World Cup 2018: 5 things Hierro should look at fixing for Spain

#2 Pique may need to be replaced

Pique (left) has been struggling for a while

Captain Sergio Ramos came to the party last night (as he usually does in big games) and was outstanding at the back. However, the same could not be said for his centre-back partner.

The Pique/Ramos pairing has been the go-to option for Spain since the retirement of Carles Puyol and while the pairing works well and both players complement each other (Pique’s reading of the game and passing ability and Ramos’ brilliance at tackling and man-marking), perhaps it is time for a change.

Too many times, Ronaldo had the beating of Pique and it was his clumsy and unnecessary foul which led to the Portuguese captain’s magnificent free-kick. The FC Barcelona man has looked really shaky in recent times for club and country and Hierro might consider the group stages as the best time to try out a new centre-back pairing.

La Furia Roja are expected to have a lot of the ball against their remaining Group B opponents, it would make sense to have either Nacho or Cesar Azpilicueta partner Ramos.