FIFA World Cup 2022 - Spain's Young Stars Look For Win

With the World Cup returning for 2022, many eyes will be on Spain to see if their young crop of stars can get that back to the top of the footballing world.

Everyone thinks of Spain as a footballing giant, a nation rich in history and prestige, that dominates the world stage at every opportunity playing beautiful, scintillating football. 

From 2008-2012, that statement couldn't have been more valid. Winning the Euros twice and the World Cup in between, this era of Spanish football was one of the most exciting football teams in history. 

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However, this is surprisingly the only notable era in Spanish Football. Despite the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid throughout modern football, prior to 2010 Spain only made the semi-finals of a World Cup once, and the quarter-finals only four times. 

This slightly skewed view of Spanish football has led many people to be shocked at it's slight decline over recent years. The golden generation has come and gone and now it’s time to turn to their youngsters to provide the spark. 

The likes of Pedri (pictured), Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres now have the hopes of the nation on their shoulders, and it’s time for them to take the mantle and create the second golden generation in Spanish football. 

After falling to eventual winners Italy at the 2020 Euros, they will look to go one step further in November and bring the golden goddess back to Spain. Let’s have an in-depth look at how they could get there.

World Cup 2022 Predictions for Spain

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Spain's Perfect Personnel

The Spanish core is filled to the brim with exciting young players that will play a massive part for the national side in November. As mentioned previously, the likes of Pedri, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres will be key cogs in this machine, however, there are still many more parts to this machine.

Gavi has had a breakout season for Barcelona, establishing himself as one of Europe's best young players. Pau Torres and Eric Garcia could develop themselves as a very good centre-half partnership in the future, and Dani Olmo is the cherry on top that brings the creativity and flair that could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in any given game.

Looking at the more experienced heads, you have the likes of Rodri and Thiago who can both sit at the base of midfield and either destroy or conduct. Aymeric Laporte brings solidity and experience in that defensive unit, alongside the likes of Dani Carvajal and Marco Asensio.

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This mix between experienced heads and youthful exuberance will put this Spanish side in a perfect position to cause some major trouble to the more established nations that might not take this side as seriously as they should. When looking at who manager Luiz Enrique will prefer in each position, the conversation becomes trickier. 

Spain sets up in a 4-3-3 formation, but looking at the goalkeeper first, it’s a toss-up between Unai Simon and David De Gea. Whilst perhaps not being as good a shot stopper as De Gea, Simon’s distribution should put him ahead in the starting 11.  

Looking at the back four, Alba and Laporte appear to be locks playing left back and left-sided centre half, and they will likely be partnered with Pau Torres and Marcos Llorente. 

As an incredible passer of the ball, as seen with his 4.39 progressive passes per 90 minutes, Torres is the obvious choice, especially with Sergio Ramos’ omission from the squad. 

Eric Garcia could also get a look in, as the young centre-half has an incredible upside that could be developed for future tournaments. 

The right-back position is a slight area of concern though, with the ageing Cesar Azpilicueta and Dani Carvajal still being the two first choices. 

Moving to the three in midfield, this is where the squad selection gets tough. Sitting at the base of midfield, the options are either Sergio Busquets or Rodri. Both are excellent players in their own right and have undeniable qualities that set them apart from the rest. Even Thiago can be put into that mix paying as that single pivot in midfield. 

The two outside centre mids are where the quality comes to the fore. Gavi has produced some extraordinary football over the recent months, playing some of the best football ever seen for someone his age. 

Plus, Pedri announced himself on the world stage last year, having an extraordinary European Championship campaign that put himself well above the rest in terms of an attacking number 8. 

While having a midfield partnership with a combined age of 38 might not appear safe, this is where the likes of Koke and Thiago can fit in and provide that experience and maturity. 

Up Front, Morata will more than likely start, with Pablo Sarabia to his left and Ferran Torres to his right. This is the front three which Enrique seems to prefer. Torres' pace and Olmo's fantastic dribbling ability both work well with Morata's well-roundedness. However, the likes of Ansu Fati, Dani Olmo and Marco Asensio will provide valuable competition for places.

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Spain's Tactical Fluidity

Despite not having the elegance and flair that the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, David Villa, Cesc Fabregas and others playing in this side anymore, the tiki-taka nature and the fluid football are still in an abundance. Starting off as playing a 4-3-3 when defending, in possession this quickly transforms into a 2-4-4. 

This shift is done by having one of the midfield two slotting beside the defensive midfielder creating a double pivot. The other midfielder pushes up alongside the striker to create the overload in the attacking area, and the full-backs push up to create a midfield four, in line with the double pivot. 

They maintain solidity through possession. Playing relative risk-averse football at this stage to hold their structure. The creation of movement is a big factor in how Spain attacks, with both wingers moving in and out of the half-spaces and the two central players in between the line. 

Their aim is to move the ball into advanced wide positions, with the tempo increasing as they move up the pitch. This feature of the system heavily differs from the traditional tika-taka, which prefers a much more patient build-up once higher up the pitch. This is the system that worked for them brilliantly in the Euros and we can expect to see this same system deployed at the World Cup as well. 

Whilst this is the system which the Spanish use most often, they are perhaps more effective on the counter attack. This is due to the congestion and the compact nature that other teams defend against them. 

When they are able to attack with pace over the top they are deadly. See the game against Germany back in 2021 as an example, in which they dismantled the 2014 champions 6-0 using blistering speed and counter attacking masterclasses.

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Can Spain Go All The Way in Qatar?

Honestly, it may be one tournament too early for Spain. The young talent is there, the game style is there and all the other pieces are there, it just needs more time. Other nations are more primed to win the World Cup in 2022 and it would take something special for Spain to pull it off. 

The quality they possess makes them at least a quarter-final side, and with the youthful exuberance of Pedri, Ansu Fait and Gavi, they could produce something special, however unlikely that could be. 

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(Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)