Spain appoint de la Fuente as the new manager as they part ways with Luis Enrique

After the defeat against Morocco in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup, Luis Enrique has parted ways with the Spanish National Team

The relationship had to come to an end after a disastrous World Cup campaign. Luis Enrique, the Spanish national team coach, and Spain FA have mutually parted ways. The Spanish Football Association thanked the manager for his contributions in their official statement and on their official handle.

"La dirección deportiva de la RFEF ha trasladado al presidente un informe en el que se determina que debe arrancar un nuevo proyecto para la Selección Española de Futbol, con el objetivo de continuar con el crecimiento alcanzado en los últimos años gracias al trabajo realizado por Luis Enrique y sus colaboradores.(Via: RFEF)"

Fans and pundits considered Spain to be a strong contender for the World Cup title. They started the campaign with a bang as they scored seven past Costa Rica whilst maintaining a clean sheet. However, the goals dried up in the subsequent games as they drew 1-1 to Germany while losing 2-1 to Japan. They couldn’t find the back of the net in both normal time and extra time in the Round of 16. Spain bowed out in the penalty shoot-out against Morocco.

Luis Enrique as Spain’s manager

Luis Enrique took the baton from Fernando Hierro in 2018 for a year before passing it on to Robert Moreno for a brief period of six months. Spain FA re-appointed Luis Enrique in November 2019 again with Euro 2020 and FIFA World Cup 2022 in mind. During his first stint, from July 2018 to March 2019, he won six out of eight games. During the second stint, from November 2019 to December 2022, he won 17 out of 32 games. This also includes Spain’s achievement as Runners-up in UEFA Nations League as well as a semifinalist in Euro 2020.

Luis Enrique’s club football managerial career so far

At the senior level, Luis Enrique has managed three clubs. He has been the manager of Barcelona, Celta Vigo and AS Roma. His recent club-level exploits were with Barcelona, where he managed the Spanish giants for three seasons. Under Enrique, Barcelona won the Champions League (2014/15), La Liga (2014/15, 2015/16) and the Spanish Cup (2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17). He also won the World’s Best Club Coach in 2014/15 as Barcelona completed the treble.

In 263 games, he has 169 wins and eight draws in his club managerial career. Enrique has utilized 108 players during his managerial career.

(Stats via transfermarkt)

What’s next for Luis Enrique and the Spain FA?

We expect Luis Enrique to return to club football but might take some time off. There are multiple suitors for the manager. However, it remains interesting to see if he would venture beyond Spain as his majority of tenures at the club football level have come in Spain.

Spain FA are set to appoint Luis de la Fuente as the next manager to get their Euro 2024 on track. Luis de la Fuente previously was the gaffer for Spain’s U21 setup. Spain are without a title (FIFA World Cups, Euro) in the last ten years. Their last international title came in 2012 when Spain defeated Italy 4-0 at Kyiv. They will hope to end the title drought with the new manager, Luis de la Fuente.

What are the possible destinations for Luis Enrique? Have your say below!