Spain preview: Dangerous spoiler or group A cannon fodder?
As we move closer and closer to the IPCH European Championships 2024, Claus Vestergaard previews each team in order of the World Ranking List. In this edition, he shares his insights on the Spanish national team.
Team Spain is very much the up and coming Powerchair Hockey nation. Having only participated in two previous international tournaments (EC 2016; 8th, WC 2022; 7th), they are still very new to international play.
In 2022, team Spain played with a very innovative and aggressive - bordering on reckless - playing style, they proved themselves quite the crowd favorite. With a charming emphasis on involving their T-sticks in their offense and counter attack, they managed to rack up three T-stick goals. With those counting double nowadays, Spain are rarely out of a game completely. Say what you will about Team Spain, their games are never ever boring.
On the other hand, the Spanish approach seemed a bit naive at times. The offensive firepower didn’t quite translate to wins or close defeats, even. Spain tended to keep the game close in the first half, but as the opposition would figure out the alternative Spanish style, they would pull away. Attacking with reckless abandon is fun and exciting, but if Spain is serious about turning all that excitement into wins, they must clean up some defensive mistakes, and especially cut down on turnovers leading to dangerous counter-attacks for the opposition.
Veteran t-sticks Asier Sanchez and Antonio Rodriguez are likely starters, but newcomer Roger Badia is knocking on the door. While Sanchez and Rodriguez are ‘gunners’ more likely to shoot than to pass, Badia offers something completely different: Unselfish to a fault, he constantly looks to get teammates involved. Don’t be surprised if Spanish coaches opt for a balanced approach, only playing one of Rodriguez and Sanchez alongside Badia. Badias passing prowess may also help with the turnovers that plagued the team throughout the 2022 world cup.
So can Spain make some noise in 2024? Maybe. But honestly, getting even one point in the incredibly tough group A will be a tough task. In all likelihood they will be looking at a 4th place finish in the group. Don’t be shocked if they end up making life difficult for the 3rd place finisher in group B, but a 7th/8th place game against Belgium seems the most likely outcome.
Most of the neutral fans will be cheering them on all the way, and any positive surprises along the way would be very helpful for Team Spain’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 world cup. Here’s hoping.