Spain: Is their 'Place in the sun' up?

Spain's dominance in the last few years has been unwavering. In addition to the first team having won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, Spain's under 21's also blitzed the competition in this summer's European Championships, indicating a very bright future for the worlds most dominant national side. But the miraculous happened in the most recent major tournament. They weren't just beaten. They were embarrassed. Overpowered, out skilled and out worked, Brazil and their coach Scolari initiated a tactically masterclass that played Spain off the park. They didn't just scrape through, but by a 3 goal margin. It was incredible.

Similarly to Bayern Munich's pulverising win against Barcelona, Spain seemed to be easily undone by a dominant Brazilian unit. With both Barcelona and Spain looking powerless to avoid defeat, one could argue that Spanish football is becoming one dimensional. When a team gets physical and closes them down at pace, they look as if they run out of ideas. In one of my previous articles I did note that Jesus Navas did provide a spark and be looked as if he was Spain's only savour, but it was only he that looked as if he could be the man to offer a comeback.

What's most shocking is that one of the worlds best players, Andres Iniesta, looked bewildered whenever he got the ball, and quickly lost possession as he was outgunned by a Brazilian player. You know where-else this was evident? That's right, in Bayern Munich's astonishing 7-0 aggregate win against Barcelona in last years Champions League semi finals.

With these wins, it looks as if a team of the right mould can easily overpower Barcelona or Spain. This is because the similarities between Brazil and Bayern Munich are incredible, their both well drilled units and their players are extremely alike. Where as both teams hold one of the best defensive lines in the world, it's the midfield where both these great Spanish sides were undone. The defensive midfielders of Javi Martinez and Luis Gustavo chased down Spain's midfield and nullified attacks to great success, especially when you consider Martinez kept Messi quiet over the course of the first leg (although he was struggling with injury). Paulinho and Schweinsteiger are the two box to box midfielders who also close down and work dogged like for their team, and even Muller and Oscar both played more defensively than usual. The likes of Hulk, Neymar, Robben and Ribery were allowed to create and instigate attacks, and Fred and Mandzukic both played a big part upfront in notching vital goals.

So the teams were very alike, and the dogged work rates of the teams were able to destroy the Spanish giants with ease. The greatest teams in the world were unable to cope with the extreme work rates, and their defences were torn apart by the attacking flair of their opposition. With that, it may seem as if Spain are losing their crown as having the best national and club teams in the world. Bayern Munich and even Dortmund looked a class apart from their Spanish rivals, indicating that Barcelona's dominance in Europe may be stuttering to an abrupt holt. Influenced by key components Xavi and Iniesta both approaching the end of their career, and talented youngster and natural replacement Thiago leaving to Bayern Munich this summer, Barcelona may well crash and burn in the future. They've been found out, as proven by Bayern Munich and Brazil on club and national level respectively. And if others learn to adopt a similar approach against them, it could well be the end of an era of Spanish dominance.