courtesy kickoff.com
Since their Euro 2012 win, Spain hasn’t advanced past the Round of 16 in a major international tournament and their status as a footballing superpower has diminished. This new squad has marked the beginning of a new La Roja and although the new faces are less likely to dominate the world stage like their predecessors, they’re still among the favourites to win this tournament.
Decent competition from teams in their group:-
They are placed in group E with a very decent Sweden side with experienced players, Poland with the goalscoring machine, Lewandowski can be a threat to the Spanish side and Slovakia hopes to cause an upset and reach the last 16 stages for the consecutive season. Spain and Sweden are most probably the favourites to get through this group and reach the last 16 but Poland will be hoping to cause some upset to the European powerhouse. The decision to not include Sergio Ramos in the squad can become a fatal one as he is one of the best defenders in the world and one of the most experienced players in the Spanish squad, with him not being present in the backline, the defence can be a little weak and that can give the chance to the opponents to strike.
Key players:-
Spain will be looking forward to their young winger, Ferran Torres who has risen suddenly through his constant performances in the premier league with Manchester City and also scored a hat trick in the 6-0 win against Germany in Nation’s league, he has racked up 6 goals in 10 games for Germany. He will be leading the attack for Spain, also in the midfield, the experience and creativity of Thiago Alacantara will strengthen the squad and will give support to young midfielders like Rodri, Koke and Pedri. Spain will be hoping to win this tournament and regain their status as the powerhouse that it had in the 2008-12 period.