World Cup 2022 staff preview: Spain | Soccer Information
World Cup regulars seeking to rising stars for inspiration as they search to rekindle the glory of their 2010 win.
Earlier World Cup appearances: 16
Titles: 1
Finest end: Winners (2010)
World Cup report: W30 D15 L18
Objectives: 99
Greatest win: 6-1 vs Bulgaria (1998)
Participant to observe: Pedri
Present rating: 7
Fixtures: Costa Rica (November 25), Germany (November 27), Japan (December 1)
A confirmed winner as supervisor, a squad replete with younger stars and World Cup-winning captain. Spain might not be the outright favourites in Qatar, however they’re more likely to be tough to beat.
Spanish followers will anticipate their facet to progress with relative ease out of a bunch containing Costa Rica and Japan, however a stern take a look at awaits within the form of four-time champions Germany, with whom Luis Enrique’s staff will most likely battle for the highest spot.
Match regulars Spain have competed at each World Cup since 1978. Solely 5 groups boast higher total look information – Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and Mexico – with Qatar 2022 marking the Spaniards’ sixteenth involvement for the reason that inaugural competitors came about in Uruguay in 1930.
Spain’s World Cup win
In 2010, Spain surprised the match in South Africa with their possession-dominating Tiki-Taka soccer, topping their qualifying group earlier than sweeping apart all challengers within the knockout section to say a historic first World Cup win. That they had by no means beforehand made it previous the quarter-finals.
An initially shaky begin noticed the Spaniards undergo a shock 1-0 opening spherical loss to Switzerland, however victories in opposition to Honduras and Chile steadied the marketing campaign and noticed them arrange a spherical of 16 conflict in opposition to neighbouring Portugal.
From there, the staff proved unstoppable, beating Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and ultimately the Netherlands in a tension-filled remaining determined by an extra-time winner – a run of video games that noticed them contest greater than 360 minutes of elimination soccer with out conceding a single objective.
The win topped a golden interval for Spain, who additionally claimed two European Championship trophies in 2008 and 2012.
Golden Boy Pedri
Regardless of it being his first World Cup marketing campaign, Spanish hopes for glory in Qatar will probably pivot on the performances of Pedro González López, higher often known as Pedri, who turns 20 in November.
Broadly touted in recent times as one in every of world soccer’s most promising wonderkids, the diminutive central midfielder has already affirmed his expertise on the worldwide stage and attracted main popularity of his inventive talents.
He was awarded the distinguished Golden Boy trophy – handed to the standout participant aged 21 or beneath in Europe – on the finish of final yr following a string of eye-catching performances for Spain at Euro 2020 and a breakthrough season at membership facet Barcelona which noticed him win a daily place within the Spanish behemoth’s beginning XI.
Pedri’s Barcelona boss, the legendary ex-Barcelona and Spain midfielder Xavi, has already in contrast the blossoming expertise to fellow Spanish nice Andres Iniesta for his positional intelligence and dazzling technical means.
Robust contenders
Spain is anticipated to battle it out with Germany for preeminence in Group E, however ought to comfortably safe one of many two qualifying spots forward of Japan and Costa Rica.
Underneath the steerage of Enrique, a serial winner with Barcelona from 2014-17, and revered captain Sergio Busquets, a part of the staff that lifted the World Cup in 2010, a run to the ultimate phases of the match is a definite chance.
Seven wins and two attracts of their final 10 video games imply Spain will begin the World Cup on a assured footing.