In early December, there was a collective groan within Spain when it was announced the world champions were drawn against 2010 World Cup runners up Netherlands, dark horse Chile and Australia. And despite the group being pessimistically touted as the ‘Group of Death’, expectations were high that Vicente del Bosque’s men could produce a positive result.
However, their mauling at the hands of the Netherlands in the Group B opener by a score line of 5-1 should come as no surprise. If their 3-1 loss a year earlier in the Confederations Cup final at the hands of Brazil was the death of Spain’s golden generation, then Friday’s result was their belated burial. And the fans and media alike had had enough.
Marca ran an all-black front page following La Roja’s worst result in years. The headline, written in bold white text read: “Arreglad esto” – fix this, it demanded.
The often controversial Diego Maradona also had his say on the loss, commenting: “Vicente del Bosque should have kept in mind that clubs in Europe have found an answer to Barcelona's style, which is very similar to what their national team plays. A fast-paced policy based on counterattacks has worked well against them.
"Spain have refused to change despite critics repeatedly pointing out that their style has been exposed."
If they are to continue their domination at the world stage, Del Bosque must undergo a desperate overhaul not only to save his side’s free-falling reputation, but also his sanity.
The tragic tale of Puyol’s injury woes in recent years has left the former Real Madrid tactician with no choice but to play Sergio Ramos as centre back. And frankly, the centre-back pairing was doomed from the beginning.
Clasico divide aside, Grard Pique has been awful for both club and country, and despite the wealth of talent that he possesses, his lack leadership qualities at the back has often led to the demise of the teams he has represented. Arguably, though, Ramos showed why he doesn’t deserve to feature alongside his Barcelona counterpart, his sluggish play and lack of communication was lethally exposed by the long balls the Dutch played behind him.
In addition, Xavi looks well below his divine best while Xabi Alonso was largely ineffective in his centre midfield position in Del Bosque’s 4-3-3 Barcelona-esque formation.
However, Diego Costa’s poor performances throughout all three of his appearances in national colours remain by far the biggest talking point. Brought in to bring an added dimension to their somewhat predictable style, the Atletico Madrid man, in comparison, seems to be on a different wavelength than the rest of the team.
When AS ran an interactive tweet asking fans on how Spain should line-up against Chile, most answers were somewhat similar. Replace Ramos with the younger, livelier Inigo Martinez, who has been Real Sociedad’s unsung hero for many years now. In addition, with Del Bosque spoilt for choice in midfield, many saw the need to replace Xavi. Unsurprisingly, Iker Casillas also faced the wrath of the fans, so too did Costa, who many believe should be replaced by the nation’s leading goal scorer in David Villa.
What they missed though was the need to change Spain’s tactical formation. With the 4-2-3-1 middle double pivot having served the team so well in the past – providing the back-line with defensive cover – Del Bosque must resist the urge to fall into the same trap that Barcelona once did, and find that right balance between defence and attack.
Indeed, changes don’t happen overnight, and there’s no doubt that La Roja were left reeling following their humiliation on world sport’s greatest stage. Their dreams of a second World Cup are far from over, and Vicente del Bosque must have the guts to instigate change if Spain want to keep their dreams alive.
