Chapter 631: Spain's Fatal Weakness!
After Spain's strong opening, Croatia became more cautious.
They had expected a situation where their opponent was stronger and more aggressive, while they had to defend. However, they hadn't anticipated that Spain's attack would be so overwhelming. Within the first minute, before most of the Croatian players had even settled into the match, Spain nearly scored.
It was clear that Spain's attack wasn't just strong—it was extraordinarily powerful.
However, Croatia had come prepared with a specific game plan. Even their forward, Mandžukić, was playing both offense and defense. All six players in Croatia's midfield and forward lines were adept at both attacking and defending, and they worked hard to intercept the ball and engage in physical battles to disrupt Spain's signature possession style.
"This tactic looks familiar..."
On the sidelines, Spain's coaching staff noticed Croatia's strategy, and they were all wide-eyed in realization.
"Isn't this how Atlético Madrid plays against Barcelona in La Liga?" Assistant coach Toni blurted out, and everyone suddenly understood.
No wonder it looked so familiar—Croatia had borrowed Atlético Madrid's tactics!
"Still, it's a bit different. Atlético uses a high-pressing defense, but Croatia isn't pushing their formation forward that aggressively. Look, even their forwards are only active around the center circle—they're not overcommitting."
Spain's head coach, Del Bosque, had watched many Atlético Madrid matches. In recent years, Atlético's coach, Diego Simeone, had gained prominence across Europe with his successful tenure at the club.
After Simeone's success at Atlético, many teams began studying his methods. Del Bosque had personally attended several Atlético games and was familiar with Simeone's tactical approach.
Simeone's style was based on defense and counterattacks, with a pressing defense that relied on constant movement and physicality. By pressing the opposition aggressively, he forced mistakes that often led to goal-scoring opportunities. The majority of Atlético's goals came from these forced errors, and because they pressed high up the field, they could quickly transition from defense to attack with just a few passes, allowing them to shoot almost immediately.
This made Atlético's counterattacks both fast and effective, putting immense pressure on opponents and increasing their scoring efficiency.
Simeone's tactics had proven highly effective in La Liga. Even giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid struggled against his system. What had once been a two-horse race in La Liga was transformed into a three-way battle thanks to Atlético.
Unlike Barcelona and Real Madrid, which were filled with superstars, Atlético relied on this tactical system to consistently achieve great results in the league.
As a result, high-pressing defense had become a trend in European football, with many mid- and lower-tier teams adopting Simeone's methods. However, seeing this tactic used in the World Cup was a first.
Pep Guardiola, sitting in the stands, had a different perspective. He had also watched Atlético play many times and had even faced them while coaching his teams.
To him, Croatia's approach wasn't exactly the same as Atlético's. It wasn't just the positioning that was different—the style of play was as well.
Croatia's pressing wasn't as aggressive, and they made sure to protect the space behind them, never leaving gaps. Their players weren't strictly man-marking but seemed to be controlling specific zones instead.
In particular, Luka Modrić was like a firefighter, constantly rushing to wherever the team needed help. Guardiola had seen some statistics on Modrić's performances in this World Cup—on average, he was covering over 11 kilometers per game, which was an impressive feat for a player who was 33 years old.
Compared to Modrić, Spain's Andrés Iniesta, who was a year older, didn't cover nearly as much ground. In fact, Del Bosque often had to rest Iniesta on the bench because his physical condition no longer allowed him to play full matches.
After observing the first 10 to 15 minutes, Guardiola summarized Croatia's strengths:
Strong tactical executionHigh morale among the playersActive and cohesive defense
But Croatia's weaknesses were also clear: they lacked top-tier players. Apart from Modrić and Rakitić, the team didn't have many elite footballers.
Rakitić was a great supporting player but couldn't lead a midfield on his own. In Barcelona, that role fell to Iniesta and Messi.
Croatia's defense managed to withstand Spain's repeated attacks, occasionally even launching counterattacks to show they weren't entirely passive. However, this didn't change the overall picture: Spain was dominating.
Spain's aggressive approach came from their desire to avoid dragging the game out. Despite Croatia's relatively older lineup, Spain's players were even older on average.
Of the 11 players in Spain's starting lineup, only Lin Quan, David de Gea, Isco, and Nacho were under 30 years old. Even De Gea and Nacho, who were born in 1990, were already 28.
Without Lin Quan significantly lowering Spain's average age, their starting 11 would average over 31 years.
This was one of the reasons Spain's dominance in football had declined in recent years. Their aging squad was losing its edge.
For Spain's veterans, stamina was the biggest concern. The longer the game dragged on, the harder it would be for them to maintain their focus and performance.
Spain needed to end the match as soon as possible—they couldn't afford to let it go into extra time or a penalty shootout. If the match went into extra time, the aging Spanish squad wouldn't be able to keep up with Croatia, and they'd have nothing left to fight with.
Croatia knew this as well, so their focus in the first half was solely on defense. Any attacking moves were just to relieve pressure on their defense. However, if they managed to score by chance, they'd happily sit back and defend even more.
After 20 minutes of intense pressure, Lin Quan realized that continuing at this pace would be risky for Spain. His teammates were already showing signs of fatigue, and they needed to slow down and catch their breath.
So, when Lin got the ball, he didn't push forward with another attack but instead started controlling the game's tempo.
Seeing that Spain had eased off their attacks, Croatia let out a collective sigh of relief.
Although they had successfully defended so far, Spain's relentless attacks had left them feeling suffocated. Spain's offense wasn't just for show—Lin Quan's sharp link-up play with Iniesta, Isco, and David Silva in tight spaces made it almost impossible to defend.
At times, Croatia's defense felt like it was about to break. If it weren't for their goalkeeper's brilliant saves and the team's sheer determination, they would have already conceded a goal.
The 80,000 fans in the stadium shared Croatia's feelings. Despite the 0-0 scoreline, the first 20 minutes of the match had been thrilling and anything but boring.
Spain's attacks were mesmerizing, while Croatia's defense was heroic. For the fans, seeing such a match live was worth the price of admission.
"Whoever said Spain's matches are boring is talking nonsense!"
"Exactly! I was on the edge of my seat! Not a hint of sleepiness!"
"Spain doesn't even look like Spain today!"
"They're playing like a mix of Germany and Brazil—aggressive yet disciplined."
"Yes, and with Spain's trademark technical brilliance. Honestly, after seeing these first 20 minutes, it feels like the peak Spanish team is back!"
With the game's pace slowing, fans online were buzzing with excitement. Most of the discussion centered around Spain's unusual performance.
Long-time fans knew Spain's usual playing style, while newer fans were simply following the hype. After watching the first 20 minutes, the newer fans were chanting about how amazing Spain was, claiming that this was the true power of the defending champions.
But the veteran fans were more cautious, analyzing what they saw:
"Spain is playing very differently today."
"Yeah, they seem really desperate to attack."
"Even a veteran like Iniesta has already attempted seven dribbles in 20 minutes. That's unusual."
"It looks like they're pushing hard, probably because they don't want to drag the game out."
"I think they're aware that they have an aging squad, and they can't afford to prolong the match. Also, Croatia is known for their resilience, and after that crazy penalty shootout against Denmark, no team wants to face Croatia in penalties."
"This match probably won't stay in suspense for long. Either Spain will fail to score and get caught on the counter, or Croatia's defense will collapse under Spain's relentless attacks and lose."
Lin Quan checked the clock while controlling the ball. Twenty minutes had passed in the first half, and Spain still had plenty of time.
Although they were feeling the pressure to score, if they could manage a goal in the first half, everything would be fine. But if they didn't score, the match's outcome would become unpredictable.
Sensing that Spain was no longer attacking, Croatia naturally began to push their defensive line forward. They had been compressed by Spain's attacks, so they needed to regain some space and flexibility between their lines.
And since Spain was passing the ball around right in front of them, they couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
When Lin Quan received the ball near the center circle again, Mandžukić came charging at him.
As Mandžukić moved, so did his teammates, but they advanced cautiously, not leaving themselves too exposed.
Lin Quan observed all of this, and as Mandžukić closed in on him, Lin calmly passed the ball to Busquets nearby.
Busquets, reading Lin's intentions perfectly, moved a few steps back towards Spain's half to receive the pass.
These small adjustments on the field went largely unnoticed, but they were part of Spain's tactical plan.
Mandžukić, seeing this, hesitated briefly. Should he continue pressing or not?
Spain's defensive midfielder was retreating with his back to him. If Mandžukić followed and caught him off guard, he might have a chance to steal the ball and create a shooting opportunity. But if he didn't follow, Busquets would have plenty of space to pass the ball freely.
Mandžukić wasn't one to hesitate for long. He quickly made up his mind—he would chase Busquets.
According to the coach's instructions, his teammates were already in position behind him. Even if Mandžukić left his forward position, it wouldn't weaken the defense much.
But if he managed to win the ball, the reward would be immense.
Mandžukić suddenly accelerated, charging at Busquets like a predator eyeing its prey.
Some Spain fans in the stands, seeing Mandžukić's sudden burst of speed, widened their eyes and even shouted to warn Busquets.
But just as Mandžukić was about to pounce, Busquets calmly passed the ball.
His pass reached his Barcelona and national team teammate, Gerard Piqué. As soon as Piqué received the ball, Mandžukić abandoned Busquets and sprinted towards him.
But Piqué had been watching Mandžukić's movements the entire time, and he took a few steps back to create a safe distance.
Piqué then glanced up at his teammates' positioning and passed the ball towards the man in the red number 10 jersey—Lin Quan! (End of chapter)