Can Spain win another World Cup? BetKing World Cup 2022 predictions

The glory years

After a history of underachievement, Spain finally broke their duck with success at the 2008 Euros. Four years later, they not only retained the Euros trophy, but had won the World Cup as well. The perennial underachievers had become the best team in the world. 

And yet, the nature of their triumphs was based around their ability to constantly evolve. Vincente del Bosque took over from Luis Aragones and increasingly centered the team around Barcelona (especially in midfield). By doing this, Spain became less direct and kept the ball more, which in turn made it much harder for opponents to hurt them.

An inevitable decline

That remarkable run finally ended in 2014, as the reluctance of del Bosque to refresh the team caught up with him. The headline result - a 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands - came as a shock, but in truth they had been on the slide for about a year by that point.

The retirements of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and David Silva also robbed Spain of their world-class midfield. Fielding three of them on the pitch at the same time, along with the defensive midfield duo of Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets gave Spain an advantage no other team could match in the middle of the park. When that advantage stopped being a factor, other teams quickly sussed out the Spanish.

How they’ve rebuilt for the future

Only now, with a new generation of midfield talent - interestingly enough, from Barcelona - blooming together, have Spain been able to return to something approaching their best.

At 19, Pedri has blossomed into one of the finest midfielders in football and was also a crucial part of Spain’s run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020. There, they were knocked out by on penalties by eventual champions Italy in the semifinal, but it was widely regarded as a vindication of manager Luis Enrique’s insistence on youth.

It is this desire to freshen things up and trust promising talent that has put La Roja back on the map, and Enrique has gone one step further even, incorporating energetic 18-year-old Gavi into his midfield trident. At the base, Sergio Busquets remains as a throwback to their golden age, but this is, compared to most other international sides, a young midfield. The glare of a World Cup is a vastly different proposition to the Euros, however - will the Spanish youngsters be able to keep their heads in Qatar?

While that focus on youth appears entirely justified given the performances Pedri and Gavi have been putting up in midfield, the jury is still out in certain other areas. Ferran Torres has significantly underperformed his early promise, and is struggling for minutes at Barcelona, but remains an Enrique favourite. His desire to include Eric Garcia has also been difficult to understand, as the Barcelona centre-back lacks the physicality and aggression to excel at the top level, even if he’s a good passer of the ball.

Phasing out the older generation; timely or premature? 

Enrique’s youth drive also raises a question: how much is too much, and where is the place of experience? Former stalwart Sergio Ramos has been largely ignored by the former Barcelona manager, and David De Gea was first supplanted between the sticks by Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon and has been dropped completely from the Spanish squad for the World Cup. While both men have weathered some poor form in the past, they are presently in encouraging form for their respective clubs, and could offer much-needed quality and experience to Enrique’s young team.

BetKing’s verdict

Tournaments are a peculiar thing: the most attractive team does not always win, and neither does the most talented. Spain may have rebuilt an effective version of their trademark style but going all the way in Qatar is a huge ask, especially with a potential quarter-final meeting with Brazil in the offing.

That will probably be as far as they go, but Spain should navigate their group comfortably. Germany is always formidable, but are weaker than they have been in the past, and both Japan and Costa Rica are unlikely to pose much of a threat.

Bet on Spain to win the World Cup at odds of 9.50 with BetKing

Bet on Spain to reach the semifinals at 3.00 with BetKing

Bet on Spain to reach the World Cup final at 5.00 with BetKing

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