Road to the Euro Finals
As expected, the Spaniards hardly broke a sweat in their qualification campaign.
Apart from their second round (1-0) loss to Slovakia in Zilina, the Spaniards coasted through their relatively easy group. They conceded only 3 goals while pummeling 20 more into the opposition’s net.
Macedonia were first, scoring 1 but conceding 5! Slovakia stunned them with a victory, but Luxembourg were hit for 4. The Belarussians only fared a bit better, losing 3-0. Ukraine cut the deficit further, losing (1-0) to a single Morata goal.
David Silva edged the Belarussians out by the same scoreline, before Alba and an Iniesta spot-kick completed the revenge on Slovakia. The Macedonians were much better in their home pitch, only losing to an own goal in the 8th minute.
Santi Cazorla & Pablo Alcacer then netted a pair of braces in the 4-0 defeat of Luxembourg – oddly enough, neither of them were picked in the final squad; despite Alcacer finishing as their top scorer in qualification with 5 goals.
Their final match was a 1-0 victory in Kiev over the Ukrainians.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: The Spaniard’s have incredible strength in depth, boasting the widest array of ball-playing defenders and exquisite midfielders. Their greatest strength is not even a secret though – it’s the mastering of possession on a football pitch.
The Spaniards tend to play at least 5 to 6 midfielders in their squad, to ensure that they’ve always got someone available for a pass. Their movement isn’t as revolutionary as some other Spanish coaches might like (Mr. Guardiola), but they never stay still within their midfield block; attacking space, covering opponents and making the pitch small.
If they can hold the ball for long enough, then they absolutely have the players to hurt any team. Now, they’ve added some fearsome forwards to the mix – but will it work?
Weaknesses: Your biggest strength can also be your biggest failing – as Chile and Netherlands ruthlessly exposed in Brazil. Spain will always move as a large, midfield unit comprised of 3 or 4 players locking down geometric areas on the pitch.
If one can completely by-pass their positions on the field, then they will always be in trouble. Arjen Robben was the biggest exponent of this, catching Sergio Ramos out and tormenting him on the break.
Spain often seek to play a cohesive, flowing football – if you can cut up the game and prevent them from building momentum, their positions on the field will be in somewhat of a disarray. If you can hit them in that transition period, then they’re not always quick enough to recover – although Azpilicueta & Jordi Alba will object to that.
Our Prediction
Spain have consistently brought home the biggest prizes in club and international football in the past decade.
Their squad is chock-full of a plethora of dynamic, rapid and technically-gifted players capable of slotting in anywhere across the pitch. In Vicente del Bosque, they have one of the most gifted managerial minds in history, whose success at Real Madrid and the Spain national squad are unparalleled in the modern era.
In other words, unless world champions Germany or another top-notch contender does anything, the back-to-back champions are set to dominate once more. If they do, they will cement their legend as the most brilliant European team of all-time.
Upcoming Fixtures
07/06: Spain vs Georgia (Friendly)
13/06: Spain vs Czech Republic (Euro 2016)
17/06: Spain vs Turkey (Euro 2016)
21/06: Croatia vs Spain (Euro 2016)
