Slovakia suffered a huge debacle in the fight for promotion to the round of 16. Spain, which had tormented itself in the first two matches against Sweden and Poland, has now shown its strength against Slovakia.
Luis Enrique’s team could not score against Sweden, and when they also drew with the Poles, they came under huge criticism in the media. Swedes and Poles have shown how Spain can be confronted. However, Štefan Tarkovič’s charges did not even imitate this.
The problem was not only that Slovakia did not have a single shot into the goal area – as well as in the match with Sweden. Slovakia did not even approach it and it was not visible in any passage of the match that it could endanger the favorite in any way.
Coach Štefan Tarkovič decided on an identical line-up, which won him three points in the match with Poland. After a minor injury, Jakub Hromada returned to the basic eleven and Tarkovič also chose Lukáš Haraslín, although it is a much more offensive alternative than Martin Koscelník. He alternated advances against the Swedes in the right region and at the same time supplemented the defense.
Before the match, Spain looked like a team against which Slovakia had a chance. It was mainly a problem in the end, it was repeated in the last tournaments. “Lack of goals? This is an eternal discussion, “said Enrique.
When Spain gets space, it can destroy an opponent with its combination game. Now he has succeeded against Slovakia, although in the previous two duels it has often played with all the players under the ball.
Without going on the offensive still under pressure
The ultra-defensive against Spain did not work and Martin Dúbravka scored five goals. The coaches of Sweden and Poland realized that if the Spaniards could not take the ball, they must at least prevent them from getting to it where it is dangerous. This is exactly what has not worked out for Slovakia.
Even in the first half, Spain got into chances too easily. In other matches against outsiders, Spain traditionally tries to overcome a crowded defensive block with 10 opponents, but against Slovakia it did not have this problem.
At the same time, the Spaniards are not insecure backwards. This was seen, for example, in the duel with Sweden, when they were problemed by the rise of Alexander Isak.
In recent months, Enrique has been trying to change Spain’s game. Of course, he also remained true to the game’s identity with short passes, but the goal was to make them faster and more straightforward. The match with Slovakia looked as if Enrique had managed it to the maximum – although this is not entirely true in general.
The Spaniards have excellent players, but they have received too much space from Slovakia. When there is no transition to attack – as it did not exist in the case of Slovakia – the team automatically comes under enormous pressure. There are also unforced errors under pressure, which individual quality teams like Spain can punish.
After a bad pass by the tracker
