Tedium of Euro 2016 Campaign Can at Least Shine Light on Future Spain Stars

Spain’s group-stage exit at last summer’s World Cup sent shock waves around the footballing world. Should they endure a similar fate in their bid to make it to the 2016 European Championships to be held in France, then we might just as well all pack up our notebooks and head for the hills.

In truth, however, the chance of that happening is up there with the possibility of seeing Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger on holiday together.

No fewer than 23 teams comprising the winners and runners-up of each group plus the best third-placed team, plus the four winners of the third place play-offs will join France in the finals following what promises to be the singularly most boring qualification series in living memory.

But as tedious—and as difficult to sell to the fans—as this spectacle might be, this could be the best possible scenario for Spain.

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Let me explain. Before the World Cup, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque found himself on the horns of a dilemma.

When picking his squad for Brazil, he had to choose between the players who had formed the bulk of, arguably, the greatest national side of all time and some of the most precociously talented youngsters already playing at the highest of levels.

Del Bosque is the most loyal of men and, despite the fact he knew better than most that the sun was setting on the international careers of many of his great stars, he chose experienced nous over youthful exuberance, if not totally in his squad selection, then certainly with his starting 11 during the tournament.

It was a decision which would cost him dearly.

This time, he knows, between now and Oct. 12, 2015, his young pretenders—all of whom have come through the international apprenticeship from under-16 onwards—will have between them, nine comparatively easy competitive games to prove themselves worthy successors to the former kings of world football.

The likelihood is, by the time Spain face perhaps their stiffest task—away to Ukraine next October—it should all be done and dusted and hopefully Del Bosque will clearly know by then who’s cut the mustard and who’s come up short.

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Into his squad comes Bayern Munich’s Juan Bernat (21), and Rodrigo (23) who will joins his Valencia team-mate, Paco Alcacer (21), and also Atletico Madrid’s Koke (22), who, with 12 caps, is practically a veteran already.

Spain hit the floor running in their opening match when they steamrollered Macedonia 5-1. Next up is a tricky away game against a Slovakia side, who—despite being ranked 32 places behind Spain—showed in their 1-0 away victory in their first match against Ukraine that they are no mugs.

Expect no surprises therefore as Del Bosque will probably look once more to experienced heads to steer the Spanish ship through potentially choppy waters.

Already without Sergio Ramos, who is suffering with a muscle injury to his right leg, his place has been taken by Marc Bartra, who will probably team up with his Barcelona team-mate Gerard Pique—who seems to have regained his form and focus—in the centre of defence.

Similarly, Del Bosque will probably pick the tried and trusted Sergio Busquets to anchor the midfield before deciding how to utilise the embarrassment of gems he has at his disposal in that area of the team.

Much will depend on how—and who—Del Bosque will look to play, and once again the major talking point is over the form and fitness of Diego Costa.

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted for some time now the striker is not fully fit and certainly not up to playing two games a week.

Del Bosque—not unnaturally—has responded that the player himself and the Spanish medical team are more than capable of ascertaining Costa’s level of fitness, and the last thing he would do is play a player who was not 100 per cent.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Premier League must be scratching its head and thinking if this is a below-par phenomenon they are having to face on a weekly basis, what on earth would he be like at full throttle.

That said, to date, Costa—despite scoring for fun at Chelsea with the assistance of club and country team-mate Cesc Fabregas—has hardly set the world on fire since lining up with La Roja, although that’s probably more to do with the system played by Spain, rather than the player himself.

I fully expect Spain to come through against Slovakia, although I don’t think it’s going to be a walk in the park. But their match against the 127th-ranked Luxembourg on Sunday most certainly should be.

It should also provide the perfect opportunity for Del Bosque to blood at least some, if not all, of his new young braves so they can prove to him unequivocally they have graduated from the Spanish international academy with first-class honours to represent the country's footballing future.