Spain play some of Europe's best football to book a quarter-final date with Germany
Italy are back home. Croatia have not reached the last 16 and Albania were one of the worst teams at the EURO. If we add to that the fact that we scored seven goals against Georgia in the group stage and that they have reached the EURO after a penalty shootout against Greece, we can say that Spain has not yet had a big rival in the tournament.
To this argument one has to dispute the football played by Luis de la Fuente's team. It is strange that no team has noticed this coach before and that he has become national coach because the RFEF is a world circus where decisions are made in Russian roulette.
After Spain beat all those opponents, we have to stop and evaluate what La Roja play and, only then, we will come to the conclusion that there is a touch of the author that is typical of teams that end up leaving their mark... if they win, because if Germany beat Spain we won't remember a thing.
De la Fuente had budgeted for every move the Georgians made. He knew they were going to close in and that Mikautadze and Kvaratskhelia were quicker than the entire Spanish backline. He also knew that Spain were going to dominate the whole game and that they were going to face a team that would be closed in for a draw and even more closed in for a win.
And the goal came. But it was Georgian and it was scored by Le Normand in his own goal after a counter-attack led by these two players known all over Europe and, even so, Spain's midfield was unable to stop it with a free-kick. That goal could have blown everything apart, made Spain desperate, started the individual wars and ended in despair against the Georgian wall which, by the way, doubled the number of Spaniards in the stands in Cologne.
Then Spain continued to play the same game. Outside and inside. Balls to Williams and Yamal or braided moves between Pedri, Rodri and Fabian. The Spanish team didn't care what their opponents did because they had the ability to attack down the flanks with crosses, to get into the box with cold blood or to hit it from outside and finally beat Mamardashvili, with a goal from Rodri, who minutes before had asked his team-mates to use their heads and put into practice what they had rehearsed during the week.
Fabián, Williams and Dani Olmo were leading Spain into the quarter-finals. Georgia melted away and the 10 million they had been promised by former president Bidzina Ivanichvili remained in the oligarch's bank account. Their football was not enough to match Spain's display and they had to give up because they were up against a cheeky team who had set the autopilot for good play with fast, direct ball circulation.
Now comes Germany. The final ahead of schedule. The last game for Kroos or the last for La Roja, who could say goodbye to the European Championship with the bad taste in their mouths of not having beaten a strong team. For the moment, we only know that professor De la Fuente will prepare the team according to the opponent and not according to his idea of football. Spain will adapt to the scenarios that Germany may cause and will know how to suffer or how to dominate depending on the result. One week and five training sessions to reach the semi-finals.
Spain's midfield is the Achilles heel of this team. Rodri can't sweep all that space on his own and there are no other Rodri's at his side because Pedri or Fabián don't have his back. That's what playing football with joy is all about. Attacking and being caught off guard at the back. At least Cucurella, Carvajal, Laporte and Le Normand have more than proved their abilities and it remains to be seen if the level is the same against Havertz, Gündogan, Musiala or Sané. Spain are growing and are favourites, but they have to prove that their football is worth something against the hosts.
