Most teams go into the match against Spain with forewarning and a crucial question – how to include Lamine Yamal? Portugal arrives with answers.
England brought Wayne Rooney back from injury at the 2006 World Cup. They felt that their golden generation needed the inspiration of a red-faced Evertonian destined for greatness to fuel their campaign. That World Cup ended with Cristiano Ronaldo blinking one eye, Rooney’s fire consuming itself and England’s generation of Premier League talent being shown their place in the world rankings by Portugal in the quarter-finals.
Spain, a believer in their collectivism, arrived in New Jersey 20 years later under somewhat similar circumstances. They are armed with Pedri, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz – a holy trinity of controllers who rarely allow others to dictate how the game is played. That’s enough for Spain coach Luis de la Fuente to cast aside any pretense of modesty after admitting they have the best midfield in the competition.
But that core of greatness needs Yamal and his directness. The youngster has returned from injury and continues to perform at a level below what he has shown in the past – just as he did when Rooney called him up prematurely. Complicating matters will be an opponent who has what it takes to stop him.
It is hard to find a better left back in the world Nuno Mendes. Yamal certainly thinks so, admitting that the Portuguese was the toughest defender.
Mendes has been tasked with stopping Yamal four times so far – three times when Paris Saint-Germain faced Barcelona in the Champions League and once in the Nations League final. Yamal has nothing but a lone assist to show through four games.
Mendes not only stopped the Iberian, but won the man of the match award for scoring Portugal’s opener in the Nations League final – which Spain lost in a penalty shootout. After the game, he was asked about facing one of football’s best young talents, and Mendes displayed the same confidence with his words on the pitch: “Today, I canceled Lamine and didn’t let (him) do what he does best.”
change
When he first arrived in Paris, his resume was that of an attacking left-back. A year later, Luis Enrique joined PSG and expanded his role. His development accelerated in handling one situation after another. With his clear penchant for getting forward, Mendes became the most complete version of himself under Enrique – a positionally aware threat at whichever end of the pitch he found himself.
It is this dynamic that has troubled Yama. Task him with focusing solely on running with the ball and he delivers with the intense directness that football loves. There was a time in Austria’s round of 32 tie against Spain when Yamal nutmeg left-back Konrad Lemmer twice in the space of minutes – once with Austria moving helplessly to his central defenders and then to head coach Ralf Rangnick’s bench. His talent affects some of the world’s top players – even when he’s coming back from injury.
That’s not to say Yamal hasn’t grown from the Nations League defeat.
“He is another player, more mature, more assured, he reads the game better, more logically. With each stage of his development, with each experience, he will become more perfect,” de la Fuente told The Guardian.
But Mendes keeps the attackers busy by bombarding him and running ahead. In the Nations League final, he was successful on four of his five dribbles and took seven for 12 in the duel on the ground – three successful tackles (most by Portugal), and two interceptions (most by Portugal).
Yamal also finished with two interceptions and three tackles in that game – showing how much the defensive duties affected his ability to create and score. Mendes is a threat that Spain cannot afford to run freely, and freeing Yama is not an option. Keeping prococious talent on double duty comes with its drawbacks.
In a battle between two European giants, where there are different ways to score goals, Yamal’s ‘cancellation’ seriously reduced Spain’s chances of finishing the game on their terms. In Mendes, Portugal have a piece of the puzzle they need to defeat Spain.
