Once upon a time, Spain looked to their midfield for possession. Now they must look to it once again, only this time it’s for goals.
As heartwarming as David Villa’s recent recall to the Spain squad was, a deeper problem was perhaps hidden within the euphoria of the all-time record goalscorer returning. Right now Spain does not have a striker.
Since the retirement of Villa himself, many solutions have been thrown up. There was Alvaro Negredo and Roberto Soldado’s personal battle as they fired in at will for Sevilla and Valencia respectively, but neither ever truly convinced. The Diego Costa experiment was exactly that and no more, coming with no conclusion. Young strikers have come and could well go before their careers really get started. Paco Alcacer looked useful, if functional, but lacked conviction in front of goal. Alvaro Morata is still a serious option, but again, he’s another who lacks that edge.
While this is not a new problem, perhaps a lingering one, it still remains a cause of concern the issue has yet to be resolved. Spain’s achieved success in the past without a traditional number nine, or a prolific striker of any type, and the feeling is if they are to repeat past triumphs it may be to the midfield they look once again.
While there seems to be a blockage in the striker pipeline, production in the midfield area has gone into overdrive. Two players, both of Real Madrid, stand out the most in this regard.
Isco, now 25, has finally discovered himself as a player. After years in flux, and still without a major international tournament behind him, the boy from Benalmádena is hitting the heights that had been excepted of him upon moving from Malaga to the Spanish capital in June 2013. Fleetingly under Carlo Ancelotti the midfielder shone, but there lacked a consistency in his game. Now, under Zinedine Zidane’s tutelage, Isco has become a leading light in this all-conquering Real Madrid team. In the second half of last season, you could make a case for him being the best player in La Liga.
Against Italy in last Saturday’s 3-0 win for Spain, it was Isco who seemed to take the reins and put a marker down to be one of the leaders of this team still in transition. His performance was so striking against the shellshocked Italians, it even had opponents in awe.
“When I saw his nutmeg on me, I felt like standing up and applauding too,” stated Marco Verratti after the game, even comparing Isco’s performance to a level maybe only Lionel Messi knows about. Isco scored twice, laid on another goal, completed the most dribbles of any player on the pitch and had the third-most touches of the ball of any Spain player. Responsibility? Isco was happy to take it on. While Andres Iniesta was present in the team that evening, the performance from the Real Madrid star felt like something the Barça man has regularly produced over the years and will understandably do less of in the new future as he ages. Isco’s timing could not be any better.
Speaking of timing, this could well be the hour of Marco Asensio. While often touted as a future prospect it’s clear that Asensio’s rapid development can’t be ignored. He’s already making a genuine push to be a regular starter for Real Madrid, and his brace against Valencia in the final La Liga game before the International break showed that he’s capable of taking on the pressures that great white shirt brings. The Bernabeu seem to be set on their new darling, and the player who will be the pin-up for years to come as Cristiano Ronaldo’s legend begins to fade into the history books.
For Spain, it seems Asensio has a key role to play too. Lopetegui, having worked closely with the youth systems in Spain, knows the player all too well. Such was the trust and faith in Asensio’s ability, he took on the false 9 role against Italy at the weekend. While he didn’t star to the degree his Real Madrid teammate did, there were signs from Asensio of what he can bring to the team in the future. He was quite clear still acclimatising to his new surroundings on Saturday but still offered enough to show he can be an easy fit in this team that already features Iniesta and Silva alongside him.
Having such options and ability will be vital for Spain as they look to once again see past their striker issues and achieve success through their glittering midfield.
