What do Spain’s victories over Saudi Arabia and Austria have in common? Dani Olmo starting the match.
The Catalans’ presence is indispensable. In a role similar to the one he plays at Barça – acting as both a false nine and a second playmaker alongside Pedri – Olmo provides support and a focal point. And when he is on the pitch, the Selección’s play takes on a whole new dimension.
Against Cape Verde and Uruguay, his absence resulted in a lack of creativity and attacking threat, even though the match against La Celeste was more like lucha libre than football.
When it comes to organising his backbone, Luis de la Fuente need not hesitate; Hansi Flick has paved the way: Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Olmo and Lamine Yamal form the backbone of La Roja, and yet the manager does not show the same confidence in the former Dinamo Zagreb player, who is often the first to be substituted when he starts.
This observation needs to be qualified: once the result is secured (4–0 against Saudi Arabia, 2–0 against Austria), Olmo is substituted. Is this a way of protecting a key player? It’s possible, though it’s not a certainty.
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Against Saudi Arabia, Olmo was everywhere, completing 17 out of 18 passes in the final third (including six out of six when playing forward) and two out of two in his lay-offs.
Against Austria, he did even better: 13 out of 13 in the final third, including five forward passes, five duels won out of six and three successful tackles out of four.
Aside from his highly impressive statistics, Olmo is key to linking up with Mikel Oyarzabal. The Basque player started the tournament without touching the ball at all during the first 30 minutes against Cape Verde. Yet with Olmo on the pitch, he scored three of his four goals, proof that their partnership is built on well-rehearsed moves that allow them to exploit gaps in the opposition’s defence.
The mobility of both players, combined with Alex Baena’s ability to drift inside from the left flank and Lamine Yamal’s capacity to draw two, three or even four opponents, facilitates runs into space and creates opportunities, not to mention that Pedri can find an unlikely passing lane and Rodri can also use his shot to try his luck from distance.
But it is undoubtedly with Olmo that the Selección are at their most attractive and lethal.