{"id":1254170,"date":"2022-03-26T15:34:47","date_gmt":"2022-03-26T15:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1254170"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:52:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:52:41","slug":"spain-world-cup-2022-reconquer-world","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/spain-world-cup-2022-reconquer-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Spain brush off the pressure of 2012 to reconquer the world in Qatar?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost 10 years have passed since the last major conquest of Spain\u2019s golden generation which dominated international football. <\/strong><\/p>\n

In a span of four years, Spain lifted the most prestigious trophies they can play for, winning Euro 2008 (under Luis Aragones), the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012 (both under Vicente Del Bosque).<\/p>\n

This surpassed the European Championship and World Cup double Germany won between 1972-1974. The Germans almost accomplished the \u201cthree-peat\u201d but lost on penalties in the 1976 Euro final to Czechoslovakia where the “Panenka” penalty kick was born. France also did a double of World Cup ’98 and Euro 2000, but the tournament win streak ended there.<\/p>\n

This means that the legacy left by that Spanish generation is unique and unrivalled, yet it entailed more pressure for future generations.<\/p>\n

Since that last trophy in 2012, Spain\u2019s performances in major competitions have been quite forgettable, with the exception of the semi finals reached by Luis Enrique\u2019s men during Euro 2020 – very much against expectations.<\/p>\n\n

Their football in that competition was encouraging, especially after just missing out on the final despite dominating Italy and showing the world that Spain is on the rise once again.<\/p>\n

Now Lucho and the whole country are looking towards Qatar 2022 as a new opportunity to reconquer the world 10 years after their last masterstroke.<\/p>\n

What has changed since 2012?<\/h2>\n

It would be audacious to say that the current Spanish team is a reflection of the one from 2012, but there is no doubt it left its mark. Whether we talk about Lucho, Julen Lopetegui or Robert Moreno, they\u2019ve all brought in their own ideas while preserving the essence of the \u201ctiki-taka\u201d; a term that has as many admirers as detractors. The short passing, constant movement of the ball and maintaining possession has been ever-present for all the mentioned managers, as well as the non-negotiable 4-3-3 formation.<\/p>\n

While Vicente del Bosque had a hands-off style of management in which the players were the sole protagonists, Lucho is quite the opposite, always trying to reflect his personality on and off the pitch. If you think about the 2012 Spanish side it\u2019s likely players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta or David Silva come to mind, whereas if you picture the current team, Lucho is surely the first figure mentioned by many.<\/p>\n

This leads to one of the biggest differences between that squad and the current one. While Del Bosque almost always had a well-defined starting XI of world class superstars, with only some slight tweaks over the years, Lucho relies upon a long list of talented players with fewer stars involved: “I\u2019m very lucky because I have 50 players at my disposal,” he said.<\/p>\n

Current form is a very important factor for Lucho too, always open to experimenting with new players and not hesitating to drop a heavyweight such as Sergio Ramos or to start 17-year-old Gavi in the Nations League semi-finals on his official international debut. These types of drastic decisions have obviously earned him lots of criticism in Spain, but Lucho remains steadfast to his ideas.<\/p>\n

Tactically speaking, there are other aspects that distinguish today\u2019s Spain from the one that put four past Italy in the European Championship final in 2012.<\/p>\n

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