Three important questions we need answered in Spain’s UEFA Nations League games

Spain are preparing to face England and Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.

The new competition, designed to replace meaningless international friendlies with competitive league-style matches, is set to kick-off this week and Spain will enter it full of hope and optimism despite their hilarious failure at the 2018 World Cup.

The reason for that optimism is the arrival of Luis Enrique as head coach. The former Barcelona and Sporting Gijón legend who also managed the Blaugrana to tremendous success from 2014 to 2017 has taken the reins after a year out from the game following his Camp Nou exit, and with him comes a genuinely new era.

With that in mind, here are three key questions we need to see answered by Spain’s two games in the Nations League:

1. How will the team play?

Spain have had perhaps the most recognisable style in world football. The passing and possession system (nicknamed “tiki taka” as a pejorative years ago, and somehow rechristened that informally in the present) dominates and informs everything Spain do. Ordinarily a new coach coming in would be expected to continue this tradition; it was so with Vicente del Bosque and Julen Lopetegui.

But Luis Enrique is different. He’s always been an outlier who does things his own way. His first move as Barcelona coach was to drop Xavi and put Ivan Rakitic into his spot in the XI. Under him, Barcelona played a more-direct style of football, focused on quick forwards. The ball is sent forward quickly, whether with long passes or direct running; midfield is often bypassed.

One assumes Lucho would bring this same intent with him to Spain, but would he? Obviously at Barcelona he was able to shift focus because the team had Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar up front. Spain have no one on that level, but would that discourage Lucho? Probably not, as Spain do have a great direct forward in Diego Costa and some superb forward talent like Marco Asensio, Rodrigo and Iago Aspas.

Shifting the focus to a more direct style of play would be a radical transformation for Spain, but with the players at his disposal it could be just the rejuvenation that Spain need. Obviously they will still pass the ball well, but their intent of moving the ball quickly from back-to-front is perhaps now a smarter style of play to go with given the squad has six players from Real Madrid and only two from Barcelona.

2. What will the midfield look like?

Spain’s midfield is its lifeblood. Obviously there will be changes all over the field, but it’s midfield that is the most interesting due to the departure of the totemic pair of Andrés Iniesta and David Silva. Iniesta, in particular, was a colossal figure. His presence allowed the side to carry on the structure left by the Xavi era, but now, with both men gone, anything is possible.

The squad Lucho has picked reflects this. Everyone is very skilled, but to look at the players selected as midfielders only two (Busquets and Thiago) are what you would call technical players; the rest are equally physical and dynamic, and in some cases more-so. Added to this, the fact that Isco has been listed with the forwards and the idea here is clear.

Thus a Lucho midfield could look like the above. Busquets at the base (because right now he’s too good to drop even if Rodri is more of a Lucho-style player) operating as he does, but ahead of him two players who are relentless in their energy, thrust and work: Sergi Roberto and Saúl. Both men are versatile box-to-box midfielders who can score and create in equal measure, love to work hard defensively, and thrive in the big matches, the crunch moments. They are pure Luis Enrique.

Or, he could change the formation from 4-3-3. Now, this is a wildcard because he tends to favour that system, but with the men at his disposal he could opt for a 4-2-3-1 and thus pair Busquets and Rodri together as a powerful double pivot. Ahead of them Isco would be a free-roaming no. 10 in a forward band behind the sole striker. Out wide, Roberto and Asensio would offer different interpretations of how to play “wide,” with Roberto adding defending whilst Asensio offers punch up-top.

3. Who partners Sergio Ramos?

Whilst the full-back selection is a juicy bit of controversy (Luis Enrique not selecting one of the world’s three best left-backs in Jordi Alba because of comments he made to the press) and whilst the midfield alignment is interesting. The most fascinating individual selection issue is who replaces Gerard Piqué to partner Sergio Ramos at the back?

Piqué was a Spain legend, even if the fans always booed him for believing democratic freedom, and a crucially calming presence next to the more madcap Ramos. Replacing him would have been hard anyway but given the list of Spain’s world-class centre-backs begins with Piqué and ends with Ramos and there’s no one else in between them, it’s a very difficult decision.

Of the centre-backs selected, Iñigo Martínez is probably the best, even though Raul Albiol and Nacho have more caps. Albiol is a baffling selection as he is 33 years-old and hasn’t been international class in a long time (even though he should have reached the same heights Piqué and Ramos have scaled). Nacho is pure back-up, so it would be strange to see him get the nod.

Iñigo Martinez and Diego Llorente, former teammates at Real Sociedad, are intriguing options. Iñigo is superb, but playing him would mean moving Ramos from the left to the right side of defence. Diego Llorente isn’t quite as good, but could perhaps be a better stylistic fit with Ramos? Either way, it will be very interesting to see who Luis Enrique selects because for all their passing play, Spain only dominated the world when their defence was on point with Piqué, Ramos and Carles Puyol. Sorting that out early will be crucial.

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