Sao Paulo: A full stop can be put to debates about the greatest team of all time if Spain go on to defend their crown in Brazil. By lifting the trophy here on July 13, the holders of three major international titles will set a record that may never be broken. Do Spain have the wherewithal to render eulogies on Vittorio
Pozzo’s Italian class in the 30s and Pele’s Brazil team in 1970 outdated?
At the moment, doubters outnumber believers. Rightly so. Many believe that tiki-taka has outlived its utility. The short passing style that defines Barcelona and Spain is facing heat as being one dimensional.
Critics were quick to point out that Pep Guardiola’s insistence on tiki-taka paved the way for Bayern Munich’s surrender to Real Madrid in the Champions League last season. Transforming the dynamic style of Bayern into Barca’s possession football all of a sudden didn’t pay Pep the rewards he would have expected.
It’s no coincidence that Barca ended the season empty handed. Coach Gerardo Martino was made a sacrificial lamb, but no one in Camp Nou deemed it fit to review the Catalan club’s signature style.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque and his players have reaffirmed their faith in tiki-taka. They seem to believe in the dictum “If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?”
Doubts raised after Spain’s lacklustre start in Euro 2012 were quickly dispelled following a majestic performance in the final against Italy. Logic suggests that Spain have their task cut out to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to do an encore on the grandest stage in football. But the sport would be math if it conformed to a pattern.
The major worry for Del Bosque could be the waning powers of Xavi who is the heartbeat of his team. The master of metronomic passing isn’t the player he was in 2010. Andres Iniesta, his comrade-in-arm, is also showing signs of decline.
Overall, Del Bosque’s side looks jaded. The views of a group of Chilean fans here were illuminating. They feel that Spain are there for the taking. “It’s our time to show Spain who we are. Chile will finish first in Group B,” one of them said.
