Joe Casey: Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right: How Spain's midfield dominated the World Cup semi-final

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It was billed as the unstoppable force against an immovable object. The blockbuster World Cup semi-final between the two best teams at the tournament. France’s swashbuckling attack versus Spain’s impenetrable defence.

What transpired concerned an entirely separate area of the pitch, the middle. Spain’s midfield trio of Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo completely dominated the game, while Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni spent the majority of the match simply chasing shadows.

France had gone into the game as favourites but quickly found themselves unable to create any meaningful opportunities as Spain’s press completely smothered their efforts to feed their fabulous front four.

In the first half France managed just two shots with a cumulative total of 0.04 expected goals. In the entire match they mustered just three shots on target.

Didier Deschamps has often been accused of being too pragmatic, but failing to get another body into midfield was critical to France’s defeat. The front four were far too disconnected from Rabiot and Tchouameni, who were simply shut down by Rodri, Ruiz and Olmo.

Rodri was back to his absolute best, showing little sign of the knee injury which has hampered him for nearly two years.

The Manchester City man won 11 of his 15 duels, while Ruiz regained possession seven times, more than anyone else on the pitch.

Ironically, Deschamps, the water-carrier, had to watch on as his team were outplayed, and Spain’s second goal was a perfect demonstration of how their midfield was the dominant force in the match.

The move which led to Pedro Porro’s goal began with a driving Dani Olmo run into acres of space in the French midfield.

Rodri then played a chipped ball to stretch Les Bleus’ defence. The ball was cleared but Fabian Ruiz managed to win the clearance and feed Porro, whose one-two with Olmo put him through on goal to finish.

Tchouameni and Manu Kone, Rabiot’s replacement, were left outnumbered and outfought, watching on as their World Cup dreams slipped away from them.

Deschamps’ 14-year career as France manager is also set to come to an end and his record of capturing just one major trophy will surely be seen as a disappointment considering the calibre of player he has had at his disposal.

They had to settle for a runners-up finish in the 2016 Euros and the 2022 World Cup and this time they once again fell short at a major tournament.

After producing some of the best football seen at a World Cup for many years, Kylian Mbappe and co will go home with their tails between their legs.

The Real Madrid star has racked up league titles but remains without a Champions League victory and he will be 29 by the time he looks to add a first European Championship to his collection.

For such a talented performer, often playing on the best teams, the nagging suspicion is that he does not allow the sides that he leads to live up to their potential. The biggest tournaments can make or break a player’s legacy and Mbappe will not want to be remembered as a nearly man. 

As for Spain, they will be favourites whoever they face in Sunday’s final. Their opponents will have to have a plan to negate their midfield trio or they too will come up short. The final will be Ruiz’s 50th game in Spain’s midfield. He has never lost.

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