[Previewing Spain national team ahead of the international break]

Spain is currently going through the transition phase where experienced players are reaching
the final years of their careers and they are looking to help the young players to improve their
characteristics and aspects of their style of play as well. With a very promising young core of
talents that are rising through the ranks, Spain do not have to be worried too much about
finding Sergio Ramos’ or Sergio Busquets’ replacements as several of their youngsters have
shown that they are capable of stepping up whenever needed.

The upcoming ‘Euro 2021’ will be a massive test to the young squad that Spain currently have,
while it might also be the last international tournament to several veterans. As a preparation for
the World Cup 2022, Luís Enrique will have to identify the players that fit his tactics while
capable of playing at a high and consistent level for their respective clubs to guide the country
back to the World Cup title.

 Squad information and preferred formation

Under Enrique, Spain prefer to play with a 4-3-3 formation with one defensive midfielder stays
centrally to link the defence with the players up front during the build-up phase. The wingers
are capable of either drifting wide or cutting inside to receive the ball inside the half-space. They
will also look to support an advanced forward up front, who will look to run in between the
defenders and pick up through passes.

With the intention of having skillful wingers out wide who can beat the opposition using pace,
the likes of Adama Traoré, Ferrán Torres or Mikel Oyarzabal are extremely helpful for Enrique’s
side. But unfortunately, due to a recent injury that he faced at Barcelona, Ansu Fati will be
forced to withdraw from the squad and it is a huge blow for the side as well.

Jesús Navas is another unfortunate case as he also has to withdraw from the side due to an
injury. But having called up Premier League duo Héctor Bellerín and Sergio Reguilón, alongside
Valencia’s left-back José Gayà, Spain are more than confident that their full-back positions are
well-prepared.

 Tactics
With a manager who knows the core principles of how Spain’s Golden Generation used to play
in Enrique, it does not come as a surprise to see him applying a similar tactic to his current side.
His Spain side prefer to have the ball and control possession, while making passes and finding
possible attacking paths in between the opposition’s defensive lines. Indeed, as in all of their
matches this year, they have been the superior side in terms of ball possession, with their
lowest possession percentage came against the 1-1 draw against Germany (59%).

Therefore, it presents a challenge for the opponent as they are forced to choose between
pressing Spain aggressively in order to limit the time that they have the ball, or sitting back and
attempting to frustrate them. Spain have shown that they can struggle when playing against
both tactics, and the matches against Germany and Ukraine are clear examples.

Against Germany, Spain were only able to control 59% of the ball possession while Germany had
41% due to the opposition’s high pressing tactic. Joachim Löw’s side also attempted to make
more tackles than the opposition with 24, while Spain only attempted 17. As a result, while not
being able to be the better side in terms of controlling possession, Germany had successfully
reduced the time that Spain controlled the ball and allowed them to make a relatively equal
number of shots that their opponent made (Germany’s 10 compared to Spain’s 12) while being
the leading side for the majority of the second half.

In the away match against Ukraine, a different scenario happened where, statistically speaking,
Spain were the dominated side and were supposed to win the match. They controlled 72% of
the ball possession compared to Ukraine’s 28%, while making almost four times the number of
passes that Ukraine made. Due to Ukraine opted to sit back in a 4-2-3-1 formation, it allowed
Spain to push their formation forward and created more chances.

But with 52% of those shots came from the middle area, and not to mention 29% of those
chances were long shots, it proved to be a tough day for Spain as they attempted to beat
Ukraine’s goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan. And with one quick counter-attacking situation, it was
able for Viktor Tsygankov to keep the three points for Ukraine.

Defensively, they look to press the opposition high up the pitch in order to force them to lose
the ball or make long balls forward. They are not afraid of pressing even near the opposition’s
box as they look to close down available passing lanes around the ball carrier and force him to
execute the mentioned intentions. With both centre-backs comfortable with winning aerial
duels, it allows them to push their defensive line forward to win second balls and regain
possession for the side.

 Noticeable young star: Pau Torres (Villarreal)

Undoubtedly, Spain are currently having a new core of talents that look to be very promising
and are ready to step up to replace the veterans. One of the talents that is currently playing a
key role in Spain’s squad is Villarreal’s centre-back Pau Torres. Why Pau Torres, instead of
Ferrán Torres, Sergio Reguilón or Dani Olmo, you may ask?

Most of Spain’s centre-backs are either entering their peak years or are currently going through
their final years of their career. The likes of Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué or even Iñigo Martínez
won’t be playing for long and they need a new leader to step up, which they have found in Pau
Torres. The 23-year-old is very comfortable with the ball, having registered an average of 59.5
passes per game with the completion rate of 85.4% for Villarreal last season, according to
WhoScored. He is also competent of making long balls to try to find the striker up front, having
registered 6.3 long balls per match last season.

He is also boasted with a great height in 1m91 (6’3), which allows him to dominate the
opposition in aerial battles. As his role is a stopper at Villarreal, he has a great defensive
awareness to identify where the ball will drop and intercept the pass before the opposition
player can reach it. An average of 2.48 successful pressures per 90 minutes last season
(according to FBRef) is a decent stat, considering that he is also not the type of player who
would dive into tackle (made 1.12 tackles per 90 minutes last season).

 Conclusion
In order to find their glory days back in the early 2010s back, Spain’s transition phase will be
considered as the most crucial phase where the veterans will look to support the younger
players in their last several international tournaments. ‘Euro 2021’ and World Cup 2022 will be
great opportunities for young players to showcase their talent alongside players who have been
through that golden period of Spain. The fans definitely have an expectation for them to be back
at their highest level, and this young core of players will hopefully bring the trophies back to its
rightful owner.