Confusion and pain as Spain searches for some answers
DESPITE Spain’s new King, Felipe VI, being sworn in yesterday after his father Juan Carlos stepped down last week, the only abdication on the minds of most Spaniards was the one that took place in Rio’s Maracana on Wednesday night. La Roja’s reign is over.
We have spent six years wondering how they managed it; yesterday they were wondering how they managed to throw it all away.
Coach Vicente del Bosque was confused enough following the game to mistakenly try to board the Chile bus. Predictably he led the early polls asking who was to blame.
As Jose Mourinho, who described Spain’s football as ‘slow, sad and predictable’ on his blog, is fond of reminding people when he loses: ‘Victory has many fathers — failure only one’.
The coach will carry the can and possibly pay with his job. He will not be pushed by the Spanish FA, and has a contract until France 2016, but Del Bosque may decide it is time to walk away.
The coach was criticised yesterday for not doing enough to renew the team that won the European Championship two years ago; not spotting the imminent decline.
In his defence no-one had done more to bring Diego Costa into the fold and few questioned the ‘signing’ before the tournament started — only for the Brazilian-born striker to fail to score across 180 minutes. Referring to his move to Chelsea after the game, Costa said: ‘ My future seems more there (in London) than at Atletico Madrid.’ His new supporters will have been decidedly underwhelmed by his World Cup.
Del Bosque might also have brought in Real Madrid striker Jese, Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago and departing Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes had they not all been ruled out by injury. Neither was he done any favours by the draw, with no team more desperate to face Spain than 2010’s beaten finalists Holland.
‘It was good while it lasted’ was the headline yesterday in Diario AS, and many wanted to dwell on the greatest six years in Spanish football. Others mourned the fact that two of their all-time greats had come to such undignified endings — Xavi sat on the bench and Iker Casillas sat helpless in his six-yard box, conceding seven goals in two matches.
‘We didn’t deserve it to end this way,’ said the goalkeeper, while Xabi Alonso, who gave the ball away ahead of the first goal, gave a more brutal assessment when he said: ‘We were not able to stay hungry.’
Not everyone was in mourning. Some celebrated the fact that 820million in bonuses had been saved.
That was the planned pay- out for landing a second consecutive World Cup which enraged many in a country with 25 per cent unemployment.
In Catalonia, some were cruel enough to greet the final whistle with firecrackers and car horns on Wednesday.
Barcelona immediately leaked news that they had agreed to sign Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo for 812m. The timing seemed opportunistic.
Spain’s success had always been tied to Barcelona’s and there was always a chance that as Barça’s star faded so would the national team’s.
Just as Barcelona fell from grace with a resounding thump — beaten 7-0 on aggregate two seasons ago by Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern Munich — so did Spain. Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos led a small group of players who most Spaniards have decided are blameless. It was noted that he was one of the few to applaud Spain’s 3,000 travelling supporters at the end of the defeat.
He will take the captain’s armband from Casillas, who will surely now step down. A season spent as Real Madrid’s No 2 goalkeeper has taken its toll. The miscontrolled back-pass, the feeble