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The Spanish coach made his students practice kicking 1,000 balls of 11m

Published:2022-12-06 By Hồng Duy(MetaSports) Comments
Qatar Before the match of Morocco in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, coach Luis Enrique revealed that he had asked the Spanish players to practice shooting at least 1,000 11m shots for more than a year.

* Morocco - Spain: 10pm today, on MetaSports.

"For more than a year, through many meetings, I remind the players to take at least 1,000 11m kicks at club level. They can't just practice penalty kicks when they go to the national team," Enrique said on 5/ 12, at the pre-match press conference at Education City.

At Euro 2021, Spain had to take penalty kicks twice. They beat Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals, but lost to Italy - who then beat England in a shootout in the final - with a score of 2-3 in the semi-finals.

Enrique doesn't see penalty shootouts as a matter of luck, which can be improved with regular practice. According to the 52-year-old coach, the only problem is that the players are not trained with the same pressure and tension as in official matches.

The Spanish coach also considers goalkeepers to play a decisive role, and evaluates the three people called up for the 2022 World Cup - Unai Simon, Robert Sanchez, David Raya - can catch well in the 11m shoot. "During training sessions, all the players take penalties. It's like homework for them," added Enrique.

In the last four World Cups, Spain only once passed the 1/8 round, on the way to the crown in South Africa 2010. Enrique does not care about past achievements and only focuses on the next match. . He also wanted Spain to play beautifully, instead of pragmatic to aim for victory. "Our philosophy is very clear. We try to entertain the fans so that they have fun watching us. The players should not just play and win, but should please the audience. fake," emphasized Enrique.

Spain's next opponent - Morocco went from a draw with Croatia in the opening match to a surprise victory over Belgium and then beat Canada in the last match and finished first. This is the first time an African team has won the group at the World Cup in 24 years, since Nigeria sent Spain home in the group stage in 1998.

According to Enrique, Morocco is euphoric and has great confidence after a spectacular group stage, but he believes Spain will reach the quarter-finals. "We have a clear idea," he added. "We don't have to overwhelm every opponent for 90 minutes. The World Cup is where the best teams are, and you have to face the best coaches and players."

Sharing his opinion with his teacher, midfielder Pedri said that Morocco is an unpleasant opponent, possessing a strong midfield to close all gaps. The 20-year-old midfielder also wants to turn the disappointment from the 1-2 defeat to Japan in the final round of the group stage into the joy of winning the quarter-finals.

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