Spain (National Football)

Former FC Porto manager Julen Lopetegui was named as Spain's new manager on Thursday.

The 49-year-old's appointment was confirmed by the national team via Twitter (h/t football writer Andrew Gaffney):

Lopetegui managed La Roja from under-19 to under-21 level between 2010 and 2014 prior to taking the job at Porto.

He succeeds Vicente del Bosque after the 65-year-old resigned from the role following Spain's round-of-16 exit at the hands of Italy at UEFA Euro 2016.

With the under-19s, Lopetegui guided Spain to the 2012 European Championship title, and a year later, he did the same with the under-21s.

His Porto side finished second in the Primeira Liga and just three points behind Benfica in his first season in charge, and he oversaw UEFA Champions League victories over Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

However, he was relieved of his duties in January this year after a three-match winless run despite losing just one league game in 2015/16—the Dragons suffered six more defeats over the remainder of the season after he left.

BeIN Sports' David Cartlidge and football journalist Chris Moar believe he is the right choice to take Spain forward:

Lopetegui knows this young generation. Won multiple trophies with the likes of Isco/Thiago/Koke etc. No manager better than him for this.

— Chris (@MoarFootball) July 21, 2016

Have wanted Lopetegui in that managerial seat since 2014. Give him time & this young generation that VdB failed will thrive.

— Chris (@MoarFootball) July 21, 2016

Meanwhile, football writer Miguel Delaney and Tom Collomosse of the Evening Standard believed his appointment to be a sign of decline in the quality of managers in international football:

BeIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri suggested that with the appointment, Spain—and several other traditionally strong nations—perhaps lack experience compared with the likes of France and Germany:

Del Bosque received plenty of criticism after Spain's dreadful performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup—where they failed to escape their group and lost 5-1 to the Netherlands—and their failure to progress deep into the European Championship this summer

Nevertheless, Lopetegui still has a tough act to follow—his predecessor oversaw Spain's triumphs at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

What will help is his experience of working and succeeding with a number of the squad's players throughout their formative years.

La Roja have a huge talent pool virtually any other country would be envious of—Del Bosque could probably have named two full squads for Euro 2016 if he had to—and Lopetegui should be able to get the best out of them.

The Spaniard's first task will be to ensure qualification for the 2018 World Cup, starting with La Roja's match against Liechtenstein on 5 September and a difficult trip to Italy a month later.

This wasn't a Roy Hodgson-style exit, but ultimately the same result was coming, and right there he knew: It was time. "I have more or less decided," Vicente del Bosque said succinctly.

Spain had just been defeated by Italy in Paris on Monday at Euro 2016, and the post-match press conference hadn't taken long to get to the subject of the manager's future, Spain's future. There, Del Bosque expressed his belief that this wasn't the end of an era despite the widespread conclusion of such and his clear hint that he was on his way.

"We have a lot of good players coming through," he insisted with a glance ahead, and on that he was correct.

But through humility he was wrong elsewhere: This was the end of an era, because he's largely representative of one and now he was departing. 

The following day Del Bosque returned home, and by Thursday he'd confirmed what most already knew or at least suspected.  "I have no intention of continuing as national coach," he told Radio Nacional de Espana (h/t AS). "However the European Championships went, I had no doubts about my future." 

So there it was: After eight years, 114 games, 87 wins and two historic titles, the end had arrived, the most successful manager in Spain's history gone.

To that, a successor is now required.

And the task is not a straightforward one. 

For Spain's next boss, following Del Bosque will present numerous challenges. Succeeding greats always does—and Del Bosque is a great, one whose legacy should go grow stronger with time even if certain portions of the frustration towards him now are valid—but this is a case involving more than that. 

The timing is delicate here, too. 

As La Roja exited Euro 2016, the need for evolution was the overriding feeling. For two tournaments running now, the Spanish have seen their once-indomitable method unraveled by savvy and well-prepared opponents—opponents who have created doubts and questions without obvious answers. 

"I think we have to undertake a big reflection, in terms of style and level," Gerard Pique said. "We don't have the level that we had a couple of years ago. We are a team that can win matches because of our name and our past, but we are not the best team."

It was striking when he added: "We are not in a position to win tournaments right now."

The next major tournament that looms is the 2018 FIFA World Cup. To contend for it, Spain will need reinvigorating through a moderate overhaul, one addressing both personnel and approach. The requirement is for something faster and more athletic. Something more versatile. Something more robust. 

Essentially, the task for Del Bosque's successor is to harness the existing strengths of Spain and add another dimension. It's an easy assessment to make, yes. 

But to execute?

This is a complex matter for La Roja. The alteration of a team's identity involves a journey and not the flicking of a switch, and this is the international level where money and transfer markets can't solve issues.  

Right now, Spain have a core of a certain profile: Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas dictate the style. Coming through behind them, the talent line is immense, but as a collective, stylistic similarities remain: Thiago Alcantara, Isco, Saul Niguez, Sergi Roberto, Koke, Marco Asensio and Denis Suarez form a prominent collection from the next crop.  

Contrasting skill sets exist, of course; the likes of Alvaro Morata, Diego Costa, Paco Alcacer, Javi Martinez, Hector Bellerin and Lucas Vazquez strike as men capable of influencing a new-look side. But the key thing to recognise is that Spain's 2008-12 dominance has shaped its talent and the production of it.

Look through the emerging wave, and you'll find an abundance of exquisite technique, intelligence and vision. But amid a desire to evolve into something more dynamic, La Roja can't simply plug in some midfield destroyers and storming wingers to respond to the game's tactical tide that has moved away from them. Those players don't exist, and that's not Spain. 

Instead, Spain's move to something new will have to be more subtle. The characteristic strengths will need embracing rather than shunning, but answers must be found to the physicality, intensity, pressing and counter-attacking of opponents who are no longer in awe. Suddenly, Spain are being outthought and outmuscled. 

That's significant. When Pique spoke of the necessity for a "big reflection," he couldn't have emphasised the big enough. Depth in thought is required, but who will be doing it?

One should never really compare Spain with England, but at present the Spanish are facing a similar issue to their English counterparts in the search for a new manager.

If the list of potential England candidates makes for grim reading, Spain's is hardly better. AS stated that Joaquin Caparros is the front-runner to replace Del Bosque and has been for some time, while Paco Jemez is considered an alternative. Marca had also indicated Julen Lopetegui was an option, but he's now headed for Wolverhampton Wanderers. 

For Spain, who have insisted on the next boss being Spanish, the problem is not a shortage of elite options but rather availability. Pep Guardiola is at Manchester City. Luis Enrique is tied up at Barcelona. Marcelino is excelling with Villarreal. Unai Emery has joined Paris Saint-Germain. Ernesto Valverde is unlikely to leave Athletic Bilbao. Javi Gracia has been lured to Russia. 

It's left them with Caparros and Jemez. The former is known for his intensity and foundation-setting work with Sevilla and Athletic, but the second of those stints ended five years ago, and his overall record in La Liga isn't flattering. Picturing Caparros, whose method is defence-first, guiding La Roja stirs visions of stylistic loggerheads, too. 

Then there's Jemez, the fiery renegade whose kamikaze Rayo Vallecano delighted and infuriated in equal measure, led by a boss who knows only one way. "On the day they were handing out brains, I ended up with a small one, but when they handed out balls, I got the biggest," he said before his side's trip to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid in December. 

Once there, Rayo conceded 10.  

And so here Spain are: Their supremacy had slowly departed, and now Del Bosque has too. An era has ended, and rebuilding to an extent is necessary. Spain need something new, something fresh. But precisely how that will be achieved isn't yet clear, and nor is whether Del Bosque's successor will possess the acumen for it. 

A tricky task awaits. 

Vicente del Bosque said on June 30 he would step down as Spain manager after their exit from UEFA Euro 2016. Spain confirmed his departure on Monday:

Speaking to RNE (h/t Sport), the 65-year-old announced on June 30 he was set to walk away when his deal expired in July, and the decision had nothing to do with "how the European Championships turned out." Per BBC Sport, he previously said the same thing in 2015.

Del Bosque succeeded Luis Aragones as La Roja manager following their victory at Euro 2008, and he subsequently guided them to back-to-back victories at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012.

However, a disastrous 2014 World Cup saw the holders humiliated 5-1 by the Netherlands and dumped out in the group stage. As football journalist Richard Martin noted, Del Bosque offered to step down as Spain manager at the time:

They then exited this year's European Championship in the round of 16, after their failure to win Group D set up a tie with Italy in the tougher half of the draw.

While Spain possess an almost unrivalled talent pool, their lack of penetration has been a real problem, and they've failed to strike a balance between dominating possession and getting the best out of their centre-forwards.

Football journalists David Cartlidge and Andrew Gaffney were particularly critical of Del Bosque and his failure to develop the side beyond the foundation Aragones laid:

The former Real Madrid manager's recent record also left a lot to be desired, as revealed by statistician Pedro Martin (h/t ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan):

However, as Corrigan further noted, there is a dearth of obvious successors to Del Bosque:

That is a problem the Spanish FA will need to sort out quickly—their next manager must look to rebuilding the side ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and qualification for the tournament begins in September.

Fittingly, La Roja's second game in qualifying will be a trip to Italy in October. Whoever replaces Del Bosque won't have had long to work with the players prior to that match, but it will provide a useful barometer for where the team is at.

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.

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.

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.

Follow @TimDCollins

It ended the way all dynasties do: messy.

The clock had just ticked into added time when Emanuele Giaccherini broke with the ball directly from a Spain corner. Joined by Lorenzo Insigne, the Italy midfielder surged beyond halfway, seemingly headed for the corner flag, where dreams of late comebacks so often die. But suddenly, he had team-mates flying forward across the pitch, and the Spain defence wasn't really a defence at all: Juanfran, Pedro, Jordi Alba and Andres Iniesta.  

So instead of heading for the corner, Insigne flashed the ball across the field to Matteo Darmian, who fed Graziano Pelle. From close range, he smashed it home. Together, they'd smashed through the defending champions with a wrecking ball, Spain's defence left in as many pieces as their dynasty—all because of Italy.

It had to be Italy.  

Eight long years ago, this great Spanish era started with the Italians, and now it has ended with them, too. Spain had loathed the Azzurri for years, but more than anything, they'd feared them; feared them for their strength in identity, for their savvy, for their cunning and for their tournament know-how.

To scale the dizzying heights of their historic dynasty, Spain for a time conquered those fears, but here at the Stade de France, they all came rushing back, with La Roja savagely reminded what those fears look like, eight years on. 

From Italy, this was vintage. Right from the opening whistle, their dominance over Vicente del Bosque's men was extreme. A tactical advantage was evident all over the pitch, but it was as if they owned a psychological one, too: They were stronger, faster and more intense; full of clarity and purpose, they left Spain looking lost, tired and broken.

At the back, Antonio Conte's three central defenders confounded the Spanish as many quietly suspected they might. The wing-backs created overloads everywhere. Their pressing was immaculate. They forced David De Gea into stunning saves and long punts. Pelle was immense up front.

Amid the onslaught, Spain and Del Bosque didn't have a single answer. When that happens, it's confirmation of the end.  

During the build-up to this round-of-16 clash at Euro 2016, the intensity of this rivalry had been mused over relentlessly, but throughout, a central perception remained: Italy aren't the same. Theirs was a squad viewed as limited and vastly inferior, and yet because of that, there was a sense of something brewing. 

"I don't want to go home, the lads don't want to go home," Conte said at the pre-match press conference. "We're not going to be sacrificial lambs—it is up to Spain to prove they are better than us."

From Conte and Italy, there was a feeling of steely defiance. Concurrently, Del Bosque spoke of his Spain sticking to what they knew and focussing on themselves. 

In hindsight, it said it all: Spain weren't ready for Italy, not like this. Mundo Deportivo had dubbed this clash as "talent vs. catenaccio," but Spain didn't get a cynical, defensive Italy. They got a brilliant one. A clever one. A ruthless, ready-to-erupt, dynasty-shattering one.  

It turns out Gerard Pique had it right last week when he said: "Italy are always Italy, and that worries me." Not only him, though: Italy now worry a whole nation once more—a nation that has reached the end. For now. 

As Spain pack up and prepare to depart France, they do so having been stripped of the second of two crowns they had so famously held at once. Two years ago in Brazil, some saw their implosion at the FIFA World Cup as La Roja reaching the end, but it wasn't quite. The Spanish still had an astonishing depth of talent and key faces; more crucially, they still had their European title. 

Now, they don't. 

And it had to be Italy. 

It was Spain's penalty-shootout win over Italy in Vienna in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 where all this began. That night, on June 22, La Roja faced the Azzurri 88 years after their last competitive victory over them, and while there had been a sense of something building, Spain needed to bust through a major barrier first. 

Until then, Italy had consumed Spain. The Spanish loathed their tactics and hated their dark arts. They resented them for their success and their hold over them. The wounds were deep and the memories painfully vivid, the image of Luis Enrique's blood-soaked shirt at the 1994 World Cup always right there. 

For Spain, Italy represented a curse, a hex, a ghost or a demon that needed to be exorcised. And then, suddenly, it was. 

"The moment was penalties against Italy," Iker Casillas later recalled, per AS (h/t Football Espana). "Many of us are convinced that day changed everything. ... We knew we were going to win the Euros."

They did win the Euros, of course. And then they won a World Cup and another Euros, too. Beating Italy, finally, was the release, and what followed was historic, the manner of it graceful and uplifting. But Spain have now come full circle: Thanks to Italy, it's over.

On Monday at the Stade de France, Del Bosque's men showed that the magic has gone and they're just another team now. The system they've sparkled with for so long ground to a halt and faltered. Italy swamped them, battered them and almost humiliated them if not for De Gea.

Spain were slow and directionless, out-coached and outthought. At the back, they were rocking from the opening whistle; in midfield, Sergio Busquets was cut out of the game and Iniesta was left alone; up front, there was no visible plan for dealing with Italy and their plan. 

For now, Spain are done.

But they will come again. 

Though it will be difficult for the Spanish to see immediately amid the despair, theirs is a foundation set up for a quick recovery. The domestic league, La Liga, is the world's strongest by a distance. Their coaching pathway is a cut above. Their production line of talent remains colossal.

Just consider the names who have barely been able to get into this team: Thiago Alcantara, Koke, Hector Bellerin, Cesar Azpilicueta, Lucas Vazquez and Bruno Soriano have sat on the fringes at this tournament; Diego Costa, Fernando Torres, Santi Cazorla, Isco, Saul Niguez, Gabi, Juan Mata and Paco Alcacer couldn't even make the squad. 

There are others, too—fresh faces like Sergi Roberto and Marco Asensio, who'll come through like so many others from the country's dominant youth setup. 

Spain will be fine, but the national team needs reinvigorating. 

In charge, Del Bosque has reached the end much like this dynasty, and he must step aside for a coach with more dynamism and more intensity, a coach who'll infuse La Roja with an energy and a renewed tactical focus to accompany their technical brilliance. Under Del Bosque, Spain have grown predictable and somewhat stale, because evolution was never stressed and old comforts continued to be relied upon. 

It all just feels tired and worn out. To say tiki-taka or possession football is dead is overly simplistic, but Spain's method does require tinkering to make them more explosive, more lethal and more fearsome. Because for now, they've been found out, definitively. 

"We are no longer the best," read the cover of Marca on Tuesday morning. It's right; they're not. 

Spain's dynasty is over. 

And it had to be Italy.

Follow @TimDCollins

They were 13 seconds that changed everything. For Spain. For Italy. For Germany. For France.

For everyone. 

At one end inside the Stade de Bordeaux, Aritz Aduriz had been played in by Sergio Busquets. There it was: the chance not only to settle this but to seize a colossal opportunity. But Aduriz's shot was blocked, and the Croatian sequence that immediately followed went pass, dribble, pass, shoot, goal. 

It was lethal and it was seismic. At 1-1, Spain, then-considered the tournament's outstanding team, had been staring at the capture of Euro 2016's Group D and a strikingly gentle run to the final. But at 2-1, everything was different: Croatia had stolen their path; the complexion of the draw had shifted entirely; Spain had given themselves a potential run of Italy, Germany and then France. 

That opportunity: blown.

And yet, in blowing it, Spain might have given themselves another. 

In the wake of that damaging defeat to Croatia, those inside the Spanish camp have spoken of recovery, correcting mistakes and of firm belief. Manager Vicente del Bosque admitted at his post-match press conference that "we are not on the path we wanted to be," but insisted the loss wasn't indicative of deeper issues: "It was just one slip of concentration at the end. I don't have any complaints about the players. We have time to analyse what the game against Italy means."

Juanfran conceded that a "small excess of confidence" had been the problem against Croatia, but looking ahead to the round-of-16 clash with the Italians, remarked: "Italy are probably also concerned because they have to face us."

Bruno Soriano said the same. 

If there's a certain defiance within La Roja, it goes against the mood that surrounds them.

As tournament losses tend to do, their defeat in the final group game raised doubts and gave rise to questions. Had Pedro's comments disturbed harmony and provided a distraction? Is David de Gea's form being affected by the storm that engulfed him prior to the tournament? Do Spain have the necessary resilience for this now-daunting run?

Such questions may strike as alarmist so soon after a sparkling display against Turkey had established Spain as Euro 2016 favourites. But a certain pessimism has lingered around La Roja for two years since the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and the opening victories over the Czech Republic and Turkey had kept it at bay rather than extinguished it.

One loss, then, has seen it all return, but that's where the opportunity lies: Spain can now channel that inner-defiance against it. This is a chance to do something special.

A daunting run could become a run for the ages.

On Monday in Paris, Del Bosque's men will kickstart that run against Italy, the country that holds such great significance for Spain. Eight years ago at Euro 2008, it was La Roja's penalty shootout victory over the Azzurri in the quarter-finals that was the birth of Spain's golden generation, liberating the country from past ghosts and supposed hexes, and propelling them to a historic international treble—one that was completed four years later at Euro 2012, when Spain romped to glory with a 4-0 victory in the final. 

Their opponents that night: Italy. 

So here we are again. Eight years on from the night that changed everything, the night that ended decades of Spanish pain against the Italians, La Roja are preparing to face them again. This time, Italy are far from fearsome, but once more there's a knowhow about them, and they're led by manager Antonio Conte, perhaps the standout boss at the tournament.

"Italy are always Italy, and that worries me," Gerard Pique told the media this week. 

As such, Monday's clash in Paris is the latest opportunity for the Spanish to parade style as superior to pragmatism. When they blitzed Italy four years ago in Kiev, that's precisely what they did, winning an ideological battle with an arch rival that they're eager to win once more. 

Doing so would re-establish a flicker of supremacy for La Roja, who would then likely tackle Germany in the quarter-finals, the country they defeated to lift the title in 2008. The country that entered the current tournament as world champions; the country blessed with a similar depth of talent.

This, of course, is not the path Spain wanted, but the more you think about it, the more you feel there's a shot at something historic to be had here. Beating Italy would carry weight. Ditto for Germany. Ditto for then possibly France. 

Hosting Euro 2016, the French are attempting to lighten up the tournament, while concurrently striving to act as a symbol of national unity amid turbulent times. A storming French run would capture imagination, but perhaps the only thing that could rival it would be a dazzling fiesta of quintessential Spain through the heavyweight side of the draw; the Spain that enchants and delights, that's uplifting and graceful, that's led on the pitch by the impossible-not-to-love Andres Iniesta.

This is the opportunity Spain now have, and you could argue Euro 2016 needs them to take it. 

This after all is a tournament that's been troubled right from the beginning. Organisational and security issues have been compounded by horrifying fan violence, exacerbating the feeling of a continent being gripped by tension. Then came Brexit. 

All of that has made for a toxic background picture that the largely pedestrian and uninspiring football of this tournament has failed to temporarily black out.

But maybe Spain on their own could do that. 

In missing an opportunity to top their group, La Roja have built their own mountain at Euro 2016. But that now means the heights they could hit are potentially greater, too. A possible run that includes clashes with Italy, Germany and France could be remembered as one for the ages if they were to go on and win it.  

Particularly if they were to do it while lighting up the tournament in a way only they can. If they were able to give this tournament the injection of footballing verve and celebration it craves. 

Spain might have missed one opportunity, but now they have another. 

Vicente del Bosque was prepared to admit it. It was late on Tuesday evening in Bordeaux, and after a shock loss to a weakened Croatia, his Spain outfit had just been sent to the daunting side of the Euro 2016 draw that would start with an undesirable round-of-16 clash with Italy on Monday. 

"We are not on the path we wanted to be, but we have to rise to the situation," said La Roja's frustrated and downbeat manager in his post-match press conference.

Translation: We didn't want Italy, not this early and not like this. 

For Spain, the thought of a blown opportunity will have gripped them in recent days, particularly given what they now face. They'd been staring at the most gentle of runs to the tournament's final, but 13 seconds changed everything—not just for them but for almost everyone, Italy included. 

Indeed, though Spain didn't want Italy, it's also true that Italy didn't want Spain. Topping one's group is normally rewarded with a more favourable opening clash in the knockout rounds, but for their efforts, Antonio Conte's men have been handed the defending champions. 

"Italy are probably also concerned because they have to face us," noted Juanfran at a pre-match press conference this week.

This looms as an intriguing clash, then. Spain remain capable of the breathtaking but don't carry the supremacy they once did; Italy are functional and well-drilled but not exactly imposing. In essence, it's a meeting between two giants who've slipped a little from their peaks, but Spain will be wary of the Italians' tournament knowhow. 

After all, few countries so regularly demonstrate an ability to grind through and navigate an event such as this. Under Conte, Italy are well set up despite their lack of star quality, and thus, this will be a gruelling tactical affair for Spain to get through. 

Here, we examine Italy's strengths and how Spain can combat them. 

Defend from the Front

It's no secret that Italy's primary strength is their defence that is led by the Juventus block of Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon. Yet what is often overlooked is how pivotal Italy's defensive line is to the team's building of attacking moves.

In Bonucci and Barzagli in particular, the Azzurri possess two of the game's finest distributors from the back—something that was evident time and time again in Italy's dismantling of a talented Belgium outfit in their Euro 2016 opener. 

With little pressure exerted on them from Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne in the Belgian attack, Bonucci and Barzagli consistently had the time and space to slice open their opponents' shape with precise passes through the lines. 

Particularly in the first half, Barzagli split the Belgians open with piercing balls into the feet of forwards Graziano Pelle and Eder. With the Belgium holding pairing of Radja Nainggolan and Axel Witsel rendered irrelevant, Italy were able to move swiftly through the thirds of the pitch with alarming ease:

In response, the concerned Belgium defence looked to push up to limit the space available for the Italians, which then allowed the excellent Bonucci to pick out Emanuele Giaccherini with a precise long ball over the top. 

This combined with Barzagli's work was a wonderful demonstration of how diverse and lethal Italy can be when playing out from the back. 

In Italy's games that followed, both Sweden and the Republic of Ireland did a better job of closing passing angles for the Azzurri centre-backs, but not Belgium. Due to their lack of pressure from the front, Marc Wilmots' men allowed Bonucci and Barzagli to conduct the play like deep-lying midfielders, which covered up Italy's lack of central creativity. 

This, of course, is an Italian side without both Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio, who are both missing through injury. What's left is an uninspiring midfield, but Belgium didn't expose that weakness because they allowed Italy to effectively bypass the midfield with direct balls from the defenders to the forwards. 

Thus, Spain's first task on Monday in Paris will be to defend from the front and press Italy's defensive line. Amid that, the likes of Bonucci and Barzagli do possess the technique and passing range to avoid trouble, but it's imperative that La Roja prevent Italy from piercing their shape from deep and force their opponents' limited midfield to build the team's attacks.  

Width, Width and More Width

Italy play a back three. When facing a back three, you must maintain width—something that can be a problem for Spain. 

In a technician-loaded 4-3-3 that features inward-drifting wingers in Nolito and David Silva, La Roja's shape tends to be quite narrow and asks full-backs Jordi Alba and Juanfran to almost exclusively provide the width. 

Against Italy, then, that pair—Alba in particular—will need to be at their finest, stretching the pitch as much as possible and engaging Conte's wing-backs to pull them wide.

In Spain's opener against the Czech Republic, both men were often too narrow, but by working the sidelines against Italy, they can give Del Bosque's men the chance to attack the spaces to the left and right of the three central defenders—the key areas to target when facing a defence organised in such a way:

Already in the tournament, Sweden and Ireland in a 4-4-2 and a 4-4-1-1, respectively, were able to more naturally maintain width against the Azzurri, but Belgium's often-narrow 4-2-3-1 played right into Italy's hands—at both ends of the pitch. 

In attack, the inclinations of Hazard and De Bruyne to cut inside meant Belgium often looked to play through the middle of Italy, which is exactly what Conte wants. The issue was exacerbated by the absence of genuine attacking full-backs to provide punch out wide, given that Wilmots is currently using four natural centre-backs across his defensive line. 

That also meant Italy had a decisive advantage along the flanks when attacking themselves. With Matteo Darmian and Antonio Candreva pulling Laurent Ciman and Jan Vertonghen wide, Italy were able to target the spaces left by a back-four that has limited pace and mobility: 

For Spain, that lack of dynamism in defence isn't an issue given the presence of Alba and Juanfran, but maintaining width going the other way will be imperative.

As a result, don't be surprised if Del Bosque turns to the sideline-hugging Lucas Vazquez in attack at some point on Monday if Italy are proving difficult to break down. 

Capitalise On Transitions 

Though it's all well and good to highlight the necessity of attacking the channels either side of a back three, against Italy, that's rarely possible if you don't capitalise on transitions.

When presented with slow buildups, the Italians' 3-5-2 seamlessly becomes a 5-3-2, with the wing-backs tucking in and the deepest midfielder, Daniele De Rossi, dropping back to form an almost impregnable, six-man defensive block. 

In such situations, attacking teams find themselves doing little but running into clusters of defenders, and therefore, it's critical for Spain to make the most of opportunities to run at Italy's defence at speed. 

At this tournament, it's no coincidence that the best chances Belgium, Sweden and Ireland saw against the Azzurri arrived in situations when the ball had been turned over in midfield, with Italy's wing-backs caught high up the pitch.

When that happened, the forwards of those respective teams were able to run at three back-tracking central defenders rather than at a well-set back five: 

For Spain, then, the key ingredient is the pace of their thinking and ball movement when winning possession from the Italians—something that sounds basic but doesn't always happen for La Roja. 

Against the Czech Republic, Del Bosque's men were regularly too slow in working the ball forward, with Cesc Fabregas particularly guilty of passing the ball sideways and backward with little intent. Against Turkey, Fabregas and his team-mates were considerably better in that respect and looked to pierce the lines with much greater urgency. 

That is what Spain will need against the Italians. With Alvaro Morata pressuring the defensive line and Alba and Juanfran providing width, La Roja's midfield contingent must look to move the ball with speed and in a direct manner in transitions, attacking the back three and exploiting the positioning of the wing-backs. 

If you allow Italy to get set in their shape, theirs is the best defence in the tournament and perhaps by a considerable distance. But if you can turn the ball over and run at them, it's a different story.

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Gerard Pique has hit back at claims that he stuck his middle finger up during Spain's national anthem ahead of their defeat to Croatia at Euro 2016 on Tuesday, and he branded the accusations "stupid."

He explained on Twitter that television cameras had caught him in the act of crossing his fingers rather than making an obscene gesture, as translated by Sport: "I’m crossing my fingers during the anthem. Stop looking for controversy where there is none and let’s try and win the European Championships together."

AS supplied still images of the footage that caused the controversy:

The Spain centre-back added that he did not disrespect the anthem and is proud to represent his country, per Sport: "I think it's a stupid controversy. If I’m here [with Spain] it’s because I feel proud of this team and this family. In no way did I disrespect the anthem, as I have never disrespected this country or this team. We all have to be together as one—these controversies don’t take us anywhere."

Barcelona's Pique, 29, netted late in Spain's Euros opener against Czech Republic to earn them a 1-0 win before Vicente del Bosque's side dominated Turkey in a 3-0 win and looked to be cruising for top spot in Group D.

However, after surrendering a 1-0 lead on Tuesday to lose 2-1 to Croatia, Spain were condemned to second place and must now face Italy in a tricky last-16 tie as they go in search of a third successive European title.

Pique has a mixed history playing for the Spanish national side after being booed on several occasions for reasons varying from his stance on Catalan independence to the fact he seemingly likes to wind up Real Madrid.

He has continued to be key to their prospects, though, and is clearly eager for the latest supposed controversy to be put to bed as Spain focus on getting past the Azzurri on Monday in Paris, France.

The net bulged and those behind it erupted in euphoria. In front of them, Spain's David De Gea sat on the turf in shock, his arm pointing despairingly at a team-mate, his head quickly dropping. 

On his back was No. 13, which seemed fitting: 13 seconds had just changed the entire tournament. 

At the other end to begin the sequence, Sergio Busquets had played in Aritz Aduriz on the edge of the Croatia penalty area. Immediately the Athletic Club Bilbao man had let go of a shot, but flying in from the left, Darijo Srna blocked it.

And then it happened. 

Marko Pjaca picked up the loose ball and flashed a direct pass to Nikola Kalinic. Driving at Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos, the striker then fed the outstanding Ivan Perisic, who took one touch before riffling his shot past De Gea.

There it was: the bulge, the goal. Croatia 2-1 Spain. Thirteen seconds had changed everything.

If the games and days that had preceded this one at Euro 2016 had felt a little flat and routine, this was anything but.

Group D had always looked significant in the context of the draw, and as Perisic lined up his shot the stakes were immense. Awaiting the winner was the most gentle run to the final; awaiting the loser was Italy, and then possibly Germany and France after that. 

Already, AS had called it the "route of the death," but given the way they'd looked coming in, Spain had seemed almost certain to avoid it. But no. Perisic and Croatia have pushed them down that path, and Spain helped them do it. 

As La Roja exited the pitch at the Stade de Bordeaux on Tuesday, a feeling of complacency was as striking as the knowledge of the ramifications this result had for the rest of the tournament.

Inside seven minutes, Vicente del Bosque's men had gone ahead after a crisp team move was finished off by Cesc Fabregas and Alvaro Morata, and at that moment it felt as though something of a non-event would unfold: Spain were five points clear at the top of the group; Croatia were without Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic; the game had that feel about it. But then Spain got sloppy. 

Minutes later, a stray pass from Ramos allowed the Croatians to break, with Kalinic drawing a save from De Gea. In the sequence that directly followed, the Manchester United No. 1 was slow to move the ball on after receiving it from Pique as Spain attempted to play out from the back, allowing Ivan Rakitic to win possession and chip the goalkeeper. His shot hit the crossbar and the post. 

On the surface, the rest of the half unfolded in a familiar manner, Spain dominating possession and their opponent waiting for them, but this was different to previous encounters. Del Bosque's players were casual and played as though they weren't mindful of the stakes, while Croatia attacked with venom and purpose. 

Their equaliser through Kalinic was deserved, and then the second half was similar. Uncharacteristically, Spain lacked control through the middle despite their possession, reflected by the fact Del Bosque removed Nolito for Bruno Soriano after an hour. 

But Croatia kept coming and Perisic's winner had been coming, too. Spain never quite looked like themselves. How? Why?

"I've no need to tell you that it's worrying to have lost this match," said Del Bosque at the post-match press conference. "We had the game in the palm of our hand."

They did, and that seemed part of the problem. 

For Spain, it was as though there wasn't enough pressure in the situation after they'd gone ahead. Whereas against the Czech Republic and Turkey there'd been an urgency to them, here there was a we've-got-this disposition that didn't fit the circumstances. 

Up front, Morata quickly faded out of the game after his opener. In midfield, Andres Iniesta lacked the spark he'd shown in previous outings, while at the back, the shakiness that defined La Roja's experience at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil returned. It didn't help that Ramos missed a penalty, either. 

Watching on, surprised rivals will have felt relieved that vulnerabilities remain for the tournament favourites, yet maybe those rivals shouldn't be all that surprised.

Throughout the last 12 months, a number of those comprising this Spanish squad have been part of teams that have shown a curious habit for switching on and off, their excellence often conditioned by the environment. For Iniesta, Pique, Busquets and Jordi Alba, the season just completed at Barcelona was one in which the Catalans' excellence arrived at pivotal junctures but often slipped when it appeared little was on the line. The trips to Levante, Las Palmas and Malaga were neat examples. 

At Real Madrid, Ramos endured a largely subpar season until his side's late surge to the Champions League crown. As he's often done, the club captain went to another level as the difficulty rose, but he required that stimulus first. 

Of those five aforementioned players, four are the leaders of this incarnation of La Roja, and on Tuesday it was as though that tendency to let up just fractionally was transported on to the international stage.

They'd shown it prior to the tournament in a remarkably similar shock loss to Georgia, and at a goal up against a weakened Croatia—with everything seemingly going their way, having already qualified—it returned once more. And the damage it caused was immense. 

"We shouldn't be allowing ourselves to suffer a lapse in concentration," added Del Bosque, despite his insistence that his team hadn't performed badly.

"It was a strange match," Ramos told the media, his message similar. "We dominated at the beginning, created chances, went ahead and then we let them back into it."

But Spain didn't only let Croatia back into it; they let the whole tournament back into it. At 1-0 up, the holders were staring at a gentle run to the Euro 2016 final, and right there many will have felt the tournament's finale was likely going to be a case of La Roja and one other. 

But now Spain have Italy. Get past them, and it's possibly Germany next. Progress, and it's perhaps France after that. 

On the other side of the draw, outsiders are suddenly daring to dream. For Spain: "To the dark side," said AS on its front page.