Spain host England on matchday 4 of the Nations League in Sevilla. It will be their second meeting in League A Group 4. The fixture could see England desperate for points and near relegation from League A.
The Spanish currently sit atop Group 4 with two wins from two matches. Manager Luis Enrique has Spain back to their old ways. They are scoring freely and look impressive after their World Cup failures.
England are still looking to reignite following their World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia. Manager Gareth Southgate is using the Nations League to bring new, young players into the national team setup. The two nations are using the competition in different ways and Monday’s match will show just how different their concepts of the tournament are.
Enrique has promised changes for the England game. The manager wants to keep Southgate guessing ahead of the fixture. Spain go into the match having beaten Wales in a warm-up friendly 4-1. The result was never in doubt as Wales goal came in the 89th minute. Striker Paco Alcacer, who fans may have been surprised to see called up, scored twice and put his failures at Barcelona behind him.
Enrique left the likes of Sergio Busquets, Marcos Alonso, Thiago Alcantara, and Marco Asensio on the bench against Wales. He could turn to the four stars for his starting XI against England. However, Alcacer will be difficult to drop following his 30-minute brace.
England will clash with Croatia ahead of their trip to Spain. Southgate is expected to deploy a youthful team with little to no international experience. Midfielder James Maddison, centre-back Joe Gomez, and centre-back Ben Chilwell are just three of the names he is set to unveil. Despite England’s progression to the World Cup semi-finals, the team was inferior to the top nations at the competition. The lack of quality depth showed in their semi-final loss to Croatia.
Southgate is now trying to eradicate that problem by blooding more international players. For too long, England have had a small core of internationals playing every match. The problem dates back to the 2000s with Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and David Beckham continually selected despite their repeated international failures. A new era may begin this weekend.
Southgate picked a safe team for their first match against Spain. It was mostly players who competed at the World Cup. Now, the manager has gone with exciting squad members who are shining for their club teams. It may not be enough, however.
Spain look like the team they should have been at the World Cup. Enrique has the squad playing well and it is proving the manager’s worth. There is a lot to play for in Monday’s match in Sevilla for both nations.