RIO DE JANEIRO: Spain became the fifth holders to be
eliminated from the World Cup at the first stage after their 2-0 defeat
by Chile at the Maracana on Wednesday.
Here AFP Sports looks at five reasons why it all went wrong for the holders in Brazil.
'Sticking with the old-timers'
After the 5-1 defeat against the Netherlands, coach Vicente del Bosque
was forced to react and chose to drop both Xavi Hernandez and Gerard
Pique, replacing them with Pedro Rodriguez and Javi Martinez. However,
it would appear that the rejuvenation of the Spain squad should have
begun sooner. A player like Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, full of
energy and desire, was introduced to the side too late.
Spain's head coach Vicente Del Bosque. -AP Photo/Christophe Ena
And the decision to keep faith in Iker Casillas proved to be a mistake.
The captain of the great teams of the recent past he may be, but he has
not been playing regularly for Real Madrid and Del Bosque has enough
alternatives in the goalkeeping department, even in the absence of the
injured Victor Valdes.
'Porous defence'
If the fingers of blame are being pointed in his direction, Casillas
might respond by saying that the defenders in front of him deserve
criticism too. After all, Spain's success in 2010 and at Euro 2012 was
based first and foremost around their watertight defence.
The
inspiration of Carles Puyol has been missed. Pique and Sergio Ramos
worked in the past as a centre-back pairing, but not this time, and Javi
Martinez did not prove to be the solution against Chile.
A
football fan holds his hands to head as he watches the World Cup match
between Chile and Spain inside the FIFA Fan Fest area on Copacabana
beach. -AP Photo/Leo Correa
Against both the
Netherlands and Chile, Spain came up against sides playing unorthodox
formations and couldn't cope to the extent that seven goals were leaked
in two games.
'Selecting Diego Costa'
Once Del Bosque had persuaded Diego Costa to represent his adopted
country rather than his native Brazil, it was inevitable that the
Atletico Madrid star would have to be brought into the starting line-up.
However, Spain have not done enough to help the bruising centre-forward
fit into their style of play. He needs balls into space if he is to
have an impact, but too often he appeared utterly marooned against Chile
and their three central defenders.
He looked ill at ease too,
and Brazilians unhappy that he snubbed the Selecao greeted him with loud
jeers both in Salvador and in Rio de Janeiro.
'Failure to adapt'
In general, Spain have been guilty of keeping too much faith in a
system that worked so well in past campaigns. La Roja's way of playing
has been built around the Barcelona way that delivered them so much
success under Pep Guardiola.
But Barcelona's recent fall from
grace and the way in which Guardiola's Bayern Munich were ripped apart
by the pace and power of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals
in the spring have indicated that the days of 'tiki-taka' may be
numbered.
A
football fan wearing a Mohawk-styled wig in Chile's team colors, cheers
as he watches a live broadcast of the group B World Cup match between
Chile and Spain. -AP Photo/Leo Correa
Again on
Wednesday, Chile's pace and pressing unsettled Spain, forcing them to
regularly mis-place passes and preventing them from holding possession,
their forte in the past.
'Playing in South America'
It was always going to be a challenge for a European nation to win the
World Cup on the American continent, something that has never happened
before. The beginning of the end for Spain came at the Maracana a year
ago, where they lost 3-0 to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, and
the decline has continued.
A
Spanish football fan holds her head as she watches, on a giant display,
the World Cup football match between Spain and Chile. -AP Photo/Andres
Kudacki
Every South American side in this World
Cup has received formidable backing from their huge travelling
supports. Spain's 5-1 loss to the Dutch left them needing a result
against Chile, but the majority of the Maracana crowd were behind Jorge
Sampaoli's side, making it like a home game for them.
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