This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June.
Prospects
Spain arrive in Germany with much better prospects than could have been imagined 18 months ago when they lost to Morocco on penalties in the last 16 of the World Cup and then replaced Luis Enrique with Luis de la Fuente. The national team had shown a worrying lack of imagination in Qatar and, instead of appointing another coach with a high-profile club career, the Spanish football federation looked within and hired one who had spent most of his career with the Spain youth sides. However, the experiment did not start well.
De la Fuente’s side lost the second game of the Euro qualifying campaign, 2-0 against Scotland at Hampden Park, and De la Fuente came in for a lot of criticism. There was even speculation he would lose his job even at that early stage of his time in charge. However, Spain’s next games were in the Nations League finals against Italy and Croatia, two teams they are due to face in their group in Germany.
Italy were defeated 2-1 after a late goal from Joselu in the semi-final and the tournament was then won on penalties after a goalless draw against Croatia. The success gave the team – and the coach – a platform from which to build. The project has felt very stable since then and has proceeded serenely. De la Fuente has also learned from his mistakes, for example not repeating the error of making eight changes, which he did for the Scotland defeat. He has also shown he is capable of playing a more direct style of football than that criticised in Qatar, without losing control of the game, mainly because of the calming influence of Rodri in midfield. The wingers are more involved and he is not afraid to use a pure striker like Joselu.
Spain won their remaining qualifying games but lost the supremely talented Gavi on the way after he picked up an ACL injury against Georgia. There are also big question marks around Pedri, who has had his own injury problems and has not been at De la Fuente’s disposal, while the first-choice No 9, Álvaro Morata, has struggled this spring. However, despite all these problems, it feels as if Spain are travelling to the Euros with a very good foundation and should be counted among the favourites.
The coach
Luis de la Fuente does not have a long list of elite clubs on his CV – although he represented Athletic and Sevilla for several seasons as a player – but he has proved to be the perfect choice during a turbulent time for the Spanish Football Federation. Luis Rubiales, the president who hired him, resigned after planting an unsolicited kiss on Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final and is now involved in several legal cases. During one of the national team squad get-togethers civil guard officers entered the offices of the Spanish FA next to the pitch where the players were training. De La Fuente has maintained his calm and has kept the group united with a simple phrase. “If you came to play for the national team you have to be good and you have to be committed.”
The icon
Rodri has become the key player in the transition from Luis Enrique to De la Fuente. The former deployed him as a centre-back in Qatar while the latter uses him as the conductor of play in midfield, just like Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. “He is the best in Europe,” said Guardiola after the 2023 Champions League final and added: “a fantastic midfielder.” He was chosen as the MVP of the win against Internazionale (having scored the winner) and was also the MVP of the Nations League final against Croatia. He has become one of the leaders of the team, the player who dictates the pace with which the team plays on the pitch.
One to watch
Lamine Yamal may only be 16 years old when the Euros start (he turns 17 on 13 July), but he is already emerging as a key player for this Spain team. In fact, this past season he was a rare feelgood story for Xavi Hernández’s Barcelona. “He surprises you every day,” says De la Fuente. Despite the fact that he is still quite an erratic player he continues to be an absolutely decisive forward, capable of breaking through the lines easily and with a very good goalscoring record.
The maverick
This squad does not have a player with the personality to rock the dressing room or shock the world with a controversial comment in a press conference. There is one player, however, who always seems to be in the spotlight, even if he doesn’t want to be. Álvaro Morata has played for European powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and Atlético, but throughout his career his ability to score goals has been questioned. It doesn’t matter that he has scored more than 200 senior goals. He has been booed and received death threats from his own fans but De la Fuente is unmoved: Morata remains his captain.
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The spine
Unai Simón (goalkeeper), Aymeric Laporte (defender), Rodri (midfielder) and Morata (forward). Simón was already the No 1 when De La Fuente took over and he is not about to be dislodged now. The same goes for Laporte, who has kept his place as the leader of the defence despite his transfer from Manchester City to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. De la Fuente really values his experience. Nobody questions Rodri’s place and Morata still has the coach’s trust up front. One thing to remember about these four players is that they are leaders on the pitch, but also in the dressing room.
Probable starting XI
Celebrity fan
They say about Rafa Nadal that, because he opted to play with a racket, the world lost a magnificent footballer. He is the nephew of the former Barcelona Dream Team footballer, Miguel Ángel Nadal, and always likes to play when he can. Despite that link, though, the 22-time grand slam winner supports Real Madrid – as well as La Roja of course. When Spain won the World Cup in 2010, Nadal was one of the first people to sneak into the dressing room to celebrate with Casillas, Iniesta and Xavi and the rest.
Culinary delight
No game is complete without a good beer. If you are in a bar or in the stands the ideal scenario to follow a competition like the Euros this summer, especially in a hot country such as Spain, you absolutely must ask for a caña with a nice foamy head. If you are watching at home it is enough to have a little bottle. As well as having a beer, you need to get your stomach ready and what better way to compliment the drink than with a bowl of patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy sauce on top) or a ensaladilla rusa (salad with mayonnaise, tuna, olives and carrots), which despite its name is even more Spanish than a potato omelette.
The Spain guide was written by David Álvarez and Juan I. Irigoyen for El País