David Villa's coach and teammates are sure it won't be long before he breaks Spain's all-time scoring record despite his recent barren streak in front of goal.
After five goals in Spain's run to the World Cup title, the Barcelona striker has not scored in his last two internationals. That doesn't sound like long, but Villa took just 66 games to match the Spanish record of 44 international goals.
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque acknowledged Monday that the loss of momentum may be playing on Villa's mind but said the player has not shown it in his performances.
"In terms of his state of mind, forwards are almost like a different breed anyway," Del Bosque said. "They live on their nerves almost, whether they're on a good goal scoring run or they've got a dry period without goals.
"Maybe you need to talk to him about slight details of his finishing skills but basically Villa is Villa and he will continue to be that same player."
Villa is tied with Raul Gonzalez on 44 goals ahead of Tuesday's European Championship qualifier against Scotland. But Real Madrid legend Raul played 102 games for Spain, making Villa by far the more potent force.
Villa was leading scorer when Spain ended its 44-year wait for a trophy at the 2008 European Championship and only missed out on the Golden Boot at the World Cup because he had made fewer assists than Germany's Thomas Mueller - who also scored five goals.
Since then, Villa scored in an easy 4-0 win at Liechtenstein but failed to find the net in a 4-1 friendly loss at Argentina and last week's 3-1 win over Lithuania.
"I don't think we've seen a different Villa to the one we saw at the World Cup," Del Bosque said. "Whether he's missing chances or converting chances, we've not seen a different Villa."
And his teammates expect him to keep troubling opposition goalkeepers, starting with Tuesday's European Championship qualifier at Scotland.
"David Villa is the type of player who's got a lot of international experience and goals on the international stage," midfielder Sergio Busquets said. "It's something he's going to be able to work out for himself."
