Xabi Alonso: Why not this year?

Perhaps the most-complete Spanish midfielder since the elegant Michel, Xabi Alonso has become a cult hero among Liverpool fans since his arrival from Real Sociedad. Now he is hoping to transfer his domestic form to world football's biggest stage.

With the final countdown to their first Group H match with a tough-looking Ukraine team approaching, Alonso talked to FIFAworldcup.com about a new mood in the Spain side and his hopes for success here in Germany.

FIFAworldcup.com: There were some complaints in the Spanish press about the recent 2-1 friendly win over Croatia. An own goal, a missed penalty and several wasted chances to score were the main points of criticism.
What is you take on the performance?Xabi Alonso: At the end of the game we were happy because we were in a difficult position in the first half but we showed the character of this team. It was not an easy job to bounce back like we did.

But the result was a win and sometimes to win when you don’t play perfectly well is a very important skill, especially at a World Cup.

With players like yourself, Luis Garcia, Jose Reyes and Cesc Fabregas playing club football outside of Spain, do you think there will be a new mentality in the Spanish national team this year?Yes, I think so in some ways. It’s good for the team that we have players playing overseas because that means that the Spanish player is getting better in general – becoming more complete and learning new things in other leagues.
That is going to be good for this national team as we look ahead to our games here in Germany.
It seems many people label Spain as dark horses every four years; do you think the team can finally achieve something big this year?We have had some great teams in the past and they lacked a little luck or something was always missing. But I don't see any reason why we can’t make a big run in this tournament.
Why not this year? I think we have the talent and the players.
Obviously in the last few tournaments we have not been able to reach the Final or even the semi-finals. Now we are desperate to get there and I think with the preparations we have made it is entirely possible that this time we can achieve big things.

How was the adjustment for you personally from Spanish to English football after your move from Real Sociedad to Liverpool in 2004?Obviously playing in England is very different from playing in Spain. You have to play a different way and maybe a little faster and a little harder, but I knew that going in so I tried go into the situation with an open mind. With that approach it was quite easy for me to make the transition.
What’s the best league in the world, Spain’s Primera Division or the English Premiership?Now that I am in the Premiership, I must say that I prefer it! (He laughs).
Opening with Ukraine, probably your toughest opponent in the group, do you see this as a problem?On paper they are a very tough opponent. We played against them two years ago in Spain and it was really difficult to play against them.
They were also the first team to qualify for the World Cup from Europe, so this means they are a very dangerous team and we will have to be aware of this. We will be very motivated to take the game to them from the start.
Valencia striker David Villa has been banging in the goals this season. How important will he be in this Spanish team?He’s had a great season and his confidence is high and he will be very important for us if we are to do well in Germany. Hopefully his luck keeps up and he can keep banging in the goals here at the World Cup like he did this season at

FIFA World Cup

Group H
Spain-Ukraine-Tunisia-Saudi Arabia

Iraq has withdrawn from a FIFA World Cup warm-up match with finalists Tunisia for administrative reasons, the Tunisian Football Federation said on Thursday. The Iraqis were replacing Kuwait who had pulled out.
"The Iraqi team will not be able to fly to Germany for the match because of administrative problems," a Tunisian federation spokesman said. Tunisia is in Group H alongside Saudi Arabia, Spain and Ukraine. Their campaign gets under way on June 14 against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia were beaten 1-0 by Turkey in a FIFA World Cup warm-up match in Offenbach, near Frankfurt. Following a 2-0 defeat four days earlier against the Czech Republic. Necati scored the only goal in the 59th minute in front of a crowd of 9,000 spectators, mostly from the large Turkish community. Nearly two million Turks live in Germany. Turkey controlled the match but striker Nihat squandered two chances in the 35th and 37th minute.
Saudia Arabia plays Ukraine on 19 June and Spain on 23 June. Turkey drew 1-1 with Ghana; another FIFA World Cup team in Bochum on Friday will face another finalist, Angola in Berlin on 2 June.
Spain has asked FIFA for permission to bring in another player to replace injured defender Asier del Horno, the Spanish Football Federation said on Tuesday. The Chelsea fullback damaged the area around his Achilles tendon in training last week.
After a scan on Tuesday, national team doctor Genaro Borras said Del Horno would be out of action for 10 days and would need at least another 10 to get back to full fitness after that. The leading candidates to replace Del Horno are Deportivo Coruna's Joan Capdevila and Getafe's Argentine-born Mariano Pernia if FIFA give permission. Spain plays their opening game against Ukraine on June 14.
FK Kharkiv defender Olexander Yatsenko has been added to Oleg Blokhin's Ukraine FIFA World Cup squad the country's football federation (FFU) said on Tuesday. The 21-year-old replaces injured Serhiy Fedorov in the 23-man squad for the month-long tournament in Germany. Yatsenko is playing for Ukraine at the UEFA European U-21 Championship in Portugal and will not be available for the senior team at least until Friday.
Ukraine has been hit by a rash of injuries in recent weeks, and Yatsenko joins three other players from the U-21 team, Andriy Piatov, Dmytro Chigrinsky and Artyom Milevsky, drafted into their FIFA World Cup squad.

World Cup Match up Round 1 Group H, Spain- Ukraine

Zentralstadion, Liepzig’s architecturally distinctive and technically advanced soccer stadium is hosting the opening game for group H, Spain against Ukraine.

FK Kharkiv defender Olexander Yatsenko has been added to Oleg Blokhin's Ukraine FIFA World Cup squad. After beating Costa Rica 4-0, on their own soil on there last preparation game at home; Ukraine sharpened final details before flying to Germany.
This World Cup tournament and first game for Ukraine involves many injuries in the last weeks, making them call some u-21 players and adjusting them to the tournament.

With a 4-4-1-1 system, Ukraine coach, Oleg Blokhin does not like taking risks tactically, making a solid shape a priority for this game. With a very good round of warm up games, they are more than ready to play against Spain. Despite the fact that Spain called up some of there most prominent players to shine every minute of the game; however a one man name does make the difference sometimes: The superstar attacker Andrii Shevchenko is leading the team during this journey.

Spain, has experimented with a 4-3-3 recently, but around the preliminaries we have been told that they are likely to use a 4-2-3-1 in the opening game against Ukraine. Players like Cesc Fabregas, Jose Antonio Reyes, Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia are not just highly-talented but also in a position to offer Spain another level on their game; the fast pace and intensity of the English game. These figures’ playing together is much more exciting than knowing that Spain lately ended their participation in quarter finals. They haven’t gone so far and now sports betting odds are on their favor regarding the formation and tactic game they could do.

Unfortunately, Spain has asked FIFA for permission to bring in another player to replace injured defender Asier del Horno. The national team doctor Genaro Borras said Del Horno would be out of action for ten days and at least another ten after that to get back to full fitness. Besides this, Luis Aragones speaks in the affirmative: “Each and every member of the squad is convinced we can we can make some history. Why not? I look at Argentina, England, Italy or France and don't think they are any better than us. And even Brazil isn’t light years away.”

FIFA World Cup Group H Spain-Ukraine-Tunisia-Saudi Arabia

Iraq has withdrawn from a FIFA World Cup warm-up match with finalists Tunisia for administrative reasons, the Tunisian Football Federation said on Thursday. The Iraqis were replacing Kuwait who had pulled out.
"The Iraqi team will not be able to fly to Germany for the match because of administrative problems," a Tunisian federation spokesman said. Tunisia is in Group H alongside Saudi Arabia, Spain and Ukraine. Their campaign gets under way on June 14 against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia were beaten 1-0 by Turkey in a FIFA World Cup warm-up match in Offenbach, near Frankfurt. Following a 2-0 defeat four days earlier against the Czech Republic. Necati scored the only goal in the 59th minute in front of a crowd of 9,000 spectators, mostly from the large Turkish community. Nearly two million Turks live in Germany. Turkey controlled the match but striker Nihat squandered two chances in the 35th and 37th minute.
Saudia Arabia plays Ukraine on 19 June and Spain on 23 June. Turkey drew 1-1 with Ghana; another FIFA World Cup team in Bochum on Friday will face another finalist, Angola in Berlin on 2 June.
Spain has asked FIFA for permission to bring in another player to replace injured defender Asier del Horno, the Spanish Football Federation said on Tuesday. The Chelsea fullback damaged the area around his Achilles tendon in training last week.
After a scan on Tuesday, national team doctor Genaro Borras said Del Horno would be out of action for 10 days and would need at least another 10 to get back to full fitness after that. The leading candidates to replace Del Horno are Deportivo Coruna's Joan Capdevila and Getafe's Argentine-born Mariano Pernia if FIFA give permission. Spain plays their opening game against Ukraine on June 14.
FK Kharkiv defender Olexander Yatsenko has been added to Oleg Blokhin's Ukraine FIFA World Cup squad the country's football federation (FFU) said on Tuesday. The 21-year-old replaces injured Serhiy Fedorov in the 23-man squad for the month-long tournament in Germany. Yatsenko is playing for Ukraine at the UEFA European U-21 Championship in Portugal and will not be available for the senior team at least until Friday.
Ukraine has been hit by a rash of injuries in recent weeks, and Yatsenko joins three other players from the U-21 team, Andriy Piatov, Dmytro Chigrinsky and Artyom Milevsky, drafted into their FIFA World Cup squad.

Spain to replace Del Horno

Spain have asked football's world governing body for permission to replace injured fullback Asier del Horno in their World Cup squad, Fifa confirmed on Wednesday.
The Chelsea defender injured his calf muscle a week ago and will not be available for another 20 days, meaning he would not be able to play for his country until halfway through the footballing bonanza.
"On Tuesday at about 20:00 (18:00GMT) we received a request from the Spanish Football Federation and we have sent it to our medical committee," said Fifa spokesperson Pekka Odriozola in an interview with AFP.
"If Spain has sent all the right documents, a decision could be given today (Wednesday)."
Fifa said Spain had not specified the name of the replacement required by coach Luis Aragones but it is believed to be either Argentine-born Getafe fullback Mariano Pernia or possibly Deportivo La Coruna's Joan Capdevila.
Naturalised Spaniard Pernia is considered a more attacking option having scored 10 goals for his unfancied club in the Spanish league last season.

World-Spain coach put emphasis on tactical flexibility

Spain forward Luis Garcia has played down the significance of coach Luis Aragones's experiments with different tactical formations in the early stages of their World Cup preparations.
"There is no point in analysing the merits of different systems, you simply have to understand them to be able to adapt to them when they are used," Garcia told a news conference on Wednesday.
"It is important to have a variety of options for different situations and at the end of the day any one system can be changed by simply moving one player.
"The coach likes flexibility but if you win a game no one is bothered about which system was used."
Aragones has raised eyebrows by employing an attacking 4-3-3 formation in his opening days with the squad, a change from his more familiar 4-4-2.
That move has seen Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres used at centre forward, along with Valencia's David Villa and Liverpool's Garcia on the flanks, leaving captain Raul on the bench.
Winger Joaquin said: "Obviously Raul is a key player, our captain and leader, but if the coach thinks he isn't 100 percent or sees someone in better form that's up to him."
Spain play friendlies against Russia and African champions Egypt before a final warm-up game against fellow World Cup qualifiers Croatia in Geneva on June 7. They open their campaign against Ukraine a week later in Leipzig.

The World Cup Preview

By Graham Harvey

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

America loves “World Champions”.

Baseball has “The World Classic”, NFL crowns its version at the Superbowl, and the NBA finds theirs after a grueling season.

However, this summer all these “local” events fade into insignificance when you realize that every country on this planet will be talking about, reading, and watching “THE World Cup” – no exceptions!

It’s taken time for a country that exports its culture to import the World’s favorite game. Even in 1994, those “funny men” running on grass in “silk pyjamas” did not catch John Doe’s imagination in America’s heartland.So what’s all the fuss about every four years when the world goes crazy and falls into a footballing trance while America carries on with their summer sports?Well, “The World Cup” embodies more than a team trying to win.

Footballers transform into “warriors” – national heroes – and the football pitch becomes more than a piece of turf, it’s a battleground for global supremacy.The World Cup is the only event where a team represents a country and 100% of its population gets behind them and lives every kick, breathes every goal, and cries at every defeat.As one famous British manager once told a reporter, "Someone said 'football is more important than life and death to you' and I said 'Listen, it's more important than that'."Footballers have been shot dead for missing penalties, and two nations went to war over a football match (El Salvador and Honduras).It’s the “global game” – that’s why American companies scramble to push their products into every country via this competition. Look at Coca-Cola, Yahoo, and McDonalds – as you guys say, “They’ve got game!”So, who’s going to win?Of course, being English – you would think I would say England. But sadly, after “our” coach (well – he is Swedish really) got caught out by a number of faux pas like having close bedtime relations with an FA secretary (who also had intimate relationships with other high ranking members) who spilled the beans to a “fake Sheikh” in Dubai about the team and then had “secret” meetings (well, secret enough that Britain’s famous media hounds snapped photos of Sven going into these “secret” meetings) with top domestic clubs.You can see why your average “Brit” thinks Sven’s mind is not focused on the Cup.In fact, after all these little snags, the FA decided to wish him “Good luck and goodbye”.

Now, in your job – if your company says, “we’ve got a major launch happening and then you’re fired after it”, are you actually going to go the “Whole Ten Yards?” Not likely.In fact, the whole footballing world will be packed into one nation. Deals will be done for players, and it is not against the realms of reality that while Sven is thinking about where he will be in August, his agent will be on the mobile phone talking to rich European clubs about Sven’s future employment.Now, what would you rather focus on – an employer’s ultimate dream after already firing you or a shiny new multi-million dollar contract with one of Europe’s richest clubs? Go figure!For the duration of the World Cup, teams take over hotels and make them secure camps.

So, within this secure zone, if you see Sven on the practice pitch or walking around the hotel with his mobile close by – it could be suggested that he is not waiting for Nancy (his other half) to call him to update him on missed episodes of “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives”!So who can win the Cup? Well, obviously it would be boring to say “Brazil”. But sadly, the talent within the side is amazing and a repeat of 2002 Japan’s victory is on the cards.What about another European challenge? Well, everyone knows Italy has a great footballing history. However, the sport is in crisis – it’s so bad that Sven talking to another football club about joining them whilst under contract with the FA – is small fry when you consider what has surfaced in Italy.OK, think about this and I’ll put it in American sporting terms. Of course, before any American lawyers start firing off writs to me – I am not saying that any of the following could or would happen in the NFL. But consider what the outcry would be if the New England Patriots were stripped of their two Superbowl titles.

Or if the owner, Robert Kraft, dictated who the on-field umpires would be for all their matches. Or picture the Patriots’ owner locking umpires in their dressing rooms after a game because they didn’t give “favourable” decisions, the owner’s son running the most influential sports agency in NFL, and this same man dictating who gets bought and sold within the whole NFL community. What would happen if the Pats’ leading QB admits to gambling on NFL matches although it is banned? Then the NFL chief commissioner resigns, and to cap it all George “Dubya” Bush takes some time off from his “crusade” in the Middle East to appoint a new commissioner to oversee the “damaged” sport.This scenario is exactly what has happened in the past month in Italy. The Azzuri are truly “blue” and the dark cloud of corruption hangs over the Italian dream – there’s too much baggage being taken to Germany.

So, if you discard England and Italy – two of the favourites – where are the dark horses to run against the thoroughbred Brazilians? Holland and Spain usually turn up, and when everyone thinks they’ll be the “belles of the ball” – they trip up on the global dance floor and never see it out to the end. France are always a side that oozes class. Thierry Henry is in his prime, Gallas and many other EPL stars are at their peak – but can eleven stars gel into one cohesive unit? Germany for a month will tell.The minnows always have no chance. Sorry Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia et al.

The winner is easy to predict – it is always the football fan that feasts on this extravaganza. The team that lifts the trophy – well – you always want a pundit to give his opinion and take a good stance. I apologise, but yes, I am realistic and yes, I know my football and yes, I want to be next to a young nubile Brazilian girl when they lift The World Cup on July 9th, 2006!

Squad officially named

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet your 2006 Spain World Cup squad, as announced today by Luis Aragones:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Santiago Canizares (Valencia)

Defenders: Antonio Lopez (Atletico Madrid), Pablo Ibanez (Atletico Madrid), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Juanito (Real Betis), Asier del Horno (Chelsea), Michel Salgado (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Carlos Marchena (Valencia)

Midfielders: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Jose Antonio Reyes (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Joaquin (Real Betis), Luis Garcia (Liverpool), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), David Albelda (Valencia), Marcos Senna (Villarreal)

Forwards: Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid), Raul (Real Madrid), David Villa (Valencia)

Observations:- The poor form of Liverpool’s Fernando Morientes has officially cost him a World Cup appearance.- Who is the weakest link in this team? Many would say Carlos Marchena. After that, it’s hard to find a hole in this team.- Raul claims he will enter the WC in the best shape of his life. With just three forwards, Spain will certainly need him.

Friendly Match Spain vs. Russia

Following the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Russia rejoined FIFA as an independent nation in 1992 and competed at the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA two years later. Famously, Oleg Salenko fired five goals against Cameroon to set a tournament record that stands to this day.

However they failed to qualify for France 98’ and they disappointed in Korea/Japan. It’s been a long time since the golden era of the USSR in the 50’s and 60’s, where the team was built around goalkeeping legend Lev Yashin, one of the game’s all-time greats.

They are playing friendly games to keep some sort of continuity that allows them to prepare for the next qualifying round and also for the EURO 2008. Right after the world cup most European teams will start their preparation for this European tournament.

Now Spain will use these games to prepare the last minute details before the World Cup starts in June. They have a great team that could be up for great things this year. Lead by their star forward Raul Gonzales and a new breed of young talented players like Cesc Fabregas and Xavi, current European stars in their clubs.

The qualifying round was nothing spectacular for the Spanish squad. In fact, it was only after an emphatic 5-1 win over Slovakia in the first leg of the play-offs that their place in the finals looked secure and their fans could breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Germany 2006 will be Spain's eighth consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals. They last missed out in 1974, when coincidentally the tournament was also held on German soil. However, international honors have so far proved elusive for “la selección”, their one tournament triumph coming more than 40 years ago at the 1964 UEFA European Championship. Their best result at a FIFA World Cup was back in Brazil 1950, where they finished fourth.

The Spanish are hoping this world cup to be their best participation ever. This is one of the most talented teams Spain has ever brought to a World Cup; many experts in the industry believe that Spain will go very far in the tournament.

If you like soccer and sports betting this a great opportunity to bet on these friendly games since most sports books will have lines for the matches.