Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/398422
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2014 Sport 23 Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Partly cloudy, locally rather cloudy at times VISIBILITY: Good WIND: Variable force 2 to 3 becoming mainly West to Northwest force 2 to 3 locally force 3 to 4 at times SEA: Slight SWELL: Low easterly at first becoming negligible SEA TEMP: 26 °C A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. FAIR 27 º C / 19 º C UV INDEX: 6 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits OPINION Across 1. Captain (7) 5. Illness (7) 9. Member of the Mafia (7) 10. Beat into shape (5) 11. Something special (5) 12. Metallic element (3) 13. Bring into being (6) 14. Country (6) 15. Fifth month (3) 17. Exhausted (9) 21. Drunkard (3) 23. Capital of Germany (6) 24. Island in central Japan (6) 27. Prohibit (3) 28. Rest on the surface of a liquid (5) 29. New Zealand aboriginal (5) 30. Floating mass of ice (7) 31. Fourth book of the Old Testament (7) 32. Hampshire port (7) Down 1. Indicator of illness (7) 2. Babyhood (7) 3. Persons in general (6) 4. Rhizome (9) 5. Group of 12 (5) 6. Computer programs (8) 7. Lighter-than-air craft (7) 8. Latter part of the day (7) 16. Disgusting (9) 18. File for the fingernails (4,4) 19. Belly (7) 20. Structure of an artistic work (3,4) 21. Lower than zero (7) 22. This present night (7) 25. Alarms (6) 26. Burrowing animals (5) Nd8+ Kd5 0-0-0+ Bd4 Bc5 Any move Rxd4 mate DAVID de Gea seems to have at last toppled Iker Casillas as Spain's number 1, and while the Manches- ter United goalkeeper deserves every ounce of praise, it has to be said that it was always Vicente del Bosque's plan to phase out the Real Madrid goalie. As Spain continue to ride the waves of transition we saw them bag three points from two games as they fell to a shocking 2-1 defeat to Slo- vakia and brush Luxembourg aside 4-0. While both games provided talking points, the first highlighted Casillas' role in this new Spanish era. It was his error that lead to Slo- vakia's late winner, which did come off the back of a good initial save to be fair. Iker has always been for me a superb shot stopper but some- times lacks that holistic style many modern goalkeepers have. David de Gea's skill is that he is extremely reactive and can f lick through the gears fast enough to make double saves, and can turn defence into counter attacks at lightening speed. We are now seeing a new form of sweeper-keeper dominate headlines and a goalie today is now a part of the defence, not a stand alone shot stopper. With that said Casillas' time was ticking. His performances at the 2014 World Cup showed us the tip of the ice burg. While Carlo Ance- lotti phased him out of his Real Ma- drid team, opting only to play him in the cup competitions, Vicente del Bosque stuck by him and this is probably as David de Gea himself was not ready for the big stage. He himself was the victim of his own critics in the early part of his Old Trafford career but has reacted in the best way any sportsman can. He trained hard and bounced back and looks like the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. His incredible saves against Everton two weeks ago showed us a side to this 'keeper we didn't know existed three seasons ago. He is now a leader and com- mands his box excellently, despite the inexperience in the United back line. Vicente del Bosque's plan was always to give David de Gea a few starts for Spain in the easier group games however due to Casillas' er- ror against Slovakia it appears to us that he was dropped as a punish- ment. Spain's mentality is changing, from the rear guard right up to the forwards. The line up against Luxembourg had plenty of new faces which bring about a new style of play. Diego Cos- ta himself requires much more di- rect play than that slow patient tiki taka build up we grew to love. The older Spain required the likes of An- dres Iniesta who in my eyes against Luxembourg was largely ineffective. Diego Costa, who at last opened his account for Spain, will continue to score goals once the midfield plays direct attacking football. Atletico Madrid mastered that style during their fantastic last season and their midfielder Koke will help Costa find the net more regularly. This aspect of Spain makes them perhaps more direct and bland however it also makes them totally unpredictable as quite frankly no one knows what to expect from them, other than those 800 passes in midfield before single shot is fired. 2014 was the end of a great era for Spain, perhaps one of the best teams we have ever seen. Their failure at the World Cup was a natural result of time. No team can not dominate for too long right? Rather than sticking to the mod- ern curse of the game, Spain did not chose to sack their manager. Instead they stuck by Vicente Del Bosque which was a breathe of fresh air and I believe he is the one who under- stands his home nation and league set up more than anyone. He is the grandfather of Spain football and is already showing that he is not afraid of change by showing us this new raw side to Los Rojas. The transition is now taking place with a new forward, a direct ap- proach from the midfield and a fresh pair of gloves at the back. The older Spain dominated world football and perhaps in the 2014 World Cup they lacked that hunger and desire every great team needs. Each and every single player in this new look Spain have something to prove, be- ing it the young and inexperienced David de Gea or perhaps even Pedro who still has critics divided due to his style of play. The Spanish public still do want that Tiki Taka as Span- ish culture demands it, however I believe that Vicente del Bosque is working to the best of his resources, and with the size of his trophy cabi- net no body should question him. Mark Strijbosch A new Spanish era Spain's mentality is changing, from the rear guard right up to the forwards Vicente del Bosque González, the manager of the Spanish national football team