Of the four third-placed teams that Spain could have faced in the first round of the Euro 2024 knockout stages, a meeting with Georgia offers the most resonance for Luis de la Fuente and his players.
The last-16 encounter in Cologne on Sunday will bring back memories of Spain’s 7-1 thrashing of the same opponents last year in a match that breathed life into the new La Roja manager’s reign.
To call the period before that game tumultuous for Spain would be an understatement. A 2-0 defeat to Scotland had the national team licking their wounds and De la Fuente batting away questions about his credentials for the role along with his associations with former RFEF president Luis Rubiales.
‘What is the plan?’ and ‘Shipwreck in Glasgow’ were two of the headlines on the front pages of Spanish newspapers as De la Fuente’s tenure got off to a rocky start and signs of a turnaround following recent tournament underachievements were far from view.
However, that changed in Tbilisi when things started to click. The team galvanised, raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time, with two coming from Alvaro Morata, and finished with seven goals to their name.
That comprehensive victory in September 2023 provided De la Fuente with the platform to go forth in more ways than one.
De la Fuente decided to send on a 16-year-old and 57-day boy named Lamine Yamal after half-time and, in truth, supporters of the national team have been thankful ever since. The Barcelona prodigy scored to become Spain’s youngest-ever international and goalscorer.
That game also marked the first time that Yamal and 21-year-old Nico Williams played together and it is fair to say that De la Fuente is now reaping the rewards for the faith he placed in young talent at such a sticky patch.
It has not been plain sailing for Spain since then, but current evidence suggests that De la Fuente’s Spain have truly turned a corner during the group stages of Euro 2024.
Drawn in supposedly the hardest group, Spain reached the second round with nine points from nine and no goals conceded — the first time they have advanced from a group without conceding.
They struck three past Croatia, played in the most one-sided 1-0 win over Italy before fielding a ‘B’ team to defeat Albania by the same scoreline. More than that, however, they played better than anyone else in the opening phase of the tournament, too.
Spain were not heavily tipped when they arrived in Germany but the level of their performances mean they now are considered one of the favourites. They find themselves in the more difficult side of the draw with a possible quarter-final against the hosts and then could face Portugal or France.
Therefore greater tests lie ahead but their assured displays stand them in good stead. So far, no other team have looked as comfortable in their own skin as Spain.
Electric wingers key facet for Spain
De la Fuente has a settled side but asks them to play in a more direct style than their tiki-taka predecessors. Twelve teams had more possession than Spain in the group phase which goes to show that their perchance for possession is not quite so extreme as previous.
And so far it has been effective. It was a canny move by De la Fuente to heavily rotate for the final group game after qualification as group winners was already secured, meaning every out-field player has now featured at some point.
Spain’s first-choice XI mostly picks itself with a spine of Unai Simón, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Morata. Fabian Ruiz and Pedri have provided class in midfield. Though, the names that have been exclaimed with most regularity have been those of Yamal and Williams.
The two wingers have been the stars of the show thus far in Spain’s campaign thus far. Diario AS, the Spanish newspaper, labelled them: ‘the Spanish fashion couple at Euro 2024’ and it is hard to disagree.
They are instrumental to the way that De la Fuente wants his team to play, relying on quick transitions and creating a buzz around forward Morata. Their exuberance and confidence to take on defenders has been refreshing to see.
Both have had strong seasons in La Liga: Yamal has been Barcelona’s brightest spark during an otherwise underwhelming season for the club, while Williams has formed one of the most devastating attacks in the division with his elder brother, Inaki, at Athletic Bilbao. Both packed their form into their suitcases ahead of this summer’s tournament.
So when Spain face Georgia — another team who are defying expectations and have remarkably made the knockout rounds in their first major tournament — and De la Fuente sends on his electric wingers, he will have reason to pause for thought and remember that turnaround in Tbilisi that breathed life into this new Spain.
