FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Can Spain add a second title?

The days of seeing legends like Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, and Iker Casillas play for their national side are long gone. Still, their achievements for La Roja will serve as inspiration for the new young talents that will represent their country at this year's tournament.

The 2010 World Cup is famous for the 'tiki-taka' style of football. The technique is based on long spells of possession and short passes with sudden movement to tire opponents out. It was executed to perfection by the talented Spanish national squad and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team of the same era, which included many players representing Spain at that time.

Twelve years later, the game of football has moved on. It is more intense, teams are better equipped to defend against this style, and Spain have had to adapt to outclass their opponents.

"I think that there is an upgrade on the tiki-taka," explained Spanish football expert Alvaro Romeo. "I think tiki-taka was enough to win tournaments in 2010, but right now, the intensity is becoming increasingly important. And Spain has a lot of intensity. Without the ball, they know how to put the intensity on the pressure to get the ball back. It's not gegenpressing style like Liverpool, but they are trying to get there."

So, can this Spain team implement this new style of counter-pressing and make it count in the tournament in Qatar?

Spain starts the tournament as the seeded side in Group E, which also contains Costa Rica, Germany and Japan.

The standout game that catches the eye in the group stage will be Spain vs Germany. The two nations famously faced off in the European Championships 2008 final in Austria, with Spain winning 1-0. But both sides have been underperforming at tournaments. Germany lost to