Spain – Croatia: Spanish Success Strays From The Status Quo (3-0)
An identity should not slow success but only act as a platform from which further achievement can arise. Spain showed that the tools exist to enable this development. Though their standard style put a pinch on the Croatians for only a section of this showing, demise did not follow.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
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Spain start their first siege on serious silverware without Luis Enrique since 2018. Their new leader leveraged his way through the ranks of the federation to take charge of the senior squad for the last 18 months. Luis de la Fuente’s faith is still in the same style of positional play that has marked out one of the most recognizable models of football on the continent. However, his central challenge, aside from all the controversy, has been the perfection of proficiency in the places that matter— the two boxes.
Croatia can claim to be one of a few nations with the midfield mastery to mimic the Spanish strength on the ball. Its secret is no sophisticated strategy or school of thought. Rather, it is the magic made through the eternal stardust of its men in the middle of the park. A lack of lights-out talent in the final third signals stalemates more often than not, but two defeats to La Roja in the Nations League final and the last edition of the EUROs evoke a passion to bring about success on this opening matchday.
Zlatko Dalić decided to trust the eleven players who partook in a 2-1 win over Portugal at the end of last week. Josip Stanišić and Joško Gvardiol, two trained central defenders, were on the right and left of the back four. The timeless trident of Marcelo Brozović, Mateo Kovačić, and Luka Modrić were in the middle of the park. An ACL injury has hurt the minutes of Ivan Perišić for almost nine months. So, Andrej Kramarić kept his place as a left winger. Ante Budimir also operated as their striker.
De la Fuente fielded the same selection from Spain’s friendly at home against Northern Ireland for a 5-1 victory. Marc Cucurella claimed the spot on the left of their back four in place of Álex Grimaldo. Nacho and Robin Le Normand nailed down their partnership at the heart of the defense. Rodri acted as an anchor, Pedri played as the most advanced midfielder, and Fábian filled the final slot in their midfield. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal looked for leadership of the offense from Álvaro Morata.
The predictable pattern
These two nations know how to handle the ball. Spain started stitching their network of passes in the opening stage of the clash. Their usual processes played out against any pressure. Fábian fell back further to the left of Rodri as a secondary passing option from the midfield in the buildup. The Croats engaged in a 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1 system where Kovačić closed in on Rodri, while Modrić moved most out of the three central midfielders. However, the room behind him was accessible time and again.
Rodri’s sense of space and structure sent signals to spook his marker and buy an extra yard of space. Once Fábian could push up upon the security of possession, he was free to forge room to receive on the outside, while Morata moved onto the offside line. Pedri also had the skill to separate from Brozović as attacks alternated from the right to the left. Even if penetration in the final third had not arrived, the Spanish were setting out their stall to bring about success with their patient probing.
7th minute: offensive sequence from Spain. Rodri tipped to the right of the center circle and Nacho was slightly advanced of Budimir. He and Kovačić shift to cover the passing lane, so Rodri rotates his hips to his right, setting out a pass to Pedri. His teammate traces his steps to return the ball. Rodri’s stride pattern suggests he would then look for Fábian, but the ball runs across his body to go back to Nacho. Cucurella and Williams widen and Fábian advances, so Modrić must delay any pressure.
Croatians call time on Spanish supremacy
De la Fuente’s men marshaled their opponents in a 4-2-3-1 system. High pressure pinned the play in enemy territory, but this phase faded after the first ten minutes. Their three mainstays in the middle of the park not only offer a high quality of ball retention with dribbling and passing but also equip themselves with more than a decade of experience to know how to take the sting out of an affair.
14th minute: offensive sequence from Croatia. Modrić and Kovačić had both dropped deep in their respective halfspaces while Brozović retreated from a higher position to the side of Modrić. As Fábian stepped forward, Brozović could punch a pass between the lines into the feet of Stanišić, whose run immediately followed a wide layoff pass. Rodri tracked him, and since Cucurella had caught himself between options, he ultimately leaves Kramarić inside free to find a switch leftward.
As a foundation, Modrić and Kovačić dropped deeper much more often. The Spanish midfield would have to push out a long way at the risk of chasing shadows, so the two central midfielders managed to secure a higher share of the ball. Stanišić sometimes switched lanes with Lovro Majer, increasing the range and number of movements close to the ball, and Brozović brought more presence to the outside of the formation away from Pedri. By the 25th minute, Croatia had controlled 54% of the possession.
Kramarić likes to come short for the ball and was the main target of passes between the lines. Budimir and Gvardiol were the only outlets to beat the back four beyond the winger, but the plan was working.
Croatian collapse
The Croatians calmed the storm through their circulation, but errors stirred up strife at the center of the defense. On the verge of the half hour mark, Marin Pongračić pumped the ball past the halfway line, turning the heads in the opposition rearguard. Nacho dueled at the first battle in the air, and Cucurella cleared the danger. Rodri reacted with a layoff pass for Fábian, who fed a free roaming Morata. Šutalo split toward Williams, and the striker strode into the box, slotting a shot into the net.
Álvaro Morata levels on third place in the all-time topscorers in EURO history 🔝💪 pic.twitter.com/9vZ07XICEX
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) June 16, 2024
The Spanish smelt blood. Cucurella chucked a fast throw-in at Pedri, whose set to Rodri released Yamal on the switch. His work was spellbinding, reading that it would be better to hold onto the ball at a second attempt of a possible breakthrough before darting off on a diagonal deep run. The activity dragged the defense to the left, and Fábian found a pocket on the edge of the penalty area. He chopped away from Modrić and shifted inside Brozović before picking out a corner with a one-step finish.
The contest was complete by half time. Carvajal cut inside square pressure from Kramarić and clipped the ball beyond the last line, where the willing running from Williams posed a problem to Stanišić. Pongračić could have passed to the forward facing right back to steer the action away from their goal, but his caution cost a corner. The set-piece routine rotated the ball back to Yamal on the outside, and he whipped a delivery onto the edge of the six yard box, where Carvajal converted a third effort.
All out of luck
Management of minutes commenced at the hour mark. Pedri made way for Dani Olmo. Olmo then moved to the left wing in place of Williams, Mikel Merino stepped in on the left of the midfield, and Fábian filled the hole to the right of Rodri. Dalić decided that he would rest his reliable generals in the midfield: Kovačić and Modrić also departed the field. The triumph was in the bag for the Spanish.
Dreams deflated truly in the final fifteen minutes. Unai Simón slipped up in his area. Le Normand fed the ball back to the goalkeeper, who drove a pass into the body of Majer. The forward squared the ball to Bruno Petković, and Rodri reeled him in with a tackle. The referee awarded a penalty and only a yellow card. Simón saved the subsequent strike from twelve yards with a dive to his right, and Perišić, who assisted Petković from the rebound, had encroached too early, rendering it an illegal shot at goal.
Takeaways
Spain’s best campaigns have not been fast and furious from the beginning, and there was restraint that underlay this outcome. Before this outing, the country counted 136 competitive clashes since 2008, when the share of possession went their way. The end of that streak does not signal a complete shift from old ways of working, but it does point out how new profiles can carve out different openings.
Croatia could claim some redeemable elements from this display. However, if the team cannot call on offensive strength to vie for victories, their signature stalemates shall demand much more security— and possibly a rethink of the men in their back four. A place in the Round of 16 is still possible, but all eyes are on how the fixture between Spain and Italy will aid or ail their prospects of progress.
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