The Spanish national team, based on the results of the draw for the European Championship 2024, got into a real “death group”. Will Luis De la Fuente's team be able to surprise, or will their maximum reach the 1/8 finals? Sports tells about the Pyrenean team.
Healing after the Qatar failure On the way to the final round of Euro 2024, the Spaniards were just a little short of achieving a 100% result. They won seven victories in eight matches, losing only in the away match with the Scots. The national teams of Norway, Georgia and Cyprus, in turn, did not cause problems for De la Fuente's team, scoring only three goals between them in six meetings with this opponent.
The Spanish national team hit the opponent's goal 25 times, conceding a total of five goals. Qualifying for the European Championship showed that it managed to get rid of a number of problems that led to failure at the 2022 World Cup. The team has noticeably revived, returning to the fun football that fans have always expected from it.
First Enrique was fired, and then they wanted his successorAfter the elimination from the 2022 World Cup, Luis Enrique was dismissed as head coach, and his place was taken by Luis De la Fuente. Many expected to see a more stellar specialist in this position. But the leadership of Spanish football decided to rely on a person who knows how to work with youth. De la Fuente has led the youth national teams of Spain for many years, achieving very significant successes. Such as victory in the 2019 European Championship (under 21) and silver at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
His appointment was received ambiguously by many. And after the defeat from the Scots, there was immediate talk about a possible resignation. But the subsequent victory in the Nations League and reaching the final round of Euro 2024 were able to strengthen the position of the 62-year-old specialist. In any case, the upcoming tournament in Germany will put an end to the debate about the correctness of the appointment of De la Fuente.
Spain's star backboneIf we talk about the stars in the Spanish national team, we should start with Manchester City midfielder Rodri. De la Fuente, unlike Luis Enrique, moved the 27-year-old football player into the supporting zone, giving him more creative functions. Rodri has become a truly key figure in the renewed team. In the qualifying tournament, he spent 608 minutes on the field — more than any teammate.
Atlético forward Alvaro Morata is also in excellent shape for the Euro. He scored four goals in the selection, and in La Liga he became the top scorer among football players with Spanish citizenship — 15 goals. Also among the leaders of the Spanish national team it is worth highlighting goalkeeper Unai Simon and defender Aymeric Laporte. The latter retained his position, even despite the move from Manchester City to Al-Nasr. A key role will also be played by 32-year-old Dani Carvajal, an experienced and irreplaceable player in the defensive line.
< br>Yamal with a crazy price tag There are a lot of promising young people in De la Fuente’s team, which is quite logical. Many of them played under his leadership in youth teams. But I would especially like to mention 16-year-old Yamal. The best young footballer following the results of the Spanish Championship of the 2023/24 season has already managed to prove himself in the national team, scoring two goals and giving three assists in seven matches.
Barcelona is unlikely to want to part with such a talent, but if he succeeds at the Euro, his transfer value may well jump up from the 90 million euros already announced on the Transfermarkt portal. But back in August, the amount of Yamal’s transfer was estimated at just over 20 million euros. In the company of the main young talents who could reveal themselves at the Euro, I would really like to add another Barcelona football player — Gavi. But he is not going to the tournament.
Gavi tore his “crosses” This is the main loss of the Spaniards before the European Championship. The 19-year-old midfielder played in all eight qualifying matches, but in the meeting with Georgia he broke his crosses, leaving for a long time. Despite the fact that the Spanish national team concedes very little, the defense can still be called the most problematic line. Low variability in central defense could cost De la Fuente a lot.
The Spanish national team, after changing its coach, learned to control the course of the game without outright failures. Rodri's cementing role in the center of the field gave more freedom to the outside midfielders and variability in attack. You can confidently count on the fact that fans will not see boring zeroes in the Red Fury matches.
Exit from the “group of death” At Euro 2024, the Spaniards will play with the teams of Italy, Croatia and Albania. Despite the title of “group of death”, the Spanish team must leave it. Moreover — even from first place. After all, both the Croats and the Italians had already been beaten on their way to the Nations League title. But it is precisely the severity of their opponents in the group stage that can complicate the position of the Spaniards in the playoffs. To advance beyond the quarterfinals, De la Fuente must be very careful about the distribution of workloads and team tactics.
Schedule:
- June 15, 19:00 Moscow time/Spain — Croatia
- June 20, 22:00 Moscow time/Spain — Italy
- June 24, 22:00 Moscow time/Albania — Spain
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