Spain has diversified its tactical slate adding more resources when attacking rivals and causing them harm. De la Fuente has managed to combine the legacy ofthe associative game of possession that he has received from the ‘tiqui-taca’ with a more vertical style led by its endsNico Williams and Lamine Yamal. And to that he has added a third element that has quickly become a distinguishing feature of this team, the pressure after lossThis diversification is illustrated very graphically by the game between Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal at the end of the match against Georgia, fighting over a bottle of water. Rock, paper, scissors. This is what makes this Spain team indefensible.
Spain – Croatia / JJ Guillén
1. STONE. Pressure after loss
Minute 28 of Spain-Croatia, The Spanish midfield put pressure on Croatia as they came out, causing a bad pass to end up at the feet of Fabián. The Sevilla player looks up in the centre circle and sees the Croatian centre-backs out of position, noticing a passage in the centre line through which he filters a pass that Morata reads perfectly, making a run that leaves him alone in front of Livakovic. He knocks him to the ground, feinting a shot with his right foot and scores with his left. Spain’s first goal of the Euros.
The pressure has generated a ball theft thanks to which the players have created a goal-scoring opportunity with a single pass. The pressure after losing the ball, which is intensified by finding advantageous situations on the sides of the field, is a feature of the football of Pep Guardiola’s teams that Luis de la Fuente and his team have known how to turn into their own. The proof of this voracity that hits the rivals with the force of a stone is confirmed by the26 of the 35 fouls they committed against Croatia and Italy were committed in the opponent’s half.
2. PAPER. The classic tiki-taka
The style that has led Spain to win the World Cup and the European Championship on two occasionss maintains its essence in a team with good foot players capable of taking care of the ball like Rodri, Pedri, Fabián, Nico, Lamine… The ball flows at the feet of the Spaniards looking to overcome defensive screens with the appearance of the supports. That is how Ferran’s goal against Albania came about, after a great pass from Aymeric Laporte to Dani Olmo behind the Albanian midfielders that overcame two defensive lines. The Leipzig player turned and filtered a delicious pass behind the Caucasian centre-backs and the Shark ended up converting the first goal with a subtle curling shot with his left foot.
The classic touch game that tilts like a windshield from one side to the other and in which the sides have a lot of weight. Both Carvajal and Cucurella join along with the wingers and Pedri or the midfielder on that side. to generate an advantage from what is known in La Masia as “the third man”. Then, if the defense moves to help, the midfielder is responsible for quickly moving the ball to the other side where a one-on-one is created with Lamine and Nico facing their rival.
They envelop the opposing defense with their passing game until they appear unexpectedly in the spaces. Carvajal scored the third goal against the Croatians gaining the back of the defense, the same as Fabian on the second goal against Georgia. Two assists from Lamine in two passes with music that the opposing defences were unable to defend. And if things get complicated, the midfielders appear from behind to fulfil one of “the four orders” given by Luis de la Fuente: finish the plays. Fabián did it by scoring the second for the Croatians in an appearance on the edge of the area, and Rodri did the same to tie the game against Georgia with a shot that he buttoned with his left foot down low. Arriving with judgment to choose the moment. Pedri has to join in, because Dani Olmo did it against the Georgians by appearing from behind to score the fourth goal and close the rout that took Spain to the quarterfinals in Cologne.
3. SCISSORS. Verticality at the ends
The most celebrated contribution to the scoreboard by Luis de la Fuente is the incorporation of the wingers, thereby gaining a verticality on the outside that makes Spain a team with a completely different register to the one it had until now. “The appearance of Nico and Lamine gives us a resource that we didn’t have until now. They are different players, of which there are not many,” said Rodri when asked about this.
Nico Williams’ third goal against Georgia was reportedly scored by Kylian Mbappé. Precisely a player from Paris Saint-Germain, Fabián opened that play with a 50-meter pass to Nico’s lanewhere the Athletic player showed all his offensive aggression by attacking his full-back, whom he dribbled past before facing Mamardashvili and beating him from above. Spain’s scissors are sharpened.
2024-07-05 05:01:00
#Rock #paper #scissors #style #Spain #indefensible
