‘insatiable’ Spain Have Tools To Emulate Xavi’s Generation And Win The World Cup

“It’s each astir rondos. Rondo, rondo, rondo. Every. Single. Day,” Xavi Hernández erstwhile said, but cipher expected it inside nan opposition’s punishment area. And yet present was Spain’s caller generation, European champions specified arsenic his, doing precisely what he demanded – “Pum-pum-pum-pum, ever 1 touch” – conscionable a fewer metres from Ugurcan Cakir’s goal. Which, erstwhile nan full cleanable series yet played retired successful Konya, Turkey, is wherever nan shot concluded its journey.

The mobility now is wherever they will reason their own. Can they, for illustration Xavi’s generation, nan most successful successful history, travel the European Championship pinch a World Cup? Watching them play connected Sunday night, 9 months earlier nan tournament’s opening astatine nan Azteca stadium, nan reply tin only beryllium yes. Watching nan 2nd of nan six goals they scored, especially.

For 75 seconds Spain had nan ball. Every subordinate sewage it, taking 66 touches betwixt them, nan shot worked from 1 extremity to nan different without Turkey getting any. Only worked doesn’t consciousness for illustration rather nan correct word. A symphony, El País called it, which is what nan sports regular AS called it too. Marca said to bent it successful nan Prado. When Pedri played it to Marc Cucurella connected nan near of nan box, his ball, delivered first time, recovered Nico Williams wrong nan area. One touch successful to Mikel Oyarzabal. One touch successful to Mikel Merino. One touch successful to nan net. Pum-pum-pum-pum, and Spain were 2-0 up.

They had been playing 21 minutes. Spain led wrong six erstwhile Pedri dropped nan shoulder, glided past Hakan Calhanoglu and guided a changeable into nan corner. And that had been coming: Cakir had made 2 superb saves already. Spain had taken 5 shots connected target by nan clip they sewage nan second; by nan end, they had scored six, could person sewage 10, and they had called it a nighttime connected nan hour, thing for illustration perfection achieved already. Merino was waiting for his teammates to decorativeness scrawling connected nan ball, Pedri had scored twice, Oyarzabal had 3 assists and Lamine Yamal two, nan forwards providing for nan midfielders.

Pedri scored doubly successful Spain’s triumph complete Turkey and is thriving successful a deeper role. Photograph: Khalil Hamra/AP

“For those of america who emotion football, it’s a joyousness to spot them play; Spain person nan qualities to emulate what they did betwixt 2008 and 2012,” Turkey’s coach, Vincenzo Montella, said, and that was earlier nan match. After it, everyone other was inclined to agree. Euphoria whitethorn not ever beryllium advisable, but it was unavoidable. “We thought we would ne'er spot thing for illustration nan Spain of Casillas, Xavi, Villa aliases Iniesta, but this procreation that Luis de la Fuente leads appears fresh to outdo what their colleagues did betwixt 2008 and 2012,” Marca wrote. “It is intolerable to flight nan favourite’s tag up of adjacent summer.”

Victory successful Turkey put Spain apical of their qualifying group pinch 2 wins from two, 9 scored and nary conceded. But it wasn’t nan truth that they won, it was really they did it, that it is nary fluke, nary one-off. It was their second-highest distant triumph – nan erstwhile was successful Liechtenstein successful 2017 – and nan 27th competitory crippled without a defeat, statistically speaking: Portugal hit them connected penalties successful nan Nations League. Before that, nan past conclusion was in Scotland, astatine nan commencement of De la Fuente’s reign, which had seemed destined to beryllium brief. Instead, they won nan Nations League successful 2023 and the European Championship successful 2024. Few had expected occurrence then; now they do.

There whitethorn ne'er person been a amended European champion side. Spain won each 7 games and hit Italy, Germany, France and England en way to nan title. When it was put to Morata pre-tournament that Spain nary longer person nan benignant of players that tin aspire to nan Ballon d’Or, truthful they couldn’t really expect going overmuch beyond nan quarters, he insisted: “Rodri could easy person won it past year; each he lacks is marketing. I ever show him that. We person Pedri, who is different. And I’m judge Nico and Lamine will beryllium location successful nan future.” When he near nan Olympic Stadium successful Berlin pinch nan badge astir his neck, location was a smile, a reminder: turns retired nan skipper has an oculus for a player.

Spain’s Nations League triumph successful 2023 was followed by glory astatine Euro 2024. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Rodri did triumph it. Dani Carvajal was fourth. Fabián Ruiz, mostly forgotten 18 months ago, is nominated this year. Lamine Yamal is simply a candidate. Euro 2024 showed they were bully enough, a period changing everything, externally astatine least. Internally, they ever believed, they said. Besides, there’s a fuel, too, successful making fools of people; doubters thrust you. “We mightiness not person had ‘names’ but we were convinced we had players who were apical 3 successful nan world, and we were clear that while location were teams pinch very good individuals, arsenic a group we were stronger,” Oyarzabal said.

There was a guiding accuracy too, shared done generations. De la Fuente noted connected Sunday nighttime that he has known galore of these players “since they were kids … and now they are superstars”. He has ever said they are nan champion successful nan world; here, they looked for illustration it, nan level almost absurd, nan shot played ridiculous astatine times. “Incredible,” De la Fuente called it. “I’m very proud to negociate a group for illustration this, astatine master and individual level. There is simply a model, an idea, that was established years agone successful nan federation and we’re continuing that. What we’re achieving now is nan consequence of galore years of work.”

Lamine Yamal’s progression shows nary motion of slowing. Photograph: Khalil Hamra/AP

And yet location is an evolution, too: a depth, a variety, things that person changed for nan better, seen successful Berlin and beyond. If Spain’s 2nd extremity successful Konya would person delighted Xavi, Spain’s ideologue, a defender of their footballing faith, it wasn’t each astir that. That was evident successful Germany past summertime and successful Turkey connected Sunday night. Spain collapsed done too, unstoppable erstwhile up and running. Ferran Torres’s extremity was calved of a agelong ball.

“We cognize we person nan expertise to play pinch nan ball, to combine, to beryllium associative, but besides that we person nan players pinch nan velocity to counter, to transition,” De la Fuente said. “What we do is springiness them nan script they are astir comfortable pinch and they do it. If they didn’t person those qualities, it would beryllium impossible. They construe it perfectly.”

If Euro 2024 showed they were bully enough, location are elements that propose an betterment since then. Lamine Yamal, a 16-year-old nan nighttime Spain reached nan final, already doing outrageous things, is older. His progression shows nary motion of slowing, nan unit seemingly thing he welcomes, pinch different dimensions added to his game, starting pinch ever greater responsibility. On Sunday nighttime location were moments erstwhile it was little astir fantasy, much astir physique, opponents beaten by velocity and strength, too.

If he is not nan champion subordinate successful nan world, possibly a teammate is: location whitethorn beryllium nary 1 anyplace playing for illustration Pedri. Over these 2 internationals, De la Fuente has played him successful nan deeper domiciled Hansi Flick recovered for him and from wherever he dominates everything. Merino has efficaciously swapped pinch him: no, he is not astir to go nan No 9, but that displacement has been bully for him, new roles learned. And down them Dean Huijsen, who made his debut successful March, offers a scope of passing and a willingness to measurement retired of defence which is felt successful each line. Carvajal and Rodri are still to return to their champion aft injury, and location is time. “This is simply a squad that has an expertise to amended and do things good that flight my imagination,” nan coach said.

Expectation is inevitable; it is besides an other pressure. It tin transportation nan consequence of relaxation too. Can win is not will win; sometimes it is nan opposite.

Not here, they hope. “This procreation is insatiable,” De la Fuente said. “We will beryllium prudent, we cognize location is simply a batch to beryllium done still. Football changes from 1 week to nan next. But this group will ne'er return its feet disconnected nan ground, you tin remainder assured connected that.

“We person nan champion footballers successful nan world, but we besides take bully people. They cognize they person a chance of achieving very important things and they will ne'er fto that opportunity walk them by because of an excess of vanity, arrogance aliases thing for illustration it.”