Spanish football team progressing though in transition mode

The jury is out as to who joins him, with Isco having drawn comparisons to Iniesta, however Fabregas has shown this season with Chelsea that he is a cut above the rest.

Interestingly, although his Blues teammate Diego Costa has only featured in two qualifiers for Spain, he is the Premier League’s joint-top scorer with 19 goals. Instead, it is Valencia’s golden boy Paco Alcacer who has been preferred, scoring three in four.

Juan Mata has enjoyed a rise to form recently with Manchester United, and could find himself given a run in the side if he maintains his form. Pedro remains a Del Bosque favourite, with two goals so far, while there are big hopes over 19-year-old Barca youngster Munir El Haddadi.

Since his move to Juventus from Real Madrid, Alvaro Morata has been a revelation, scoring for fun and provides a genuine striking option, should Del Boque want to revert to a front two. A number nine very much in the Fernando Morientes mould, he would link up nicely with Alcacer and give Spain the option of playing with genuine wingers, such as Jesus Navas and even Cristian Tello, who is excelling on-loan at Porto from Barcelona.

A system that would make the most sense for them as they transition into their next side capable of challenging, would be a 4-1-4-1 utilising a rearguard of Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal, with Busquets anchoring behind Silva, Koke, Fabreags and Isco, supplementing Alcacer or Costa.

Once Del Bosque has found a blueprint that works, the players can be confident of lifting silverware again. The Under-21 side is littered with many heirs to Xavi and Iniesta, many of them graduates of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy.

Thiago Alcantara who made the switch to Bayern Munich, following former coach Pep Guardiola is an obvious talent, however, the 23-year-old is currently injured, though Sergi Roberto, Marc Bartra, El Haddadi, Sergi Samper (all Barca) and Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao) are all possible options over the next couple of years.

Malaga forward Juanmi, who has an abundance of potential, has just been called up for Spain’s next fixtures, after Costa pulled out because of injury and he is one to watch, while Getafe striker Alvaro Vazquez could yet get a call-up.

The future looks bright for Spain, if Del Bosque can implement another winning system.