Marco Asensio played more minutes against Switzerland than he has accumulated at Real Madrid so far this season
Luis Enrique’s leading striker, Álvaro Morata, watched the entire game from the bench
Luis Enrique surprised by leaving his reference striker, Álvaro Morata, on the bench. He didn’t even pull the man from Madrid when the game got complicated. He preferred the debutant Borja Iglesias. And the reality is that Spain missed the Atlético striker, especially in a first part that the Spanish team settled without a single shot between the three sticks.
Spain lacked rhythm on the offensive line. And it is not surprising if we consider that the attacking hat-trick was made up of three footballers who are not starters for their respective teams. The man chosen to replace Morata, Marco Asensio, had even less accumulated minutes at Real Madrid -47 in four games- than the ones he played yesterday. Ferran Torres has also been relegated to the substitution at Barça with the arrival of Rapinha and the emergence of Dembélé. And what about Pablo Sarabia, who at PSG has nothing more and nothing less than Neymar, Messi and Mbappé in front of him. Total that this lack of filming was noted on the lawn of La Romareda against a very well armed Switzerland defensively. Even so, Asensio broke into the start of the second half with an individual play in which he broke the Swiss lines to serve Jordi Alba’s goal.
It wasn’t enough and Luis Enrique decided to shake up the team by bringing into play a new offensive hat-trick. And not even with three changes did Morata appear. Along with the newcomer Borja Iglesias appeared Yéremy Pino and the other newcomer, Nico Williams. Three profiles very different from those who started the match looking to open the field and force one on one by bands.
Morata saw it from the bench. Perhaps saving strength for what will be the grand final of this group stage next Tuesday in Portugal. Always discussed and looked at with a magnifying glass, the Madrilenian is emerging as Spain’s great hope to put an end to those offensive doubts that he always leaves and that yesterday, against Switzerland, became even more evident.