A decision that could be worth a ticket to the final

BarcelonaThe Spanish team is back in the World Cup semi-finals after defeating Belgium 2-1. Sixteen years later, the national team is among the four best countries in the world and will face France on Tuesday, July 14 (9 p.m.) in Dallas. A match in which Luis de la Fuente will have to decide whether to stick with Fabián Ruiz – who scored in the quarter-finals – in midfield or to bring Pedri back into the starting lineup. "The important thing is the collective, everyone has their responsibility and it is just as important to start the match as it is to play the last five minutes," the coach assured after qualifying.

The Barcelona player, who until now was a fixture in the starting eleven, began the match against Belgium from the bench. A surprise that the coach justified as being to give "fresh air" to the team. "Pedri could benefit from Fabián's work [that is, coming on when the opponent is more tired and there are more spaces], it's teamwork," De la Fuente added at the press conference after the match.

Although the Canary Islander has not performed well in this World Cup – with a very discreet participation so far –, he is "one of the best players in the world" and in these scenarios it seems complicated not to start your best footballers. De la Fuente, however, once again showed that he knows how to manage the dressing rooms and Fabián Ruiz repaid the coach's confidence with the team's first goal. "They are the best players in the world and they understand perfectly that they should not make faces if they play fewer minutes," remarked the Spanish coach.

Pedri, the team's beacon

Pedri is a key player, both for Luis de la Fuente and Hansi Flick. Last season he played 43 matches with the blaugrana team and scored two goals and twelve assists. He missed fourteen matches, thirteen of which due to injury. With the Spanish national team he participated in thirteen of the sixteen duels the national team played last season. Furthermore, against Belgium it was only the second time the Canarian did not start as a starter with Luis de la Fuente in 2026. The other occasion was in the friendly match in March against Egypt at the RCDE Stadium (0-0), where he came on at halftime.

The Barça midfielder is the team's beacon. The team improves when he is well, while when he is not having a good day, there is a lack of ideas in attack. From the base of the play, he is responsible for accelerating and stopping the game, meaning he holds the keys to the team. Despite not being at his best, Pedri continues to be accurate in his passing (89% success rate in this World Cup) and is the eleventh player to have completed the most passes in this World Cup (391). He is also among the players who make the most touches (856), surpassed only by Rodri, Pau Cubarsí, and Laporte in the Spanish national team.

The difference compared to Barça is the area of action. With Hansi Flick's team, Pedri usually receives the ball in his own half, at the start of the play. This allows him more room for maneuver – there is less pressure – and more options to look up and decide what the best play is for that attack. On the other hand, with the national team, most of the balls the midfielder receives are in the opposition half, where spaces are more limited and there is less time to think and plan the play. This also causes him to lose more balls. During this World Cup, he has lost possession an average of 13.3 times per game, while with Barça he has an average of 9.2 turnovers per game.

One of the solutions to recover the best version of Pedri could be the inclusion of Eric Garcia. The two footballers have coincided eight times in the double pivot position this past season with Barça (with only one defeat), in which they have understood each other perfectly. However, it seems quite complicated that De la Fuente makes many modifications in midfield. Even more so after Rodri's good minutes in the last few matches.

Dani Olmo, the opposite face

On the other hand, the one who is showing his best version in this World Cup is Dani Olmo. The Barça attacking midfielder has taken over the starting position after limited minutes in the group stage – only starting against Saudi Arabia. The Terrassa-born player has started in all three knockout matches (71 minutes against Austria, 85 minutes against Portugal, and 86 minutes against Belgium).

Although he has only contributed one assist, his through balls have been oxygen for Luis de la Fuente's team. Dani Olmo has been able to break lines continuously; he has attempted this on eleven occasions with a 73% success rate. Strengthening the midfield will be key against France to prevent the team from breaking apart and allowing Didier Deschamps' side to run at speed behind the Spanish defense.