Midfield
This is where Del Bosque always faces the biggest dilemma, especially after Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso’s retirements, respectively. With the absence of the aforementioned two, Spain find a huge gap to fulfill. Thankfully for them, however, they have the players who can do exactly that.
Sergio Busquets remains the indispensable member of the team as his position in front of the defense is unprecedented. It was with him at the base of midfield that Spain’s World Cup and Euro successes were laid on. He remains brilliant as ever and there should be no question about his place in the team.
Ahead of him, Andres Iniesta is another default name. After a patch of stagnating form, he was back with the bang last season and has continued the good work ever since. His magical maneuvers on the pitch is what makes the difference for Spain as he can turn the game on its head with just a single touch.
For the last slot, Koke would be the ideal choice. Even though Thiago Alcantara was touted to be Xavi’s heir apparent, Koke’s rise coupled with Thiago’s constant affairs with injuries has made the Atleti midfielder a regular member of del Bosque’s playing XI.
This 3-man midfield of Busquets, Koke and Iniesta perfectly complements each other as each player is an entirely different type of a midfielder to his partners.
Attack
One of the reasons for Spain’s failure at the World Cup two years ago was their lack of goal-scoring forwards. There was once a time when their frontline of Fernando Torres and David Villa was considered the most terrifying in the international scene. Now, however, it isn’t the case.
Yet, Spain fans can hope.
With the rise of Nolito and Alvaro Morata, they now have two genuine goal-scorers in their roster that perfectly counterpart each other. While Nolito attacks from the left and scores a great many goals after cutting in, Alvaro Morata’s elegance and power in the center shakes defenses to the point of nihil existence.
The Juventus forward also has a knack of scoring the most important of goals and is the complete package with his height and speed.
For the final slot at right-wing, Lucas Vazquez should be the first choice name. However, the most likely player here would be David Silva, but he doesn’t provide the width or the defensive contribution that the Real Madrid man does.
Also, with Nolito cutting inside from the left with his right-foot, the system would become severely narrow with Silva doing the same. Hence, Vazquez seems like the ideal choice as his cunning and street-smartness could be the best assistance for the other two forwards.
Formation
Spain are one of the very few teams that have a set style of play. However, this will be the first tournament in 8 years where they will play without a double-pivot. With the absence of Xabi Alonso, and the lack of a player of his mould, Spain now line up with a single pivot of Busquets who is closely partnered by Koke and Iniesta.
In Spain’s 4-3-3, Bellerin and Alba take the right and left-back slots, respectively. Ramos will hold his ground on the right side of central defense with Pique to his left. In front of them, Sergio Busquets lies as the holding midfielder with Koke and Iniesta in front of them to his right and left, respectively.
Finally, in attack, Morata will take the striker’s spot with Vazquez as the right-winger and Nolito as the left-forward—in what could be Spain’s most devastatingly complementary attacking trio as of yet.
