Should Spain Wait for Villa?

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque recently said that he is willing to wait until the last moment for taking Barcelona striker David Villa to the Euro 2012. However, could the former Valencia man be responsible for Spain surrendering their dominance internationally just as he was partly responsible for Barcelona's collapse this season?

Even though Spain are the favourites to win the Euro 2012 – according to the Euro 2012 odds, it is likely that it will be reduced if they take a partly fit David Villa.

It is easy to see why del Bosque is extremely patient on Villa. The former Valencia striker is the record goal scorer for Spain. Del Bosque recently revealed that he will name his squad on May 23, but that date has been postponed to May 27.

This gives Villa a great chance to make it into the squad, but there is a feeling that del Bosque should look more closely at options like Roberto Soldado at Valencia.

The former Real Madrid striker has scored more than 25 goals in all competitions for Valencia in the last three seasons, and surely he has done enough to warrant an inclusion in the squad.

More than the striking department, Spain's worries certainly have to begin with the back. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been finding it hard to get game time at Barcelona due to the rumoured off-field issues.

Meanwhile, midfielder Xavi has been struggling with fitness throughout the season, but one can also add tiredness to the list as well. Manchester City midfielder David Silva has also looked burnt out in the last few weeks of the campaign.

Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente also has been in impressive form this season. He almost single-handedly eliminated Manchester United from the Europa league this season, while he has 28 goals to his credit. Further, Chelsea striker Fernando Torres appears to be hitting top form at just the right stage in the season.

"Villa at the Euros? I talked with Pep yesterday. We will wait until the last moment, he's our top goalscorer," said del Bosque.

Del Bosque certainly has a lot of decisions to make in various areas of the pitch. However, many things that it is probably time del Bosque looked past David Villa for the goals. Spanish fans will be hoping that he gets it right before the opening Spain vs Italy match.