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After dropping points in their first match against Sweden, Spain have to step up and win their remaining two ties if they are to finish top of the group at Euro 2020.
It is crucial that Spain finish ahead of the pack in their group at Euro 2020. If not, they will definitely be facing one of the bigger teams in the next round with a real possibility of exiting the tournament early.
Spain’s failure in major tournaments
Spain’s recent history in international competitions has not been very good, to put it mildly. After a historic four years from 2008 to 2012, where they won the Euros twice and the World Cup, Spain have had a monumental fall.
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Since 2012, La Roja have exited early from all major tournaments. These include a group stage exit in the 2014 World Cup, as well as Round of 16 losses in both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
A New Era for La Roja
Luis Enrique has been brought in to change that. He has taken some calls and has put his trust in young players. Spain have performed well since Enrique took over and their goal would be to go deep in Euro 2020 and possibly win it.
The former FC Barcelona manager has gone with a very young squad and surprised everyone with his squad selection by not picking any Real Madrid players. After the initial uproar in the country, there seems to be a solid backing for the team ahead of some important fixtures at Euro 2020.
Luis Enrique said,
“There have been some young players who have surprised us. We still have the potential to grow a lot more. I don’t know what will happen, yet I don’t deny that we are favorites (in the group), but not because of what we have done, but rather for the achievements of those who came before us. I am not afraid of this challenge.”
Looking ahead to Euro 2020 and beyond
Spain's preparations for Euro 2020 took a minor hit due to a COVID scare in the squad after Sergio Busquets tested positive. Luis Enrique had to field a side made up entirely of under-21 players against Lithuania, their last friendly before Euro 2020.
Despite this, Enrique had almost a full squad to choose from for their first match at Euro 2020 against Sweden. Spain had a record breaking 86% possession and 17 shots but ended the game 0-0. This was an opportunity missed.
The draw was mainly Spain’s undoing. They should have been 3-0 up in the first half if not for some wayward finishing from their front line, especially Alavaro Morata.
That was the case against Portugal as well in their first friendly match. Morata and co. missed a couple of really good chances and were only able to salvage a nil-nil draw.
Sweden had come prepared to defend for the entire 90 minutes and hit Spain on the counter attack. It almost worked for Sweden as they created two really good chances on the counter attack.
Spain can expect more of the same in their remaining two ties at Euro 2020 against Poland and Slovakia, with teams looking to sit deep and counter attack. Thiago Alcantara needs to start in midfield as he can split the opposition backline with his passing and create chances.
Then there is the obvious call for including Gerard Moreno to replace Morata. The Villarreal frontman scored 30 goals in all competitions last season and is also known for tracking back and defending.
Enrique can also start both strikers and replace Ferran Torres as he was largely ineffective against Sweden. It was difficult for the wide men to operate as Sweden were defending very deep.
Luis Enrique needs to make some personnel changes to address the issue of profligacy in front of goal if they are to progress any further at Euro 2020.
