UEFA Nations League: 5 reasons why England will beat Spain

#4 Luis Enrique could change the system

New Spain boss Luis Enrique might look to change up their tactical system

One telling factor of the lack of success for Spain in the World Cup was the fact that the tiki-taka gameplan that had served them so well in their previous tournament victories simply didn’t work as well as it had done in the past. Part of that was down to some of the old personnel – Xavi, David Villa, and so on – is missing, but it also felt like opponents had begun to get used to how to deal with the myriad passing.

The Russia game, in particular, was damning – Spain had a massive 79% of possession during the second-round tie, but still only mustered 9 shots on target and it took a fluke own goal to put them ahead. They simply didn’t create enough clear-cut chances to be truly dangerous.

It’s understandable, then, that current reports suggest new boss Luis Enrique is looking to overhaul the system, and that the Madrid-based Spanish press – always suspicious of a Barcelona-style tactic – are behind him in this effort. That’s all well and good, but the likelihood is that a tactical shift to a more direct style will only be beneficial further down the line.

Attempting to veer away from the tiki-taka style in the first game following the World Cup could prove to be a huge risk for Enrique’s side, especially against a side like England who, after the same tournament, appear to know exactly what they want their style to be. Spain’s players could find themselves lost in the translation – and get picked off by Southgate’s Three Lions.