After their 5-1 annihilation by the Netherlands, the specter of a humiliating FIFA World Cup group-stage exit hangs over defending champions Spain ahead of the clash against Chile in Rio de Janeiro today.
With Spain still reeling from La Roja’s heaviest defeat in 51 years — branded “a catastrophe” by Spanish media — there could be worse to come at Rio’s iconic Estadio do Maracana.
If Spain lose again and the Netherlands avoid defeat against Australia in today’s other Group B game, coach Vicente del Bosque’s side will join Brazil (1966), France (2002) and Italy (2010) on the list of defending champions to have fallen at the first hurdle of the tournament.
The same set of results would take Chile through and Jorge Sampaoli’s aggressive, hard-working team, who go into today’s game on the back of a 3-1 win over Australia, have lost only twice in 16 outings.
Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas has described the fixture as “life or death,” but Del Bosque — architect of Spain’s triumphs at the 2010 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 — says there is no need to panic.
“The hours go by and the mood gets better,” the coach told Spanish channel Cuatro. “We have the challenge of winning our next two matches. It won’t be easy, but it is possible. We are trying to prepare as well as possible and not be too sad. The first half against Holland was good. The problem was the second half. Now people are more optimistic. We need to remember that it is a game and we need to enjoy ourselves.”
Del Bosque has suggested that he will make “two or three changes,” with goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ position under particular scrutiny after an error-strewn display in the capitulation to the Clockwork Orange.
Pepe Reina, the Liverpool ’keeper who spent last season on loan at SSC Napoli, is in line to step in, while third-choice goalie David de Gea has muscle problems.
Pedro Rodriguez and Manchester United striker Juan Mata could also come into the starting XI, with the Barcelona forward eager to erase the memory of Spain’s last trip to the Maracana, when they crashed 3-0 to Brazil in last year’s Confederations Cup final.
“It is a mythical ground,” Pedro said. “Every player would love to play there because of its history... In the Confederations Cup I started, like Mata, and we couldn’t beat Brazil. Let’s hope we can beat Chile at the Maracana.”
Sampaoli, a disciple of fellow Argentine and former Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa, could elect to bring Osasuna midfielder Francisco Silva into his team and switch to a three-man defense.
Another option would involve Silva replacing playmaker Jorge Valdivia, which would see Arturo Vidal move forward from midfield to play in support of strikers Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez.
There are concerns over the fitness of Vidal, who produced an uncharacteristically quiet display against Australia after undergoing knee surgery a month ago, but the all-action Juventus midfielder has declared himself ready to attack against wounded Spain.
“We watched the first half [of Spain’s game against the Netherlands] before coming to the stadium [to play Australia] and we know they’ll come with a lot of anger, because they have to win to avoid being eliminated,” Vidal told La Tercera newspaper. “So we hope to be up to the task. They have always been dangerous.”
Veteran striker Esteban Paredes has vowed that Chile are determined to take the game to their rivals.
“We will not go out looking for a draw against Spain,” the 33-year-old Colo Colo forward said. “We are going out as always to win.”
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