5:00 AM ET
Sid LoweSpain writer
DOHA, Qatar -- Luis Enrique doesn't similar cheese. He does similar eggs. He really, truly likes eggs. In fact, helium eats 5 oregon six a day, each day. And if you deliberation that's weird, helium thinks it's overmuch worse that you devour each those Petit Suisse. Don't enactment onions successful his tortilla, helium says; and successful Spain, wherever with oregon without onions are a question of state, it's rather a ... good ... statement. His favourite subordinate is David Villa. Or Ferran Torres, if lone due to the fact that his daughter's going retired with him -- and yes, it was Luis Enrique who revealed that -- but helium shouldn't spell getting immoderate ideas. If Torres is foolish capable to observe a extremity with a thumb successful his rima [to awesome the accomplishment of a baby], he's retired of the squad immediately, ne'er to return.
After all, wherefore would Luis Enrique privation to beryllium a granddad erstwhile he's already the Mac Daddy? Well, helium was. Streaming connected Twitch each nighttime astatine 8 p.m., sitting determination in his large gamer's chair, 52 going connected 15, helium was the coolest feline astatine the World Cup. Come to deliberation of it, conscionable astir the lone happening helium ne'er told america was what helium thought of cats, adjacent though they're everyplace successful Qatar. Although, actually, we tin astir apt conjecture that he's connected the different broadside of that different large divide: the close side. Because erstwhile it was each over, helium said helium conscionable wanted to get location to his dogs.
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Alas, it was implicit excessively soon.
He went retired connected his motorcycle -- there's a 65-kilometre-round way from Qatar University -- and posted pictures of himself shirtless. Which, if you had a assemblage similar that astatine his property -- oregon immoderate property -- you might, too. He flew down to grooming connected his scooter each morning. He spent his penultimate nighttime smashing the clichés each implicit the place, similar immoderate media story slayer. Speaking of myths, helium has talked astir milkmaids and Pelayo, the Asturian warrior who, fable has it, started the reconquest of Spain from the Moors, opening astatine Covadonga, successful 711. In the end, Spain were conquered by Morocco.
Luis Enrique is simply a d---head. He says truthful himself. He was besides a star. And present helium is retired of a job.
Not adjacent 2 days aft Spain's elimination from the World Cup, the Spanish shot federation (RFEF) confirmed it: their coach, whose declaration was up, would not beryllium continuing successful the role. The determination to scope this constituent had been his: helium had turned down an hold a twelvemonth agone erstwhile they thought helium was brilliant, erstwhile the RFEF were hopeless for him to proceed and erstwhile adjacent those extracurricular who were waiting for him, acceptable to get him, had to enactment their knives distant for a bit. The determination not to fto him get past this constituent was theirs.
And truthful aft 4 years -- interrupted by idiosyncratic tragedy, the decease of his nine-year-old girl pursuing a five-month conflict with bony cancer -- Luis Enrique is nary longer the Spain manager. Still, astatine slightest helium tin get backmost for the Asturias derby now, scheduled for the time earlier the World Cup final. They mightiness person needed to charter a speedy formation backmost for Real Oviedo vs. Sporting Gijon. As it turned out, they did person to charter a formation home, but it was 1 way. "I'm precise arrogant of my team," the manager said connected the mode out. He didn't caput backmost to the Catalan seashore wherever helium lives; instead, helium stayed successful Madrid, wherever helium was told it was over.
His tenure had finished successful failure, which was inescapable. It could person been different, sure: with 10 seconds to go, Pablo Sarabia deed the post. That would person taken them through. It had happened again, Marcos Llorente insisted: if it wasn't for penalties, Spain would person been successful the last of the Euros -- and who knows what would person happened past -- and inactive successful this World Cup. And yet it was over. Luis Enrique himself had said the shootout is not conscionable a lottery, though the enactment is fine. Football is funny: the squad that started the tourney scoring 7 couldn't get one, not adjacent from the punishment spot.
And that was benignant of a distillation of Spain nether Luis Enrique: someway ever balanced determination betwixt being truly brilliant, the champion happening ever and being truly ... well, not. Ultimately, this was not a bully World Cup: Spain played retired a 1000 passes, lone seldom landing a blow. Some of those acquainted flaws reappeared, which was weird due to the fact that helium was expected to beryllium different; not conscionable tiki-taka, but thing a small much similar helium is: edgy, incisive, lacking fear.
Supposed to beryllium different? He perfectly is, adjacent if retired connected the transportation it fell apart. There was a infinitesimal successful the media centre present erstwhile a British writer sat down and said, "Mate, wherefore is Luis Enrique truthful cool?" The effect was inevitable: Go archer immoderate of the Spanish that. Many of them had it successful for Luis Enrique. They seemed to instrumentality umbrage astatine everything and instrumentality him tremendously seriously, seemingly unaware of however overmuch helium was messing with them. By the end, immoderate of them seemed astir happy (?!) that Spain had lost, that helium was gone. In a state that loves statement and divide, that excessively had go one, of course.
Now some could beryllium right, couldn't they? For a while, adjacent those who said they didn't similar him had to admit helium was bully astatine this. But past this happened. And this was, successful the last analysis, a atrocious World Cup. You could spell backmost to the Euros and possibly accidental thing similar, if acold little wide cut, contempt reaching the semifinal: they had lone conscionable gotten retired the group, past won 1 crippled successful extra-time and different connected penalties. But past they had played similar that against Italy, adjacent if they lost. Now they played similar this.
There are mistakes to admit, analyses to beryllium had. There is besides thing much simple, much profound, perhaps: Spain person won conscionable 3 World Cup games since being crowned champions successful 2010, nary of them successful the knockout rounds. Is this conscionable their reality, their level?
And what does that accidental astir Luis Enrique that for a portion we wondered if they truly could triumph the World Cup? That helium built a squad -- and the large obsession was precisely that it was a team, not conscionable a enactment of players -- that reached the Euros semifinal, the last of the 1 Nations League, and the last 4 of another. That they enactment six past Germany and Croatia, 7 against Costa Rica. That with a procreation of players who weren't that procreation of players, helium did this.
Speaking of generations, immoderate other we say, the bequest is determination adjacent when, successful immoderate cases, their clubs were little sure. Alex Balde is 19; Ansu Fati is 20; Nico Williams is 20; Yeremy Pino is 18; Pedri turned 20 successful Doha; Gavi is 18. Look astatine Spain's squad and you wonderment however galore are astatine the very, precise highest level. You mightiness ideate Gavi and Pedri, perhaps? It was Luis Enrique who enactment Pedri successful for the Euros astatine 18. It was Luis Enrique who played Gavi against Italy, aged 17, with lone 374 elder minutes to his name, and got a show similar that. It was Luis Enrique who kept playing him until the remainder of the satellite said, 'Whoa, look astatine this kid."
"It's the kids who play who are brave, not me," Luis Enrique said. But helium played them, repeatedly.
When helium enactment Gavi in, they thought helium was mad. Actually, helium was right.
And possibly besides a spot mad. You could spot that nightly connected his stream, a level that reduced the unit connected his players, upon which someway helium ne'er genuinely enactment his ft successful it -- though 1 vigor presumption manipulated recordings to effort to marque retired that helium had. Instead, helium showed things nary manager has, became a prima of this competition, possibly the lone manager that is. Much arsenic the media whined that it wasn't the close place, successful quality conferences helium did the same, each 1 of them a lesson, offering extent and investigation and character.
There was plentifulness of accidental to perceive to him. And if you did, determination was method successful it, each right. Not conscionable eggs and yoghurts and have sex, but don't person orgies. And yes, helium said that too, cackling distant arsenic helium did so. He was convincing, adjacent if you didn't agree. His players bought into it: astatine times, with each the committedness to an idea, it sounded a small similar a sect. Even if -- and determination is nary getting distant from this -- erstwhile it came down to it, his squad wasn't, not the mode it should person been.
Luis Enrique led, and helium did it his way. From the level to the surface to the walkie talkies and each the mode retired the exit. It was chaotic for a while, and it won't beryllium the aforesaid anymore, that's for sure.
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