Luis Enrique is no longer the Spain coach. In his place De la Fuente

The Luis Enrique era is already over. This morning the press release from the Spanish football federation announcing the separation arrived. The coach’s contract had expired with his exit from the World Cup, and has not been renewed. Luis de la Fuente, currently in charge of the Under 21 team, will be promoted in his place. A continuation choice, even if De la Fuente has no experience at a high level. The other candidates, Marcelino and Roberto Martinez, were rejected.

sincere hate

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Luis Enrique pays for the World Cup flop which exacerbated the acrimony against him from a part of the Spanish press, which has sincerely hated him for years in the name of his anti-Madridism: only by winning ‘Lucho’ could he have saved his place, his exit in the round of 16 he condemned it.

Farewell to Xana

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The Asturian coach had joined the national team on 9 July 2018. He made his debut in September by winning at Wembley in the Nations League, but the following March he was forced to leave the team in retreat to run home to be close to his daughter Xana, attacked by a osteosarcoma. The girl’s condition deteriorated rapidly and in June Luis Enrique resigned, leaving the team to friend Robert Moreno. On August 29, little Xana, 9 years old, passed away due to family agony. Luis Enrique gathered his strength and on November 19 of the same 2019 he returned to the helm of the national team, resulting in a break in the relationship with his former friend Moreno.

Success and “fracaso”

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Since then ‘Lucho’ has led Roja to the 2021 Nations League final, lost to France for a much-discussed goal, to the semi-final of the European Championship, left to Italy on penalties, to the Final Four of the Nations League which will be played on next June, and at this World Cup. Opened with Spain’s greatest striker in the competition, the 7-0 against Costa Rica, and then gradually diluted until the early farewell with Morocco, among thousands of passes, few chances and two goals in 3 games.

Successes and little experience

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Most of the press will be happy, but with Luis Enrique’s farewell, the Spanish national team is losing a great coach, as well as a sincere, open and interesting person. De la Fuente did well with the youth team, winning the Under 19 European Championship in 2015 and the Under 21 Championship in 2019, Olympic silver in Tokyo, and knows many of the young players launched by Luis Enrique, who brought 7 Under 21 players to Doha out of 26 called up. He lacks some high-level experience, he’ll make it quickly.