Luis Enrique perfects Lopetegui's Spain
The Asturian coach has has added more pace, possession and shots on goal since taking over the reins of La Roja after Lopetegui's departure.
Transition
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At a time of transition from Lopetegui to Luis Enrique, the current Spain coach's tenure is shaping up nicely. This Spain side keeps hold of the ball more, has more attempts on goal and finds the net more than Lopetegui's side. Last week in Wales, following on from their 1-2 win at Wembley and 6-0 drubbing of World Cup runners-up Croatia, Spain gave another exhibition display, coming out convincing 1-4 winners. The new Spain coach has got off to a flyer and only Del Bosque managed with three straight victories from the off.
Minor changes
Nevertheless, Luis Enrique did inherit a well-oiled side whose toils in Russia quickly blanked out the fact that they had one of the favourites tags hanging round their neck going into the tournament. But the way the former Barça coach has already imprinted his DNA - boldness and energy - on the squad has been impressive. Luis Enrique has not made major changes to Lopetegui's style of play and approach but has tweaked a few areas to give his side more thrust.
| Comparison between Lopetegui and the start Luis Enrique has made | ||
| LOPETEGUI | LUIS ENRIQUE | |
| Possession | 62.7% | 65.66% |
| Shots on goal per game | 6.15 | 6.33 |
| Shots off target per game | 4.8 | 4 |
| Average number of goals per game | 2.85 | 4 |
| Goalscoring opportunities | 3.84 | 2.58 |
| Goals conceded per game | 0.65 | 0.66 |
The numbers of both coaches tell a similar story, which is proof that something is being done right given that Lopetegui's side went 20 games unbeaten. Moreover, Luis Enrique has avoided getting bogged down with the remnants of Spain's success story and is attempting to turn possession into goals and escape sideways passing. The challenge now is maintaining these statistics, but this Selección is clearly on the right track.