• Figures All records from 6-0

  • Chronicle: Spain humiliates Germany in a night for history (6-0)

  • Luis Enrique. "My team put me on. It wasn't a pose"

When there is a corner in favor, the movement is automatic.

Luis Enrique

sits down and

Jesús Casas

, his second, gets up (only one person can stand in the technical area).

Casas is the supervisor of the strategy plays, from which on Tuesday the national team started the historic defeat of Germany.

The 1-0 (

Morata

) and 3-0 (

Rodrigo

) came from Casas' Ipad (blackboards are no longer used).

The two of them on the one hand and the players on the other celebrated the goals with striking effusiveness.

The team, a bubble in this long rally in November, clenched their fists and, as Morata verbalized, at the end, looked askance outside: "I want to see what they say now."

And what is being said now is that Spain has an exciting path.

With nuances, of course, but really exciting.

Settled in a handful of truths and another of

lies

, understanding lie as doubt.

The truths

A MODERN PLAN.

Spain plays fast, and that, in 2020, is essential to be in the elite.

Of course, there are longer possessions - on YouTube you can look for the 2-0 play, a minute and a half of possession, with three shots on goal - but even those are more dynamic than in recent years.

The profile of the players has changed and, with it, the way of having the ball.

In addition, and the test is the fourth and fifth goals, Spain knows how to attack in quick transitions, just a few touches, taking advantage of the opponent's displacement.

The team presses very high and most of the passes are vertical.

COACH WITH CHARISMA.

Luis Enrique is not sympathetic to the press, among other things because he despises the work of journalists.

He considers the vast majority to be advantageous.

And he thinks they don't know anything about football.

But inside out, from the team captain to the last Federation employee they adore him.

He is electric, passionate, charismatic, intense ... "He has prepared the same game as the friendly in Holland. The same intensity, the same desire ...", he explained

Rodrigo

.

That activation, emotional and football, is exactly what a sleeping team needed since 2012. In the absence of great individuals, the leader had to be on the bench.

And it is.

GROUP WITH HUNGER.

The best representation of this is

Ferran torres

.

The Valencia youth squad makes mistakes (some controls, some dribbling attempts, etc ...) but he is cheeky.

Together with him, the rest of the group wanted to do with Germany what Germany did with Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, probably the best show of respect for a rival, but that another, more veteran team, would have scorned.

Spain shot 10 times between the three sticks, they stole a clear penalty and the disallowed goal to Morata did not seem offside.

Spain went on and on until the referee said enough.

THE DEFENSE, COMPLETELY.

Since retired

Pique

and since

Jordi Alba

their performance decreased, the defense only had

Sergio Ramos

as a reliable and constant value.

It has cost him to test 12 players, but Luis Enrique already has the captain's partner.

Is called

Pau Torres

.

It is discreet, but very good.

On the left side,

Gayá

today it is one of the two or three best in the world.

The right-back is the only place where there is any doubt, but all with a good level.

Sergi Roberto

played very well against Germany, but is still behind

Navas

and of

Carvajal

.

RETURN OF THE 'LOST GENERATION'.

The 2013 U21 European Champions were, among others,

De Gea, Íñigo Martínez, Koke, Thiago, Isco, Morata, Rodrigo, Carvajal, Nacho, Canales

... Since the arrival of Luis Enrique, a substantial part of that team, players who are now 27-28 years old and who were called to be transcendent in the absolute, had disappeared.

People like Koke and Morata have shown two things: first, that if they are well they are necessary and, second, that it does not hurt to have a link between the experience of Ramos or

Busquets

and the inexperience of Ferran,

Elm

and company.

Selection agenda

Drop down

  • December 3

    : Semi-final draw of the 'Final Four' of the Nations League.

    Spain, France, Belgium and Italy will play (the latter two must seal their qualification tonight).

    The venue will be Italy, although it will be announced that day, with a preference for Milan and Turin.

  • December 7th

    : Draw for the qualifying phase for the Qatar World Cup 2022. Spain will go to a group of five to play that 'Final Four'.

  • March 2021

    : Three qualifying games for Qatar.

  • June-July 2021

    : Eurocup.

  • September 2021

    : Three qualifying games for Qatar.

  • October 2021

    : 6-7 semi-finals of the 'Final Four' of the Nations League.

    Day 10, the final and the 3rd and 4th place.

  • November 2021: Last two qualifying matches for Qatar.

  • The lies

    THE GOAL IS A PROBLEM.

    It seems incredible, but the goal is not a resolved matter.

    Luis Enrique boasted of having scored 13 in six games.

    Going down to detail, 10 of those 13 were in two (6-0 to Germany and 4-0 to Ukraine).

    In the other four games, three goals (two to Switzerland, one in each game, another to Germany in Stuttgart).

    Thinking in the medium and long term, it is useless to get stuffed in some games and stay two candles in others.

    One of the points to be defined by Luis Enrique is whether he is going to play with a pure center forward or with that hybrid without forwards that is the false 9. More than false, absent.

    There will always be a striker on a roll (today Morata, tomorrow

    Alcacer

    , etc ...) and it is a matter of choice.

    WHO IS THE GOALKEEPER?

    The easy, today, that is

    Unai Simon

    .

    Without having debuted until this month, he was suddenly the starter in all three games.

    A couple of good saves against the Netherlands, some recklessness against Switzerland and Germany ... he would not have had to play.

    One might think, then, that it is him, but the background of Luis Enrique, and his statements, invite us to think that no, that there will be more movement.

    De Gea, owner of the goal in the nine official clashes with 'Lucho' until Wednesday, has disappeared.

    There is no owner of the goal, and that is an inconvenience except in the eyes of the one who must make the decision.

    DOUBTS IN THE MIDDLE.

    The match of

    Rodrigo Hernandez

    against Germany highlights a trend that had been taking place for months.

    The replacement of the City player to Sergio Busquets already seems an urgent obligation.

    However, Luis Enrique looks at the Barça midfielder with special eyes.

    Then there are the details.

    Busi

    , second captain, 120 games, injured, he stayed in the concentration to help in all that is not seen off the field.

    It is possible that Busquets is necessary in a squad of 23, but it seems obvious that the relief in that strategic place of the field is unavoidable.

    CONTINUITY, KEY WORD.

    "We were not so bad before and we are not so good now. We will make mistakes again, for sure."

    These are the words of Luis Enrique on Tuesday in Seville.

    Like any young team, ups and downs are part of its essence, but as with goals, the premise to become a top-level group is to stop combining big flashes with unlikely stumbles.

    Maintaining a regular line, as long as it is above and not below, is something that is only achieved with time.

    Although the nature of the current project (many changes in calls and alignments) invites us to think that this will not be a hallmark.

    For better and for worse.

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