The Federation of Rubiales, faced with the Luis Enrique dilemma

Of seven to Costa Rica to the broken one in Morocco, from the expectations generated in the spectacular and hopeful opening to the funeral parade of the return to the residence of the University of Qatar, with Luis Enrique in front and the twilight of the Qatari dawn as a witness. The path of Spain in this World Cup is unequivocal, from more to less. From the goalscoring explosion of an attractive and non-negotiable game idea for its uniqueness to its progressive decline game by game. From the cutting edge of the vertical combinations against Costa Rica to the sequences of more than a thousand inane touches against Morocco. And in between that bossy irruption and that twilight ending, two blows from which neither Luis Enrique nor his dedicated footballers rose. The two meetings held to correct the mistakes and strengthen themselves as a group did not have the desired effect, neither mentally nor football-wise.

Not keeping the advantage against Germany (1-1) and the defeat against Japan (1-2) had the same effect as those first drops of blood that make a boxer more accustomed to giving than receiving doubt. They weren’t just any two mandobles. Spain has gone to the canvas punished with the two great weaknesses of Luis Enrique’s plan, admitted in the internal analyzes of the federation before and during the World Cup, and after the elimination. The risks in leaving the ball cost the team the final tie against the Germans and the first goal for the Japanese. The second vulnerable point in the coach’s script, the difficulty in playing against tight defences, was already glimpsed in the inability to react against Japan and was confirmed by Morocco’s intense withdrawal, with only one shot between the three sticks in 120 minutes. Luis Enrique and his footballers have left Qatar with the ball under their feet, with an average possession of over 80%, but without knowing what to do with it to deconfigure the teams that do not want to dominate the ball, but yes the spaces

Spain attended the meeting in Qatar with the ideal breeding ground for success. Luis Enrique was convinced of his ideology and for the footballers it was a creed. Beyond the individual discontent of those who played little or nothing, the atmosphere in the concentration was marked by the youthful happiness that emanated from the group and by the left-handed leadership of veterans such as Busquets, Koke, Jordi Alba, Morata and Azpilicueta. Spicy rhymes when a classmate was forced to end a word in -ano or -ino presided over the relaxed atmosphere from day to night. The good coexistence, however, did not prevent the gradual decline exhibited in the game until hitting rock bottom against Morocco.

The unexpected elimination, due to the early morning and the entity of the rival, immediately gave way to the great unknown with which Spain appeared at the World Cup. The continuity of Luis Enrique has edges that complicate it and others that facilitate it. There has never been a selector with so much power and perks. He signed on the condition of not being active in promoting sponsors and both the president of the federation, Luis Rubiales, and the sports director, José Francisco Molina, have granted him everything he has asked for. They have not understood some of his decisions, such as dispensing with some members of the coaching staff, such as Jesús Casas, or they have been able to twist the gesture with some presences and absences in the list of 26 players. In any case, both assumed that these responsibilities were exclusive to the coach. The stardom of him as streamer It has also been a point of contention because it put the communication department in check and on its guard. In this sense, there was a statement by Rubiales in the meeting with the press that was significant: “Okay, it’s fun, we’ll see if we like it later.”

A year ago, Luis Enrique rejected a renewal offer and agreed with Rubiales and Molina to park it until after the World Cup. The context has changed. At that time, Spain was riding the wave of having reached the semifinals of the Eurocup, having eliminated Italy in the semifinal of the League of Nations and having been better than France in the final despite defeat (2-1). That Luis Enrique does not continue means leaving a generation of young footballers sponsored by him orphaned and abducted by his charms on a day-to-day basis with them. The Gavi, Pedri, Ansu Fati, Nico Williams, Yeremi Pino and Balde, destined to mark the future, must accompany those of intermediate age such as Rodri, Unai Simón, Soler and Marcos Llorente on the way to the next Euro Cup in 2024 and the World Cup 2026.

The strongest candidates to replace the current coach are Marcelino, who would change many nuances of the current game model, and the U-21 coach, Luis de la Fuente. But the final consensus has not yet been given in the federation for the continuity of Luis Enrique, if he wanted to continue, or for the election of his replacement.

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