Taking nothing away from Tunisia, but if Spain could’ve been bothered to get out of first gear during Saturday night’s friendly in Krasnodar, they would’ve won much more comfortably than via Iago Aspas’ late strike.
That La Roja were, for certain periods in the game, second best, should be a concern for Julen Lopetegui, and, after what was a generally a lacklustre performance, Spain will absolutely need to up the ante against a dangerous Portugal side on Friday.
Surely, the coach will point to this just being another chance to experiment and a game where the result doesn’t really matter.
Indeed, a 4-2-3-1 formation goes against the grain for the coach, but it afforded him the chance to see Rodrigo again at close quarters, this time from the start, and to get a feel for a five-man midfield full of creativity and invention.
He’s unlikely to have been too impressed in the first half, Rodrigo fluffing his lines (again) when well placed, and Isco, Thiago and David Silva all off of the boil.
Koke brought more order alongside Sergio Busquets, but this is conundrum that Lopetegui faces; he can’t play them all but will need to decide quickly what type of midfield system he prefers.
Defensively, Sergio Ramos and Pique had things under control for the most part, but if Naim Sliti had his shooting boots on, he could’ve had the underdogs two goals ahead before half time.
Alvaro Odriozola was again full of energy and belief down the right-hand side, and with Dani Carvajal still only rated as 50-50, the Real Sociedad man has earned his stripes. Spain then switched to a back three and Nacho was utilised not at right-back, but in left midfield!
Nacho’s Real Madrid team-mates, Asensio and Vazquez, also came on for the second half, and there were a few nice touches from the pair, however, nothing of note to indicate either will start on Thursday.
Spain’s stock-in-trade is their superior ability to manipulate the ball and control possession for long periods.
They did so again in this one but often with no end product, so their ball retention was routinely moribund.
Frankly, it was a game that was crying out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck and drag their side into a winning position.
Cue another sub, Iago Aspas, to fire La Roja in front with just four minutes to go, courtesy of a fine through ball from Busquets and the assist from Diego Costa, who did little else on the night.
It’s unlikely Lopetegui would’ve expected he’d have so much food for thought in the lead up to the start of the tournament, but it might just be the best thing for one of the favourites.
