"Zieliński is undoubtedly one of the most technically gifted players in the Poland squad. Aside from Lewandowski, he also has the highest market value!"
"However, the player Poland's coach currently relies on most to carry out his tactics is Świderski."
"Judging by that defensive sequence, Świderski dropped back into the fullback position, stopped Ferran Torres, and helped Poland successfully shut down Spain's attack!"
"Poland's defeat in their last match was partly down to bad luck. They lost one-nil, and the only goal came from a mistake while defending a corner."
"Apart from that goal, their opponents did not manage another shot. Poland created quite a few chances themselves, but they failed to score, which ultimately cost them the match!"
Gullit felt Poland had been very unlucky to lose their previous match.
They would certainly be determined not to repeat the same mistakes this time.
Poland's defensive approach was indeed causing Spain some problems. Leo Lin studied the positioning of the players throughout Poland's defensive lines.
Every defender was ready to tuck inside at a moment's notice. As soon as Świderski dropped back, the Polish players immediately compressed the space.
The 19th minute!
"Świderski is charging forward again! He's breaking out from right back, and Spain don't have anyone who can immediately step up to stop him."
"Rodri can't follow him. If he tracks Świderski, he'll be pulled out of his defensive position. That forces Pedri to shift his attention toward Świderski!"
Poland's buildup from the back relied entirely on long balls. Lewandowski was still immensely capable, frequently winning the first header and knocking the ball toward Świderski. Zieliński would then burst forward and join Lewandowski in attack.
This time, Leo Lin also tracked back, joining Pedri in closing down Świderski.
But when Lewandowski headed the ball on and Zieliński began his run, Leo Lin spotted the route Poland were trying to exploit.
Spain had always assumed that Lewandowski was the focal point of Poland's attack, but Zieliński, arriving to link up with him, seemed to be the true finishing threat.
Leo Lin did not know whether his read was correct, but he still moved toward Zieliński's right side before accelerating again. It was as though he had reached the destination ahead of everyone else, taking up a position just in front of Zieliński and slightly to his right.
Świderski had already been preparing to pass the ball into that area. It was the final destination Poland had planned before the match, a pocket of space created by Lewandowski's movement where Zieliński would be able to shoot freely.
But this time, the player waiting there was not Zieliński.
It was Leo Lin!
Świderski immediately panicked, as though he had lost the centerpiece of the entire move. Pedri was pressing him tightly, and he no longer had anywhere to pass.
Pedri had kept his eyes fixed on Świderski. The moment he saw him hesitate as though his intended target had vanished, he stepped in and took the ball straight off his foot.
Zubizarreta was already applauding. Naturally, that applause was for Leo Lin.
Just like Zubizarreta, Leo Lin had identified the final area Poland intended to attack.
"Leo Lin has always had an excellent sense of where an attack is heading. This time, he occupied Zieliński's intended position before he could get there, and that hesitation allowed Pedri to dispossess Świderski."
"It was a chain reaction, and now Pedri is launching Spain's counterattack!"
After taking the ball from Świderski, Pedri played it left and exchanged a quick pass with Ferran Torres. When Ferran Torres returned it, Pedri swept a curling pass across to Olmo.
Olmo, who was playing on the right in this match, received Pedri's pass and immediately threaded the ball through the middle.
These were the moments Morata always looked forward to, though they also made him slightly nervous.
Bednarek and Glik closed in on Morata from both sides. Pace was undoubtedly one of his weaknesses.
As soon as Bednarek made contact, Morata began to slow down.
When Glik joined the challenge, Morata lost any chance of reaching the ball, allowing Szczęsny to gather it.
"Still a little too slow. If Morata had Diego Costa's pace, he might have reached that. He looks strong enough, so why does every physical challenge force him to slow down?"
Gullit was still unhappy with Morata's performance.
Stam adjusted his seat. The commentary panel had expanded to four members for this match.
Neither Stam nor Tony Adams was particularly pleased that Gullit had joined them. Gullit's large frame and sprawling posture took up far too much room. Scholes, the slimmest of the four, was wedged between the other three so tightly that the broadcast camera could barely pick him up.
"Stam, move over a little! Let me breathe!"
Scholes desperately fought to reclaim some space in his seat.
"Morata still needs to improve his core strength."
Although Morata had failed to reach Olmo's delivery, Leo Lin had already figured out how to stop Poland's attack. The best solution was to cover Zieliński before the ball could reach him.
Poland continued attacking Spain through the same combination of Lewandowski, Świderski, and Zieliński.
But Leo Lin's defensive tracking denied Zieliński the chance to receive the ball again and again.
"Świderski doesn't seem to know who to pass to anymore. Zieliński can never reach the position he's supposed to because Leo Lin is always one step ahead!"
"Moder has the ball now, and Klich is pointing toward Zieliński. It looks like Poland want to play it directly to Zieliński first, then have him feed Lewandowski."
"Leo Lin has appeared beside Zieliński again! Poland have lost their attacking outlet once more!"
"Pedri steps up to press. Moder passes backward, but Morata intercepts it! Spain have another opportunity!"
Zieliński was close to losing his mind. Leo Lin felt like his personal nightmare.
Whenever Zieliński was not preparing to receive the ball, Leo Lin was nowhere to be seen. Yet the moment Zieliński moved into position for a pass, Leo Lin would suddenly appear in front of him again.
Morata intercepted Moder's pass and laid it off to Olmo. This time, Ferran Torres sprinted toward the far post.
Olmo immediately curled in an excellent cross.
Ferran Torres met it with a shot, but the ball flew a few centimeters over the crossbar.
"Ferran Torres has put it too high. He always seems to favor shots that rise like that."
"Wouldn't it have been better to aim for the opposite corner?"
"I don't know what Ferran Torres was thinking there, though he has been playing well for Manchester City."
Gullit had watched Ferran Torres play for Manchester City many times. His shooting and movement had both been excellent, and City had developed him into a forward capable of operating in several positions across the attack.
"Let's hope Ferran Torres can start scoring for Spain as soon as possible, just as he does for Manchester City!"