When Luis Enrique took over as the head coach of the Spain national team in 2019, he did so on the back of three disappointing major tournaments for La Roja. The former Barcelona player has now got the national team back in contention for trophies again.

Spain was the dominant team in international football between 2008 and 2012, winning three consecutive tournaments (Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012). However, when their golden generation of players retired from the sport, they struggled to replicate that success.

Under Enrique’s spell in charge, there has been clear progress. The Spanish boss will be hoping that continues at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. As of the 14th of November, Spain has World Cup odds of +800. They are behind just four countries (Brazil, Argentina, France, and England) in the outright betting for the trophy.

Spain has been drawn in the same group as Costa Rica, Germany, and Japan, and they will be expected to reach the knockout stages of the tournament along with Germany. Heading into the competition, they had lost just one of their eight matches in 2022.

Enrique had some tough decisions to make ahead of his World Cup. In what was big news in Spain, he opted to leave out Sergio Ramos and Thiago Alcantara from his squad, two players who have been regulars for their country for some time now. This is not the first time that he excluded some established names from a major tournament. He will be hoping the 26 players he has selected repay his confidence in them by going all the way.

Euros Showed Spain Were Contenders Again

In 2021, Spain reached the semi-final of the European Championship. They were beaten by the eventual winners Italy in a close last-four encounter, losing on penalties after the game finished 1-1 at the end of extra time.

Enrique’s side started slowly in that tournament, with draws coming against Sweden (0-0) and Poland (1-1). In their final group game, they beat Slovakia 5-0 to book their spot in the knockout stages, as they finished runners-up behind Sweden.

In the last 16, Spain needed 120 minutes to get the better of Croatia in a high-scoring game that finished 5-3 in their favor. Then in a quarter-final with Switzerland, they held their nerve to win a penalty shootout 3-1.

A clash with Italy was always going to be tough for Spain as those two sides were the two outstanding teams in the top half of the draw for the European Championship. Federico Chiesa gave Italy the lead on the hour mark. That advantage was then canceled out by Alvaro Morata with 10 minutes to go. Unfortunately for Spain, only Thiago and Gerard Moreno were able to convert their penalties which meant they missed out on the final.

Enrique Has a Good Mix of Experience and Upcoming Talent in Squad

The Spain head coach has often named squads that have a mixture of experienced players and those who have the potential to star for their club and country in the future. Many football columnists believe this is a big part of why he has been able to be successful so far.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the likes of Sergio Busquets, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Rodri, Koke, and Morata will be the senior players who have played a lot of international football. Enrique puts a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, and he expects them to lead by example.

Enrique has a lot of confidence in goalkeeper Unai Simon. He left out Manchester United’s David de Gea from his World Cup squad and it is expected that the 25-year-old will be his starting keeper, just like he was at last year’s European Championship. The Atheltic Bilbao man will be backed up by Brentford’s David Raya, who has just one cap for Spain.

In midfield, Carlos Soler is a player Enrique has given a big opportunity to over the last 12 months. He moved to PSG from Valencia in the summer and got into the squad in an area where there is a lot of competition for places.

If Spain continues the upward trajectory they have been on under Enrique, it may not be long before they return to the number one spot in the FIFA world rankings.

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