Who is a better squad: Spain or Catalonia??

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by Blue Day, Apr 21, 2009.

  1. Blue Day

    Blue Day Member

    Apr 14, 2009
    Mile End
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    As many of you probably know Catalonia has been trying to get in to UEFA for about 100 years citing their situation as similar to Wales and Scotland who have their own football teams, however, mostly for political reasons their bid has been rejected but even so the Catalonia national team has existed and competed in friendlies.

    So lets say Catalonia finally gets accepted in to UEFA.

    All of the Catalonian players capped by Spain are allowed off the Spain squad and in to the Catalonian squad.

    Spain has the likes of Sergio Ramos, Torres, Cassillas

    Catalonia has
    Fabregas, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Bojan, Valdez

    which would be the better international squad. I'd say Catalonia.
     
  2. Kevin8833

    Kevin8833 Member

    Jun 18, 2007
    Estero, FL
    Would any of these players leave Spain for Catalonia though?? Interesting though.
     
  3. LeoMessi

    LeoMessi New Member

    Jan 11, 2009
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    It wouldn't be very wise to cut the teams in half , together they are a powerfull force but apart they would just be two decent teams.
     
  4. Leon12

    Leon12 Member+

    Jan 5, 2006
    Man of the world
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    It's not going to happen, nor should it.
     
  5. Blue Day

    Blue Day Member

    Apr 14, 2009
    Mile End
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    players like Bojan, Xavi, Victor Valdez have already played for Catalonia national team, it just isn't recognized by UEFA.

    Catalonia has played friendlies against such great nations as
    Argentina
    Brazil

    don't say it's never going to happen. It is already happened, the team just gets no fifa recognition so all the catalan players who are top quality play for Spain I have no doubt if Catalonia was allowed to have their national team compete in fifa competition and became a member of UEFA i really dont think any of the catalans on the Spain squad would opt to stay with Spain.
     
  6. Leon12

    Leon12 Member+

    Jan 5, 2006
    Man of the world
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina

    I repeat, it will not happen.
     
  7. Perú FC

    Perú FC Member+

    Nov 16, 2007
    Lima, Perú
    Supposing that, would be something like this?:

    Catalonia

    ------------------------ Víctor Valdés -------------------------
    --------------- Carles Puyol ----- Gerard Piqué -----------------
    -- Bruno Saltor ------------------------------- Joan Capdevila --
    -------------------- Sergio ------ Xavi ------------------------
    ----- Cesc Fábregas ---------------------- Andrés Iniesta ------
    ------------------------ Sergio García -------------------------
    ------------------------- Bojan Krkic --------------------------

    Substitutes: Jordi Codina; Quique Álvarez, Alberto Lopo, Damiá, Fernando Navarro; Sergi Busquets, Joan Verdú, Luis García, Óscar Serrano, Albert Crusat; Albert Luque, Raúl Tamudo.

    Spain

    ------------------------ Íker Casillas --------------------------
    --------------- Sergio Ramos ---- Raúl Albiol -------------------
    -- Álvaro Arbeloa ----------------------------- Antonio López --
    ---------------- Xabi Alonso ---- Marcos Senna ----------------
    -- Santi Cazorla --------------------------------- David Silva --
    ----------------- David Villa --- Fernando Torres ---------------

    Substitutes: José Manuel Reina; Carlos Marchena, Fernando Amorebieta, Andoni Iraola, Mariano Pernía; David Albelda, Pablo Hernández, Joaquín, Diego Capel, Albert Riera, Juan Mata; Fernando Llorente.

    The pack of the Catalonian midfield (Xavi, Fábregas and Iniesta) against the attacking pair of the Spanish eleven (Villa and Torres)... in spite three of the best midfielders would go with Catalonia, Spain would have yet Xabi Alonso, Senna, Cazorla and Silva to build... difficult to say, I think Spain have similar potential than Catalonian team in their starting eleven but better bench, so I'd go with Spain.
     
  8. TheWorldIsRound

    TheWorldIsRound New Member

    Apr 21, 2009
    Club:
    DC United
    I think that Spain would remain the better squad overall.
     
  9. Juanele

    Juanele Member+

    Aug 4, 1999
    Colorado, US
    Yep, it won't happen.

    If it did then Spain as we know would be broken up into many different national teams as regional teams such as Euskadi would also have to be given recognition. Even the regions such as Andalucia and Valencia would be given national team status as well.

    It won't happen.
     
  10. aguimarães

    aguimarães Member

    Apr 19, 2006
    Club:
    LD Alajuelense
    When Croatia split from Yugoslavia a little over a decade ago, they were spectacular, and it didn´t affect Yugoslavia much (though the subsequent splits killed them.)

    Don´t think it would happen though. If any region were to split, it would have been the Basque region long ago, and it still hasn´t happened yet.
     
  11. Viscaelbarca

    Viscaelbarca Moderator
    Staff Member

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Aug 31, 2007
    MELT01
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Iniesta is not Catalan, he was born in Fuentealbilla which is a municipality in Albacete which is a province in central Spain. He is howevera FC Barcelona Youth Academy product.
     
  12. minorthreat

    minorthreat Member

    Jan 1, 2001
    NYC
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Cataluña puede ir al diablo.
     
  13. Viscaelbarca

    Viscaelbarca Moderator
    Staff Member

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Aug 31, 2007
    MELT01
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    ^^^^
    I am not going to quote this disrespectful and stereotypically pathetic try of ruin a genuine football discussion.

    While everyone here is trying to have a real discussion about hypothetical scenarios, you come here and insult Catalans and change the subject of this thread....

    By the way, I don't think that this would ever happen, I love the Spanish National team just the way it is...
     
  14. Perú FC

    Perú FC Member+

    Nov 16, 2007
    Lima, Perú
    In spite of that, I think he already played for Catalonia.
     
  15. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    The discussion is not about poltics. It is not about whether this will happen. It is about whether Spain or Catalonia having a better squard. The discussion might as well as be North California vs South California, or Sao Paulo vs Rio.

    Back to the topic, I think it will be Spain. It will go down with whether Spain's defense and Catalonia's forward line. Spain's back four is weak(I think Sergio Ramos sucks as a CB), but Catalonia's forward is weaker. Bojan might find his way someday, but in 2009, he isn't ready. Spain can handle the attack. Catalonia has a better midfield, but Spain with Senna & Xabi Alonso isn't weak at all. I don't think Catalonia has a big advantage there. On the other hand, Torres, Villa and Silva will cause concern for Catalonia's back 4.
     
  16. minorthreat

    minorthreat Member

    Jan 1, 2001
    NYC
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Oh, get off your high horse. It was a ridiculous response to a ridiculous thread - one can claim that it's apolitical all they want, but the very premise of it presupposes a political concept that quite a few people have very strong opinions about and therefore is not exactly good fodder if you feel like having a civil discussion. To claim that the idea of the thread is completely innocuous is both disingenuous and intellectually dishonest.

    Hell, it was politicized straight from the beginning.
     
  17. Gordon EF

    Gordon EF Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 15, 2004
    Edinburgh
    The situations aren't really that similar though.
     
  18. Fried

    Fried New Member

    Mar 28, 2009
    Kridjijimbé
    Club:
    Gremio Porto Alegre
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Sorry fur the cuts but, as a voyeur in this case, looks like, although none is absolutely wrong, the middle approach (unconscious or not, which both mine can be as well) appears in the middle. In defense of the first could argue on imaginary lines being exciting as mental exercise; favouring the last might ask why Spain despite of Castilla y León.
     
  19. Dimuha

    Dimuha Member

    Oct 18, 2007
    northpole Chicago
    Club:
    CSKA Moskva
    Nat'l Team:
    Russia
    I didn't know that so many Spanish NT players were of Basue, Catalan, and other ethnic minority decent.
     
  20. f_herman_28

    f_herman_28 Member

    May 9, 2013
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    If Catalonia does get independence, What will be the Catalonia national football team, How good will they be?
     
  21. nooshcat

    nooshcat Member

    Jan 3, 2017
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wonder more how the Catalan League would look like.

    The current Catalan teams in the Spanish football league system.

    1 tier
    Brcelona, Espanyol, Girona

    2nd tier
    Gimnastic

    3rd tier
    Sabadell, Badalona, Llagostera, L'Hospitalet
     
  22. nooshcat

    nooshcat Member

    Jan 3, 2017
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [​IMG]
     
  23. Boloni86

    Boloni86 Member+

    Jun 7, 2000
    Baltimore
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Gibraltar
    Here's some of the other top Catalan players in La Liga ...

    Aleix Vidal - Barcelona
    Gerard Deulofeu - Barcelona
    Andreu Fontas - Celta Vigo
    Sergi Gomez - Celta Vigo
    Gerard Moreno - Espanyol
    David Lopez - Espanyol
    Sergi Darder - Espanyol
    Jordi Amat - Real Betis
    Cristian Tello - Real Betis
    Martin Montoya - Valencia
    Victor Ruiz - Villarreal
     
    nooshcat repped this.
  24. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY

    Surely Iniesta (along with Cesc, Sergi and Busquets) would be in the midfield, not Xavi.

    The team sure isn't as strong as 5-7 years ago though.
     
    nooshcat repped this.
  25. world soccer magazines

    Oct 31, 2016
    I think someone said Iniesta isn't from Catalonia.

    Anyway, completing ignoring politics and real-life, I'd like to see Catalonia break away from Spain and form their own football NT. Both countries would be capable of winning cups I think at certain points in time and it would make the international landscape more interesting.

    Also, again completely ignoring real-life, I'd wish the following countries to get back together:

    1. Yugoslavia
    Apart from Croatia, none of the former Yugoslavia teams are much good at all.
    2. U.S.S.R
    None of the former Soviet states are really very good. Belarus, Ukraine and Russia are particularly disappointing. I read somewhere that the best U.S.S.R teams had a lot of Georgians in them. USSR/Soviet Union used to be a force.
    3. Czechoslovakia
    Slovakia have been very disappointing, though at least the Czech Rep. have had a couple of good teams. I miss Czechoslovakia.
    4. United Kingdom team
    I think a United Kingdom team would be more interesting and quite powerful at times, probably on the same level as Italy.
    5.Ireland
    Being Irish, I know that both Ireland teams have had excellent footballers at differing stages down the years. The Republic Of Ireland have often failed at the last stage in qualifying, a lot of the time due to bad luck/poor refereeing. Northern Ireland produced George Best and were quite strong during the eighties. Both teams usually punch above their weight anyway. N. Ireland have qualified for 3 WC and 1 Euro, Rep. Ireland have qualified for 3 WC and 3 Euro. I think if they joined forces they'd be around the same level as Belgium, not today, but historically.

    Sorry to go a bit off-topic but I didn't want to start a new thread. I think international football is dying. The new 48 team WC is a disastrous idea just like the 24 team Euros.
     

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