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Direct Spain has new identity under Luis Enrique
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Spain returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over England on Saturday after its disastrous time at the World Cup but the most striking element of the performance at Wembley was the new identity it is forming under coach Luis Enrique.
Against England, Spain had far less possession than it was used to under World Cup caretaker coach Fernando Hierro and predecessors Julen Lopetegui and Vicente del Bosque but played with more purpose and was more direct than before.
“Spain came from behind to win against England and did so by showing the same personality as their coach. This was more than a prestigious victory, it was an announcement of what is to come, of new and exciting times,” said newspaper Marca.
“It’s only one game but it is significant. We are looking at a new Spain, a more direct team, just like Luis Enrique outlined when he was chosen as coach. Things are looking good.”
The former Barcelona coach had already ruffled feathers by dropping mainstays Jordi Alba and Koke from his squad and then picked a new-look line-up containing only five players who had started the World Cup last-16 defeat to Russia on penalties.
Midfielder Saul Niguez made the biggest impact of the new additions to the team throughout the game, giving it a thrust and directness which was lacking in Russia, where it dominated possession but lacked spark and ideas, and also providing Spain’s equalizer after Marcus Rashford had put England ahead.
Saul’s lively performance had the Spanish media asking why he did not play a single minute at the World Cup despite being part of the squad, while forward Rodrigo, scorer of the winning goal, also gave the team a more direct feel.
Spain had 54.7 percent of possession against England, a marked contrast to playing more than 1,000 passes against Russia, but it compensated by shutting down its opponents with remarkable efficiency thanks to an intense pressing game, and maintained 85 percent passing accuracy when it did have the ball. “That’s what I want, to reduce the space and press a lot and against a team with three defenders it was very difficult,” Luis Enrique said.
His England counterpart Gareth Southgate said he will “stick to the plan” despite the UEFA Nations League loss.
For all the goodwill flowing Southgate’s way after his young side’s surprise run to the World Cup semifinals it has now lost three matches in a row, albeit to high-calibre opposition, for the first time since 1988.
Coming on the back of defeats to Croatia in the World Cup semifinal and Belgium in the third-fourth place playoff match, Saturday’s loss to Spain will give more ammunition to those saying England still lags behind the world’s top sides.
“Today was a tough test in terms of pressing and a team who are so good in possession,” Southgate told reporters.
“We have to keep reviewing and looking at what we do. But we want to stick to the plan and get better at it.
“We are under no illusions that Spain were the better team for long periods. We are still at the early stages of what we want to do. They pressed well and it took us a while to work out where they were coming from and solutions to it.”
Southgate, whose side faces Switzerland in a friendly next week and also has to play Croatia in the Nations League, said defeats are all part of the evolution of his team. “We are still finding our feet. We can go back to an old style but we will never be a top team,” he said. “Or we stick with it and accept it won’t always work.”
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