Luis Enrique, during the match between Portugal and Spain. /
League of Nations
“This is a team, there is a general strategy and that is what we try to do,” he summed up, always with a collective sense of the game, about the keys to victory in Portugal
Once again, Luis Enrique came out on top after several days of criticism of the Spanish team’s game against Switzerland in Zaragoza. The truth is that he seriously disappointed La Roja at La Romareda but in Braga, against Portugal, a highly qualified rival, he recomposed himself in a flat first half to end up beating his rival through possession of the ball. “Surely the fault of the lack of depth is mine because the clear objective was to take the ball from Portugal and annul their attacking players. We have achieved it but we have forgotten to go deeper, ”the Spanish coach began to reel off.
«The result is the least of it, the important thing is to see how the players and the staff celebrate it. It is always said that if you want to see the state of a team, look at how the people around you are », he summed up, appealing to the emotional rather than the football. “It is not easy to play against Spain and it will not be in the World Cup,” he warned by way of an allegation.
“This is a team, there is an overall strategy and that is what we try to do. Today it was Morata because she has a higher physical level. It was very important that their players did not have the ball, we have achieved that. In the second half we have been more daring, we have removed Hugo (Guillamón) because he had a card and Rodri has shown that he can play behind. Busi is someone who generates endless game situations. All the wingers have done their job of facing and the truth is that the feeling he had in the second half was that we were going to score a goal », he analyzed in depth, questioned about his general impression of the victory in Portugal.
«It is a great joy, especially for our people, all the people who watch it from home and the Zaragoza public, to whom we could not dedicate a victory. I prefer to arrive like this, obviously, achieving the goal in a very difficult group, but if we hadn’t achieved it, I wouldn’t change a thing either. Now we have one last friendly match in Jordan and we are much better after a victory », he concluded, rested in victory despite the joy of a victory that recharges the batteries and removes doubts until the World Cup.
Achieved the objective of the final four of the League of Nations, and all eyes are now on Qatar. “The most difficult decision for me as a coach is approaching, which is to leave important players out of the World Cup,” he acknowledged. «I need to see Ansu Fati in his club and see if he recovers his level and can come to the national team. Laporte is very important to us and we are looking forward to him playing again for his club”, he summarized about two of the great absentees in this call, although in different situations, the Manchester City center-back fixed once he recovered from his injury and the attacker doubtful Barça for his current state of form.
“My body asks me to go home right now and calmly enjoy and analyze the game. The next thing is Qatar, we have reached an agreement and we will see what is better », he settled, for the umpteenth time, when asked about his future. Now only the World Cup in Qatar matters.
