Unfit stars, wasting chances: Are Spain still amon...

playMoreno: Spain look nothing like the team that won the Euros (1:56) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Spain were happy in Chattanooga. "How we're going to miss this place," their social media team posted Monday, with a photo of the players, smiling, on the Baylor School training field on the banks of the Tennessee River. Spain have been based in Tennessee for almost a month and before the FIFA World Cup group stage began. But it's time to move on. Tournament logistics mean that the squad won't be back. Spain's route to a possible World Cup final now lies via Los Angeles (for the round of 32), Dallas (round of 16), L.A. (quarterfinals) and Dallas (semifinals), trading Chattanooga's familiar routines for uncharted territory and life on the road. - Spain's plan for Austria simple: Get ball to Yamal - Watching Yamal score first World Cup goal from his hometown - Which World Cup front-runner needs its superstar more? And as Spain fly to L.A. -- where they'll be staying in nearby Long Beach, California -- to play Austria on Thursday, those aren't the only uncertainties hanging over the squad. They might have qualified for the round of 32 as Group H winners, but Spain's performances against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay raised questions about key parts of the team, and about its coach, Luis de la Fuente. Spain's 21st-century identity has been based on its midfield: from Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso and Xavi in the 2010 World Cup-winning side to Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Pedri forming the foundation of the triumph at the last UEFA European Championship. But at this World Cup, something hasn't clicked. Pedri began the tournament playing in an advanced position, when his best performances over the past two years at Barcelona have come in a much deeper role. Ruiz, a back-to-back Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, has since dropped out of the XI to accommodate Pedri alongside Rodri. "We take it completely naturally," Ruiz told ESPN on Tuesday. "We're ready to help the team, whatever the boss decides. The important thing about this team is that we're a family. Create up to 25 brackets. $10,000 in prizes. FREE to play. Make Your Picks "I don't think anything changes [in midfield]. It's the same idea. Each player has different characteristics but collectively, the idea is the same." Rodri -- described repeatedly by De la Fuente as "the best player in the world" -- has looked uncharacteristically sluggish. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner has faced rare criticism in the Spanish media, accused of slowing the team's play. In the group stage, no one played more passes than Rodri's 328, with a pass completion rate of 93.7%. But only 11.9% of those were progressive passes (defined as a pass which moves the ball forwards at least 10 yards, or into the penalty area). That compares to 15.9% for Portugal's Vitinha, 19.6% for Switzerland's Granit Xhaka and 16.3% for Croatia's Luka Modric. Speaking after the Uruguay game, De la Fuente blamed circumstances. "It was a difficult match, it was almost impossible to string three or four passes together," the coach said. "We need to create an imbalance and danger in different parts of the pitch. ... We need to move the ball more and attack from places other than the wings." Midfielder turned right back Marcos Llorente agreed. "Every game is different," he said Monday. "The last game [against Uruguay] was very intense and aggressive, without much rhythm." Dani Olmo -- a key player at Euro 2024 and a specialist in finding space between the lines -- only started one of the team's three group games, the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Instead, Mikel Merino came into the starting XI against Uruguay, completing just 19 passes in 60 minutes, creating no chances and taking no shots on goal. play0:36Spain advance with concerns aheadInjured wingersSpain arrived at this World Cup with four wingers in the squad: Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Yéremy Pino and Víctor Munoz. At the start of the tournament, only Pino was fit to play. By the end of the group stage, only Yamal was available. Muñoz is yet to play after picking up a muscular injury in training. Pino suffered a separated shoulder against Uruguay. Williams sustained another muscular problem in that same game. Yamal has had a stop-start introduction to the tournament, playing 19 minutes in the opening game, a promising 45 minutes (opening the scoring) against Saudi Arabia and a frustrating 76 minutes Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico. In the absence of genuine wingers, Gavi and Ferran Torres were used -- ineffectively -- against Cape Verde. Álex Baena stepped in against Uruguay, scoring the only goal of the game. Other options, such as using Alejandro Grimaldo -- an attacking left back -- further upfield, have not yet been tried. "It's a position I know very well," Grimaldo said Tuesday. "I've scored 14 goals this year, provided 13 assists. I know what I can do in that position and the boss knows it. ... Ask me if I can play on

Unfit stars, wasting chances: Are Spain still amon...

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