Luis Enrique has once more come out fighting in defence of misfiring Spain forward Alvaro Morata, following yet more criticism of the Juventus forward.
Morata was whistled and booed ahead of the European Championship, and then again as La Roja drew their opener against Sweden in Seville.
“He’s doing well,” Luis Enrique said, asked about Morata at his pre-match press conference on Friday. “His body language is very good and I think he’s doing perfectly.
“We teach Alvaro things every week, and he’s been working with a smile and the right attitude. We have the utmost confidence in Morata.
“Coaches have information that journalists and fans don’t have. I’ve said things about hi to give him confidence, but also because he does a lot of important things for the team.
“With 41 games [for Spain], only David Villa Raul [Gonzalez] and [Fernando] Torres had scored more than him. In the other sides, only one player has scored more and that’s Harry Kane. Not even [Kylian] Mbappe, nor [Robert] Lewandowski, nor [Romelu] Lukaku.”
There has been talk that Spain might line up with Gerard Moreno accompanying Morata in attack, but the coach was vague when asked if that would happen.
“We’re an offensive team and the responsibility of scoring isn’t on one player,” Luis Enrique said. “We’ve called up the four Spaniards with the most goals and they can all play.”
Sergio Busquets is back to work with his teammates having tested negative for COVID-19, and Luis Enrique knows how much of a boost his return is.
“He’s a very important player for us all,” Luis Enrique said. “He’s always a point of reference on the pitch and a captain.
“He’s been training alone at home, but he’s in perfect condition. I’ll check how he is with my staff. He’ll be in the squad, but the best thing is that he’s back.”
