Spain is back! Why the last three major tournaments are not an obstacle for big football opponents
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There comes a time when you can not continue to erase the tournament's outings early as abnormal results. In the case of Spain, which was stunned by Russian hosts in the round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup, we have reached this stage.
Having reached an unprecedented level of world domination of football from 2008 to 2012 – They have won two successive European championships and a World Cup – La Roja has now failed to reach the last eight in three tournaments successive. Like England, they did not even come out of their group at the 2014 World Cup.
True, Spain was at the wrong end of a rather shabby result in this tournament. The Netherlands undoubtedly gave their most impressive performance in a World Cup match since Johan Cruyff's Oranje tormented Brazil in 1974. The supporters were also in a tough group – facing the skilled Chileans right after their 5-1 defeat by the Dutch. 19659004] Then came the 2016 European Championship, where Spain was eliminated by Italy in the last 16. Their 2-0 defeat is usually attributed to a brilliant demonstration of I Azzurri, which was also a tactical triumph for Italian manager Antonio Conte. Claudio Villa / GettyImages
Yet, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, making an early exit from a major tournament looks like a misfortune. Doing two early exits in a row is like negligence. If you make three in a row, then you must accept that early exits are no longer the exception – they are the rule.
Of course, this does not defeat the Spanish shootout Russia is less shocking. It's hard to think of a single Russian player who would be part of the Spanish team, no matter what their starting lineup.
Nevertheless, there is nothing radically new in the last two World Cups and the last championship of Europe. They just have to be … well, Spain, really. Before their golden age in 2008, the underperformance was the norm
La Roja was more successful in European Championships than the World Cups, winning the Euro in 1964 and reaching the final in 1984. They have rarely excelled in both tournaments.
When they reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup on their way to victory, it was their first appearance in the last four of a World Cup since 1950 – an incredibly poor record for a footballing nation of the Spanish caliber. 19659011] When the Spanish national team started to win tournaments regularly in 2008, it seemed like they had finally found a system that allowed their very talented players to flourish on the international stage. So what has changed since 2012? Why did Spain start typing again?
Perhaps a problem has Spain's opponents found effective ways to neutralize their patient approach, based on the possession of "tika-taka". In addition, the dismissal of manager Julen Lopetegui two days before the opening of Spain against Portugal can not help prepare for this year's World Cup.
Yet none of these points adequately explains why La Roja was so disappointing in Russia. Their scintillating 3-3 draw against Portugal has proved to be the culmination of the Spanish tournament. The next three opponents – Iran, Morocco and Russia – were eminently beatable. And yet, under their hastily named new manager Fernando Hierro, the winners of the 2010 World Cup triumphed in one of those clashes.
It would be too easy to criticize Russia for its tactics of "bus parking" in the last 16. players like Andrés Iniesta and Isco, the Spaniards should have been able to unlock a Russian team that we can reasonably call "average bang". And yet they have shown a lack of urgency or astonishing invention, until it is almost certainly too late to avoid the lottery of penalties.
Whatever the point of view, it seems that the golden Spanish era is well and truly over. Still, it was a wonderful shot while it lasted.
