Football: Del Bosque sticks by tried and tested troops

When Vicente del Bosque called the assorted media to name his squad for the Confederations Cup at the end of last month, the biggest surprise was that there were very few surprises.

Despite the wear and tear on a squad that has participated in a major tournament for four of the past five years, Del Bosque chose not to leave any of his star names at home to rest ahead of the final qualifiers for next year’s World Cup.

They are just a point ahead of France with three matches remaining of the qualifying phase.

Nevertheless Del Bosque has opted for the same faces that have led Spain back-to-back European Championships and the World Cup in 2010.

Xabi Alonso was eventually ruled out due to a groin strain he had been carrying throughout the last few weeks of the season, but the likes of Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets and Xavi Hernandez who also missed later parts of the season through injury have been included.

The 62-year-old’s decision not to rest at least a few of his trusted troops is even more of a surprise given Real Madrid and Barcelona‘s displays in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Both sides were physically dominated by the power of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich respectively and the dual rigours of consistently reaching the later stages of the Champions League and going onto play tournaments at the end of a tiring campaign looked to have particularly taken its toll on Barca’s group of Spanish players.

However, throughout his time as national manager, Del Bosque has tended to be stubborn with his selections — and justifiably so given his success.

He rejected cries from the Spanish press to do away with the pairing of Alonso and Busquets at the base of the midfield for a more attacking option after the 1-0 defeat to Switzerland that kicked off their World Cup campaign in 2010.

Similarly, he stuck with Cesc Fabregas in a “false nine” role on their way to retaining the Euros last year.

However, there is a definite fear in Spain that it will be tiredness that eventually snaps their streak of success and plenty would be willing to forego the chance at winning the one tournament they have not won on the international stage for a better shot at retaining the World Cup next year.

Even with many Barca and Real players having played less towards the end of the league season as the Catalans cruised to the title, the average Spanish player in their Confederations Cup squad has still played 315 minutes more this season than those in the Brazil squad.

And the difference is even more stark compared to Spain’s first Confederations Cup opponents Uruguay who have played nearly 1,000 fewer minutes per man this season.

Del Bosque seems determined to try and keep the Spanish juggernaut rolling with another tournament victory.

However, even if the world champions do go on to lift another trophy, the real evaluation of whether Del Bosque has made the right call in forcing the old guard into another summer of action may not be made until their likely return to Brazil in a year’s time has drawn to a close.