Racing Post

La Roja to get Euros bid up and running

By Dan Childs

SPAIN were one of the few heavyweight contenders who failed to flex their muscles in the opening round of fixtures but they can get kick-start their campaign with a comfortable success over Poland in Seville.

A lack of firepower has been the main issue for Spain and the problem persisted in their goalless draw with Sweden.

La Roja had 85 per cent of the possession but failed to make their territorial advantage pay and could have suffered a shock defeat had Sweden’s Marcus Berg made the most of a glorious second-half chance.

For the most part Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon was untroubled and, aside from the result, there were positives for Enrique to take away from the game.

Spain are renowned for their passing precision and their first half tally of 419 was the highest of any team at a European Championship since the information was first collected in 1980. There was plenty of energy and invention which may have come as a pleasant

surprise to Spain supporters, who might have feared the worst after their team’s disrupted build-up to the tournament.

Positive Covid tests for Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente had thrown Spanish plans into chaos and prompted the selection of a back-up squad of 17 players just in case the virus had continued to spread throughout the camp.

However, Llorente returned a negative test before the Sweden game and Busquets could be back in the fray for Wednesday’s final group

encounter against Slovakia.

Enrique knows he needs maximum points as well as a performance against Poland

and his wishes should be granted.

The Poles are not as defensively disciplined as Sweden and their shortcomings were exploited by a Slovakia team who started the tournament as 500-1 shots.

Star man Robert Lewandowski had a quite game against the Slovaks and could be starved of opportunities by Spain, who hope to register their fourth successive clean sheet.

Poland head coach Paulo Sousa lacks a reliable strikepartner for Lewandowski and tried something different against Slovakia by deploying Piotr Zielinski in a more advanced position to no reward.

Many of the same players were part of the Poland team who crashed out at the group stage of the 2018 World Cup and a loss to Spain could leave them facing another early tournament exit.

QUALIFYING, SKY SPORTS F1, 2PM

en-gb

2021-06-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://racingpost.pressreader.com/article/282325387928651

Racing Post