World Cup 2018: 4 things Spain must do to recover following their exit

So the unthinkable has happened. After Germany’s shocking group-stage exit, Spain have lost on the hosts Russia in the Round of 16 thanks to a penalty shootout. While spot-kicks are a cruel way to exit a tournament, this World Cup revealed several structural issues with this Spanish side. Even though they were considered among the favourites coming into the tournament, Spain did not live up to expectations.

Their first game was a thrilling 3-3 draw with Portugal which in hindsight laid bare some of the structural issues in the Spanish side. Spain’s only win in their competition was a 1-0 win over Iran in their second game, a rather fortunate win considering La Roja’s goal came off a ricochet.

In their final group game, it took a late Iago Aspas equalizer to prevent them from losing to Morocco. Those are not the performances of a World Cup favourite. So here are some changes that Spain can make to return to their rightful place at the top of international football:

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#4 Forgive 2018’s “Villains”

As with any penalty shootout, those who missed spot-kicks are likely to be characterized as “villains”. Koke and Iago Aspas have already been disparaged by the Spanish press. Another supposed villain of this campaign has been David De Gea, one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

The Manchester United goalkeeper had a horrid tournament as he made several errors (including one glaring one against Portugal), culminating in a penalty shootout where he failed to save a single penalty.

There will be an inclination within the Spanish federation to drop all three. That would not only be unfair, but detrimental to La Roja. Koke is one of the most talented central midfielders in the world and is one of the few Spanish players who can blend their typical tiki-taka with defensive solidity (reducing their dependence on Sergio Busquets).

These qualities were on display against Russia as the Atletico Madrid midfielder had a player rating of 7.28 with an exceptional pass success percentage of 96.1% (highest in the Spanish team) and four tackles (again highest in the Spanish team).

Moreover, one poor World Cup does not make De Gea a poor goalkeeper and dropping him would be a terrible decision for La Roja. While Aspas is not as valuable as the other two, his utility as a backup striker was evident when his equalizer saved Spain from an embarrassing loss to Morocco.

#3 Appoint an Experienced Club Manager

Rafael Benitez

Spain’s tournament was thrown into disarray with the firing of manager Julian Lopetegui two days before their opening game. Director of Football Fernando Hierro took over and he can’t be faulted for Spain’s performance considering the circumstances (even though not playing Thiago was inexplicable). Nonetheless, Hierro’s inexperience should preclude him from taking the job on a permanent basis.

Moreover, Spain’s performances over the last few tournaments have been poor and La Roja need a fresh manager who is not associated with the current setup. That is why Hierro and Under-21 manager Albert Celades may not be the best options. Rather, Spain should turn to an experienced club manager.

Thanks to Spain’s wealth of managerial talent, the federation will have several options for the choice of their next gaffe. Belgium manager Roberto Martinez (still in the tournament) is certainly a viable option but Martinez’ lack of defensive acumen may be a sticking point for a Spanish side whose defensive frailties were evident.

A better option may be Rafael Benitez who showed his expertise over the past season guiding a rather weak Newcastle side to safety. Benitez’s teams are usually solid defensively and excel in knockout situations (2005 Champions League anyone!)- making him ideal for the role. Other possible options include Valencia manager Marcelino Garcia Toral, Real Betis manager Quique Setien and Quique Sanchez Flores.

#2 Phase out Veterans

David Silva and Sergio Ramos

Between 1980 and 1988, the following players were born in Spain: Iker Casillas, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Xavi, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, David Silva, Juan Mata and Sergio Busquets. Yikes- now that is a Golden Generation. It is little wonder that Spain had so much international success between 2008 and 2012 (when most of those players were in their prime).

Over the past four years, four of those players have retired from international football (Iniesta announced his retirement after the Russia game). An additional four players have been jettisoned permanently by La Roja’s managers. However, four of those remain as options for future tournaments: Pique, Ramos, Silva and Busquets. All four were brilliant over the past season over their clubs and remain among the best in their positions.

However, it is time for Spain to start thinking about the role of their veterans. They have already been too slow in removing certain veterans: Xavi should not have played in 2014 and Iniesta was not good enough to start in Russia (as he did in the group stage). Their first job should be replacing Silva- he is still an excellent player but will be 34 for the 2020 Euros.

The other three veterans (Busquets, Pique and Ramos) are too good to jettison at this point but they need to start experimenting with replacements in qualifying. Otherwise, a repeat of this performance may occur in 2020.

#1 Build the team around Isco: More ‘Direct’ Players

Isco

So far, the evidence is that Spain’s new generation does not hold a candle to the likes of Pique, Ramos, Iniesta, Silva and Busquets. However, they do have the type of attacking talent that can define successful international teams: Isco.

The Real Madrid attacking midfielder was clearly the best player for Spain in the World Cup as he was their primary creative outlet. This was evident against Russia when Isco made two key passes, an incredible nine dribbles, three accurate crosses and nine accurate long balls. Even then, one got the feeling Isco was not as his best.

Isco is still only 26 and will likely continue to improve- potentially becoming a contender for the Ballon d’Or in the post-Messi/Ronaldo age. That is why Spain need to build their team around the Real Madrid midfielder moving forward.

The amount of talent in the nation is such that they can afford to focus on such an identity. Isco is best suited in a role where he can thread through balls and make crosses for more direct players. That is why players like Silva are not suited next to Isco. Instead, Spain should start the likes of Marco Asensio, Lucas Vasquez, Saul and Rodrigo. After all, usual ‘tiki-taka’ failed miserably in Russia.