Stuttering Spain won’t be able to defend their World Cup crown !

Spain has dominated world football in the recent years. They have won two UEFA European championships and the 2010 FIFA World cup. It would be natural to assume that Spain is likely to win once again considering the fact that the squad has remained pretty much the same in the recent years.

Let’s analyze the problems plaguing Spain at the moment:
Del Bosque will have a tough decision to take when it comes to choosing who will be the first choice shot stopper. Iker Casillas continues to be on the bench for Real Madrid and this will put serious concerns on his match fitness. Victor Valdes seems to be the more logical choice. Nevertheless, it will still be a tough decision to take.

Midfield duo Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernandez are both above 30 years of age. Their influence on the team is slowly decreasing. Javi Martinez or Cesc Fabregas should be able to help out. Del Bosque will have to choose his midfield duo wisely. Relying too much on Xavi and Alonso might not be the best way to go .

Right Back Alvaro Arbeloa has not been in good form lately. He is competing with Dani Carvajal for a starting spot for Real Madrid. Carvajal has managed more appearances than his senior counterpart for the club. Del Bosque seems to have settled for Juanfran from Athletico Madrid, who is error prone. This will leave the right wing vulnerable to attacks. Martin Montoya seems to be another option that Del Bosque has at his disposal.

Strikers Torres and David Villa have not been in the best of their forms lately. Del Bosque has played without a recognized forward in few games. He looks to be a bit hesitant to choose Roberto Soldado or Alvaro Negredo or Fernando Llorente up front. It will be a big bonus for Del Bosque if Brazil does not try to stop Diego Costa from playing for Spain.

To add to Del Bosque’s worries, teams like Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina have already upped the ante and are serious title contenders. Brazil will have the home crowd advantage. The emergence of talents like Neymar and Oscar will also help Brazil’s cause. Balotelli is in very good touch. On his day, the Italian can wreak havoc through any defence. Argentina has the likes of Messi and Aguero to mount a challenge for the World Cup. Germany, as always has a good team. They looked very good in the qualifying stages. If Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger recover from their injuries in time for the World Cup, we will have a very exciting competition on our hands. Spain has a few problems that has to be sorted out if they are serious about winning the World Cup this time around.