On Wednesday, David Villa, one of the best strikers in Spanish international history, announced his retirement. The 37-year-old, who completed just under 100 caps for the “Furia Roja” and even became the country’s record scorer with 59 goals, won both the European Championship 2008 and the World Championship title two years later with the Seleccion. Most recently, Villa was team-mate to Lukas Podolski at Japanese club Vissel Kobe.
A designated scorer is the team of coach Robert Moreno momentarily something. Although attackers such as Paco Alcacer, Alvaro Morata or Gerard Moreno have proven to have great qualities in front of the opposing case, but from spheres of a Robert Lewandowski, a Harry Kane or a Romelu Lukaku the enumerated professionals are still a bit far away.
Admittedly, we complain at an extremely high level, because with just two games to go before the end of the qualification, it is clear that the “La Roja” 2020 will definitely be in the European Championship finals.
The final matches at home against Malta and against Romania therefore have only a statistical character, but on the other hand offer many young players the opportunity to recommend themselves for future tasks.
Although it can be expected that coach Moreno, who has been in the process of qualifying for his actual boss Luis Enrique in office, will mix his team vigorously, there is no doubt on Friday night that between Spain and Malta, the one-sided odds in favor of the hosts have their permission.
Actually, even the only question is how high the victory, because nobody really believes in a surprise of the underdogs of the island. The goal of the favorite must be to dominate the qualitatively clearly defeated opponents and to convert the associated overweight into goals.
We face Spain vs. the second leg. In any case, the prognosis that the success of the “red fury” this time more clearly than in the first leg, which won the nearly designated group winners only 2-0.
Spain:
Although the Spanish national team has prematurely scrapped the ticket for EURO 2020 with 20 points after eight matchdays and marched completely unbeaten through the qualification, a sad aftertaste remains, for which the professionals, however, can not do anything. What is meant, of course, is the traceable resignation of coach Luis Enrique, who has withdrawn from the public until further notice after the death of his young daughter.
With the only 42-year-old Robert Moreno finally moved Enrique’s longtime assistant in the first link and leaves so far a very positive impression. For the native Catalan, who has never before led a professional team as head coach, it is not only athletic but also personally or mentally a great challenge to develop under the circumstances a team that will be in the best position this summer is to become European champion.
Accordingly, the record with five wins and two draws from the first seven international matches under Moreno’s leadership must be considered as a success. After five successes to the opening showed the shape curve but at least a bit down. In the 1-1 draw in Norway, the Spaniards conceded the equalizer only in added time.
The renewed 1-1 a few days later in Sweden, the “Furia Roja”, however, had its own last-minute hit thanks. Nevertheless, it must not be the claim of the former World and European champion to have to tremble until the end against actually inferior counterparty.
The coaching team has to work urgently for the next six months due to this weakness, which is especially due to a lack of chances, otherwise a similar fiasco as in the recent major events threatens.
A start in the development should already make the two internationals in November. Before the penultimate qualifier against Spain by Malta, a tip on the host is no alternative – no matter which staff the coach sends on the court.
Given the fact that the encounter has no tabular meaning any more and the “La Roja” already has the qualification in the bag, it is likely that among other youngsters like Dani Olmo or Pau Torres make their debut in the A-team. Missing will be Adama Traore from Wolverhampton and attacker Rodrigo from Valencia.
Especially with Zagreb professional Olmo, those responsible will dare no experiments, as the winger, who was European champion in the summer with the U21, could theoretically also run up for the Croatian national team. If the 21-year-old completes his first competitive game for the World Ranking List, he will be played from then on.
From a strictly statistical point of view, there are also sufficient arguments to venture a prognosis between Spain and Malta on the success of the Iberians. For example, Seleccion has always scored at least once in the last 38 international matches.
In eleven out of the last 14 matches the Spaniards have been successful twice or more. In addition, it is interesting that 18 of the last 25 “La Roja” goals only came after half time.
Malta:
Regardless of how the last two competitive games of the 2019 calendar year end in November, the Maltese are already able to draw a positive conclusion. The world ranking 182. In the course of this qualification, they finally ended the ongoing winless series in European Championship qualifiers.
After 29 consecutive matches in which the southern Europeans did not succeed, the national team of the island state prevailed 2-1 against the Faroe Islands on their first match day, breaking the spell. Stupid only that the threesome from March 23 this year until today remained the only achievement of the Maltese.
In the remaining seven matches, the football dwarf always left the field as a loser and could not even score their own. Seven consecutive zero-defeats are reason enough to make it to Spain on Friday evening ahead of Spain’s sparse duel. Malta to examine the odds of success without conceding the favorites. Since even here the prices do not exceed the 1.20, we will probably have to devote ourselves to alternative bets.
Noteworthy in this regard, we find the statistics that the team of coach Ray Farrugia “only” eight of their 18 goals conceded in the first half. If you exclude the three goals in the first 45 minutes against Romania (final score: 0: 4) and the two goals conceded in Norway (final score: 0: 2) once, then the Maltese keeper Henry Bonello, who was one of 20 players in the squad The national team, which are under contract in the home, in the first round actually never more than once fish the game device from the net.
Consequently, on Friday night between Spain and Malta presumably the tip is that the “Furia Roja” scored more goals after the break than before the half-time, a lucrative opportunity to conclude this extremely one-sided encounter with a win. The experienced defender Steve Borg has to serve a suspension and is missing accordingly.
The best-known player in the squad is still Michael Mifsud, who at age 38 has already experienced a lot and is one of the few players on the small island who have made the leap to other European countries.
For comparison: The current legionnaires earn their money, for example, in the fourth English, in the fourth Italian or in the third Portuguese league.
