1. This Spain side are scarily good
It may have only been a friendly, but Lopetegui’s side sent out a statement of intent by thrashing Argentina 6-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano. The Basque manager spoke of the need for evolution rather than revolution when he first took charge of the senior team, and that was demonstrated last night. The possession-based game which makes up La Roja’s identity is still there, but there is also a newfound ruthlessness to this Spain side. Lopetegui’s team hounded their opponents and pounced on any errors, scoring with all six of their shots on target. The second goal exemplified that, with Spain taking full advantage of a poor goal-kick from Willy Caballero. The transition was rapid, and it took just three passes for Isco to side-foot his first goal past Caballero. If they continue in a similar vein then they will take some stopping in Russia.
2. Isco runs the show again
There can be no doubt who Spain’s key player at this World Cup will be. Back in September, Isco inspired Spain to a crucial 3-0 win against Italy in the qualifiers with a brace, and he was similarly unplayable against Argentina. His first ever hat-trick was also the first scored by a Spain player since 2013, and he was everywhere here. The only question now is why Isco is not a regular starter for Real Madrid. The boy from Benalmádena is flourishing for the national side, but too often this season Zinedine Zidane has benched him in La Liga. After the game he said “I do not have the confidence that a footballer needs [at Madrid]”, a clear message to Zidane.
3. Piqué wins back the crowd
Gerard Piqué’s relationship with Spain fans has been tense at the best of times, even more so considering events in Spain over the past year. In October, supporters at Spain’s training camp made their feelings clear with whistles and insults against the Barcelona defender after he voted in Catalonia’s independence referendum, and at one point he even offered to quit the national team in tears at a press conference. At first it was a similar story at the Wanda Metropolitano, with boos whenever Piqué touched the ball. But he won the crowd over with a typically assured game in defence alongside Sergio Ramos, and by the end of the match he had departed to a standing ovation. This was a performance to silence those critics and demonstrate how important he is to this Spain side.
4. Morata has his work cut out
Álvaro Morata was Spain’s top scorer at Euro 2016, but things have not gone to plan since then. His move to Chelsea last summer to link up with his former Juventus boss Antonio Conte seemed ideal, but so far his time at Stamford Bridge has been characterised by goal droughts and injuries. He was left out of the squad for the friendlies against Germany and Argentina, and based on this game he will find it hard to force his way back into the setup. Diego Costa was his usual relentless self, crashing in the first goal off Sergio Romero and injuring the Argentina No.1 in the process before coming off himself. Iago Aspas replaced the Atlético Madrid man at half-time and was just as lively, cutting back selflessly for Isco’s second and scoring one of his own to boost his World Cup credentials. Rodrigo, who scored the only goal against Germany, was not even involved. Morata’s chances of making the cut look slim.
5. Messi cannot fix Argentina’s defence
There was one caveat to this crushing defeat for Argentina — their joint-worst in history — and that was that their captain Lionel Messi was not on the pitch. Instead, he was watching on from the stands, wincing as the goals flew in for Spain. Even the best player of all time, however, will struggle to save this Argentina defence. His teammates crumbled in the second half, and it was hard to believe they had been World Cup finalists four years ago in Brazil. The defending for Aspas’ goal in particular was laughably bad, with one long ball from David de Gea enough to wipe out Argentina’s backline and leave the Celta Vigo talisman unopposed to slot past Caballero. If there is one positive for Jorge Sampaoli’s side, it is that this was a meaningless friendly, and there is still time before the World Cup kicks off. Even so, they have plenty of work to do before they get to Russia this summer.
Play from the Back 