Pass It Right Back To 2008
Important Numbers: 74% — 36% — 1137
Spain dominated world soccer for a decade. They inspired generations of players to use their tiki-taka style, which meant, constantly being on the move, being ready to receive a short pass, and to immediately find another. Their style put viewers in a trance. During the game, it would seem like the other team wasn’t moving, and at times Spain wasn’t actually making progress. Then all of a sudden, it hit like a lightning bolt. A quick slotted pass, a darting run, and an un-saveable shot.
From 2008 to 2012 Spain won two European Championships, and a World Cup. They were considered the best, a dynasty. Their play style had youth coaches around the world trying to emulate it.
Why wouldn’t you want to be like them? Most games, the other team could hardly get a touch on the ball. Spain was in a class of their own.
Then it all came crashing down in 2014. Spain we’re awful, not even making it out of the group stage. Casillas came into question for his age, Del Bosque couldn’t offer any help, and Spain’s tiki-taka style seemed doomed.
Flash forward to 2018. Spain were heading into the tournament with a good feeling. They replaced their coach, put David de Gea in the goal (some would say he’s the future best goalie in the world), and were ready to reclaim their World Champion thrown.
It was a bumpy start. Days before the start of the World Cup Spain sacked their manager, Julen Lopetegui because he announced his recent acceptance of the Real Madrid job. This was an interesting choice because Lopetegui himself said he would take over that job after the World Cup. Spain, however, didn’t take it so well. They felt that he had negotiated with Real Madrid behind the Federations back.
But this was Spain, with some of the best players in the world. They had experience at the top levels and could handle the pressure. Spain hired Fernando Hierro and all seemed well. Many had Spain still winning it all, with that squad who could say no?
Spain’s group stage was bumpy. They tied Portugal and Morocco and beat Iran. They did, however, finish first and ended up playing the worst ranked team (if FIFA rankings mean anything to you) in the round of 16, Russia. By all accounts, this game should be a blowout. Yes, Russia would sit back. But that’s basically the same thing Spain faces against almost every team they play.
And so, Spain lined up with a mixture of Barcelona and Real Madrid players against a team of mostly unknowns. I say mostly unknowns because almost all of Russia’s squad plays in Russia’s domestic league. It’s a match up that many had clearly going one way.
As you make your way through the final stats of the game you begin to see some numbers that would suggest this one-sided affair. Spain had 74% of the possession, and 25 shots, not unlike every other game they play in. Spain even had a whopping 1137 passes completed during the 90 minutes. Again, this sounds exactly like Spain, wear the other team out until they finally break.
Except it didn’t happen. What we got was 90 minutes of watching Spain go back and forth, happy to keep the ball with no intention of going forward. It was painful, it was without passion, without intensity. Spain’s 25 shots amounted to 1 goal. 36% shot accuracy. The goal, in complete fairness, came from an own goal by Russian center back, Sergey Ignashevich. To his defense, it was one hell of a tackle on Sergio Ramos. Not soccer tackle, he completely took Ramos out and the ball ended up going in off of his leg.
Whether you have played soccer or are a fan, somewhere along the lines you have been told that possession wins games. So how does one team string together 1137 passes, while the team strings together 284, and still not win the game? It was a mixture of Russia’s defensive play, which sat back and put 11 guys behind the ball the entire time, and Spain’s inability to try something new. They relied on the same players to do the same things they have been doing for over a decade.
In fairness, it used to work. It was no joke that many youth coaches around the world told their players to watch Spain work their magic, and then try to bring it to their team. But a team needs to be adaptable. For example, Diego Costa is a big, physical forward. But Spain rarely tried to lob it up to him and let their midfield players run off. Why even play the guy then? Spain might have been better off putting another center midfielder on if they only wanted to play to feet.
The question remains, why wasn’t Spain able to figure out that something else was needed to win the game? Sure, it’s much easy to point out in hindsight. But these are some of the best players in the world, who play for the biggest clubs, have two European titles and one World title on their shelf. Why was it so hard to recognize and adapt during the game?
I’ll give you my answer. Spain looked tired. Not necessarily physically tired, but mentally. They didn’t know what else to do because they genuinely didn’t believe there was a better way. This generation of Spanish players will go down in history for what they have done in the past decade, and they know that. The Spanish players on that field knew nothing else but to play their game the same way they always have in a Spanish jersey.
Spain’s newly appointed coach, Fernando Hierro, has stepped down from his post as manager. Andres Iniesta has officially retired from national duty and Spain’s superstars have been forced to watch the rest of the World Cup from the comfort of their million dollar homes.
I hope Spain is able to change. Last World Cup was an embarrassment, and very little was different entering this year’s tournament. For Spain’s sake, I hope they don’t rely on what used to work, rather on what will be best for the team.
Brazil is a great example. It has taken them a long time to find something new. Gone are the days where Brazil played its beautiful Ginga style soccer. Instead, they play a structured style, ready to defend and ready to attack through their incredibly talented players. Yes, Brazil is out of the tournament too, but they clearly showed how good they are, and how good their system can be.
