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.