The New England Patriots from 2000-2005.
The New York Yankees from 1998-2001.
The Miami Heat from 2011-2014.
Dynasties end. In this sports day and age, it’s just a fact. The best you can hope for is for the “thud” to not be so abrupt, loud, and painful when the team in question hits bottom. For the last six years, there has been no more dominant force in the soccer landscape than Spain. The winners of the 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Tournament and the winners of the 2010 World Cup were absolutely poised to make a serious run at going down in history — back to back World Cups as well as becoming the first European team to win a World Cup on South American soil.
“Spain loses opening game of the World Cup to the Netherlands 5-1.”
THUD!
“Spain loses do-or-die game to Chile 2-0 and are eliminated from World Cup Round of 16 play.”
THUD!
CRASH!
OH, THE HUMANITY!
Soccer fans and supporters of the Spanish National Team could have ran hundreds upon thousands of scenarios in their head, and this scenario would not have even entered their mind. At the very worst, Spain would lose to Germany in a heated rematch of the 2008 Euro Final. (For the record, that was MY prediction.) Losing the way Spain did leaves the biggest of black eyes for a team that needs to perform a lobotomy, pick up the pieces of their destroyed legacy, and get ready for the European Cup Championship in France in 2016.
What happen to this squad at the World Cup in Brazil?
The simplest thing to point to happened on May 19th when Spain’s newest striker, Diego Costa, suffered a grade one tear in the femoral biceps of his right thigh. The tear required a good, solid 15 days of rest to fully heal, so manager Vincent del Bosque had to make a decision: leave Costa off the roster or substitute him for a healthy pair of legs and go with the squad that brought him to the finals dance for three straight major tournaments.
del Bosque gambled … and lost. BIG!
Not only did Costa look ineffective and hindered in both World Cup matches, but Spain’s offense, in general, looked very stagnant. It wasn’t the Spain the world was expecting to see nor was it the one we’ve come to appreciate. There wasn’t a whole lot of movement, and at times, it seemed like the offense was content with hoping that Costa would make something happen. In a game like soccer on the grandest of stages, you can’t play that way.
After the 5-1 embarrassment to the Netherlands, it should’ve been painfully obvious that Costa was ineffective. In a win-or-go home game vs. Chile, Costa should’ve been pulled for either Fernando Torres or David Villa. (I won’t even do into how angry some were because Xavi — a player with loads of experience — was on the bench during the game vs. Chile.)
Once Costa was deemed hurt and a risk, it would’ve been a much better idea to hold him out until the Euros in 2016 when he was completely healed and healthy. Spain won three straight major championships with a core of Iniesta, Xavi, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, and David Villa. Why not just run with that core for one more World Cup, hope for the best and get Costa ready for France in two years?
The offense was an issue, but a bigger issue than that was the defense — namely the goalkeeping. A statement like this could be seen as blasphemy given what he’s done for the country and the national team, but I think it needs to be said.
At the 2016 European Championships in France, the starting net minder for the Spanish national team has to be David de Gea. With all due respect to Iker Casillas — who is about as recognizable as Carlos Puyol in Spanish soccer circles — it’s time for a youth movement. Spain has to do so from an offensive standpoint, and they already did it defensively once Gerard Piqué was starting to get more playing time than Puyol. Now that the destruction and damage has been done, it’s the perfect time to get de Gea ready for France.
de Gea has been stellar for Manchester United for the last three seasons compiling 36 clean sheets. (This is a fact that I know all too well given I’m a Liverpool supporter.) Casillas didn’t look nearly as sharp or as confident as he had in previous tournaments. A leg injury kept de Gea out of the World Cup group stages, so unfortunately, Spain had to continue on with Casillas and hope he would shake off the cobwebs. de Gea is 23 years old, and he’s continuing to get better whereas Casillas may be on the decline — which is a bold statement given how utterly fantastic he’s been for Spain for the last six years. Father time catches up with everyone.
The 2016 European Championships won’t be easy for the Spanish considering Germany is A LOT better now than they ever have been. There’s a youth movement going on in England right now, and you can never fully count out France with Karim Benzema and Oliver Geroud — not to mention home country advantage. Spain needs to go back to the drawing board and hope they can recover from this complete and utter debacle.
You can say the dynasty is over, or you can say the start of something new and exciting is on the way. Take your position however you will, but it should be an interesting two years leading up to the Euros.
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