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Change in attitude revitalizes Spain
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After only two matches, Luis Enrique already knows the key to his early success as coach of Spain鈥檚 national team.
Enrique said the team鈥檚 approach in the impressive wins over England and Croatia in the UEFA Nations League is what made the difference for a revamped squad since he took over.
鈥淲hat I liked the most in these 10 days was the players鈥 attitude on and off the field,鈥 the former Barcelona coach said. 鈥淚n only a few training sessions they were able to put our ideas into practice.鈥
Luis Enrique spoke after Spain鈥檚 6-0 rout of World Cup runner-up Croatia in the Nations League on Tuesday. Three days earlier, La Roja had come from behind to defeat England 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.
鈥淚t was a spectacular day. I couldn鈥檛 have imagined it,鈥 Luis Enrique said after the team overpowered Croatia. 鈥淏ut regardless of the score, what I saw in the players鈥 attitude was what was important. With this level of efficiency and with this quality that we have in front of the goal, it will be very difficult to stop us.鈥
Fans loudly chanted the coach鈥檚 name during Tuesday鈥檚 game in the southeastern Spanish city of Elche.
鈥淚 was a little embarrassed. It surprised me,鈥 Luis Enrique said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful, but I prefer that they cheer the players, they are the real protagonists.鈥
Luis Enrique was announced as Spain鈥檚 coach in July following the team鈥檚 World Cup debacle, when the soccer federation fired Julen Lopetegui two days before the tournament and the team eventually was ousted by host Russia in the last 16.
His first contact with players came less than two weeks ago in training camp. He immediately imposed his energetic style in the practice sessions, and it translated onto the field in the first two matches.
Luis Enrique had already taken action to bring the players together and build greater camaraderie within the group, including banning cell phones during meals so players could spend more time talking to each other. He also took the squad to an 鈥渆scape room,鈥 where players had to work together to solve puzzles and try to break out.
鈥淚 liked what I saw from the players the whole week,鈥 the former Barcelona boss said.
On the field, the coach also implemented important changes, making the team apply more pressure without the ball and playing a more direct game in attack, relinquishing the endless short passes that used to be a characteristic of Spain鈥檚 national team.
鈥淟uis Enrique asks us to be very aggressive up front, to pressure and try to dominate, not giving the opponent any breathing room,鈥 said Marco Asensio, who scored a goal and set up three others against Croatia on Tuesday. 鈥淲e needed to get this sort of feeling back. We鈥檝e put in two great performances.鈥
Asensio was the man of the match against Croatia but he didn鈥檛 even start against England. Iago Aspas played at Wembley and also performed well. Saul Niguez, who has become an undisputable starter for Luis Enrique in midfield thanks to his versatility, also scored on Tuesday, as did Sergio Ramos, Rodrigo and Francisco 鈥淚sco鈥 Alarcon.
Spain鈥檚 next match is a friendly against Wales on October 11 in Cardiff. Four days later it will host England in Seville in the Nations League.
鈥淣ow we have time to analyze everything in more detail,鈥 Luis Enrique said. 鈥淭here are things to improve despite these first two matches.鈥
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