Olmo: “There is pressure on Germany”

Of course, Dani Olmo took the short trip from Spain national team headquarters to the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) to support his coach Luis Enrique. After all, in “Furio Roja” there is only one World Cup player who makes his money in the Bundesliga.

In this context, RB Leipzig’s all-round attacker was the one who could provide the best information for the second group match between Spain and Germany (Sunday, 20:00 / ZDF).

Olmo said each of these duels was “like a finale.” But there was something that caused the DFB selection to start off wrong: “There is pressure on Germany.” “Germany is like a wounded lion,” the 24-year-old said on Radio Marco the previous day.

The pro, politely, did not underestimate the qualities of being a four-time world champion: “Germany is a team that wants the ball, Hansi Flick is a great manager, he showed it at Bayern Munich.”

But while the national coach has a lot of problems to solve right now, rival Luis Enrique has enough free time to satisfy his need to communicate on social media. The 52-year-old has posted about her visit to the gym, her breakfast, and is already showing off her six-pack.

“You learn something in every conversation,” said Olmo about Enrique, explaining that the Spanish coach’s contributions to the live streaming portal Twitch are also a topic for his players.

Fatherhood lessons can’t hurt, after all, nine players are still under 23. After Ghana and the USA, “Seleccion” is the youngest squad in the Desert World Cup with an average age of 25.6 years.

The 34-year-old captain Sergio Busquets, who works as a kindergarten teacher, likes to watch the backs of young midfield stars like Gavi or Pedri, the only 18-year-old who celebrates his 20th birthday on Sunday.

Busquets was the only one to become world champions in 2010 – and he was also in the middle when the Spaniards pushed the final gate in the semi-finals against Germany with Carles Puyol’s header. While the Spanish generation was at its peak in Durban at the time, the DFB roster reached its peak only four years later.

After 12 years, Iberians are aiming high again. A 140-time national player, Busquets leaves no doubt that he wants to re-hold the gold trophy in his fourth (and possibly last) World Cup.

Spain’s offensive prowess was evident in Costa Rica’s 7-0 defeat where Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio and Olmo constantly changed offensive positions, but the defense was also well organized.

Enrique had decided on an interesting substitution for the vacant second centre-back. One of the best defensive midfielders in the world at Manchester City, Rodrigo played a “false six”: first as a defender, then as a prep.

As a result, the Spaniards gave little evidence of their own weakness. But Enrique raised his warning index finger again. “If a team is ready to change their dynamics in this World Cup, it’s Germany. They always attack, they always want the ball,” said the Spanish coach. “We are smart enough to know that we have to respect our opponent.”

Meanwhile, the football coach added, almost haphazardly, always showing his best when “when I’m having difficulties”. But that’s not the case for his community.