Miguel Ángel España: The man behind Spain's goalkeeping record

Miguel Ángel España, the goalkeeping coach for the Spanish national team, has shed light on the factors behind the team's robust performance, particularly concerning goalkeeper Unai Simón's record for most minutes without conceding a goal in a World Cup.

España, a key figure in Luis de la Fuente's coaching staff, attributes this success to "personality, experience, and composure." Having worked for the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for twenty years, with a recent move to the senior team in late 2022, España views his World Cup involvement as "closing a circle."

"It was always a dream to be with the senior team. I am very proud and grateful for Luis de la Fuente's confidence. It is a true privilege to experience these moments with players of this caliber and colleagues from the coaching staff. I have spent 20 years working with the best goalkeepers in the country across all categories, and for me, this is a bit like closing the circle at the Federation," he stated.

España's role extends beyond match-day preparations. He also leads the national academic training for goalkeeping coaches. His daily work involves detailed analysis, which has evolved since he joined De la Fuente's senior staff. "The most important thing is that we are very clear about what we want from our goalkeepers, the profile they should have; what their roles are within our game model. From there, we monitor their performance week by week," he explained.

The coaching staff actively tracks 10-12 goalkeepers, not just the regulars in call-ups, to maintain an exhaustive knowledge of their form. España noted that the focus has sharpened over the past three years, with a clear group of four to six goalkeepers now in the spotlight. For the World Cup, the selection prioritized Unai Simón, David Raya, and Joan García, reflecting confidence in Spain's goalkeeping talent for the future.

España elaborated on the goalkeeper's evolving role in the team's playing style. "We don't have time to technically improve the goalkeepers; that is the clubs' job. So, we insist heavily that, tactically, they must adhere to our game idea. They are very clear about what we ask of them. They are very important in our offensive phase; we want goalkeepers to be protagonists, always with security and taking as few risks as possible because we have players ahead of them who can assume that role, but they must facilitate ball circulation as best as possible and put their teammates in an advantageous position," he analyzed.

In the defensive phase, Spain emphasizes possession and playing in the opponent's half. This requires goalkeepers with a wide range of awareness and attentiveness to the space behind the defense, ready to act when needed.