The Spanish national team was delivered a blow on Thursday when it was announced that Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara will miss the 2014 World Cup with a ligament tear in his knee. Widely considered the rightful heir to Xavi's throne, Alcantara made 11 league starts for Bayern Munich this season. Even with a limited action, the 23-year-old showed a propensity to control the match, completing an average of 73.6 passes per match with 91.6 percent accuracy.
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His efforts proved to be effective, finishing the campaign with four assists.
Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge could do nothing but sympathize with the young Spaniard (h/t to the Guardian). "This is bitter for Thiago and I feel sorry for him," Rummenigge said.
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"A young man who wanted to come back at the World Cup and suddenly his dreams are burst," he added.
"We will take care of him now and make sure he is fit at the start of the season."
With no Alcantara available to give a 34-year-old Xavi the required rest he needs, who will head coach Vicente del Bosque turn to for quality minutes?
Juan Mata remains a strong possibility, but his limited action and poor form at Manchester United is a cause for concern. Not to mention, the 26-year-old proved to be less effective with his passes in 14 starts with the club, completing only an average of 56.6 per match with 88.9 percent accuracy.
The same can be said for Manchester City's David Silva and Arsenal's Santi Cazorla. Both midfielders averaged less passes and had a lower accuracy than Alcantara. Neither of the three aforementioned players are conditioned to accept a role he's been groomed to execute.
There is no immediate solution for Bosque, but fortunately, he has four weeks to find one.
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Note: Credit all statistics to WhoScored
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