There is a common saying in football — “Attack gets you goals, defence wins you championships.” Spain are doing just that right now.
Five matches, zero goals conceded.
Their defence is at its meanest best in this World Cup. And if you consider the Morocco match in Qatar 2022, where it was goalless after 120 minutes, Spain have become the first team to have a clean sheets in six matches.
The quartet of Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella have been rock solid so far, and goalkeeper Unai Simon — after Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal in the Round of 16 — has now gone 609 minutes without conceding at the World Cup, extending his record for the longest clean sheet streak by a goalkeeper in the tournament’s history.
Coach Luis de la Fuente has successfully built a team where every player defends. For example, Lamine Yamal tracked back time and again against Portugal to ease pressure on Porro. Rodri’s presence in the middle of the park is also is helping the back-
four. Rodri acts as the screen in front of the defence, cutting passing lanes before attacks develop.
Before De La Fuente took over the reins, Spain had largely relied on possession to ward off danger. De La Fuente changed that and now it’s more about pressing when the team loses possession. That starts from the frontliners, the midfield compresses the rival build-up for any attack. This allows defence to avoid one-versus-one situations in matches.
At the European Championships, which Spain won, the midfield and wingers were more creative. That is not the case in the World Cup. Here, the focus is more on the defence.
Spain’s defence keeps it simple. The distances between centre-backs and full-backs are always short. That makes it extremely difficult for opponents to find spaces between the lines. And instead of chasing attackers individually, Spain defend zones with excellent communication.
Last week, Spain did not allow Austria a single shot on target. That gives a clear picture of how well-organised they have become. There is an idea that side-backs’ main job is to attack. Spain’s left back Cucurella and right back Porro go on the overlap, but not by leaving gaps. They are equally fast in tracking down.
Cubarsi of Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao’s Laporte, the two central defenders, are also thriving without making much fuss about it. Barca coach Hansi Flick plays a high defensive line, a tactical setup where the team’s back four or five station themselves much further up the pitch, often pushing up to the halfway line. If not executed properly, it can allow rivals to make the most of the free space.
Cubarsi, just 19 and already a defender par excellence, has sometimes struggled for Barca. De La Fuente’s school of football does not allow defenders to be so high up the pitch. Cubarsi has fitted himself in De La Fuente’s scheme of things perfectly.
Spain’s five clean sheets are not just a coincidence. It’s built on possession, pressing, intelligent positioning and collective discipline.