This is Spain 2.0: More purposeful, more direct and simply better than two years ago

Choosing between Spain’s six goals in their 6-2 victory over Belgium is not an easy task. There was a neat combination for Alexia Putellas’ opener, a lovely, long-range Claudia Pina curler late on and a clever Putellas finish to round off the scoring.

But the key goal was Spain’s third, and not just because it was the one Belgium could not recover from.

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It was typical Spain, but also a new Spain. The ball went from the holding midfielder Patri Guijarro, to a more advanced midfielder Aitana Bonmati, to a between-the-lines playmaker in Putellas, and then onto striker Esther Gonzalez, who crashed the ball home. A forward pass every time. It was Spanish passing, but not ‘tiki-taka’, which has come to mean something more safe and cautious, but instead precise, purposeful possession play to cut through the opposition and find the striker quickly. It was Spain 2.0. They are closer to the men’s Spain side of Euro 2024 than the Women’s World Cup team of 2023.

By the time Spain lifted the World Cup in Sydney two years ago, any criticisms had been forgotten. We overlooked the fact their play throughout much of the knockout stage had been devoid of forward momentum, with the exception of when they introduced Salma Paralluelo, a game-changing substitute in the quarter-final and semi-final.

But no such criticism can be levelled at them now, for two reasons. First, their passing combinations are quicker and more thrilling than ever. The triangles formed down the flanks between full-back, central midfielder and winger are constantly getting them into dangerous positions in behind. It helps the combination play that the ‘wingers’, Claudia Pina and Mariona Caldentey, are not really wingers at all, but drifting playmakers who like interchanging positions with team-mates.

Still, sometimes that can lead to playing in front of opponents. That has not been the case at all. Youngster Vicky Lopez has been particularly good at accelerating the moves. Indeed, such was her quality in the first match, a 5-0 win over Portugal, that manager Montse Tome was asked quite how the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Bonmati would fit into the side. But her half-time introduction in place of Lopez was a reminder of her quality.

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The second crucial thing about this Spain is their pragmatism. More so than two years ago, they go long. Two of their goals against Portugal came from long balls in behind, first from left-back Olga Carmona to striker Esther Gonzalez, then from right winger Caldentey to onrushing midfielder Putellas. Both Gonzalez and Putellas provided control and calmness to score smoothly.

Alexia Putellas scored Spain’s first goal against Belgium (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)

Against Belgium — a side sitting deep — there were fewer signs of long balls but Spain’s second goal came when Irene Paredes lost her marker and crashed home a header. It was Spain’s second thumping header of the tournament, after substitute Cristina Martin-Prieto’s late goal against Portugal. And Spain scored another two goals from set pieces later on in Monday’s match, albeit in the scrappy aftermath of a delivery, converted by Caldentey and then by Putellas.

The surprise was that Spain conceded twice, although the nature of their goals was fairly expected: a set piece and a ball in behind. Spain are not the tallest and are unconvincing when the opposition load up the six-yard box and send in an inswinger. There was also a clear plan to target centre-back Paredes’ lack of speed with the runs of Hannah Eurlings, always drifting left into Paredes’ channel. This paid off perfectly for Belgium’s second. All this said, Spain seem to have become better at pressing when they lose possession. Putellas was particularly quick to cut off angles and block passes when Belgium tried to break. Beat that counter-press and you can cause Spain problems.

Tournaments are not won in the group stage, and it is worth remembering that Spain won their first two matches at World Cup 2023 3-0 and 5-0, against Costa Rica and Zambia respectively, so we should not act like they have only just worked out how to score goals. But it is a more thrilling, direct, purposeful Spain than we have seen before. Some of their football in these first two matches has been wonderful, almost beyond the possibilities for any other side at this competition, given Spain’s ability to depend upon the core of Barcelona’s midfield and attack. It is not unfair to suggest that football this cohesive and sophisticated would have been almost unthinkable a decade ago in the women’s game.

“Their rotation system isn’t planned — their players understand the game on a different level to most other players at this tournament,” said Belgium manager Elisabet Gunnarsdottir in her post-match press conference. “Many of them play together for their club side. You can’t keep on chasing their players. If you do, you end up in a s***show.”

(Top photo: Aitor Alcalde – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

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