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Euro 2020 - Luis Enrique got it all wrong as Spain turns against boss after Sweden draw – Inside Europe

Felix Martin

Updated 15/06/2021 at 14:13 GMT

"We obviously expected Moreno to be the striker, he's probably the most dangerous player of our team, alongside Marcos Llorente, the second surprise. We really believe that playing Llorente at right-back is a mistake." Felix Martin dissects Spain's 0-0 draw with Sweden and says the country is already turning against head coach Luis Enrique.

Inside Europe: Spain special

Image credit: Eurosport

Spain opened their Euro 2020 campaign with a frustrating goalless draw with Sweden in Group E.
Although it was far from disastrous, and they created a number of chances, there were big concerns over Luis Enrique's team selection. Alvaro Morata was named as the lone striker but spurned a couple of gilt-edged opportunities, while Gerard Moreno was belatedly introduced off the bench only to blow a huge chance of his own in the final moments.
Felix Martin from our Spanish office dives into the fallout from the game in Seville...

Should Spain be worried?

We honestly believe Spain are a better team than Slovakia, Poland and Sweden. But there are other things to focus on, like the poor performance of the team in the second half, the fact that the team feels really predictable and, most importantly, the difficulties we're suffering to score goals.
We're even worried about the fact that we were playing as locals yesterday, in Seville, and the grass in the stadium was looking awful, something that clearly negatively affects a team that likes to have possession of the ball like Spain.
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Was the pitch to blame for Spain's struggles?

Image credit: Getty Images

What has been the reaction to Enrique's call to start Morata?

The initial reaction from everyone was surprise. It's fair to say that nobody expected Morata to be in the starting line-up.
We obviously expected Moreno to be the striker, he's probably the most dangerous player of our team, alongside Marcos Llorente, the second surprise. We really believe that playing Llorente at right-back is a mistake. He's a great player because of his physical power and he proved during the season with Atletico Madrid that he is good near the goal. These were both Enrique's decisions, and these decisions are being heavily criticised in Spain.
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What is the mood like in Spain?

As explained above, the media has turned against Morata because of the chances he missed yesterday. And pretty much every big sports media outlet is questioning Enrique's decisions.
But again, we're expecting Moreno to start next Saturday against Poland. We even believe that Morata and Moreno could play together if Enrique changes the system. But we'll see.
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