Spain

[ChuckaOwns]

LOL

[Aasim]

Yeh they do say 6 1/2 years is a long time in football

LOL! typing error. I meant to write "7/8"..

[yusuf]

basquets is not good enought to play for spain i think, good enought to be on the bench and start against the weaker teams but you cant have him making bonehead mistakes like he has shown with barca a couple games this season. i like him and will be there for spain in later tournaments but for the world cup unless he shows a big improvement with barca he will probably just be a sub.

[Aasim]

If you look at the competition for the DM place they have Senan, Busquets, Alonso and i think Marchena can play there.

Marchena is the number one CB alongside Puyol.

Alonso isn't the right type of player for that position although against small teams he can play there.

Senna has degraded a lot over this past 2 season. He does give something to the team still though.

I think Del Bosque likes Busquets and will play him there if he doesn't play shite.

[Cal-FCB]

Yeh agree Yusuf Busquets is still making those mistakes that come with being inexperienced. They'll go eventually as he matures right now you wouldn't say he's a starter. However there is no obvious player for the role, Senna isn't the same player, Alonso isn't dirty or agressive enough, Marchena doesn't really have the quality to cope with a top midfield. That's one position where you'd say Spain are slightly lacking.

[VivaBarca]

Well lacking is harsh every other team at the World Cup would bite your hand off for Senna and Alonso. Busquets was good for us in the Champions League final and on the big, big stage I would have great confidence in him.

[Cal-FCB]

Neither of them are fantastic in that position. Everywhere else on the pitch they're brilliant. In that midfield position required to put tackles in Spain are behind Brazil (Melo, G Silva), Argentina (Mascherano, Cambiasso if he returns, even England (Barry currently, Hargreaves to come back), plus many others. You have to remember Spain's midfield is smaller than most so the protection is more important. Iniesta, Xavi, Silva are not going to put many tackles in. Busquets may step up but he's still very young.

[VivaBarca]

Spain aren't a physical side they never will be. Busquets is a certainty to get in the squad for me and should be in the starting XI.

[Cal-FCB]

Of course they aren't, but they still need someone with a physical presence which is what Senna gave them perfectly at Euro 08. He's a good all round footballer but he's excellent in the tackle and makes life difficult for the opposition. Now he's on the decline they need someone else who can offer that. Busquets has a chance to stake a 1st team place for sure.

[yusuf]

in the CL final tbh basquets was not asked to do much as the mancs had no pressure coming from the mid so he just stood their in case we need something to be done

[Aasim]

in the CL final tbh basquets was not asked to do much as the mancs had no pressure coming from the mid so he just stood their in case we need something to be done

and he did that perfectly. Spain, just like Barca, control possession of the ball so evertime they lose it, Busquets is there blocking them off.

That's all he does, that's all he has to do. Senna does that brilliantly but when the pace of the match quickens, can he keep up with it..?

[yusuf]

well some of the mids in the world cup wont be as easy as the mancs were so i think the preassure will get to him at times unless he strings together some great displays i dont think it would be wise starting him

[Aasim]

Everything can happen in 7 months. He could become the first name on the Barca team sheet..he has the talent and by picking him to start for spain would give him huge confidence and also make him experienced under a bit of pressure.

[hartson11]

I'm travelling to the Vicente Calderon in 2 weeks to watch Spain V Argentina and cannot wait. Should be a cracker. Despite Argentina being woeful in the qualifiers they have done ok in european friendlies, the win in Russia comes to mind. Hopefully we'll see plenty of Barca stars on show too.

[Aasim]

I'm travelling to the Vicente Calderon in 2 weeks to watch Spain V Argentina and cannot wait. Should be a cracker. Despite Argentina being woeful in the qualifiers they have done ok in european friendlies, the win in Russia comes to mind. Hopefully we'll see plenty of Barca stars on show too.

Im so jealous!

There should be a few players representing Barca, so you should see a good match.