It is over a decade since Spain last won their trio of major honours at international level, but it is a triumph that still echoes through their game – for good and bad.
There is talk in Spain of the ‘lost generation’ of players that should have been peaking at the 2022 World Cup, a squad that was made up primarily of youngsters and veterans. Equally, part of the attraction of first Luis Enrique Martinez and now Luis de la Fuente as Spain managers was their ideas to ‘update’ what became so successful.
The comparison across generations is interesting, because there are a number of instances where Spain have attempted to play like their predecessors, and failed dramatically – that was in evidence against Morocco in Qatar.
Yet there is no doubt that many of their best players are modelled off the heroes of the past. Rodri Hernandez is no Sergio Busquets, but his use of the ball is close as he can get. Meanwhile the great standard bearer of the new generation is Pedri, who has been compared to Andres Iniesta by perhaps the player who knew him best – Xavi Hernandez.
When Spain won the 2012 Euros, they took their midfield domination to the next level with Cesc Fabregas playing as a false nine. The impact of that can arguably be seen in the lack of natural number nines in the Spain squad now. Alvaro Morata continues to occupy that role, with 33-year-old Joselu Mato the great revelation for de la Fuente.
There is hope with the Nations League victory that the corner has been turned though. Spain came close in the 2021 Euros, and just getting over the line will help them mentally in the 2024 edition. Those who feel they have a serious shot at victory in Germany may want to head to uk betting sites in order to get ahead of the game.
While that Spain side led by Fabregas were perhaps the height of their possession obsession, and maybe that is the style that lingers most in the memory as the legend of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Xabi Alonso and David Silva grows. Yet those first two tournaments had Fernando Torres and David Villa heavily involved, while Jesus Navas – still going – would come on to add width and a direct mindset to those teams, as was the case for Fernando Llorente.
Perhaps Spain are on the cusp of rebalancing their mindset – maintaining the ball is at the heart of their identity, and will always be for the likes of Pedri, Gavi and Rodri, who look to the success of the past. But along with that must come a healthy variation of ideas.
