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Spain gets entangled in the road

2022-09-27T10:43:41.329Z


Doubts and fears return to the national team after the mediocre performance against Switzerland, where worse than the result was the impression of insolvency of the team


One step away from the World Cup in Qatar, the one that was played four years ago in Russia seemed like a distant nightmare for the Spanish team.

However, doubts and fears return after the lackluster performance against Switzerland.

Worse than the result was the impression of team insolvency.

The climate of moderate optimism dissipated so abruptly that today's game against Portugal takes on paramount importance.

The defeat said less than the performance of the team, deficient in all its records.

Empty of ideas and game, there was nothing salvageable from the game.

The veterans gave a feeling of weariness, the youngsters lost credit by the jets and the most accredited players —Pedri, for example— were surprised by their irrelevance.

Neither line worked.

Spain has played excellent, good and bad games over the last four years.

He has done his homework in the European Championship and has qualified for this World Cup.

He has played in the semifinal of the European Championship and the final of the League of Nations.

On his best days he has outplayed, and quite a few times on the scoreboard, several of the teams that will start as favorites in Qatar.

In the worst, they have suffered against second or third-tier rivals, difficulties that were considered logical in the transition process.

Against Switzerland, the team left nothing for the rescue, which in football is much more worrying than playing poorly.

Rarely has a game marked such a significant drop in the confidence that he transmits around him.

From the expectation generated by Spain, it has passed to a sudden fear.

He returned to a state that recalled the days of Russia 2018, only relieved by the condition of the match, located in a minor tournament, very modest compared to the magnitude of the World Cup that is coming.

The match with Portugal will be measured by the ability of the Spanish team to recover from the fiasco or reiterate its weakness in La Romareda.

It is the perfect match to detect the emotional and football thickness of the team.

A new dose of discouragement would be catastrophic.

There is no time for substantial modifications.

In the last four years, Luis Enrique has used a lot of players.

The screening has been thorough.

Except for one or two players and the possibility of recovering some of the injured - the return of Laporte would be essential given the suspicions produced by the centrals - this call includes 90% of the players who will attend the World Cup.

Portugal is the most suitable and fearsome opponent at the moment.

Pound for pound, he's as much a favorite as anyone else in the betting.

He enjoys an exceptional generation of players, most of them at the height of their careers.

Several of them have been accredited in great teams such as Manchester City (Rubén Días, Bernardo Silva), Liverpool (Diego Jota) or Paris Saint Germain (Nuno Mendes).

Youngsters like Vintinha, Matheu Nunes and Pedro Neto are among the most promising in European football, where some are waiting for Joao Félix to flourish.

Amidst this landscape, Cristiano Ronaldo is more protected than ever, ready to embark on his last great adventure.

The Portuguese will come to Qatar to take advantage of the massive quality of the team, sometimes restricted by the conservative nature of their coach, Fernando Santos.

After the disappointment against Switzerland, it is very difficult to know in what state Spain will face the World Cup.

One game has been enough to reverse the mood.

The growing optimism has passed into a kind of stupor due to the nothingness of the team in Zaragoza.

Against Portugal, the team has two open directions: persist in a disturbing despondency or show that their weakness in La Romareda was an accident.

The kind of dilemma that makes a game great.

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Source: elparis

All sports articles on 2022-09-27

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