Despite progressing to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 as group winners, La Roja have not had the same aura about them as during their warm-up friendlies. In particular, there are concerns in the camp over the number of goals they have conceded. Mindful that a single mistake in the knockout stage can mean packing your bags, they are desperate to find the solution sooner rather than later.
Speaking at a press conference, Dani Carvajal did not pull any punches when discussing his side’s recent defensive frailties: “The errors have probably been down to lapses in concentration. Portugal scored twice from set-pieces against us. We’ve got to address our individual mistakes and improve our understanding. If we iron out those kinks, we’ll be much stronger in no time.”
“We’ve got to cut down on the defensive mistakes. We’ve made it far too easy for opponents to score against us, which they’ve done more because of our errors than their brilliance,” added the right-back, who missed his country’s opener against Portugal due to injury.
Spain’s need to quickly solve their defensive shortcomings is heightened by the fact that awaiting them in the Round of 16 are hosts Russia, who are among the tournament’s leading scorers so far with eight goals in three games.
However, the Sbornaya are refusing to be lulled into a false sense of security and believe that the Spaniards’ troubles at the back have been overplayed. Ilya Kutepov – who is well positioned to comment as a centre-back himself – was categorical on the subject: “Spain’s defence? Three words say it all: Barcelona and Real Madrid. They’ve got [Sergio] Ramos, [Gerard] Pique, Carvajal and Jordi Alba. They’ve got an incredible embarrassment of riches. I don’t think they’ve got problems at the back. I reckon it’s nothing more than a blip,” he said.
Nevertheless, Spain remain determined to tighten up, taking their cue from their 2010 success, when defensive solidity provided the bedrock for their run to glory.
