‘Spain should not dump tiki-taka’

MUMBAI — Former world champions Spain will have to wait to regain their past glory but they need not discard their attractive brand of football that earned them fans and laurels, World Cup winning defender Joan Capdevila told Reuters in an interview.

Spain’s golden spell during which they won the 2010 World Cup and European titles in 2008 and 2012 came to an embarrassing end in Brazil this year when they crashed out of the World Cup after losing their first two games against the Netherlands and Chile.

The debacle was followed by the international retirement of ageing stalwarts such as Xavi and Xabi Alonso, which will severely test the next generation of players in the lead-up to the Euro 2016.

“It’s time for change and bring in some new players,” Capdevila, who was part of the winning sides in Euro 2008 and the World Cup in South Africa two years later, told Reuters.

Spain’s tiki-taka style, which took the world by storm during their golden period, has come under heavy scrutiny but Capdevila, who had 60 caps for the country, fiercely defended the possession-based style.

“The style of playing for Spain is going to be the same, just the players are going to change,” the left back said.