As Argentina lifted their third World Cup 2022 title on Sunday it was a case of ‘what might have been’ for a few other nations.
Perennial losers England and Belgium are used to missing out on silverware, while Brazil and France had good reason to believe they would go all the way. And then there’s Spain. The 2010 World Champions and 2012 European Champions arrived in Qatar with a bright young team that had recently finished as runner-up in the UEFA Nations League.
The pre-tournament World Cup 2022 betting odds backed Spain to make the semi-finals… but it all went wrong when they came across Morocco in the Round of 16.
This early exit led to the resignation of head coach Luis Enrique and the appointment of his replacement, the former U21 coach Luis de la Fuente. But Enrique has nothing to be ashamed of, having put together a squad capable of beating the best. Yes, they fell short in Qatar but La Roja is a team for the future and they will be looking for silverware before very long, not just last four places.
Too Much too Young
There’s a saying in football which goes, ‘if they are good enough they are old enough’ and that rings loud and true in Spain’s national team. Barcelona’s midfield pair, Gavi at 18 and Pedri at 20, and their team-mate 20 year old Ansu Fati, alongside Nico Williams (20) and Ferran Torres (22) upfront make up an exciting creative unit, with the experience of Manchester City’s Rodri to hold things together.
There was a lot of pressure on Spain’s young team and they appeared to be ready to deliver. La Roja’s 7-0 destruction of Costa Rica was one of the standout World Cup 2022 results at the group stage but Enrique’s young guns failed to replicate that in the other games against Germany and Japan, picking up just one more point. Pedri was outstanding throughout the campaign as a box to box runner with great ball skills and a strong tackle. Barca’s Torres scored twice against Costa Rica while Gavi announced his arrival on the world stage with a sensational volley. But with youth comes inconsistency sometimes and that cost Spain in the end.
With Robert Lewandowski leading the Blaugrana’s charge in the second half of the campaign, they are the clear favorites to win the 2022/23 title at a SBOTOP price of 1.46. Torres, Gavi, Pedri and Fati are all key players in Xavi’s line-up; they are doing it week after week in La Liga but maybe the World Cup came a little too early for them.
Lack of a Cutting Edge when it matters
For such a creative unit Spain are solid at the back with the excellent Pau Torres alongside Aymeric Laporte at the heart of defence, while Rodri can also slot back into the rearguard if needed. But up front, La Roja is short of proven goal-scorers. The weight of leading the line fell on the shoulders of Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata and the 30-year-old was the only genuine center-forward in the 26-man squad. Busy, skillful players like Dani Olmo, Torres and Pablo Sarabia probed and schemed to try and find a way through, but few international defences have big holes to exploit. Morata scored a crucial goal against Germany and in the 2-1 defeat to Japan, as well as bagging an injury-time goal in the destruction of Costa Rica. In that game the whole Spain team looked capable of scoring but, when the going gets tough, the responsibility falls with Morata.
Against Morocco, he just wasn’t at the races and neither were the rest of the Spain team. The most damning statistic is that the favorites mustered only one shot on target in 120 minutes (and in the penalty shootout) despite having over 75 percent possession. Sarabia almost broke through in the final minute of extra time but his volley hit the post and flew to safety and the PSG man was one of three Spaniards to miss a penalty in the shootout. His effort incredibly hit the post again while Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets both saw their efforts saved by Lions keeper Bono.
Of course, Spain weren’t the only team to be frustrated by the Atlas Lions but a 0-0 draw and a blank in the shootout exposed the frailties Spain sometimes suffer in front of goal.
Enrique has had enough and a new era is about to be ushered in, but the core of this team will be around for a few years yet, they just need another lethal hitman.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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