“Nothing has given us any doubts. Whatever is said or has been left unsaid… this is the path we must follow,” shrugged a husky Luis de la Fuente after his Spain side had thumped the ball against the Cape Verdean wall 23 times, and seen it come back every time. The Spanish media, known for histrionics whenever unnecessary, were strangely sanguine after their 0-0 draw, but perhaps de la Fuente’s words were the most unsettling part of disappointing opening to a World Cup.

This same side has installed a sincere belief in Spain that while other sides may have similar, or perhaps even a touch more quality, this World Cup is well within reach. Cape Verde defended impressively, committing a single foul, a mark of militant discipline from a country planting a flag on the world stage. That was a part of the dowdy, laboured look about Spain’s offensive efforts. De la Fuente played off the result as a lack of finishing, accusing precision and freshness as the main culprits sabotaging Spain’s path to victory. Just as Spain looked a little like the sides that had been eliminated in 2018 by Russia and in 2022 by Morocco, de la Fuente sounded a little bit like Luis Enrique after the match.

“We have to insist on the same idea,” he repeated. If you’re wondering why a seemingly innocuous statement like that might furrow your brow, it’s because de la Fuente has never been one for being boxed in by the idea. If Luis Enrique or even supply coach Fernando Hierro were wedded to a plan and a system, de la Fuente was unrestricted, flexible as a virtue.

Naturally his Spain side have always had an idea, a plan, but at Euro 2024, he was praised for simplifying the game. If La Roja were struggling to dominate the box, on would come Joselu Mato. Should they have space to run into, Ferran Torres was let off the leash. Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal are not themselves pacy, but they, like de la Fuente himself, were raised on Basque football, the most direct and aggressive form of the game in Spain. The same XI would start, and start fast, looking to set Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams into space, but as the game approached its climax, whatever risks the opposition decided to take, de la Fuente would signal for the corresponding player that could exploit them.

Curiously, there are only four changes from de la Fuente’s starting side against Cape Verde to the Morocco elimination four years ago. It looks a little different, but there was Ferran Torres on the right, Pedri as the most advanced midfielder, and Dani Olmo playing as a makeshift left-winger. The use of Gavi on the left against Cape Verde was held up as the most egregious betrayal of what de la Fuente’s Spain had become known for. “The idea with Gavi was for him to drop inside to create depth. We intended for Cucurella to join the attack, and he did,” de la Fuente defended, correctly.

There was something a little unconvincing about Spain catering their starting XI to unleash left-back Marc Cucurella, while top scorer in qualifying Mikel Oyarzabal disappeared from the game. Cucurella’s runs from deep did create Spain’s best chances, but he was about the only one who did attempt to breach the Cape Verde backline. The fitness of Victor Munoz, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal somewhat tied his hands, but de la Fuente still had enough freedom to beckon over Yeremy Pino, the most mobile of his wide players.

On Thursday, Borja Iglesias was denied entry into Spain’s accommodation, after security failed to recognise the 6’2 (187cm) target man, and de la Fuente seemed to forget about him three days earlier too. As Lamine Yamal jinked inside, two, three times in the closing minutes, he was forced to lash the ball towards the run of Olmo – a scenario Cape Verde manager Bubista was fully onboard with.

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Not until the 71^st minute did de la Fuente challenge the Cape Verde defence with something different, and while Lamine Yamal helps any side to look more dynamic, it was still difficult to digest that this Spain side were so hesitant on the ball, so slow to find a pass. More promising for de la Fuente is that all week Spain’s players have sung from the same hymn sheet, of a higher tempo on the ball, of calm and cool heads.

Last year, assistant manager Pablo Amo left the Spain setup for a job in Qatar. No body of work can ever be divided between a manager and their assistant, but when his departure was announced, a number of outlets covering Spain credited him with a significant contribution to their successful tactical work to that point. In Spain’s documentary on their path to Euro 2024 victory, Amo is seen in a classroom explaining the plan to press Germany in the quarter-final. Perhaps the Spain manager can reprimand the editor, but de la Fuente looked just as flummoxed as the rest of us did with their performance on Monday. Should they lack the dynamism that has characterised de la Fuente’s Spain, without fresh solutions to unpick what will no doubt be a similar Saudi Arabia approach, will open Pandora’s box of alarm bells.

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Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has claimed that it is time to double down rather than react with changes to their shock draw against Cape Verde on Monday night. La Roja, who came into the World Cup as one of the favourites to win, could not find a way past Cape Verde, who were making their debut in the tournament.

On the whole, Spain were unable to find space in the final third, as evidenced by Mikel Oyarzabal’s unwanted touches record. Even so, there were chances for La Roja, who had 27 shots but only managed six on target, and de la Fuente was keen to put out the message that the solution was not change.

“The solution lies in persisting with the same idea, continuing to improve with more finesse, but oh well… These are the kinds of matches where, as Rodri has explained, you create a lot, but without the freshness you need for these kinds of games,” he told Marca.

“The idea is what has brought us this far, what has made us European champions, what has allowed us to remain undefeated for so long; to continue betting on that idea, and also to continue betting on recovering the important players we need to recover, who will have an important role as we progress in the competition.”

‘We lacked some speed of passing’ – De la Fuente

Continuing on, de la Fuente was impressed with their opponents, and felt that a little more sharpness would have unlocked the door.

“They are a very organised team. We knew they would be playing in a low block, making it very difficult to create space. Even so, we created chances, but we lacked some speed of passing to generate more. When the ball just won’t go in, it just won’t go in. There were shots, opportunities, and a desire to settle the game quickly. We know this is very difficult, and we know it’s extremely hard to win here.”

“These kinds of competitions are extremely close and difficult. The teams have different characteristics, and despite their limitations, they do what they do well. The team we faced was clearly inferior to ours, but they did what they had to do very well and defended very well. If we had scored a goal in the first half, the game would have been different, but they do what they do very well. So in every match, you have to apply yourself with absolute precision at a very high level to be able to overcome your rivals, and of course, they’ve shown us that we have to keep growing, we have to keep improving.”

He insisted that his side could be relied upon to progress and to grow into the competition.

“All the noise and drama is fine, but this team is undeniably reliable. By the way, today we made it to 32 matches unbeaten. The numbers show it’s an extraordinarily reliable team. We’ll be better in the next match, that’s for sure. And we know how difficult this type of competition is; if you lack that finesse, that freshness, that accuracy in the final passes, well, this is what happens.”

“But there’s nothing that should cause us any doubt, nothing that should cause us any distraction or excessive worry, other than that it’s an area for improvement that we need to keep working on. That’s all. Whatever is said or left unsaid, we’re sticking to our path, and it’s the path that has brought us here, after many months of doing things very well and continuing to do so.”

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams fitness

In the final stages of the game, de la Fuente put Lamine Yamal on for the final 25 minutes, and Nico Williams for the final five minutes. Both have been recovering from hamstring injuries over the past two months.

“The goal is to gradually give them playing time, so they can gain confidence and rhythm and be in better shape for future matches.”

Gavi selection choice

If there was a decision that attracted criticism though, it was the choice to play Gavi out on the left wing, away from his natural place in central midfield.

“We thought Cape Verde would sit deeper, not as deep as they did, but their retreat was so deep, a result of our absolute dominance and the constant sense of danger we created. This pressure forced them to push all 10 defenders, including the goalkeeper, back into the box, thanks to the movement of our wingers cutting inside and the width and depth provided by our full-backs. But, to put it simply, sometimes you just don’t have the necessary touch, that decisive pass that could have led to some of the goals we created.”

All eyes will be on de la Fuente’s starting line-up for their next clash with Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and whether it will see starts for any of their three wingers, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams or Victor Munoz. In Spain, de la Fuente has certainly taken plenty of heat for his selection choices.

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