La Roja’s Fury – Tactical Analysis: Spain v Costa Rica FIFA WC 2022 Qatar

Spain’s 7-0 win over Costa Rica could be taken for granted due to the sheer difference in quality between the two squads. But this was no simple domination on the pitch; this was complete and utter prepotency by Spain.

No other team has held any other team to such complete strangleholds in this World Cup. Elite ball movement, excellent positioning, and such constant rotations and runs in behind by La Roja made their performance seem flawless.

Call it tiki-taka, juego de posicion or whatever you prefer, the point is if Spain have the ball, they will use it & play right through almost any defence.

In Possession

Spain’s system, as designed by Luis Enrique, is not really a surprise to anyone who has seen them play. A classic 4-3-3 with a single pivot and 2 rather offensive interiors in midfield and wide wingers and a genuine number 9 in the middle.

In phase 1 of their build-up Spain kept up the same structure i.e. the 4-3-3 with Laporte & Rodri easily finding the ball to break the first line to find Busquets, Alba, or Azpilicueta with Sergio Busquets being the most viable option on a lot of instances.

Spain could play through the first line pretty unopposed as Costa Rica sat off in their 4-4-2, which let Spain’s back four alone mount up to 63 first-line breaking passes in the game.

As Costa Rica sat in their low/mid-block often, the onus of the game was on Spain to break them down. Progression from the second line seemed a lot harder for Spain considering the number of men Costa Rica had behind the ball. But Spain’s structure here gave them a real advantage.

Luis Enrique’s side shifted to a 2-3-5 structure in the creative phase of their attack. The rather erratic nature of Costa Rica’s midfield line made it easier, but Spain still had to be composed and disciplined in their own chaotic but aesthetic style of play. And that was where Pedri & Gavi shone the brightest. Busquets was the orchestrator but Pedri & Gavi played the tune to perfection.

There were doubts over the inclusion of Rodri at CB partnering Laporte. But Lucho, as Luis Enrique is fondly called, never does anything without a reason. Spain’s progression to the second phase was an imposing task but it became an almost negligible phase of play due to Rodri’s presence in the zone. 29/29 line breaks completed at a 100% success rate. 

A Barcelona midfield excelling in the colors of Spain is not a new sight. But their 2 interiors who are aged 19 & 18 years old respectively dominating the midfield on their World Cup debuts is not something you see every now and then.

Gavi’s tenacity was equally matched by Pedri’s elegance. Gavi can make excellent forward runs, while Pedri can break a defense from his half – the definition of complementary.

Pedri showed his class in setting the tempo, breaking lines and Costa Rica’s organization as he created 3 chances in the 51 minutes he had, generating an xA of 0.7; more than triple of any other Spanish player in that game. Not once was the boy from the Canary Islands dispossessed.

Gavi scored a wonderful goal and completed 5 recoveries. He also drew the most fouls and became the youngest-ever goal scorer at a World Cup since the great Pele himself.

And with such quality service behind them; Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres & Marco Asensio ran riot. Alba playing high up and Gavi often slipping into the wide right gave complete positional freedom to the front 3 players who are themselves exceptional at offensive movements.

The question about Spain’s squad since its announcement was the lack of a pure 9. But why need a no. 9 when you can score 7 without one?

Out of Possession

Off the ball, Spain were not tested; it’s just hard for opponents to attack when you have around 82% of the possession. Costa Rica had no xG accumulation at all. Although a notable feature was how compact Spain appeared on the rare occasions they did drop into blocks.

Especially when in a high block, the structure was focused on a counterpress which in itself let Spain win the ball high up the pitch and cause danger. Someone should really ask Lucho what’s the trick to getting all this right in his next Twitch stream.

Spain’s tactical superiority was never questioned and neither was their dominance, and it showed. La Roja were just too good and a lot more efficient than usual.

But the win is no fluke. With the Germans up next, in a must-win game for Die Mannschaft; Germany will have to be at their aggressive best & get a foothold in the game quickly before the Spanish bull sees red again.

Also read: Argentina and Germany On The Brink As Asian Football Rises