ENRIQUE GOOD FOR SPAIN JOB

A SERIAL winner on the pitch and in the dugout, Spain’s new coach Luis Enrique brings a proven track record to an underachieving national team as well as a direct playing style and a reputation for personality clashes. Having won two Liga titles, the 2015 Champions League and three successive domestic Cups in three seasons with Barcelona, he is certainly a more exciting choice to succeed Julen Lopetegui than the other candidates linked to the job such as Quique Sanchez Flores, Michel and Roberto Sanchez. But his fiery personality, which was as noticeable when he was a combative attacking midfielder for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sporting Gijon as when he was in the dugout, could also prove problematic in charge of a team with big characters of its own such as Sergio Ramos and Diego Costa. Enrique came dangerously close to being sacked by Barcelona after a high-profile fallout with Messi in January 2015 by starting him on the bench in a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad, and he had frequent spats with the media in his three seasons at the Nou Camp. He also angered Spain leftback Jordi Alba by repeatedly leaving him out of the Barca lineup in his final season as coach.