As Spain Look Ahead, Vicente Del Bosque's Legacy Will Grow Stronger with Time

The headline from Marca was neither aggressive nor sensationalist, even though they often are. Instead, there was a feeling of acceptance to it, which will grow more widespread with time. "We are no longer the best," it conceded, the line accompanied by text that read, "It was beautiful while it lasted."

It was, and that's the point. Even if it's hard to see now.

When downfalls arrive, we're always left with the destruction at the forefront of our minds. It's the pain of the end that grips us, obscuring so much of what went before.

And so here we are: Spain's empire has been toppled, their dynasty given a definitive end date, and that pain is wielding its effect.

"Failure," shouted Sport in the wake of La Roja's 2-0 defeat to Italy at Euro 2016 on Monday. Mundo Deportivo (h/t Guillermo Arango) went with a play on words and dubbed the national team "La Floja" ("The Weak"). At Marca, 93 per cent of respondents to a poll wanted manager Vicente del Bosque to depart, the basis for which is understandable even if the nature of the reaction isn't entirely fair.

Against Italy, Spain were outplayed, outworked, outcoached and outthought. In the face of relentless and savvy opponents, they looked slow and flat, stale and out of ideas. It wasn't just that they lost but how, the destruction of the end all-powerful over those who watched.

The consensus is that Spain need something new and more dynamic. That they've been found out. That flaws haven't been addressed. That Del Bosque has led them away from the summit.

"Maybe it is best to let in some fresh air," the manager conceded to the media on Tuesday.

It probably is time—almost certainly in fact. But while Del Bosque's critics are both strong in number and loud in voice now, some of their attacks savage, his legacy will grow stronger with time even if it seems tarnished now. And Spain's future looks just fine.

It should be remembered that sporting figures rarely go out on top.

Del Bosque is no different here, and as he departs—an official decision hasn't yet been made, but it will come—he does so on the back of two tournament capitulations in which Spain haven't been able to overcome common themes: back threes, wing-backs, pressing, twin forwards, their own lack of dynamism in midfield.

Combined with the 2014 FIFA World Cup, then, Euro 2016 puts a mark on Del Bosque's Spain tenure, and he'll probably concede there have been mistakes.

In France, his substitutions represented one. Picking the same XI in four straight games and failing to make adjustments for the Italians' unique system stand as others.

Many will also debate squad selections, supposed loyalties, perceived stubbornness and tactical limitations. There is validity to some points in those discussions, but something more basic continues to be overlooked: Winning is hard. Really hard.

Few ever stay at the top as long as Spain did, and even touching the game's peak briefly is dependent on so much: circumstances, tiny details, fine margins, luck, physical condition, accumulated fatigue, injuries, refereeing decisions, the trajectory of a squad and so many other things.

If David de Gea saved Ivan Perisic's late shot against Croatia, we might not be having this discussion. Ditto if Gianluigi Buffon didn't save Gerard Pique's late attempt against Italy. But success creates an expectation for further success and not simply a desire for it.

Since their triumph in South Africa in 2010, Del Bosque's Spain have almost carried an obligation to win to their observers, the mood around their Euro 2012 campaign a prime example.

It's ridiculous, but it's continued since. Any other team and any other manager would be spared stinging criticism if they'd slipped while losing Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Villa, Carles Puyol and the peak versions of Fernando Torres and Iker Casillas, but not Spain and not Del Bosque.

Unrelenting success for four years changed what success looks like.

FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images

Indeed, the feeling of recent decline for La Roja under Del Bosque only feels so striking because of how high they had to fall from, and it was inevitable that they would.

The reality for Spain is that key faces have gotten older, all-time greats have moved on and a tactical shift across Europe has blunted their once-indomitable method—a shift they created through their dominance.

Football is cyclical, and this is what it does. When it does it, it triggers rage and frustration for those affected, passion leading to demands for change and fingers that angrily point. But with time it passes, and for Del Bosque that means the current storm around him will subside and his legacy will grow stronger.

As the acceptance spreads, things like substitutions, squad selections and game-to-game tactical decisions will be forgotten. In football, people only remember titles and sensations, and Del Bosque delivered them.

Carrying on from the colossally important Luis Aragones, the man from Salamanca quietly steered Spain to where no international side had ever gone. While doing so, his team played with unmatched and moving grace. Reflecting him, his players were humble. United. Likeable. And above all, historically successful.

To his critics, of course—and this writer has at times been one—he's simply a beneficiary of Aragones' work and a staggering depth of talent, but such a stance ignores key points: Del Bosque's subtle ability to keep appealing to his players as competitors, to keep the fire alive, to empower them as leaders and decision-makers.

Man management has always been his strength, and it's why Spain triumphed at Euro 2012 despite entering that tournament gripped by the Barcelona-Real Madrid war that had been ignited during Jose Mourinho's time in Spain and divided his squad.

By the end of that tournament, he had his crowning moment when La Roja dismantled Italy in the final with the most La Roja performance imaginable.

VI-Images/Getty Images

It should also be remembered that Spain's boss hasn't blindly stuck with the same faces more recently, as is often portrayed.

At Euro 2016, the former Real Madrid manager opted for De Gea over Casillas. He kept faith with Alvaro Morata. He turned to the late-blooming Nolito. He replaced the injured Dani Carvajal in the squad with Hector Bellerin. First off the bench was Aritz Aduriz.

In doing so, he resisted the temptation to return to the idea of Torres despite his late-season surge at Atletico Madrid, moved away from the Diego Costa experiment he'd invested heavily in, made the emotionally difficult decision to drop Casillas and benched his old favourite Pedro.

It didn't work, but that happens.

Del Bosque can also depart knowing he's given international debuts to 68 Spanish players across his time in charge and will hand over a national setup which Italy manager Antonio Conte enviously insisted is "in rude health."

And it is.

Spain's dynasty is over, but the next wave of talent is deep: Morata, De Gea, Thiago Alcantara, Javi Martinez, Koke, Isco, Saul Niguez, Paco Alcacer, Bellerin, Lucas Vazquez, Sergi Roberto, Marco Asensio, Borja Mayoral, Jese, Inaki Williams and Denis Suarez, just to name some.

Spain will be just fine, but more importantly they've been mesmerising, uplifting and joyful. Sometimes, even in defeat, you simply need to stop thinking about football like you're a film critic and feel it, revel in it.

This time, Del Bosque and his team have lost, but what they've given us we'll never lose.

With time, that will stand out even more than it does now. With time, Del Bosque's legacy will grow stronger.

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