Spain is a nation that has been in mourning for the past few days, expectedly so since it is not everyday that a team gets whacked 5-1 in a World Cup match, and certainly not when they are the defending Champions. The front page of Spain’s popular sports daily Marcawas funeral-black while El Mundo chose to call it a “humiliation” as reported by the Independent. Spain’s heaviest World Cup defeat since a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Brazil in 1950 has done greater damage than the obvious blow to their confidence, and err, goal difference. Defeat at the hands of a well-oiled Chilean outfit would mean that the La Roja would become only the 2nd defending Champions to be knocked out after the first two games – the last time this feat occurred was also in Samba land in 1950 when Italy failed to reproduce their title winning form of 1938.
In all fairness, the Italian side was a completely different side to the one that won the World Cup in 1938. Spain, however, cannot get away with the same excuse. Eight of the starting XI against Netherlands featured in the previous World Cup, seven of them featured against the Dutch at Soccer City in Johannesburg. Spain’s fall from grace, particularly the severe manner in which they were taken to the cleaners by van Persie and co., gives the impression of a group of players that have run their course. Jose Mourinho was criticised for dropping Iker Casillas to the bench but knowing Jose as we do, we must have been watching the match with a smirk on his face. He must have felt vindicated as he had seen this coming.
In all honesty, Iker Casillas has been a shadow of his glorious former self in recent times. Casillas’s indecision cost Madrid an early goal in the Champions League final and van Persie took advantage of Casillas being caught out of his goal with a header that will be played over and over again for a long time. And then Casillas capped off a performance, he described as the “worst personal performance of my life” with some suspect footwork allowing the Manchester United striker to score his second.
But, Casillas is only a part of the problem. A defence which had leaked just 3 goals in qualifying and 2 goals in the entire tournament in 2010 were blown away by the counter-attacking from the Dutch. While Pique and Ramos looked out of sorts, the Spanish midfield of Busquets, Alonso and Xavi were ineffective as a younger Dutch outfit moved the ball past them with greater speed and purpose. Spain will persist with their Tiki-Taka brand of football despite people claiming that the defending Champions must switch to a Plan B to respond to this catastrophe.
The Tiki-Taka is pleasing on the eye, and has proven to be effective in Spain’s triumphs in recent times. But have teams figured out a way to defend against the Tiki-Taka or do Xavi, Busquets and co. just don’t have the legs anymore to cause problems to defences? Vicente Del Bosque’s side barely threatened in the attacking third and with their legs starting to go in midfield, only Iniesta’s trademark bursts and Silva’s enterprising runs were the only source of threat going forward. Chile will know that if they stop those two, they stop Spain. Really not Rocket Science, is it?
Spain are up against a Chile side full of confidence after a 3-1 win over Australia and the South Americans will know that a win would all but secure their progress to the Round of 16. And with Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez leading the line, that is one confrontation that the likes of Ramos and Pique would be dreading after what Arjen Robben’s pace did to them.
So much of Spain’s success over the last few years has been made in Barcelona. And it seems fitting and inevitable that the decline of the Catalans would almost certainly would cause a major blow to the national team’s chances.
Spain: Casillas; Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Alba; Busquets, Alonso, Xavi; Silva, Torres, Iniesta
Chile: Bravo; Isla, Mena, Diaz; Medel, Jara, Aranguiz, Vidal, Vargas; Sanchez, Valdivia
Stats compiled from Dailymail.
Chile have the pace and the firepower up front to cause Spain all sorts of problems and it would barely be a shock if they send the defending Champions packing from the Maracana on Wednesday evening.
We’ll go for a 2-2 draw!
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