Dubai: Who can stop the all-conquering Spanish juggernaut? That was the question posed by many a football pundit up until last summer following Vicente del Bosque’s men’s unprecedented dominance of the global game.

Yet Brazil’s 3-0 Confederations Cup final rout of Del Bosque’s 2010 World Cup winners, who also swept to glory at the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, exposed serious doubts about Spain’s potential to carry on winning.

Niño Jose Heredia/Gulf News

Granted, their capitulation owed much to fatigue after a long and arduous season, but nobody could have predicted they would be so comprehensively overpowered by a rampant Brazil.

What better way, then, to wreak revenge on their Brazilian conquerors than to persuade Brazil-born striker Diego Costa to bolster their attacking ranks?

The Atletico Madrid striker, who is reportedly set to join Chelsea before the tournament, is the third highest goalscorer in Spain’s La Liga this season with 27 goals behind Lionel Messi (28) and Cristiano Ronaldo (31) and opted to represent his adopted homeland over his native Brazil last year.

Spain scored only eight times in seven games at the 2010 World Cup and Costa, who made his debut in a 1-0 friendly victory against Italy in March, could provide the cutting edge that La Roja have often lacked.

Aside from his goalscoring capabilities, he offers a physical presence on which Spain can rely if their famed ‘tiki-taka’ short passing fails to unlock opposing defences.

In a newspaper interview earlier this year, Del Bosque said of his new recruit: “Everyone knows Diego Costa and among his strengths as a forward are his fight, his ability to annoy and not let anyone relax, to be a pain for defences.”

The midfield area remains Spain’s greatest strength, however, and it has been galvanised further by the additions of prodigious young players Thiago Alcantara of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid’s Koke.

Such impressive squad depth should help Spain reach at least the semi-finals, although they will have to be wary of the challenges posed by their final opponents four years ago, the Netherlands, and the emerging force that is Chile in the group stage.

Yet if talismanic midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi stay fit — along with the experienced centre-back pairing of Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos — expect Spain to be strong contenders to win a historic fourth major football crown in a row.

Spain

Group B
Fifa ranking: 1

Top man

Andres Iniesta
Date of birth: May 11, 1984 (age 30)
Place of birth: Fuentealbilla
Height: 1.70m
Weight: 65kg
Playing position: Midfielder
International caps: 94. Goals: 11
Club: Barcelona

Coach

Vicente del Bosque
Date of birth: December 23, 1950 (age 63)
Place of birth: Salamanca
Manager since: July 1, 2008
Record: P85 W69 D8 L8 — 81.18% win record

Best 11 (4-2-3-1)

Iker Casillas; Cesar Azpilicueta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso; Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Pedro; Diego Costa

Full squad

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Manuel Reina (Napoli/ITA), David De Gea (Manchester United/ENG)

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich/GER), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea/ENG), Raul Albiol (Napoli/ITA), Juanfran Torres (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Koke Resurreccion (Atletico Madrid), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal/ENG), Juan Mata (Manchester United/ENG)

Forwards: Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), David Villa (Atletico Madrid), Fernando Torres (Chelsea/ENG)

Group opponents

Netherlands
Chile
Australia 

Qualifying campaign

Winners of Uefa Group I, three points clear of France.

World Cup history

First tournament: 1934 (Italy)
Appearances (excluding 2014): 13
Best finish: Winners (2010)

Pros

  • They have unrivalled experience of winning, having triumphed at Euro 2008 and 2012 and won their first World Cup in 2010.
  • Coach Vicente del Bosque is a calm and unflappable character with the knack of getting the best out of his talented group.
  • The addition of Brazil-born striker Diego Costa provides Spain with extra firepower, something they have lacked in recent times, while they have a surfeit of gifted midfielders.

Cons

  • Spain’s possession-based tiki-taka tactics are arguably no longer as effective as they were, with Brazil’s pace and power proving too much for Del Bosque’s men in last year’s Confederations Cup final.
  • They have a lack of cover in central defence should either of the first-choice pairing of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique get injured.
  • Winning a fourth major trophy in a row is unprecedented and it’s questionable whether Spain’s ageing stars have the hunger for more silverware.