An article from an old friend for everyone to enjoy and tune in....
"Few were surprised or excited when Vicente del Bosque was named coach of the Spanish national team. His predecessor, Luis Aragones, stepped down after leading a nation of perennial underachievers to the Euro ‘08 crown – Spain’s first major title in over four decades. The style with which that championship was won, all but slotted the Spaniards into the role of prohibitive favorites for South Africa. For Del Bosque, that meant anything less than Spain’s first-ever World Cup trophy would be considered a categorical failure.
In an era where managerial praise is often reserved for perceived dictators like Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho, Vicente del Bosque’s mild-mannered approach is noteworthy and refreshing – especially considering his predecessor ended Spain’s 44-year title drought with the more popular ‘iron-fisted’ demeanor.
As a club manager, Del Bosque won a pair of Champions League trophies and two league titles with Real Madrid (‘99-’03). But he was shown the door when team president Florentino Perez decided the Galacticos needed a more attractive style and a more marketable coach. When Del Bosque was hired for the Spain job, the immediate question was whether he would employ the tactics that worked for him at Madrid or those that worked for his new players at Euro.
His decision not to shake up the formation and to stick with the 4-3-3 showed that it wasn’t about ego, it was about players. And keeping the nucleus of the European champions happy and in tact allowed what was already working to continue to do so.
Del Bosque made some brave decisions before and during the World Cup, such as leaving veteran midfielder Marco Senna off the squad. It took some serious lip fur to include a young, in-form Pedro and then play him ahead of Fernando Torres in the team’s two most important games. And it was gutsy to insert Jesus Navas in the final, when the Sevilla winger hadn’t played since the second match of the group stage. All the while, Del Bosque managed to instill a sense of confidence, stability and composure in a national team that has been historically criticized for lacking those things on the World Cup stage."
BTW, Now on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DreCordero
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