Vicente Del Bosque Wrong to Threaten Chelsea's Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas
Just when we think the "club versus country" row has abated, Vicente del Bosque opens his mouth.
This season, we've seen Roy Hodgson and Brendan Rodgers publicly flirting about the fitness of Liverpool's English players while Jose Mourinho and Spain boss Del Bosque have also been at loggerheads over Diego Costa's hamstring.
Del Bosque seemed to end the debate when he omitted the striker from his latest squad, apparently seeing sense in giving him time to rest and regain fitness.
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Then came Cesc Fabregas' own hamstring injury, and suddenly, things have exploded once more.
"Maybe when Costa and Cesc return, other players will have taken their place," he told Spanish radio station Onda Cerro, per London Evening Standard.
"That's not a threat: it's a reality. My responsibility has always been to search for normality, the best thing for our football."
Clearly not.
The best thing for the Spanish team is the focus to be on the football, not on questions about who is and isn't going to be playing in March.
Costa's injury has plagued him all season and dates back to his time at Atletico Madrid. The debate between Mourinho and Del Bosque was finished when he wasn't selected for the latest squad, but now it's about the managers once more.
At the heart of this is a mutual dislike between Del Bosque and his Chelsea counterpart. And his latest comments suggest a man who is preparing to punish two players for playing under Mourinho.
Instead of dealing with their issues in a professional manner, both are using their players as collateral in a game of one-upmanship.
It's tit-for-tat, he said/she said stuff fresh from any playground on the Iberian peninsula or elsewhere in the world.
Mourinho's case is a clear one where both players are concerned. He has built his new Chelsea team around Costa and Fabregas this season and, knowing the fine line between success and failure could result in him losing his job, is trying to protect his investment.
That doesn't absolve him from this entirely, though.
Del Bosque has stoked the flames in this instance, but Mourinho has long been a protagonist in the whole affair.
When Costa returned injured from international duty in early October, Mourinho made no secret of his annoyance with the Spanish medical team, and it's rumbled on since.
After Chelsea drew 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Oct. 26, a game Costa missed due to his ongoing ailments, Mourinho confirmed he was close to returning to full fitness and would be available for the following league game against QPR.
He still couldn't resist a dig at Del Bosque, however.
"But he still has the national team in November," was his response when asked if his return would be the end of his problems.
Surely, those conversations and insults are best had with the people concerned, not journalists.
For Mourinho, it's clear what he is trying to achieve by debating the fitness of his players so openly. For Del Bosque, it's somewhat more difficult in this latest affair.
Other than turning up the heat on Fabregas and Costa, what is the point? There isn't one other than to attempt to offend and rile Mourinho, especially when it's the best part of five months before we'll endure another international break.
Using the name of two players isn't the way to go about it. It's wrong and lacks class.
After this week's international action, hopefully we can get back to talking about the one thing that matters: football.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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