Luis de la Fuente has a problem that every World Cup manager would envy, yet one that could unravel a campaign if mismanaged. His players are too angr...
Luis de la Fuente has a problem that every World Cup manager would envy, yet one that could unravel a campaign if mismanaged. His players are too angry to sleep. After a soporific 0. 0 draw with Cape Verde in their Group opener, the Spain manager revealed to GoalZaza that his squad have been "stung" by the result and are desperate for redemption. You can almost hear the gritted teeth in the dressing room. For a side carrying the weight of a nation's expectations, against a team ranked 73 places below them, that stalemate felt less like a point and more like a puncture wound.The reaction, in de la Fuente's telling, has been visceral rather than tactical. These are not boys shrugging off a near miss; these are champions who have been caught napping. The manager's language suggests a squad that has looked at the video footage, seen the deep low block, the lack of clinical finishing, and realised they let a golden chance slip through their fingers. Spain dominated possession, as they always do, but their transitional play was toothless. Cape Verde, to their immense credit, executed a disciplined, almost exhausting defensive shift. They parked the bus and then threw away the keys. And Spain, for all their pretty patterns, couldn't find a locksmith.The good news for the Iberians is that de la Fuente confirmed Lamine Yamal will be fit for the crucial clash against Saudi Arabia. That is the shot of adrenaline this side needs. Yamal's ability to break lines and draw fouls, his sheer unpredictability, offers the tactical flexibility that was so sorely missing in the opener. Without him, Spain looked like an orchestra missing its conductor; all the instruments were there, but the rhythm was off. Now, with the teenager back in the fold, and with a squad that is bristling with wounded pride, we are likely to see a very different Spain. They have been stung. The question is: will they sting back, or will the venom turn inward Saudi Arabia, with their own physicality and pace, will be lying in wait. This is squeaky bum time, with a capital S.
