Germany-Spain Gayà, on the horn

Gayà of my life or the revolution is Gayà. Those headlines or any other that reflect the suffering with which Spain scratched a draw in Stuttgart at the start of the Nations League. Because the goal of the Valencian player came in the 95th minute, when Luis Enrique and his internationals could already be thinking about the match that awaits next Sunday against Ukraine. But no. They believed, faith is blind even in Waden-Würtemberg, even beyond what Ramos's 93rd minute dictates, and they tied. There will be time to file everything that came out the other way around as we expected.

Until that minute, everything pointed to the fact that Timo Werner's goal was going to draw the three points in Germany's locker and open the debate about what had worked or not in Luis Enrique's reunion with the National Team. One thing happens with the Asturian coach: he almost never leaves anyone indifferent. And I think it doesn't just happen to me. When something seems obvious, foreseeable, expected …, the technician usually says or do something that catches almost everyone with a changed pace. A surprising line-up was expected, yes, but the Asturian coach gave us two more teaspoons, like Navas on the far right and Ferran Torres on the left wing. In the case of the Sevillian, that is his natural position, although in recent times we have seen him as a winger. The 34 years that appear on his card, that is indeed fake news… Actually, with Navas we won a second winger, an extra lung in the center of the field with which to close the German incorporations in that area. In the case of the Valencian, the City's new pearl, he drew attention not only for his debut with the National Team but for doing so on the left wing, which is not the one he frequents the most.

The 4-3-3, yes, remained in La Roja. A matter that seems non-negotiable in the case of Luis Enrique. Germany, meanwhile, sported three centrals and Sané as second striker in support of Werner. It was difficult for Spain to attack that central trio. Rodrigo did not receive balls and the necessary click, that which consisted of the wingers acceding to attacking positions, took a long time to arrive. In the 10th minute, what did come was the first shot, in this case German, with a Kehrer header that cleared for a corner De Gea, again Luis Enrique's bet to the detriment of Kepa, the one chosen in the stage in the Robert Moreno Selection.

The Red did not create danger, but they hardly created it for her, at least that was the consolation. Pau Torres forced a couple of offside from the German forwards, among whom the biggest poison was called Timo and surnamed Werner. The signing of Chelsea insisted on wanting to win the back of our centrals. One of them, Ramos, changed shore; He played as a right central defender, since he usually gives up Varane at Real Madrid, although that was not a problem for those who played his 171st match with the National Team. Such is his self-confidence that in the initial greeting of the captains he greeted Toni Kroos with a hearty “man, Antonio!”. Pau, meanwhile, occupied his natural zone at Villarreal, that of left central.

Both were good, although with the passing of the minutes Germany found the way to hurt our team. Either with a pass from Kroos that managed to break our lines, or with Werner's changes of position and a whiplash from Sané a la Robben that De Gea knew how to clear for a corner. Spain was not convincing and Luis Enrique was the first to know.

In football, as in life, whoever moves first usually wins. This is what the Asturian coach must have thought, who in the 39th minute exchanged Navas and Ferran on the wings. The experiment did not convince in those six minutes that led to the break or perhaps it is that Lucho already had the decision made. So the first thing we saw in the image before the second half started was Ansu Fati adjusting his shirt and stepping on the Mercedes-Benza Arena grass. But he barely had time to do a caper, because In the 50th minute it was Werner who forced the cards to be dealt again. A long pass, a perfect loan from Gosens and the good work of the new Chelsea striker: reception, spin and shot.

That forced Ansu to come into play at forced marches, also to change the quarterback from the center of the field. It was minute 56 and Busquets, lazy and sometimes apathetic, gave way to Mikel Merino, another of the debutants. It also premiered with La Roja Óscar Rodríguez, who joined a midfield in which Thiago carried the handle.

The recent Champions of the Champions were the beacon, also the only solution to the difficulties to crack an even more crowded rival defense, as when he stroked the goal with a shot in the 70 ’that went slightly off the goal of Trapp. Spain squeezed, which scored thanks to Ansu Fati, although his header was invalidated by Ramos' charge. And he continued to press until the aforementioned minute 95 in which Gayà appeared, who finished off the net after a header from Rodrigo. A goal of those with the signature of the wear, the haste, the claw … in short of those goals that had happened in a World Cup we would be screaming for a couple of days.