Can David Villa and Spain win their first ever World Cup?

By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports

Crowned European champions in 2008 and with David Villa in its ranks, Spain are the red-hot favourites to win the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Can Villa reproduce the form that won him the Euro 2008 Golden Boot?

Will Spain buckle under the pressure of being under the microscope?

Here’s a preview of Spain going into the World Cup that will kick off on June 11th.

World Cup Pedigree
They have not won the World Cup before and have a history of performing below expectations at this event. Their Euro 2008 success was their first recent major success.

Qualification
The Spaniards cruised through their UEFA qualifying campaign, picking up maximum points from their group games against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Belgium, Estonia and Armenia to qualify as group winners.

Achievement in 2006 World Cup
Spain only made it as far as the second round in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany.

Being slotted in a relatively easy group, an impressive opening 4-0 win over nearest rivals Ukraine set the tone for Spain to achieve maximum points in the resulting two games against Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Taking on 1998 winners France in the last 16, Spain took an early lead through a David Villa penalty before giving up an equaliser late in the first half. France scored another two in the second half to knock Spain out of the tournament.

Coach
Having managed Real Madrid for a period of five years, current Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has no jitters managing on the big stage.

Having led Real Madrid to two Champions League titles back in 2000 and 2002 and two La Liga titles in 2001 and 2003 in the famous ‘Galacticos’ era, he has the perfect temperament to keep the egos in his star-studded squad in check.

Captain
A Champions League winner with Real Madrid at the age of 18, goalkeeper cum captain Iker Casillas is already a veteran at the age of 28. His vast years of experience playing in goal for arguably the biggest club in the world will prove crucial in denying opposing strikers.

Players to Watch

David Villa – A natural forward, the 28-year-old was the top goalscorer for Valencia in the past five seasons and also picked up the Euro 2008 Golden Boot with four goals.

His partnership with Fernando Torres could prove crucial in breaching opposing defences.

Xavi Hernandez – Being the heartbeat of the Spanish midfield, the 28-year-old playmaker’s vision and wide range of passing will be responsible for carving open many tight defences in South Africa.

Pedro Rodriguez – The 22-year-old had a breakthrough last season when he ousted Thierry Henry from the starting lineup at Barcelona to claim a place beside Lionel Messi in attack.

He also achieved the feat of being the first player to score in six different club competitions. Although he is expected to be used as a substitute, his introduction into the fray late in the game could prove trouble for many opposing defences.

Team Strengths
The depth of the squad is simply incredible with the likes of Pepe Reina and Cesc Fabregas — regulars starters in the English Premier League — sitting on the bench.

The familiarity of the squad with each other cold prove crucial, with the bulk playing together in the Spanish La Liga.

Team Weaknesses
With the squad being widely acclaimed as the best Spanish squad of all-time, Spain could buckle under the incessant media pressure if things start going wrong.

History is also against them in their World Cup bid. Other than France in 1998 and 2000, not many teams in recent times have won two successive major championships in a row.

Overall Squad Strength
In the final 23-man squad announced earlier in the week, Del Bosque named a total of 20 players who ply their trade in the La Liga, with England-based Pepe Reina, Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres making up the rest of the contingent.

They have a total of three uncapped players — the Barcelona duo of Victor Valdes and Pedro Rodriguez, and Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez.

Probable Starting 11
Iker Casillas (GK, captain), Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Joan Capdevila, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, David Silva, Fernando Torres, David Villa

1st Round Predictions
Spain are slotted in Group H alongside Chile, Honduras, Switzerland. They should win all three group matches with ease to set themselves on their way.

Ed’s note: Red Sports will be covering the World Cup daily and so join us each day to share your opinions about the night’s action.

GROUP H	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
SPAIN	3	2	0	1	4	2	+2	6
CHILE	3	2	0	1	3	2	+1	6
SWITZERLAND	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
HONDURAS	3	0	1	2	0	3	-3	1

For full fixtures, go to: 2010 World Cup Fixtures, Groups, Results

 Loading ...