Euro 2012 qualifiers preview: Spain vs. Lithuania – Part 1
The World Champions, Spain are going to go back to playing their usual football as they are going to face Lithuania during their Euro 2012 qualifiers. Even though the Spanish side is going to be without their mastermind Xavi Hernandez,
they are still going to give a tough time to any opposition because of their “star studded” team.
The World Champions definitely deserved to win the FIFA World Cup 2010, not only because of their amazing style of play but also because they are the best side around and they have the best players on the team. With players like
Fernando Torres and David Villa up front and with wingers like Jesus Navas and Andres Iniesta, anything is possible.
The midfield for the Spanish squad was also intriguing as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world Xabi Alonso played right behind Xavi Hernandez and right ahead of the Barcelona youngster Sergio Busquets.
There were many critics who said that Busquets should not have been a part of the starting 11 for the Spanish side but later it was seen that he played a key role throughout the tournament. He was the one who marked the “main man”
Wesley Sneijder in the final match against Netherlands and he was the one who helped silent Mesut Ozil against the Germans. The Spanish side is definitely full of stars, but their coach Vicente Del Bosque surely knows how to utilize all the players at the
right position and at the right time.
The match is going to take place on Spanish soil in Salamanca’s Helmantico Stadium. The World Champions actually managed to lose their last friendly game against the Argentineans and it was seen that the absence of Xavi Hernandez
was very well felt. The Spanish club Barcelona struggles without the dynamic midfielder and also suffers without him as they lost the game 4-1 against the South American side.
In today’s game, Xavi Hernandez is not going to be present and despite the fact that the Spanish squad is going to miss the fabulous midfielder, they are definitely going to need a replacement for him. Everyone would guess that
the Arsenal man Cesc Fabregas is the best replacement for Xavi but Fabregas is injured too as he pulled off a hamstring injury while playing against Sunderland, therefore he is not going to be an option for Del Bosque as well.
Iniesta is the man who is going to play for Xavi while Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets are going to play in their favourite holding midfield role. Gerard Pique is the one who has been a bit “out of touch” as he has had a rough
run with Barcelona’s tough schedule, therefore he is going to be sidelined for this one while Sergio Ramos and Carlos Puyol are going to combine in the midfield as Ramos has featured as a centre back for Mourinho’s Real Madrid.
With Ramos in the middle, Alvaro Arbeloa can easily feature as a right back with Joan Capdevila on the left flank to defend the goals. Iker Casillas, the captain fantastic is definitely going to feature as the goalkeeper for the
team as he is the best choice for the Spaniards and he is definitely the best.
With Fernando Torres also injured, Fernando Llorente is the best option up front as he can easily feature as a centre forward. It was seen during the world cup that David Villa was not a very successful sole striker for the Spaniards
and he loves to play as a left winger, from where he can cut in to score goals.
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