3 Factors which have plagued the Spanish National team in the past few years

Spain lost to Croatia 2-3 in a UEFA nations league match on Thursday and thereby jeopardized their own chance of qualifying for the next phase. It was Spain’s second consecutive loss after they had been defeated 3-2 by England in October.

Jedvaj scored a brace for Croatia and Kramaric scored the other while Ceballos and Sergio Ramos found the back of the net for Spain. Spain conceded a goal in the dying minutes of the game after Ramos had equalized in the 78th minute from the penalty spot.

The dismal show continues for the Spanish national team, who have not been able to win any major knockout fixture since their triumph in the 2012 Euros. Newly appointed coach Luis Enrique made a bright start with a win over England at the Wembley and a resounding 6-1 win against Croatia at home, but the last 2 matches have again exposed the frailties of the side.

Here we look at 3 crucial reasons behind the poor form of the Spanish National side:

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#1 Frequent changes in the starting eleven

Suso has played well for Milan

Spain are spoilt for choices in midfield and attack and have a lot of options to pick their starting eleven. However, it also means that they have not been able to settle on a starting XI.

Players like Rodrigo, Aspas, Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio are still not sure of their places in the starting line-up and as a result, the forwards have not been able to develop a coordination within themselves.

The scenario is slightly better in midfield, where Saul Niguez and Dani Ceballos are regular starters and have been contributing to the team’s cause as well. However, players like Thiago Alcantara and Koke are yet to cement their place in the side in spite of being present for quite a few years now.

Luis Enrique should also consider giving starts to players like Suso, who has been a consistent performer for AC Milan. He was introduced in the second half as Spain were trailing 1-2 and it was one of his cross that led to the penalty.

He is good dribbler, can deliver good crosses and therefore, can be an asset for the team on the right flank. He has earned only 3 caps so far for Spanish national side and should definitely feature in more matches in the future.

#2 Vulnerability against counter-attacks

Spain have been in a defensive mess

Spain have made a habit of conceding goals from counter-attacks and the opposing teams have exploited that weakness. They typically play a lot of short passes in the middle and final third and therefore, have to employ a lot of players in those areas.

As a result, whenever they lose possession, their players do not have the time to fall back and intercept the counter-attacks. Croatia had almost scored twice against them from such counter-attacks and England had punished them in a similar way in the previous match.

Sergio Busquets, Spain’s defensive midfielder, is not a hard tackler and therefore, cannot be trusted to stop fast counter-attacks on his own. Therefore, the onus is always on the centre-backs to stop those attacks.

Players like Ceballos and Saul need to be more alert and curb their attacking instincts to some extent in order to prevent these counter-attacks. Ceballos actually scored his 1st international goal in his 4th match yesterday but could have put up a better defensive show as well.

Spain’s wingers also need to develop the habit of high pressing as soon as they lose possession of the ball. When Spain dominated world football from 2008 to 2012, their midfielders and forwards hardly lost possession and whenever they did, they hunted in packs to make sure that the opposition does not get enough time to originate moves.

#3 Leadership on the pitch

With the retirements of Pique and Iniesta, Ramos is the sole leader of the team

Shouting and making gestures is not the only criteria to become a true leader. Rather, leadership means wresting control of the match by dictating the pace of the game from anywhere on the field.

Xavi and Andres Iniesta were flawless in doing so. Besides, Spain had players like Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva, who could alter their own positions and the length and velocity of their passes to dictate terms in the midfield.

When Ramos equalized for Spain in the second half, they needed to slow the game down and play lateral and backward passes to control the tempo of the game. Understandably, Croatia were playing with frantic pace because they had to go for a win.

Spain tried to match their pace and were thoroughly outplayed by the Croatian players. There was not a player on the pitch, who could change the course of play with intelligent passing and positioning.

Spain need to address these issues if they are to perform any better in the upcoming matches.