World Cup 2018: Sergio Ramos insists Spain camp remains united ahead of crunch match against Portugal

It was, quite literally, pointed. Before Sergio Ramos and Fernando Hierro sat down for their pre-match press conference in Sochi, they were asked to stand together for pictures, when the captain so obviously realised this was a perfect photo opportunity. The smile already on his face became broader, as he so conspicuously pointed to his new manager.

If the message wasn’t abundantly clear by then, Ramos made it so minutes later. He spoke of how it’s time to “turn the page”. These weren’t just empty words attempting to evade the many questions on the massive issue hanging over Spain's first match, either. That just wasn’t the vibe. It was much more assertive.

This is what was so striking about the press conference ahead of this match against Portugal, as well as everything else coming out of the Spanish camp.

If the squad was initially split over the decision to sack Julen Lopetegui, and that caused almost a 50-50 split according to the many polls that assessed a very nervous Spanish nation, it has not created the ruinous division within the squad that might have been expected. Or at least not just yet. "There is no split whatsoever," Ramos said. "We have different opinions - that's normal, part of being human."

In fact, they were all keen to show they are part of the one highly united squad. That had already been signalled the night before, about two hours after Hierro had gathered the squad on the pitch at their Krasnodar base for his first ever team meeting, when Gerard Pique sent out a significant tweet.

Ramos’ centre-half partner is one of those understood to have been more sympathetic to federation president Luis Rubiales’ decision, but he followed his captain in stressing how “everyone is united”. He also reached into his vast knowledge of sport and pointed to the case of how Michigan University still won the 1989 NCAA championship, despite the departure of their coach Bill Breider.

Such a mood does suggest there is truth to the theories that - beyond a few tactical tweaks - the Real Madrid players were happy with Lopetegui because he was a Zinedine Zidane figure who mostly facilitated them… but may not have been absolutely essential to the fine form of a squad filled with so much experience and excellence. It was a mood that also cut against the kind of seriousness expected by the assembled media, as Ramos referenced with his parting line.

“I want to leave this press conference,” he chuckled. “It’s like a funeral parlour in here, but we’re starting a World Cup, a fabulous event!”

And they are starting that World Cup against the European champions, their local rivals, and the star of that Madrid team in Cristiano Ronaldo.

Such stakes have almost been forgotten amid the staggering nature of the Lopetegui story, even though they could feasibly make that story so much more difficult just as they should likely make this match so much bigger, and just as the Portuguese almost seem to be the forgotten party in all of this.

It said much that, a few hours before the media circus that was the Spanish press conference, Joao Moutinho had been asked about how his side are far from favourites even though they closed out Euro 2016 as champions.

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“We have talked a lot about that,” the midfielder said. “We're European champions but that doesn't give us the right to be a favourite. We know our quality. We have a young, focused,

ambitious team aiming high. We want to give our best in the game tomorrow against Spain, a very strong team. We're going to do our work. With a lot of effort and unity, we'll try to face up to Spain.”

And this is the extra challenge for Spain. Manager Fernando Santos has made Portugal a highly durable team, of the type that are almost best suited of all at the World Cup to frustrate a possession side like the Spanish… and then catch them on the break though Ronaldo.

If that happens, and Portugal weather Spain’s inevitable early intensity after everything else that’s happened this week, that’s when the potential splits from the Lopetegui story could really be seen. Tangible gaps might then actually appear in the team, just like in the opening-game 5-1 thrashing to Netherlands four years ago. Then they might have proper trouble. We might see a real collapse.

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Another issue is that, for all that Hierro himself has been cast as a Zidane figure, no one talks about him having the tactical mind that Lopetegui did. He feels unlikely to come up with the specific defensive tweak to try and at least manage Ronaldo’s power in the way his predecessor might have.

It’s just that maybe that won’t be necessary. Ronaldo’s clubmate Ramos said he’d “rather have him on my team than against me” and that “we know how important he can be” but then the captain also knows how he plays better than anyone, too. It further feeds into this fair idea that the squad have so much game intelligence that they will instinctively know how to manage themselves. The reality is also that Spain’s entire tactical approach long precedes Lopetegui, who was mostly credited with adding a spark again by just being different to Vicente Del Bosque, and was something that Santos referenced.

“Spain has played the same way for 10 years before. I don't expect any surprises.”

It was similarly telling that, in a 20-minute press conference, new manager Hierro was only asked three questions. The rest were all to the captain.

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It was something Jose Mourinho - who also knows Ramos well from Madrid - hinted at in his new role as a pundit.

“Spain are a team of such quality, such maturity and such an understanding that I don't think what has happened is going to make a huge difference. It's not a huge problem for them because the players are so good that they pick themselves.”

The expectation was that they would also have to pick themselves up, but that just didn’t seem required from the press conference with a visibly happy Ramos, or from their training session.

At the end of it, Hierro gave a short speech - still probably more than what he said in the actual press conference - and the entire squad applauded him.

As all of this was going on, meanwhile, Madrid were remarkably - and in almost parodic fashion - presenting Lopetegui as their new manager.

That became a whole other story, really, as Ramos just insisted on turning the page on this one; the same story, despite a new manager.

Friday in Sochi will tell whether that is really the case.

Portugal will be pumped to show they should not be so secondary in this story, even though it undoubtedly suits their preparation, and why they might yet claim first in the group. The particular mind of Ronaldo might even be more determined to make it all about him, by winning the game, such is his unfamiliarity with not being the star of the show. He is still undoubtedly involved in the main event.

Already the biggest game in the opening round, it has accumulated even more importance because of how it will reveal the real effects of the last 48 hours.

This fixture will, in so many senses, point the way.