England 1-2 Spain: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis

#3 Spain had more variety and fluidity in the middle of the park

Saul ran the game from the midfield for Spain

Andres Iniesta’s retirement from the international stage has left a huge void in Spain’s current squad, and the new manager would be tasked with finding the appropriate midfield trio to suit Spain’s style of play.

While on paper Isco started from the left wing, the Real Madrid man’s first instinct was to peg deeper on the field and then carry the ball ahead by forming a combination of passes with Thiago and Saul.

Sergio Busquets did not exactly shield the defence but was rather the first person to initiate attacks with some well-timed, crisp passes from deeper areas of the midfield.

With Isco somewhat shifting inwards, the whole dynamic of the team reversed and that allowed Rodrigo and Iago Aspas more space in and around the box.

Moreover, there was more fluidity in Spain’s midfield movements, as they tended to recover possession quickly and then move it ahead after a series of sideway passes.

The fact that England lacked a proper holding midfielder meant that Spain’s dominance on the ball restricted the creative movements that Dele Alli and Lingard were supposed to make.

Jordan Henderson endured an indifferent outing too, as the England international could not decipher Spain’s movements at the centre of the park and was sort of left isolated whilst screening the backline. He couldn’t offer defensive solidity and was rather wasteful with the ball too.

Accordingly, after having registered a quick lead, Spain managed to stamp their dominance over the game with their versatility in the midfield, with each player swapping roles according to the demands of the situation and thus pushing the English line of defence further back on the field.