Spain 4-0 Faroe Islands: 4 Talking Points

On a night when Spain barely got out of second gear, they were fortunate to beat Faroe Islands 4-0, thanks to braces from Rodrigo and substitute Paco Alcacer. It seems to have been the norm with Spain right through this European Qualifying campaign. They have underperformed in almost every game so far but managed to get the win in every instance, so far.

The night started well for Spain, Rodrigo getting on the scoreboard within 15 minutes with a goal that could've possibly been ruled out for offside, but stood nonetheless. It would be only after half-time that Rodrigo would score again to double Spain's lead.

Faroe Islands would go close on a couple of occasions before full-time, making David de Gea work after a long period of inactivity in the game. A couple of goals within the space of five minutes at the end of the game from the substitute Paco Alcacer sealed off a sixth consecutive win for Spain in 2020 Euro Qualifying to put them on 18 points at the top of the table.

Here are four talking points from the game.

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#4 Thiago was sublime in the midfield

Operating in tight spaces, Thiago was able to find his team-mates with quick and accurate passes

On a night when Spain were largely off colour, Thiago's performance in midfield stood out. While all else was dawdling and slow, the Bayern Munich midfielder played his passes quickly and tried to raise the tempo of the game.

Considering that the ball was recycled plenty of times after the deep defensive line of Faroe Islands thwarted one attack after the other, he became more entrenched in the game. As the game progressed he began to make forays into the box as well. A warranted move considering Sergio Ramos was more or less functioning as an attacking midfielder for large parts of the game.

There's definitely room in this Spain midfield for a man of his quality and speed of thought. It'll be up to Robert Moreno to integrate Thiago into the Spain midfield with more regularity.

#3 Spain lack width

Oyarzabal and Suso both tended to drift inside

What followed Rodrigo's early goal was a set of pretty toothless Spain attacks where they attempted a number of crosses from deep, mostly aimed at the Valencia forward. It seemed a fairly pointless exercise that both Spain and Faroe islands were comfortable repeating till half-time.

The second half saw Spain try some of the stuff they're more familiar with and play through the middle but were thwarted time and again by a crowded central block.

The one tactic that they probably should've attempted at some point in the game, running in behind the defensive line and taking the ball to the byline wasn't feasible with the personnel they had on the pitch. Both Mikel Oyarzabal and Suso tended to gravitate centrally rather than take on their man on the outside.

Perhaps the future holds more promise with the likes of Dani Olmo coming through the ranks. Jesus Navas could be another option and Alba when in the fray again can do what he does best.

#2 Jose Gaya, the heir apparent to Jordi Alba

Gaya provided a potent threat down Spain's left flank

Apart from Thiago, another bright spark for Spain was Jose Gaya on the left flank. Perhaps not at every occasion, but the primary threat for Spain in terms of getting behind their defence was offered by Gaya.

On multiple occasions, he got into good positions just by staying wide while Oyarzabal moved centrally. Had the ball been played into the space ahead of him more regularly, Spain could've been absolutely rampant in the game.

As the game wore on, he started to get into the box as well and had a couple of chances himself but couldn't finish them off or failed to find a teammate till the 92nd minute when he found Alcacer with a low cross and put Spain 4-0 up. Jordi Alba will still start most games for Spain, but should Gaya's services be needed, Spain will not miss their first-choice left-back.

#1 A tale of two strikers

Paco Alcacer's quickfire brace makes this win look more dominant than it was

Both Rodrigo and Paco Alcacer got braces on the night, but they were incredibly different in nature. The Valencia forward, who started the game, could've had more but squandered some chances. While the goals he did get had an element of fortune in both instances. Regardless, he seems like a striker who is more comfortable playing alongside another frontman. It allows him more freedom to roam and create chaos in the opposition defence.

Once Alcacer came on late in the game, the movement of the two, paired with the fatigue of the Faroes, created pockets of space in the area for Spain. A couple of runs that took Thiago and Gaya closer to the byline and allowed them to find Alcacer centrally created two quick chances for the substitute forward. The sublime finishing from the Dortmund man made the difference in the end.