June 13, 2014. The stage was the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, Brazil. Defending champions Spain were kicking off their defence of the FIFA World Cup against fellow continental heavyweights Netherlands.
Spain arrived at the tournament as one of the favourites, having won their last three major international tournaments – two European Championships in 2008 and 2012, and the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Twenty-seven minutes into the game, Spain took the lead through a Xabi Alonso penalty. But on the stroke of half-time, Robin Van Persie equalised for the Netherlands with an extraordinary header. Nonetheless, Spanish fans who had travelled over 4,000 miles to Brazil did not seem too perturbed.
The last time their team had conceded two goals in a single match at an international tournament was at the 2006 World Cup. They had, in fact, only conceded a solitary goal en route to their last major title, the Euro 2012.
Unfortunately, the debacle that followed did not make for pretty viewing.
In the second half, the Dutch went about painstakingly dismantling the aura of invincibility that Spain and “tiki-taka” had so carefully shaped and moulded over the better part of a decade. When it finally ended with the scoreline reading 5-1 to the Dutch, Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque was at a loss to explain how his side had let in five goals. His team crashed out at the group stage after losing to Chile.
A period of transition
Two years on, Del Bosque’s side are still in transition from world beaters to a team struggling to gel, if their 0-1 loss to Georgia in their final warm-up game is anything to go by.
While several of the old guard have retired or been dropped, among them big names like Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Diego Costa, one of the biggest question marks remains over the potential selection of the veteran Iker Casillas, two errors on whose part had led directly to goals on that day in Salvador.
Till that game in the World Cup, Del Bosque was seen as a coach eager to retain his core group of stars, driven by sentimentality and his ability to forge a winning spirit among more experienced players.
This time around, he has had to take some tough calls and drop Paco Alcacer, Spain’s top scorer in qualifying with five goals, Santi Cazorla, and Saul Niguez, who had a stellar breakthrough season with Atletico Madrid.
Further casualties include Isco, who was omitted, and Dani Carvajal, injured and replaced in the squad by Barcelona’s special talent Hector Bellerin.
Spain's Euro preparations have also been overshadowed by a scandal which threatens to singe one of their most influential players, Manchester United goal-keeper David de Gea. A Spanish newspaper published a report where a witness claimed that the Spanish goalkeeper had organised a sex party for his team-mates. De Gea has rubbished those claims and is staying on with the team, but such allegations back home are likely to have an effect on the morale of the entire team.
One area that Del Bosque is expected to address with relative ease is the defence, where Jordi Alba, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos and Juanfran will look to cement their spots in the starting eleven. If David de Gea stays with the team, he also looks all set to receive the baton from former captain Casillas.
The midfield is Spain’s strength
The midfield, as has been the case with Spain over the last decade, is the usual assortment of world-class talent and sprightly youth. How the front six line up though, could be the key for Del Bosque’s men in this tournament.
Although Spain are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the paucity of strikers in the squad could mean that the false 9 system featuring Cesc Fabregas coming into play.
Busquets and Iniesta are shoo-ins for a place in the heart of the midfield, with David Silva and Fabregas expected to start as well. Koke’s positional flexibility and Thiago’s driving runs from deeper positions also strengthen a system which has in the past shown its ability to operate without a recognised striker. Pedro’s woeful form for Chelsea may mean a spot on the substitute’s bench.
Up front, Alvaro Morata is the embodiment of this Spanish team, brimming with talent but not having hit peak form yet. Morata is a curious pick, having scored only seven Serie A Goals this season and 14 overall. But he's known as a big-game player, with goals in the Champions League semi-final and final, and in four Derby D’Italias (the famous Inter Milan-Juventus derby).
Aritz Aduriz and Nolito, who enjoyed the best seasons of their individual careers, could be called on to change the flow of the game, and Real Madrid midfielder Lucas Vazquez may prove to be the X-factor for this team.
Placed in Group D with Turkey, Croatia, and Czech Republic, Spain will not underestimate these teams with ranks of 18, 27 and 30, respectively, in the latest FIFA rankings, but should make easy work of this group nonetheless.
The real boost for Spain comes from the draw, which could see Spain in the top half of the draw with their closest challengers Belgium, France and Germany in the other half, should all four teams win their respective groups. The challenge for Del Bosque and his men will be to regain their big-match winning mentality and erase the ghosts of 2014.