Do not get me wrong: Spain have a very good national team and absolutely enter the World Cup as one of the favourites. But looking at the squad from the outside, I honestly did not feel that overwhelming fear, especially when comparing them to a team like France.
Does that mean Spain are going to fail? Not at all. They are still among the favourites. But honestly, I would rather face Spain than France. And the reason is simple: France have an absurd level of individual talent. Spain, for me, are stronger collectively.
In goal, they are very well covered. But if Unai Simón really is the starter… it feels strange, because he is clearly the weakest of the three options.
Defensively, I do not think they have elite centre-backs. Cubarsí is excellent and has an incredible future ahead of him, but beyond that? Eric García is fine, reliable enough, but let us be honest, he is not elite.
At right-back, Llorente and Porro are decent options, especially Llorente in my opinion.
In midfield, there is quality, yes. But if you really analyse it deeply, Rodri still has not returned to his pre-injury level and there are moments where he looks far from it. The rest I like, because they are different types of players and each offers something distinct to the team.
The attack is where the biggest doubts begin.
On the left, Nico Williams had a season below expectations. On the right, you have Yamal, but he will arrive physically limited and nowhere near 100%. And then at striker? There is no guaranteed reference point up front.
And that matters a lot. They even reached the point of taking Borja Iglesias, who is basically the “throw the ball into the box and pray” option for the final minutes if things become desperate.
And yes, people can say, “they can recover form”. Of course they can, but that applies to every player from every national team, so it does not really change the analysis.
Conclusion
Spain are strong, obviously they are, but they are not some untouchable monster. I fear France more, and honestly even Portugal, because when the collective structure breaks down, individual brilliance can still decide matches, and that is where those teams have the advantage.
Spain’s midfield, left-back area and goalkeeping options are very strong. But in the rest of the pitch there are genuine doubts: inconsistent form in some positions, players not at their best physically and unanswered questions in attack.
So yes, they remain one of the favourites, but they are far from untouchable.