Vicente del Bosque’s Possible Successors.

With Vicente del Bosque set to step down from the Spanish national team after Euro 2016, the choice of his successor is still up in the air.

Today, Spain and Holland renewed acquaintances for the first time since the 5-1 drubbing the Oranje gave La Roja in Brazil during their opening World Cup match. Many thought that Vicente del Bosque would step down after that disappointing World Cup where the defending champions exited without qualifying from the group stage. However, the man with the recognizable moustache was still the man in charge of qualifying Spain for the upcoming Euro 2016 and was in the dugout for Spain’s friendly against Holland.

So who are the candidates to become Vicente del Bosque’s Possible Successor?

Michel

The former Madrid player comes from the same pedigree as del Bosque. He came through the ranks at Real Madrid academy and represented club and country. Just like del Bosque, he also managed Madrid at the youth level before making the leap to manage Getafe and Sevilla and Olympiakos in Greece. He found some success with the Greek side by winning back to back league titles and getting them to advance to the knockout stage in last season’s Champions League where they won the first leg against Manchester United at home before being crashing out following a loss in the second leg at Old Trafford. Michel is currently unemployed after his contract was terminated in January.

Pros: He is available and fits the profile with his background as a player for Madrid and his coaching stints.

Cons: Just not good enough to be in charge of the Spanish team.

Julen Lopetegui

Julen is one of the few players to have played for both Barça and Madrid, as a backup goalkeeper. He also came through the ranks at Real Madrid’s academy. His coaching experience consists of a brief tenure with Rayo Vallecano followed by coaching at the youth level with Real Madrid. However, he had great success managing the Spanish national youth teams. He coached Spain to the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2012 and followed it up with a UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2013. He became Porto’s manager this season and succeeded in guiding the Portuguese club to the Champions League Quarter-Finals where his side will face Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.

Pros: His experience and success with Spain’s youth national teams makes him ideal to take over from Del Bosque. Some of those players he managed such as Alcácer, Jesé, Deulofeu, Bernat, de Gea, Bartra, Iñigo Martínez, Koke, Thiago, and Isco are just to name a few. Most of those players are or should be featuring for the national team now so why not have him coach them again.

Cons: Is he ready for this level? At this moment, he is only concerned with managing Porto and is doing well with Porto who are three points behind Benfica in second place in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and has his side in the Champions League Quarter-Finals. However, will there be hesitation by the Spanish Football Federation to go down that road and appoint him after what happened with Iñaki Sáez? Sáez did well with the youth level but was a disaster with the senior team during Euro 2004.

Guardiola

The man does need an introduction. He has found success with Barça B, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. His teams are known for playing a great style of football and a few of his players, young and old, are still part of the national team set up,. His contract with Bayern Munich also concludes in 2016 so he would be available for the job when del Bosque steps down.

Pros: He is considered one of the greatest managers of the century and it would be absurd not to consider him for the job. The style of football would not be a complete transformation of what he likes his teams to play. He is also not hesitant to play some of the younger players that del Bosque seems to neglect and will tinker with the tactics to suit the team’s needs.

Cons: Does he want the job? He seems interested in managing in the Premier League and perhaps both Manchester United and City will be available for him. Additionally, since he won when Xavi and Iniesta were at the peak of their careers, some wonder if can he adjust to other midfielders. Finally, there is the political aspect of his hiring. Is Spain ready for a Catalan Spanish national team manager who has voiced his support for Catalan independence?

Paco Jémez

Paco Jémez is one of the gutsiest and impressive managers coaching in Spain right now. The Rayo Vallecano manager is known for his attacking style philosophy where he does not accept playing for a draw. He saw some success as a player with both Deportivo de La Coruña and Real Zaragoza and represented Spain during Euro 2000. Most of his managerial experience has been in the lower divisions. However, one cannot deny the work he has done at the top level with Rayo Vallecano thus far. In his first season at the top flight, his side finished in 8th place, and ahead of Sevilla and Athletic Club, which is remarkable considering the club’s limited budget. Last season, they finished 12th and they are currently 11th in a league that has Barça, Real Madrid, Atlético, Valencia, Sevilla, Athletic, Villarreal, and Real Sociedad battling each other. They might not be contending for any titles but a small club like Rayo Vallecano will also not be fighting a relegation battle anytime soon. One only has to wonder what Jémez would be capable of at a bigger club.

Pros: With some claiming Spain’s playing style is boring, Paco’s gusty swashbuckling style of football would be a pleasure to watch with all the talent that La Roja has. He gets the best out of the talent that he has with Rayo Vallecano so imagine what he could do with Spain. He would be the right type of manager to motivate the Spanish players and its fans.

Cons: His hiring is one for the romantics. It is doubtful that the Spanish Football Federation would appoint someone like Paco Jémez. Additionally, unlike the other candidates, he has not won titles as a player or a manager so would the players listen to him? It is one thing to manage a small club and have players listen to you and another thing to walk into a big club or a national team where the players have won a lot, and more than the manager, and expect to take you seriously.

Rafa Benítez

Rafa Benítez may not have been a great footballer but his managerial career has been impressive for the most part. For most of this young century, Rafa Benítez was considered one of the greatest current managers in the game. He managed to win two league titles with Valencia and a UEFA Cup. He then took Liverpool to two Champions League Finals, winning one of them and won an FA Cup along with the UEFA Super Cup and the Community Shield. However, his career has been in a decline since 2009 where he was let go by Liverpool after finishing 7th in the Premier League. He had a short stint with Inter and won a few cups there and then won the Europa League with Chelsea. He is currently managing Napoli where he has already won the Italian Cup and Super Cup. He started out as a player with the Madrid youth teams and after he retired as a player, he coached Real Madrid Castilla in the mid 90’s and even temporarily served as Vicente del Bosque’s assistant when the latter was appointed as an interim manager following the sacking of Benito Floro during the 1993-1994 season. He found it hard to get going as a manager following coaching stints with Valladolid, Osasuna before finding some success in guiding Extremadura to promotion to La Liga before they were relegated after one season. He then helped guide Tenerife gain promotion which is when Valencia nabbed him to be their new manager and the rest is history.

Pros: His resume speaks for itself. Benítez’s profile matches the same sort of profile of del Bosque regarding his background with Real Madrid, league titles in Spain, a Champions League title and other titles in his career. His deal with Napoli expires after this season and there is talk he might extend his stay at Napoli. He could extend his stay for another season which would coincide with the Spain position being available.

Cons: Realistically, he’s Rafa Benítez. His style of play is considered too defensive and too dull, with former Real Madrid legend Valdano calling it, in a censored way, “poop on a stick.” Furthermore, his magic seems to have run out after that Champions League Final loss to Milan. The fact that Napoli are not fighting for the Italian league title is disappointing seeing as the quality of the rivals in Serie A have dipped and he has failed to take advantage of that.

My final prediction? I have a feeling that when Vicente del Bosque steps down, Spain’s next manager will be… Rafa Benítez. I can’t see the Spanish Football Federation going for the other candidates unless Benítez declines the position. However, I can’t see Benítez declining this position. By this time next year, we will know more on who will be the successor. Spain better choose wisely or risk more disappointments and regression after all that they have accomplished. By the way, Spain lost to Holland 2-0, which is not a good result for del Bosque. The fact that it was a friendly should not change the fact that the results have been disappointing since the summer of 2014 and his successor will have to figure out how to lead this team back to glory. The Spanish Football Federation better choose wisely.

Bravo Barça but Room for Improvement Still Exists.

FC Barcelona got their revenge against Real Madrid and keep making 2015 a memorable year. However, there’s still room for improvement for Barça.

It always feels good whenever our Blaugrana win El Clásico. It’s even better when it’s at the Camp Nou towards the end of the season. It’s even better when the victory means Barça now have a four point lead atop of the league standings. It’s still premature to talk about a possible treble but they do control their destiny for the league crown and it was announced today that the Camp Nou will be the venue for the Copa del Rey Final which only enhances their chances. Additionally, their opponents in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals will be PSG, so Barça will get to face a familiar foe in their quest for the Champions League title.

Nevertheless, Barça’s performance, as good as it was in El Clásico, still has room for improvement. One of the big concerns this team has dealt with during the season is of them not being cutthroat enough. During the game, Barça squandered numerous scoring chances to add to their lead. There was the Neymar miss moments before Real Madrid equalized and then the squandered chance after being up 2-1 to put this game to bed. Barça already should have learned from their missed penalties against City and Villarreal but nonetheless, they kept missing chances and allowed Real Madrid to stay alive in the game.

This penchant for not finishing teams off needs to be improved if they want to make it to the Champions League Final. Goals are a precious commodity in the knock out stages so they can ill afford to miss scoring chances or else they will suffer an ugly fate such as their elimination by the hands of Chelsea back in 2011-2012 Champions League Semi-Finals. When the game is close, Barça cannot miss chances to add to their lead or else one slip up and suddenly Barça are the ones leaving the party early.

Additionally, as good as Barça’s defending is on set pieces, they still continue to concede goals. Since the New Year, Barça have kept clean sheets in just four league matches. Furthermore, they have only had two consecutive matches with clean sheets and that was back in January. Now it’s true they have conceded the fewest amounts of goals in the league, but since February, they have only kept two clean sheets in all competitions. Bad habits can become a trend if this is not addressed just as the team is heading down the homestretch.

The international break will give Luis Enrique and his staff ample time to go over these issues and keep working on keeping their players fit and ready. One can hope that the players did not let this result get them carried away in thinking that there is no need for improvement. Neymar’s form lately has been off and reminiscent of his drop in form last season too. We cannot have the likes of him and others suddenly not hitting all cylinders. Lucho will have his work cut out for him in making sure everyone’s form is superb for these next two months. Until then, savor the flavor and then get back to work when the players come back from international break.

Redemption for Barça.

FC Barcelona got to exact revenge on Real Madrid for their loss earlier in the season and in the process, increased their lead atop of the standings to four points. The victory was a boost to the confidence of the Blaugrana and redemption for some.

When Barça lost in the Spanish capital to Real Madrid during week 9, Barça had a one point lead atop of the standings. They would soon lose the top spot to Madrid and struggle the rest of the 2014. They started 2015 off horribly when they lost away to Real Sociedad. Things changed from then on but there was still some doubt about Barça heading into this weekend’s Clásico.

This match was redemption for Luis Enrique and for some of his players. For the manager, many, including myself, criticized his unpredictable approach to coaching this team following that loss. He opted to keep his starting eleven a secret till right before kickoff and his tactics were all wrong after Real Madrid simply had their way against Barça. Fortunately, he got it right this time, now that he has settled on a starting eleven, following the urging from some of the players to stick with a consistent lineup after the fallout from that Real Sociedad loss. Since then, the team has played better than before and even a recent loss to Malaga at the Camp Nou did not create a sense of panic among the fans. Bad days happen and the Malaga loss was seen as a minor hiccup. Real Madrid sputtering at the same time probably helped keep the mood calm in Barcelona.

Credit is due to Luis Enrique and his assistant, Juan Carlos Unzué, for improving this team from last season’s team in terms of fitness and how to attack/defend set pieces. There’s no doubt that the level of intensity that Lucho brought to this team’ training sessions has been significant compared to the light training sessions under Martino last season. The opening goal from Mathieu was a set piece designed by Unzué who could not hide his happiness during the goal celebrations. It was reminiscent of the Guardiola times where the late Tito Vilanova designed set pieces and Puyol scored one of his trademark header goals against Real Madrid after Xavi recommended a minor change to Tito in the plans. The communication between manager and players have improved and the payoff has been on full display ever since.

Another player who gained some redemption from El Clásico was Jeremy Mathieu. In the first Clásico, Luis Enrique started the Frenchman as a left back in place of Jordi Alba. His performance was poor that day and he raised some eyebrows when he stated that he was surprised that the manager picked him as a left back on game day. That suggested that Luis Enrique did not train the team to play with Mathieu as the left back nor give him ample time to mentally prepare for the role. Fortunately, Mathieu got to start the second Clásico, this time as a center back, and not only did he play well on defense; he even got to score! I can’t think of a better way for someone to redeem themselves in such situation.

This match was also redemption of some sorts for Pique, Rakitic, Claudio Bravo and Luis Suarez. Pique has taken abuse over the past few years for his inconsistent form but he was bossing the back four during Barça’s win against their arch rivals. Although he did not score, Rakitic put in a superb performance to make up for that poor appearance as a substitute in the first Clásico where his awful corner kick, also his first touch in the game, resulted in a counter attack goal for Los Blancos. For Claudio Bravo, this was his first taste of victory against Real Madrid during his time in the Spanish league and made some key saves too.

Finally, the other star seeking redemption was Luis Suarez. His signing created some controversy and discontent amongst fans following his World Cup biting incident. His first competitive Barça appearance was in the first Clásico where he assisted on a Neymar goal early into the match before he was subbed off later because he lacked match fitness. It took him some time but the Uruguayan has found his scoring boots and has played a key role in the Barça transformation. After a difficult summer, scoring a game winner in a game of this magnitude goes a long way over winning over the hearts of the doubtful Blaugrana faithful.

Ultimately, we cannot conclude this without mentioning Messi. He was somewhat silent in the first half as he played wide. Yet, it was his free kick that Mathieu nodded in for the opening goal. In the second half, he playing in the center of the pitch which helped the midfield out and after Luis Suarez’s goal, he along with Neymar and Luis terrorized Madrid’s tired team with dangerous counter attacks. He has been amazing in 2015 and we hope he can keep it up down the stretch.

The fact they squandered so many golden chances in the final 20 minutes of the match will give Luis Enrique something to discuss at the next team meeting. They cannot afford to squander these types of chances, especially one such as the Neymar missed opportunity that saw Madrid score moments later. There is room for improvement and a result like this will keep the players’ egos grounded which might not be the case if the score ended 4-1. Ten games left in the league but at least Barça control their own destiny even with Madrid, Valencia and Atlético in pursuit.

Time for Barça to be Ruthless Again.

Another big test for Barça is at hand today when the exciting Clásico rears its head again. Barça have Real Madrid right where they want them but can they be ruthless and finish them off?

Back in October, that gut-wrenching 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish capital left a lingering taste of disappointment in Luis Enrique and the Blaugrana players. We knew Barça were good but we were not sure if this team had the intestinal fortitude to be great. Times have changed since then.

Barça have had a superb 2015 with outstanding overall performances in all three competitions thus far. They got a favorable draw on Friday when they got paired with PSG for the Champions League Quarter-Finals while Real Madrid got paired with Atlético Madrid. Talks of a treble are still premature and part of it is because of this match today.

Barça’s recent history against Real Madrid has been something of a yo-yo, especially at the Camp Nou. Since the 2010-2011 season, Barça have won 2 of their 4 matches at the Camp Nou in league Clásicos. Today will be their fifth league home match of the decade. A win today would put them four points ahead of Real Madrid with ten games to go. A win today would also put more pressure on Real Madrid and their manager Carlo Ancelotti and would put Los Blancos in disarray.

Barça have squandered precious moments like this in the past where they had their foot on Real Madrid’s neck and somehow allowed them to get back up and gain some momentum. Today is another test to see if they can add more to Real Madrid’s misery or will they somehow stumble and give their arch rivals a boost to their self-confidence. Barça must become ruthless again and begin exerting their dominance against their rivals much like they had under Pep during his first three seasons as Barça manager. Today will be a telling sign if Barça can be that ruthless again and finish off Real Madrid.

Barça Treble Talk Is Premature.

Things are still going well for Barça. They qualified for the Copa del Rey Final, are in the driver’s seat in their Champions League tie against Manchester City, and currently are league leaders. However, all this talk about another Barça treble is premature at this moment.

Barça’s disappointing loss to Malaga has become nothing but a distant memory. Barça seemed to struggle with taking advantage of opportunities to breathe down Real Madrid’s necks. Now, they are the ones breathing the fresh air atop of the league summit after finally capturing it. The mood is better at the Camp Nou regarding the manager and players; but not the club administration though. They qualified for their 37th Copa del Rey final where they will face Athletic Club at a yet to be determined venue and enjoy a 2-1 aggregate lead against Manchester City in the first leg of the knock out stage of their UEFA Champions League tie.

However, let’s not get too carried away with any treble talk. In a quest of such magnitude, one must remain humble and focus on only the next match at hand. Pep brought that one game at a time approach and Luis Enrique repeated it today ahead of tomorrow’s second leg match against Manchester City. When asked about this weekend’s El Clásico match, the manager replied, “There is only one game for us and that’s the one tomorrow. Nothing else matters to me right now”.

Up only 2-1, the tie against Manchester City is far from over. It is true that Barça enjoy the upper hand knowing that Manchester City enter the match knowing they need to score two goals at the Camp Nou. However, crazier things have happened to Barça at the Camp Nou. Barça’s “Dream Team” were knocked out of the second round of the qualifying stage for the 92-93 Champions League by CSKA Moskva with a second leg 2-3 loss at the Camp Nou after a 1-1 away draw in Russia. At one point, Barça were leading 2-0 before the Russian side scored three unanswered goals to eliminate the Blaugrana from Europe.

Barça’s match against Manchester City cannot be taken for granted. Barça still has the tendency to give up goals and with the absence of Busquets, one wonders how the midfield will look like in his absence. Even if Barça advance, the teams awaiting them in the Quarter-Finals will not be pushovers. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Porto and PSG will be waiting for them along with possible teams such as Dortmund or Juventus, Monaco, and Atlético. The path to the Champions League final will not be an easy path, that’s for sure.

Even this weekend’s Clásico cannot be considered that decisive. When Barça won the treble back in 2008-2009, El Clásico took place in the final month of the season, not in March. After this weekend’s clash, there will be an additional 10 league matches to be played. That’s 30 possible points. A win this weekend will give them a four point cushion with another 30 points to be contested by both sides. Clearly, having a small lead is a great boost for morale but a lot can happen over 10 matches too.

I have always been a firm believer that the league is decided in the final five league matches. So any talk of Barça winning or going for the treble by fans is very premature. The media will start talking about it because it’s their job to do so. Some were talking about Real Madrid winning all six titles this season and look how quickly that discussion ended. Only one club from Spain has ever won the treble so it’s no easy task at all. Therefore, let’s wait till May before we can utter the word “treble.” Until then, the Blaugrana faithful need to just take it one match at a time.

Time for Barça to Deliver.

For the third time this season, FC Barcelona have been presented with a chance to regain the top spot of the Spanish league back from Real Madrid. Now is the time for Barça to make a statement by taking back the top spot.

Once again, FC Barcelona have a shot of overtaking Real Madrid for first place in the league standings. After losing the top spot to their arch rivals, they were presented with opportunities to regain it in 2015. The first two times were against Real Sociedad and then Malaga where they could have been in first place on a temporary basis. Unfortunately, they lost both times.

So is third time’s the charm? Real Madrid lost to Athletic Club today and remain two points ahead of Barça. Thus, a victory tomorrow for the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou against Rayo Vallecano means Barça will be league leaders again. They can ill afford a slip up and waste a golden chance like this for third time this season.

El Clásico is only a couple of weeks away. If Barça are victorious tomorrow, then they have a chance of keeping their lead and increasing it with a victory against Real Madrid. However, Barça needs to take it one game at a time, especially with an away match to Eibar and a second leg against Manchester City only a few days before El Clásico. Nonetheless, now is the time for Barça to deliver. Failure to beat Rayo Vallecano tomorrow and regain the top spot would be disappointing. Golden chances like this must be taken by Barça and the team must deliver tomorrow.

Barça’s Failure to Finish Off Teams Must End.

Barça’s recent first leg ties in both Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League saw the Blaugrana victorious in both clashes. Yet, their failure to finish off their opponents is a habit that must come to an end.

Barça’s 2015 continue to be one full of progress ever since that loss to Real Sociedad with the minor hiccup of the Malaga loss. Whatever experimentation Luis Enrique was doing in the first half of the season has been abandoned. He and the players seem to have made strides in making this season a memorable one. They have one foot into the Copa del Rey Final after defeating Villarreal 3-1 at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their Semi-Finals clash.

Barça’s success in cup competitions continued last week when Barça traveled to the UK to face Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie and returned to Barcelona with a 2-1 victory. Both cup victories were a boost to the morale of the team and its fans. However, both victories also left a small bitter taste of disappointment among the fans.

For you see, in both matches, Barça were awarded a penalty towards the end of the match. Yet, both times, they failed to convert from the spot. Neymar missed from the spot against Villarreal and Messi missed from the spot against Manchester City. Moments like those must not be squandered.
If Neymar had scored from the spot, and assuming that Villarreal would not have still scored before the final whistle, the final score would have ended 4-1 and all but ended the tie right there. Villarreal would have needed to win the return leg 3-0 to advance, but instead, a 2-0 result would suffice for them. If Messi had converted from the spot, Barça would have left with a 3-1 win and with an important three away goals advantage. Of course, two away goals are still valuable since this means Manchester City will have to attack, because a 2-0 win would be enough to see them through to the next round. No doubt Barça will look forward to Manchester City playing to attack and not sit back and defend.

Some may construe this as whining. “Hey, your team won; be happy!” Oh I am happy. This is about Barça not finishing teams off. The Blaugrana had two chances to kill off teams in the first leg of a cup tie which could have afforded them a chance to rest some players in the second leg as they remain on course to challenge for the treble. If Barça do not somehow collapse to Manchester City at the Camp Nou, they will be fighting for the Champions League title with seven other teams. Barça better not squander golden chances to finish off teams when the opportunity presents itself. With Real Madrid only two points ahead of them in the league standings, now is the time for Barça to develop a knack of going for the kill for the rest of the season especially with El Clásico is right around the corner.