THIS was supposed to be a Spain team undergoing a period of transition. The tiki-taka glory days that began under Luis Aragones and peaked under Vicente del Bosque are over, with their demise coinciding with the retirement of a host of star players. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets.
How on earth are you going to replace that? ‘With difficulty’ was the answer for the best part of a decade, with a succession of Spanish sides failing to get beyond the last-16 stage at the last three World Cups and falling in the last 16 and semi-finals of the last two European Championships. Luis de la Fuente was appointed as boss in 2022, with instructions to draw a line under the past and start creating a new Spanish playing identity. Winning the 2023 Nations League, courtesy of a penalty shoot-out success against Croatia in the final, was a decent start, but given that Spain suffered an embarrassing defeat to Scotland while qualifying for the current Euros, hopes were hardly sky high before a ball was kicked in Germany.
Cast your mind back to the start of the tournament, and precious few pundits were backing Spain to triumph. France, England, Germany. All potential winners.
Spain? Too early in their cycle of regeneration, and too few stars in their likely starting side. Even within Spain itself, and despite the continued domestic strength of Real Madrid and Barcelona, pre-tournament ambitions were being downplayed. How would a defence featuring Aymeric Laporte and Robin.