Having covered the “Group of Death” and co-favourite Brazil last time, we move now to the final group and the other co-favourite. Spain are clearly the class of Group H and maybe even the entire tournament. Unlike the other favourites, Spain have a very easy group and should have no trouble securing first overall. Spain do have a maddening record of underperforming; indeed they often have the most talented squad but usually seem to wilt under pressure (although winning the Euro 2008 could be seen as a sign that this is changing).
Just looking at their squad, however, it is hard to see how this team that won all ten of its qualifiers can be stopped. The talent is remarkable: David Villa and Fernando Torres up front provide the kind of finish most teams dream about, Cesc Fabregas can score while Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta set things up from the midfield, the back line is anchored by Sergio Ramos and vice-captain Carles Puyol, and it’s all backstopped by Iker Casillas, considered one of the top three keepers in the world. The “depth” players are no slouches either, with the likes of Joan Capdevilla, David Silva, and Juan Mata playing the role of supporting cast. In fact, the Spanish are so stacked that Fabregas may not even start due to Xavi and Iniesta’s brilliance, although concerns about nagging injuries to Iniesta, Fabregas, and Torres have crept into the thoughts of many La Furia fans.
Vying for second in Group H and trying not to be humiliated by the Spaniards are Chjle, Switzerland, and Honduras. The Chilean side have been surprisingly competent against quality competition, finishing only one point behind Brazil in qualifying but had one more win. Chile are led by Humberto Suazo, the leading scorer during qualifiers with 10 goals. Currently, La Roja are ranked eighteenth by FIFA, and they should be one of the more exciting teams to due to their attacking style.
The Swiss squad, on the other hand, play a more defensive style (see their 2006 WC campaign, in which they were eliminated despite not conceding a single goal) and, while not as impressive as Chile, did more than enough to qualify, winning six, losing one, and drawing even in three matches. Also improving Switzerland’s chances is their head coach, Ottmar Hitzfield, who has eighteen major trophies, the most of any coach at this WC. For the Swiss to challenge for the second spot, they must maintain their defensive prowess and find a way to score goals, whether it be pouncing on a counterattack or capitalizing on a set piece.
Rounding out the group are one of the stronger also-rans of the tournament, Honduras. Widely projected to finish fourth in Group H, Honduras would do well to earn a result against Switzerland or Chile, and it is not inconceivable that they could do so. After all, they were down only 1-0 for the majority of their semi-final CONCACAF Gold Cup match against the USA, an opponent of similar quality to the Chileans or Swiss. Indeed, Honduras could prove to be one of the better spoilers of this WC.
So, even accounting for bad luck or a critical injury, I must pick Spain to top Group H. Second place, as it so often does, will come down to Chile vs. Switzerland on June 21. One possible wild card: Spain may field a depleted squad for its third game, against Chile, should it have secured top spot in the group. In that case, you may see Honduras play more inspired against the Swiss that day to see if they can leave some kind of mark in the group stage (like preventing the Swiss from advancing, for instance).
For anyone curious to see if Spain are rusty, here are highlights from their friendly last night versus Poland, a 6-0 romp. Goals 1 and 2 in particular are pretty.
