Luis Enrique said that he would give his team a 9. I would leave it at 7.5. The 9 would give it to him, who has made a team that is worth more than the sum of their individualities. A dominating, brave and self-sacrificing team, excellent from area to area, not so much in areas, where they lacked security behind and fang above. For the little ball that we have left to the rival, we have suffered too many shocks and gave away more than one goal. As for the auction, there has been a deficit alleviated by two goals that do not hide that in other games, against Italy, without going any further, we played to make more than one. But the goal is not put by the coach. You either have the goal or you don’t have it.
In any case, we must be grateful to these guys who started the competition as suspects. We were coming off a bad streak since the great team fell to Del Bosque in the hands of the World Cup in Brazil. With Lopetegui everything seemed on track until he signed for Madrid. Rubiales threw him out, Hierro crawled in a little and the World Cup in Russia left our spirits on the floor. Then came Luis Enrique, whose mandate was interrupted by his family misfortune. Robert Moreno’s interim, which was going well, had an abrupt and ugly end. The Selection was already a source of unpleasantness.
We have to thank this team for having re-engaged the fans. There are still reluctants who tell me about five draws for a victory. It is a way of looking at it. The other is that they have reached the semifinals and lost better than Italy. It is a group that mixes generations: the lighthouse has been the venerable Busquets; there are remains of the lost ‘Isco generation’, with Morata as its flag; the minority majority is made up of the champions of the U21 European Championship, the fifth from Olmo; and to finish off, the youngest Pedri. All packed into a fine, disciplined and energetic eleven footer. A team without figures for which it is a pleasure to be represented.