Spain coach Luis Aragones is a busy man these days as he deals with the stacks of reports landing on his desk.
As well as reviewing the facilities at the team's FIFA World Cup™ headquarters in Kamen near Dortmund, Aragones must plough through scouting reports on Group H rivals Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Tunisia,
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Most worrying of all are the medical reports on two of his key men, who are by no means certain to recover in time for June's big kick-off. Captain Raul and midfield schemer Xavi Hernandez have been rocked by serious injuries that have left the national team's coaching staff, and the country as a whole, fixated on the progress of two knees that could play a vital part in propelling Spain to glory this summer.
Hopefuls facing fitness fight
While there is still hope that both Raul and Xavi can make it to Germany,
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All three incurred their injuries in similarly unfortunate fashion, with barely an opposing player in sight. Raul snapped his ligament while shooting for goal, Xavi broke down in training, and Valeron felt the dreaded crack after twisting badly on the Riazor turf.
Hit where it hurts
The first man down was Real Madrid captain Raul. During November's showdown with arch-rivals Barcelona, an awkward bobble prevented the striker from connecting cleanly with the ball as he took a shot. The resulting strain wreaked havoc on his left knee, rupturing the exterior meniscus, partially tearing the interior cruciate ligament and damaging the cartilage.
"I noticed that the ball had bobbled just as I was about to thump it as hard as I could," he recalled. "I clipped it with the outside of my foot but knew that something was wrong. Having picked myself up off the floor, I managed to stay on my feet despite the pain, but before long I couldn't even walk."
The 28-year-old striker spoke to several leading experts before deciding to eschew surgery in favour of an intensive rehabilitation program. "We explored all the options available and analysed all the relevant information. This included examining the morphology of the knee and every detail surrounding the injury. He suffered some complex injuries, but we don't feel that any of them require surgical intervention at present," said Alfonso del Corral, Madrid's chief medical officer.
The last few weeks have seen the
Merengue frontman working hard in the gym and pool to strengthen his damaged knee and get back to full fitness as soon as possible. The player himself is in good spirits, cautiously targeting a March comeback, which would give him time to build his match fitness ahead of the FIFA World Cup. "I can see light at the end of the tunnel, although I think that the next phase (of the recovery process) is going to be key.
"Let's see how the knee responds when I get out on the pitch and start kicking a ball and turning. There have been no setbacks so far, so I've reason to believe everything will go well," the player said on Wednesday.
The next Spanish international to be hit by the injury curse was Barcelona playmaker Xavi, who snapped the cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session in early December. The incident occurred when Xavi tried to turn, only for his boot to remain rooted in the turf. Doctors believe that it was the pressure exerted on his standing leg that led the articulation to snap.
The 25-year-old Catalan later claimed he knew straight away that the damage was serious. Unlike Raul, Xavi had no alternative but to go under the surgeon's knife and is expected to be out for around five months. However, the player's physiotherapist Emili Ricart believes that he could be back playing even sooner. According to Ricart, Xavi has several key factors in his favour, including "the fact that there isn't any damage to the meniscus or the lateral ligament, the player's own genetic make-up, his positive attitude and his willingness to work hard".
Alternatives for Aragones
In football as in life, one man's misfortune is another man's gain. Should Raul not make it in time, then Fernando Morientes or David Villa would jump at the chance to lead the Spanish attack. Valencia's Villa is the leading Spaniard in the Primera Division scoring chart with 13 goals so far, five fewer than Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o. Villa has been one of the revelations of the season, an authentic penalty-box predator whose performances have seen him force his way into Aragones's plans.
Pushing hard to stake his claim as Xavi's replacement, meanwhile, is Real Madrid star Guti. The 29-year-old is at the peak of his powers, fully repaying the faith shown in him by new coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro. During the recent 4-2 win over Sevilla, Guti gave a perfect demonstration of the midfielder's art, dictating the play, creating chances and even scoring the opening goal.
The Madrid-born maestro is playing like a man on a mission, having on more than one occasion expressed his fervent desire to take part in this year's FIFA World Cup. Despite the quality replacements at his disposal, however, Aragones is fully aware of Raul and Xavi's significance to Spain. "We're going to wait and see. Any decision is going to be down to them and only them, because we know just how important they are for Spain when they are fit," said the coach,
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With less than five months to go, two vital cogs in the Spanish machine face a race against time to be fit to perform on world football's biggest stage. With Spain fans hanging on every scrap of news, the big question now is: will the wonders of modern medicine and the players' own determination be enough to see them safely on the plane to Germany?
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