Spain national team coach Luis Enrique assessed his players made many mistakes during a 2-3 defeat to England in the third match of the UEFA Nations League Group 4 at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on Tuesday (10/16).
In the match the home team controlled the game, but it was the visitors who were able to lead 3-0 first. England opened the scoring through Raheem Sterling in the 16th minute utilizing Marcus Rashford’s assist.
The advantage of the Three Lions is increasingly added thanks to a goal from Rashford from Harry Kane in the 29th minute. Sterling scored his second goal in the 38th minute which was also a pass from Kane.
The Spanish national team could only rise in the second half with Paco Alcacer’s 58th minute goal using Marco Asensio’s pass. Sergio Ramos finally reduced the position to 2-3 in the 90th + 7th minute.
Enrique acknowledged the Matador Team performed poorly in the first round. England’s first goal was considered Enrique to ‘kill’ his team. Besides that Sergio Busquets and his friends also claimed to be late to rise.
“We made a lot of individual mistakes. I didn’t change anything, and I told them that all the great teams suffered,” said Enrique quoted by Marca.
“They created a very good transition when mastering the ball and appeared very strong. We made individual mistakes when depressed and the goal felt like a cure for them and poison for us. In the end, this match was very painful,” Enrique said, as quoted by Sky Sport.
Luis Enrique was assigned to handle La Furia Roja after Fernando Hierro resigned last summer. The 48-year-old coach is expected to be able to bring the Matador Team back to prominence after a disappointing appearance in the 2018 World Cup.
The defeat of England was the first for La Furia Roja under Enrique’s control. The former Barcelona coach has four matches leading the Spanish national team by winning three wins, two in the UEFA Nations League and one in the test match.
“I understand that this team, with their attitude, does not need to be ejected or criticized or three changes. I need to strengthen a number of things, some changes are nuanced at the level of tactics and put them into positive dynamics,” Enrique said.
To be able to ensure themselves qualify for the semifinals of this tournament Spain needs a victory over Croatia in the next match on 15 November in Zagreb.
Even so, Luis is still optimistic about the future of his team and prepares for the match in Croatia. “Now I have a long time to go and think. I like a lot of players in this squad. Now it’s time to prepare artillery. A group with two World Cup semifinalists is not easy and we still depend on ourselves, now we have to go to Croatia and win.
