The surprising nonchalance of Spain after a disappointing debut

BarcelonaSpain's disappointing debut at the World Cup, with a lackluster draw against Cape Verde (0-0), has generated much more stir around the national team than in the locker room. While analysts are wringing their hands over the coach's strategy and the players' execution, the result has been met with surprising naturalness in the camp. Or at least, that's what one would gather from hearing De la Fuente, who said the strategy was correct but that the only thing missing, and in a "strange" way, was the winning goal.

The precedent of 2010 is treacherous. La Roja won the World Cup, but debuted with a loss against Switzerland. That team also came from winning the Eurocup (2008), as is the case now. Some coincidences that, for those who believe in superstitions, invite optimism. But Spain would do well to set aside esoteric matters and focus on football, which is what was most missed by a team that, in the 42 matches the coach has led, has only failed to score in five.

The team had 27 shots, equaling the national team's record in a World Cup match. Specifically, it was in the group stage against Paraguay in 1998, which also ended in a goalless draw. A precedent that is more worrying, as on that occasion Spain did not advance. Those were different times and a different competition format. Qualification should not be in jeopardy in 2026, although La Roja needs to learn from its mistakes and not pass the buck. "We have already shown what we are capable of and we will do it again," stated Dani Olmo. "If anyone thinks we will crumble, they are mistaken," added Ferran Torres. "Nobody said it would be easy," concluded Cucurella. Good words, declarations of intent, but no indication that suggests the 0-0 served as a lesson.

In the words of the coach, "the idea was to generate superiority through the wings and for the full-backs to attack from wide areas". The reality is that both Llorente and Cucurella showed a lot of offensive intent, but very few ideas beyond crossing the ball, which was repeatedly cleared by either Cape Verde's tight defense or the veteran goalkeeper Vozinha. It was not entirely clear why Pedri played so close to the box, when it is not his usual position. Or the sense of placing Gavi on the left wing, where he completed a very weak performance without a single shot, nor any assists, nor even any dribbles. Ferran also did not break through on the right wing, despite the player from Foios being the one who came closest to scoring with two shots, one saved by the goalkeeper and the other hitting the crossbar.

Doubts about the physical condition of Spain's players

There was a lack of ideas, resources. And it gave the impression that the team was not reaching its maximum physical level. Rodri and Fabián, starters, showed that they lacked match fitness. The tactic of bringing on Lamine Yamal in the 70th minute also didn't work. Under normal circumstances, the winger from Rocafonda and offensive leader of the red would have spent another week recovering from the serious injury he suffered a month and a half ago. But De la Fuente got impatient and resorted to his magic to score the winning goal. Lamine did what was asked of him, as he dragged three defenders, whom he tried to overcome to reach the byline. But the subsequent crosses were sterile with Cape Verde's defense very deep. Even so, he managed to create Spain's best chance: a cross that Olmo headed down – the Barcelona player also came on in the second half – and which Oyarzabal finally headed. The anticipation of a center-back was decisive in deflecting the shot.

Spain did not have the debut they expected, but they were lucky, because in the other group match Uruguay and Saudi Arabia also drew, which means that in group H four teams are tied with one point in the standings. The second match for the red will be against the Saudi team, a theoretically inferior opponent in all aspects but one that will probably present a defense as solid as Cape Verde's. Thus, it will be decided how the standings will look on the last matchday, with a Spain-Uruguay match that gains much more significance than initially thought.