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The Spanish National Team between 2008 – 2012 aka La Furia Roja was one of the most prolific and accomplished football teams the sport has ever witnessed, whether it be at a club or national level.
Some would even argue that Vincente del Bosque’s side is the best football team in the history of the beautiful game. There is very strong merit to this argument.
At one point in time, the midfielders in the team consisted of Xavi Hernandez, Andreas Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla, and Marcos Senna. There were also midfielders like Mikel Arteta who could not make the cut because of how La Furia Roja was spoilt for choice in the midfield.
It should be illegal for a team to have so many talented players all to themselves. Ironically, these players were just the midfielders available to Spain. We didn’t look at the options they had in both attack and defense.
One cannot fully analyze La Furia Roja without laying emphasis on the tiki-taka style of football.
Tiki-taka, a possession-based football style, originated in the 1990s at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, influenced by Dutch coach Johan Cruyff’s Total Football philosophy. The approach emphasizes short passing, movement, and maintaining possession to control the game.
Pep Guardiola, a La Masia product, refined tiki-taka as Barcelona’s coach, leading the team to unprecedented success during his reign, including two Champions League titles and three La Liga crowns. Simultaneously, the Spanish national team, comprising many Barcelona players, adopted tiki-taka, dominating the era with their attractive, possession-based football.
Tiki-taka’s emphasis on teamwork, creativity, and technical skill enabled both Barcelona and the Spanish National Team to achieve historic triumphs, redefining the beautiful game.
Some of the records set and trophies won by Vincente del Bosque’s side while fully embracing the tiki-taka philosophy are:
Records:
- Most consecutive wins in competitive matches: 17 (2008-2009)
- Most consecutive matches without a loss: 35 (2007-2009)
- Most passes completed in a World Cup final: 573 (2010)
- Highest possession percentage in a World Cup final: 63% (2010)
- Most goals scored in a single European Championship: 12 (2012)
- Fewest goals conceded in a single European Championship: 1 (2012)
Trophies:
- Euro 2008 (Champions)
- 2010 FIFA World Cup (Champions)
- Euro 2012 (Champions)
As the saying goes, all good things must eventually come to an end.
The Spanish National Team’s decline probably started after they were completely humbled in the 2013 Confederation Cup final. They lost 3-0 to Neymar-led Brazil. Many, if not all, didn’t imagine it possible to completely dominate the 2010 World Cup winners the way Brazil did.
If Spain’s performance in the 2013 Confederations Cup final was bad, their campaign at the 2014 World Cup was a complete nightmare.
In their first game, the Spanish National Team was completely annihilated by their opponents in the 2010 World Cup final, i.e. the Netherlands. They lost 5-1 on that day. In the second and third matches respectively, they lost 2-0 to Chile but defeated Australia 3-0.
Vincente del Bosque’s side failed to make it past the group stage of this tournament. This was very disappointing because they were the defending champions.
This incident, especially the humiliating loss to the Netherlands, brought the curtain down on the era of La Furia Roja. They were simply La Roja now.
What led to their demise is the same thing that actually propelled them to greatness and that is their tiki-taka style of play.
The tiki-taka style, once the hallmark of Spain’s success between 2008 and 2012, ultimately was a double-edged sword. As opponents grew wise to their possession-based approach, they began to park the bus, clog the midfield, and exploit Spain’s lack of pace and directness.
The once-dominant La Roja struggled to adapt, relying too heavily on their dwindling core of Xavi, Iniesta, and David Silva. The team’s inability to evolve and incorporate new talents led to a decline in creativity, goal-scoring, and overall effectiveness.
The 2014 World Cup debacle, where they exited in the group stage, marked the beginning of the end of the tiki-taka era, as Spain’s rigid adherence to a once-revolutionary style ultimately led to their downfall.
Post 2014, Spain was no longer an elite football team in Europe, or on the world stage for that matter. Eden Hazard’s Belgium, Kylian Mbappe’s France, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal usurped them.
A testament to this is the fact that in the 2016 Euros, 2018 World Cup, 2020 Euros, and 2022 World Cup tournaments, La Roja failed to make it past the round-of-16 stage in 3 out of these 4 tournaments. In the 2020 Euros, they actually reached the semi-finals but lost to eventual winners Italy via a penalty shoot-out.
It was sort of a general consensus that La Roja was now an average team after they lost to Morocco in the round-of-16 stage at the 2022 World Cup, a country which was significantly ranked lower than they were at that time.
However, the following year, the football deities were going to smile at the 2010 World Cup winners.
On June 18, 2023, Spain faced off against Croatia in the Nations League final. Luka Modric’s side were considered strong favourites. After 120 minutes of playing, the game was scoreless and went to penalties.
The odds of Croatia winning increased given their stellar record at penalty shoot-outs in recent years. As fate would have it, Spain won the shoot-out, and their Unai Simon, their goalkeeper was the hero of the day.
It was their first major trophy in 11 years.
This victory must have really inspired the Spanish players because their run of form leading up to the 2024 Euros tournament has been nothing short of impressive. Just before the Euros kicked off, Luis de la Fuente’s side won 12 of their last 14 matches, including a resounding 4-1 victory over Germany.
Spain’s run of form in this Euro tournament has been nothing short of stellar. The 2008 and 2012 Euros winners won all their 3 games in the group stage (they were the only country to do so) and didn’t concede a goal during that period.
They defeated Georgia, hosts Germany, and France 4-1, 2-1, and 2-1 respectively to reach the final where they will face off against Gareth Southgate’s England. The Three Lions reached the final after defeating the Netherlands 2-1 under very controversial circumstances.
Many expect Spain to defeat England in the final. Taking into consideration the latter’s run of form leading up to the final, you would be a very brave person to bet on England defeating Spain.
Plus, considering the contentious decisions made in their victory over the Netherlands, many feel they don’t deserve to be in the final and it would be justice served if La Roja defeats them.
Spain has been on a very impressive run of form since winning the Nations League and at this point, it is no surprise that some are now comparing them to La Furia Roja, the Spanish side of 2008-2012.
While both the current Spanish national team and the dominant 2008-2012 squad rely on possession-based play, they differ in key aspects. The 2008-2012 team boasted a legendary midfield of Xavi, Iniesta, and Alonso, dictating games with their unmatched passing and control.
This “golden generation” lacked a powerful striker but compensated with their overall brilliance. The current team, while strong in midfield with Pedri and Olmo, utilizes a more balanced approach with a focus on a resolute defense led by Unai Simón. They’ve reintroduced elements of pace and a target striker, aiming to be less predictable than their predecessors.
Both teams are contenders, but the 2008-2012 squad remains unmatched in terms of individual midfield talent.
Can This Current Spanish Squad Replicate The Feats Of Their 2008 – 2012 Predecessors?
The jury is still out on whether this current Spanish squad can replicate the all-conquering dominance of their 2008-2012 predecessors.
While they’ve displayed flashes of brilliance, a return to the unparalleled tiki-taka mastery and record-breaking trophy haul remains elusive. Their impressive run to the Euro 2024 final and a revitalized style suggest they’re serious contenders, but surpassing the legendary feats of Xavi, Iniesta, and company will require sustained excellence and perhaps a touch of the magic that defined that golden era.
This article was updated 1 week ago
