Who saw that coming? Spain kicked off their World Cup campaign in the most disappointing of fashions as they were downed by a hit and run show from Switzerland. Spain enjoyed a healthy 73% possession, yet a whole host of wasted chances and failed final passes allowed the Swiss to mount a couple of second-half counters that created the only goal of the match from Gelson Fernandes and almost saw their second as a splendid run and shot from Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok rebounded off the foot of the post. Where did it all go wrong? To be honest the Spanish experienced more than a fair share of misfortune. Several chances flying inches wide or, in the case of Xavi Alonsos thunderbolt, crashing against the crossbar. A couple of decisions from Howard Webb went against them, but by no means read anything into the press' post-match witchhunt against the English ref. A shameful attempt to gloss over Spains failings. And then you have that wily old fox, Ottmar Hitzfeld. The ex-Bayern managers tactics were spot on. Round up Xavi Hernandez and you take away Spains heartbeat. Run and defend as if your life depends on it, soak up some intense pressure and hit your opponent on the break and you've always got a chance. The Swiss deserve huge credit.
So let's move onto the Alonso-Busquets dilemma. While the rest of Spain believes that the two cannot start in the same XI, Del Bosque continues to employ them in a five-man midfield. Both play the role that Marcos Senna so admirably carried out in Euro 2008. Break up the play and start attacks. So why start with both? Surely the way forward would be to stick Xavi Alonso between midfield and defence and stick Busquets on the bench, freeing up a position which could be filled by Cesc Fabregas, or start with two upfront bringing Fernando Torres into the equation. In any case, todays midfield line-up looked a little confused, short of ideas and lacking their usual sharpness. Roles were not clearly defined. Andres Iniesta was a constant threat but his influence was nullified out wide. David Villa was out of sorts and even Torres looked decidedly rusty when he came on. Anyhows, it's not the end of the world. Better lose now with two games left then fall at the last group hurdle. Victories against Chile and Honduras will see them through, but a second round match-up against Brazil is looking increasingly likely. That said, if you want to win the World Cup, you'll have to knock out the big guns sooner or later.
So far I have to say this World Cup, in terms of quality, is one of the worst I can remember. USA '94 wasn't great, but at least it had Romario, Roberto Baggio and Ray Houghton in their prime. All excelled in their national teams. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo just look lost. France, Portugal, Italy, England, Argentina and Brazil all looked poor, while only a youthful Germany looked anything like world beaters in their match against the Aussies. Heres hoping things heat up now we've got the nervy openers out of the way.