Luis de la Fuente And the Final Furlong

Ball possession is dead! Long live ball possession! The Spanish search for an identity has been a short lived endeavor. Much more problematic has been their proficiency in both penalty areas. Now, a man from within, who is more acquainted than most with that matter, strives to solve this issue— and at the same time complete a career arc to achieve acclaim at the elite level.

This tactical preview has been written by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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Luis Enrique left under a cloud at the end of 2022. His camp collapsed during the Round of 16 at the World Cup— and it was an entirely formulaic falloff. Ball possession can count for little if it does not produce penetration in the final third, and Morocco manufactured a victory thanks to a blueprint that other nations had already laid out in the group stage phase. Where would the federation proceed next?

Leadership looked inward at a familiar face. Luis de la Fuente is a man who has served his nation for the best part of a decade, slowly scaling the steps of stewardship at the institution. Both the U19 and U21 teams triumphed in his tenure at their respective EURO Championships, while the U23s secured silver medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The senior squad signaled the final rung on the ladder.

The last 15 months mostly have gone to plan. Their latest Nations League campaign culminated in a defeat of the Croatians in the final through a shootout, and the players only lost once on their way to this summer’s competition. How will this Spanish search for silverware strike out in Germany?

A signature Spanish style

Spain set out for success under Enrique with a legible layout in Qatar. They worked with variations of a 4-1-5 shape, continually circulating the ball between the three men in the middle of the park and the two central defenders. Trust in the technical caliber of the selection shielded the side from dangerous ball losses. And in each situation, all these figures knew what they had to do. Yet, if every one follows a plan without any strain of deviation, it is easier to predict and prepare on the part of the adversary.

Of course, the Spanish style extends its roots beyond the patterns of this playbook. The craft and care of the camp have long pointed to a strategy of patient possession. Operating with a relatively limited range of motion, the central six sets the tone of the structure with his movements and positioning as the anchor of the midfield. His main supporting cast, sitting to the left of the pivot, can keep control of the ball under pressure, sprays passes and takes note of free space to advance at the push of a button.

3^rd minute: offensive sequence from Spain in a 3-3 draw against Brazil during March 2024. Sitting at the base of the midfield, Rodri rotated behind Rodrygo and Lucas Paquetá to pin both players, giving Aymeric Laporte more time on the ball. João Gomes is cautious of a possible switch to Dani Carvajal behind the gambling Vinícius Júnior, so Dani Olmo becomes available to receive. Rodri knows he can support again, pulling out Bruno Guimarães, and as Paquetá also follows, Fábian is free to dribble.

Structure stretches into their arrival at the final third. Once the distances are too high, spaces are not so simple to shut down. De la Fuente has mentioned how an open duel does not suit the strengths of his players. His predecessor preferred a very broad arrangement on the ball to achieve this strategy. The wingers would stay wide on both sides of the pitch as two fixed points to find from switches and offer depth on the last line, so the three midfielders could maximize their space to secure possession.

Particularly against back fives, at least one winger sits in the block. But the players have not lost the feeling for the mechanical manipulation of the opposition. Central defenders carry the ball forward if a chance comes about: Laporte here is exemplary. If a fullback flies forward on the flank, the winger knows it is his place to come inward. There are still many attempts to get into gaps through underlaps. And the interlinear presence can encourage even more movement into the spaces behind the defense.

15^th minute: offensive sequence from Spain against Scotland in a 2-0 win from October 2023. Gavi had run off the back of the midfield, so Scott McKenna tracked him inside and Jack Hendry followed Morata as the striker dropped. Once Gavi moved away from the defense, Morata could occupy the defenders. Mikel Oyarzabal observes room inside Andy Robertson and attacks the last line. McKenna must twist around to see Laporte’s long ball: at this moment, Morata can separate inside the box.

De la Fuente and his favorites

The mark of the manager is most on this group where there are choices aplenty. Ball security, control, and midfield mastery are still synonymous with the Spanish identity. The quantity and quality of the options in the middle of the park are in abundance. Indeed, once Sergio Busquets bowed out from the national stage, his successor stepped forth without missing a beat. Rodri remains the boss at the base of midfield. Even though he is not the same spectacle against pressure, he is a more robust epicenter.

Rodri has the same number of defeats as Player of the Season nominations in the Premier League this season (0). 🤪

He's the only player with:

◉ 20+ shots on target
◉ 20+ chances created
◉ 20+ aerial duels won
◉ 20+ take-ons completed
◉ 20+ tackles made
◉ 20+ interceptions… pic.twitter.com/Kj9MiPCIuN

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 9, 2024

Further afield, de la Fuente fields figures from his former post. It has partly been out of need. Gavi is out of action with an ACL injury at the end of 2023, and problems have plagued Pedri’s body in the last year. Hence, he has handed out many minutes to Fábian Ruiz and Mikel Merino. Both were in his 2019 EURO U21 winning squad, featuring frequently as a supporting arm to Rodri in his selection.

Pedri played in the pair of preparatory friendlies against Andorra and Northern Ireland. He acted as the attacking midfielder since his creativity in tight areas is more precious. Earlier, de la Fuente filled the role with another old lieutenant. In March, Dani Olmo slotted a solo strike against Brazil. It is not the first time he has shown how he can blend an instinct for deep runs with quick processing of the ball to elude markers and increase danger. One should not be surprised to see him earn more minutes.

20^th minute: offensive sequence from Spain’s 7-1 triumph over Georgia in September 2023. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia moved out diagonally to close down Carvajal, while Marco Asensio sat on the inside shoulder of Irakli Azarovi. Gavi had started sprinting through the right halfspace; Luka Gagnidze chased him. Olmo had already foreseen this movement: he darted at the last line, broke off diagonally to receive on the half turn and fed Rodri with a layoff to the left where Jose Gayà was advancing.

All in moderation

The weak underbelly of Spain has been the heart of its defense. If Enrique was willing to bear frailty for the fulfillment of his ball dominant vision, de la Fuente has not been so ideologically inclined. He has invited Robin Le Normand, a born and bred Frenchman, to act as a mainstay in the middle of the rearguard. Neither Eric García nor Pau Torres stayed as pieces in this squad. Pau Cubarsí, a bright Barcelona prospect with proficient passing, also suffered at the slash from 29 to 26 individuals.

🔢 ¿Tenéis la camiseta de la @SEFutbol y queréis ponerle el número de vuestro jugador favorito?

Pues aquí os dejamos los 𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦 de España para la @EURO2024.

ℹ️ https://t.co/8cO6QjSwM9#VamosEspaña | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/nqWIPqmhrE

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 7, 2024

Even so, the back four is far from foolproof. Dani Carvajal and Jesús Navas are two faithful figures on the right of their rearguard, but the occupant of the left is less certain. Hamstring injuries have affected Álex Balde and Gayà. Jordi Alba has also hung up his boots for the Spanish squad. Critics will wonder if Álex Grimaldo, who has starred in a more offensive function as a wing-back for Bayer Leverkusen, can cover this position, and Marc Cucurella has suffered from shortcomings in his 1 v 1 posture. De la Fuente will lean on the counterpressure of his outfit to constrain cases of exposure.

A significant shift lies in the skillset of the wingers. Nico Williams will want to build on his breakout before the start of the World Cup. His electric burst of pace offers an alternative dynamic from the outside in the final third. Above all, the new prodigy in the camp is 16 year old Lamine Yamal, a right winger with a meteoric rise in the professional arena. He displays decision making beyond his age, starting and stopping his direct opponents with will. His club teammate, Pedri, testifies to the threat from too much playing time, but the danger of his daggered deliveries to the far post already allures.

35^th minute: offensive sequence from Spain’s 5-1 victory over Northern Ireland in June 2024. Navas chopped to the outside and released Yamal on the right wing. The fullback then supports his teammate on the overlap, while Yamal engages with his dribbling. He cuts inside Isaac Price, shifts his hips to fake to go back outward, and then creates the separation with a larger touch to cross to the far post. He finds Fábian in a zone of the box where Spanish midfielders have typically been absent in attacks.

Group of Death

The Spanish style under Enrique signaled stalemate in group stages. Despite expectations as favorites, three of their six games in this phase of EURO 2020 and the 2022 World Cup were draws. If compact collectives could absorb the few runs that they faced, then it was possible to allow their opponents to run down the clock. Ten goals from their two friendlies fortify faith in breakthrough power, but such fixtures should not be the only cornerstone of belief. Time will tell how much the tally truly translates.

4^th minute: offensive sequence from Spain’s 6-0 beating of Cyprus in September 2023. Laporte and Gayà transferred the ball to Williams as the wide man on the left flank. As he prepares to increase the tempo of his dribbling against Stelios Andreou, Merino motions away from Andreas Karo. Since Alex Gogić gives no cover through pushing out, Karo must double up on Williams or shadow the channel. He relinquishes Merino, and only a deflection denies the breakthrough. Ideal implementation of these runs, at least, generates unrest for deeper defenses that do not appropriately shuttle out to the wings.

Yet, this pool of four may mask that fault a little more than usual. Croatia closely mimics Spain. Their offensive forces cannot compare to the magic from the midfield, resistant to wear and tear with time. Meanwhile, Luciano Spalletti has implemented ideas as Italy’s new boss to reconfigure the routines in possession. Even if these countries concede the battle for the ball to the Spanish, de la Fuente’s men must anticipate the type of task to assert their authority that they would encounter in the latter stages.

That could call attention to another alteration in the playbook. Even if patterns play out differently, the Spanish still use a central six and two eights in a 4-3-3 arrangement on the ball. Now, however, their standard system no longer involves a man-oriented 4-1-4-1 press. In longer phases off the ball, the players push out from a 4-2-3-1 shape where the right central midfielder starts in the shadow of the striker. One ought to observe their height of engagement, enabling a cycle of control to continue.

Takeaways

The spirits in the Spanish media are not the highest. Luis Rubiales’ reign remains a controversy that clouds the affairs within their federation. The sporting institution has an image to clean up within the imagination of the people, and it cannot create a mirror of its perfect past. The latest generation is no longer as golden as at the start of the previous decade. Nonetheless, even if this team cannot replicate the feat of the women’s World Cup winners from last summer, it should not all be doom and gloom.

Spain are still Spain. Few can claim to have an assortment of players on the pitch who can control a contest with the ball to their level from a technical perspective. And, de la Fuente’s foundation in the processes of their playbook presents a positional paradigm that unites all eleven red shirts. The new tools in their repertoire might make a difference on the scoresheet, but the squad should stay steadfast in their belief in this identity. After all, adversity can be the best environment to cultivate community.

We decided to make all of our EURO 2024 articles free to read. If you want to support our work, consider taking a subscription.