Pepe Reina and Spain The Liverpool goalkeeper is recognised in his own country, in England – as one of the best shot-stoppers in the modern era.pool fans forced to feed off scraps of what Carroll can produce in a red shirt. Such is often said of the supremely talented players whose international career suffers through their place of birth. Players with talent so deserving of a world stage to showcase it on, players who entertain, astound and – above all – make the game a joy to watch. Ryan Giggs, George Weah, Ian Rush, George Best – it’s been said before, but those players never had that chance to shine at a major tournament – all because of their home countries lack of footballing prowess. Though, for some players, it works differently. What if your country had strength in depth that was almost beyond belief? So – despite being one of the best in the world in your position – you, too, cannot show off the natural talent that you’ve spent your whole career honing. Welcome to the unenviable situation that José Manuel “Pepe” Reina finds himself in. The Liverpool goalkeeper is recognised in his own country, in England – across the world, in fact – as one of the best shot-stoppers in the modern era. A ‘sweeper keeper’ who instils confidence in his defence, dominates his area, reads the game perfectly, shows passing accuracy of a midfielder and has become so influential at Anfield that he has even been given the captain’s armband – a hero of The Kop? So, why can’t a goalkeeper of this calibre impose himself on the international stage? Well, Pepe Reina is part of Spain squad that’s nothing short of frightening – even in the goalkeeping department. The 29-year-old, who’s earned 24 caps, has to contend with Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and, now, David de Gea – how do you compete with that? He’s ahead of the Barcelona goalkeeper and, so far, de Gea hasn’t earned his first full international cap – though it’s only a matter of time – but, as talented as Reina is, he’s not displacing the 128-times-capped, World Cup-winning captain of the side. The worst thing about the situation for Reina is the ages of the current group of Spanish goalkeepers. The former Villarreal man is 29-years-old, while Casillas and Valdes are 30-years-old. With each of them being similar ages, they’ve all – more or less – hit their peak together. There’s no real chance of one drastically decreasing in performance whilst another excels. It’s more than likely that they’ll be announcing retirement at the same time, too. Reina’s only hope involves Casillas and Valdes suffering a drastic drop in form as they head towards the latter stage of their career, though with each goalkeeper representing Real Madrid and Barcelona for years at the top level, it’s unlikely. Even if that happens, youngsters like David de Gea and Sergio Asenjo are waiting to stake their claim as first choice. None of this has affected his club form; he was awarded the Golden Glove in his first three seasons in Merseyside and was Liverpool’s player of the season in 2008/09. It should be said that his enthusiasm for his country hasn’t waned, either. Just look at the World Cup celebrations, Reina excitedly – and proudly – led the chants and encouraged team-mates to join in – no sulking. It is a testament to his character that he’s managed to keep a consistent level of performance for club and country. It’s that character – paired with sheer talent – that see him recognised as one of the greats, as well as being adored by his club, regardless of his complicated relationship with Spain. By Sam Hughes, Sub-editor of Goalkeeper Magazine. @SamIanHughes Goalkeepermagazine @goalkeepermag @SamIanHughes Goalkeepermagazine @goalkeepermag @SamIanHughes Goalkeepermagazine @goalkeepermag The post Pepe Reina and Spain appeared first on lfcnetwork.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 16:57:51 +0000
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