship. These matches included 19 wins, 14 draws, and 8 losses. They scored 61 goals and conceded 37.
In the Olympic Games, Spain managed to secure a silver medal in their first participation in the Brussels 1920 Olympic Games. After changing the roles of teams participation in the Olympic Games, Spain managed to secure the gold medal in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and the silver medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The only title that Spain could not secure so far is the FIFA Confederations Cup. They participated in that competition twice, with their best result coming as runners-up after losing in the final to Brazil 0-3.
Spain national team offered a group of the most prominent players in history. These players include Emilio Butragueno, one of the greatest 100 football players in history, Alfredo Di Stefano, legendary goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta and goalkeeper Iker Casillas who participated in four World Cup finals and is their most-capped player at the international level with 167 matches.
Other prominent names in Spanish football include David Villa, the all-time leading scorer with a tally of 59 goals, and Spain’s top scorer in World Cup finals with 9 goals, Raul Gonzalez, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta who scored the winning goal at FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010.
Source: QNA
