EURO 2008: Aragones looks to buck expectations and leave Spain a Euro winner
MADRID, Spain — For Spain, the expectations of soccer success constantly remain. The coaches don't.
Luis Aragones is no exception, but he is confident of bringing the perennial underachievers success at next month's European Championship.
Aragones will lead a young Spanish team to Austria and Switzerland to face def3ending champion Greece, Sweden and Russia in Group D.
But regardless of Spain's fortunes, the embattled coach won't continue. Aragones is leaving on his own terms, a philosophy he has followed since taking over after a disastrous Euro 2004 campaign.
You can't really blame him.
The 69-year-old Aragones has been called a racist, over-the-hill grouch since replacing Inaki Saez in July 2004. But like Spain, Aragones takes the criticism in stride.
"I keep my feet on the ground," Aragones said recently. "I'll keep on being the same Luis as always."
Nicknamed "The Wise Man of Hortaleza," the Madrid suburb of his birth, Aragones has been a coach since 1975.
He began his coaching career at Atletico Madrid, where he played, leading the club to the Intercontinental Cup title in his first season and the Spanish league title two years later.
As well as undertaking three more spells at Atletico, Aragones has been in charge of seven more clubs, including FC Barcelona and Valencia, for a total of 757 league games.
It hasn't been enough to appease his critics, however.
Aragones' stormy relationship with the media, who initially welcomed his appointment, has been the biggest distraction.
He's walked out of post-match news conferences and become enraged on radio and TV. Following a 2-0 qualifying win over Latvia last September, Aragones preferred to drive 450 kilometres from Oviedo back to Madrid to avoid journalists flying on the team charter.
Aragones' refusal to recall Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez has also been a sore point.
Raul, Spain's all-time leading scorer with 44 goals in 102 matches, hasn't played for his country since a 3-2 qualifying loss at Northern Ireland in September 2006. That is despite his team-high 17 goals this season in leading Madrid to a record 31st Spanish league title, his sixth in 14 seasons at the club.
"For a coach, the most important thing is to win and to win you have to bring the best," Aragones said. "We have a group that has had a very good year in 2007 and this is important."
Like with Raul, Aragones has ditched expectations and stuck with starlets Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal, Sergio Ramos of Madrid and Andres Iniesta of Barcelona. He may also pick 17-year-old Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic.
Aragones has always favoured Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, whose has 15 goals from 45 games, and Valencia's David Villa up front. Spain won 25 of 30 qualifying points without Raul to top its group and is now unbeaten in 14 matches dating to November 2006.
Spain, which won Euro 1964 at home for its only major international trophy, has victories over World Cup champion Italy and runner-up France, and only four losses from 46 matches under Aragones.
"We're a better team, not a better national squad," Aragones said.
