OPINION: Vamos, España! Such Football is Needed by the World

This text does not claim to be expert or analytical. It is about how the play of one national team revived my belief that even in modern high-tech football, those who have an idea win.

At this World Cup, the Spanish national team proved that its game is tuned around a cohesive playing concept. That is why this team defeated both the favorite French and virtually outclassed Argentina in the final, as it did not let them even properly shoot on target during the regular time of the match.

Much has already been said, and quite a bit more will be said, that the foundation of the current “Furia Roja” head coach’s football is compactness, high pressing, intensive recovery in the midfield, and impeccable mutual cover. Yes, this coach managed to turn the classic “Spanish” 4-3-3 into a flexible scheme with one bright forward and two inside forwards. The attack of the current Spanish team is the gradual grinding down of any defense.

The players of the Spanish national team seem to be in no rush, yet they will always find an opportunity to break through any defense. It was they who controlled the tempo and rhythm of the game in every match of the tournament, keeping the match under control.

In the final, they managed to completely shut down the potential of the reigning world champions, the Argentines. And now one can say with certainty: Argentina played against Spain in regular time on par with the Cape Verde national team! Not bad for a team that has Lionel Messi in its squad, a whole constellation of bright masters of the level who play in top European championships, right?

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I will write only about what I saw in the Spanish team at the 2026 World Cup. The main secret of their success is that Luis de la Fuente managed to gather bright footballers in one team and unite them around his IDEA.

On the eve of the championship, everyone expected that 19-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal would play the main role, but instead, we saw a disciplined right winger who not only attacks in various ways, but also conscientiously works back in defense (an episode in the semifinal with a yellow card after a ball recovery was telling).

Meanwhile, other players of the attacking group turned out to be a revelation in every match. The coach always saw when a failure was brewing in his “Brownian motion” of attacking players managed on the field by Rodri, and made timely substitutions and rotations.

De la Fuente controlled everything on the field each time, he knew thoroughly the potential and condition of every player, and that is why his substitutions were maximally effective. A telling moment is Ferran Torres’s goal in the 106th minute of the match. Ferran came on as a substitute in the second half, immediately made the national team’s attacking play sharper, and scored his only goal in this championship, which turned out to be decisive.

High skill, iron discipline, mutual assistance on every patch of the field, and excellent physical conditioning – this is the hallmark of this Spanish team.

But! This is all absolutely nothing without the main thing – without the coach’s idea, around which everything already mentioned is built.

Luis de la Fuente proved that in the modern high-tech show that football has gradually turned into, there are fresh coaching ideas, something truly new. And this restores faith in modern football, where the primacy of the idea shapes the team’s play and the result.

Gracias, España! During this World Cup, you were truly the best!