“Nothing gives us any doubts. No matter what is said and what continues to be said, this is the path we have to take,” shrugged husky Luis de la Fuente after watching his Spanish team slam the ball into the Cape Verde wall 23 times, with the ball coming back each time. Spanish media, known for their needless exaggeration, were strangely optimistic after the 0-0 draw, but de la Fuente’s words were perhaps the most disturbing part of a disappointing start to the World Cup.
This same team has instilled in Spain a sincere belief that this World Cup is well within their reach, although other teams may be of equal or even greater quality. Cape Verde defended well while committing one foul. This is a testament to the belligerent discipline of a country that flies its flag on the world stage. It was part of a silly, pained look at Spain’s attack. Coach de la Fuente dismissed the result as a lack of decisiveness, with precision and freshness being the main culprits that hindered Spain’s path to victory. De la Fuente sounded a little like Luis Enrique after the game, just as Spain sounded a little like the teams that lost to Russia in 2018 and Morocco in 2022.
“We must advocate the same ideas,” he reiterated. If you’re wondering why such a seemingly innocuous statement raises a few eyebrows, it’s because de la Fuente has never been one to be boxed in. of idea. While Luis Enrique and supply coach Fernando Hierro were fixated on plans and systems, de la Fuente was unconstrained and had the virtue of being flexible.
Naturally, his Spanish side is always of It was an idea, a plan, but at Euro 2024 it was praised for simplifying the game. If La Roja is struggling to dominate inside the box, Josel Mato will come into play. If there was space to run in, Ferran Torres would be taken off the lead. Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal are not fast-paced themselves, but like de la Fuente himself, they grew up playing Basque soccer, Spain’s most direct and attacking form of football. The same starting eleven will start quickly, trying to place Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams in space, but as the match approaches its climax, de la Fuente will signal the corresponding players who can take advantage of them, no matter what risks the opponent decides to take.
Curiously, there have been only four changes from De La Fuente’s starting lineup against Cape Verde to the Morocco defeat four years ago. It looked a little different, but they had Ferran Torres on the right, Pedri as a front-line midfielder, and Dani Olmo as an impromptu left winger. The use of Gabi on the left against Cape Verde was condemned as the most egregious betrayal of what de la Fuente’s Spain had become known for. “The idea with Gabi was for him to drop inside and create depth. We intended for Cucurella to join the attack and he did,” de la Fuente rightly defended.
With Mikel Oyarzabal, the qualifying top scorer, absent from the game, there was some unsatisfaction with Spain’s decision to release left-back Marc Cucurella into the starting lineup. Cucurella’s run from deep created Spain’s best chance, but he was the only one trying to break through Cape Verde’s last line. Although his hands were somewhat tied due to the fitness of Victor Muñoz, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, de la Fuente still had enough freedom to beckon Yeremy Pino, the most mobile of the wide players.
On Thursday, Borja Iglesias was refused entry to a Spanish accommodation after security guards failed to recognize his 6-foot-2 (187 cm) target, and de la Fuente also appeared to have forgotten about Borja Iglesias three days earlier. When Lamine Yamal wiggled inside a couple of times in the final minutes of the game, he was forced to pound the ball towards Olmo’s run. Cape Verde’s coach Buvista was completely in agreement with this scenario.
Until 1971cent In this moment, de la Fuente challenged the Cape Verde defense in something different. Even though all teams looked more dynamic with Lamine Yamal in play, it was still difficult to understand how this Spanish team was so hesitant on the ball and slow to find passes. What’s even more encouraging for de la Fuente is that Spain’s players have been singing the same hymn all week, at a faster tempo to the ball and with calm, level-headed heads.
Last year, assistant manager Pablo Amo left the Spanish team to work in Qatar. Jobs can never be divided between manager and assistant, but when his departure was announced, many media outlets covering Spain credited him with making a huge contribution to the team’s previous tactical successes. In Spain’s documentary about their path to victory at Euro 2024, Amo is shown in a classroom explaining his plan to put pressure on Germany in the quarter-finals. Perhaps the Spain coach can reprimand his editors, but de la Fuente seemed just as perplexed as the rest of his players at Monday’s performance. If they lack the dynamism that has characterized de la Fuente’s Spain, a Pandora’s box of alarm will open unless there is a new solution that undoubtedly overcomes Saudi Arabia’s similar approach.
