Luis Enrique: "I need peace of mind"

Luis Enrique followed the fateful penalty shootout from his bench.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
07 December 2022 Wednesday 05:38
29 Reads
Luis Enrique: "I need peace of mind"

Luis Enrique followed the fateful penalty shootout from his bench. Little by little, the blows were reflected in his face. The three players he had chosen – the choice of the last two pitchers he had left in the hands of his squad – missed his shots and Achraf sentenced his future in Qatar, and who knows if also on the bench for Spain. The decision on his continuity, parked until now, can no longer wait, and he suddenly came to the fore. “This is not the time to talk about it, I have more exits than the subway. Now I want to see my people and my dogs, and next week I'll talk to the president (Rubiales), but now I don't care at all”, she repeated with a half smile on the face of those who show an attempt to hide a deep disappointment. internal. "I need peace of mind, we have to assimilate the disappointment in the best way, and we have time because we won't compete again for a long time," he expanded.

After the game, with the players still dejected on the green, but with Luis Enrique already on his way to the changing rooms to fulfill all his media obligations, it was Luis Rubiales who came down from the box to greet all the members of the Spanish expedition and thank them for their effort, including the internationals remaining on the pitch.

Luis Enrique's relationship with the president of the RFEF and with Francisco Molina, sports director, has always been excellent, but the ugly goodbye to the World Cup raises many questions. "I am very comfortable with them, and if that were the case, I would continue for the rest of my life, but I have to decide not only thinking about myself, but also about the national team," the coach clarified.

“We are hot, and it is not the time to talk. We will do it in the next few days and we will make the decisions that have to be made. But Luis Enrique has done a good job these four years”, Molina was limited to saying, with a speech that was far from sounding like unconditional support for the Asturian.

After 20 days of concentration at Qatar University, the Spanish expedition will board an Iberia flight to Madrid today at 11 am, where it will land around 4:45 pm. Hours before, still at the Education City stadium, Luis Enrique broke one of his rules and entered the locker room after the game to talk to his footballers. “I have encouraged them and I have thanked them for the effort they have made, we have created chances until the end, with Sarabia's stick. And I have stressed to them that the experience of a World Cup is forever ”, he revealed, calmer, sitting in the press room for the last time.

The elimination against Morocco was even more painful for Spain for several reasons. The first, for having dominated during the 120 minutes of the game, condemned the red for its lack of punch. “I have to congratulate my players, I have no reproach for them because they have perfectly captured my idea of ​​the game and that of all my staff. Obviously, we could have been more effective, have generated more chances, of course, but the players have followed the plan at 99.9%", specified the coach.

But Spain also leaves Qatar with the thorn in the side of penalties, shots that Luis Enrique has talked about several times, repeating that they are not "a lottery", but that they can be worked on. "It is a moment in which you have to control yourself and be brave to handle the situation," he agreed yesterday. The Asturian brought on Sarabia at the last minute to take a penalty, which ended up hitting the post, and in his appearance he personalized his frustration: "The only resentment I have is not having given him more minutes, he has come out and created two very clear chances He deserved it."

Without much further delay, Luis Enrique left the stadium for Qatar University to pack his bags, go home and think calmly. The bench of Spain is in his hands.