Spain’s loss is not exactly our great gain

SO what was your first thought when you heard the news that David Villa had broken his leg in Yokahama? Poor chap, what an awful blow and, at first, it all looked so innocuous too?

Or, perhaps it prompted a reflection on how cruelly ironic it was that such a significant event should happen in such a meaningless competition?

Or maybe you observed that there’s got to be a lesson in here somewhere about the folly of sending top teams off on supposedly prestigious but pointless and, at base, commercially motivated long-haul excursions slap-bang in the middle of the season?

And, maybe you thought, as you invariably do, that there must be a way to blame Sepp Blatter for this? But, of course, you didn’t think any of those things. No, be honest, your immediate reaction was: oh goody, David Villa might not be back by the time we play Spain in the Euros.

With its passionate and partisan allegiances, the world of sport can be a cruel and unforgiving place but, much as nobody wants to see a man snap his shinbone on a football pitch, the average Green Army foot soldier wouldn’t be entirely human if he or she didn’t see the potential upside for Ireland of Spain’s leading marksman of recent years being at least a doubt for next summer.

Five months is what they’re saying, which would at least give him a fighting chance of making the cut.

And if you have any doubts about the importance of Villa’s role in helping Spain become the reigning world and European champions then just consider these most striking — in every sense — of stats: at the 2010 World Cup he scored five of Spain’s eight goals while at Euro 2008 he was responsible for four out of 12. And his overall record for the national team is 51 goals in 82 appearances.

Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente, Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo, Barcelona’s Pedro or even the long-overlooked Roberto Soldado of Valencia could all come into the reckoning as an orthodox replacement for Villa, if required. That is, unless Vincente Del Bosque opts to go the Barca tactical route and decide that, with the wonderful David Silva capable of taking as well as making goals, he can actually quite afford to do without the services of the striker altogether.

The extent to which Villa can be surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp was graphically illustrated last weekend when Pep Guardiola left him on the bench for Barca’s biggest game of the season so far — ‘El Clasico’ at the Bernabeu. Here was an occasion which was billed as Real Madrid’s best chance in years to wrest supremacy back from their arch-rivals. And, with a Mourinho-inspired pressing game and the advantage of a freak, 23-second Karim Benzema lead, everything looked to be on course for the home side — that is, until a brilliant Lionel Messi run set up Alexis Sanchez for the equaliser. And once a deflected Xavi effort had put them in front, it was all Barca, all the way, with Iniesta in irresistible form and Cesc Fabregas crowning a typically dominant second-half display by the visitors with a wonderful third.

Yes, I think it’s fair to say that Barcelona can cope admirably without David Villa. In fact, scarily, they can even do pretty well without Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol and the rest of the best, as evidenced by the team of kids that Guardiola put out in their dead rubber Champions League group game against BATE Borisov earlier this month. The manager rested 12 — count ‘em — Champions’ League winners for that match.

At 24, Pedro was the side’s seasoned veteran, and weighed in with two goals in a 4-0 win. From first whistle to last, it was just like watching, well, Barcelona.

It is one of the happy facts of your correspondent’s life that I have managed to witness the peerless Catalans winning three Champions League finals in the flesh: against Arsenal in Paris and Manchester United in Rome and again in London. Last May’s performance in Wembley was the best of the lot, with England’s finest not just out-played but out-classed. And, still smarting from that lesson, all Alex Ferguson got for his attempts to out-Barca Barca this time around, was an early exit from the competition, an embarrassment shared by United’s noisy neighbours.

Yesterday’s draw for the last 16 pitted the Premier League’s remaining representatives, Chelsea and Arsenal, against tough Serie A opposition in the shape of, respectively, Napoli and AC Milan. Getting past those two will be tricky enough, never mind any dreams Andre Villas-Boas and Arsene Wenger might have about eventually knocking Barcelona off their lofty perch. It’s Bayer Levekusen’s fate to be next up to try in Europe — the best of luck with that, lads.

Villa or no Villa, watching Iniesta and Xavi making fools of the best opposition the modern game can muster, it perhaps borders on self-delusion to suggest that Ireland should have any reason whatsoever for even a modest growth in optimism about next summer’s meeting with Spain.

But, as Trapattoni likes to say, anything is possible in 90 minutes of football. And at least there’s always the consolation of knowing that we’re only facing the world champions, not the best team in the world.

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