Headstrong: Spain head coach Luis Aragones gestures during the Euro 2008 semi-final against Russia in Vienna

MANY top managers share stubbornness as a character trait and there’s no doubt that the ability to follow your own path when all around you disagree can often be a very valuable asset indeed.

But where Cesc Fabregas is concerned, Luis Aragones is displaying the type of stubbornness that more often than not ends in tears.

Results in pretty much every circumstance will dictate how a manager is remembered when he’s gone or how he’s rated in the here and now.

So far in this tournament, Spain have achieved a great deal. They’ve beaten a hoodoo that followed them around like a bad small for over 40 years and such a landmark should not be underestimated.

Aragones has done enough to earn a revered place in the history of Spanish football, yet across Spain, and I’m sure Ireland too, nobody can understand why he won’t start Fabregas.

He’s never been a particularly popular man in Spain and that in itself is not a bad thing if you are trying to shake off a history of failure on the big day against a background justifiably high expectations.

Spain have run a faultless campaign and won every game. But they’ve done that despite a series of baffling selection and substitution decisions by Aragones — mainly centred around the player I believe is the best midfielder in the world today, and that’s Fabregas.

At the simplest level, Spain have scored two thirds of the goals they’ve got in the tournament with Fabregas on the pitch and it is a great mystery to me why Aragones chooses to leave him on the bench. Because of David Villa’s injury, the decision may well be taken out of the Spanish manager’s hands for Sunday’s final against Germany, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the kind of stubbornness that is based on pride could yet be significant in the story of Euro 2008.

This is a simple argument. if Fabregas is good enough to come on and run a match as big as a European Championship semi-final, he’s good enough to start.

It’s not as though he’s suddenly switched on this kind of form either. He’s been doing it at club level for two years.

Aragones will point to results and claim he’s doing it his way. I presume he would argue that his selections and his decisions are delivering results and part of that is his call on the best time to use Fabregas.

Likewise on his treatment of Fernando Torres. he chose Daniel Guiza over the Liverpool striker in the third group game against Greece and the Mallorca man delivered with a late winner.

Last night against Russia, Guiza came off the bench after Torres missed three or four decent chances and made the game safe with Spain’s second goal.

At least there is some argument to be made between Torres and Guiza but it is very difficult to see any justification for Aragones strange position on Fabregas.

Everyone, even Aragones, will agree that Fabregas has been a match-winner and that Spain have been at their very best when’s he’s on the pitch. I just can’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be allowed the chance to win the game in the first 10 minutes of the first-half instead of waiting for the manager’s stubborn nature to be satisfied.

I hope he starts against Germany and if he does, I think Spain will go all the way against a German side that won’t lie down easily.

The core element of Germany’s strength is self-belief and they will maintain the same level of consistency in that regard for the final as they do every time they begin a qualifying campaign.

This provides another huge test for the character of Spain and, indeed, Aragones. Far from being the underdogs, they will be seen as the team with more talent, more skill and more downright cleverness than the Germans. But if they are found wanting in the area of belief, there is no nation better equipped to expose that kind of weakness than Germany.

No matter how much Germany are outplayed or out-manoeuvred, they will still believe they can win. that can be taken as a given, which in turn poses a question about Spanish hearts and minds.

We asked the question before the semi-finals about which team had the bottle to believe they could make the final and nobody had any doubts about Germany’s mindset.

We did wonder about Turkey, Russia and Spain. on the face of it, Germany were the only heavyweight left at the semi-final stage and that hasn’t changed.

Over the last few nights, we found out that Turkey have a lot more bottle than anyone thought, Russia’s fiery and entertaining approach didn’t have the legs to sustain it and the Spanish did actually have what it took to reach the final.

On Sunday, we’ll find out if Spain can lay to rest a reputation for blowing it on the big day against German team best equipped to trample brittle spirits if given the opportunity.