Impossible Is Nothing

To date, Impossible is Nothing is simply the most inspiring quote I have ever come across.

I  remember the Adidas poster outside a showroom, opposite my junior college, that showed the quote in large bold letters. I remember waiting outside my college for the bus, and trying to memorize the entire piece.

It said: Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.

Sports equipment and apparel maker Adidas has always been known for it’s innovative and inspiring advertising ideas, but this one just goes over the top for me. The slogan was launchead along with a video series that featured around 40 athletes from around the world.

In each video, a famous sports personality talks about his achievement, and the difficulties he / they had to face with to attain their goals, no matter how impossible they seemed to others. The list of sportsmen includes Argentina footballer Lionel Messi who talks about his early height impediment; Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who tells us about his training methods; English footballer David Beckham, who talks about what he went through after being red carded during a World Cup match. Other prominent spokesmen include NBA star Gilbert Arenas, the New Zealand rugby team, etc.

Ads such as these certainly stir the audience

The Impossible is Nothing series also includes two videos about a couple of young street footballers, who pick international stars such as Gerrard, Lampard, Kahn, Zidane, Cisse, Platini, Kaka, Beckenbauer, etc. and play in a small small ground in a Spanish locality.

Campaigns such as this one certainly have a profound effect on the viewing audience, and convince youngsters that sports is not all about the sweat, stink and blood, but can also be about style, team spirit and skills.

Premier League Schedule for 2010-11 Season Out

The fixtures of the new season of the Barclays Premier League were announced earlier today.

Season 2010-11 will kick off on August 14th, with all 20 teams in action. Defending champions Chelsea will face newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion at the Stamford Bridge. Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United,too, entertain promoted Newcastle United.

Blackpool, the third team to be promoted, will clash with Wigan Athletic for their first match in top-flight.

The biggest match of the opening day, arguably, will feature Liverpool at home to Arsenal. Liverpool, who parted ways with Benitez earlier in the summer, are yet too announce their new manager, and also face uncertainty about the future of the club, what with it being on sale. Arsenal, however, will be high on confidence after the new signings join them, and Arsene will look to go one better this season and land a major trophy.

Another big match though, will be Tottenham versus Manchester City, at White Hart Lane. The last time these two sides clashed, it was almost a playoff for the final Champions League berth, and Mancini’s ManCity will have a bitter taste in their mouth about those memories. Having to settle for the Europa League in spite of their signings, the blue half of Manchester seems destined to go on yet another spending spree and bring in a couple of more high profile signings after the World Cup.

Boxing Day fixtures, too are set to be a hoot with Arsenal hosting Chelsea at home, and Aston Villa host Tottenham. The December mothnw ill witness Chelsea play Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham in what promises to be a mouth-watering battle for top spot.

Add to that the Champions League and the Europa League schedules, and fans across the world will be licking their lips in anticipation.
OPENING DAY FIXTURES

Aston Villa v West Ham
Blackburn v Everton
Blackpool v Wigan
Bolton v Fulham
Chelsea v West Brom
Liverpool v Arsenal
Man Utd v Newcastle
Sunderland v Birmingham
Tottenham v Man City
Wolverhampton v Stoke

BOXING DAY FIXTURES

Arsenal v Chelsea
Aston Villa v Tottenham
Blackburn v Stoke
Blackpool v Liverpool
Bolton v West Brom
Everton v Birmingham
Fulham v West Ham
Man Utd v Sunderland
Newcastle v Man City
Wolverhampton v Wigan

FINAL DAY FIXTURES

Aston Villa v Liverpool
Bolton v Man City
Everton v Chelsea
Fulham v Arsenal
Man Utd v Blackpool
Newcastle v West Brom
Stoke v Wigan
Tottenham v Birmingham
West Ham v Sunderland
Wolverhampton v Blackburn

Roy Hodgson or Kenny Dalglish: The Next Top Kop?

Benitez’s departure to Internazionale has prompted a flurry of activity among former players and management, and fans around the world are waiting eagerly as to who will eventually be named in the hot-seat.

Kop legend Dalglish, Fulham manager Hodgson, Mark Hughes and Italy coach Lippi have emerged the top names for the seat. Lippi has denied that he will be involved with the club after the World Cup, so we will look at the other two contenders.

1. Kenny Dalglish:

Benitez himself has given the thumbs-up to Dalglish throwing his hat in the ring. Dalglish, a Liverpool legend, has received support for his decision from many of the former players as well.

After Rafa Benitez left Liverpool last week, the club issued a statement saying that Dalglish would lead the search for a new manager alongside managing director Christian Purslow.

Dalglish, who quit as Liverpool boss in 1991 before going on to manage Blackburn and Newcastle, has taken one look at the shortlist of candidates and decided he could do a better job than those who have so far been identified. Dalglish, 59, won three league titles as Reds’ boss between 1985 and 1991.

Turning to Dalglish also saves any compensation claim, such as the 2.5 million pounds it would need to grab Roy Hodgson from Fulham.

Dalglish’s son, meanwhile, has claimed his father only wants to succeed Benitez at Anfield owing to an absence of credible alternatives.

Paul Dalglish, now head coach of Tampa Bay Rowdies, revealed: “It’s not as though Jose Mourinho is going to come and do the job.

“It’s not as though Fabio Capello’s going to leave England to become the next manager of Liverpool.

“My dad wants to do the job and he feels he is the best person available to do the job.

“If Jose Mourinho was available and he wanted to do the job, my dad wouldn’t have any interest in it because all my dad ever does is act in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club.”

Roy Hodgson - In deep thought

2. Roy Hodgson:

Fulham boss Hodgson was the toast of the last season, leading Fulham to the Europa League finals only two  seasons after they were threatened with relegation.

Liverpool are not keen on appointing Kenny Dalglish, but with support growing for the Scot, the club are keen to appoint someone else quickly to avoid being pressured into a decision.

Talks between Hodgson and the club have been scheduled to take place, with Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill also on the shortlist of candidates to replace Rafael Benitez.

Hodgson’s appointment though could be subject to whether he believes the current financial turmoil surrounding the club will affect his ability to manage.

The former Blackburn and Switzerland manager has a £2.5m buy-out clause in his current one-year Fulham contract, but the west London club are said to be doing their best to tie him down further.

The Sun reports that owner Mohamed Al Fayed is prepared to double Hodgson’s £1m-a-year deal, while Fulham are also hoping that the 62-year-old will stay in the hope that he will become the next England manager.

“Leaving Fulham to take over at England would be seen as the pinnacle of Roy’s career,” an insider told the paper.

“And everyone thinks that’s what he would love to do. He could miss out on that if he gets tempted by Liverpool and then the England job comes up not long after.”

Hodgson has been more of a certainty than Dalglish, with calls for an English manager to take up the job coming in.

Whoever take over the job, though, has a lot of issues to take care of immediately, not least the club being up for sale, and also that Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun being in other clubs’ crosshairs for quite a while now. Transfers have been postponed till the new manager  is announced. Even Benitez is planning to try and buy Mascherano and Kuyt as his fist signings at Inter Milan.

However, like former captain Mark Wright suggests, any manager who brings success to the club after such a dismal season will be viewd as a ‘God’. Both Wright, and present England defender Carragher have urged the club to finalize the decision quickly.

The Truth behind Benitez

The man who dared the Reds to dream, and showed them a nightmare instead. The man who worked incredible bargains, and produced major flops alongside. The man who coupld win the European Champion’s League, but only one of his last nine fixtures.

With Benitez now at the helm of Inter Milan, the time has come to analyze how many of his crtitc’s statements are true. No doubt there were many – but how many of them stand ground?

Just what has Benitez done for Liverpool?

1. The Glory:

Rafa Benitez is a good tactician and there is no doubt about it

Benitez managed Liverpool through an incredible Champions Leaguye campaign in 2005 that saw them win the finals in Istanbul against AC Milan in spite of being 0 – 3 down after the first half.  He led them to an FA Cup triumph the year later. Another Champions League finals a year after that. All the while finishing fifth, third third, and later second in the Premiership. Considering what Liverpool were like under Houllier, no doubt Benitez brought back the glory days back to the Kop.

Despite a European Cup success and an FA Cup success, both won since Arsene Wenger last delivered a trophy to Arsenal’s trophy cabinet, the 50-year-old Spaniard has faced a torrent of inexplicable pressure from the media, ex-players and other ‘expert’ commentators on his contribution to the Merseyside giants.

2. The Bargains:

When he took over, Benitez considered Liverpool (as did many of the supporters), to be at least nine players short of championship material. But with the arrival of Pepe Reina, Torres, Agger, Alonso, Mascherano and Kuyt, Benitez transformed the core of the team into a force to be reckoned with.

Where Did Benitez Fail?

1. The Boardroom:

That Rafa had frequent run-ins with the management of the company is no big secret. More than football, politics in the upper echelons of the management might ave foreced rafa out of Merseyside.

2. Man-Management:

Separately, Torres, Gerrard and Carragher have all said that they struggle to think of conversations with Benitez that weren’t about football. It suggests he is only interested in footballers as players, rather than as people. Alonso’s departure last year can certainly be attributed to Benitez’s attitude during his attempts to sell his fellow Spaniard the previous summer.

It was a complaint voiced by Pennant, who said he was frustrated by his manager’s continual presence on the touchline, forever conveying orders. Benitez could respond that his attention to detail has been responsible for some of his tactical triumphs and that tinkering with his players’ positions has had benefits.

Benitez will have more finances at Inter

3. The Transfer Window:

Say what you want about lack of finances at the Kop – but Benitez has had tough luck when it comes to choosing a good player. More players have flopped at Liverpool under him than he would like to think. Craig Bellamy produced better form in two months at Eastlands than his two years under Benitez. Strikers such as Crouch and Keane left as soon as the Torres-Gerrard partnership flourished and threatened to plac ethem on the bench. Morientes, Voronin, Babel, Keane, Dossena, Penant, Luis Garcia…. it has been quite a list.

Is it fair to axe a man for one bad season after five successful ones? We will never really know. Can he do better with the resources he is given at Inter? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure – Rafa Benitez has left a legacy behind him

World's Best Resume Ever!

This video resume of s man called Aleksey Vayner/Garber started making the rounds a couple of years ago, and has even been ranked as one of the most viewed videos of all time. Vayner sent this resume to get a finance job, but the content of the video caught the attention of the employers, and the video somehow got leaked to the Web. Immediately, it became an instant craze, as people logging in to follow the so-called exploits of this man.

The video has been ranked at #87 on the Most Iconic Internet Videos of all time.

Veyner, aspiring to be an investment banker, sent this video along with a 11-page resume to banking powerhouse UBS, along with a glamor-shot. The resume instantly caught the attention of the bankers. Soon enough, Vayner had turned into the biggest joke of Wall Street.

In his resume, Vayner claims to have participated in several outstanding feats.

Describing himself as 'Aleksey Vayner, CEO & Professional Athlete,' the video shows him (supposedly) lifting a 495-pound weight, serving a tennis ball at 140mph, performing a rather impressive rotating jump while skiing, and – in an extended sequence – ballroom dancing with an underdressed lady while clad in a figure hugging black polo neck.
In the video, he comments: 'If you're going to work, work. If you're going to train, train. If you're going to dance, then dance, but do it with passion.'
Finally, wearing white robes, he majestically smashes a pile of bricks with his bare hands.
In his cover letter to UBS, he says: 'As a world-level athlete in several sports, I have developed an insatiable appetite for peak performance and continuous learning. My trainer and world martial arts champion often said, “Impossible is just someone's opinion.” I live by those words.'
His 11-page resume (11 pages!) also states that he is the CEO of his own investment firm, that he founded a charity helping young people, and that he can cure people using his knowledge of Chinese medicine.
Ivygate claims that  his 'investment firm' may be fake, and plagiarises its mission statement from another firm; that his 'charity' Youth Empowerment Strategies bears an uncanny resemblance to an entirely unconnected charity also called Youth Empowerment Strategies; and that his self-published book about the Holocaust ('Women's Silent Tears') plagiarises entire segments from an online Holocaust Encyclopedia.
Other interesting stories about Vayner include one student's recollection - reported in Yale Daily News - that he claimed to be one of only four people in the state of Connecticut qualified to handle nuclear waste. Also reported in the humour magazine Yale Rumpus are his assertions that he was previously employed by the CIA and the Mafia, and that he had given tennis lessons to Harrison Ford.


More about Aleksey
The New Yorker wrote about Aleksey’s past fibs:
Claims to have won two games against tennis great Pete Sampras, and taught Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford to play
The Dalai Lama wrote his college recommendation letter
He was an action star and professional skier

Other publications investigating learned that Vayner has variously claimed the following[1]
He won two games against tennis great Pete Sampras, and taught Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford to play
He is an expert in Chinese orthopedic massage
The Dalai Lama wrote his college recommendation letter
He was an action stuntman and professional skier
He is a professional model and has appeared in promotional ads for multiple clothing stores including Ann Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue.
He worked for the Central Intelligence Agency
He is a master in the art of Tibetan bone-setting
He forged passports for the Russian Mafia
He participated in Tibetan gladiatorial contests
He is one of four people in the state of Connecticut certified to handle nuclear waste
He at one point claimed to be the original developer of Napster
Rumpus Magazine, a Yale University tabloid, had already exposed Vayner as a possible fake before attending Yale.
Vayner is licensed to handle nuclear waste, must register his hands as lethal weapons, and participates in Tibetan gladiatorial contests.


Oh and by the way, Vayner didn't get a job - from UBS or any other bank. He took an indefinite leave from college too.

Top Five Substitutes To Watch Out For

Too often have we seen the words ‘impact substitutes’ in recent times. Theo Walcott has been a one, now Thierry Henry is being used as one as well.

While every team at this World Cup relies on such players to make an impact coming off the bench, you will not find them on the coach’s top list. Put this down to lack of experience, or stamina, or both, these players have what it takes to alter the flow of a game in the short time they step onto the pitch. Here’s my take on the top fringe players to keep an eye out for – the World Cup will be their chance to prove their worth, and attract interest from top clubs across the globe.

1. Danny Miguel Alves (Portugal/Zenit St. Petersburg):

A Venezuelan-born attacking midfielder, who has impressed in Russia with first Dynamo Moscow and then Zenit St Petersburg, who signed him for €30m two summer ago. Plays centrally and drives directly at goal.

Why: Because Portugal’s midfield is far too functional and not creative enough, with Deco increasingly playing a static midfield role rather than looking to support the forwards. Nani’s injury has further damaged Portugal’s creativity, and Alves basically gives Portugal exactly what they’re crying out for.

2. Riccardo Montolivo (Italy/Fiorentina): A central midfielder with excellent passing skills. Neither an attacking or defensive midfielder, he took over the Fiorentina captaincy in January. At 25, can no longer be described as promising – now needs to step up and prove his quality.

Why: Italy lack a trequartista and their most talented midfield playmaker, Andrea Pirlo, may miss the first two games through injury. Claudio Marchisio may be favourite in the centre of midfield for Marcello Lippi, but Montolivo offers a more intelligent option, and probably a closer resemblance to Pirlo.

3. Fabio Coentrao (Portugal/Benfica): A 22-year-old former left winger who has been pushed back to left-back at Benfica, where he has just won the league title. He is incredibly skilful for a full-back, loves to get forward and has the stamina to do so for a whole game. He does sometimes look like a winger playing out of position though, and gives away too many free-kicks.

Why: Because he might provide the most penetration from any Portuguese player. If Carlos Queiroz persists with a Pepe-Meireles-Deco midfield, Portugal will need their full-backs to provide support and direct running. That’s unlikely to come too much from Paulo Ferreira on the right, and Coentrao will be playing behind either Cristiano Ronaldo or Simao Sabrosa, both of whom like to cut in onto their stronger right foot. An overlapping full-back is a must, and Coentrao will do that far more than the alternative, Duda.

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The top five Subs

The top five Subs

4. Javier Pastore (Argentina/Palermo): A 20-year-old enganche who has impressed in his debut season for Sicilian club Palermo. A creator rather than a goalscorer himself, he plays just behind the forwards and has both passing ability and a love for running directly at defences. He only won his first cap two weeks ago against Canada.

Why: Because Argentina don’t really have anyone in his mould. They have Carlos Tevez, Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, but these are deep forwards rather than attacking midfielders. Juan Veron plays in the role Pastore would look to fill, but doubts remain about his ability to compete for 90 minutes in the centre of midfield, and he has an unfortunate characteristic of looking like a luxury player when things are going badly. Pastore would play slightly higher up the pitch and look to play the killer pass.

5. Christian Eriksen (Denmark/Ajax): A small creative central midfielder for Ajax, at 18 he is the youngest player in the tournament. He only has 15 senior club appearances and three international caps, but there have been calls for Morten Olsen to give him a starting place.

Why: Because he is exactly what Denmark are lacking. They are relying on a bunch of rather elderly players to create chances, and Nicklas Bendtner’s injury problems aren’t helping the situation. Eriksen offers a great turn of pace and direct running at goal, and could be a game-changer from the bench.

Freestyle Football in India

Freestyle is  expression. Whether it is football, basketball, or dance, freestylers are artists. They compose their own kinds of symphony, and mkae the crowds groove to their beats.

Freestyle Football attracts large crowds.

Freestyle football has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years, only due to some amazing media campaigning, and the enthusiasm of it’s performers, who are willing to take to the streets and showcase their skills in public. In India, it took a little more time to get recognized as a competitive sport, but now has gained a lot of popularity among footballers and onlookers alike.

Youngsters have forever been enthralled by Edgar Davids, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and the total control they exhibit over the ball. Couple that with Nike’s media campaign of ‘Joga Bonito’, with Eric Cantona as it’s face, has pushed performers’ imaginations into expressing themselves with a football.

In a time when cricket is the main entertainment for Indian crowds, it is safe to say that freestyling is slowly inching it’s way up the popularity ladder in today’s youth. Youngsters in Mumbai and Delhi, among other cities, have started their developing their foot skills, and perform them with quite a lot of finesse and precision.

Freestyling involves a tremendous amount of stamina, focus and balance.

Freestyling needs a lot of practise and an equal amount of patience. It requires a lot of stamina like other sports but once you have mastered the basic art of juggling the ball, you only get better with every practise. Archis Patil, a final year engineering student developed interest in freestyling after watching YouTube videos featuring the likes of ace freestylers Ronaldinho and Touzanie. That Patil is an avid football player only served as an add on. Having played at international tournaments in Sweden and Denmark, freestyling only helped him manoeuvre his way better on the field.

“Freestyling helps me gain better control over the ball, makes me more confident of my moves and makes my body more flexible while playing football,” he says.

He has showcased his skills in promotional features of Red Bull and Virgin mobile and has also got an offer to participate in a reality talent show. “I actually earned Rs10,000 for the two day Virgin mobile promotion,” he says.

Freestyling is complemented by hip-hop music in general, as performers choreograph their moves and skills to provide an amazing spectacle to onlookers.

Though the future of Freestyle Football as a career doesn’t seem too bright at the moment, it is catching the youth’s attention nonetheless as it not only helps them exercise their creativity but also gives them the adrenaline rush.

“Sometimes people clap, just do a thumbs up gesture or congratulate. Undoubtedly, the presence of a crowd builds up the pressure but their applause gives a different high altogether,” says Fernandes who feels happy to entertain the crowd that gathers in the lane across his home where he practices with his friends.

Last year McDowells held a Freestyle Awareness drive around the country in 21 cities in India. The ‘Freestyle Friendzy’ campaign saw six top freestylers from around the world performing for Indian crowds. Peter Kovacs – top Hungarian freestyler ,Nam The Man- the Irish freestyle icon, Palle – the freestyle champion from Sweden and one of the most influential patrons of this format, Daniel Rooseboom – the Dutch No 1, Nori- top freestyler from Japan and Jesus Gomez Moreno – the Spanish champion and Freestyle Fashion ambassador interacted with Indian freestylers.

Most of the performers agree that more competitions should be held in colleges and schools to increase participation and encourage more and more people to take up freestyling as a serious sport.

My All-Time World Cup’s Greatest Eleven

Everyone agrees that good players are few – but great players are rare. A good player who takes on additional responsibility and performs admirably under pressure can become a great player. The time has come for me to pick (in my opinion), the greates eleven ever to have played the FIFA World Cup.

I have included 1 goalkeeper, 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 attackers in a classic 4-4-2 formation for my dream team. I have also included 1 defender, 1 midfielder, 1 striker and 1 goalkeeper as substitutes.

Note that the years mentioned in brackets do not refer to the years that the players appeared in the World Cup, but the years in which their performances atht ehWorld Cup have deemed them worthy to be a part of the all-time greatest squad.

1. Goalkeeper: Walter Zenga (Italy, 1990)

Though Barthez and Buffon conceded the least number goals ever when their countries have won the World Cup, Walter Zenga was responsible for the most number of minutes keeping clean sheets (517 minutes – 5 clean sheets).

2. Defense: Roberto Carlos (Brazil, 2002), Paolo Maldini(Italy, 1990), Franz Beckenbauer (Germany, 1966 and 1970) and Cafu (Brazil, 1998)

Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini on the same team? Well, I cannot seem to keep either of the left backs away from my list. Cafu’s inspirational play during Brazil’s run to the finals in 1998 makes him an automatic choice for any squad. And of course, who can forget Beckenbauer, the father of the libero, and his goalscoring antics from midfield and defense in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups. In fact, he dislocated his shoulder during the semi-finals against Italy in 1970, but  played on with his arm in a sling, in what has been dubbed The Game of the Century.

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zenga_173394s

3. Mid-field: Zico (Brazil, 1982), Zinedine Zidane (France, 1998 and 2006), Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1986) and Johann Cruyff (Netherlands, 1974)

Zico, often called the ‘White Pele’, had an amazing tournament in 1982, when he became known as one of the world’s best dribblers and finishers ever.

Zindeine Zidane’s inspirational form led the French to their World Cup glory at home in 1998. Again in 2006, the odds seemed to be stacked against the French, but sublime form from Zizou saw them reach the finals.

Who can forget Diego Maradona’s tournament in ‘86? The Hand of God, followed by the Goal of the Century put him on the pedestal of eternal greatness.

Johan Cruyff was one of the most devastating mid-fielders ever to have graces the football field. He is widely regarded as one the best players ever.

4. Forwards: Ronaldo (Brazil, 2002), Pele (Brazil, 1970)

Found it extremely difficult to pick only teo forwards. Ronaldo’s form in front of goal in 1998 and 2002 will always put him on any goalscorer’s list. And what more can be said about pele? The Black peral joins Ronaldo in an all-Brazilian attack.

5. Substitutes: Bobby Charlton (England, 1966), Romario (Brazil, 1994), Bobby Moore (England, 1966) and Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, 2006)

Of course, I have not been able to name so many other great players, and it feels like no single list can do justice to all of them. Readers are welcome to form their own opinions and discuss them.

Why Spain Might use a Rotation Policy

Spain are one of the favorites at the World Cup since their Euro triumph.

What an opening three days of the World Cup! It has given us nothing less than the drama expected. What with the noise of the vuvuzelas, the hype around Maradona and his squad, Green’s blunder and Australia being mauled by Germany yesterday, we might forget that the most exciting teams of the tournament – Netherlands, Brazil and Spain are yet to play their first match.

So far we have seen 16 teams, and the next three days will acquaint us with the other 16 as well. I can’t  wait for Spain to take the field and show us if they are really worth all the expectations.

Why is Spain one of the favorites? Their results speak for themselves – Del Bosque have led Spain to victory in an incredible 33 of their last 34 games – and they have lost just once in his 48 games in charge. Ever since their Euro victory two years ago, Spain seem to have shed their ‘Chokers’ tag at the big tournaments, and look like a highly professional unit.

In fact, Spain have so many amazing players in their squad, that it’s hard to see which ones the manager actually names in their starting eleven.

Two years ago, Spain’s run to glory was largely attributed to the presence of Marcos Senna in mid-field, just ahead of the defense. This time, though, he is not a part of the squad, and Del Bosque might make the highly unpopular choice of playing both Alonso and Busquets deep in midfield.

This of course, alters the style of play, with Spain being forced to play a man less upfront. Xavi might have to play the link between defensive and offensive, connecting the midfield passes to Iniesta on the left, David Silva on the right, or Villa/Torres up ahead.

Vicente Del Bosque has an extremely talented squad at his disposal.

The majority of Spanish fans (and EPL fans) will want either Alonso or Busquets to be dropped to accommodate Fabregas in midfield, or Torres in attack, but I doubt Del Bosque will do that. Nor will he risk losing width by taking out Iniesta or Silva. And on the question of whether Torres should play instead of Villa, their international stats speak for themselves – Villa has scored 38 goals in 58 games, whereas Torres has scored 24 in 73.

Why would Spain adopt a player-rotation policy?

Firstly, Spain’s players have injured over the course of the season. Fabregas has played less than 80 minutes since his injury against Barcelona. Torres and Iniesta have plagued by injuries all season. Xavi was doubt a for the World Cup.

Secondly, Del Bosque has the pleasant but important headache of leaving out at least two world-class players on the bench every game. With Fabregas and Torres (and even Jesus Navas) on the bench, he runs the risk of being blamed for his team selection should Spain lose a game. It is only logical that he should field different line-ups for different games. It’ll also keep his opposition managers guessing his tactics till the last second.

Torres and Fabregas look most likely to start on the bench.

Most imporantly, Spain begin their tournament on 16th June, as the last side of the tournament. Which means, should Spain reach the finals along with France, who played on the first day of the tournament, Spain would have played an equal number games in five days lesser. It makes sense to keep players fresh by benching them at crucial stages.

Either way, Del Bosque is certainly in an enviable position by having such an amazing array of talent at his disposal. Should Spain go on to win this World Cup, their domination of the sport for the last four years will have proved themselves to be one of the top sides in history as well.