Analysing what went wrong for Spain at the World Cup

A dejected Spain team after the loss to Chile

Spain’s loss to Chile at the World cup possibly marked the end of one of world football's greatest team. It has happened to every team, happens to every team and will continue to happen to every team. Perhaps the ending was a bit cruel! Defending World and European champions getting knocked out of the tournament after not even completing their quota of group stage matches with a goal difference of -6 is perhaps not something this team deserved. They needed a wake up call, and the 0-3 hammering by Brazil at the Confederation Cup final served as a warning bell. Yet, proper steps weren't taken and the downfall was almost certain to happen.

So, what went wrong for this all-conquering side managed by Vincent del Bosque? To put it simply, a lot. It would be unfair to put all blame on a certain individual, because football is a team game. But just like drops of water form the ocean, each tiny error, be it style of play, player selection or formation; all contributed to the cause. Ever since Pep Guardiola revolutionised world football with his tiki-taka philosophy and use of a false-9, Vicente del Bosque came on board and adopted the same.

The Barcelona side of 2010-11 is widely regarded as one of the best ever, with Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol (considering the Spanish players) all playing possibly the best football of their respective careers. Along with them, Busquets was soon becoming the world's best holding midfielder, and Xabi Alonso and Casillas were peaking too. Needless to say, it was Spanish football's golden era. And playing in a style that managers were still trying to figure out how to deal with, they swept aside everyone in their path.

And the trend continued at Euro 2012. But then, that was it. Then came Confederation Cup 2013, and we all know what happened after that! Perhaps, the biggest harm for Spanish football is that the world soon figured out how to deal with their style of play. They either parked the bus, which meant placing 8-9 players in the penalty box with the sole purpose of not allowing the opponent any space to create chances or shoot. Or, they played a very high pressing game with very quick counter attacks, fully exploiting the high line the Spanish style of play required.

Pass map: Spain vs Netherlands. Notice the lack of direct passes in the opponents’ goal by the former (Stats from Squawka)

But the cause is a bit deeper if we go on to analyse what particularly went wrong for Spain in this World Cup. The foremost of the causes is poor club form of their players. Casillas, the Spanish #1, is a reserve for Real Madrid and only played the cup matches for them this season. Given how confidence is considered to be a goalkeeper's top necessity, he was already compromised in that department. Other players like Diego Costa, Gerard Pique, Busquets and Javi Martinez were not in the best of form either with the former two recovering from injuries sustained at the end of last season.

Next comes the style of play that the Spanish side follows. It is generally believed nowadays that the days of tiki-taka being the dominant style of play are over. Spain tried to deviate from it against Chile, but ended with disastrous consequences. Their passing was poor, their positioning was poor and their decision making was poor. Only after the introduction of Koke and Santi Cazorla did the game start showing some changes for the Spanish side (even though it was possibly too late for them by then).

One has to question del Bosque's decision not to include these players in the starting XI if he did plan on a more direct style of play. The biggest problem of tiki-taka, something the Spanish team is still suffering a hangover from, is that everybody tries to assist, nobody tries to score. This ruins the entire tempo and build up sometimes, and when a team includes players like Costa and Silva who are tailor-made for quick counters, it's natural that the team will suffer.

The defenders play with too high a line, leaving gaping holes in defence and when their comparatively weak midfielders got dispossessed, the defence was left scrambling to run back, often conceding goals on quick counters. Another reason for the same is the lack of width on the pitch. With Jesus Navas excluded, Pedro was the only conventional winger for del Bosque to deploy, and as a result, the full backs are often posted permanently as wingers. This forces the centre backs to a much wider position, leaving huge spaces in the heart of Spanish defence (something which quick players exploit to the fullest) .

The beginning of the end as Vargas scores for Chile

Many of the current generation of players will definitely not be a part of the next edition of the World Cup in Russia, and a massive overhaul of the side is required. As specified earlier, this overhaul includes both their style of play and players. Players like Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Casillas, Fernando Torres, David Villa, Raul Albiol, Pepe Reina and Andres Iniesta may not be playing for the national side anymore or may be used in a reserve role.

That takes away a lot of players from this current crop. This means an overhaul of the Spanish side is not only required; it is absolutely vital for their survival. The core of the all-conquering Spanish side were a few players: Xavi to control the tempo, Xabi Alonso to play the long balls, Puyol to break up counters and Villa to finish the chances up front. All of these players are either in, or past, the twilight of their career.

The fluent, fluid style of play that they displayed went away slowly, but surely, courtesy their ageing legs. What the European side has now is a multitude of attacking talent without glue to hold them together. Keeping in mind the future, Busquets and Koke can be the engine that ties this brilliantly talented side together. The Spanish side are known as La Furia Roja – The Red Fury. And just like how a phoenix, the symbol of fire, rises from its ashes, Spanish football will rise again from the failure of this World Cup and dominate world football yet again.