When the World Cup started a month ago, Spain were one of the favorites, even though almost no one was talking about them. Much of the pre-match discussion focused on France’s front line, Argentina’s title defense and whether this might be the last World Cup. Lionel Messi or cristiano ronaldo.Spain is just getting started. A goalless draw against Cape Verde in the opening match did not change that narrative. However, since then, it has been one of the most tactically complete campaigns of the World Cup: top of Group H, conceding just one goal in the knockout rounds, beating France 2-0 in the semi-finals, and falling just one win away from a second World Cup title.
Beyond Tiki Taka
For the better part of two decades, Spain has meant one thing: tiki-taka. Endless ball control, short passing triangles, almost suffocating patience. It was the defining characteristic of this country’s greatest generation.The gameplay here is different. Luis de la Fuente didn’t abandon the old ball-keeping principles, but he gave up the predictability that came with it. There’s more verticality now, more aggression, urgency in passing the ball.This is more of a return than a new development, and the numbers clearly show that. At the 2018 World Cup, Spain’s penalty shootout exit in the round of 16 saw their progressive passing ratio 0.82 times the tournament average. In 2022, the last 16 was eliminated again on penalties, and this ratio dropped further to 0.76. Next up: at Euro 2024, when Spain wins the title, this number rises to 1.08 times the average per game. Now, in this World Cup final, the ratio is 1.09. Both exits were below average. European champions and World Cup finalists both sold more than this.Former Germany goalkeeper and Zee5 expert Oliver Kahn believes this shift explains much of what happened this summer.“They have further developed tiki-taka in the last 10 or 12 years. Luis de la Fuente has made some adjustments. They play more vertically, more aggressively, with two full-backs always attacking. It’s a completely different Spain than 10 years ago.”Former England striker and Zee5 pundit Robbie Fowler also expressed similar sentiments during a media conference.“Everyone talks about tiki-taka, and I don’t think it’s the Spanish tiki-taka we’ve seen in the past. They’re still a possession-based team, but what I like is that it’s possession-based in the right way, in the right spaces. There’s a purpose to the way they play.”
Spain did not stop France. they wiped them out
France came into Dallas with arguably the scariest offense in the game. Kylian Mbappe leads the race for the Golden Boot. Michael Olise is one of the game’s sharpest creators. Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Bakela have been cutting holes in transition throughout the summer.Spain eliminated all these threats.The scoreline against France tells part of the story. It doesn’t quite capture how one-sided this match actually was. Not since Sweden eight years ago had any semifinal team fallen as low as France. France averaged 2.4 expected goals per game throughout the match; against Spain that dropped to 0.31, their lowest figure of the summer. Spain allowed 0.6 expected goals against, but they also created 1.7 expected goals themselves, on a night that was more about control than chance creation.France’s entire attacking approach at this World Cup has relied on winning the ball back and immediately attacking vertically, exploiting the space behind the defense with raw speed. So Spain simply refused to let that happen. Counterpressure comes immediately. The moment France gained possession, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo had blocked the passing lanes before France could pick up the pace. Mbappe spent much of the evening chasing long balls that never really arrived. Dembele is suspended. Olise is usually France’s creative pulse, but he had the quietest night of the tournament. Mbappe did not have a single shot on target throughout the game. Although France touched the ball 152 times in the final third, they took a total of 10 shots.
Defense under the radar
Spain’s attacks tend to grab the headlines. The back four deserves just as much attention, if not more.Pedro Polo, Paulo Cubas, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella have undoubtedly formed one of the strongest defensive lineups at this World Cup. Throughout the knockout stages, Spain’s expected goals against total was 1.59, which is a remarkable number for a team with so much depth.Specifically, against the French team, Polo, Rodri, Laporte, Cubas and Ruiz won 25 of 34 individual duels and made 44 defensive actions. They didn’t break the shape to do this.But perhaps the biggest reason behind Spain’s success is the one few are talking about: Rodri.He has just returned from a difficult club season, which was caused by a serious knee injury he suffered in September 2024, and has found something close to his best at a time when his country needs it. Against France, he was constantly under attack, whether intercepting passes, stealing possession or slowing down the tempo of the game when Spain needed a breather.The numbers back this up. Rodri completed 655 passes at this World Cup, more than any player has completed in a single World Cup since records began in 1966. It illustrates how much of Spain’s rhythm is embodied through one person.Kahn defined it as a system that works because the individuals within it are exceptional.“They have a perfect system but you always need good players like Rodri and Lamin.”Along with Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo, Rodri beat Adrien Rabiot and Aureliano Tsouameny in midfield and France never found a way back into the fight.Even when Didier Deschamps brought on Desire Douai, Manu Cone and Ryan Cherki in search of a chance to get back into the game, Spain simply adjusted their press and stayed compact. Every substitution made by the French team will receive a corresponding tactical response from the Spanish bench.
Lamine Yamal, playing a different game for his country
On the surface, the Yamal tournament has been quiet. 5 games, 1 goal, no assists, still a long way from the 24 goals and 17 assists he scored for Barcelona this season.These numbers don’t tell you much, though.His solo run forced a foul from Lucas Digne, giving Spain a penalty and a lead over France. Throughout the tournament, he stretched defenses down the field, drove the ball deep and put opponents at a disadvantage.Kahn sees his role in Spain as completely different to his role at club level.“Lamine has just returned from an eight-week injury. The way he plays is a little different than in Barcelona. He has more freedom there. Talented players like him and Messi need this freedom.”“In Spain he has to integrate himself into the system. He has to play more for the team than for himself.”Even so, Kahn believes the teenager was born for this kind of stage.“He is only 19 years old. He has to earn this freedom. Now he has the chance to show in the final what a great player he is. I have a lot of respect for a 19-year-old player who plays in a World Cup final.”
collective understanding of individual moments
Perhaps most striking of all is that Spain no longer needs one player to create magic. Everyone on the pitch seems to know when to apply pressure, when to recover, and when to break forward.Fowler believes that possession of the ball has a purpose, rather than possession of the ball being an end in itself.“They still play possession-based football but I think there is more directness. They can break the pressure with simple passes to Rodri or Olmo and from a transition point of view they are very, very quick.”The balance between control and directness makes them one of the most difficult teams to play against in the world.
The final challenge: stopping Messi
Standing in the way of a second title is defending champion Argentina led by Messi, who at 39 is somehow better than he was in 2022. His expected goals rate has doubled, from 0.26 per 90 four years ago to 0.52 now, and his shot volume and receptions in the final third have matched that. Spain has built a system that no longer relies on any single player to produce magic moments, while Argentina’s route through this World Cup is more reliant on what one person can still do.For Fowler, stopping them starts with limiting the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s ball control.“You have to have players ready to go into the hard ground, ready to block tackles, block channels, run with runners and not let Messi receive the ball.”Spain have proven at this World Cup that they can take away the influence of elite attacking talent. They closed Belgium. They nearly razed the French front line to the ground. Now they face arguably the toughest task in football: stopping Messi from reaching the World Cup final.Kahn sees a story within a story here.“The difference is that one is 19 and the other is 40. Both are from Barcelona. Both are from La Masia. This young man goes against his example. It’s a great story.”Messi is chasing back-to-back titles, the final defining moment of a career that has already seen him win many titles. Yamal, the teenager tipped to be the sport’s next great thing, reached his first World Cup final. It’s hard to write anything better.Spain went on a 37-match unbeaten run in international competition, equaling Italy’s world record from 2018 to 2021, reaching the final and climbing to first place in the FIFA rankings. There aren’t as many household names on this team as there were in 2010. Judging by performance rather than reputation, the team may not need them. This may well be the most complete Spanish squad in more than a decade.Argentina and Messi stand between them and the second star on their jersey.
