A year ago
The era of Luis de la Fuente did not begin in the best way. The Spain team has only played two games under the new manager, but can (and should) draw initial conclusions. In fact, the best way to check the level of a device is to compare it with the previous version. That's what to say:
Luis de la Fuente vs Luis Enrique. The turbulent World Cup in Qatar for an individual team like Luis Enrique ended up creating a stark divide among Spain's fans. A team with a very clear style died to its idea. A king died, put the king. And Rubiales ordered Luis de la Fuente to try to deflect La Roja's direction. Two games later, the conclusion is confusing, but clear. LIST
Here are the first notable differences. The national team has gone from having only one World Cup-born striker (Morata) to summoning four (Morata, Joselu, Norja Churches and Aspas). So, first of all, it is clear that De la Fuente wants to soften the great Spanish roadblock in Qatar:
purpose.
But the differences don't end there anyway. Looks like the new boss is clinging to meritocracy with calls from David Garcia and Nacho. Two centre-backs, unprecedented under Luis Enrique, but with great performances at their clubs. Eric Garcํa and Pau Torres, fixed at the previous stage, they didn't even make the La Rioja coach's list of 26.
Bringing in Iago Aspas and not calling Ferran Torres They made it clear that the team had changed course. As the Galicians say:
"Green always rewards".
The melon in goal won't open until June, when Unai Simon recovers from an injury and De la Fuente is forced to choose between the Athletic and Kepa goalkeepers.
ELEVEN
Luis de la Fuente's strong personality has established itself since the age of 11. Goodbye 4-3-3 and hello 4-2-3-1. A novelty is not fundamental, but it shows that the new attitude of the coach is a complete break with the past. The dual axis formed by Rodri and Mikel Merino is unlikely to be negotiable in this upcoming new phase.
De la Fuente wants the assistors to be midfielders, not defenders. In fact, he bets on professional centre-backs, ignoring his exit. Football is simpler:
Defensive defenders, assist midfielders and goal-scoring strikers. It's simple, it's complicated.
STYLE
"We don't have a plan B," Aspas said at a press conference. That was the message that the League repeated over and over again to call for the sacking of Luis Enrique. And, of course, the data seems to support this theory. Spain will win or die playing their style. And he died in front of the Moroccan wall without changing his strategy despite the collective desperation.
But will De la Fuente achieve this long-awaited Plan B? Yes and no. Surely the only differentiating factor is Joselu. A header like no other in La Liga almost completely upset the intentions of his teammates. Perfect for tight defense and direct play. Against Norway, the match went perfectly:
achieve two goals and plan B. Before Scotland, it was a different story.
And oddly enough, if we compare the Scots-Spanish and Moroccan-Spanish stats, we see very similar data. Possession rate over 75% and few shots on goal. That is a big problem that comes with La Roja and one that De la Fuente has yet to find a way to mitigate.
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