Drop Raul? - Spain think the unthinkable
Spain coach Inaki Saez is coming under pressure to drop the country's record goalscorer Raul after a poor match in Spain's Euro 2004 opener and an indifferent season for Real Madrid.
Spain coach Inaki Saez is coming under pressure to drop the country's record goalscorer Raul after a poor match in Spain's Euro 2004 opener and an indifferent season for Real Madrid.
Raul looked ineffective against Russia on Saturday and was replaced by Fernando Torres with 20 minutes remaining of a match which Spain eventually won 1-0 with a goal from another substitute, Juan Carlos Valeron.
The calls have begun in the outspoken Spanish press for Saez to cut the emotional ties with a player who only turns 27 on June 27 but whose 38 goals in 73 appearances for his country make him the highest scorer in the nation's history.
Many observers argue that attack-minded midfielder Valeron, who played a major role in Deportivo La Coruna's charge to the Champions League semi-finals this year, deserves a place in the starting lineup for Wednesday's Group A match against surprise package Greece.
Readers of one Spanish sports paper criticised Raul on Monday, something that would have been unthinkable at the start of the 2003-2004 season when the Spanish media pushed for the striker to be named Europe's player of the year, an honour eventually awarded to Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved.
The damage may also have been done in Real's disappointing domestic season in which Raul scored just 11 goals in the league as the expensively assembled 'galacticos' failed to win a single trophy.
Saez stressed before the Euro 2004 kickoff that Raul "must be our leader" and said he had not changed his mind after the Russia game.
"Perhaps I am a little stubborn, but that's the way I'll be until the day I die," said the coach.
Raul insists he is prepared to drop out of the first eleven providing it helps his teammates, who are seeking to lay to rest Spain's puzzling lack of honours in international tournaments; their last trophy was the 1964 European title.
"I have no problem with being on the substitutes' bench," Raul said.
When he last faced calls for his axeing, he responded in the best possible way - by scoring both goals in the 2-1 victory against Ukraine which proved crucial in securing Spain's place in the finals in Portugal.
It seems almost certain he will be on the pitch against Greece to attempt to provide a similar response.