Vicente Del Bosque: The best Spanish coach ever
The Spanish won their first World Cup in their history, all thanks to Vicente Del Bosque, the Spanish tactician who led the national side to its ultimate glory. The Spanish League has been one of the top most leagues in the world, with clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Real Madrid has enjoyed immense control in Spain’s club football and is regarded as the best European club in the history of the game. Whereas, Barcelona does not lag behind their archrivals, as they have also enjoyed considerable success throughout their history. Despite all these achievements at home, the Spanish failed to perform at the biggest stage prior to this World Cup win in South Africa.
This is because of the rift that exists between the Spanish players and teams, as both these clubs have been known for their fierce rivalries. Due to so many differences amongst the local leagues, the Spanish team failed to perform as a unit. The players mostly displayed a selfish game in their matches when playing for Spain. However, to overcome this glaring problem, Luis Aragones was brought in by Spain’s football association in 2004. Aragones had to go through some initial problems, especially the abysmal performance in the World Cup of 2006 when they were eliminated by France. However, the team showed some good signs of improvement in the days that followed, especially when the current age of Barcelona’s players made their way into the team. The next test for the coach came in Euro 2008.
Luis Aragones passed the litmus test by leading the team to their second Euro Cup victory in Spanish history. However, he decided to leave the job and go to Fenerbahce. The vacuum was filled by Vicente Del Bosque who accepted the job after rejecting it on a number of occasions. Del Bosque took the Spanish to the FIFA Confederations Cup as the favourite team. However, the Spanish were eliminated by the Americans in the semi-finals. The World Cup in South Africa brought another opportunity for the Spanish coach and after a 100% successful qualifying campaign, the Spanish regained their favourites tag once again.
The World Cup campaign did not start well for Del Bosque, as they lost their first match against Switzerland. However, it was all good as the Spanish won rest of their group matches. The Spanish also had a great run in the knock-out stages, as they kept on eliminating other teams, including Germany who looked good at one stage of the tournament. Eventually, the final was played between the Netherlands and the Spanish, as Del Bosque’s men emerged victorious in the extra-half hour of the match.
Del Bosque had a dream run with the Spanish side, as he achieved things which other could not. Bosque got the squad united for the biggest stage of them all. He adopted the policy of Luis Aragones as the team, which was studded with Barcelona’s players had to play under Iker Casillas from Real Madrid. This technique worked for the team, as the Spanish worked as a unit, while remaining undefeated in the tournament for a very long time. Del Bosque was well aware of the psyche of the players and he worked well with each of them on an individual basis. Thus, he was able to form a unit that established their supremacy over the whole world.
It is not the first time that Vicente Del Bosque was successful in the Spanish arena. He was the boss of Real Madrid in the early years of this decade. Under his reign, Madrid became the strongest force in Europe as they won two Champions League titles and two La Liga titles. It is the achievement of Del Bosque, who managed the squad successfully despite having players who were recognized as the legends of football. Ironically, Real Madrid fired the manager right after the Champions League victory in 2003.
Due to these credentials at his club level, Vicente Del Bosque was the main target of the Spanish Football Association. Del Bosque made his mark as he fulfilled the expectations of the Spanish fans by winning the biggest prize in football. Maybe, he is one of the best in the world, as he has achieved so much success in only a short space of time.
Tags: