Who better than a former Barcelona and Real Madrid player to guide Spain?
Luis Enrique – the free agent
A month ago, experts were determining whether Luis Enrique would be Arsenal or Chelsea’s new manager. Since then, Arsenal hired Unai Emery, Chelsea has entered into negotiations with Napoli and Maurizio Sarri, Zinedine Zidane left Real Madrid, Julen Lopetegui replaced him, Spain was knocked out in the Round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup by Russia and Fernando Hierro quit his post as interim manager and sporting director. The result, a vacated Spain head-coaching position. Who’s the best coach available? Luis Enrique.
“The decision has been unanimous. This selection complies with all parameters from the sports management criteria.” – Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales
Luis Enrique – new Spain manager
Officially, the reason why Fernando Hierro left was the poor World Cup showing, but it’s quite possible he quit once he found out Luis Enrique was about to become the new head coach. The Relationship between Luis Enrique and Real Madrid has been fairly strained over the years.
The 48-year-old carries a reputation as an immaculate, no-nonsense manager, who pushes his players to the limit and wants his team to be equally strong and technical. He’ll probably bring out a side of this Spanish team we’ve never seen before, much like he converted Barcelona from a possession-based to a counter-attacking unit.
The Asturian has been criticized before for his hands-off approach. He prefers to observe the field from a distance and puts player positioning ahead of player happiness. He found some success in Celta Vigo and very little in Roma before becoming Barcelona’s manager. There, he won two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League in three seasons but also had Messi and Neymar leading the attack. His managerial skills are still questioned because of it. This job will be the perfect opportunity to prove to those who still doubt him wrong.
Luis Enrique’s initial deal is for only two years, meaning Euro 2020 is the primary objective for now.
