Spain ended qualification for the 2016 European Championships back in the same place where they ended the tournament itself four years earlier. On the morning of their final game, the headline on the front of the sports daily AS pointedly ran: "We're still the champions." A return to the Olympic Stadium in Kiev provided a nice reminder, perhaps even a necessary one. It was here that Spain produced what Vicente del Bosque described as their best performance in the seven years he has been coach: a 4-0 victory over Italy that completed a unique, historic three-tournament run of success.
At training on the evening before the game, Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro Rodríguez and Juanfran Torres posed for a photo on the pitch; they'd all been there when Spain won Euro 2012. That very night, though, as they left with the Henri Delaunay trophy, people had already started talking about the next one and the next one did not go well. In Brazil, the world champions were the first team home, hammered in Salvador, beaten at the Maracaná and out before they'd even reached the third game.
An era had ended. At the World Cup, Spain had more players with more than 100 caps than anyone. Xavi Hernández, Xabi Alonso and David Villa had all played for the last time, while Carles Puyol had already left before them. There was a sense of departure that lingered long after the tournament was over, like Spain had gone. That version of Spain, anyway. They beat Macedonia in their first qualifying game for Euro 2016 but were then defeated in Slovakia 2-1. It felt like there was little faith and still less enthusiasm.
Things look different now. Spain qualified for Euro 2016 by beating Luxembourg in Logroño on Friday night, which helped, but the game that first helped to change the mood was the one that had virtually guaranteed qualification and in which they produced perhaps their best performance and one they needed: the 2-0 victory over Slovakia in Oviedo a month earlier, just when it had even seemed possible that they might not qualify at all. And then the game that really shifted things was the trip to Kiev.
Just being there helped, as did the reminder of a simple fact lost in the post-Curitiba crisis: this team is Europe's defending champion and has been for the past seven-and-a-half years. So, it turned out, did playing there: an apparently meaningless match came to mean rather a lot.
Spain went into the game with the Ukraine knowing that they had nothing to play for. Their opponents meanwhile, were still fighting for qualification. Spain did not have it easy; as one match report put it: "There are Sylvester Stallone films where fewer shots are fired." Ukraine had 28 efforts on goal but Spain won 1-0.
It was a result that meant that since that defeat against Slovakia, Spain had won seven in a row without conceding a single goal. Suddenly the stats brokered little argument. No one in Europe had a better defensive record in qualification. "We'd suffered to qualify," del Bosque said, but others suffered a lot more. Germany, for a start. As for Holland, their victors in Salvador, they have not made it at all.
But it was not just about the stats, it was more about the sensations. Better still, this was a game that became something of a revelation, more evidence that when it comes to talent, few teams can match Spain.
Spain had faced 28 shots in Kiev but David De Gea had been equal to them, one match report describing him as an "octopus" (hands everywhere) and Fabregas saying he had been "spectacular." And, speaking of spectacular, there was the return of Thiago, injured in Brazil. There were times that he and Isco combined so beautifully, it was barely believable.
Before the game, none of those three had been seen as a guaranteed starter in France. After it, they still might not be. The goalscorer, Mario, was making his first appearance for Spain and may not even make the squad. Del Bosque had announced changes for the sake of the clubs, not the country, but the country benefited too. Suddenly there was confidence, not least because this was theoretically Spain's B team but because they had defeated Ukraine, a team with everything to play for. There could be no better demonstration of their wealth of talent.
In doing so, they had suggested that some of these players might not be B-teamers at all. And yet for all the excitement, don't expect Spain to undergo a revolution and nor should they. This will instead be about small changes that they hope to make a big difference. "It will be hard to pick 23 men for the summer," del Bosque admitted.
He is right, of course. While some teams worry about who to put in, it's tempting to suggest that the dilemma for Spain is who to leave out. Some supporters talk about Ander Herrera or Borja Valero but neither is expected to be anywhere near the squad, and no one is truly complaining. The talent is such, particularly in midfield, that it is hard to imagine opportunities arising for either of them.
During qualification for Euro 2016, del Bosque played 29 different players and called up 43 to his various squads. In total, 59 players have made their debuts since he took over after Euro 2008. Many have been tried once or twice and then left behind -- at the last World Cup, there were only 11 members of the squad who had been there in 2008 -- and yet those figures make the turnover sound far greater than it really is. In fact, there's a certain stability, particularly when it comes to key players.
Five members of the starting XI in Vienna are still around: Casillas, Andres Iniesta, Fabregas, Sergio Ramos and Silva. Cazorla was there in 2008 too, and would have gone to the World Cup in 2010 but for injury. Four more players were there in 2010, 2012 and 2014: Rodríguez, Mata, Busquets and Gerard Piqué. Eleven players from 2012 are likely to be there in 2016. The players who are coming through have successful experience too: De Gea, Nacho, Marc Bartra, Thiago, Isco and Alvaro Morata all won the 2013 U-21 Championships together. As did Dani Carvajal, Koke and Iñigo Martínez -- all of whom missed out this time through injury but will probably go to France in the summer.
Many men have made the squad but there is still a sense of familiarity about the team that actually starts, even if key figures (none more so than Xavi) have departed. What has changed over the past few days is the enthusiasm that surrounds them. While del Bosque says it will be difficult to decide, his likely starting XI in France feels like it is taking a recognisable shape -- not least because del Bosque tends to be loyal to those who have played with him for a long time and has proven to be relatively conservative in his approach.
Fabregas admitted that he thought it would be "normal" for Casillas to start in goal but the performance from De Gea in Kiev reinforced the idea that his time has arrived. In truth, it probably should have arrived sooner and there was something vaguely absurd about him being "discovered" this week, although he was injured in Brazil.
Del Bosque admitted that there is a "deficit" at centre-back beyond his normal partnership. Fitness permitting, Piqué and Ramos will play together there, with Bartra and Inigo Martínez the likely back-ups. At left-back, Alba. At right-back, Mario's debut goal probably doesn't mean he even makes it. Torres is likely to be first choice there; Carvajal's challenge for that place may depend on how much he plays at Madrid with Danilo now his club competition.
In central midfield, Busquets is irreplaceable in the "pivot" position. Alternatives include Javi Martínez (who could also be a centre-back), albeit with a slightly different style, and his versatility suggests that he should go. Perhaps the player closest to Busquets stylistically is Villarreal's Bruno Soriano but his inclusion even in the squad appears unlikely. Del Bosque may also choose to have two players deeper in midfield and a line of three in front, rather than one deep player with one either side.
One of the "interiores" will presumably be Iniesta, should he be fit. The doubts are over the other one, but they appeared to diminish this week. Kiev suggested that Thiago -- outrageously talented, now over his knee injuries and perhaps the nearest thing they have to another Xavi -- could get that place. He, more than anyone else, excited supporters Monday night. There is still a long way to go but if this was an audition for him to get a starting place (he will be in the squad for sure), he flew through it. There is a kind of joy in his play that can appear contagious, enthusing teammates too and elevating him to leadership status.
Another possibility, perhaps even with Thiago, is Cazorla, a man who it often feels has given more to football than he has received. Scorer of two goals against Luxembourg, he has the combination of control and creativity, the ability to speed up and slow down the game and to shoot from distance that perhaps none of the other midfield options have. It may not be exactly his role, but a Xavi role suits him more than many seem to see.
Then there's the supporting cast. Koke has been identified in the media as the player to take over from Xavi, even though their styles vary significantly, but he has not yet re-found his form this season and has yet to consummate a positional move towards the centre. Isco offers dribbling skills, sublime touches and something different that's especially valuable when it comes to defences that sit very deep. Mata hasn't always been fully backed by del Bosque but is invariably included when tournaments come round. Fabregas' current form means that he might appear the player most likely to leave out, except that he does have a happy habit of being there and being decisive at big moments.
In the creative attacking positions, either side of the forward or as a line of three behind a striker, Silva is virtually a certainty. Pedro would normally be too, and he offers the incision and that kind of dynamic, almost electric activity that sets him apart from others. But after a season of relative inactivity at Barcelona and a slow start with Chelsea, there may yet be doubts. If not him, Isco and Mata could be alternatives here, where they are more comfortable than further back, and Nolito's performance, back in the squad, suggests that he may have a chance too.
At centre-forward, where a false No. 9 appears to be more or less abandoned as an option, most believe that the favourite, fitness and form permitting, is Morata. Being a striker for Spain poses particular problems; this is a team that seeks control more than goals and space is often denied. Diego Costa has found that especially difficult to adapt to. He has not yet convinced -- although he still might, of course.
Morata has convinced rather more and, so too Paco Alcácer, whose movement appears better suited to this style. Costa has just one goal (against Luxembourg) and he missed out on the chance to play them again because of a suspension that did not please the coach. By contrast, Alcácer scored twice last Friday (as did Cazorla) to clinch qualification. He has now scored six in nine games for Spain, five of which were as a sub. "I want to be back and I will not give up," he said as Spain's players headed back to their clubs.
They returned home happy. Kiev helped, probably more than anyone imagined. "A lot can happen between now and next summer," del Bosque said. What appears certain now may not then, but something important already happened in the Ukraine. There was hope again; enthusiasm, even a bit of excitement. Spain felt like Spain again. In Kiev, the European champions remembered who they are.