The same Spanish coach was cautious about the injury of 19-year-old Yamal ahead of the match against Cape Verde. The best option for him would have been to bring Yamal off the bench.
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Spain entered the World Cup with the image of a potential champion. But after a poor performance against Cape Verde, the European champions face Saudi Arabia in their second match in Group H on Sunday. Before that, Spain will have a challenge to improve their game. Spain was held to a goalless draw against debutant Cape Verde.
It was believed that Spain and Uruguay would finish in the top two positions in this group and automatically advance to the knockout stage. Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde were expected to compete for the best third place. But now all four teams are on 1 point. In such a situation, coach Luis de la Fuente will have to play star winger Lamine Yamal from the start to sharpen the team's attack.
Before the match against Cape Verde, this same Spanish coach was cautious about the injury of 19-year-old Yamal. The best option for him would have been to bring Yamal off the bench. But the coach did not expect that the teenager would be needed so much in the second game. The Spanish team's momentum increased in the last 20 minutes of the first game after Yamal entered the field.
But this was also not enough for a goal. In that game, Nico Williams also appeared as a substitute player towards the end of the game. Now both Yamal and Williams will be able to play from the start. Gavi and Ferran Torres can go to the bench. Yamal is said to be not ready for the full 90 minutes. So the coach will have to decide whether to start him from the start or bring him in after the game has started.
The situation against Cape Verde was such that striker Mikhel Ayarzabal was deprived of touching the ball once for the first half hour. But if the players behind him had enough control of the ball, it would have no meaning . So Spain will have no choice but to be more aggressive against Saudi Arabia . Spain can claim not to pay much attention to the result of the first match .
But if this result has put the team in trouble, then it will have to be accepted . Yamal says, ‘Everyone is talking about a goalless draw . But everyone should understand that winning the first match by 6 goals is nothing . When it comes to the knockout stage, it does not mean anything .’
Saudi Arabia created a sensation by defeating Argentina, the winners of the World Cup four years ago . Now, after drawing with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia itself will be enthusiastic . This team has only had one experience of the knockout stage in the World Cup so far . That was in 1994 . That was when the United States hosted the World Cup for the first time. Coach Georgios Donis will probably not change the team he fielded against Uruguay against Spain.
