"This is an associative, collective game and the vehicle to express that is the pass, " Mr. Lillo said.
"If they lose, I'm sure people will start finding problems where they saw advantages before, " Mr. Lillo said of La Roja.
As for defense, Mr. Lillo said the need for size is vastly overrated as long as the players are maniacally aggressive.
Sociedad are thought to be seeking a new coach after current incumbent Juan Manuel Lillo failed to gain promotion back to the Primera Liga.
To maximize the number of attacking players on the field, Mr. Lillo lined up a single striker and put three creative forwards behind him.
Mr. Lillo acknowledged that a loss in the Euro could lead to the demise not just of La Roja's dominance but of the most beautiful way to play the beautiful game.
Juanma Lillo, a former coach in Spain's La Liga, is seen as a soccer swami for pioneering the 4-2-3-1 formation that has been used by six of the 16 teams at the Euro.
WSJ: Euro 2012: Germany, Italy and the Fraudulence of Soccer Formations
"I would like to demystify this, " Lillo said.
WSJ: Euro 2012: Germany, Italy and the Fraudulence of Soccer Formations
Other names that have come to the fore including former Reading boss Steve Coppell who quit last month, Jordi Cruyff, the current assistant manager at Maltese side Valetta and outgoing Real Sociedad coach Juan Lillo.
While Mr. Cruyff gets much of the credit for transforming Spain's approach, its recent success owes just as much to a little-known coach named Juanma Lillo, who devised the tactical framework that has underpinned La Roja's success.
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