The selection continues with a firm step in the UEFA Nations League. They beat Switzerland in a very tactical duel in which the Red did not have an easy time overcoming the Swiss team thanks to a goal from Oyarzabal at the start of the match. Luis Enrique's men sent the ball as the backbone of their football, but they suffered to find gaps in the defense of a very serious and orderly Switzerland behind without giving up the attack. The Helvetians were an excellent test for this new Spanish team that is going to find themselves in the big events with teams more similar to Switzerland than to Ukraine, which they thrashed at Di Stéfano.
The one in Switzerland was a meeting in which Luis Enrique showed what he wants from his team. Having the ball as the main argument and from there, suffocating pressure when the rival takes the ball and placing the defense well ahead, almost in the center of the field. A plan that sounded good to the one that only lacked the goal or generate clear chances and that is saying a lot. There, Spain continues to have deficiencies. He needed to give the ball speed to break the Swiss defense and that Navas and Gayà, the full-backs, appeared more on the wing. Ansu Fati was also missing, who was not the one who dazzled against Ukraine because the Swiss did not let him. The azulgrana, well marked, could hardly show his quality, his overflow and that, right now, that Ansu Fati cannot appear is a problem for the selection that without him, he loses his ability to surprise rival teams.
The azulgrana, like Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres, his teammates in attack, got lost in the defensive cobweb of a Swiss team made Luis Enrique's gesture twist in the first minutes because he saw that things would not be easy. And it could be worse if De Gea had not avoided the Swiss goal in the 11th minute. The goalkeeper took a prodigious hand from Benito's shot that looked like a goal.
And what things are, from a goalkeeper saving a team, to another condemning it. This time it was Sommer, the Swiss goalkeeper who, in his eagerness to get the ball under control, gave a bad pass to Xhaka who slipped. The ball reached Merino who gave it to Oyarzabal to make it 1-0 in the 14th minute.
Spain, with the score in favor, sent even more in the field, but still could not find the way to the goal. Ferran Torres had it with a great header, but Sommer redeemed himself with a great save.
Second less tactical part
Thus, with that 1-0, a tactically excessively rigid game came to rest. It looked like it was going to continue like this in the second half, but it was another game. Switzerland took a step forward, which caused the game to enter a phase of certain lack of control, which surprised Spain a bit that the departure of Switzerland was not expected. Although it was not bad for Luis Enrique's team because thanks to the Swiss left the tactical corset, more spaces were created. Oyarzabal made it 2-0 and Ansu Fati finally appeared, although for a short time because seeing how the game was going, Luis Enrique brought Adama Traoré and Canales onto the field. Spain went from playing horizontally to playing vertically.
Thus, the Red had occasions, but also Switzerland that circled De Gea's goal on more than one occasion. With the tension in the field because nothing was closed, the last minutes of a match were lived in which there were no more goals and that, surely, will serve to tan the young people of this Luis Enrique team.
Spain, 1
De Gea; Jesús Navas, Sergio Ramos, Pau Torres, Gayá; Olmo (Canales, m. 57), Busquets, Merino; Ferran Torres (Rodri, m. 88), Oyarzabal (Gerard Moreno, m. 73), Ansu Fati (Adama, m. 57).
Switzerland, 0
Sommer; Widmer (Gravanovic, m. 86), Elvedi, Schär, Rodríguez, Benito (Zuber, m. 81); Sow (Vargas, m. 60), Xhaka, Freuler (Fernandes, m. 86); Mehmedi (Shaqiri, m. 60), Seferovic
Goal: 1-0, Oyarzabal (m. 14)
Referee: Ali Wordyik (Turkey). Yellow to Schar (m. 30); Merino (m. 64); Freuler (d. 75)
Stadium: Alfredo Di Stéfano. No public in the stands due to COVID-19