Euro 2020 – Slovakia – Spain – Why La Roja can’t do it: Sterility, fragility, mediocrity

Next destination of the ball, Jordi Alba. Once launched, the Barça side will be able to center. Among the 15 assists delivered this season by him, the majority emanated from his famous center set back at ground level. The 16th could be on the way. In the box, Morata is ready to start his race. But instead of arriving in space, the ball hits the feet of a stopped Jordi Alba. He passes it on to Pedri, who sticks it closely. In this month of June, the little magician of the Canaries seems to have forgotten his tricks. Under his tutelage, the ball lives less well than in the fall. Pedri self-censors once more, new back pass. Spain is at the median, you have to start all over again.

To explain this ignition delay, the easy explanation would be to mention once again the decline of La Liga, the weakness of the Spanish list compared to that of other great footballing regions, the incomprehensible choices of Luis Enrique or the preparation truncated by the positive test of Sergio Busquets. But in this month of June, it would be wrong.

Trapped in her style

Against Sweden, Spain broke the possession record since this statistic was recorded in the Euros. And since a team having 85% possession before 1980 is a highly unlikely eventuality, let’s say Spain had the greatest possession in the history of the competition. Four days later, it was off again: the ball was in Spanish feet 76% of the time.

Qualified as the queen of defensive possession at Euro 2012, Spain’s Del Bosque averaged “only” around 65% ball retention throughout the tournament. For now, Luis Enrique’s side are pulverizing that score, and that’s not exactly good news.

So obviously, a football match is played for two. On the one hand, Spain’s opponents do not hesitate to barricade themselves on the outskirts of their surface, certain of the success of their approach. On the other hand, this Spain continues to persist with an idea of ​​football that it is no longer able to carry out, without having a raw material allowing it to play differently. Lucho and his gang are at an impasse.

“The offensive phase against a team withdrawn into its own area is clearly the most difficult phase. In fact, it clearly depends on the individual quality of the players. It’s hard for Spain, France, Brazil, City, Barça and Real“admitted Luis Enrique after the draw against Poland. In his answer, the coach identifies the key: the level of the players. In addition to being less well equipped technically than their predecessors, the Spanish internationals of the moment also have a personality deficit on the field (notice, the two are perhaps linked: less ease therefore less courage with the ball at the foot).

To send off large doses of possession while having responsible use of the ball, you have to be willing to lose it. You do not unbalance an opponent without agreeing to unbalance yourself. Problem, this Spain claims to rebel against this football law. Not making leather high on her list of concerns. She clings to the ball like a corrupt politician to her parliamentary immunity.

Thus the safety passes follow one another ad infinitum, the shots are rare and the dribbles even more. Only nine dribbles attempted against Sweden. Against Poland, 13 dribbles undertaken for four successful. The ball catches follow the policy of the bare minimum, the policy of zero risk taking. This is all the more the case when the chronometer plays against it: the minutes advance, frustration is felt, the number of races decreases, so do individual initiatives. As a last resort, the eleven are found mechanically to water the center surface with inconclusive results (22% of successful crosses on this Euro).

Fear of losing

The team plays as if the plan (“take the ball and make it ours, when we have to defend, press high and recover as close as possible to their goal“said Lucho) was enough for himself. As if the one who was going to win games was the plan and not the players who embody it. Ultimately, as if each of his insipid passes were drops of water crashing on the forehead of a prisoner of war cloistered in his silence and that after 800 of them, the latter would inevitably end up spitting the piece, unable to resist this torture any longer.

“Spain was a lead team, without lights or framework. The formality of tikitaka and nothing more. La Roja does not lack a good ration of passes but it is not enough. Football requires a different rhythm, imbalance, movement, ingenuity, deception“summed up The country the day after the second draw. Two matches, 1,625 assists, 151 attacks, ten shots on target, an unfortunate little goal.

If the risk-taking in the game of La Roja are starved, it is because the loss of the ball, Spain knows itself quickly exposed. Unable to replicate the Danish or Italian intensity when pressing at a loss, in difficulty in the great outdoors with the Rodri-Laporte-Pau triangle, each lost bullet can lead to drama. Faced with a dead Sweden from within, it can pass (and again, alone, Isak has created damage).

On the other hand, faced with a more ambitious Poland, there is plenty to worry about. “Against Sweden it was continuously attacking, attacking, attacking and waiting for the opportunity to win the game. Today, Poland has pretended at any time to come out of its surface to generate problems for us in transitions and there have been times when it has pressed high“said Luis Enrique when explaining the difficulties of his team. Poland and Sweden have shown it, it is enough to arrive once in the Spanish surface to find a treasure.

What Luis Enrique could do

Despite these difficulties, Spain could perfectly well have won their two matches… if the attackers had arrived on time for their meeting with the goal. Unfortunately, they missed their train. Whistled by part of the Cartuja, Morata was the number 1 talking point in the country before the match against Poland, so much so that the Federation and the coach mounted a real pro-Morata campaign.

In a remake of “give me Zidane and 10 pieces of wood“from Sir Alex Ferguson, Luis Enrique even found a very catchy slogan:”Morata and ten more” (“Morata and ten more“). “At the international level, there is only one player who has scored more goals than Morata in 40 caps, it is Harry Kane. Kylian Mbappé for example or Werner, Bale, Lewandowski … all of them scored less than Morata in their first 40 caps“Luis Enrique released the most calmly in the world at the end of his eulogy.

Morata’s supporters and detractors have since still disagreed on his case as Harry Kane’s equal scored before missing the empty goal against Poland. At least, this match made it possible to bring out a unanimously shared observation: Spain needs to play with Gerard Moreno. Established on the right of the attack, Spain’s top scorer of the season was one of the few satisfactions of the match against Lewa’s side. Spain can not do without his movements (which free the corridor to Marcos Llorente), his aggressiveness without the ball, his ability to get into a striking position and his leadership.

In this regard, the tenure of Thiago and Azpilicueta would also be welcome. Spain needs players who do not hide. They also need a Luis Enrique who can improve the team during the match with his changes. This was the case against Sweden, not against Poland. To the list of necessities, also add attackers cured of their trembling and remobilized public. To avoid premature elimination, Spain will need it.