Spain need a front-man against Portugal

Vicente Del Bosque sprung a surprise when he fielded six midfielders and no strikers in the 1-1 draw with Italy at Euro 2012 earlier this month. Opting, instead, to play Cesc Fabregas in the ‘false 9’ role ahead of the likes of Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets, it paid off as La Roja eased to the knockout stages of the tournament.

Against France, the head coach persisted with the 4-6-0 and again it worked, as Spain eased to a 2-0 win over Les Bleus to reach the semi finals. Many have tagged the football on show as boring, with the defence and midfield opting to retain the ball for lengthy periods of time rather than look to carve the opposition back-line open.

It may have been a system that worked against Croatia and France, but against Portugal, a striker will most likely be needed. A Seleccao may have conceded four goals in the their four games up until tonight, but with Bruno Alves and Pepe both forging a fearsome partnership as the tournament has worn on, they will find their task easier unless Del Bosque fields a front-man.

However, with three nippy midfielders (Fabregas, David Silva and Andres Iniesta) popping up in pockets of space in and around the 18-yard box, it could be a harder to track the trio, who are likely to make breaking runs into the area from deep. Nevertheless, whoever Del Bosque fields going forward are likely to cause Alves and Pepe problems, but you get the feeling Spain would be harder to deal with should they have a recognised striker starting.