When people talk about Spain winning this World Cup, of course they point to Lamine Yamal as being the key.
But you cannot win a World Cup on your own, especially this one with an extra game, probably some extra time in the knockout rounds, plus the heat. all the travelling as well.
So, the important thing for La Roja head coach Luis de la Fuente is that, along with Lamine Yamal, he has the team. the squad he needs for the next month.
When Spain won the 2024 European Championship. De la Fuente used all 23 outfield players in his squad during the seven matches. Everyone will have to be ready this time too.
As players, you always want to play every game. in any tournament like this you never know when the crucial moment can come for you to make the difference.
For Mikel Oyarzabal at Euro 2024. that moment came when he came off the bench to score the winner in the final against England.
Oyarzaba replaced Alvaro Morata in the 68th minute of the final of Euro 2024,. scored Spain's winner in their 2-1 win in the 86th minute
His 'golden' goal was the only one he scored in the Euros and. while Oyarzabal played in every game in that tournament, he only started one - the last group game against Albania when we had already secured top spot.
But, when he was needed, he was ready and since then he has not stopped scoring for Spain.
He is 29. is not celebrated like Kylian Mbappe or Harry Kane as one of the best centre-forwards in the world, but he had a strong season with Real Sociedad in La Liga and he has an incredible record with the national team.
Going into the World Cup. Oyarzabal had been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 13 international appearances (13 goals, six assists) which was more than every other European player in the same period other than Norway's Erling Haaland (22 in 12 games)
I have heard people say that Spain are missing a really elite number nine. with Oyarzabal, we have someone who we know can score the big goals, when it matters. We appreciate him, even if he is not seen as a superstar by others.
He used to play more on the wing. in the past couple of years he has transitioned more into a striker who can go in both directions, making runs past defenders or dropping deeper to link play.
Oyarzabal is also still able to go wide when needed, finding the spaces left when teams are attracted to Yamal,. his movement and intelligence makes him so effective. He is doing a great job.
After two goals. an assist in the first half against Saudi Arabia he will be full of confidence, and I like our other options up front too.
Ferran Torres was not as clinical when he came on for Oyarzabal in that game. I still feel he is in good form, while Borja Iglesias offers a different kind of striker profile.
Iglesias is someone people might know a little bit less, because he does not play in the Champions League with Celta Vigo,. if you've seen him you will understand why he is important for the squad.
He is someone who can be a bit more of a target-man, occupying the centre-backs. He has not been used yet at this World Cup. I am sure at some point there will be a game where Spain will need his qualities, depending on the opposition.
I know exactly what I am talking about because I had to mark him during my last match as a professional. less than a month ago in Vigo.
Oyarzabal's touch map against Saudi Arabia. when he became just the second player since 1966 to be directly involved in three goals in the opening 25 mins of a World Cup game.
Normally with Spain we talk mostly about how good we are offensively but. when I go through our squad, there are important players everywhere.
I see a team that is solid and compact, and who have not conceded a goal yet. There are much harder tests to come than Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia but I feel we are good enough defensively to win this World Cup when we face the bigger teams.
Unai Simon has been with Spain for such a long time and has all the experience you could ask for. We have some amazing options for goalkeepers, with David Raya. Joan Garcia, but I understand why Simon is the number one.
He is a big character as well as being so experienced in major tournaments. if Spain really want to get far at this tournament, they will need to be consistent. solid at the back, so to have a goalkeeper who can give confidence to the whole team will be really important.
At centre-back, Aymeric Laporte is another player who has the personality you need in the dressing room. the pitch, and our captain, Rodri, is such a big player for the same reasons.
Rodri can dictate the game - he is so strong physically that he controls everything,. with his quality he is the connection between the defenders and the attack, with and without the ball.
How good we are defensively is linked to the possession we have - the more we have the ball. the more we are in control.
Against Cape Verde we were making more fouls when we lost the ball which meant we were less fluid at winning it back. attacking, but against Saudi Arabia it was different.
We recovered the ball high up the pitch which is important to stop counter-attacks - the intensity was really good. meant we were less exposed.
That pressing is a key aspect of Spain's game. We put a lot of players high into the opposition half which is a risk. so you have to try to win the ball back as quickly as possible.
De La Fuente won the European Championship; at Under-19. Under-21 level as Spain coach in 2015 and 2019, then won the senior tournament too in 2024
These guys I have been talking about are all leaders. of course the person they look to most is the coach.
A lot of the players have been with De la Fuente for a long time. playing in Spain's youth teams, so he is like a father figure to them. He knows them very well and also they know he will be calm and will support them.
That again is key in a long tournament like this where you know. there will be some games where you cannot be at your best.
We saw that already with the draw against Cape Verde which no-one expected but then the way the team reacted against Saudi Arabia was exactly what was needed,. now we need more of the same against Uruguay to make sure we win the group.
The squad is very close. you need that bond so you can stick together to face the challenges when a tough result like that arrives. That's the key to making it to the later stages.
We won the Euros under De la Fuente two years ago so they have the belief, but you can see the team is still improving. growing together now.
Some of the players arrived at this World Cup needing to build up their fitness, including Lamine Yamal.
The team is better with him in it,. the more he plays, the more expectation grows, but we also know everyone else will play their part.
Cesar Azpilicueta was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan
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