Appointed in the wake of the 2018 World Cup, Luis Enrique, 52, will not go further than the Qatari edition at the head of the Spanish selection. The country’s football federation (RFEF) announced on Thursday, December 8, that it was ending its functions. The announcement is not really a surprise, two days after the elimination of La Roja by Morocco in the round of 16 of the tournament (0-0, 3-0 on pens).
The native of Gijon, in the autonomous community of Asturias, was given the reins of the selection in July 2018, therefore, after an already disappointing Russian World Cup for the Spaniards: the adventure of the 2010 champions t was, again, stopped in the first round of the final phase, after the defeat against the host nation.
Luis Enrique had taken a six-month break at the head of La Roja, between March and November 2019, to support the end of life of his daughter with bone cancer. The child will die in August of the same year. On his return, he had helped lift his country to the semi-finals of the Euro and the final of the League of Nations in 2021.
Barren possession
With his “defined style”he has “bet on young talents and sowed hope for the future of the selection”, welcomed the Spanish federation on Thursday in its press release. Former player of Real Madrid, then of the great rival of Barça, Luis Enrique learned the job of coach with the reserve of FC Barcelona, in the shadow of Pep Guardiola, before taking responsibility in 2014 and winning two Liga (the Spanish league) and a Champions League.
However, he ended up being criticized for his sterile possession style of play, of which Tuesday’s defeat against the Atlas Lions was a perfect illustration. “If anyone is responsible, it’s me”, had assumed the technician in the corridors of the Education City Stadium, after the meeting. The following day, upon arrival at Madrid airport, Luis Enrique hugged the members of the team individually and bade them farewell.
Luis de la Fuente Castillo, 61, succeeds him. Until now coach of the Spanish under-21 selection, he will be officially presented on Monday and will take his first steps in March with the qualifying matches for Euro 2024 in Germany.