Spain not only became the first team to go out of the world cup but also the first champions to be beaten in the first two matches at the subsequent world cup. Nobody expected such a turnaround in their fortunes. Although it can be argued that the Spanish had become a little complacent from the their recent successes but the nature of their downfall was unimaginable.
But in all fairness, this result was more of a brilliant Chilean performance rather than a pale Spanish one. Chile looked to utilize the Dutch approach in their 5-1 drubbing of the Spanish some days ago. They played a similar formation with three at the back and pressed and harried Spain in midfield. The Spanish were simply unable to cope up with the high tempo set by their opponents. Vidal led the line and pressed Busquets high up while Diaz generally looked after Silva. But it was the goal scorer Charles Aranguiz who was the star of the show. He gave Xabi Alonso a torrid time throughout the first half. Alonso, generally a consistent performer for Spain couldn't come to terms with the pace of the game and looked out of sorts. He conceded possession for the opener as well as the free kick which resulted in the second. Del Bosque had to substitute him for Koke at half time to put him out of his misery.
Once behind the Spanish just couldn't come up with a response. They had hoped to have sealed up the passage to the next round by this stage and here they were fighting against getting humiliated twice in five days. Iniesta was the most disappointing of the lot. Trusted as the chief creator of the side in the absence of Xavi he simply couldn't provide the spark from the midfield and didn't seem like the player of a couple of years ago. Spain often appeared a broken team with the front line appearing isolated form the rest of the team. The introduction of Koke did help them dominate in the opening stages of the second half and they had a great chance to pull one back but it was spurned by Busquets. But that was about all Spain could come up with.
Del Bosque appeared flummoxed by the situation unfolding in front of him. It was something Spain haven't witnessed before, at least not in his tenure. He had appeared to have given up midway through the second half, probably already thinking about his speech at the subsequent press conferences rather than planing to get back in the match. His decision to leave out Xavi from the starting 11 in the aftermath of the crushing defeat by the Dutch was strange to say the least. Without Xavi, Spain could never fully assert their possessional authority on the contest.
Another point worth highlighting is Del Bosque's love for Fernando Torres. Despite being in miserable form ever since his move to Chelsea, Torres is way ahead in the the pecking order for Spain. And despite his horrendous miss in the last game, Torres was introduced to replace Diego Costa with Mata and Fabregas still on the bench. At least he should have been sent on to supplement Costa, who still was Spain's best bet to get a goal. In the end, Spain went out without a fight and and era of Spanish dominance on world football ended with a whimper.
But in all fairness, this result was more of a brilliant Chilean performance rather than a pale Spanish one. Chile looked to utilize the Dutch approach in their 5-1 drubbing of the Spanish some days ago. They played a similar formation with three at the back and pressed and harried Spain in midfield. The Spanish were simply unable to cope up with the high tempo set by their opponents. Vidal led the line and pressed Busquets high up while Diaz generally looked after Silva. But it was the goal scorer Charles Aranguiz who was the star of the show. He gave Xabi Alonso a torrid time throughout the first half. Alonso, generally a consistent performer for Spain couldn't come to terms with the pace of the game and looked out of sorts. He conceded possession for the opener as well as the free kick which resulted in the second. Del Bosque had to substitute him for Koke at half time to put him out of his misery.
Once behind the Spanish just couldn't come up with a response. They had hoped to have sealed up the passage to the next round by this stage and here they were fighting against getting humiliated twice in five days. Iniesta was the most disappointing of the lot. Trusted as the chief creator of the side in the absence of Xavi he simply couldn't provide the spark from the midfield and didn't seem like the player of a couple of years ago. Spain often appeared a broken team with the front line appearing isolated form the rest of the team. The introduction of Koke did help them dominate in the opening stages of the second half and they had a great chance to pull one back but it was spurned by Busquets. But that was about all Spain could come up with.
Del Bosque appeared flummoxed by the situation unfolding in front of him. It was something Spain haven't witnessed before, at least not in his tenure. He had appeared to have given up midway through the second half, probably already thinking about his speech at the subsequent press conferences rather than planing to get back in the match. His decision to leave out Xavi from the starting 11 in the aftermath of the crushing defeat by the Dutch was strange to say the least. Without Xavi, Spain could never fully assert their possessional authority on the contest.
Another point worth highlighting is Del Bosque's love for Fernando Torres. Despite being in miserable form ever since his move to Chelsea, Torres is way ahead in the the pecking order for Spain. And despite his horrendous miss in the last game, Torres was introduced to replace Diego Costa with Mata and Fabregas still on the bench. At least he should have been sent on to supplement Costa, who still was Spain's best bet to get a goal. In the end, Spain went out without a fight and and era of Spanish dominance on world football ended with a whimper.
No comments:
Post a Comment