Luis Enrique to stay strong and continue with his philosophy at La Roja

Luis Enrique is expected to stay strong and continue with the philosophy he believes in as he endeavours to turn a stuttering La Roja into a side capable of challenging for major honours.

Spain take on Germany on Tuesday evening at La Cartuja in Seville after a run of less-than-stellar results.

La Roja drew 1-1 with Switzerland on Saturday with captain Sergio Ramos missing two penalties, while their two results before that were a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands and a 1-0 loss to Ukraine.

Since Spain beat Ukraine 4-0 in the reverse fixture at the beginning of September they’ve scored just three goals in five games and have been leapfrogged by Germany at the top of their Nations League group.

Despite this run of form so distant to what we’ve come to expect of Spanish sides, Enrique is said to be keeping cool and collected according to MARCA.

“The coach was happy after the match in Basel,” wrote Miguel Angel Lara. “He said it in the press room and it wasn’t a pose. He wants his teams to play like this – high pressure, intensity, camped in the opposition half.

“He’s not going to change because he believes it’s the best way to win, and we’ll see the same against Germany. Each game is a step toward the main objective – not the Final Four of the Nations League, but the European Championship next summer. Enrique wants to reach that moment with a polished idea.”

The report cites statistics that lend credence to the idea that Enrique is on the right path.

Against Switzerland, Spain enjoyed 66% possession and a higher pass completion percentage than their hosts – 88% of 748 passes attempted were completed. They recovered 37 balls due to their high-pressure game and created 20 chances.

The coach and the squad have complete faith in Ramos despite his penalty misses, and his experience is complemented by recent debutants who lend an element of unpredictability like Sergio Canales and Marcos Llorente.

Sometimes all it takes to turn momentum is one strong performance – Enrique and all of Spain will be hoping that it comes tomorrow night against Germany.

Featured image courtesy of the New Straits Times.

Tags La Roja Luis Enrique Spain
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