Match date: 18 June 2014

Spain had one of their worst matches in their international history in their opening game of this World Cup. Netherlands were able to exploit their weaknesses and Spain were not able to take their chances in the first half that could have seen the match out of reach before half time. They came into this match needing at least a draw to keep the possibility of moving on. Del Bosque made two changes to his side, bringing Pedro in for Xavi and Javi Martinez in for Pique.

Chile had quite the opposite opening to their World Cup, playing Australia, they were able to dominate the match for large portions and looked comfortable throughout.

Chile Press, Spain Look Uncomfortable

In 2010, Marcelo Bielsa, one of the best tacticians in world football, managed Chile at the World Cup, leading them through the group stage to the round of sixteen where they were beaten by Brazil. Their group consisted of Spain, the eventual winners of the tournament, and many of the Spanish note that Bielsa’s Chile was the toughest team they had faced. While Bielsa and his tactical innovations are no longer at Chile, there are many principles that still feature and were instrumental in beating Spain this time.

Having drawn Chile in their group, Spain knew that the match wouldn’t be a simple one regardless of what happened against the Netherlands and despite the fact that Bielsa was no longer the manager. Chile came out quick and hassled Spain immediately. Their pressing was controlled, much more so than in 2010, and they were able to dictate the spaces in which Spain could play, crowding out the midfield and forcing Spain into the wide areas, especially the left, where they had little natural width, aside from Pedro on the right and Jordi Alba’s runs forward on the left.

Interestingly, Chile’s formation was very similar to the Netherlands from their match against Spain, lining up in a 3-4-1-2, a change that saw Valdivia, who had a good game against Australia, replaced by Francisco Silva. Silva lined up at the back with Medel and Jara, with Mena and Isla as wing backs, dropping in to make a back five most of the time. The three centre backs, Silva, Medel, and Jara were deeper than they were against Australia, knowing that Costa was only able to beat the Dutch when they played a high line and that the introduction of Pedro into the side would only heighten Spain’s ability to get in behind a high defensive line. Despite the deep line, the midfield pressure was high, which affected Silva, Busquets, and Xabi Alonso’s ability to have any influence on the match.

The first goal for Chile came from an incredibly uncharacteristic, lack pass from Xabi Alonso, who completed just 86% of his passes. Alonso also had a great chance for Spain, but was unable to finish with his left foot. He and Silva, who completed just 80% of his passes, looked off-pace and completely unable to cope with the energy of the Chilean midfield pressing.

Even after the first goal, Chile continued to press high and almost looked to be man-marking the Spanish midfield. Below, you can see an example of this. Rather than maintaining a shape, Vidal is following Busquets and Azanguiz is on Alonso. Diaz would usually pick up David Silva, while Iniesta was able to find space due to his movement rather than lack of being man-marked.

Iniesta to Diego Costa, Xabi Alonso

Just about every player on Spain will come away from this World Cup knowing that they could have played much better. The only player that stood out for Spain was Iniesta. He was consistently able to work his way past Chile’s pressing and break the lines with his dribbling and passing. The way he found space and kept the ball was the only bright spot for Spain in what was a dismal performance. He was able to force Bravo into a good save late on and setup Diego Costa with a very good chance early in the second half, only for the striker to struggle to get the ball out from under his feet.

On the other end of the spectrum are Diego Costa and Xabi Alonso. The latter, who was mentioned above, had arguably the worst game of his career and was subbed out at half time for Koke, who was able to keep the ball much better, much still struggled to have a positive impact for Spain. The biggest disappointment, however, may have been Diego Costa. His much publicised availability for Spain rather than Brazil meant that he had to show his worth. He had been one of Europe’s top strikers throughout the domestic season, helping Atletico Madrid to a La Liga title and a second place finish in the Champions League. For Spain, however, he was very poor. In his time on the pitch, Costa failed to registered a shot on target.

There were questions about whether Costa was the type of striker that would fit into the Spanish side; a team that enjoys having possession and playing intricate passes around the opposition’s penalty area, something that Costa is not all too strong at and not used to under the philosophies of Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

Chile’s Attack

Chile’s best attacks came from their counter-pressing. The first goal was a perfect example of this as they forced Alonso into a mistake, won the ball back in the attacking third, and were able to get two men into the box quickly.

Aside from this, they were otherwise forced to play slower and with less direct, energetic play than they are used to because Costa allowed Silva, Medel, and Jara to pass the ball amongst themselves rather than pressing them with an persistence. It is hard to say that they were cautious, however, as they kept pressing after the first goal and Mena and Isla continued to make runs up and down the field which required the Chilean back three to cover the channels.

Brief Reflection on Spain’s Dominance

It took the rest of the world more than five years to catch up to and finally beat Spain (and Barcelona). In a time where football is completely globalised, this is an incredible feat. Other teams had the resources available to them to do in-depth analysis of Spain’s weaknesses prior to matches and yet it still took over five years to really beat them.

Many pundits are saying ‘tiki-taka is dead’ or something of the like. Those pundits fail to remember that tiki-taka itself was an evolution of ‘total football,’ altered by Pep Guardiola to meet the challenges of the modern game. Just as Spain and Barcelona’s opponents have taken years to evolve their styles of play and tactics to the point where they can beat the two sides, so will tiki-taka continue to evolve to again meet the new challenges that it faces.

Conclusion

A good showing of Chile’s ability to press forced Spain out of the tournament and ended a five year era that helped world football evolve. Spain were not at their best and looked uncomfortable and short on confidence, showing only slight sparks of the brilliance that made them the best side in the world.

Chile face the Netherlands in a game that will decided the winner of Group B and while the Netherlands looked excellent against Spain, they underwhelmed against Australia. It will be incredible tactical battle, as both managers in Van Gaal and Sampaoli, who should be given all the plaudits for how he has set his team out thus far, will be looking for some way to gain the upperhand.