Emma Hayes expected to face La Roja in the gold medal match on Saturday, before it fell short to a Brazil side that exposed plenty of flaws

When Emma Hayes signed off as Chelsea manager in May, having just guided the Blues to a fifth-successive Women’s Super League title, she jokingly predicted that she would reach the final of the Olympics a few weeks later, in her first major tournament in charge of the United States women’s national team. What her crystal ball failed to reveal, though, was the opponent set to stand in her way.

“See you guys at some point, maybe the Olympic gold medal final. I have to go and f*cking beat the Spanish at some point,” she said in the Old Trafford press conference room as she bid farewell to the English media, referring to the fact that Spain’s domestic champion, Barcelona, had crushed the European dream of her Chelsea side more than once.

But when Hayes walks out at Parc des Princes on Saturday for the gold medal match, she will not get that slight shot at revenge, as it will not be Spain that lines up against the U.S. No, La Roja will instead battle Germany for the bronze medal on Friday at Stade de Lyon, after a shocking 4-2 defeat to Brazil in the semi-finals.

As the world champion, as a team that backed that up by winning the UEFA Women’s Nations League in February, as a side boasting talent like Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati – winners of the last three Ballons d’Or – Spain was the overwhelming favorite to win Olympic gold this summer. What went wrong, then, to leave this star-studded side battling for the lowest position on the podium?

Getty ImagesNot perfect

While Spain did come into the Olympics as the big favorite for gold, it must be said that it was not because this was a perfect team. It is a remarkable side, of course, one that won the World Cup less than 12 months ago, but there were signs that it was a beatable one, too.

Defensively, La Roja has looked fragile under Montse Tome, the former assistant who took over as head coach back in September. It might have only lost two and won the other 12 of Tome’s 14 matches in charge ahead of the Olympics, but three of those wins required dramatic comebacks after poor defensive work left Spain in a tough position.

There were certainly areas of weakness for opposition scouts to be encouraged by and evidence out there of how to beat the world champion – provided by Italy in December and then the Czech Republic just last month.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTaking notes

Clearly, both Colombia and Brazil took notice of those frailties because both exposed them this past week – the former to put Spain on the brink of a quarter-final exit and the latter to beat it to the Olympic gold medal match.

Just as Colombia star Mayra Ramirez found on Saturday, this is a Spain defense that makes errors, and that led to Brazil being gifted opportunities, too, with the eventual 4-2 scoreline flattering La Roja. Indeed, the Selecao could have scored five or six with the chances it had, maybe even more.

Those were not all handed to the South American side, either. Spain has been particularly easy to attack out wide throughout Tome’s tenure and it is something the coach has failed to address. That’s where Brazil really got at the world champion in Tuesday’s big win, as evidenced by the second and third goals especially.

If a team has positive wingers that are willing to drive forward and make runs into space, then Spain have a problem. Both Colombia and Brazil did.

Getty ImagesNo 'Plan B'

But this is the world champion, right? If it concedes a goal or two, it surely still has the talent to fight back and win. Bonmati and Putellas are among eight players in this Spain squad who just won a quadruple with Barcelona, while stars representing huge clubs like Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City also populate the roster.

Yet, at this tournament, Spain has consistently struggled to break down teams that sit in and defend. Against Colombia, it eventually did so very late on, pulling a 2-0 scoreline back to 2-2 as the South Americans succumbed to the pressure in the 79th and 96th minutes. But things were different against Brazil because, unlike its South American rival, it kept players on the pitch that could act as outlets on the counter and give the defense some respite.

It's in these situations that one has to question what Spain’s back-up plan is. Unlike the Barca side that so many of its players represent, and unlike the men’s national team, it does not always have those pattern-breaking wide players, like a Caroline Graham Hansen or a Lamine Yamal. It doesn’t look for a more direct pass to switch things up, because that option is rarely there.

Instead, it’s about patience and possession, waiting for a gap to open that rarely does. That’s why, for a long time, the only real danger that Spain could cause Brazil on Tuesday night came from long-range efforts, three of which were well-saved by a terrific Lorena in the opposition goal.

Getty ImagesParaluello neutralized

That said, Spain does have more direct options in these wide roles that can offer a different dimension if the game plan allows – be it Lucia Garcia, Athenea del Castillo or Salma Paralluelo, who spent the majority of her tournament playing as a No.9. Sadly, despite coming into the Olympics off the back of a 34-goal season at Barca, she consistently struggled to make an impact there.

This wasn’t a huge shock, though. In the big games, which opponents look to mark her out of, the 20-year-old has failed to really shine when starting as a centerforward. It was the case in several group-stage matches and previously in Barcelona’s Champions League final just a couple of months ago. The surprising element was more that Tome persisted with giving her that role.

At the World Cup last year, Paralluelo stormed to prominence because of the threat she offered with her pace and directness out wide, sometimes as a starter but largely as an impact sub. That’s not to say she should be restricted to a role on the bench and that she cannot adapt – she has not scored 34 goals for Barca this past year by chance – but to suggest that there was more Tome could have done with the talented forward in France, especially to help offer the team something different.