IAN HERBERT: Luis Enrique is sticking with his passing principles in Qatar
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A gift that keeps on giving, Luis Enrique gave an emphatic feeling that he has no problem with his Spain team being seen as predictable and no longer leading the world over the weekend.
‘What are fears?’ he asked him in one of his cult open forums on the online streaming platform Twitch. ‘Distortions of reality. The fears of others seem so ridiculous to you that you laugh. And your fears for others, the same. How can you be afraid of this?
Enrique tackled much deeper issues than his round of 16 clash with Morocco, which now holds the hopes of the African and Arab worlds.
Luis Enrique insisted that he has no problem with his Spanish team being considered predictable
His fondness for eggs, his daughter’s relationship with Ferran Torres and being challenged folklorically, all stand out.
“Those who have hair don’t mind being bald, those who are bald want hair,” he said. ‘He who is fat wants to be thin. Conclusion: we want what we don’t have.
When it comes to his soccer team, Enrique proved in a fascinating, passionate and defensive half-hour chat last Thursday that he certainly wants what he has: a team that plays from behind, no matter what dangers there may be.
It was pointed out to him that his team did not produce a long ball in a group stage that ended in loss to Japan.
This discussion affects Spain, where Pedri’s bizarre own goal against Croatia at Euros last summer, taken with goalkeeper Unai Simon gifting Japan their first goal here, has raised the demand for pragmatism.
Goalkeeper Unai Simon (pictured) gave Japan their first goal as they suffered a 2-1 defeat
It was hard to tell if Enrique was flushed or had been in the sun too long, but his face was red as he launched a counterattack on the subject of clichés: the ‘clichés’ of football analysis, as he sees them. “You see everything from too negative a perspective,” said Enrique.
‘I couldn’t care less about the result. I want to control the things that I can. As a coach, you want them to play the way you want them to play. If we have a situation and we have to go for the long ball, that’s fine. But that has to be interpreted by the player on the pitch.
‘Our idea is very clear. We will play from behind, as we always have. I want my team to implement the idea that makes them better than the opponent.
‘It’s not fair to buy the whole package only when you’re winning. This is a bug game. Soccer players make mistakes. Buy the whole package when you win or lose.’
Their passing article of faith is so ingrained in this squad that goalkeepers David de Gea and Kepa Arrizabalaga have been left out in favor of Brentford’s Simon and David Raya. After a 3-3 draw with the Bees last season, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp declared that Raya “could wear the number 10 shirt”.
Even Simon admitted before the tournament: “When I look at my replay games, I’m like, ‘Damn, what a crazy thing I did there.'” Or, “How hard was that pass I played?” But in the end that’s the way the coach wants to play and that’s the way we do it.
Spain finds it especially difficult to beat tough teams like Morocco, round of 16 rivals.
The argument about predictability and vulnerability extends to the general ethos of a Spain team that finds it particularly difficult to break tough teams like Morocco, who have conceded just one goal to reach the round of 16 for the first time in 36 years. .
His coach, Walid Regragui, indicated that his team was perfectly satisfied with absorbing a million Spanish passes and looking for the moment to strike.
“I saw his possession rate is 73 percent,” he said. They’re going to have possession, whether we like it or not. But Japan had 17 percent when they beat Spain. Maybe we should talk to FIFA about possession points.’
Morocco coach Walid Regragui (pictured) insists they will be content to absorb Spain’s transfers
His outrage was with his own country, who have disputed his claim that Morocco’s goal is to win the World Cup. “Anything can happen,” he said. ‘We tell this to our children. We have never won a World Cup. But why not? Why shouldn’t we? Why not do that?
‘We may fall, but we will fight. Maybe 30 years from now, Morocco will win the World Cup, look back and say, ‘Morocco said they could win.’
Enrique would simply like to win the next game, but not at the cost of his principles. “If you have more merit than an opponent, you tend to win games,” he said. ‘If not, you congratulate the opponent and go home. you want to win. But if you don’t, that’s totally fine.