Koke, Cesc Fabregas Can Lead an Evolution of Style in Spain's Midfield

During the 2013-14 edition of the Champions League, Barcelona met Atletico Madrid in an all-Spanish tie in the competition's quarter-finals. It was the ultimate clash of styles: The Catalans were intricate and precise; Los Colchoneros were physical and direct. 

Essentially, the teams represented each end of the style spectrum in Spain's top tier. Yet at the heart of the lineups were players of similar essence: Xavi and Koke. 

"Koke is an extraordinary footballer," Xavi told Atletico's official website in the buildup to the quarter-final clash, relayed by the Independent. "He has everything: talent, physical ability, he is a footballer of the present and the future.

"He has been marked out as the conductor of Spain's orchestra for the next 10 years. I have a special affection for him because we play in the same position and I think he is an extraordinary player."

Coming from arguably the greatest player in Spanish football history, that is high praise—Spain boss Vicente del Bosque would later follow suit. In the buildup to La Roja's friendly with Costa Rica at the Estadio Reino de Leon on Thursday, Koke was quizzed on whether he saw himself as the new Xavi.

"Me, the 'new Xavi'? In the end, there is not going to be a 'new Xavi', or 'new Iniesta', or 'new whatever'," the Atletico star told Goal. "I hope to be remembered as Koke."

It was a humble response from the 23-year-old but also an important one for Spain. Though Koke shares some attributes with the Barcelona great, his club career at Atletico Madrid is shaping him into a slightly different type of central orchestrator.

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Under Diego Simeone at the Vicente Calderon, Koke provides Atleti with their guile, vision and tempo but does so in a more direct manner. In Spain, "direct" isn't Sam Allardyce direct; it's a description of a player's inclination to move the ball forward at all opportunities—to play more vertically and stretch the game. That's Koke.

For Spain's evolution, that's critically important. After watching their dynasty crash at last summer's World Cup in Brazil as opposing outfits identified solutions to their method, La Roja have found themselves needing to adapt—to tinker the recipe and alter the style. As they do that, the team's complexion is changing. 

Gone is Xavi. As is Xabi Alonso. Set to turn 32 before Euro 2016, Andres Iniesta will soon follow. Koke is one of the team's new faces ready to take on a greater role, but as seen on Thursday, he's also ready to lead a transition in Spain's approach.

In Del Bosque's midfield pivot, the Atletico man played first-time diagonal balls to striker Paco Alcacer, he looked play Aleix Vidal down the right flank, he pushed forward to shoot and his set-piece delivery was forceful. Though his performance wasn't vintage, the natural tendencies he showcased, the ones honed at Atletico, were indicative of the direction this Spain team is now taking as part of its post-World Cup evolution. 

But Koke isn't the only man driving it. 

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Also involved in that Champions League quarter-final clash last season was Cesc Fabregas, playing in a Barcelona outfit that, like Spain, was slowing down and in need of change. At Camp Nou in 2014-15, it was Luis Enrique, Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic who arrived and played significant roles in the necessary shift. But Fabregas departed to find change elsewhere. 

Back in the Premier League, where his passing game suits England's up-tempo style, the former Arsenal captain added craft and vision from deep to a Chelsea side that played with Jose Mourinho's supreme pragmatism in 2014-15. With outlets such as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa ahead of him, Fabregas' ability to combine deft touches with searching passes made him the creative hub of the Premier League's finest side, concurrently conditioning him to be perfect for the evolving Spain. 

Like Koke at Atletico, Fabregas' move to Chelsea has seen his play to become more vertical, more direct in the Spanish sense of the word. Under Mourinho, the 28-year-old has learned to be part of a team that is comfortable having less possession, forcing him to make telling contributions with fewer opportunities. It's a kind of less-is-more mentality. 

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On Thursday, Fabregas made two such contributions, providing the sumptuous assist for Alcacer's goal before scoring the second from close range himself. But it was how compatible he looked with Spain's faster game and with the hard-running Alcacer that was notable—the Valencia man is also a product of an up-tempo, direct outfit. That stems from his understanding at club level with Costa, the striker La Roja will presumably build around for Euro 2016. 

After the game on Thursday, Del Bosque, relayed by Goal, remarked that: "We scored the goals in the first half when we had fewer chances." That's a concept that's extremely important for Spain.

In the second half, when David Silva, Santi Cazorla and eventually Isco were introduced, the Spanish reverted to the more characteristic, intricate style, operating in tighter spaces and spending more time poking away at holes with their opponents in front of them. But they didn't score that way; it was in the first half, when Koke and Fabregas had the side utilising an alternative method, that the goals came. 

That won't always be the case, but the pair's respective club careers are conditioning them to play in a way that will change Spain. Adapt the style. Lead an evolution.