The world champions are out. History. Kaput. Spain are gone. Tied first in departing this tournament, with Australia. Not in body, because there is still the matter of a meaningless final group game in Curitiba on Monday, but mathematically and in spirit. They trooped off the pitch in the Maracana Stadium last night, heads bowed, all resistance spent. After two games they have no points and a goal difference that reads 1-7. This truly is a seismic development for football.
It is the worst defence of a World Cup title in history, poorer even than Italy in South Africa four years ago. They, too, exited at the group stage, but at least their final game was live. Spain now travel Brazil a redundant embarrassment. Nobody wants to be one of those teams, the dead rubberers, fulfilling a fixture list simply because they must.
This will be the game that many say marks the end of the era of tiki-taka, too, but with that is raised a more existential question. Was there ever any such thing? Did tiki-taka create a great Spanish team, or was it merely itself the invention of 11 outstanding players.
And one in particular: Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona. We think systems make players, but perhaps it is the other way around. Holland have played great football since the era of Johann Cruyff, but has it ever again been total football?
And Spain will no doubt come again – but will it be with tiki-taka, or some new philosophy that simply suits their XI at the time. Diego Costa is most certainly not a disciple of tiki-taka. He is an old-fashioned target man, of the type that every English n club once had.
Xavi, meanwhile, was dropped for this game, having been partly responsible for the 5-1 defeat by Holland last week. In his absence, others tried to recreate Spain’s style, but without success. Xabi Alonso had a terrible time and was substituted after 45 minutes. They tried to tiki, they tried to taka, but without Xavi at his peak it just wasn’t the same.
Chile were, by contrast, magnificent. It would be wrong to say they played without a philosophy, because they were superbly organised, pressed high and upset Spain’s rhythm beautifully.
Yet there is no catchy name for what Chile do, no books that are written on its rise, no credit given for changing modern football as Spain have done with their three straight tournament wins.
It is the worst defence of a World Cup title in history, poorer even than Italy in South Africa four years ago. They, too, exited at the group stage, but at least their final game was live. Spain now travel Brazil a redundant embarrassment. Nobody wants to be one of those teams, the dead rubberers, fulfilling a fixture list simply because they must.
This will be the game that many say marks the end of the era of tiki-taka, too, but with that is raised a more existential question. Was there ever any such thing? Did tiki-taka create a great Spanish team, or was it merely itself the invention of 11 outstanding players.
And one in particular: Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona. We think systems make players, but perhaps it is the other way around. Holland have played great football since the era of Johann Cruyff, but has it ever again been total football?
And Spain will no doubt come again – but will it be with tiki-taka, or some new philosophy that simply suits their XI at the time. Diego Costa is most certainly not a disciple of tiki-taka. He is an old-fashioned target man, of the type that every English n club once had.
Xavi, meanwhile, was dropped for this game, having been partly responsible for the 5-1 defeat by Holland last week. In his absence, others tried to recreate Spain’s style, but without success. Xabi Alonso had a terrible time and was substituted after 45 minutes. They tried to tiki, they tried to taka, but without Xavi at his peak it just wasn’t the same.
Chile were, by contrast, magnificent. It would be wrong to say they played without a philosophy, because they were superbly organised, pressed high and upset Spain’s rhythm beautifully.
Yet there is no catchy name for what Chile do, no books that are written on its rise, no credit given for changing modern football as Spain have done with their three straight tournament wins.
posted from Bloggeroid
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