The victorious Euro 2008 tournament saw Spain classed as the most glamorous of football nations. The qualifying campaign of the European champions was flawless, but the start of the World Cup saw the implementation of a second defensive midfielder in a departure from the successful 4-4-2 that Luis Aragones implemented as Del Bosque has followed the increasingly defensive trend in football.

The decision to further protect the defence and hold onto possession seemed like a mistake in the shock 0-1 defeat to Switzerland in their opening Group H game, given that it caused a loss of presence in the final third. The side produced fewer of the incisive passing moves fans have become accustomed to, with Liverpool striker Fernando Torres struggling for form and new Barcelona signing David Villa shunted out to the left flank.

The introduction of the annoying Barcelona youngster Sergio Busquets alongside Xabi Alonso formed a decent shield which could be seen as an unnecessary precaution given how the Spanish side dominates possession and its expertise in manipulation of the ball. There now was a lack of speed and urgency in the Spanish play, with too many passers and not enough (or effective runners).

The 4-4-2 of Aragones saw Silva, Villa and an in-form Torres act as the runners to the playmaking of Xavi and Iniesta, while Villarreal’s Marcos Senna took up the holding role. Now with Torres ineffective, Villa reduced to a wide role (from where he has still held together Spain’s run with several key goals) and Silva dropped for the serial cheat Busquets, the Spanish attack lacked conviction.

The system saw a comfortable win against Honduras, but very tight games against Chile, Portugal and Paraguay where there was only a single goal to separate the sides. The introduction of another Barcelona youngster Pedro Rodriguez or Cesc Fabregas were likely to add some direct running to a team full of passers. The former started in place of Torres in the much-anticipated semi-final against Germany and was an improvement but the four passing midfielders behind him rarely made runs into the area to support now lone striker David Villa.

Xabi Alonso tried a few shots from distance but the break-through was once again a late one as Carlos Puyol headed in from a corner. Del Bosque has played the same seven players in defence and midfield in each of the games, and that consistency has been rewarded with a final place. The pressing game taken up by the side echoes that of Guardiola’s Barcelona and is most effective and stopped a confident young Germany side in their tracks that saw fine results in exploiting midfield weaknesses against England and Argentina.

Many observers have been keen to point out that seven Barcelona players took part in the semi-final in what amounted to a club side, given the familiarity of all the players with each other’s games. While the defending has been very impressive, the offensive game adopted by Del Bosque has not been spell-binding but effective nonetheless. On Sunday, Spain will come up against a Holland team also accused of pragmatism. One expects a similar game to the Germany semi-final, with Spain dominating possession and Holland forming attacks sporadically.

Spain played their best game of the tournament against Germany, given they faced an opponent not just trying to sit back and defend but actually try to win the game. There is a feeling that Spain will play better against bigger sides who will leave gaps to exploit when forging their own attacks. If Del Bosque wants a return to the traditional tiki-taka style rather than the efficient, often dull game his team currently play, perhaps the introduction of Cesc Fabregas for one of Alonso or (hopefully) Busquets would add a dimension that is missing to the Spanish side so far – the central midfield runner.

Whatever these criticisms may be, Spain have been the best side at this World Cup, with the relative impotence of their attacks linked to the deep defence and counter-attacking style of their opponents. Perhaps, a victory at Soccer City on Sunday will see to a future Spanish style with a greater sense of fantasy rather than the current one using a two-man defensive midfield shield in the future, relieved of the burden of having never won a World Cup.