Euro 2012: Spain squad puts Juan Mata, David Silva at forward, shuns Roberto Soldado

 

Valencia's midfielder David Silva (C) celebrates with teammate Valencia's midfielder Juan Mata after scoring against Villarreal their their Spanish league football match at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, on January 17, 2010. Photo by Jose Jordan, AFP/Getty Images

It’s a testament to a team’s greatness when it can lose its greatest forward and defender, and still dress a squad capable of dominating an international tournament.
Spain manager Vicente del Bosque announced his squad for Euro 2012 today, and you hardly notice the absences of David Villa and Carles Puyol when you look at the squad that will be counted on to defend their title.



Here’s the squad, as reported by Agence France-Presse:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Reina (Liverpool/ENG), Victor Valdes (Barcelona).

Defenders: Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol, Sergio Ramos (all Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao).

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Santi Cazorla (Malaga), Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets (all Barcelona).

Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo (both Sevilla), Fernando Torres, Juan Mata (both Chelsea/ENG), Pedro (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao)



If nothing else, this roster reflects the adaptability of Spain’s national team. No Villa? No problem! Del Bosque has simply moved midfielders Juan Mata and David Silva into the forward position. The addition of Pedro Rodriguez is a bit of a surprise, given that he barely played this season, and only well towards the end, but del Bosque was impressed at his performance as Barcelona’s season wound down, so he makes the squad.

So too does Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo, who took the spot that many assumed would go to Valencia’s Roberto Soldado. The breaking point for Soldado was that he scored many goals in the 2011-12 season, but his production waned while Negredo’s got progressively better. It’s surprising not to include Soldado but a smart move by the Spain manager.

Also slightly surprising is that Cesc Fabregas wasn’t included in the forward ranks. Primarily a midfielder, he had to fill in at Villa’s position for FC Barcelona this year but wasn’t always successful in that role. The latest reports say that Fabregas suffered an injury in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao and will have to rest up to 10 days. That may slow down his momentum heading into the Euro but unlike Puyol or Villa he can play the tournament from the start.



What’s really interesting about this squad are the midfield and defense. With Xavi, Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets all playing together, it’s like FC Barcelona controls the midfield, while Real Madrid controls the defense with Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol and Sergio Ramos.

There are of course players from other teams playing for Spain, but an interesting question that could face the team throughout the tournament is how cohesive they could be with the Barca-Madrid rivalry reaching the heights it did this season. Recall, for a second, the griping between Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and Real manager Jose Mourinho, and you get a picture of two teams who have worked very hard at learning to hate and compete with each other.

That could be a difficult psychological boundary to overcome. But with the competition they’ll be facing from teams like Germany and the Netherlands, and Italy in their own group, they must know already that it’s simply something they have to do.