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The recently departed players from the Spanish World Cup squad do not deserve criticism because of their failure to progress through to the quarterfinals. In my opinion, and as a fan, it is merely a coincidence of bad luck that they had just two days before the start of the tournament. The now infamous sacking of Julen Lopetegui by the Spanish Football Federation during their World Cup preparations hit the players hard, both mentally and emotionally. There were even rumors of a senior player protesting against the sack of their manager, which can be totally acceptable from players’ point of view. With a new manager, just two days before the World Cup did less favour to the whole squad, as it was visible during their four-match stay at the World Cup. Their performances were good if not best, and also they were not at the same level that we are used. During the whole 120 minutes against Russia, they recorded 1137 passes, which is a huge number. Despite their dominance, they could not seriously threaten the brilliant Igor Akinfeev.
What next for Spain?
Spain as a team is one of the most exciting teams in the world. The amount of quality junior players they have been abundant with better academies and facilities. And with new coach incoming (hopefully a good one) and brilliant upcoming players, there is no doubt why this team will not succeed in the future. Moreover, with the current senior player Isco in the form of his life, their future is in safe hands.
Is this the beginning of the end of the Spanish golden generation?
Only a handful of players are left from the golden generation of the Spanish football team. The 2010 world cup winning team had best players from the best clubs. It was Iker Casillas, Xavi and Carles Puyol who retired at first, and now we are witnessing the end of the career of a football legend. It was Iniesta’s goal that won Spain the World Cup. And only a handful of players are left from the World Cup winning squad. Will they play the next world cup? Only time will tell.
Conclusion
With the quality of the senior players like Sergio Busquets, Isco, Diego Costa, David De Gea, etc. and brilliant upcoming young players, the future of Spanish football is in good hands. And the fact that Spain produces excellent young players every year tells us that they are capable of winning the next European championships or even the next world cup. So, let’s just keep our fingers crossed.
