With the recent 1-0 loss to England in an international friendly, and other defeats since their world cup victory, it appears that Spain might be losing their dominant edge. Their passing and unique style of play is well documented and highly praised in the modern game but, as seen against England, it has it’s weaknesses and isn’t always as impenetrable as people make out.
Some of the outstanding performances by individuals on the pitch can at times mask underlying weaknesses in their system, which are waiting to be exposed by the right opponents.
By no means are we looking at a fall from grace by the World champions, who will probably still remain the frontrunners going into major competitions, but their insistence on playing the way they do, may open them up to some tough games. They have no intentions of changing or adapting their game and mentality, as recently highlighted by Xabi Alonso before the England game. But they have to accept that this makes them more predictable and open to combative techniques from opposition.
In the game against England, Spain saw plenty of the ball as you would expect, but the fact that the home side played deep and had time to get players behind the ball, meant that del Bosque’s side couldn’t quite find enough space and movement to break into the penalty area. This meant that genuine chances were relatively few and far between, with no incisiveness when it came to putting the ball in the net.
Little can really be said about England’s attacking threat in the game, but the fact that Darren Bent was largely isolated may have been a blessing in disguise as it meant England rarely committed players forward, thus not leaving themselves open and dispersed at the back.
In terms of what the teams can take away from the friendly, it is probably of more value to Spain because of the way it highlighted their inability to get at the opposition defence when they lack width and a target man. For England, it may well add weight to the argument that the system and players deployed against Spain is the way to play without Rooney.