Luis Enrique Dismissed As Spain’s Coach And Replaced

Luis Enrique who was in office since July 2018, paid the price for defeat against Morocco as he lost his place in the dugout. It as been confirmed by the Spanish Football Federation.

The gaffer was dismissed from his post on Thursday (December 8th), two days after the elimination of La Roja in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup against Morocco.

A few minutes later, the Federation revealed the name of his successor: Luis de la Fuente.

“The coach has managed to give a new impetus to the national team since his arrival in 2018, thanks to a deep renovation that has consolidated a generational change in the team and in Spanish football”, explained the federation in a statement.

Spain, which had made the first impression of the World Cup by humiliating Costa Rica (7-0), left Qatar with only one victory, a draw and two defeats. In total, under Enrique’s leadership, La Roja won 27 games, drew 14 and lost 7 games. The Former FC Barcelona coach stood out during the World Cup by creating a direct link with supporters through a daily broadcast on Twitch.

Appointed as the head of Spain in July 2018, he took a break between March and November 2019 to mourn his daughter, then he bounced back with Spain to the semi-finals of the Euro and the final of the UEFA Nations League.

But elimination against Morocco and widespread criticism of La Roja’s sterile possession style of play led his federation to dismiss him.

Luis De La Fuente, 61, was formerly the coach of the Spain’s U19s, the Olympic team and was an interim for a match to replace Luis Enrique, while the Covid-19 had forced Enrique to observe isolation before playing Lithuania. Luis de la Fuente will take charge of the national team from March, during the qualifying matches for Euro 2024.