With far too much time on their hands to reflect on their shocking
World Cup elimination but obviously still unable to leave Brazil, the
Spanish camp in Curitiba counts the seconds until the referee blows the
final whistle of their last and meaningless fixture against Australia.
Every single Spanish player and member of the staff look desperate to
fly back home and forget about this painful experience, in which huge
expectations shifted to immense disappointment in only two matches.
The atmosphere, already tense at the end of their defeat to Chile,
grew heavier after Xabi Alonso stated that "maybe we didn't want it
enough" in a postmatch interview. Some teammates felt outraged by the
midfielder's explanation, as they thought that Alonso should only speak
for himself, and that if he didn't want it enough, he should have stayed
in Spain. A heavy story of controversy between the Real Madrid
midfielder and some other players of the national team hardly helped to
calm things down in Curitiba, even though Alonso was quick to reword his
statement.
Things got worse following Cesc Fabregas' blatant lack of interest in
Sunday's training session. His aloofness irritated the seemingly
ever-Zen Vicente del Bosque, who told off the Spanish midfielder before
reacting in his news conference, saying: "I care about each and every
player on the team, while they only care about themselves."
Fabregas has complained bitterly about his lack of playing time in
the wake of the Chile debacle and his behaviour over the weekend did not
surprise many.
The ugly fact now is that it's extremely hard to
keep the focus on a competition that is over for the Spaniards. In the
last few days, not only Fabregas but also most players have trained with
an unprecedented lack of energy and motivation, as the previous jokes
and positive vibes one used to watch in training sessions have turned
into long faces, small groups of players speaking quietly in the corners
and a general awkward feeling in the team's headquarters.
Among widespread rumours about del Bosque's future -- the Spanish FA
wants him to lead the team's renovation, but he does not seem totally
convinced -- the unavoidable decision of picking an 11-man team for
Monday's match sounds ominous. While a sector of the Spanish media
insists on playing most starters to show due respect to both the
Socceroos and the tournament, common sense dictates that fresh blood
should step on the Curitiba pitch, to give new players some World Cup
experience and test their commitment to be part of the solution in
upcoming competitions.
Javi Martinez and Koke, for instance, need as much playing time with
the national team as they can possibly get, and Spain can only benefit
from that. One other factor needs to be taken into account to choose a
starting 11: This may very well be the last chance for several players
who have performed well in the past to participate in a World Cup match
for Spain. David Villa, for instance, might not wear the red shirt
again, so del Bosque will have to take this into account. In an
additional twist, many journalists believe Pepe Reina will almost
certainly feature in a final cameo for the national team while Gerard
Pique, who seemed bound to start, picked up an injury and won't be able
to play, just like Xavi.
All those factors combined make it hard
to predict who will start on Monday. One's best guess points at a mixed
team that would blend new talent with a few players demanding
recognition for the services rendered, something along the lines of:
Pepe Reina, Juanfran, Raul Albiol, Javi Martinez, Cesar Azpilicueta,
Koke, Sergio Busquets, Juan Mata, Andrés Iniesta (it would be his 100th
match with the national team), Santi Cazorla and David Villa.
Already owners of a negative record-breaking performance by a World
Cup titleholder -- elimination after only two matches -- Spain run the
risk of contending for the wooden spoon of the tournament if they fail
to defeat the lively Socceroos, a team that made both Chile and
Netherlands sweat for a victory. Like former Argentinean player and
manager Jorge Valdano once famously stated, football is a state of mind
and judging by what we've been able to witness during these last few
days in Curitiba, the Australians could have the upper hand in this
match.
Their uplifting displays from the first two games coupled with their
"nothing to lose" attitude meets the lowest-spirited Spain in years, in
an almost noncompetitive fixture in which their only incentive is to
avoid an even bigger fiasco.
Unless Spain's new blood find some hunger to put in an energetic
display, this squad could go back home empty-handed; something
unthinkable before the tournament started. It would be a very sad,
inappropriate ending for what has clearly become the finish of a
wonderful cycle.
