World Cup holders Spain travel to Bari tonight for an intriguing showdown with Italy. The friendly has been somewhat overshadowed by the upcoming Spanish Super Copa between Barcelona and Real Madrid; Sergio Ramos and Xavi have already withdrawn from Vicente del Bosque’s squad ahead of the first leg this Sunday.
Both sides have been impressive so far in the Euro 2012 qualifiers- Italy top Group C with 5 wins and 1 draw from 6 games and have conceded just 1 goal, while Spain top Group I with a 100% record, winning 5 out of 5 thus far.
We’ve rounded up the highest-rated players in WhoScored.com’s rankings for 2010/11 and, setting the team up in Spain’s usual 4-3-3 system, highlight the players who impressed the most in each respective position last term. With that in mind, it’s little surprise to see a team dominated by Barcelona players, with five finding their way into the XI.
WhoScored.com Dream Team XI
Goalkeeper- Manuel Reina
Starting last term as second-choice keeper at Levante, Reina grabbed his chance in late September. He made 18 appearances last season, picking up 4 Man of the Match awards and averaging 7.11 in WhoScored.com’s ratings before losing his place late on in the season.
Right-Back- Sergio Ramos
The Madrid man played 22 times at right-back in La Liga last season, averaging 7.29 in WhoScored.com’s ratings. Ramos also played 10 times at centre-half, scoring 3 goals and making 2 assists as his team finished runners-up in Jose Mourinho’s first season. His experience will be sorely missed this evening for del Bosque’s side.
Left-back- Jose Angel
Twenty-one year-old Angel rose to prominence in a fantastic campaign for Gijon last season. A series of superb performances caught the attention of many bigger names and this close season saw him make the move to Serie A side Roma, with the club’s new owner Thomas DiBenedetto determined to splash the cash. Angel picked up 4 Man of the Match awards and averaged 7.01 in WhoScored.com’s match ratings and looks well capable of establishing himself in the Spanish national side in the upcoming years.
Centre Half- Carles Puyol, Carlos Marchena
In a season hampered by injury, Barca skipper Carles Puyol managed 17 appearances at centre-half. Knee and hamstring problems curtailed his game time and Puyol only managed a sub appearance in the Champions League triumph over Man United. He averaged 7.02 in WhoScored.com’s match ratings but with the player still not 100%, has been omitted from tonight’s squad.
Carlos Marchena was fundamental to Villarreal’s fourth place La Liga finish in 2010/11. He played 24 times at centre half with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.04 and his adaptability also saw him fielded in central midfield on 3 occasions. The 31 year-old has played 67 times for Spain but the emergence of Gerard Pique alongside Puyol for both Barcelona and the national side has frozen him out of the picture.
Defensive Midfield- Xabi Alonso
Alonso just pips Sergio Busquets as the deep-lying midfielder, with an average of 7.62 over 25 games in WhoScored.com’s ratings. His second season at Madrid saw Alonso prove to be a key component in Jose Mourinho’s first XI, but despite his undoubted class, forcing his way into del Bosque’s starting line-up is proving to be something of an impossibility, given the other midfield options…
Central Midfield- Xavi, Andres Iniesta
Either individually or working in tandem for both club and country, Xavi and Iniesta are simply a class apart from any other midfielders on the planet. The pair couldn’t be separated in WhoScored.com’s ratings- both averaged 7.95 from 29 and 25 league games in central midfield respectively. Xavi averaged 110 passes per game last season with a 94% accuracy, while Iniesta wasn’t far behind with 78 and 90%. As mentioned, Xavi’s withdrawal will be a huge loss to del Bosque, with Thiago or Javi Martinez likely to benefit from his absence.
Wide Men- Juan Mata, Joaquin
Mata’s performances on the left and through the middle inspired Valencia to a third-placed finish in 2010/11. With his club weighed down by a ridiculous level of debt, the 23 year-old seems odds-on to leave the Mestalla before the summer is out- a move to Arsenal as replacement for Cesc Fabregas has been mooted if the Gunners skipper returns to Barcelona. Mata averaged 7.26 in his 17 games wide left for Valencia and picked up 8 goals and 12 assists over the course of the season.
Joaquin’s place on the right means both our wide men are from Valencia. The 29-year-old played 20 times on the right flank in 2010/11 and averaged 7.33 in WhoScored.com’s match ratings. Joaquin has played 51 times for his country but since criticising the Spanish side back in 2007 after a 3-2 defeat to Northern Ireland, has failed to appear ever since.
Forward- David Villa
Top scorer for the national side, Villa has already scored 47 goals in just 75 games. Compare this to Fernando Torres, who has scored 27 goals from 86 games and it’s obvious how key Villa’s clinical finishing is to his country. He was second-top scorer for Barcelona in 2010/11, grabbing 18 goals from a total of 34 appearances as he played all across the front three. Through the middle was where he excelled most though, averaging 7.7 in WhoScored.com’s ratings from 16 appearances.
Possible Starting XI vs Italy
Spain definitely deserve where they are. Definitely agree with olliescrim...
I feel privileged to have been able to watch this Spain team. They have so many outstanding talents, and the most exciting thing is that they have a vast array of top-class players waiting in the wings for their chance. They have two or three players for each position, all of whom are capable of playing the beautiful passing football we have so admired for the past few years. They've left a mark on world football for good and it will be interesting to see whether the generation of players coming through at the moment will be able to maintain the success. The most important thing with Spain is that their brand of football is being bled through to every youth player who puts on the red shirt. This was illustrated at the U21 European Championships in the summer. The Spaniards were different class, following the standard set by their senior counterparts. In my view, nobody can argue that Spain don't deserve to be European and World Champions. The world is getting a footballing lesson.