In case you missed it, Michu has been handed his first call up to the Spanish National Team.
Por fin!
After a 17 goal season at Rayo Vallecano in 2011-12 and a 22 goal season in South Wales last year failed to turn the head of Spain manager Vicente del Bosque, many wondered if the man from Oviedo would ever get a look.
On Monday, it was confirmed that he would.
Michu will be available for selection in La Furia Rojaโs final two World Cup Qualifiers, Fridayโs match against Belarus in Palma de Mallorca and next Tuesdayโs game against Georgia in Albacete. Four points from those matches will see Spainย clinch its place at next summerโs World Cup.
For those of us who admire Michuโs ransacking, all-action style of play, the call up provides an opportunity to see just how good the 27-year-old could be within the context of his Spanish compadres.
Thereโs little dispute as to Michuโs effectiveness in the Premier League. But does his style fit into the tiki-taka make up of the national team?
At first blush, possibly not. Under del Bosque, the quintessential Spanish player is one who holds his space and only moves with efficiency and elegance when the time is precisely right. They are not merely a well-trained breed, the Xaviโs/Iniestaโs/Mataโs of the world are the kind of stately canines who are always in the final lineup for โBest In Showโ at The Westminster Kennel Club.
Michu knows nothing of this elegance. He is like a junk yard dog whose owner doesnโt feed him. He lives on scraps and at any given moment will break into a full-throttle, slobber flailing sprint if he thinks there is even a slight chance of landing some fare, irrespective of the presence of others.
Itโs this kind of attitude โ take not only what is yours but what isnโt yours โ that endears Michu to so many a fan. Classic Michu barrels into the penalty area just as the cross is coming and smashes an off-balanced shot into the top corner. For the Swansea hitman, a careful pass of the ball into the net is practically sacrilege.
That being said, Michuโs game could be exactly what Spain have been missing. A bit of ferociousness. A bit of unpredictability. A bit of bite. Itโs the kind of mentality that Spain has missed since the hey-days of Fernando Torres in Euro 2008.
You remember those days, right? When Torres stopped thinking so gosh darn much and just feasted on scraps?
Thatโs the kind of rabid instinct that makes Michu such an effective player. And perhaps most importantly, itโs a style that Michu has proven can work wonders in a possession-based system like the one Michael Laudrup employs in South Wales.
Del Bosque called Michu in to camp to replace the injured David Villa and notably, the Oviedo-born striker wasย summoned ahead of Spurs frontman Roberto Soldado and Juventus striker Fernando Llorente.
The question now becomes, will del Bosque take that final step and let the junkyard dog loose?
