Spain vs Morocco: Luis Enrique sticking with the game plan

Spain and Morocco face each other in the World Cup last-16 as they battle to make it to the quarterfinals today. In Spain’s 2-1 loss to Japan in the group stage, they did not produce one long ball and there has been criticism that the team is too predictable. Head coach Luis Enrique has made it clear that he does not see this as an issue and that the team will keep playing according to his passing principles.

“This is a common tendency, to look at everything from a negative perspective,” said Enrique. “It’s either very positive or very negative.”

“What worries me least is the result,” he continued. “Although it may seem utopian, I’m not worried at all. What I focus on is controlling the things I have to control as a coach and that my team plays in a certain way.”

How will Spain play vs Morocco?

Spain play from the back, and Enrique made it clear that they will continue to do so. He is so confident that this plan will work, in fact, that he has left goalkeepers David de Get and Kept Arrizabalaga out and put Unai Simon and David Raya in. In their loss to Japan, Spain had 82.3% possession and completed 969 passes. Morocco has conceded just one goal on their path to the round of 16.

“I saw that their average possession is 73 per cent,” said Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui. “They’re going to have possession, whether we like it or not. But Japan had 17 per cent when they beat Spain. Maybe we should be talking with FIFA for points per possession.”

Follow along with our live coverage of the match.

Regardless, Enrique will not give up on his principles, even if it means losing the game.

“Soccer is not a fair sport, but if you play better than your opponent, you usually win the game,” he said. “If you don’t play better than your opponent, then we’ll congratulate the other team and go home. Not a problem.”