How Vicente del Bosque’s favouritism could cost Spain again.

As Spain limped to yet another victory in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, it only served to paper over the cracks and it’s time for Vicente del Bosque to earn his crust as Spain’s manager and pick those in form and better suited to the current system rather than those has simply has a good relationship with. If not, Spain stand very little chance of winning 2016.

No one is going to dismiss del Bosque’s credentials as a manager but perhaps he has become too comfortable in his position as head coach of Spain. Alarm bells began to rang in Brazil as his side failed to make it out of the group stages, suffering a humiliating loss to the Netherlands in the opening fixture before being outplayed by a vibrant Chile side. That should have been the moment del Bosque reflected on his squad selection and realised, like many spectators, some no longer deserved their place in the starting XI – or the squad at all.

Speculation was rife off the back of the embarrassing display in Brazil that del Bosque’s time as Spain’s manager was up, that he wasn’t capable of phasing in the new generation and a a change was needed to reboot the country’s national side. Perhaps in part due to the lack of credible candidates available to replace him, he was kept on to at least oversee the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign as well as the tournament itself before his position will be reevaluated again.

Unfortunately he’s only proven the doubters right. His squad selections continue to have a heavy dose of favouritism to them, often overlooking players in the form of their lives to pick a bigger, more established name. It’s selection policies such as his which are causing Spain to stall as opposed to accelerate into a new era of dominance – as they have the talent available to beat the best around. The problem is del Bosque refuses to acknowledge them.

Vicente inherited a squad and system which had triumphantly won the Euros back in 2008, built on a wonderful spine of Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez and David Villa up front. Yet it’s in these key areas that del Bosque has got it terribly wrong when it’s come to finding their replacements, or removing those that are past their prime.

Iker Casillas was one of the best goalkeepers in the world during Spain’s dominant period. He exuded confidence from the first minute and the defence could rely on him to bail them out if an attacker managed to get through. It’s safe to say that Casillas is no longer at that level. If anything, he transmits nervousness to those ahead of him due to the mistakes he’s made and is no longer a justified choice for the first team, let alone as captain. The blame doesn’t belong to Iker though, it’s with del Bosque who refuses to have faith in the next generation. You could argue that David de Gea should’ve been the goalkeeper for the 2014 World Cup but there’s no question he should’ve been made first choice once the tournament had ended. Del Bosque felt otherwise.

Carles Puyol retired soon after the World Cup triumph in 2010 due to him feeling his body wasn’t capable of managing both club football as well as international football. Sergio Ramos was the ideal candidate to replace him, especially as he had played alongside Puyol and Pique at right back in the successful 2010 campaign. Yet it’s del Bosque’s unwavering support for the partnership of Pique and Ramos that is another cause for concern.

There’s very little experimentation from del Bosque when it comes to friendlies or even qualifiers, especially with his defence. There’s no doubting that Sergio Ramos and Pique are the best partnership available but it doesn’t hurt to give those knocking on the door a chance from time-to-time, if only so they can build up an understanding with the other mainstays at the back. When Pique was dropped after the horror show against the Dutch it smacked of desperation to throw Javi Martinez in there. And this is a Javi Martinez that, for Spain, had played as an emergency centre forward as much as he had at centre back. Again, a lack of planning created this problem. It needed to be addressed immediately after the World Cup but Del Bosque felt otherwise.

The loss of Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso was another major task for del Bosque to sort out. There is sympathy for the coach here as those two were the base that Spain’s tiki-taka system was built on but his choices as replacements leave a lot to be desired. Koke has been nothing short of sensational for the past two seasons yet whenever he was given the chance, del Bosque felt the need to clip his wings and ask him to play an unnatural role in the style of Xavi. They are two completely different players and it’s a real ‘square peg, round hole’ solution from the man at the top.

The other options del Bosque has plumped for include Santi Cazorla, who has been impressive for Arsenal but will be 31 by the time the Euros roll around – hardly planning for the future, is it? And even last week Cesc Fabregas was chosen to play in midfield despite being woefully out of form for Chelsea. Again, it’s favouritism from del Bosque as opposed to long-term planning. For Koke to remain primarily a substitute for Spain is beyond belief as he should have been a permanent fixture in Spain’s midfield by now. Del Bosque felt otherwise.

David Villa thrived in the system at Spain. His ability to play off the wing to either kick-start an attack or pull defenders away for willing runners has yet to be replicated by the various candidates to replace him. I know it was the easiest fixture of the three in Spain’s World Cup group but I wasn’t surprised to see them win in the only game Villa played – and scored – in. The one person del Bosque should’ve backed for longer was David and he inexplicably dropped him to experiment with Diego Costa, who had only played 90 minutes in a Spain shirt, just three months prior to the World Cup starting.

And del Bosque continues to persist with Diego Costa despite it not looking any promising after NINE appearances for Spain now. His style doesn’t fit the system and his first touch isn’t good enough in a team like this. A willing worker, that’s for sure, but sometimes people just don’t fit. Paco Alcacer looked a much better option after he came on against Slovakia but he had to make do with a place on the bench again for the following game against Macedonia. Maybe the issue with Diego Costa is political? After Spain’s very public fall-out with Brazil over the right for Diego to represent them, perhaps internally there is pressure to get Costa firing. I don’t know.

And the insistence of playing Diego Costa is even more baffling when someone like Aduriz, who like a fine wine appears to get better with age, can’t make the squad. If Cazorla’s age isn’t an issue, then nor should Aduriz’s be. I’m not asking for him to be trusted to lead the line for Spain at the Euros but it would have been nice to see the Basque-born frontman given a chance in one of the last two qualifiers, if only as an alternative option off the bench.

There are other areas of the squad which have fallen victim to del Bosque’s safety first approach to team selections. Pedro completed a move to Chelsea last month but his performances haven’t been great for Barcelona nor Spain since the World Cup. Yes, he’s scored a decent amount of goals, but it doesn’t hide the fact he’s lost that X Factor he initially had under Pep Guardiola. He knows that too and hopefully regular football can bring back the old Pedro over time.

That’s still no excuse for not giving Celta Vigo’s Nolito more of a chance. He was arguably the best winger in the league last season and has started this one like a house on fire but, once again, doesn’t appear fashionable enough for del Bosque who decided to go with Juan Mata instead as an alternative to Pedro.

Let’s not forget that Spain have an incredible record at youth level, too, so it’s not as if the youngsters aren’t being produced. Only two years ago the U21 side won the Euros yet so many of that squad hasn’t been given a chance at senior level. Iñigo Martinez has deserved more opportunites at senior level than the solitary cap received so far. Thiago Alcantara is another who should be making the squad after recovering from a serious injury. He’s the heir apparent to Andres Iniesta and deserved to be involved in the last two qualifiers.

Vicente del Bosque had the perfect excuse to revolutionise his squad after their failure last year but he didn’t take it. There should be fresh, new faces around this squad with the belief being that if you perform to a high standard in the league, the coach will notice and give you an opportunity. That isn’t the case. It appears past reputations and the profile of the club that you represent are more important than form. He’s got under just under 10 months to sort out his stagnating Spain side or face the prospect of disappointment again in France. If that did happen, he’d have no one to blame but himself.