EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Spain were happy in Chattanooga."How we're going to miss this place," their social media team posted Monday, with a photo of the players, smiling, on the Baylor School training field on the banks of the Tennessee River.Spain have been based in Tennessee for almost a month and before the FIFA World Cup group stage began. But it's time to move on. Tournament logistics mean that the squad won't be back.Spain's route to a possible World Cup final now lies via Los Angeles (for the round of 32), Dallas (round of 16), L.A. (quarterfinals) and Dallas (semifinals), trading Chattanooga's familiar routines for uncharted territory and life on the road.- Spain's plan for Austria simple: Get ball to Yamal- Watching Yamal score first World Cup goal from his hometown- Which World Cup front-runner needs its superstar more?And as Spain fly to L.A. -- where they'll be staying in nearby Long Beach, California -- to play Austria on Thursday, those aren't the only uncertainties hanging over the squad.They might have qualified for the round of 32 as Group H winners, but Spain's performances against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay raised questions about key parts of the team, and about its coach, Luis de la Fuente.Midfield falteringSpain's 21st-century identity has been based on its midfield: from Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso and Xavi in the 2010 World Cup-winning side to Rodri, Fabin Ruiz and Pedri forming the foundation of the triumph at the last UEFA European Championship.But at this World Cup, something hasn't clicked. Pedri began the tournament playing in an advanced position, when his best performances over the past two years at Barcelona have come in a much deeper role.Ruiz, a back-to-back Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, has since dropped out of the XI to accommodate Pedri alongside Rodri."We take it completely naturally," Ruiz told ESPN on Tuesday. "We're ready to help the team, whatever the boss decides. The important thing about this team is that we're a family."I don't think anything changes [in midfield]. It's the same idea. Each player has different characteristics but collectively, the idea is the same."Rodri -- described repeatedly by De la Fuente as "the best player in the world" -- has looked uncharacteristically sluggish. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner has faced rare criticism in the Spanish media, accused of slowing the team's play.In the group stage, no one played more passes than Rodri's 328, with a pass completion rate of 93.7%. But only 11.9% of those were progressive passes (defined as a pass which moves the ball forwards at least 10 yards, or into the penalty area). That compares to 15.9% for Portugal's Vitinha, 19.6% for Switzerland's Granit Xhaka and 16.3% for Croatia's Luka Modric.Speaking after the Uruguay game, De la Fuente blamed circumstances. "It was a difficult match, it was almost impossible to string three or four passes together," the coach said. "We need to create an imbalance and danger in different parts of the pitch. ... We need to move the ball more and attack from places other than the wings."Midfielder turned right back Marcos Llorente agreed. "Every game is different," he said Monday. "The last game [against Uruguay] was very intense and aggressive, without much rhythm."Dani Olmo -- a key player at Euro 2024 and a specialist in finding space between the lines -- only started one of the team's three group games, the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Instead, Mikel Merino came into the starting XI against Uruguay, completing just 19 passes in 60 minutes, creating no chances and taking no shots on goal.Injured wingersSpain arrived at this World Cup with four wingers in the squad: Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Yremy Pino and Vctor Munoz. At the start of the tournament, only Pino was fit to play. By the end of the group stage, only Yamal was available.Muoz is yet to play after picking up a muscular injury in training. Pino suffered a separated shoulder against Uruguay. Williams sustained another muscular problem in that same game.Yamal has had a stop-start introduction to the tournament, playing 19 minutes in the opening game, a promising 45 minutes (opening the scoring) against Saudi Arabia and a frustrating 76 minutes Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico.In the absence of genuine wingers, Gavi and Ferran Torres were used -- ineffectively -- against Cape Verde. lex Baena stepped in against Uruguay, scoring the only goal of the game.Other options, such as using Alejandro Grimaldo -- an attacking left back -- further upfield, have not yet been tried."It's a position I know very well," Grimaldo said Tuesday. "I've scored 14 goals this year, provided 13 assists. I know what I can do in that position and the boss knows it. ... Ask me if I can play on the wing and I'd say yes."This side built its reputation on the thrilling wing play of Yamal and Williams at Euro 2024. With Yamal feeling his way back and Williams injured, the lack of genuine alternatives has limited the team.Taking chancesMikel Oyarzabal earned deserved praise for his performance against Saudi Arabia, scoring twice and creating another for Yamal. But the team's firepower in the group stage was another cause for concern.Sixteen teams scored more than Spain's five goals in their opening three World Cup games. Spain had 55 shots (ranked 6th) but only 16 on target (13th), and their shot conversion was just 9.1% (29th). That's despite having a tournament-topping 701 passes in the final third.The shooting goals added (SGA) metric, which assesses a team's goal-scoring ability by evaluating their shot placement and how much it improves their chances of finding the net, ranks Spain 28th among teams at the World Cup. In other words: Spain's finishers are underperforming."He's a great among greats," De la Fuente said about Oyarzabal after the Saudi Arabia game. "Finally, we're starting to recognise him in Spain."Spain will need Oyarzabal to deliver. His backup, Ferran Torres, has the lowest SGA of any forward at the tournament, with minus-0.99, with seven shots, two on target and no goals. Statistically, he's the worst finisher at this World Cup.And the third choice forward, Borja Iglesias? He hasn't played a single minute.De la Fuente's decisionsLuis de la Fuente earned huge credit with Spain's victory at Euro 2024 and the team's UEFA Nations League performances in 2023 and 2025. As a result, he deserves patience and time to get things right. But he has already made some decisions at this tournament which have been hard to understand.Besides selecting four players -- Yamal, Williams, Muoz and Merino -- who were not fully fit going into the World Cup, he has also shown a reluctance to pick others. Eight players -- backup goalkeepers David Raya and Joan Garca, plus Eric Garca, Marc Pubill, Martn Zubimendi, Grimaldo, Muoz and Iglesias -- are yet to be featured at all."Yes, it's difficult," Grimaldo said Tuesday. "I can only speak for me personally. I've had a good year, I've been in incredible form, I'd love to play."But you have to respect your teammates and the boss. I train as well as possible and wait for my moment, but I won't lie, it's difficult."Spain (18) used fewer players than France (21), Argentina (24), Brazil (22), England (20) or Portugal (22) in the group stage. That is partly due to injuries, and the individual circumstances of each game. But the combined result is that De la Fuente appears to be picking his team from fewer options, with almost a third of his squad lacking competitive rhythm.Despite a malfunctioning midfield, De la Fuente hasn't given Zubimendi a chance. Goal-scoring difficulties haven't led him to throw in Iglesias. De la Fuente is fiercely loyal to a team which has delivered for him in the past, starting with Rodri. That loyalty will be tested if those problems persist in the knockout phase.Of course, it's easy to focus on these issues and forget about the bottom line: Reigning European champions Spain topped the group and are in the round of 32, with a theoretically beatable opponent in Austria.The team has strengths, too. They were one of only two nations, with Mexico, not to concede a goal in the group stage. They top the World Cup rankings for expected goals against and shots against.In Guadalajara, a Uruguay team fighting for their lives at the tournament had just five shots and created one "big chance" for an xG of 0.2. Spain might be misfiring in attack, but their defence has looked rock solid, with Pau Cubars and Aymeric Laporte being outstanding.There is still time for Spain's problems to be resolved. Yamal is getting sharper, while Muoz could be back on the pitch soon, giving the team some much-needed pace out wide.There is time for the midfield to improve, for Rodri and Pedri to find their form and for the forward line to start taking its chances. And playing against more ambitious opponents should suit Spain."With our way of playing, we force teams into a low block," De la Fuente said last week. "We're a dominant team. I wish everyone was more aggressive [against us] and stepped up."Playing knockout ties against an attacking team such as Portugal -- potential opponents in the round of 16 -- might just play into Spain's hands.
