Spanish Inquisition: What A Third-Place Finish Means For Spain

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All good things eventually must come to an end. Winning 15 matches in a row and riding a 35-game unbeaten streak, the Spanish national squad were in high spirits before their Confederations Cup tie with the United States. For a historically disappointing side that never failed to live up to the reputation of underachievement, the Spaniards had quickly reversed course, taking the Euro 2008 trophy and beating some of Europe’s elite teams in the process.

Since taking the Eurocopa, winning had not only become habit, but La Roja now took it for granted. In the days leading up to a Spain match, it was not a question of whether they would win, but rather by how much. Spain were tested by a strong Turkey side both at the Bernabeu and in Istanbul in their World Cup Qualifiers, but the Spanish were expecting competitive affairs in both of those two fixtures and fought valiantly to secure victories. In both of those matches the Spanish dictated play and could well have scored more goals had their finishing been a bit better.

Against lower ranked squads, however, La Seleccion would play with a different air. Instead of playing urgent, purposeful, and crisp football, it seemed almost as if Vicente del Bosque’s team would anticipate victory, seeming to play with the certainty that they would eventually score by passing the ball around enough. The pace of the match would slow and play would become more predictable.

The Spanish kicked off the Confederations Cup against New Zealand and, to be frank, facing the islanders in their first match of the competition led them into a false sense of security. Spain put five goals past the less-than-zealous Zealanders (Fernando Torres only taking 17 minutes to bag his hat-trick) and could have put many more into the net if they had not mercifully taken their foot off the pedal. For most managers, such a favourable result would have served as an encouraging sign that a team was in peak form and was playing like a well-oiled machine.

But for a team that hadn’t lost in recent memory, a 5-0 win in the first group match should have raised a few alarms, as it was a seed of overconfidence ready to sprout. La Roja approached their next match against Iraq with an air of entitlement and, although they dominated possession, they failed to tally more than one goal against an Iraq squad that was on the back foot for the entirety of the match and failed to threaten more than one or two occasions. The match finished as a three-point pickup for La Roja, but it left something to be desired in terms of effort. No matter though; despite the lacklustre showing, it could be dismissed as an off day.

In their final group stage match, Spain faced a South Africa squad that had not yet secured passage into the next round of play. Spain, on the other hand, had already been assured a spot in the semi-finals and fielded a squad that largely consisted of substitutes. Looking ahead to their clash in the elimination rounds, Spain again played somewhat half-heartedly, scoring two goals, but still being given a fair share of problems against a swift counterattacking South Africa squad. It looked as if the Spanish were looking a bit lax in their concentration, but surely they would approach the semi-final fully rested and with a hunger to demonstrate the infernal fire of La Furia Roja.

Perhaps Spain were looking ahead to a fairy tale match against Brazil. Perhaps they dismissed a side that calls the beautiful game ‘soccer’ instead of football. Perhaps they felt that holding the FIFA #1 ranking in the world served as enough of a rite of passage. In one of the biggest upsets in the history of world football, the United States outplayed Spain in almost every facet. When U.S. coach Bob Bradley spoke in a press conference in the days preceding the match claiming that the Americans knew how to stop Spain, the Spanish press brushed the comment off with muted laughter. Instead, the Americans were faster, fought harder, and demonstrated more resilience than their Spanish counterparts and sent La Roja crashing out of contention for the Confederations Cup title.

The loss ended Spain’s unbeaten streak, but the Spanish players saw no cause for panic after the defeat. In his post-match comments, Iker Casillas said that nine times out of ten Spain would have won the match—this was just that one time. Nevermind the porous defence or the lapses in focus (Sergio Ramos’ botched clearance that led to the U.S.’ second goal was simply embarrassing), Spain would be back on track in no time.

But Spain failed to put the doubts to rest in their third-place match against South Africa. Unable to crack the ball through the tightly packed Bafana Bafana defence, Spain had to rely on two fortuitous strikes by Dani Guiza (one of the only players on the pitch that looked as if he wanted to win the match) in the final minutes to first draw level and then pull ahead. But even that was not enough as in the final play of regulation, a free kick in South Africa’s favour set the stage for a missile that found the back of Casillas’ net. Spain eventually won the match on a well-taken Xabi Alonso free kick in extra time, securing third place, but the truth is that it should never have come to that.

What Spain must take away from a third place finish in the Confederations Cup (which is actually something of a disappointment in light of the highly-anticipated rendezvous with Brazil) is the valuable lesson that they must face each match with an eagerness to play their style of football and an attack-minded resolve to win. It was long the crippling foible of the Spanish national team to allow good results in the group stages to lead to over-inflated sense of confidence in the elimination rounds. If Spain does not learn from the cruel teachings of history and remember that titles do not fall into one’s lap but must be taken, it could be another 44 years before La Roja lift another trophy.

It is now a tenuous time for a Spanish national squad brimming with talent. A long domestic season, competitive World Cup Qualifying matches, and the Confederations Cup have taken their toll and perhaps the summer holiday will serve as a suitable opportunity for the players to rest and recover their strength. The Spanish press has thus far remained composed after an early exit from the South African tournament (a rare refrain from drama on the part of the tabloids), possibly distracted by the domestic signings of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball star Ricky Rubio’s introduction into the NBA.

But should Spain fail to offer a motivated performance in their next matches, the Spanish press could begin buzz louder than the vuvuzelas, heaping pressure on Vicente del Bosque and his team. And such stress is precisely what La Roja would do well to avoid as they prepare to make a push for the most coveted title in football in 2010.

Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com