If Joan LaportaâÂÂs wettest dream, an independent Catalan football side, ever comes true, then at least one part of the Spain managerâÂÂs life would have been made considerably easier: the politics.
Of course, this undeniable upside would be instantly countered by losing the likes of Pique and Xavi and having to build the midfield around Guti, a footballer who now claims to have rediscovered his Christian roots and has demonstrated this leap of faith by recreating the roof of the Sistine Chapel in a enormous tattoo on his left arm.
SaturdayâÂÂs 2-1 World Cup win over Armenia has left Spain with nine wins from nine in their group, eight points clear of their final opponents, Bosnia, and Vicente del Bosque in a charitable mood with his players.
The Barça ones, anyway, complains the Madrid press.
SpainâÂÂs coach has decided to allow the rib-bruised and suspended-anyway Carles Puyol to travel back to Barcelona along with the apparently knee-knacked Xavi.
And this has got ASâÂÂs panties in a bunch with the paranoid paper suspecting that a dodgy deal has been made between Pep Guardiola and the national manager â a suspicion that has come up in the past with injured Barça players returning home only to return for their next league encounters.
âÂÂI donâÂÂt have any agreements with any club,â sighed the moustachioed manager in a response oft uttered down the years by the national team boss.
MondayâÂÂs irritable edition is also accusing Del Bosque of double standards over his treatment of Fernando Torres, who has been troubled with muscle issues all week and only lasted 55 minutes of yet another non-scoring encounter.
But despite admitting that he has had conversations with a concerned Rafa BenÃÂtez, Del Bosque tells AS that his striker isnâÂÂt going anywhere and may play again on Wednesday, due to injuries to David Villa and Dani Güiza.
âÂÂI told [BenÃÂtez] that he is being well taken care of,â said the Spain manager about a player who has returned to Liverpool in an injured state five times.
Marca are also crying foul over players poleaxed on international duty.
Spitting flames over Cristiano RonaldoâÂÂs ankle injury, which will see him on the sidelines for a month, Marca may never be ready to make nice with Portugal and their ex-Madrid-managing coach.
âÂÂTheir doctor and [manager Carlos] Queiroz took advantage of the good faith of Cristiano,â moaned MondayâÂÂs editorial, saying that both should have listened to MadridâÂÂs own medical report warning of the risks of playing their expensive product in the win over Hungary.
âÂÂItâÂÂs the opposite to what Del Bosque has done,â continued the complaint, which claims that the Spain coach has chosen club over country â all very brave in a game that was completely meaningless for his own side.
Unfortunately, there is no further word as to whether Portugal's bosses should have taken heed of MarcaâÂÂs Saturday headlines, which boasted that Ronaldo would not be âÂÂhiding from this crucial match for Portugal.âÂÂ
AS have taken a different line, with a reasonable Alfredo Relaño arguing that RonaldoâÂÂs contribution to PortugalâÂÂs opening goal was key and asking whether the winger was âÂÂsupposed to tell his country that his ankle pain meant that he preferred to count his millions in Madrid, whilst Portugal played for their World Cup future?âÂÂ
But thatâÂÂs of no concern to Marca, who are in full sulk mode and praying that their superstar player can return in time for MadridâÂÂs encounter against Barcelona on November 29 â a game that is apparently the first âÂÂmatch of the centuryâ of the current campaign.
Liverpool fans may be having the same worries over Fernando Torres' availability in the immediate future.
But for Marca, there's one major difference between those two giants of the world game. Only one of them plays for Real Madrid.
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