PARIS: The European Championship enters a new era with Spain seeking to reassert their old supremacy.
Invincible between 2008 and 2012 while claiming back-to-back European titles and finally tasting World Cup glory, the Spanish halo slipped two years ago with a humiliating blowout in Brazil.
How better to show that the first-round elimination in 2014 was just a blip than by completing a hat-trick of European titles in Paris on July 10. It will be a tougher challenge than before, with the Euros growing by eight teams to 24 in France.
Although Spain’s national team has not collected a trophy since Euro 2012, domestic clubs have swept up continental trophies for the three seasons.
The Champions League has been won by Real Madrid (twice) and Barcelona while Sevilla completed a hat trick of Europa League titles in May.
The sternest challenges in France for Vicente del Bosque’s team are likely to come from World Cup holders Germany and the host nation, boasting a talented young squad but whose plans have been derailed — as so often — by off-field controversy.
Then there is the next rung of contenders yet to conquer the continent, just the type of teams Del Bosque fears.
A golden generation of Belgium players, embodied by Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, has to live up to their promise and start delivering on the international stage for the world’s second-ranked team.
England are defensively susceptible but have a plethora of fresh attacking options, including Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, capable of challenging if not emerging with winners’ medals.
“It’s very difficult — very difficult — because there are other teams that have been far from big titles for the last few years and need to win this,” said the 65-year-old Del Bosque, who could be entering his last tournament as Spain coach.
“We want to get rid of whatever happened in the past and face the future as a big challenge.”
Unlike at the World Cup, Spain’s title defence can surely not end at the first hurdle in France this month. Croatia, the Czech Republic and Turkey await in Group ‘D’ and even a third-place finish could be sufficient to advance in the reconfigured tournament’s new round of 16.
Germany are more anxious than Spain about the group stage following setbacks in qualifying and friendlies since lifting the World Cup and veterans like former captain Philipp Lahm retiring.
After games against Poland and Ukraine, Germany faces Northern Ireland, first-time finalists who qualified as group winners.
“I’m a player who likes to play against big names, big opponents, because you always know who is approaching,” Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. “And so it is a little inconvenient. Most times you can only lose against such [smaller] teams.”