Spain can plot path to glory

Reaction to Friday’s difficult World Cup group stages draw was surprisingly confident in the Spanish camp.

Although Madrid sports paper AS immediately claimed the champions had been given ‘un Grupo Letal’ for next summer’s tournament in Brazil, La Roja coach Vicente Del Bosque rejected a suggestion he now faced a ‘Grupo de la Muerte’.

“I don’t know about a ‘Group of Death’, other groups are stronger,” Del Bosque said. “I thought we would get Holland in the first game, and look what happened. They will demand the best from us. Chile make it uncomfortable for rivals and have good players. And of course Australia could make life difficult for us.”

But his point was clear — Spain should win Group B. Taking that lead most Spanish pundits concluded the main issue was a need to top the pool to avoid meeting presumed Group A winners Brazil until the final.

A path was soon outlined through Croatia or Mexico (last 16), Italy, Uruguay or England (quarter-finals) and then Argentina/Lionel Messi or Portugal/Cristiano Ronaldo in the semis.

The travelling involved in Group B is also not ideal, but relatively mild compared to that facing others, and Spain have learned from last summer’s Confederations Cup. Then a draining semi-final win over Italy in sticky Fortaleza lead directly to a feeble showing in a 3-0 hammering by Brazil in the final in Rio. The Spanish FA also remember the success of four years ago in South Africa, when they were very comfortably based from a low key but high tech university campus at altitude in Potchefstroom.

A provisional plan had already been made to base themselves next summer in a similar setting in Curitiba, after assistant coach Toni Grande was reportedly impressed by the facilities and cool winter climate on a recent scouting mission. That idea will be finalised now as Del Bosque’s side play their final game against Australia in the southern city. Spain will fly from there to a more humid Salvador to play Holland in their opener, and to also relatively cooler Rio for their second match against Chile.

Warm-up plans have been slightly disrupted as Spain had agreed to play Chile on arrival in South America. That game is now off, but another friendly against Peru should go ahead. There will also be time found pre-tournament for the lucrative commercial and promotional work which savvy Spanish FA president Jose Maria Villar always lines up.

Such distractions — plus a sense of been there, done that — have contributed to Spain’s stumbles in recent friendlies, qualifying games and even that Confederations Cup decider.

But the main argument for their slide out to fourth favourites for next summer’s tournament remains an irrational feeling that this side’s run of success cannot last forever. Del Bosque is keen to reject that pessimism, with good reason. Xavi Hernandez, Iker Casillas and Andres Iniesta may be getting on, but Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Juan Mata and Jordi Alba are all hugely experienced while still in their mid-20s, and youngsters like Koke, Isco and the barnstorming Diego Costa are ready to step up.

No other country can match Spain for quality from back to front — and these players know they can become the first team to win four championships in a row and the first nation to retain the trophy since Brazil in ’62.

Del Bosque admitted the key issue when talking to El Pais last week — “More than the physical, it is a mental thing: the emotion, the humility, the desire to keep winning,” he said.

Retain that and — even with Friday’s difficult draw — a well prepared Spain can continue to make history.