Euro 2016 | The end of a Spanish era

It was good while it lasted and it lasted all of three tournaments in four years – the 2008 European Championship, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and then the 2012 European championship.
But with the 2-0 loss to Italy on Monday in Saint Denis, La Furia Roja must start thinking of the next generation
Four years ago when Spain met Italy in the Euro finals, it was a 4-0 whitewash. And from that victorious team, there were seven starters for Vicente del Bosque on Monday, but there was just no spark from the players.

The agonizing defeat should spell the end of the international careers of players like Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and Gerard Pique; though the Barcelona defender could still make it to Russia for the 2018 World Cup.
It definitely is the end of the gaffer, Vicente del Bosque and this end could not be more chastening as successive defeats to Croatia and Italy showed that Spain had been found out.
Before their meeting, Italy manager, Antonio Conte said Spain would have to beat them as they would not be rolling over for the defending two-time Euro champions.
“We are not just the sacrificial lamb. Spain will have to beat us,” but this Spanish did not have the ‘cojones’ to beat the Azzurri, and surely it is the end of an era.
Respected Spanish football analyst, Guillem Balague, wrote on Twitter after the defeat, “So deserved [for Italy]. We died of success (again).
“For 3 years we have stopped doing the little things that made us big.”
One goal down from the first half, Spain was unable to respond even when they threw on Aritz Aduriz. Balague added, “no change of pace, no surprise, no movement off the ball, confused about where to engage defensively, poor at set pieces.”
“They [Spain] cannot think without the ball,” said John Barnes on television and that was what Italy manager, Conte cashed on as he ensured that his team pressed from the front, which ensured that Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos could not move the ball comfortably from defence into midfield.
Spain must now have to rethink their approach to international tournaments as the winning template that served them so well in winning three consecutive tournaments has been dismembered.