Spain will go into the Euros in Germany as one of the favourites to go far in the competition, although few are picking them as a winner. It will see manager Luis de la Fuente take charge of his first major competition since taking over from Luis Enrique too.
He did guide Spain to a trophy in the Nations League in 2023, securing a win over Croatia on penalties, after beating Italy in the semi-finals. It was ‘Lucho’ who got them to the final four, but de la Fuente used that platform to deliver a first trophy to La Roja since Euro 2012, over a decade earlier. Many Spanish fans will still fancy their chances though, and with high demand across the continent, they may be looking into how to find and buy Euro 2024 tickets.
Luis Enrique’s side had gotten to the 2020 (held in 2021) Euros semi-finals, where they lost on penalties to eventual winners Italy, their best run in a major tournament since the 2012 Euros. On the other hand, his side also had a familiarly sickening feeling with their 2022 World Cup defeat on penalties to Morocco – as happened against Russia in 2018.
Spain‘s biggest issue, ultimately, is they they still struggle to solve a well-organised defence. Luis Enrique’s side also went to penalties with Switzerland in that same competition, and it’s been a theme of their recent history.
When La Roja won the World Cup with Vicente del Bosque, they still had to get past Paraguay on penalties, but generally had the talent to find at minimum a goal against a side that battled well in their own half, looking to counter. This time round de la Fuente will not have that level of talent, but Luis Enrique did still lay the basis of a strong team and system for de la Fuente to build off.
One of the differences between de la Fuente and Luis Enrique is that the former is less idiosyncratic. He will play a possession-based game and look to dominate, but neither will he stick to plan A if he does not feel it is working. Without the likes of Fernando Torres or David Villa to put away the goals, what de la Fuente can do is use a variety of resources available to him.
The presence of Joselu Mato resembles that of Fernando Llorente, as a different option, while Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz’s inclusion suggests a desire to add some ballast in the middle of park, rather than rely purely on control. While Luis Enrique made his personality thet of the team, de la Fuente is more a hand at the tiller, and will allow the players to shape the game to a degree.
This can go too far the other way, as de la Fuente will need to ensure his side has enough of an identity to deal with pressure from the likes of Croatia, Italy, Germany, England or France. De la Fuente is fundamentally a different character to most of his predecessors though, and it’s something he should use to his advantage.
Well he is winning, that should be difference enough.