BRAGA: Spain coach Luis Enrique said his full-strength side will be fully focused when they face Portugal in Tuesday’s League A Group 2 decider for a place in the Nations League Final Four.
With the World Cup less than two months away, the Spain manager said on Monday they will be 100 per cent focused on beating Portugal and there will be no distractions.
“We’re going to see it like a final, there’s no other way,” Luis Enrique said at a press conference ahead of a game Spain must win over Portugal to reach the semi-finals.
“Only a win is worth (something) to us. It’s a final and you don’t play often in a career, let alone with your national team.”
“Our best players will play, there will be no tests or rotations. We don’t speculate in Spain and on Tuesday we will play to win. Period.”
Luis Enrique backtracked on the criticism he leveled at his players following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at home by Switzerland.
He said after the game that their performance was “the worse I can remember since I’ve been coaching this team”.
The result pushed last year’s finalists off the top of their group with a game to go after they were overtaken by Portugal, who edged the Czech Republic 4-0 to go 10 points, two ahead of Spain.
“I sent the wrong message after Saturday’s game. I watched the first half again and it wasn’t that bad,” said Luis Enrique.
“It was more (due to) the merit of Switzerland, which was flawless. We lacked precision in the last third, near their penalty area. We were inaccurate there, not in defence.
“I don’t think it will happen again, but it’s always possible in football. The problem is Switzerland’s physical level, which is higher than many others. Mistakes are part of football.”
Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who won the inaugural edition of the Nations League on home soil in 2019, said his team was ready to face a more aggressive version of Spain than the lackluster side that lost to the Swiss.
“Of course we know that Spain are a great team and will come to us on purpose, but the only thing that gives us respect is respect, not in the sense of servility,” he told a press conference on Monday.
“We’re expecting the same Spain we’re used to, they’ve played the same way for the last 20 years.
“We have to focus on what we have to do and do it well.”