Is Spain Boss Vicente del Bosque's Job the Toughest in International Football?

For most countries, 23 squad places are enough to provide national-team managers with every option, every trait they could possibly want during a major tournament. Some countries even struggle to fill that many spots with players of a suitable calibre. Not in Spain’s case, though. Manager Vicente del Bosque could do with double that number.

Indeed, no nation is stacked with as many top-class players as La Furia Roja right now. They could take a second-string side to this summer’s European Championship and still compete for the prize on offer at the Stade de France on July 10. That’s how deep and strong their talent pool is. 

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Spain have several options in every position, giving Del Bosque difficult decisions to make all over the pitch. In goal, he has to choose between David De Gea and Iker Casillas. In defence, he has Juanfran, Hector Bellerin and Cesar Azpilicueta to choose from at right-back, a decision that will be deliberated for some time to come following the injury suffered by Dani Carvajal in the Champions League final.

"We had taken the decision among the full-backs we've had recently, including Mario, [Cesar] Azpilicueta, Juanfran and Carvajal," Del Bosque explained on El Larguero (h/t Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC) following the selection of Arsenal’s Bellerin. "Once Carvajal was injured we had the kids with us, and [Bellerin] has been doing very well at Arsenal in recent years. We have full confidence in him. Bellerin will be an important player for sure, in the present, and in the future of the Spanish team.”

Then in midfield, there are even tougher decisions to be made, with Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Bruno, Cesc Fabregas, Koke and Thiago Alcantara all scrapping for midfield places. The formation the Spain boss opts for could decide just how many there are to be fought for.

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And Del Bosque has the toughest call of the lot to make up front. With David Villa and Fernando Torres no longer a part of the setup, Spain find themselves in attacking transition heading into Euro 2016.

Their No. 9 spot is far from nailed down, as Aritz Aduriz and Alvaro Morata vie to start Spain’s opening group game against Czech Republic on June 13. He could even opt for Fabregas as a false nine. 

All this just illustrates the quality of La Furia Roja. Spain are not quite the force they were four years ago, but they remain one of Europe’s predominant outfits.

While England manager Roy Hodgson has stressed over omitting the likes of Danny Drinkwater and Andros Townsend, Spain have left out Saul Niguez, a Champions League finalist with Atletico Madrid, and Isco, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid. That puts into context the sheer calibre of Del Bosque’s squad. 

Some might say his job is consequently an easy one. Spain might have crashed out in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, but for the most part, they have been permanent fixtures in the latter stages of major tournaments for the past decade or so. Many would argue the team doesn’t even need a manager to be successful at the European Championship this summer.

Of course, those critics would be wrong. With so many options and decisions to be made in every area of the pitch, the scope for blame widens. Should De Gea make a mistake, costing Spain a goal, Del Bosque will be skewered for his team selection. If Morata doesn’t work as the frontman, then the manager will be pilloried for not going with Aduriz instead.

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In fact, there’s a case to be made that Del Bosque’s job is the toughest in the international game. He certainly has the most to lose, even more so than Joachim Low as manager of Germany or Didier Deschamps as France boss.

Win the Euros and there will be those who claim it’s the least that should be expected of such a strong team. Fail to lift the trophy and the knives will be out.

In the Spanish press, the knives are always out. Spain haven’t even kicked off their European Championship campaign and Del Bosque has already found himself the target of much scrutiny.

His call to overlook Isco and Saul for his final squad selection, choosing to take Lucas Vazquez to France instead, was particularly contentious. 

Yet Lucas has demonstrated his worth to La Furia Roja over the past few months with Real Madrid, giving Spain a different dimension in the final third. It was simply the case that Saul and Isco didn’t offer anything Del Bosque didn’t already have in his squad. It was a decision based on attributes rather than the sheer quality of the players.

Despite the weight of pressure burdening Del Bosque, the 65-year-old—who is expected to retire after Euro 2016—is confident his team can fulfil its potential. Whether he is handling the expectancy well or not, the Spain boss is putting on a bullish front.

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“We are the favourites [for Euro 2016] because we come into it having won four years ago,” he said following the announcement of his final squad earlier this week, as per Mark Dobson of the Guardian.

He continued:

"

There are other national teams, but it’s our dream to be champions again. We’re in a good moment. We have had a tough season, very intense, but we are ready to go into the Euro in the best conditions.

We are ready to start, to win is another thing. There are good rivals and in football everything is really even.

"

He’s not wrong. Germany, Spain and France are considered the favourites to win Euro 2016. There is little between the three sides, and the likes of England, Belgium and Italy could prove to be contenders as well.

This summer’s European Championship appears to be the most open in a generation, although that doesn’t necessarily make Del Bosque’s job any easier.