Spain have been a dominating force for a number of years, winning Euro 2008/2012 and the 2010 World Cup. It is not a surprise that they came into this tournament as one of the favourites, but the demise of Barcelona at club level was replicated by the national side as their possession based football was countered effectively by Holland and Chile. Xabi Alonso suggested that it was the loss of hunger that accounted for the Spanish going out in the group stage, however, that would be being unfair to Chile and Holland, who both played very well in their wins against the champions.
Some might suggest that sides are just becoming used to the Tiki Taka style of football that Spain play and are able to find a way of playing against that effectively. The counter attacking football of Holland showed the perfect way to do that as the pace of Arjen Robben and the quality of Robin Van Persie allowed the Dutch to be very punishing on the counter. The lack of pace in the Spanish side was clear, especially at the back as Sergio Ramos was shown up by Robben in the opening game.
They attempted to change their tactics slightly going into the World Cup with the selection of Diego Costa, who was picked to provide a focal point, but he failed to show the form he did for Atletico during the domestic season. A lot of expectation was put on the striker and he may not have been fully fit after an injury blighted the end of his season, if that was the case, he shouldn’t have played, as Spain were always going to have tough games in Group B. The striker is likely to move to Chelsea, but he has a long way to go to prove himself as one of the world’s best.
Spain’s main problem was in the final third as they only managed to score once and that was from a penalty. The World champions should be doing a lot better than that, considering they have the experience and the quality in a tournament atmosphere. It is not like Holland and Chile have talented defences, in fact their back lines are their weak areas, therefore it’s very poor that Spain failed to score from open play against either. Chile’s central defenders are both playing out of position, therefore they should have been targeted, but that didn’t appear to be the case.
This is certainly the end of a Golden era for the Spaniards as the likes of Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Villa and Iker Casillas may call it a day after the World Cup, which will provide Spain with the opportunity to bring in some younger players like Koke and David De Gea. Meanwhile Vicente Del Bosque could come under pressure given his side’s poor performance in Brazil, but it is unclear if there will be any standout candidates to replace him. Spain’s reign over international football is over, but that could prove a positive as it will inject fresh impetus into the squad and the hunger for trophies will return.