El Mundo Sports

Deemed the first battle of the World War II, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was fought after the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic, which gave autonomy to Galicia, Catalonia, and the Basque Country. Military General Francisco Franco opposed the new rights and didn’t help Spain’s cause with his anti-democratic policies. Franco oppressed the three autonomous regions, demanding they not speak their own languages or fly their own flags. His tactics were malicious, as he would kill those who opposed him. Due to Franco’s presence, Spain was axed from the United Nations and politically isolated after World War II. It wasn’t until his death in 1975 that life began to improve in the country.

Like many nations, Spain’s internal struggle prohibited the national team from competing in FIFA tournaments until 1950. Coincidentally, the World Cup that year was the team’s best performance to date, as they finished fourth. Since that maiden voyage, the Spaniards have been a consistent qualifier, but La Furia Roja have not been able to live up to enormous expectations. The quarterfinals have been their stumbling block in three of the last six World Cups. After winning their first European Championship in 1964, it wasn’t until 2008 that the national team tasted success again, when they took home the European Championship trophy once again.

For this year’s World Cup, La Furia Roja has arguably the best midfield and striker combinations in the world. Before the tournament started, many pundits said the national team should easily top their group and were named one of few favorites to win the World Cup. Then the tournament started and something extremely unexpected happened. Switzerland played with a compact and organized defense, and Spain couldn’t break it down, losing to the Swiss 1-0. Spain controlled possession as was expected with Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso running the show, but their offense couldn’t find a way to score against the organized Swiss defense.

So, what does that mean for Spain? Are they not as good as everyone thinks? Should the Iberian Peninsula be worried that the national team is falling short of expectations again? I don’t think so. The midfield constantly proves they can control a game, but David Villa and Fernando Torres didn’t do much in attack. All in all, the Swiss played the game of their lives and lived for the counter attack. Spain’s next opponent, Honduras, will probably be defensive minded too, which won’t make La Furia Roja’s lives any easier. The South American’s probably aren’t as strong as the Swiss and definitely not as organized, so Spain should have some more space to work their magic. The midfield has to feed Villa and Torres better. One key will be getting Xabi Alonso more involved in the attack as he is great at spraying the ball all over the park. Also, David Silva will need to work better with Xavi Hernandez and both need to feed the ball to the forwards to produce goals.

I never thought I would write this, but if Xavi, Iniesta, and Silva can’t create that magic, Spain may be out of the World Cup after the 1^st round.

Player to Watch: Xavi Hernandez

Game to Watch: 3^rd game against Chile

Predicted World Cup result: Champions

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Switzerland’s jerseys are a bit of a disappointment, not because I expect better for the Swiss, but because Puma has been so creative with the rest of its kits. I mean, the company designed jerseys with watermark symbols representing national flags, animal portraits imprinted on African tops, and some of the more colorful away kits I have ever seen. All they could give the Swiss was this?

I have great ideas for Switzerland’s jersey actually. How about holes all over the jersey representing Swiss cheese? Or what about pictures of pieces of chocolate, melting in someone’s mouth, not there hand? Ok, well maybe not, but Puma should have taken more than 10 minutes between important meetings a few months ago to design this top. The Swiss deserved better than a symbol of a guy kicking at a ball at the Puma symbol across the chest. It’s kind of silly. It’s probably all for not as I don’t see Switzerland progressing anyway.

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