Luis Enrique hails the perfect start
LUIS ENRIQUE described it as the perfect start after Spain backed up their win over England with a 6-0 demolition of Croatia yesterday.
“It would be very easy to say that this is my Spain, generating many chances and conceding few goals, but the truth is that I am changing things very fast,” Luis Enrique said.
“This week everything was perfect.”
Asensio was the star of the show but Saul Niguez, so impressive against England, shone again, alongside the talented 23-year-old Dani Ceballos in midfield.
Spain were barely recognisable from the team that failed to break down Russia in the last 16 but it should also be said they put six past Argentina, under Julen Lopetegui, in March. There is work still to do.
“Comparisons with the World Cup and tonight do not make sense,” Luis Enrique said.
“Today we were very effective and everything went wonderfully well.
“They had an early chance, they didn’t take it and then we played brilliantly and scored some great goals.”
Croatia’s Ivan Santini was guilty of missing early on but once Spain pulled ahead, the visitors crumbled.
Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, so dominant at the World Cup, never took control while defensively, without Dejan Lovren, the mistakes kept coming.
“We cannot cry about it, we have to improve,” coach Zlatko Dalic said.
“That is not a solution against Spain, who plays well at home, who likes to dominate the ball. After the second goal, the match was over for us.” – AFP