Spain’s ‘vertical football’ too much for ageing Croatia at Euro 2024

BERLIN – Having dominated international football for years with their possession-based “tiki-taka” style, Spain’s switch to a faster, more direct approach saw them cruise to an easy 3-0 win over Croatia on June 15 as they laid down a marker for Euro 2024.

The previous day, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic had spoken about how the current Spain side tried to move the ball into attacking areas more quickly, and when Croatia failed to make the ball stick in attack midway through the first half, the Spaniards showed exactly what he meant.

Marc Cucurella’s clearance found Rodri in midfield, and he passed to Fabian Ruiz. A couple of touches later, the midfielder split the defence with a sublime ball to Alvaro Morata and he slotted it home in the 29th minute.

Croatia never recovered, with Ruiz doubling Spain’s advantage three minutes later.

For all the success Spain had with tiki-taka, winning Euro titles in 2008 and 2012 either side of a World Cup in South Africa in 2010, it was often criticised as being a style based on passing for the sake of it, rather than trying to score. Instead, the Spaniards held possession for long periods, tiring out opponents with their patient probing before striking quickly in the final third for simple, devastating goals.

The adoption of a more modern and energetic pressing style by many teams blunted their previous possession game, but it also gave rise to their current take on attacking play, which seeks to create scoring chances more quickly.

The statistics have also reflected this as La Roja’s run of 136 competitive games, dating back 16 years to the Euro 2008 final, with more possession than their opponents ended on June 15 with Croatia racking up 53 per cent of the ball.

The Spanish attack was not limited to rapier-like thrusts through the middle either. Although Lamine Yamal’s name will be in the headlines as he became the youngest player ever to play at the Euro, his fellow winger Nico Williams, 21, also deserves his share of the plaudits.

Yamal crossed perfectly for Dani Carvajal to net Spain’s third goal but the 16-year-old took time to grow into the game. Williams was a threat from the off, constantly trying to steal into space behind defenders.

The introduction of Dani Olmo after the break gave a mouth-watering taste of what the future of Spanish football might look like, with Yamal, Williams and Olmo all looking to square their shoulders towards the opponents’ goal and attack with gusto.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised Yamal and talked up the teenager’s great potential.

Yamal almost got on the scoresheet in the second half, only for Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic to pull off a superb one-handed save to deny him.

“Yamal is impressing everyone and going up through the levels,” de la Fuente said after Spain’s 3-0 thrashing of Croatia in the Group B game.

“He has to keep improving every day, and over time he will become a wonderful footballer,” he added.

In contrast, it looks like the end of the road for some of Croatia’s greatest-ever players.

Luka Modric, 38, can still put a pass through the eye of a needle, but teams no longer give him the space to do so, and the introduction of 35-year-old Ivan Perisic at 3-0 down seemed like an attempt to summon the past in an effort to change the present.

Coach Dalic said sorry to the tens of thousands of Croatia fans who had packed into the Olympiastadion in Berlin. “I apologise for this bad show today. We were not aggressive enough.”

Croatia’s afternoon was summed up when Bruno Petkovic missed a penalty and then had a goal form the rebound ruled out after his teammate encroached during his original spot kick, leaving them without even a consolation goal.

Spain, on the other hand, could cruise through the second half as if it was a friendly, testing tricks and combinations that might pay dividends later in the tournament, if their success with their new-found vertical football persists. REUTERS