A different complexion for La Roja—from shirts to players.

Spain met Venezuela in an international friendly in Malaga, and as with their earlier meeting in Venezuela during La Roja’s tour of the America’s back in June 2011, the World Champions simply outclassed their opponents, this time giving them a 5-0 drubbing.

This match is considered a particularly important one, as it is the last appearance before the Euro 2012. Pundits have stated that the line-up for this particular match is indicative of the line-up for the upcoming tournament. That said, the key changes were that David Villa and Fernando Torres were not called up (and based from the 2010 World Cup line-up, Pedro Rodriguez, Raul Albiol, and Joan Capdevila were also not called up)—for varying reasons.

Villa’s still out with an injury, while Torres has faced an extended slump in form—so extended that it is pathetic already. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Fernando Torres, but I hate having to face the reality that we might have already seen the best from Nando.

In their place, Iker Muniain and Roberto Soldado have been called up. Muniain is a standout for La Rojita, while Soldado’s name has been floated for quite some time already. Soldado proved as to why there have been loud calls for him to get called up, scoring a hat-trick against the Venezuelans.

That said, I do think Soldado has solidified his spot in Spain’s line-up for Euro 2012. If anything, this now provides a different complexion to La Roja, apart from the unsightly light blue shirts (which I probably will buy anyway).

Nueva segunda camiseta!

La Roja has unveiled their away kit for Euro 2012, and it’s… it’s… it’s… light blue. I am not a big fan of this particular away kit (and to think I generally like Spain’s away kits). I initially liked Iker’s second goalkeeper kit, but if you look for the photos somewhere, the color-blocking in front is just horrible.

The video to unveil it is lovely though. The boys talked about their memories of the 2010 World Cup, going back to the whole “El pasado no cuenta, todo vuelve a empezar” theme for Euro 2012.

Roja, roja, roja es mi nueva camiseta.

Bangkok, one more reason why you rock.

Start the New Year with Something Red

Well, I wouldn’t be stingy to this group of carolers:

And of course, it is only fitting to start the year in something red (hello, Adidas Philippines—when are you going to carry the new Spain shirt???):

Yep, all I want for Christmas is La Roja.

Lucky to have scraped with a draw and some defensive notes.

Spain played Costa Rica last Tuesday (Wednesday morning, Manila time), and it marked Iker Casillas’ 127th cap for Spain—officially making him the most capped Spanish international. However, it was not the best way for nuestro capitán to mark such—especially after allowing two Costa Rica goals in the first half, with the first goal completely a massive defensive lapse on Iker’s part. He wasn’t even barking out his usual instructions to his defenders—he just looked sad. Pobrecito!

Two late goals from David Silva and David Villa salvaged the World Champion’s pride, but given how Costa Rica played, the hosts surely deserved the win.

Now, there are pundits who say that Spain’s form in friendlies has been a cause for concern. I reckon this is brought about by the loss to England and the draw with Costa Rica. Now let’s break this down.

Spain’s form versus England was not their best, but it was still miles apart from England. Spain dominated possession and had more shots on goal—it was just an unlucky night. Meanwhile, the draw with Costa Rica was indicative that the Back Four remains to be quite an experiment. I wouldn’t say that the World Champion’s drop in form in friendlies is a huge concern (come on, everyone has a point to prove against them, but for the Euro 2012 qualifiers to date—spotless), but it just give Vicente del Bosque room to experiment with the future line-up and succession planning, so to speak.

First, Sergio Ramos as RB/CB. I’m a huge fan of The Ramos, and one of his strengths is being an enterprising right back (and remember when Theo Walcott ran into a wall named Sergio Ramos? That was epic.). However, in recent months, he’s also shown at Real Madrid that he can be a capable centerback, and this is something that Vicente del Bosque has picked up on. However, the partnership with either Gerard Pique or Carles Puyol still needs some work, and this was evident when Costa Rica just made them eat their dust.

Second, Alvaro Arbeloa as RB. Arbeloa has not seen much action in the World Cup, but he has since proven at club level that he’s more than a utility man, and Vicente del Bosque has been utilizing him more often. I think he just needs to have a bit more consistency in his game—either he’s got monster games or he just disappears on the pitch.

Third, Jordi Alba could well be the next starting LB. Clearly impressive during the friendly versus England, and here’s another one of those enterprising fullbacks. Between him and Nacho Monreal, I’d rate him higher. I do hope he gets more call-ups with La Seleccion.

Fourth, what about Jose Enrique? People in England say Jose Enrique should be called up for the Spanish National Team, and hey, there’s merit to the clamor. The Liverpool left back has proven to be a key piece in King Kenny’s battle team this season, and he could well be another stable option for Vicente del Bosque. He hasn’t had any call-ups yet for for the senior squad, but had made a handful of appearances in the U16s, U20s, and U21s. (Hey Pepe Reina, put in a good word for your fellow Spaniard, will you?)

Fifth, the Age Question. At the end of the day, this boils down to the question of ageism. Two of the starters in the World Cup-winning team are hitting their mid-30s, and Vicente del Bosque is indeed looking for capable replacements for Carles Puyol and Joan Capdevila. Only time will tell though if the defensive experiments will pay off in time for next year.

(And because it was a rather painful game to watch, I’ll just share pre-match photos of the team in Costa Rica.)

See you when it matters, kids.

When Fabio Capello announced his squad that would face Spain in this international friendly, everyone was quick to assume that it was already a ready excuse should they be humiliated by the World Champions. After all, several big names were missing—how could this squad stand a chance against the Spanish armada?

One factor that perhaps was overlooked was Spain’s rather dismal record on international friendlies post their World Cup 2010 win, with the L column registering the highest tally.

And on November 12, the side that had something to prove prevailed.

Throughout the match, I kept thinking about Xabi Alonso’s interview in The Guardian, where he notes some key differences between English and Spanish football player—it was evident in how both sides played, particularly in the first half, when the quality between both sides was just gaping. Obviously, the game changer (not just about the result, but what changed England’s psyche for the remainder of the game) was Frank Lampard’s header off a free kick to beat Pepe Reina and whoever else was supposed to mark him.

Still, a few key observations had to be made about La Roja’s performance: first, the midfield is not as tight as it usually is; second, there was no finishing—for all of Spain’s possession and technical quality, the England defense just snuffed out most of the attempts (England’s defensive line pretty much was made up of their 11 men); and third, hardly any Spaniard could break the defense, particularly in the last third of the game. Cesc Fabregas had the best chance for an equalizer, and he should have gone for goal instead of making the extra pass (which was intercepted).

Sure, the match was not the thriller that people expected it to be, yet England can only hope to take away a renewed confidence in how they perform as a team coming into Euro 2012. For Spain, Vicente del Bosque will be looking at what went wrong, but hey, I have confidence that the Spaniards will bring on the hunger and intensity during a match that matters. (Beat the World Champions, feel like World Champions—but hey, Spain are still the World Champions.)

Next up: a friendly versus Costa Rica. There were talks of a friendly versus China earlier in the year. Oh boy, if that had happened, maybe I’d be seeing my beloved team in the flesh already.

Side Notes: This is Xabi’s first time to play in Wembley, and he clocked a solid performance despite the loss. This is also a breakout game for Jordi Alba, who showed his quality as a left fullback. And for the love of all things handsome, what is that thing on Cesc Fabregas’ head?

It is also important to note that this is Iker Casillas’ 126th cap for Spain, tying Andoni Zubizarreta for most caps for country. Felicidades capitan!

And this is what it feels like to by on Skype with Iker (well, we can all dream, right?):

El pasado no cuenta. Todo vuelve a empezar.

Here’s the latest video from Adidas promoting the Euro 2012 shirt. How very fitting (pun intended, especially with Fernando Llorente here).

News flash: Iker Casillas will also be wearing an all-yellow kit for Spain.

1088

1088.

That is the number of Spain’s passes in this morning’s (Manila time) match versus the Czech Republic. La Roja (ironically in white, with Czech Republic in red) has already qualified for the Euro 2012 finals, but that did not stop the European and World Champions from displaying excellent form.

I know there are some who criticize the tiki-taka that all they do is pass-pass-pass for a full 90 minutes. Yet, they fail to see it’s not just about the possession. It’s about methodically breaking down the opponent. Watching this game made me think La Roja was at one of their finest—despite the fact that key men such as Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas are out due to injury.

Interestingly enough, Vicente del Bosque started David Silva and Fernando Torres—this after SIlva lamented that he no longer gets a spot in the starting XI after Spain’s loss to Switzerland in their first game in the World Cup 2010 and after Fernando Torres was not even on the bench in their last Euro 2012 qualifier versus Liechtenstein. Trust the marquis to issue a challenge to both players by giving them starting spots.

La Roja got an early goal from Juanin Mata, off a Xavi assist—which was sublime, to capture it succinctly. Meanwhile, David Silva proved his magic by making an assist to Xabi Alonso, who scored Spain’s second goal. This is Xabi’s 11th goal since del Bosque took over—and only David Villa has scored higher with 13 goals. Xabi is also Spain’s 5th highest scoring midfielder to date. Unfortunately, my man had to be subbed out after receiving a horrible tackle from Hübschmann, who was automatically awarded a red card. Thank goodness, Xabi is fine (all man, all rock, all ginger).

Iker Casillas, as expected, was hardly tested, and this is his 150th cap for Spain. We also saw the return of Carles Puyol to national team duties since late last year, coming on for Sergio Ramos, who was also injured. I also thought Alvaro Arbeloa (bless his thigh) is performing much better these days. Javi Martinez, who came on for Xabi Alonso, also had two opportunities to add to the goal tally, both of which hit the crossbar.

1088, it’s 150 passes more than most teams accomplish in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Nothing less from los campeones de Europa y del mundo.

And because I just had to:

Euro 2012 Qualifiers: Spain 6 – 0 Liechtenstein

Thank god for TVE, which shows La Roja’s matches in the Philippines (live, at that). This is more than I can say for ESPN/Star, who refuses to air Liverpool’s matches in our fledgling football country.

Of course, TVE did not disappoint with the Spain-Liechtenstein match. And La Roja did not disappoint either (but of course, Liechtenstein are minnows!).

This match saw the pairing of Sergio Busquets and Raul Albiol at the central defense, which was not a disaster compared to the Javi Martinez-Raul Albiol partnership several days ago—but of course, the credit goes to Spain’s steely midfield anchored by Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, and Xabi Alonso, who made sure that Spain dominated possession.

Liechtenstein clearly played with defense in mind, but even their defense was no match for the World Champions, who just managed to find those open spaces. The passing was just too sublime, and if Liechtenstein’s goalkeeper just had an off day, it would have been raining goals for Spain at the rate they were playing.

Alvaro Negredo scored twice, at the 32nd and 37th minutes. Now this is a player whose looking to have a spot at the Euro 2012, and it is worth noting that he started ahead of Fernando Torres, who was not even on the bench. Now, let’s not jump conclusions to Torres being beyond his prime. Only 18 players were required by UEFA, and among those who also sat this one out were Martinez and Pepe Reina.

Xavi got into the scoreboard at the 43rd minute, with a beautiful golazo off a free kick. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why this man is called a football maestro. Xavi was substituted in the second half by Cesc Fabregas, who still badly needs a haircut.

On the 51st minute, my favorite pony, Sergio Ramos, scored a goal of his own. That is what you call being at the right place at the right time, gently nudging the ball with his left foot to the bottom right corner of the goal. Meanwhile, David Villa (god bless the copious amounts of gel on his hair) scored his 48th and 49th goals for Spain in this match.

Other key substitutions included: Thiago, who makes his first official appearance for Spain (hands off, Brazil!); and Fernando Llorente, “el hombre de Logroño”. I love it that Vicente del Bosque pays attention to such things.

This victory essentially puts defending champions Spain through to the Euro 2012 finals. Vamos La Roja!

Partido Amistoso: Spain 3 – 2 Chile

Spain has been regularly criticized for lackluster performances following their 2010 World Cup campaign. It’s not all too surprising, as the world champions themselves admitted they lack the motivation to do well in a friendly—which should possibly be the only time wherein other teams can prove their mettle against La Roja.

That said, this was a very testy friendly against Chile, perhaps even testier than their 2010 World Cup match, which Spain won, thanks to goals by David Villa (massive, massive goalkeeping error right there) and Andres Iniesta. This time, the tables were turned on the world champions as Chile led by 2-0 at the half. What went wrong then?

Vicente del Bosque likes using international friendlies to experiment line-ups. Quite understandable, given that most of the defenders utilized in the World Cup were either injured or not called up to give a chance to the U-21 standouts. Starting in the back four for Spain were Sergio Ramos, Javi Martinez, Raul Albiol, and Alvaro Arbeloa. The partnership between Javi Martinez and Raul Albiol has yet to be functional, and Chile was aggressive in attacking from both flanks, which left wide open spaces for scoring opportunities. Isla’s golazo in the 11th minute surely obliterated the defense. Who were the people most pissed with that goal? Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, and Joan Capdevila, I bet.

So how bad was the defense? Chile’s Vargas scored another goal in the 20th minute. At this point, the experiment was so bad you could throw in Jason Sabio in the fray (Shut up, Azkals bandwagon fans, I stand by what I said—Sabio is much better off completing his law studies). Yes, it is the “friendly” La Roja that showed up in the first half. That’s not to say that Spain did not dominate possession—we had it 59% of the time. The Silva-Villa connection was working well—everything but the finish, however.

Interestingly enough, Vicente del Bosque made key substitutions in the midfield, not on his back four, for the second half. Andres Iniesta came on for Xabi Alonso, and he created an impact by scoring Spain’s first goal at the 55th minute. There was also another super sub that came on together with Fernando Torres, and that is Cesc Fabregas, who scored a doblete—including one penalty kick—for the first time in his international career, to seal a victory for Spain 3-2.

That said, the highlight of this match was this brawl that happened in the dying minutes of the game (HOMBRES, ES UN AMISTOSO!):

A few notes: 1) Iker is a captain to the end, taking the lead in getting his teammates away from the fracas. 2) Nando is such a girl, and I love it. 3) Sergio is one very strong pony.

MOTM: Cesc Fabregas, and I am still continuing my appeal for him to have a decent haircut.

ETA: In hindsight, it’s good the brawl happened. It’s just proof that there are no divisions within La Roja. Vamos Campeones!