πͺπΈ Five of the top seven defensive performers were Spanish: Rodri (8.23), Pau CubarsΓ (7.59), Pedro Porro (7.58), Aymeric Laporte (7.13), and even Pedri (6.96)βan attacking midfielder ranking among the tournament’s best in defensive metrics. This wasn’t just individual brilliance; it reflected Spain’s overall system.
β‘οΈ That perfectly supports our previous post on xGA. Spain allowed just 0.39 expected goals against per match, and that’s no coincidence when so many of their defenders and midfielders rank among the world’s elite.
π§ The key point is that this wasn’t a “park the bus” approach. Spain also finished second in the tournament for total xG (15.54), proving that their attack and defense complemented each other rather than one coming at the expense of the other.
π― Betting takeaway: Luis de la Fuente built one of the most balanced teams in the tournament, with no obvious bias toward either defensive or attacking football. Teams with this level of balance tend to be more reliable over the course of a tournament than those that rely heavily on just one aspect of their game.
