Every generation has a life span.
The mood at the Maracana after the holding champions were knocked out of the World Cup by a red hot Chile was like a funeral. An entire generation had died, it seemed.
Fans were in mourning.
But football systems don't die. Players come and go, and systems change. Evolve. Grow.
Spain will evolve too. Maybe once Vicente Del Bosque steps down.
The 63-year-old has stubbornly defended the Spanish style of play, and yet he has failed to see the warning signs. His blind insistence to stick with a particular set of players has accelerated Spain's fall. The inexplicable faith shown in the misfiring Diego Costa over the experienced David Villa or the 'false nine' Cesc Fabregas has left the champions' attack blunted. Costa had barely 20 touches, and looked as out of place as a bull fighter in an opera house.
The ageing Xavi, Xabi, Iniesta, and Casillas continue to form the core of a team with several younger players left on the bench. The ones who replaced them, just don't seem to be of the same quality. Maybe they need some time to find their own system.
The triumph of 2010 started in 2006. Spain qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup under Aragones, unbeaten. They sailed through the group stages winning all three games. In the second round however, France ended Spain's campaign.
Aragones build on the team over the next two seasons. In 2008 they won the Euro. And from there tiki-taka was born.
That team over the next 4 years dominated world football winning the world cup and then successfully defending its European title.
But the run is over.
Outplayed 7 to 1 over two games, Spain look a spent force.
The defining moment came at half time when Del Bosque turned to the future, replacing Xabi Alonso with Koke Resurreccion. There was none.
But that is exactly what Spain need. A resurrection. An injection of youth. A look towards the future, rather than living in the past.
This generation's time is over. It is time to find the next one.
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