FULL REACTION: Spain beat Croatia by 3 👀 Should they be the EURO 2024 FAVORITES? 🤔 | ESPN FC

FULL REACTION: Spain beat Croatia by 3 👀 Should they be the EURO 2024 FAVORITES? 🤔 | ESPN FC

first of them that we’ll be beginning to talk about is Spain against Croatia a 3-0 win for Spain all of the goals coming in the first half Alvaro Morata Fabian Ruiz and Carvajal with the third of the goals here Alvaro Morata becoming Spain’s record scorer at the Euros with seven so far we are delighted now to be joined by Frank Leu as well as Mario Suarez as well let’s start with you Mario as Spain among the favorites right now after what you saw today well I think everything we saw from Spain today there are good news for Spain for the players for the staff but it’s just the beginning let’s see what happen in the next matches we we play against Italy in the next the next day and I don’t I think we we have to be happy but take it easy please good to see them scoring though Mario because often people wonder if Spain will score enough goals today we saw three in the first half yes I think the effectivity today was amazing because in the first three shots on target two were goals H it’s good also to see Morata scoring the top scorer in the history of the Euros from for Spain better than Fernando Torres for example better than David via so Carvajal scoring Fabian assisting to Moran is scoring also so I think there are so many good news for Spain today h now we have to face Italy it’s going to be a tough match but I think Spain is happy right now the coach is happy and the players are really really happy with with what they do today do you think they sent out a message today La well I I understand that that would be the rhetoric and it’s a narrative but I don’t think they care one bit about whether they sent a message or not but what they did do is that they sent a message to themselves that we have a different version of what we have seen from Spain in in the past you just go back to the World Cup and that game against Morocco in which they just pass the ball sideways and back and sideways and back and from here to there to there and back here and back there and back over there and it’s like it was an umbrella around the 18 yard box and nobody with penetrating runs nobody with a change of pace nobody with a penetrating pass never getting him behind and what you saw today from Spain and give credit to the young guys both niiko will and in particular La Min running him behind vertical getting after Croatia exploiting the spaces going in one V one situations and what that does is that that spreads the back line that spreads Defenders because now you’re concerned about well I’m concerned about the spacing behind I’m I’m concerned about the space out wide and in doing that in spreading the backline that opens up the space in the middle to where now you can hit a penetrating PA that ends up in what the AL Morata go you never never never ever ever ever for the life of me remember actually seeing Spain playing that ball to Morata through down the middle where they can get in behind with one pass and it happened today and it happened regularly where they were looking forward it wasn’t just side was and back let’s get forward and when you do that you also invite and almost demand that players like pedri get forward with the rest of the team and become a present in the attacking half in the final third and in the 18 Yard Box Spain was outstanding today the only thing that I would say unai simong my goodness my goodness goodness my goodness if there was ever a weak point for this team is in a nicing moment because he always has one of those moments in each game in which you just go why is he doing this other than that if you focus on the positive Spain very good what stood out to you today from Spain I totally agree with Ali I said it on last Today’s show there’s been many a year I’ve watched Spain and been bored by their possession having a thousand passes are not going anywhere I think when you see the young players today rodri controlled that Midfield but pedri done well Danny Almo came off the bench they were willing to run forward they’re willing to run out of their shape instead of just standing still and being in a in a sort of three in Midfield where you’re just going side to side Fabian mariz has always been a very very good technician but you look at the Young Players out wide Y Man looked a little bit nervy but he’s 16 still doing his homework which is absolutely understandable but he grew into the game more so second half when he felt comfortable and he was excellent but marata has always been a center forward that’s never got the love which is really bizarre because you look at his record you’re lucky CV and the clubs that he plays for and if you service him he will always score goals but get away from that Ticky tack of football which Guardiola hates he hates the term the Ticky Tacker football he can’t stand it so there’s different ways to score a goal and I think Spain proved today that they’re shifting away from that boring possession based team yeah those horns by the way are coming from where Mario is not one from where Frank is at least we hope so anyway fair enough if Leal was a little bit nervous he was the competition’s youngest ever player today 16 years old what did you think of linal Mario well first of all I’m totally agree 100% with what you are saying there that the Spain now is different they know where when they have to run they know when they have to keep the ball play TI taga as you said and about lamin Jamal what can I say it was his first match today in a big tournament with Spain he made an amazing assist he played really really well he play One V one every time he run for the space has a lot of quality a lot of ability it’s a big big big Talent he’s not future he’s present right now and he’s one of the most important players for Spain so we are lucky that we have this type of players also now Nikas Al was saying before now we have a a lot of possibilities to attack not just with the ball we running for the space looking for the space Also the first goal Fabian with Morata I think we we have a really good team young team team with maybe not a lot of stars like uh other teams like mbappe with Cristiano all these kind of players but I think the strong the unity of this team how good a team do you think it is Frank after what we saw today I mean I I I I loved lamalan during the game but I have to give credit for for for me for the best player that I saw on the field was uh Fabian RZ today um the the asset that he gave to Morata was a pure pure cleverness and the second goal was a pure talent and uh but it’s also again because Croatia were very fragile and the the the decision of from one of the center backs on the Fabian R assist to Morata it’s incredible that he decides to go on the side when he sees uh I think it’s niiko Williams asking for the ball and and and leaves completely leaves Morata free that was insane and that decision makes an opportunity and and the goal and the first goal from Morata but they’ve been good and as all the guys said I love the way they play now and I’m I’m not bored like done when I watch them playing it’s very encouraging it’s uh they they never been a contender for that tournament but they can disturb they can disturb because in that team you have players who are incredibly talented and linal is the first but don’t forget rodri if he’s not injured too much and you know what I’m I’m I’m falling in love with scav right now that guy can score in the championship can score in euro is there is there he’s a right back he’s a fullback he’s a striker now he score goals and is the identity of the New Spain you know going for the total football and enjoying his his game I I I really like that guy I want to go back as well to talk about Alvaro Morata with you Mario because today we saw that he’s now scored in three different Euro tournaments against the same opponent in Croatia and you can see when he’s done that the round of 16 in that standout game and Euro 2020 Euro 2016 in the group stage and of course today as well how important is it for his confidence and for Spain to have him scoring in this opening game it’s very important I’m going to tell you something I was talking to him before I connect here with you and he was really happy because he was receiving a lot of critics and in Spain it’s true that he didn’t finish the season in the best way uh but he finished uh being the top scorer of of the national player with more goals uh during the season he’s the top scorer of Spain in all the Euros as you said today in the first game he scores so I think when the big stat the big matches arrive with almost with the national team he don’t fail he’s always there he loves these kind of competitions he’s the captain he’s the number nine well number seven but he’s the striker of Spain he feels that he’s important for for the coach for the players for his teammates so I think it was good also today because he score he get more confident on himself that I think he needs that and uh we are really happy in Spain and I think it’s a very very very good day for him he did pick up a knock along with rodri today but the feeling is that he’ll be okay to face Italy what did you make of marata I think it’s no secret that that Alvar Morata is a guy that when he’s comfortable when he’s feeling happy when he’s feeling joyful and confident he can be a very good player so when he feels loved he is going to score goals for you the problem is that the difference between him feeling loved or not is very small it’s very small that margin for him that margin of I’m confident I’m great and I’m going to score goals and here we go and then just kind of down and out and I can I can’t score to save my life and we have to create 10 chances for him to put into the back of the net that difference is so tiny with him and so it is great for Spain and it is great for him individually to see the ball going into the back of the net especially in especially in a situation as he did it today One V one situation in which is him and the goalkeeper and that he shows some composure and he shows some confidence and put it in the back of the net and then after that it’s like Yay see B I believe we believe they believe but that only happens when you’re able to put the ball in the back of the net what I want from alv Morata and what I want from Spain but especially from Morata is that he continues to grow from this performance onto the next one and that we see that confidence remain the same at a high level with him as a player was this game closer than 3-0 or were Spain really that dominant I thought Spain were dominant but I think you’re looking at a Croatia side that are not even out of transition look at modri 38 brzovic playing in Saudi at 31 kovic at 30 they’re an old team so they they’ve they’ve not even gone past not getting rid but they’ve not gone past of losing the older players that can bring the new generation through and when your standards have dropped in the likes of brzovic who I’ve seen play a lot this season it’s hard work playing in Saudi and I think you’re looking at a group of players now the majority of them it’s probably one tournament just too far I might be proved wrong but I thought Spain had more quality they had more legs they shifted the ball better and just on Alvaro Morata and I’m pretty sure the coach has worked on this cuz many coach have tried but when you’re working with someone like marata you keep him within the width of the 18 Yard Box you don’t ask him to move out wide you don’t ask him to go and run the channels or potentially come short and link the play which he can do you have Williams on one side you have yamal on the other side you have pedri and Almo and you ask them to do all the running and you simplified for Morata and say you know Ali you play center forward you stay within the width of the 18 yard box and all your distances as in your running is a lot smaller so you can then be more effective and you can be sh proper obviously 3-0 win for Spain today great start for them Mario but going forward into the next games what concerned you what worries you the most about this Spain side to be honest for me nothing but uh 20 hours yesterday also didn’t concern me nothing because I think uh Spain must focus on Spain on what they can do if they can play or they can play this way against Italy for me there is not going to be any problem to beat them to beat Italy to beat Albania to beat uh other teams H because I think the key today was that they know what they have to do in every moment when they er have to take to keep the ball and make Croatia running they do it they did it when they have to attack to be more looking for the spaces running for the spaces with Mor Lin and an Niko they did it so I think if they keep with this or continue with this concentration with this intensity with this mentality to attack not to have the ball just to have it to attack to to create chances to to to look Run for the spaces if they continue to do this I think they are going to be very tough to to be beaten by the other opponent [Music]

The ESPN FC panel of Don Hutchison, Alejandro Moreno, Mario Suarez and Frank Leboeuf react to Spain’s 3-0 win over Croatia in EURO 2024 group play.

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