Chapter 618: Preparing for the 2018 World Cup
It had been five days since the Champions League final ended.
Now it was June, and the opening of the 2018 World Cup in Russia was getting closer and closer.
The 32 national teams participating in the tournament were all in intense preparation mode.
Because Lin Quan and David Silva had just participated in the Champions League final, they reported to their national teams later than most.
Coach Vicente del Bosque, understanding that Lin Quan and the others had just finished a major match and hadn't fully recovered, gave them three extra days of rest before joining the squad.
However, three days wasn't really enough to erase the fatigue of an entire season.
After all, the brutal English Premier League doesn't have a winter break!
"David's injury is a bit tricky. He may need to rest for three to four weeks, so he might not be able to play in the group stage."
David Silva had unfortunately injured himself in the Champions League final, which meant he would miss the team's pre-World Cup training sessions.
"Should we call up another player?"
The other coaches on Del Bosque's staff asked for his opinion. Since the World Cup hadn't started yet, there was still time to make changes to the roster. Once the tournament began, it would be too late to replace injured players.
"Forget it, let's keep him. It's hard to replace someone in that position."
Del Bosque shook his head. The only player who could rotate with David Silva was Andrés Iniesta, but others in that position weren't at the same level and couldn't replace them.
Moreover, Iniesta was already 34 years old, and his stamina and form couldn't support him playing full matches anymore.
This made David Silva even more crucial.
He had also been playing with Lin Quan for years at the club level, which meant their chemistry was the best on the national team.
Having Silva on the field made it easier for the team to connect and spark creativity, helping with attacking plays and potentially saving the team in critical moments.
So even if he couldn't play in the group stage, Del Bosque decided to keep him on the roster.
As long as Silva recovered in time, he could play in the knockout stages.
"Alright, so we'll submit this final roster without changes then?"
The national team list had to be submitted to the Spanish Football Federation, which would then send it to FIFA for official confirmation.
"Yes!"
Del Bosque absentmindedly nodded while watching the training field.
Even though he had selected each of these players, he felt a bit unfamiliar with the team, as many familiar faces from previous World Cups were missing.
Still, seeing Lin Quan on the field brought him some relief.
This squad wasn't as strong as the ones from the last two World Cups.
However, Spanish fans, as well as fans around the world, had high expectations for Spain because they were the defending champions.
Many saw Spain as one of the favorites to win the tournament, but to Del Bosque and those familiar with the inner workings of the team, winning with this squad would be a massive challenge.
Del Bosque was now 68 years old and planned to retire after this World Cup.
By the time the next European Championship came around, he'd be 70, and by the time the Qatar World Cup arrived, he'd be 72.
He simply wouldn't have the energy to continue coaching, even if national team duties were somewhat less demanding than club management.
Besides, even if he didn't manage to lead the team to another title this time, he'd already won two World Cups.
Out of all the famous coaches in football, how many could claim to have won two World Cups?
He was content with his achievements and honors.
After this World Cup, he planned to pass the torch to younger coaches. Pep Guardiola from Manchester City was one of his top candidates.
Another potential candidate was Luis Enrique, who had stepped down as Barcelona's manager the previous year.
Both had managed Barcelona, meaning they understood the tactics and style of play employed by Barça, which was crucial since many players on the Spanish national team came from Barcelona.
If the national team coach wasn't familiar with Barcelona's style, he wouldn't be able to manage the team well.
Of course, this could change in the future. Barcelona was no longer as dominant in La Liga as they once were.
Once the golden generation from La Masia retired, Barcelona's influence on the national team would gradually decline, and the pool of potential national team coaches would widen.
…
Once Lin Quan arrived at training, Del Bosque immediately set up a scrimmage between the starting players and the substitutes.
During training, the so-called "starting players" were not the final lineup for the World Cup. The head coach would decide the final starting XI based on players' performances during the training matches, their form, and their attitude in training.
However, there were a few positions that were unlikely to change.
For example, Lin Quan up front, Iniesta in midfield, Sergio Ramos in defense, and David de Gea in goal.
As long as these four weren't injured, their starting spots were secure.
After several training sessions, Del Bosque arranged a friendly match against Switzerland to test the team's progress.
Switzerland, like Spain, was also heading to the World Cup. They were in Group E, alongside Serbia, Brazil, and Costa Rica.
These teams were no pushovers, especially Brazil, who were also considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. While not as highly favored as they were four years ago, the Brazilian team was still a powerhouse no one could underestimate.
Given Brazil's potent attack, Switzerland wanted to test their defense against a similarly strong or even stronger opponent, hence the friendly against Spain.
Switzerland wasn't known for their attacking prowess, but their defense was solid.
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Spain had been upset by Switzerland.
In this match, Switzerland played more seriously than Spain.
With Spain's strength, advancing past the group stage wouldn't be too difficult.
But Switzerland faced a tougher situation—they weren't likely to beat Brazil, so their key point-scoring opportunities would come against Serbia and Costa Rica.
Switzerland's attack wasn't particularly strong, so they had to focus on solid defense and capitalizing on their opponents' mistakes to score.
Thirty minutes into the first half, the score was still 0-0.
Even though it was just a friendly and the result wasn't important, Del Bosque grew restless seeing his team struggle offensively.
Unlike competitive matches, friendlies didn't limit the number of substitutions, so Spain couldn't rely on their typical possession game to wear down the opposition's stamina and capitalize on fatigue-induced mistakes.
Instead, Spain had to focus on practicing their attacking strategies in positional play.
But success in positional play required high levels of chemistry between players.
Given that these players came from different clubs, each with its own style, it was clear that they were still adjusting to each other's habits.
They needed time to gel, to figure out how to sync up on the pitch and work together smoothly.
It wasn't particularly difficult, but it took time—something national teams didn't have much of, especially with their short preparation windows.
This lack of time explained the lackluster performance. Complaining wouldn't help, so Del Bosque focused on making changes.
He substituted Iniesta for Atlético Madrid's versatile midfielder Saúl Ñíguez.
Saúl could play in multiple midfield roles, and at 23, he had excellent stamina, strong running ability, and great coverage of the pitch.
Besides that, he also had good speed and explosiveness, and he could even play as a winger if needed.
Del Bosque had high hopes for Saúl. If the youngster could maintain his current form, he would likely become a key player for the team in the next World Cup.
For now, Del Bosque's plan was to have Saúl support Lin Quan by pulling defenders out of position and creating space for Lin to organize attacks and finish.
As for the other midfielder, Isco, his job was simple: distribute the ball.
Using his vision and creativity, he had to focus on getting the ball to the forwards and creating goal-scoring opportunities.
With this midfield adjustment, Spain's attacking play quickly improved.
In the 38th minute, Lin Quan assisted Diego Costa, who scored the game's first goal.
Del Bosque smiled in satisfaction. This combination seemed to be working well, and he made a note of it for future use in the World Cup.
After conceding the goal, Switzerland remained calm and didn't recklessly push forward for a counterattack.
There was a clear gap in strength between the two teams, and if Switzerland pressed forward, their vulnerable defense would be torn apart by Spain's superior firepower.
Since the result didn't matter, Switzerland continued playing defensively.
However, in a twist of fate, in the 62nd minute of the second half, Switzerland capitalized on a mistake by Spain and launched a counterattack.
In just one counter, they scored.
It was their only shot on target, but it found the back of the net—an absurdly efficient result.
De Gea was visibly frustrated, but the shot was simply too well-placed.
Neither team scored again, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Meanwhile, over in Paris, at the Stade de France, France defeated Italy 3-1, with young French stars Mbappé, Griezmann, and Dembélé all getting on the scoresheet, showcasing the immense talent of France's new generation.
Although it was just a friendly, Italy was a traditional powerhouse, so the victory carried significant weight.
After the match, French media showered praise on the national team, and many football pundits began to view France as serious title contenders.
It's no wonder they were being hyped up—just look at their squad!
Dembélé, Griezmann, Mbappé, Pogba, Kanté…
Each of these players was a household name in the football world.
Except for Kanté, the other four were all worth over 100 million euros each.
Their combined market value alone exceeded that of many of the other teams at the World Cup.
And while Kanté's value was lower, he was widely regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world.
This French team had both talent and youth on their side. Even if they didn't win this World Cup, they'd still be top contenders for the next one.
With such a golden generation of talent, it was only a matter of time before France would stand on the champion's podium, hoisting the World Cup trophy.
…
Del Bosque didn't pay attention to the outside noise. He continued preparing his team methodically for the World Cup.
On June 10, with less than four days until the World Cup opener, Spain played their final friendly against Tunisia.
Many eager Spanish fans traveled to see the match in person, excited to witness the team's progress.
However, they left disappointed. Spain's performance was worse than in the previous match.
Their attacks could only be described as simple, sloppy, and ineffective.
It was clear that the players were trying, but the teamwork on display was abysmal.
Del Bosque made six or seven substitutions, experimenting with different combinations like solving a puzzle.
But none of the lineups produced satisfactory results.
In the end, it was Ramos who couldn't take it anymore. As the game neared its conclusion, he charged into the box and headed in a goal, giving Spain the win.
Despite the victory, the fans watching left with expressions as if their team had lost.
Before the match, they had high hopes, but those hopes were thoroughly dashed by what they saw on the pitch.
Spanish fans were now starting to panic.
In this state, how could Spain compete at the World Cup?
Some were even worried the team might not make it past the group stage.
Fortunately, Spain's draw for the tournament wasn't too bad.
In Group B, their main challenge was Portugal, while the other two opponents, Iran and Morocco, were relatively weak.
Both Iran and Morocco had poor World Cup records, with neither team ever making it past the group stage except for one instance when Morocco reached the Round of 16.
Even if Spain wasn't at their best, advancing to the Round of 16 seemed secure.
But Spanish fans weren't satisfied with just reaching the knockout stage—they had their sights set on the World Cup trophy.
Yet based on the team's current form, winning the tournament seemed like a distant dream.
No wonder no team had ever won three consecutive World Cups. It was clear now just how difficult that feat would be!
(End of Chapter)