Whenever it comes to major tournaments, especially the World Cup, 90% of the tweets on my Twitter timeline will be about the matches. Weirdly enough, almost half of these tweets are by my female friends whose football tweets only appear once every four years. Hahaha okay I am exaggerating.
It's always difficult to explain to non-football fans why I am so passionate about the teams I support because I literally go on an emotional journey with them. But, I'm super glad I have ze best friend - hehe hi Stef! - who has been watching the sport longer than I have (albeit supporting a different club in the EPL), and is genuinely interested in every aspect of football that I wish to tell her about. Like, I can actually discuss matches that we're currently watching with her and that is really awesome. I mean of course we keep a lookout for the good-looking players and all too but we ain't that superficial... Hahaha.
One team that both of us support is the Spain National Team and I think I speak for the both of us when I say that the matches against Netherlands and Chile in the group stages of this World Cup were the hardest matches we ever had to watch with Spain playing. And even though I don't like pointing fingers, I think the biggest fault belongs to the traditional mindset of manager Vicente del Bosque who does not want to change with the times.
The squad of 2008, 2010 and 2012 are getting old.
I absolutely love this squad and they have given me so many reasons to smile. And I appreciate it so much that Vincente del Bosque is so attached and dependent on the squad and he is such a father figure to them. But the fact is that age has inevitably caught up with them and the generation we are familiar with looked exhausted and unmotivated. Young Spanish players bursting with potential are not being utilized, and they should, because they are the future of the country's football team after all. So I was absolutely bummed from the start that players like Isco who have been doing so well in the youth team didn't go get into the squad.
Putting hopes on a striker who is not fully fit.
... And who is a Brazilian as well. I don't even wanna say his name LOL but that was one of the most horrible decisions ever. Playing Villa would have been great - even if you put Torres on there I think it'd sit well with more people.
My heart goes out to Casillas, Ramos, Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso and co. the most and I thank them for the past 6 years. My Real Madrid players in particular have had a great season and them winning the Copa Del Rey and Champions League have given me more than enough reason to be happy. Even the best fall down sometimes, and I believe the newly revamped Spain will be back stronger to defend their UEFA Euro title.
Just hoping that their last match in this year's World Cup will not be catastrophic. Please just get the striker who has been playing the last 2 games out, and get Xavi and Villa in. Viva España!
