Euro 2012 Team Guide: Spain

On the face of it, Spain's qualifying campaign was entirely predictable. They won all eight of their games, and finished eleven points clear of their nearest challengers, the Czech Republic.

I thought it was interesting that they showed a frailty that we haven't seen too often from them before. Given that they were up against rivals that, respectively, scored 12, nine, four and six goals, it was surprising to see Spain concede six times. That may sound unreasonably critical, but the World and European champions set pretty high standards. And it's worth us remembering that Lithuania scored against them home and away, and Scotland managed two against them in Glasgow, while the Czechs grabbed a goal in Alicante. So the only group opponents not to score against Spain were Liechtenstein, leading me to think that the "Both Teams to Score" option may not be a bad one where Spain are concerned, especially if the price makes it a sensible one. They are still brilliant going forward, but Chelsea's performance against Barcelona and the tactics employed by Roberto Di Matteo will not have gone unnoticed by Prandelli, Bilic and Trapattoni. And so their passage may be a little more awkward than many expect.

The Manager

It was Luis Aragones who led Spain at Euro 2008, and so the World Cup winning coach Vicente Del Bosque will be keen to grab an Henri Delaunay trophy, particularly given the fact that his previous Euro experience, as a player in 1980, saw Spain go out without winning a single match.

Del Bosque has evidently done a remarkable job with Spain, and the achievement of winning their last 26 qualifying matches as well as the last European Championship and World Cup is one to be lauded. If you add those bare facts to his two La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, then this is a man who can rightly be described as one of the best coaches in European football history. There are those who will argue that he has been lucky with the timing of his appointments, but we should never underestimate the pressure that comes with being in charge of the best team in the world, and it's a job to which Del Bosque's understated style is suited. Spain won't fail at Euro 2012 because of him.

The Star

Difficult one, this, for obvious reasons. How do you choose between Xavi and Andres Iniesta, while ignoring Iker Casillas and the two little Davids, Silva and Villa? Even though it's not the most original thought, Xavi is Spain's best and most influential player, and it's a shame that he comes into Euro 2012 with a few doubts hanging over him.

The man who sets Barcelona's tempo conspicuously failed to do that when they went out of the Champions League, and it's vital that Xavi is back to his best this summer. The problems haven't been to do with any waning of ability, more an achilles tendon injury which has hampered him. My feeling is that Spain are too short to win Euro 2012 at 3.8514/5 and if Xavi is only at 70% then that price will look even more skinny. He's 32 now, and knows that this could be his last major tournament. He will want to make it count, and I just hope that his legs will let him.

The Rock

The two outstanding forward players in this season's Europa League were the two men who led the line in the final. In my opinion, Radamel Falcao is a better player than Fernando Llorente, but I wouldn't want to take too much away from Bilbao's beanpole. Llorente scored three times in qualifying, and provides a controlled focus for Atheltic''s fantastic young attacking midfield players. Iker Muniain is the only other one of the terrific front five who will play any part here, and Llorente's role for the national side could be a crucial one. He can allow them to play with a different approach, be a little more direct, and that variety will be very important for those times when Spain fail to sparkle.

The Youngster

The two players who fit the bill as young talented players who will be around for years to come are the Bilbao pair of Javi Martinez and Iker Muniain, but the young player (and yes, he is still young enough to count) who will play a massive part is 23 year old Sergio Busquets.

He's not flashy, but he was Barcelona's rock this season, and there's a strong case to say that he was Guardiola's most consistent player. If you compare Busquets to other players in similar positions then you realise just how valuable he is. He will break up play more effectively than, say, Gareth Barry, and yet also provide a threat in front of goal: more dangerous than, say, Daniele De Rossi. He is many different players rolled into one, and his distribution is less flashy than that of Xavi and Iniesta, but almost as important when it comes to making Spain tick.

The Bet

Spain are too short to win Euro 2012 at 3.8514/5 and I suppose that the simple answer to this question is that they're a lay at that price.

However, I'm fully aware that most of you won't be layers at those kind of prices and so we have to look for an alternative. If David Villa was fully fit and guaranteed to play, then he would be a near certainty to finish as Spain's top scorer, but if you believe, as I do, that Spain might just struggle a little and find teams hard to break down, then maybe you might like the idea of looking for an alternative in that market.

David Silva scored four times in qualifying, and has a record of 15 goals in 55 internationals. Before he got tired at the end of the season, he showed just how potent he is in front of goal for Manchester City, and I think that he might be worth a look at something around the 12.011/1 mark. Three goals may well win it, and he's more than capable of that.