Del Bosque ‘sick’ after Spain’s Dutch demolition

Vicente del Bosque, to be fair, could never have been accused of getting carried away when he came to meet the press after one title then another was secured in recent years. And there was little emotion on show as Spain’s wise old uncle came to discuss a game that might just have marked the moment the music stopped for a team that has swept all before it since 2008.

The 63 year-old had no answers, though, for the more pertinent questions regarding what had just transpired at the Arena Fonte Nova here in Salvador. To lose is one thing; Spain had done that in their opening game last time and lived, rather magnificently, to fight another day. But to be blown away 5-1 by a Dutch side whose last minute change of tactics had seemed like an admission of weakness from Del Bosque's old rival, Louis Van Gaal, was another altogether, and if the coach seemed no more subdued than normal, he still looked and sounded just a little shaken.

“I feel sick,” he said of his reaction to a game that the media back home were already describing as the national side’s worst nightmare since a 6-2 loss to Scotland 51 years ago.

“The defeat is impossible to explain. I don’t have words. Normally we are stronger in defence but today we were weaker there... and everywhere.”

Inevitably, as it always does on these occasions, the questioning soon turned to the matter of his team selection and notion that perhaps he has been a little too loyal to those who delivered Spain precious successes despite their relatively poor form and lack of club success. Del Bosque, though, brushed the matter away, insisting: “There is no need for a revolution. We did not win but we will move on and try to recover. This is a very delicate moment for us but we must all try to resolve things, beat Chile and move on from there.

“There is no way to explain what has happened,” he acknowledged again, “but it is one game and we have to move on now.”

Pressed on quite how it all gone so badly wrong and quizzed in particular on Iker Casillas’s role in the second half collapse, Del Bosque stuck to his guns.

“It’s not a time for blaming people. The fault is that of the team, and I won’t be pointing fingers, particularly at Iker.”

There were, he suggested, plenty of other contributory factors and David Silva's miss in the first half when he had been sent clear through by Andres Iniesta, was one to get a mention.

Several of his players admitted that they had lost their grip on things after the second or, some said, third goal but Xabi Alonso pointed to the fact that they, more than most, can take inspiration from the history books.

“We know from experience that it is still possible,” he said in a reference to that success in South Africa where they had also lost their opener, “and we need to keep reminding ourselves of that.”

Arjen Robben, who along with Robin van Persie scored two, commiserated with those he knows amongst the Spanish side but concluded simply that: “Today was our day.”

Louis Van Gaal, it seemed, had done at least as much as anyone to make it so but he too was already looking forward, suggesting that he might tear up the tactical plan from last night for the game against Australia.

In the meantime, he admitted, he was happy and surprised and responsible.

“I never thought I’d get five goals to Spain,” he said. “This is not what I expected. To be honest we did not expect to do this Spain. But it has to do with strategy. And of course has to do with the performance of my players, who have executed the tactics with great conviction.”

“In recent friendlies we have played it has been seen that it is very difficult to play against us.”

On Dutch TV he apparently went further, observing: “Del Bosque must be thinking: against five defenders, you have to change positions a lot. He is correct.”