Spain vs Costa Rica: The first date
Spain and Costa Rica will meet for the first time in an official match while they welcome a new generation of players in their ranks
La Roja and the Ticos will play this Wednesday (kick-off at 4.00pm, Al-Thumama Stadium) the second game of Group B knowing the result of the Germany – Japan tie.
Learning from the best
Both teams are at the beginning of a cycle after years of success.
On the one hand, Spain have plenty of talents such as Pedro González ‘Pedri’, Pablo Martín ‘Gavi’ or Nico Williams, who are learning the elite football basics from World and European champions like Sergio Busquets or Sergio Azpilicueta.
On the other hand, Costa Rica are working to adapt an emerging generation of players to their new style of play. Jewison Bennette, Brandon Aguilera and Roan Wilson have the tough task to follow the steps of legends Keylor Navas, Borges and Bryan Ruiz. They led the team to their best result ever in Brazil 2014, when they reached the quarter finals but lost to Netherlands 4-3 on penalties.
Twitch is on fire
Luis Enrique has surprised everyone by creating a Twitch channel. The Asturian goes live every day at 8.00 pm with the purpose of “getting the Spanish fans closer to the team and send them accurate information regarding the World Cup”.
This idea is an attempt to protect his players from the Spanish press, with whom the manager has always had a distant relationship due to his difficult character and the criticism he has been receiving from journalists since his time at FC Barcelona.
Despite this, he made a geographic mistake while streaming as he said that Costa Rica were a “South American team” instead of Central American. As a result, the rival center back Francisco Calvo retorted: “His culture professor didn’t teach him well. When you are going to face a national team, you should know where your rivals come from”.
What to expect from the game
Costa Rica have left their possession style for a 4-5-1 low block formation with the purpose of finding players like Joe Campbell and Jewison Bennette in counterattacks.
Their backbone consists of Keylor Navas and center backs Óscar Duarte and Francisco Calvo. In the midfield, Celso Borges brings his experience to slow down the pace of the game and make good choices when the ball is at his feet.
However, the Ticos know that the game against Spain is all about patience in defense and being ready to seize their chances in attack. La Roja are expected to deploy their classic tiki-taka and find the small gaps in their rival’s defense with constant movements of their wingers. They depend on players like Álvaro Morata or Marco Asensio, who still have to prove their finishing ability in front of the goal as they always demonstrate a better version with Spain than with their clubs.
Both teams will use their skills to show their best level on the pitch considering how important it is to have a good start in a World Cup. Spain will try to score a goal as soon as possible to have the game under control, while Costa Rica know that their chances to give the favourites a scare depend on keeping a clean sheet.
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