... we wonder how this alternative XI
(worth £166m) would get on against England - and will Torres be denied World
Cup bow?
Fernando Torres and David Villa make way
for Diego Costa
Juan Mata struggles to force his way into
Vicente del Bosque's plans
Goalkeeper David de Gea behind Iker
Casillas, Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes
When people discuss who will be lifting the
World Cup on June 13, England barely register.
Hosts Brazil, Argentina, Germany and
holders Spain tend to be most people’s pick. An optimistic punter may even have
a flutter on dark horses like Italy, Holland or even Belgium, but Roy Hodgson’s
side are given scant chance of winning their second World Cup this time around.
One reason for this pessimism is the
strength of the squad at Hodgson's disposal when compared to the giants of
Europe and South America.
For instance, a slick, strong Spain squad
face Italy on Wednesday evening, boasting the likes of Sergio Ramos, Xabi
Alonso, Andres Iniesta and Manchester City duo Alvaro Negredo and David Silva.
But there are a number of Spain players who
could do some serious damage on the world stage who haven’t been included in
Vicente del Bosque’s party for the Madrid game.
In fact, we’ve compiled an alternative
Spain XI of players who haven’t made Del Bosque’s squad. Among them are
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Real Madrid’s fledgling playmaker
Isco and Atletico Madrid hotshot David Villa.
United's £37million signing Juan Mata isn't
involved and Juventus hitman Fernando Llorente has also been overlooked.
Villa and Chelsea's £50m signing Fernando
Torres were part of the Spain set-up for their historic three consecutive
major-tournament wins, but both have been omitted to make way for Atletico
Madrid's Brazil-born striker Diego Costa and Negredo.
Of our XI, only Barcelona’s Gerard Pique is
injured - but the remainder have been left out or rested - and this team would
surely prove difficult opposition if pitted against, say, England.
In fact, almost all of them would waltz
straight into Roy Hodgson's starting line-up. Each one is a regular in a
Champions League knock-out-stage team and have a combined value of around
£166m.
Admittedly, Del Bosque will field a mix of
experienced and fringe players against the Italians, but Spain’s astonishing
strength in depth isn’t just a worry for England.
The fact that they have eleven players that
haven’t made the squad for one of the final friendlies before their World Cup
defence who have accrued millions of pounds in transfers and a ton of
silverware should send shivers through the spines of the other big nations
heading into the tournament.
Brazil seemed to manage OK in the
Confederations Cup final at the Maracana, mind.
A striking difference: The men who could
leave Torres in the cold
Fernando Torres, who has won three
consecutive major tournaments with Spain, may struggle to force his way into
the squad after being dropped along with David Villa for the upcoming friendly
against Italy.
Vicente del Bosque likes to deploy one man
up top, and it appears as though Torres is not his man.
Alvaro Negredo has embraced the rough and
tumble of the Premier League since joining Manchester City last summer from
Sevilla. He's also operated well as the spearhead of Del Bosque's in recent
qualifiers and friendlies.
Meanwhile, Diego Costa has decided to play
for Spain over Brazil. Del Bosque will find it hard to ignore a player who has
netted 26 times this season with Atletico Madrid, despite his penchants for
controversy.
Barcelona have another attacking gem in
Pedro. The fleet-footed wide man isn't as advanced as an out-and-out striker,
but he's versatile and his ability to ghost in from the flank has seen him
snatch 14 goals so far this campaign.
And then there's Villa. At 32, he hasn't
hit the heights of his earlier career in terms of goals, but has built up a
solid partnership with Costa at Atletico. Villa has managed to find the back of
the net 11 times this season
Those who aren't in Del Bosque's squad just
yet needn't be too concerned though.
'This list is exclusively for the game
against Italy," He said after announcing his 22 players. 'There are three
months left of competition and many things can happen to convince us to bring
other players. We don't close the door to anything.
From dailymail
