Spain in state of shock after Lisbon meltdown - Feature

Thu, 18 Nov 2010

Madrid - Spanish football is in a state of shock as a result of Wednesday's 4-0 meltdown away to neighbors Portugal.

The world champions suffered their heaviest defeat ever against Portugal, and questions are now being asked about the future prospects of several veterans.

Radio Marca commented on Thursday that several players !looked old and slow out there last night, too slow to keep the Portuguese forwards under control."

The radio station raised questions about aging defenders Carles Puyol, 32, and Joan Capdevila, 33, and said that "younger defenders are needed urgently."

Cadena COPE pointed out that playmaker Xavi - who will be 31 in January - looked ponderous and sluggish.

Xavi has been struggling with a chronic Achilles tendon injury this season, which is one reason why Barcelona have signed Ibrahim Affelay from PSV Eindhoven for January.

Cadena SER, meanwhile, suggested that the "minds of the players were elsewhere...mainly on the November 29 'Clasico'" (between twin giant Barcelona and Real Madrid).

Former Spain goalkeeper Santiago Canizares commented on Cadena SER that it would have been better to have fielded younger, more ambitious players, rather than those who triumphed in South Africa in July.

This is the second heavy defeat suffered by La Roja since winning the World Cup in July. In September they were thrashed 4-1 by lively Argentina in Buenos Aires.

Sports daily Marca asked on Thursday: "Was this really La Roja? Were (Andres) Iniesta, Xavi and (Iker) Casillas really playing, or were they doubles?"

Rival daily AS said that "this disgrace needs revenge", and suggested organizing a return match against Portugal "but taking it more seriously."

The problem on Wednesday, according to AS editor Alfredo Relano, was that "football cannot be played with this lack of enthusiasm...Spain went to Portugal just to pass the time of day, with the majority of the players thinking about something else."

Relano concluded by writing that "we deserved to be thrashed...Nobody is going to take the World Cup away from us, but neither should we throw it down into the mud like this. This 4-0 really hurts."

To make matters worse, according to television channel Antena 3, the match did little to promote the joint Iberian 2018 World Cup bid because only around 20,000 fans bothered to turn up, leaving the Estadio da Luz "looking empty and forlorn."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/354109,lisbon-meltdown-feature.html.