Aragones also did not understand football without extremes until the “crazy shorts” appeared | Relief

On June 20, 2004, two decades later, Spain were knocked out of the European Cup at the first stage, and in poor form. You can lose and lose, but not like the team of “Jaburu” Saez did. who left the Portuguese lands after Nuno Gomes’ goal in flip-flops and without even passing some of the players through their concentration area, where the bulk of their luggage was located.

Just ten days later, the national team unknowingly became La Roja thanks to their new coach Luis Aragones. Mallorca, the club he was contracted to, caused no problems and Ortaleza finally became a coach after being a coach a couple of times before without trying on the circle. At that time, this signatory already had a diploma in the field Louisology with several approved master’s degrees in this regard. “My Spain will be a team of extremes. Modern football needs to restore dribbling, feints, feints… We must widen the field, look for the flanks, make good crosses that improve shots.”

Contradict him. He told you how he felt. I am convinced that this was the best, if not the only one. Aragones always believed in extremes, although fate wanted him to achieve glory through a handful of midfielders: Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Cazorla, Senna (the only great one). Luis the player always lived off gang members. First of all from Armando Ufarte and from Enriquito Necklace. And what a coincidence, La Roja took second place after the first of them. Right winger and close friend of long lunches, bingos and light dinners. Galician from Pontevedra, who grew up in Rio de Janeiro and played for Flamengo and Corinthians. Ufarte exported Garrincha’s dribbling ability from Maracana to the old Metropolitano, and Luis scored so many goals from the Brazilian’s passes that he fell in love with the wingers.

And just in case he forgets one day, Ufarte will remind him of it. When he became a coach, many years later, the love continued and he began looking for wingers to import into the national team. Joaquin (Betis) and Vicente (Valencia) were already in the team, and His first list already includes Reyes (Arsenal) and Victor Sanchez del Amo (Deportivo). Two right-handers and two left-handers. Then, in subsequent calls, it will be the turn of Albert Riera, young Silva (Valencia), Luis Garcia (Liverpool), Sergio Garcia (Espanyol) …

Little by little, disappointment after disappointment, Louis began to doubt his extremes: “They are more beautiful than good.” They didn’t upset the balance the way he wanted. They didn’t help win the match. They didn’t work with their group. On the contrary, the group frill, as he liked to call them, began to exert their power. It was about Cazorla, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc… “Let’s mix it up, a wide open striker and steering wheel what is outside plays inside. The Test, with Joaquin on the right and Iniesta on the left, half forced by injuries to Torres and Villa, went well in Aarhus against Denmark, and that is how they remained. From extremes to short crazy people

From Luis to Luis. From Aragones to De la Fuente. Extremes have their place again chance in the selection. And besides, they have two children. Nico Williams, 21, and Lamin Yamal, 16. Another Luis (Enrique) has already taken a risk with the first at the World Cup in Qatar, and the second came off the bench of the current coach in the match in Georgia. Breadth of power. Dodge. Feint. One against one. The presence of two typical wingers characterizes the style of any team. And even more so in a short competition. Nico, a right-hander, usually plays on the left; Lamin, a left-hander, starts on the right. Switching to your natural profile is a strategy that can reset your turn markers on the fly.

At the moment, De la Fuente likes that when the team is deployed in attack, the wingers come inside, become inside and leave the flanks so that the full-backs can double up on the outside. But this situation can change at any moment and become the other way around: the defenders go through lanes “8” and “10”, and Yamal and Williams go to the sideline. The goal is the same. Bring breadth and depth to your team.

Extremes are back! The dribble, the feint, the feint, the prelude to the center and the strike are back!