As ever, the action in La Liga has overshadowed the goings-on of the Spanish national team. And given the nail-biting finish to one of the most exciting La Liga seasons in years, this year's June international break is being met with downright derision, says ESPN Soccernet's Phil Ball.

Why? On the one hand, Spain is a fractious country. Many citizens from the Basque Country, Galicia and Catalonia would like to be free from Spanish rule altogether. On the other hand, the national team throughout the years has conspired to underachieve so spectacularly and so consistently that many futbol fans would rather find something else to do than watch Spain play.

Meanwhile, with two games left to go in the tightest of La Liga seasons, the press is complaining that the timing of the international break couldn't be worse. Ball says the Spanish daily La Marca compared the situation to tennis champion Rafael Nadal walking off the court at match point or Placido Domingo walking away in the last act of "Otello." Worse still, the Spain games fans will have to sit through (or not) come against Latvia and Liechtenstein-a pair of must-wins, mind you. If they fail, the Spanish don't deserve to be watched.

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