Chapter 286: The Team Arrives in Brazil, Brazilian Tricks!
As this year's Champions League runner-up, Atletico Madrid has four players selected for the national team, even more than Real Madrid.
To play it safe, Del Bosque has recruited players who performed exceptionally well at their clubs this season, those who are mainstays in their teams and can make an immediate impact.
He left out players like Isco, Cazorla, Morata, Javi Garcia, and Negredo.
This roster announcement did spark some controversy, especially about the forward line.
"Isn't having five forwards too many?"
A few years ago, Spain's biggest headache was the lack of strong forwards.
But now, they no longer worry about that and instead feel their forward line is too crowded!
"Honestly, we don't need that many forwards. Iniesta and David Silva can play as wingers. Lin Quan and Villa can play both central and wide roles. Lin Quan can even play as an attacking midfielder. One out of Torres and Costa would be enough!"
"Exactly, Torres has been performing poorly these past seasons. Last year at Chelsea, he played 32 games but only scored 9 goals, which is quite disappointing!"
Torres has indeed struggled these past seasons. His goal tally is not just behind Lin Quan and Diego Costa, but even behind the 33-year-old veteran Villa.
Many Spanish fans remember the last World Cup.
In the South Africa World Cup, Torres played 7 matches for Spain but didn't score a single goal, which was a huge letdown.
Fans, like military enthusiasts, can be fickle.
With new favorites, they quickly discard the old ones.
Since Torres couldn't score, people naturally didn't want to include him.
"Didn't Diego Costa get injured in the Champions League final? Is he recovered?"
"Not likely! The final was less than a week ago, there's no way he could recover that fast!"
"If his injury isn't healed, why include him in the squad?"
For Diego Costa, who is making his first national team appearance, there were many doubts.
He was injured in the Champions League final, and many questioned if he would be ready for the World Cup.
The time between the final and the World Cup is less than a month. Even if he recovers, there wouldn't be enough time to train and gel with his teammates.
In a situation lacking teamwork and coordination, it's doubtful how effective he would be on the field.
If Spain were still the team lacking forwards, fans might have been desperate enough to include him.
But now, with Lin Quan in the squad, many questioned Del Bosque's decision, and doubts arose.
Regardless, after the final 23-man roster was announced at the end of May, Spain's lineup was set.
Once the team gathered, Del Bosque conducted a week-long closed training session.
Spain's traditional tactics involve possession football, which has brought them numerous honors in various competitions.
Logically, they shouldn't easily change their style of play.
However, Barcelona's failures in both the league and Champions League this season gave Del Bosque a sense of urgency.
Possession football is no longer a mystery. Everyone understands its strengths and weaknesses and knows how to counter it.
In La Liga, Atletico Madrid's high pressing and counter-attacking strategy troubled Barcelona, proving that this method can effectively limit possession football.
In Group B, where Spain is placed, the Netherlands, known for their total football, are a team that likes to press high.
The Dutch, considered the best team never to win a World Cup, have a very strong squad.
A team capable of playing total football is naturally not weak.
They will undoubtedly be Spain's biggest competitors in the group stage. The Dutch, eager for revenge, will be in top form when facing Spain, seeking to avenge their loss in the South Africa World Cup final.
In this context, Spain faces a tough challenge.
The match between Spain and the Netherlands is the first in the group stage, crucial for both teams' chances of advancing.
The winner will have the upper hand in the group, while the loser risks elimination.
Moreover, finishing second in the group means facing the winners from other groups, making the subsequent matches more difficult.
As defending champions, Spain will be under immense scrutiny.
If they lose the first match, the criticism will be overwhelming, placing unprecedented pressure on the players and coaching staff.
If this pressure carries into the next match, they might face two consecutive defeats, leading to elimination.
Defending champions losing the first two matches and failing to advance from the group stage would be a new record, but not a good one—it would be a record remembered and mocked for years.
In the South Africa World Cup, the defending champions, Italy, at least made it to the third group match. Spain must avoid breaking this record.
To ensure this, Del Bosque plans to adjust the team's tactics.
Of course, with limited time, he can't create a new tactical system.
These adjustments are mainly for the first group match against the Netherlands.
Against the total football of the Dutch, launching effective counter-attacks is key to limiting and possibly defeating them.
This is the main reason Del Bosque included Diego Costa in the squad.
He designed a specific tactic and had the team practice it.
The results were decent, and they played two friendly matches against lower-league Spanish teams to test the players' form.
Overall, except for some older players, Spain's form was good.
However, the aging squad was a significant issue.
After a long season without rest, players like Xavi, Villa, and Alonso showed a decline in form.
Moreover, their fitness might not support them playing full matches.
Thus, in the upcoming matches, Del Bosque must minimize the time these players are on the field simultaneously to avoid running out of substitutes if unexpected situations arise.
Fortunately, there are enough players on the bench, so Del Bosque doesn't have to worry about personnel issues for now.
On June 6, just 8 days before the group stage starts, the entire Spanish team boarded a plane in Madrid, heading to the World Cup host country—Brazil!
Spain wasn't the first team to depart; England and Germany had already left earlier.
However, as the top favorite for this World Cup, Spain received much more attention than the other two teams.
The Spanish team first flew to Washington, D.C., and after a short layover, they caught a connecting flight to Curitiba, Brazil.
During their layover at Washington airport, the presence of the Spanish national team caused a huge commotion. Many fans recognized the team and rushed to ask for autographs and photos, leading to a moment of chaos.
The airport had to deploy hundreds of security personnel to maintain order and section off the area around the team, finally stabilizing the situation.
When they arrived at their base in Brazil, they were once again met with enthusiastic support. Over 5,000 local Brazilian fans and some Spanish fans who arrived early came to welcome them at the airport.
There were also countless journalists from various countries present at the scene.
Seeing hundreds of reporters and thousands of fans at the airport, the Spanish players truly felt the World Cup atmosphere.
Although they were seasoned players, the World Cup has a unique vibe that can excite and make even the most experienced players nervous.
Newcomers like Lin Quan felt even more pressure.
"Relax, the game is still a while away!" Puyol noticed the tension among the players and clapped his hands in the bus to calm them down.
"Plus, we're the defending champions. What do we have to be nervous about? It's the other teams that should be nervous!"
This comment made everyone laugh, and the tense atmosphere in the bus eased up significantly.
Lin Quan discreetly gave Puyol a thumbs up. Inviting Puyol to join the team was definitely the right decision!
To welcome the Spanish team, Curitiba airport and the Caju Sports City base deployed 500 security personnel to escort Spain's bus to the training base.
However, even with such measures, fans still managed to hug and ask for autographs from top stars like Lin Quan, coach Del Bosque, captain Casillas, and Iniesta as they left the airport.
The number of fans was simply too overwhelming.
Moreover, the security personnel in Brazil were not very professional. While holding back the fans, they took advantage of their positions to get autographs and photos with the Spanish players themselves.
The Spanish players found this quite amusing: "Guys, you're at work, can't you be a bit more serious?"
However, not everyone was welcomed. Spain's new forward, Diego Costa, was booed by Brazilian fans as soon as he appeared at the airport.
Some fans even made obscene gestures at him. Costa, looking upset, had to pretend not to see them and quickly left the airport with the help of security, boarding the team bus.
Meanwhile, his teammates were still surrounded by fans, unable to get away.
Due to the commotion at the airport, the tournament organizers took the defending champions' security very seriously.
To ensure the Spanish team's safety, at least 200 security personnel were stationed around the Caju Sports City every day to maximize the protection of the champions during their training and daily activities.
After a 16-hour long flight, the entire Spanish team was exhausted.
Upon arriving at the World Cup training base in Curitiba, Del Bosque did not arrange any training sessions but instead let the players rest.
There is a 5-hour time difference between Brazil and Spain, and the players needed to adjust to the local time as quickly as possible to get their bodies ready.
Otherwise, lack of proper rest could severely affect their performance, potentially leaving them out of the opening match!
The players understood this well and obediently went to their rooms to rest.
During the World Cup, to avoid scandals from players going out to party, Del Bosque allowed the players' families, the famous "WAGs," to accompany the team.
Unlike Germany's coach, Joachim Low, who strictly forbade such things, Del Bosque wasn't against players' wives and girlfriends coming to support them, as long as it didn't interfere with the matches.
This open-minded approach was greatly appreciated by the Spanish players.
In the days following Spain's arrival, teams participating in the World Cup started to arrive as well.
The World Cup atmosphere grew stronger, with banners and posters promoting the event everywhere.
Even inside the training base, the Spanish players could feel the rising excitement.
This was because the number of Brazilian fans outside the training grounds started to increase.
Unlike the previous friendly Brazilian fans, these new fans were die-hard supporters of the Brazilian national team.
Waving Brazilian flags and with face paint, they made a lot of noise outside the training grounds, often hurling insults at the Spanish players.
Hosting the World Cup on home soil, Brazil was desperate to lift the trophy in front of their home crowd!
However, based on last year's Confederations Cup final, they knew they needed to overcome the formidable Spanish team to achieve this dream.
Facing this almost invincible Spanish squad, the Brazilians weren't very confident.
So, many Brazilians hoped the Netherlands and Chile could join forces to eliminate Spain in the group stage.
To this end, they didn't hesitate to disrupt Spain's training, hoping to affect their condition and make their matches more challenging.
The Spanish team manager immediately contacted security, asking them to disperse the disruptive fans.
But the security personnel only made a token effort and then left it at that.
Seeing the security's attitude, the fans became bolder, increasing in number and getting closer to the training grounds.
This infuriated Del Bosque, who urgently contacted the hotel to change their accommodation and the Spanish Football Federation to lodge a protest with FIFA.
The Brazilian team's underhanded tactics were disgraceful!
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.