Luis Enrique ended up hitting boats of joy on the lawn of Braga, proud as he was to lead Spain, once again, to the elite of European football. Located, once again, among the four best teams on the continent after defeating Portugal in Braga (0-1). “It’s wonderful to train these players. No, I’m not sure about the World Cup list,” said the Asturian coach, who did not want to give any indications about his future. “In June with them? The future does not exist.”
????️ @LUISENRIQUE21: “The joy of the end has been something wonderful and more when nobody expected us to turn this around”.
➡️ “This team is a family and you can see it in the staff, in the locker room and in the entire environment of the @SEFutbol“.#VamosEspaña | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/Y99PswngEw
— Spanish Soccer Team (@SEFutbol) September 27, 2022
“When no one expects you to do this, we always take the last turn, it’s a great joy. It’s a constant in my career”, recognized the Spanish coach, who did not want to discuss whether he will be sitting on the bench for Spain in the summer of 2023 .
“In June with them? The future does not exist. That’s why I’m quite a cliché”, Luis Enrique has sentenced without giving more clues about what he will do. “The body asks me to return home and analyze football. The goal is Qatar. We reached an agreement with the president and Molina, so there is no need to say anything. That time will come and we will see what is interesting to do,” he said. Said keeping the uncertainty about his future.
We reached an agreement with the president and Molina, so there is no need to say anything. That time will come and we will see what is interesting to do ”
Luis Enrique, Spanish coach
Later he stressed that “Unai Simon has been spectacular” after justifying his choice of Hugo Guillamon as center. “I thought it was the best option, but by taking on a card we thought of placing Busi and placing Rodri, who plays up front like no one else, as a central defender,” said the Spanish coach, after acknowledging that the departure of Pedri and Gavi in the final half hour of the meeting has been decisive.
????️ @LUISENRIQUE21: “I prefer to reach the World Cup with the aim of having qualified for the Final Four”.
➡️ “We have a growth process in the @SEFutbol“.
➡️ “Now we are going to a wonderful competition that every player wants to play”.#VamosEspaña | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/GJe9WVTpci
— Spanish Soccer Team (@SEFutbol) September 27, 2022
“We thought that the match was going to be different from the one in Switzerland and that they would come out refreshed in the second half. Gavi is energy, pure personality, quality, a lot of quality and Pedri is pure talent at the service of the team because every time he passes the ball through he improves the play”, stated the coach, acknowledging that “with Busi he has given us the opportunity to attack better together with the wingers, like Nico and Yeremi, they have been brave, having Álvaro who has been superb”.
“Gavi is energy, pure personality, quality, a lot of quality and Pedri is pure talent at the service of the team because every time the ball passes through him he improves the play”
Luis Enrique, Spanish coach
It is also clear to Luis Enrique that the plan worked out well for him because he needed to wear Portugal down in the first hour and then take advantage of the final 30 minutes to achieve the objective. “I had the feeling that the goal was going to come. But the first half was necessary to show that the ball was ours”, argued the Asturian coach.
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Yes, the coach did assume that “the players lacked daring because I insisted in the previous talk with a video in which they should not lose the ball and, perhaps, it was a mistake on my part because I was able to condition them” . Later, when asked about his plans for the immediate World Cup in Qatar, he did not want to give any clues. “There is not a list of 26 players but 40 who can go. It makes me sad that some are left out even though they don’t deserve it.”
Spain, according to Luis Enrique, has managed to “wear out” Portugal. And after the wear and tear of the Portuguese team came Morata’s goal that placed the team among the four best in Europe. One more time.