France vs Spain: A more solid Roja, Mbappe with less pressure for les Bleus — how both sides have evolved since the last meeting

France and Spain meet once again in a major tournament, this time in a World Cup semi-final. This will mark the third consecutive year in which the two sides have clashed at the same stage of a competition, and Spain's record in those encounters is outstanding — two victories in two meetings, translating into two appearances in major tournament finals, at Euro 2024 and the Nations League.

At this World Cup, France eliminated Morocco in the quarter-finals with a comfortable 2-0 win underpinned by yet another Kylian Mbappe intervention, while Spain came through with another late Mikel Merino winner to see off Belgium.

Expectations are high for another compelling encounter, and although the head-to-head record favours Spain, both sides have changed considerably since their epic 5-4 Nations League meeting just over a year ago.

Spain have reshaped their defensive structure

Carried forward by the momentum of their Euro 2024 triumph, Spain entered last season's Nations League in the midst of a sweeping renewal across the squad, and the defensive line was a key area of change. With Dani Carvajal sidelined by a serious knee injury, Pedro Porro had taken over at right-back, while Dean Huijsen and Robin Le Normand filled the central defensive spots.

Despite Spain's impressive attacking momentum and talent in that period, one persistent criticism of De la Fuente's side was defensive fragility. The four goals conceded to France in the semi-final and two more to Portugal in the final were not coincidental. Since then, the manager clearly recognised the need to add solidity throughout the team and has worked with that objective in mind.

What has emerged at this World Cup is a side that uses the pauses of the game more effectively, with possession that is deliberately more measured in its tempo. Even if that shift was a conscious tactical choice, the physical difficulties recently experienced by Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have been a significant contributing factor. While the Barcelona prodigy has been starting matches after recovering from a muscular injury, Nico Williams is still working his way back gradually, with his minutes carefully managed.

A year ago, Spain were extraordinarily direct whenever the ball reached either of their two wide men. That is no longer the case. De la Fuente's intention to retain possession for longer and force opponents to do more running is evident, though Yamal and Williams' physical limitations have certainly helped push the team towards more caution and less urgency.

The central defensive partnership has also changed. Rather than Huijsen and Le Normand, Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte are now the first-choice pairing and bring different qualities. The young Barcelona defender has excellent ability to track runners and protect the space in behind, while Laporte contributes experience, aerial authority and the quality to pass through pressure and break lines. This is unquestionably a different Spain — more solid, less direct and equally dangerous.

France have spread the responsibility in attack

France, for their part, have shown considerable evolution, most notably in their capacity to adapt to different opponents. Deschamps deserves enormous credit for fitting his best players together and finding new ways to exploit transitions, but the individual development of several key figures is the defining story of this World Cup campaign.

In last year's 5-4 defeat to Spain, Mbappe was already the expected protagonist, just as he has been at this tournament. Dembele had just won the Champions League and was building towards winning the Ballon d'Or, but was not consistently delivering in the national team context. And beyond those two, Michael Olise was a different player to the one he is today.

This World Cup has effectively removed the weight from Mbappe's shoulders alone and redistributed the responsibility among Olise and Dembele. The results are quantifiable. Mbappe leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals alongside Messi, Olise leads the assists chart with five, while Dembele has contributed in both directions with five goals and two assists.

With all three of these talents in strong form, France are considerably more comfortable when they hold possession and play their own game — but given those individual qualities, they are equally dangerous in transitional play, which is precisely what should characterise Tuesday's semi-final against Spain. Another dynamic to watch is the intensity with which France's attacking quartet, Mbappe included, press the opposition in their build-up phase, something that will inevitably be a feature of the contest.

One further change from Deschamps during this World Cup that deserves recognition is the introduction of Manu Kone in place of Aurelien Tchouameni. The Real Madrid midfielder operates in a more positional role, while Kone's movement follows the ball during possession phases, generating support on the flanks and encouraging more combinations in central zones — a strategy that has worked well in the knockout rounds. The expectation, therefore, is a France side capable of adapting to whatever the match demands, without ever sacrificing the qualities of its main protagonists.