The mighty Spanish team seemed a shadow of the side which quite dominantly clinched the Euro 2008 title and then followed it with the World Cup trophy two years later, on Friday when they faced Holland in their opening World Cup fixture.
Spain were outclassed by Netherlands who came out with a plan and completely shut out the Spanish players who were quite literally left helpless throughout the course of the game. Needless to say, Spain cannot continue like this and Del Bosque will need to alter his plans if his team is to achieve anything in the tournament.
Wholesale changes needed in the squad
Vicente Del Bosque is widely known for his favoritism policy, something which could gravely hurt Spain’s chances of making it far in the competition. There are a few players in the Spanish roster who have been chosen not because of their form or qualities but mainly because of their reputation.
Iker Casillas has been on a disappointing run lately and a dip in form has seen him playing second fiddle to Diego Lopez at Real Madrid, who despite of being the better goalkeeper was not able to make the trip to Brazil. But the Spanish squad is never short of talent and in David De Gea La Roja have a young budding keeper who has done ever so well for his club Manchester United.
But despite all his talents it was Casillas who was chosen as the first choice goalkeeper. His selection did not bode well for his national side with Spain conceding five, one of which also included a horrendous error from Iker who gifted the ball to Robin Van Persie and the former Arsenal man made no faults with the finish. Luckily for Casillas, De Gea has reportedly suffered a leg injury and might not be able to participate in the tournament anymore which means that “the Saint” might continue in goal against Chile.
Gerard Pique is another player who has been dwelling on his reputation for quite some time now. The Barcelona man had a below par season with his club and spent most of the time on the injury table. Luckily for the 27 year old, the Spanish national team hardly boasts many world class centre backs and thus the former Man United defender was once again given his chance. Pique looked completely out of sorts during the match against Netherlands and was never upto the task.
He played Robin Van Persie onside which resulted in the opening goal and was repeatedly toyed around by Arjen Robben who was clearly having the match of his life. His debacle of an outing against the Dutch means that the Catalan defender will most definitely be replaced in the match against Chile, with Javi Martinez the most likely candidate to take his place.
When he hangs up his boots Xavi Hernandez will surely be recognized as a Spain legend, but it was for all to see that the 34 year olds aging legs can no longer respond to the demands of the game. Xavi’s performance against Holland was very ineffectual and it is about time that the veteran midfielder is shown the bench. Spain have a number of players who could fill the position with aplomb including Atletico Madrid youngster Koke as well as new Chelsea signing Cesc Fabregas.
Death of tiki-taka?
There was a time when tiki-taka football dominated the game and teams which adopted the tactic had been flourishing. However it was not long till managers discovered the perfect way to counter it and Del Bosque should perhaps be looking for a plan B.
Pressing football has become the universal answer to tiki-taka football and it would be accurate to say that it has been working ever so well. Teams no longer try to play an attacking brand of football against the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich or the Spanish national team. But instead defend deep and in numbers then hit back on counter attacks, something Real Madrid carried out to perfection when they thrashed the Bavarians 4-0 at their own backyard.
Spain have dominated the world of football for quite some time now but they cannot keep relying on the same tactics. On Wednesday they face a Chile side which will be full of confidence and eager to defy their Spanish counterparts. Del Bosque and co would be foolish to undermine Jorge Sampaoli’s men who have been quite a treat to watch recently and have enough firepower to cause an upset at the expense of Spain.
For the Spanish side to continue evolving Del Bosque will have to get rid of his rigid nature and adopt tactics which are more suitable to the demands of the game as well as to the nature of his team.
