The Locksmith
Written by Ruairidh Barlow
The story of William ‘Deacon’ Brodie is not a well known tale outside of Scotland, but it does hold pride of place in its capital, Edinburgh, both in oral history and architecture. ‘The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, an allegory on the duality of man by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a far more universally cited work, but was supposedly inspired by spurious character that was Brodie. By day a respected councillor and locksmith, he would repair and install many of the city’s locks. By night, he would recover the wax impressions of the corresponding keys, cut himself an extra, and plunder the goods behind those locks. Not altogether tall but still gangly, pale and skinny, Dani Olmo could have fitted into 18th century Edinburgh quite seamlessly. But that’s not the only thing he has in common with Brodie – he is Spain’s locksmith.
In the final third, Olmo comes into his own. A technically gifted player, he is something of a midfielder, often used out wide and occasionally, a forward. It speaks to his versatility. Olmo can strike a ball well, he can pick a pass too. But his chief virtue is his interpretation of space.
Raised in La Masia, matured at Dinamo Zagreb, Olmo has a remarkable knack for finding the blind spot. For the defence, he ghosts into space seemingly unnoticed. Sneaking through the shadows, like his fellow pillager Brodie, Olmo appears in the vault without a sound.
That was what happened just minutes into the game against Costa Rica, as he appeared suddenly unmarked at the back post. Olmo blazed over, but would lift the ball over Keylor Navas in the 11th minute, again unseen behind the back four. He would assist the last goal too, losing his marker on the edge of the box, to slide Álvaro Morata in 81 minutes later.
Completing 88% of his passes, 66 of his 83 touches were to used to look for a teammate. Never looking to hold the ball for long, the RB Leipzig playmaker rarely sees fit to use a second touch. As good as Pedri, Gavi, and Sergio Busquets are, without the likes of Olmo to moving ahead of them, there is no-one to play those delectable passes to. Without that, it’s an extra touch, a turn, perhaps a pass backwards. This World Cup has seen plenty of possession-heavy sides look stagnant and stodgy, regardless of how gifted those on the ball are.
A lot of that movement is naturally co-ordinated by Luis Enrique and his team of merry coaches. "I try to exemplify what the coach asks of me. I look to do what he asks to perfection and help the team," said Olmo ahead of La Roja’s tie against the country of his residence. It helps that Spain employ a system in aid of his talents, but it is that – a talent.
That ability was best exemplified by his performance in the Euros semi-finals last year. Against the most solid defence in the competition, the gnarly duo of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, Olmo had them dancing to his tune, as he led them on a jovial lambada around Wembley.
Locating pockets of space, arriving and finding leverage against the defence, his capacity to do so is reminiscent of a wide receiver in the NFL. While many of them make their money from superhuman speed and size, there is a breed that succeed on their appreciation of space and timing. Olmo similarly has a feel for the ‘soft spots’ in defensive coverage.
La Roja have and will face many a banked defence in front of them. It is one of the first questions a Spain manager must answer. The variety and wealth of tools that Luis Enrique has to try and break down those blocks is the envy of many managers. Yet in Olmo, Spain have a precious asset that rarely gets the valued properly. In Olmo, stealthy and apparently anodyne, Spain have their locksmith.