He may be known as The Kid, but David Villa and Spain seem to be displaying a new maturity as UEFA EURO 2008™ approaches, sacrificing personal ambition for team success.
'Mission'
Villa was on target on Thursday as a likely first-choice XI were held to a 1-1 draw by a second string in a training ground match. The Valencia CF man partnered Fernando Torres in attack, something of a surprise as for much of the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign the ploy of having a lone striker seemed to bring much greater reward. The idea of playing his two star strikers together is perhaps irresistible for coach Luis Aragonés, yet Villa insists he is simply happy to be there. "My mission here is to work for the good of the squad," said the 26-year-old. "I'm going to work as hard as possible and whether I'm in the team or not, I will accept whatever decision is made and to keep working."
Güiza option
It is a welcome attitude for any coach and Aragonés certainly has attacking options, with Daniel Güiza, scorer of the second XI's equaliser on Thursday, also knocking on the door. Much may be revealed on Saturday when Spain take on Peru in Huelva, with players vying for a place in the starting lineup against Russia on 10 June, even if Villa insists on a team-orientated approach. "Right now I'm only thinking of having a great European Championship," he said. "There are three attackers in this squad; me, Torres and Güiza and of course all of us have ambitions of being top-scorer in the tournament. I just hope that Spain will be talked about as a team with great attacking potential."
Xavi belief
They have certainly shown some strike power in recent months, as well as a defensive cohesion that goes from strength to strength. Spain have recorded 1-0 friendly wins against France and Italy – Villa scoring a stunning volley in the latter game – and Xavi Hernández believes it bodes well for Austria and Switzerland. "Our strengths and biggest qualities are our first touch and the technical ability of our players," said the FC Barcelona midfielder. "That's what we're going to rely on and we'll see if it works well for us. We've beaten France and Italy so let's see if we're now capable of doing the business in official matches." Like Villa, perhaps Spain are maturing at just the right time.
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