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World Cup: Spain was supposed to win, then they sacked their manager

By Esteban Bailey

KRASNODAR, RUSSIA - JUNE 13: Luis Manuel Rubiales talks to the media during a Press Conference after the decision to dismiss Julen Lopetegui as coach of the Spanish national side ahead of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 on June 13, 2018 in Krasnodar, Russia. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
KRASNODAR, RUSSIA - JUNE 13: Luis Manuel Rubiales talks to the media during a Press Conference after the decision to dismiss Julen Lopetegui as coach of the Spanish national side ahead of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 on June 13, 2018 in Krasnodar, Russia. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images) /
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This was originally going to be an argument for why Spain was going to win the World Cup. Well, my plans were drastically changed this morning.

Spain has world class midfielders who play for the best teams in the world (David Silva, Isco, Thiago, Busquets, Iniesta, etc.). They have a veteran and decorated back line of former World Cup winners (Ramos, Pique, Alba), and perhaps the best the goalkeeper in the world (David De Gea).

Take all of that and put it with a modern tactical system, with great results in qualification and recent friendlies and excitement was high for Spanish fans.

It all changed when manager Julen Lopetegui accepted the open manager position at Real Madrid. At the time, it was thought that he would leave his position as the manager of the Spanish National team at the conclusion of their World Cup.

Sounds reasonable, but reason does not exist within Spanish football.

What happened?

In their infinite wisdom, the Spanish FA decided to sack Lopetegui the day before the tournament.

This is unbelievable news, with almost no precedent in international football.

In 2014, Netherlands manager Louis Van Gaal had an agreement to coach Manchester United after the conclusion of the World Cup in Brazil. That did not affect the team, as the Netherlands went to the semifinals of the tournament.

Antonio Conte had an agreement with Chelsea and that didn’t stop Italy from beating Spain in Euro 2016, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Even with Spain, Luis Aragonés made an agreement to manage Fenerbahçe during the buildup to the semifinals of the 2008 European Championships!

To be fair, Luis Rubiales, the head of the Spanish football federation, claimed that Lopetegui was not fired because he made an agreement with Real Madrid, but because they were not informed about the discussions or warned about it becoming public.

Rubiales said,

"“The federation cannot remain on the margins of a negotiation for one of its employees”."

However, the Spanish FA have effectively ended any chance for this team to win this tournament. The timing is terrible and no country could survive such a massive shakeup right before the World Cup.

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