Sweden 1-1 Spain: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | European Qualifiers 2019/20

#1 Spain qualify for Euro 2020 but old problems resurface, again

Roberto Moreno has plenty of questions to answer

Nearly a decade ago, Spain captured the planet’s imagination with their silky and sumptuous brand of football. Capable of passing teams into submission, the Spaniards perfected the tiki-taka and served it to the entire footballing fraternity, often to the detriment of their rivals.

Since then, the Iberian outfit has proceeded on similar lines and has looked to imbibe that particular philosophy among its younger generation. However, an increase in counter-attacking football has dwindled the novelty of Spain’s immaculate approach.

Consequently, they’ve been criticised for having too much possession without really penetrating the opposition’s defence. The aforementioned deficiency was laid bare for everyone to witness at the 2014 World Cup before it reared its ugly head in Russia a year prior. And, unfortunately, those issues resurfaced against Sweden.

On Tuesday, the visitors enjoyed 75% of possession but only had 6 shots on target. Besides, they failed to trouble the hosts in the final third, meaning that Sweden could sit deep in their half before springing counter-attacks.

However, more problematically, Spain’s play looked devoid of ideas, with their midfield failing to find space in between the lines. On countless occasions, the visitors switched the play wide before coming back inside. In the process, the Spaniards kept moving from side to side without slicing through Sweden’s defence.

Moreover, they looked a calamity waiting to unravel when the hosts broke at pace, a tactic that ultimately created Sweden’s only goal of the evening.

Thus, the away side have plenty of unanswered questions moving forward; none more essential than how to utilise the humungous amount of possession they enjoy.

And, while Spain have prided themselves upon their ability to stick to their identity, even when it would’ve been easier to shunt between different styles, that could yet prove to be their undoing.

Though there is no pressing need to completely blow that approach into smithereens, they surely need to evolve a mechanism capable of withstanding everything shrewd opponents have to throw at them.