Brazil 2014: The reasons for Spain's World Cup pain

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Hours after Spain's new monarch ascended to one throne, the kings of football - the Spanish nation's pride and joy - were being knocked off theirs.

And while I agree with those citing tiredness as a cause, I think any fatigue was more in the mind than the body.

You only had to look at the demeanor of goalkeeper Iker Casillas to see he was suffering from the sporting equivalent of post-traumatic stress; shellshock brought on by the explosive nature of conceding five goals against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup winners' opening game.

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There wasn't enough left in the tank after burning through gallons of emotional gas for his club Real Madrid during a sentimental Champions League triumph which secured "La Decima" - a 10th European Cup title. I was there watching the all-Spanish affair in Lisbon where Real and Atletico Madrid's players gave their all.

Half a dozen from that match, played only three and a half weeks previously, were in Spain's squad to face Chile on Wednesday. A further seven were from Barcelona, carrying a different form of mental baggage - the strain of defeat after letting the Primera Liga title slip from their grasp.

Even Diego Costa was left scarred from a grueling, if successful, season. The Brazil-born striker scored 36 goals in all competitions for Spanish champions Atletico but hadn't even managed a single shot on target by the time his adopted country was eliminated from the World Cup.

But fatigue, whether mental or physical, can only partly explain Spain's astonishingly early exit – so unexpected that even Pele, earlier that day, was talking to CNN about the 2008 and 2012 European champions' chances of winning the competition.

Plenty of other top nations, particularly European ones, can point to squads littered with players wearied by long campaigns with their clubs. However, none of Germany, England, France, Holland, Italy and Belgium has won a major international title in the last six years. Whereas Spain has won them all.

The other major European squads contain plenty of players with over half a century of matches to their names this season but they are also men with enough motivation to counter the miles in their legs. They dearly want to help their countries end long waits for international success.

Spain's squad had nothing left to prove. They weren't the oldest squad. In fact, they weren't even among the top-10 sides with the highest average age. But they were the most experienced set of players.

Read: Spain's exit in numbers

And while that bestows a certain knowledge, it also becomes a handicap when you've seen it all before and need to find a different source of inspiration.

It's the end of an era, with many suggesting the so-called "tiki-taka" tactic of pass and move has become dated. It's symbolic that one of its best exponents, veteran Barcelona playmaker Xavi Hernandez, is about to leave Spain for a club in Qatar. The 34-year-old was also dropped from the starting lineup against Chile.

This is a man that topped the passing stats in South Africa's World Cup four years ago, someone who gave away possession as rarely as Cristiano Ronaldo forgets to brush his hair.

As Spanish football journalist Aitor Alvarez told CNN after the Chile match: "They are the same players that six years ago won their first European Championship. We need new players, we need younger players."

Spain still has talented young footballers but, like Australia's cricket team, the Miami Heat, the Yankees or Tiger Woods, there's a process of regeneration and rejuvenation to go through before domination can be attempted once again.

What do you think about Spain's performance in Brazil? Continue the conversation with Alex on Twitter, or have your say in the comments box below.

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