Analysis: Spain approach turning point after flummoxing open to World Cup

On Thursday, Borja Iglesias was denied entry into Spain’s accommodation, after security failed to recognise the 6’2 (187cm) target man, and de la Fuente seemed to forget about him three days earlier too. As Lamine Yamal jinked inside, two, three times in the closing minutes, he was forced to lash the ball towards the run of Olmo – a scenario Cape Verde manager Bubista was fully onboard with.

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Not until the 71st minute did de la Fuente challenge the Cape Verde defence with something different, and while Lamine Yamal helps any side to look more dynamic, it was still difficult to digest that this Spain side were so hesitant on the ball, so slow to find a pass. More promising for de la Fuente is that all week Spain’s players have sung from the same hymn sheet, of a higher tempo on the ball, of calm and cool heads.

Last year, assistant manager Pablo Amo left the Spain setup for a job in Qatar. No body of work can ever be divided between a manager and their assistant, but when his departure was announced, a number of outlets covering Spain credited him with a significant contribution to their successful tactical work to that point. In Spain’s documentary on their path to Euro 2024 victory, Amo is seen in a classroom explaining the plan to press Germany in the quarter-final. Perhaps the Spain manager can reprimand the editor, but de la Fuente looked just as flummoxed as the rest of us did with their performance on Monday. Should they lack the dynamism that has characterised de la Fuente’s Spain, without fresh solutions to unpick what will no doubt be a similar Saudi Arabia approach, will open Pandora’s box of alarm bells.