The Spanish team has earned the admiration of fans and journalists who are always waiting for the Euro Cup. This is to their credit because they were not included in the promotional poster for the tournament and there were serious doubts about their aspirations, even in Spain. Expectations were lower due to the absence of stars and the disagreements experienced in recent championships, especially in the World Cup, where they were eliminated in the last editions against Russia and Morocco. Such was the skepticism that, if their opening matches against Croatia and Italy and then against Albania were noticed, it was because of the uncertainty, a circumstance that ended up being an advantage because from the difficulty posed by the quality of their opponents, a Spanish team was discovered that played very good football, much better for example than France and England and perhaps Germany.
The match against the hosts is billed as the quintessential match of the competition after the good performances of both sides and the recent precedents, especially the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup, when a header from Puyol qualified the Spaniards for the final, beating the Netherlands. That was a very German goal for a team that was particularly nourished by the sophisticated football of Barça, the character of the Madrid players and the know-how of Del Bosque, after the revolution of Luis Aragonés. The title sublime the model devised by Cruyff and developed by Guardiola. The cult of that way of playing ended when the team that was world champion and twice European champion lost itself in an exercise of self-absorption called tiki-taka to underline its harmlessness and unviability without Xavi, Iniesta or Busquets.
The loss has been such that the last trophy won in 2023 in the Nations League was not even celebrated. It is not even clear that the ideal football formula has finally been found in Germany. The news is in any case that the team has not suffered any attack of style or fury, nor of dogmatism, far from imposture and embraced good taste for the game, common sense, with no other challenge than trying to win each game as if it were the last until reaching the final on the 14th if possible. Theirs is a socialized football, without godfathers or slavery, freed from debt, from personal and tactical yokes, far from noise, conflict and tension, independent of the clubs and the bipolarity of the League. It is not an author’s team, but plural and seductive from the self-esteem, harmony and variety of the game arranged by de la Fuente.
Although it is a team designed to keep the ball, dominate, attack and press, it can also counterattack and no one cried foul, just as losing possession does not mean giving up your identity, especially if you win 3-0. The team is stretched out and no longer spins the game, as happens with England – turned into a washing machine by Southgate – nor does it use the ball to rest and ensure that nothing happens – an example could be France – but rather it uses the pass to hurt the opponent and resorts to shooting to finish plays, avoid counterattacks and overcome walls like the one in Georgia. The ball does not go from foot to foot, it travels quickly and vertically, with just a few touches, from one side to the other, moved by changes of direction so that the wingers who open the field face and overflow, helped by the full-backs converted into midfielders, and crown a unique display in the Euro Cup.
Spain is a modern team that boasts two wingers who reconcile it with classic football, players who have replaced midfielders and false strikers, players who also function as soloists without losing the sense of team, protagonists of the tournament above Mbappé or Cristiano Ronaldo. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams symbolise the change of footballing style in Spain. Dribbling and deception, the ability to accelerate and slow down, are highly appreciated technical gestures in a football that has recently become very uniform, physical and predictable, more concerned with not conceding than challenging, without the risk that Spain takes. The team has very clever and creative players and, at the same time, enjoys being a collective, without unleashed egos – the only debate is whether Pedri or Olmo should play – and acts naturally since Spain stopped playing against Spain.
The question is whether such a vaunted team will be mature enough to take on Germany and beat a host team at the European Championship or the World Cup for the first time. Some Germans have already arrogantly noted a certain childishness and naivety typical of a youth team in their opponents on Friday in Stuttgart. It is not yet known how such a versatile and skilful team will respond when attacked and given away chances, as happened at times in the opening game against Croatia. It should not be overlooked, however, that Spain is one of the teams that commits the most fouls – especially to facilitate the retreat – and has only conceded one goal, and an own goal – Le Normand. The question is whether the two teams have found their way after sharing success and loss for so long until reaching Euro 2024.
While waiting for the reunion, the Spanish team’s journey in Germany has been very worthwhile because it has managed to be the protagonist of the tournament due to its good football, without any propaganda and with a federation in permanent crisis since Rubiales left, always attached to the field and far from the hustle and bustle of the pre-match and the hangovers, so that each of its matches is awaited with the greatest expectation in the Euro Cup.
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