Win or bust
June 18, 2014
Four years ago, at the last World Cup in South Africa, Spain were in crisis-mode: their footballing ideology had been written-off. A sturdy Switzerland won the first group match by a single goal, and the Spanish media went into meltdown.
"A dose of healthy reality," headlined one newspaper back then. Two years earlier, Spain had just ended their trophy drought by winning the 2008 UEFA European Championships. Fronted by Fernando Torres and David Villa, the team had sweeped to glory in convincing fashion.
In 2010, Spain had to beat Honduras in the second match of the World Cup. It was expected - but if not, the Spanish would make an embarrassing exit from the tournament. Villa scored a brace to help the European champions to victory.
In their final group match Spain then narrowly beat Chile. The rest, of course, is history.
Under pressure
It's no surprise then that there's a sense of déjà vu around the Spanish camp at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil at the moment, as Vicente del Bosque's side look to become the first side in history to win a fourth consecutive major international trophy.
Spain were crushed 5-1 by the Netherlands in the first group encounter: a match noted by football experts as being as symbolic a dismantling of a footballing superpower as Bayern Munich's 4-0 win over Barcelona en route to the 2013 Champions League final.
Many years of honing the style of 'tiki-taka' and a period of relentless dominance at international level and on the club stage was brought to an abrupt end. It was a step towards the changing of the guard. That's what the so-called experts wrote.
Reactions are raw
"Just as we have been showered with praise when we have done well, when we have performed badly it is normal that we are criticized," Del Bosque said on Tuesday. "I have read what has been written about us and in most cases it has been reasonable."
In fact, Spain's press went to town on their national side. "El Pais" described the defeat as a complete cataclysm while "El Mundo's" headline screamed "Humiliation!" Spanish sports publication "AS" said Spain "had lost its magic touch."
Only three holders have faltered at the first hurdle in World Cup history over the years: Brazil in 1966, France in 2002 and Italy in 2010. It would be amazing to think that could happen to Spain here.
Spain's opponents on Wednesday, Chile, have earned rave reviews ahead of the tournament. Their win over Australia last week showed again their high-pressing style of football so loved by their coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Iniesta watchful
"Chile are a difficult team because we'll have to defend and we'll have to fight one against one," noted Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta ahead of the match.
"We must be able to make the right passes, and look for those in space, so we can score goals," he added.
"Sometimes we'll have to be faster, other times we'll have to control the ball, but we'll just play it as a final, because only in that way will we be able to win against Chile."
Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Netherlands could basically book their spot in the round of 16 with a win over Australia. The Socceroos, on the other hand, desperately need a win to keep their slim chances of survival in the tournament alive. In the late Group A game, Cameroon will take on Croatia, with both teams looking to open their account in the tournament.
How do you think Spain will go in their game against Chile? Leave us a comment below.