Spain's Loss to Slovakia Indicative of Del Bosque's Stylistic Tug-of-War

When it comes to Spain, it didn't used to be this way.

Well, it did, just not in recent history.

Ever since Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol, respective spokesmen of Real Madrid and Barcelona, repaired the working relationship between the two distinct contingents in the Spanish dressing room, La Furia Roja have represented a free-flowing footballing force.

Three major international titles in a row hoisted manager Vicente del Bosque—in addition to his predecessor Luis Aragones—onto a pedestal few will ever reach, but fast-forward to 2014 and he's offering his resignation, per the Daily Mail, so as not to be a "hindrance."

Euro 2008 was the first barrier, won in effective, positive fashion. It was no coincidence that once every player began singing from the same hymn sheet, Spain became an ominous, unstoppable force.

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

The FIFA World Cup 2010 followed in South Africa, with elements of both Real Madrid's grit and Barcelona's passing style. Again the styles were married; the players pulled together in a common direction.

It's arguable Euro 2012 was their easiest triumph, and despite drawing with Italy in the group stage opener, they smashed them later in the final 4-0. Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and more shone in unison that day.

The fall of Barcelona as a footballing juggernaut has coincided with Spain's reciprocation. If you ever wondered which of the two La Liga giants' identities "ran" the national side, look no further than this clear trend.

Now, Del Bosque is wondering which direction to head in as he's torn between three separate approaches: Continue the tiki-taka way, a la Barca, get behind the vertical Cesc Fabregas-Diego Costa connection, a la Chelsea, or adopt the gritty determination on show at the Vicente Calderon, a la Atletico Madrid.

Competition	No. Barca Players	No. of Real players	No. of Others
Euro 2012 final	6	4	1 (Silva)
Euro 2016 qualifier	4	1	6

The common identity of this Roja team—the identity we've lauded for years and years as they wiped the floor with everyone—has disappeared. The starting XI at Euro 2012 included just one non-Barca/Real player (David Silva); the starting XI that has just lost to Slovakia included five.

Del Bosque mixed Iniesta, Silva and the reserved play of Busquets with Juanfran's hard-nosed style and Fabregas' directness. The latter left Barca branded an outcast to the house style this summer, and the tactical "fit" has only lessened since he began lighting up the Premier League once again.

The worst part is that Del Bosque incorporates all three styles and forces them into a traditional pass-first template. While it saw plenty of variety in attacks and a total of 20 shots, per WhoScored.com, it also lacked fluency and consistency; the players aren't sure of each other.

There are players with a Spanish nationality that fit VDB's preferred system far better than the current ensemble, but they're worse overall in quality. A choice will soon need to be made: skill or tactical pliability?

"

Spain side far too lethargic. A complete lack of energy when in the final third. Nobody matching Koke in midfield.

— Chris (@MoarFootball) October 9, 2014"

When you've got Koke, Cesc and Costa on the same wavelength, but Iniesta, Alcacer and Alba on a completely different one, how are you supposed to achieve success? It took La Furia Roja around five years to meld two styles together—think how long it'll take to uniform three!

Ultimately, Spain are in the midst of a rebuilding process and it's going rather poorly. The opportunity is here for the nation to embrace a more direct style and introduce the likes of Rodrigo and Koke in a big way, but Del Bosque stays blindly loyal to the old guard.

While there's a three-way stylistic tug-of-war playing out, La Furia Roja are no longer a force. Slovakia didn't win on Thursday—Spain beat themselves.

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