Has the Spanish empire truly fallen? This question is likely to dominate a number of stories and reports following Spain's 3-0 loss to Brazil at the Maracana.
Many will likely pinpoint the "fall from the peak" as happening prior Sunday. Those pundits will point at Barcelona's loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal by Bayern Munich. In that matchup, the Spanish side was constantly exploited defensively and was unable to cope with the quick aggression of the German side. That victory seemed to create the template for taking down the World Cup champions. Italy pursued a similar tactic in the semifinal and nearly made the team pay. However, Spain got through on some luck; luck which ended in the first minute of the game against Brazil.
The Samba Kings constantly pressured the Spaniards into giving up the ball and, in a manner similar to Bayern, exploited Spain on the flanks. The first goal was the result of a perfect cross from Hulk into the box. The second goal was another play that took place mainly on the left flank. The final Fred goal was the result of a perfect pass from Neymar on the left wing. In the waning minutes, Neymar nearly cut past Pique down the left side and caused the Spaniard into a foul.
While the loss came in an embarrassing way in a big game, it is impossible to simply call it the end of an era. All of this evidence clearly showcases that Spain is no longer infallible. More importantly, it emphasizes how Del Bosque's side has been playing with fire throughout the tournament and finally got burned. What kind of fire was it playing with?
Barcelona's system failed against Bayern because the team plays a system that relies heavily on its attack in the opponent's half but fails to compensate in the defending half. For years it has been the best system in the world and it worked on the international level with a few modifications; this is where the national side succeeded.
During the World Cup win, Del Bosque utilized two holding midfielders in the form of Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets. In that tournament, he rotated his formation constantly. In the opener against Switzerland he employed David Silva alongside David Villa. That faltered heavily with Silva playing ineffectively throughout the match. In the second game against Honduras He exploited the weak side by utilizing two strikers including Fernando Torres and Villa; he also brought in Jesus Navas for his speed. In the final group match against Chile, Del Bosque employed Iniesta, Torres, and Villa to solidify his attack. In the knockout stages he repeated this formation and relied on it for the remaining matches. Against Germany he replaced an inconsistent Torres with Pedro and also replicated that same lineup against the Netherlands in the final. In the 2012 Euro, Del Bosque's midfield was nearly identical with one major difference: he employed Cesc Fabregas as his false nine alongside David Silva. With the injury to David Villa and the lack of consistency from Torres, the coach decided that he would reinforce his midfield with an attacking threat without giving away his defensive positioning in the midfield. The Euro side was dubbed boring but it managed to impose a battle of attrition with the opposition; a battle it always won. The two holding midfielders clearly held the team's attacking tendencies in check, but it also limited the counterstrikes of its opponents.
Prior to the Confederations Cup, pundits wrote of unrest in the locker room and there were even reports of Xavi Hernandez, the midfield's brain, wanting to get rid of the second midfielder so that he could play in a formation more similar to Barcelona. The two holding midfielders forced Xavi back constantly to retrieve the ball and wore on his 33-year old body. He wanted most of his passing options to be in the opponent's half where he could avoid the constant runs back and forth.
The injury to Xabi Alonso enabled Del Bosque the perfect excuse to opt out of his winning formula and he opted for the Barcelona model; this was his tragic mistake. By leaving Javi Martinez, a terrific holding midfielder, on the bench, Del Bosque stretched his midfield thin and in the process left the team extremely susceptible on the flanks. Jordi Alba, the team's left defenseman, has a tendency to run up and down the field to create scoring chances. When he runs up the field, Sergio Busquets, the default holding midfielder, covers for him to keep the team defensively responsible. However, when this occurs, the middle of the field is left undefended and in prominent position for a counterstrike from the opposition. Busquets' constant treks from one side to the other of the field take a toll on his body and limit his effectiveness as the game wears on; the result is an increasingly exposed defense. What does Busquets usually do to compensate? He falls all over the place to stop the play and help his team get back into position.
More importantly, the exclusion of the holding midfielder gets rid of another player who can retrieve the ball for Spain. Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola famously stated that his team could not play without the ball and it was evident for two matches against Italy and Brazil that La Roja was uncomfortable without possession. More importantly, the team struggled to regain possession. Without a second holding midfielder, the team had a lessened chance to retrieve the ball and was thus weakened for longer periods of time.
Del Bosque's approach in this tournament was supposed to give him a better attack, but it ultimately weakened the team. This strategy would have likely worked with a premiere striker, but the reality is that Spain does not have a reliable option up top. A lot of Xavi's passes up the middle went to forwards incapable of dribbling through a defense or even creating shots.The striker problem transcends this tournament as the nation does not have a superstar forward at any level that can step right in like a Lionel Messi, Raul Gonzalez, the 2008 version of Fernando Torres, or the 2010 version of David Villa.
What should Del Bosque take from this tournament? Despite what many may assert, Spain is not dead. The team lost the 2009 Confederations Cup against the United States and still went on to make history. This iteration of the team may have had the most of the major stars of those historic sides, but the team's identity was tinkered when it was not necessary.
The two holding midfielders may hamper the team's offensive game, but it limits the opposition and fills out the team. Xabi Alonso may never be able to regain his best form, but Martinez is young and on the rise; he could easily fill the role. The team will be unable to rely on the long ball as it does under Xabi, but it will be sound defensively. Replacing Xavi may be more difficult as he has been the general behind the Barcelona and Spanish tiki-taka game. Spain may need to alter the way it plays slightly, but it could still hang on to its terrific possession game. Del Bosque needs to use the next year to pinpoint which young stars can make a difference next year. The U-21 side has just won the European championship employing a similar tiki-taka mindset and includes a number of stars that could have an impact a year from now if they are brought into the system immediately. Thaigo Alcantara, Christian Tello, and Isco are some midfield candidates that Del Bosque should definitely look at. On the defensive side of things, Del Bosque needs to see if Gerard Pique bounces back from a dreadful year or if he can find a replacement for the Center-back. Pique had a woeful night against Neymar and has regressed over the last year with Barcelona.
The talent for Spain is clearly there. The team is a historic champion that simply needs a bit of retooling or even a return to the basics that won them two major tournaments. In the grand scheme of things, this match meant more for Brazilian soccer than it did Spanish. While it certainly showed that Brazil is back to being an elite side, it did not announce the end of the Spanish side. After all, the Confederations Cup is often looked upon as a warm-up and as the 2009 loss to the United States indicated, the loss of one battle does not derail an empire.
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