Vitolo: Sevilla’s Action Man Becoming Bolter from the Pack for Lopetegui’s Spain

Julen Lopetegui had seen it before and had picked him precisely for it, and seeing it again on such a stage will have only reinforced it. Setting off in that slightly crouched way of his, body tense and legs pumping like pistons, Vitolo stormed toward goal as Pablo Sarabia glanced ahead. Sarabia‘s ball wasn’t perfect, but Vitolo‘s aggressive presence sent Sergi Roberto into a spin,... 

Spain’s Clash with Italy Is Early Chance for Julen Lopetegui to Set New Tone

Julen Lopetegui won’t be looking back. “Football does not stop,” the new Spain manager said when presented back in July. “Spanish football is proud of its past, but we will look to the future.” The concept of future is one that’s dominated the discussion around La Roja for two years. Ever since the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where cracks in an empire... 

Rebuilding Spain: Del Bosque’s Successor Faces Tricky Task After Euro 2016 Exit

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... 

Ranking Spain’s Players Following Their Euro 2016 Exit

The dynasty is over. Spain’s empire is no more.  On Tuesday, La Roja returned home empty-handed from Paris, where Italy had ambushed them a day earlier at Euro 2016 to strip them of the second of their two titles that they’d so famously held at once.  The manner of it was brutal and painful; the extent of Italy’s dominance was striking. When eras end, such is often the case,... 

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... 

Spain’s Glorious Dynasty Toppled by the Very Team It All Started With: Italy

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... 

Spain Eye Historic Run: Blowing of Euro 2016 Opportunity Has Presented Another

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,... 

Breaking Down How Spain Can Topple Well-Drilled Italy in Euro 2016 Clash

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... 

Sloppy Spain Build Their Own Euro 2016 Mountain as They Swap Paths with Croatia

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... 

Behind Sizzling Spain, Vicente del Bosque Proving He’s Not so Stubborn After All

Nolito to Alvaro Morata: goal. Nolito on his own: goal. The second of those had just gone in at the Stade de Nice, and its scorer was headed straight for the bench, where an embrace was waiting. As he set off, he was mobbed by jubilant team-mates who, one by one, then peeled off back to their positions. But as he approached the sideline, one was still with him and another waited ahead, the symbolism... 

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