Spain coach Luis Enrique benefited from the stress he was subjected to during his personal tragedy with the death of his daughter from cancer, to overcome the negative influence of public opinion against him to lead a young squad to the semi-finals of the European Football Championship 2020, in an achievement to be reckoned with and for his rational handling in dealing with errors and crises. .

Spain will play their biggest match since winning the 2012 European Championship final when they face Italy at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, and the victory will complete an eventful period for the coach, who faced a storm of criticism before the start of the tournament that intensified after two disappointing draws in back-to-back matches in the tournament.

📹 BENCH CAM, quarter-final edition!

🤪#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/Y27TqgGXzE

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 5, 2021

He angered many fans and a large section of the Spanish media when he excluded Sergio Ramos from his squad and did not include any player from Real Madrid, and the newspaper AS accused him of betraying the most popular club in the country.

And it raised more question marks by choosing only 24 players instead of 26, and for encouraging French-born defender Aymeric Laporte to switch loyalty to lead the defense instead of Ramos.

Doubts increased after keeping Sergio Busquets in the squad after a positive Covid-19 test for the midfielder, to show patience on the Barcelona player, while closing the doors to Ramos, who missed most of the season for injury.

Busquets and Diego Llorente contracted Corona in a blow to Spain's preparations, but Enrique played down the matter and remembered the hidden pain he suffered in August 2019 when his nine-year-old daughter died of cancer.

He left the national team training to be by her side ..


Great sympathy for the death of the daughter of Spanish coach Luis Enrique pic.twitter.com/N9ovMD3vJo

- Monitoring Network (@RassdNewsN) August 31, 2019

"Compared to some of the things I dealt with, this is a children's game," the Spanish coach said, referring to what he suffered due to his daughter's illness and death.

The Spanish media were very sensitive and showed great sympathy for his daughter's illness, but they did not tolerate the way he managed the national team and criticized him after the draw in the first two matches of the European Championship 2020 against Sweden and Poland.

🙏 Before the start whistle, a minute of silence in memory of the death of Luis Enrique's daughter pic.twitter.com/htuseuNsgE

- FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_ara) August 31, 2019

Radio Marca described Enrique as "stubborn", adding: "Spain will not win this tournament and we all know that."

During a news conference before he crushed Slovakia, the coach was asked if he would resign if Spain left.

😎Shades are on.

Footballs are out.

Semi-final 🔜

🇪🇸 Luis Enrique pic.twitter.com/n812jJQP4p

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 5, 2021

Former Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez was not surprised by the treatment of Enrique, who left Real Madrid in a cruel way when he was a player to turn into a legend in Barcelona.

"The atmosphere in Spain is very difficult, and this complicates the task of winning, and the situation is even more difficult when a coach does not include any player from Real Madrid," Xavi said.

Xavi: There is little connection between the Spanish press and the national team.

And it is more difficult if the coach does not include players from Real Madrid https://t.co/jcJhfqBrNb

- Al Jazeera - Sports (@AJASports) July 2, 2021

Media lover

With the exclusion of a player loved by the fans and the media such as Ramos, Enrique faces a crisis similar to that of the late Luis Aragones when he excluded Real Madrid striker Raul before winning the 2008 European Championship.

Like Aragones, Enrique has given his select players a strong mindset and has shown a knack for managing things.

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon made a naive mistake when he let a back pass slip from under his foot into his net when facing Croatia, but Enrique gave him support, saying that he "must have the memory of fish" to quickly forget individual mistakes.

The comeback is always stronger than the setback.

Unai Simón 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/gdC1QmTwmi

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 2, 2021

He greatly supported his striker Alvaro Morata, who was booed from the crowd and criticized by journalists for missing an easy opportunity against Sweden.

"Morata and 10 others will play" in the next match against Poland, Enrique said, and the connection between them appeared when Morata ran to the field line to hug his coach after scoring.

🔝🇪🇸 Morata became Spain's all-time top scorer in the European Championship, shared with Torres with 5 goals 💪

🤔 Can Morata lead Spain to the championship title and repeat Torres' achievement with La Roja previously? #Euro2020 |

#Spain_Croatia #EURO2020 #beINTERACT pic.twitter.com/pxkYPWOVoB

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 29, 2021

The belief in the players paid off when Morata scored an important goal in extra time against Croatia, and Simon excelled in saving two penalties in the victory over Switzerland.

Unai Simón got that #FridayFeeling 😁#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/GsvlC2aY22

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 2, 2021

"Enrique is the architect of everything and is charting the way for us," Simon said. "The relationship with the coaching staff has a great influence and Enrique is very important to us and we feel comfortable with him."

And striker Dani Olmo described the coach as "friendly and you will always find him when you need him."

21 goals in 44 matches with the national team.


The wonderful Morata 👏⚽️


pic.twitter.com/JdEquNEadf

— EPLWORLD (@EPLworld) July 2, 2021