“Leaderless” Spain slammed by Russian sports reporter after World Cup exit

FOLLOWING Spain’s woeful exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a Russian football commentator and blogger has slammed the team for only having one star player and being “leaderless”.

Top Russian blogger Vasily Utkin shared Spain’s brutal exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after they were knocked out by Morocco on penalties.

“Spain’s exit isn’t sad, it was depressing – but it needs some reflection,” he wrote on his Telegram channel on Wednesday, December 7.

“If you ask me – the Spanish team today is a collection of perfect performers of unknown quality. The Spaniards have style, yes – but it’s not football. It’s a rhythmic dance style. No matter how virtuoso the style is, it has no purpose. The process is the goal.”

He added: “Spain raised a generation of great players. They could do everything. They played with an average of one and a half feet. They had a close vision of how football should be played.

“In general, the Spaniards had everything to build the process of the game. But the trouble is that they have lost their goal.

“The Spanish team now has no leader. And it is not a problem of having a superstar.

“The great Spain never produced a superstar. Who was in charge then? F Torres? Xavi (or Iniesta)? Puyol?

“A difficult and unanswerable question. Spain’s plurality of heroes was precisely what dispersed the electoral votes, and no one from the great Spain took the Ballon d’Or.

“But. Every one of them, of THEM, was ready to become a leader in any episode. And did.

“The current Spanish team is a leaderless team, a team of almost perfectly skilful back-rowers. Ferran Torres is a substitute at Barça, and Asensio at Real Madrid. Busquets does not figure anymore.”

He added: “The only top is the plucky Gavi. That’s not enough.

“That’s how they play. Each one has his role – almost perfectly. And beyond that role, no one has any – who has charisma, who has luck, who has… No, you can’t win like that.”

As noted, despite dominating possession for the majority of the contest on December 6, Spain were unable to break through a tough Moroccan backline and it was Morocco that took full advantage in the penalty shootout.

Morocco will now face a Portugal side who brilliantly outplayed Switzerland.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.