Spain gird up their loins for the crunch clash against England at Wembley this Wednesday with a thumping 4-0 victory over minnows Macedonia in the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Grenada.
An own goal from full-back Darko Velkoski put La Roja ahead slightly after the half-hour mark, whereas Vitolo, Nacho Monreal and Aritz Aduriz piled more misery on the opposition in the second half as Spain matched Italy’s 4-0 win in Lichtenstein to keep things level at the top of group G.
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Here are some of the talking points from the night in Andalusia.
#1 Dearth of first-choice centre-backs gnaw at Spain
With the defending pillar of Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos sidelined with injuries, manager Julen Lopetegui was forced to revamp his backline and handed rare opportunities to Nacho and Marc Bartra. Both the youngsters have spent little time on the pitch this season, and their inexperience on the international front came to the fore as the hosts were unsettled at the back by a perky Macedonia side.
The Red Lions took the game to their mighty rivals and attacked at will. Veteran captain Goran Pandev and Daniel Mosjov, in particular, were live wires up front and were denied only by the brilliance of David de Gea. The Manchester United shot-stopper stood tall when all else failed and saved his side’s beacon during the initial stages of the match.
Nacho and Bartra were both unconvincing in their showings, mounting more pressure on Lopetegui ahead of the trip to London.
#2 Morata will have to fight for his place
With Diego Costa out injured, Alvaro Morata got a chance to stake a claim for the striking role, and just like his peers, failed to make it count. The Real Madrid hitman may have been firing on all cylinders for his club, but his performance last night did nothing to suggest it.
Also Read: Alvaro Morata says he gets along with Diego Costa better than Karim Benzema
The 23-year old plowed a lone furrow in the final third and was put out of his misery at the hour mark when Aritz Aduriz replaced him. Morata may have scored six goals in 10 substitute appearances this season, but his struggles in a Spanish shirt tell a different story.
#3 Aduriz – 35-years old and still going strong!
Very few players manage to plunder a litany of goals at his age, but Aritz Aduriz seems to be cut from a different cloth. A late bloomer in his career, the Athletic Bilbao striker has only improved with age and with another goal to his name, proved how valuable he is even at 35.
In just half an hour that he trudged the field, Aduriz emerged to be a more threatening presence in the attack than Morata, and consolidated a promising outing with a clinical strike 5 minutes from time.
8 - Aritz Aduriz has scored eight goals in his last seven games from just nine shots on target (club +
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 12, 2016). Fox. pic.twitter.com/xoeSZT8HJK
Having struck 10 times already this season, including the 5 he scored against Genk in the Europa League, Aduriz has been in a sparkling form this season and continues to go strong even at this age.
#4 Vitolo continues to grow in stature for Spain
One of the driving forces behind Sevilla’s excellent start to the season, Vitolo has carried the rich vein of form into the international stage. The 27-year old struck a beautiful header to double the Spain’s lead, and is now their joint leading goalscorer in the qualifying campaign with 3 goals in 4 appearances.
Vitolo has added a sense of directness and cutting edge to this Spain side that looked horribly forlon in the last World Cup and Euro cup tournaments and is firmly establishing himself as a vital cog in this new-look Spain side.
3 - Vitolo has scored in three of his last four appearances for
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 12, 2016
With the race for qualification in the group still watertight, Vitolo has all the capabilities to be the difference maker and give his side the upper hand over Italy in the coming games.
#5 Lopetegui’s real test still to come
Spain managed to eclipse their poor showings in the first-half with an improved performance after the break, but their shortcomings can come back to bite them when they head to Wembley to face England.
Although it’s just a friendly, the match comes as another litmus test for the Spanish manager Lopetegui, who replaced veteran manager Vincente del Bosque post the Euros. The former Porto honcho has had it easy thus far barring the game against Italy, but his 5-game unbeaten run as a manager will be put through the paces when he leads a weakened side to England.
With Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and Diego Costa all set to miss the trip, the 50-year old may have to experiment with his line-up once again.
