Luis de la Fuente to lead the national football team after a surprise defeat by Morocco in the 16th round of the tournament in Qatar.
Spain’s defeat to Morocco and elimination from the men’s World Cup has led to changes in the national team, with coach Luis Enrique being replaced by Luis de la Fuente.
Spain’s football federation on Thursday thanked Enrique but said it was time to “start a new career” following Tuesday’s defeat. The change was made after the decision of the sports authorities in Spain.
De la Fuente, 61, who was a left-back for Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao, helped Spain’s under-19 team win the European Championship in 2015, and the under-21 team to win Euro 2019. He also coached the Spanish team at. Tokyo Olympics, where he won a silver medal.
De la Fuente also coached the senior team while youth players were used in the match against Lithuania because the senior team had to self-isolate due to the coronavirus.
Also considered were former Belgium manager Roberto Martínez and former Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelino García Toral.
Spain got off to a good start in Qatar, beating Costa Rica 7-0. But La Roja failed to win in the group stages, drawing 1-1 with Germany and losing 2-1 to Japan before being knocked out in the round of 16 by Morocco on penalties after a poor performance and extra time.
Enrique, a Barcelona legend, took over the national team in 2018 to start a revamp of the team after being eliminated from the round of 16 World Cup in Russia. He left for a while due to illness and the death of his daughter but returned in 2019.
He helped Spain reach the last four of the Nations League twice, including this season and last year when they lost in the final to France.
He also led Spain to the semi-finals of the European Championship last year, after losing to Italy in a shootout.
The 52-year-old’s contract was due to expire after the World Cup. Shortly after losing to Morocco, he said he would take some time to rest before starting discussions with the federation about his future.
The elimination of the team in Qatar raised many questions as to whether Spain, who were world champions in 2010, will begin to reform their football philosophy and remove the “tiki-taka” style of football that has not produced much in recent years. Enrique said that he does not plan to leave “tiki-taka” if he remains the coach, and de la Fuente should also stay alive.
Football expert Gemma Soler told Al Jazeera that Enrique’s dismissal did not come as a surprise following the “disaster” in Qatar and described the appointment of de la Fuente as “an internal solution”.
“He has been a coach for at least 21 years so he knows this generation of new Spanish players,” said Soler, adding that the new coach may share the footballing ideas of his predecessor, but in terms of appearance, the two men are very different.
“Luis Enrique has this [strong] his personality, he likes to talk and be in the limelight, while Luis de la Fuente is different. “
De la Fuente is expected to start with the first team when Spain resume Euro 2024 qualifiers, facing Norway in the opening game of the campaign on March 25 next year.
