Ramos' unruly Spain
The Spanish national team is not serious. The RFEF is not in the best hands either. Spanish soccer is always divided. In both Spains there are national coaches ready to give soccer lessons. In their clubs, they swallow, but with Spain there is no mercy. Neither in the curse of the quarters, nor in the debacle of Del Bosque in Brazil, nor in the Russian farce with Lopetegui, nor in the absurdity of the dismissal of Robert Moreno.
#Catar2022
Spain has played three qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup to be played at the end of next year. In the middle of the 21-22 season that we don't even know how it will start. In the first match Spain drew 1-1 against Greece in Granada. In the second they came from behind to win 1-2 against Georgia in Tbilisi. In the third they beat Kosovo 3-1 in Seville. Spain leads Group B with seven points. Sweden is second with six points and a game in hand. Sweden-Spain will be played on September 2, 2021. All this needs to be explained because the fans don't know why Spain is playing and what their games are for. They stopped the league at the best time to see their players risk injury against strange teams at the worst time of the season.
#Clemente
Javier Clemente's Spain is back. Not so much for the game. More for the manners. Luis Enrique's bad manners with the press. The most bitter wars of other times are beginning to simmer by videoconference. A defensive coach. Without waist. No empathy with the journalists' questions. He could be the typical pouty one who sits and answers monosyllabically. Like Molina in his red and white years. But Luis Enrique attacks, bites and turns press conferences into a battlefield. His arrogance leads him to say that Spain's defense against Georgia was the best of his career. It's going to be hard for the RFEF to keep such a guy in office. If the fangirl keeps twisting and the press takes positions, he'd better not show up for the Euro.
#Ramos
Sergio Ramos put the icing on the federative circus. The Real Madrid captain did not play the match against Celta to take care of his recent knee operation, but went with Spain. Real Madrid said nothing. Apparently, its diplomacy asked the national teams to take care of their players. And now. Ramos has his own roadmap. Before the call-up he had 178 international appearances and between the three of this break he could reach 180. He played 45 minutes against Greece, was a substitute against Georgia and, surprise surprise, came on in the 86th minute at La Cartuja to achieve his own glory.
#Lies
If only the principles Rubiales boasts about would translate into an honest explanation of this case. Luis Enrique took off his armor and defended that it was a technical decision. The Andalusian player closed ranks with his coach and pulled modesty to say that "everything that happens with me is taken out of context". Let the precariousness of his arguments not hide the truth: Sergio Ramos wants to break as many records as he can at the expense of Real Madrid or Spain.
#Tokyo2020
Luis Enrique's side won't meet again until June. A friendly against Portugal and to play the Euro against Sweden, Poland and Slovakia in Bilbao. Who knows if by then Luis de la Fuente will have already called up Ramos for the Tokyo Olympics. That "hopefully" that escaped the U21 coach made it clear that the RFEF is in the mood to give the captain a blank check to put Spain at his service.
#kosovo
The other blunder we had yet to see with Spain was the work of the Government-RFEF-RTVE pincer over the famous "Kosovo territory". Spanish diplomacy has been making a fool of itself for years with its treatment of Kosovar athletes. There is much fear of Catalan independence and all contempt is little. From special permits to karatekas, to a speaker claiming that "Spain does not recognize Kosovo" in a handball World Cup, to TVE putting the initials of Kosovo in lowercase on the signs. The right to complain turned into constant blunders when the announcer juggled not to say Kosovo more times than necessary. Territory of Kosovo, the Kosovo federation team and other periphrastic delights that put more light than due on this case.
#LittleFootball
Little soccer. Very little. Luis Enrique has proven that his method works, but the national team is another story. He revealed that the pre-list for the Europa is 35 players. A group that will arrive in June overloaded with matches due to this atypical season. Just three weeks to train before facing the European Championship. The sensations are not good, the game is not good either and the coach is a time bomb.
This Spain of ours.