Spain’s international defender Aymeric Laporte praised the work of coach Luis Enrique and the unity of the squad on Tuesday.
The French-born center-back is likely to be a fixture in the heart of the Spanish defence after opting to play for Spain, despite playing Under-21 football for France.
He missed Spain’s matches in September through injury, but Enrique kept faith in him for the World Cup.
“The coach gives us the security that maybe you can’t see if you are outside the squad,” said Laporte.
The defender explained that Enrique asked him to do exactly the same thing he does at Manchester City, which is “to have the ball and to have the game under control.”
He also looked back to the European Championship in 2021, where Spain got to the semifinals before losing on penalties to Italy, despite criticism towards Enrique from sectors of the press.
“There was a lot of criticism and look how it went for us: you have to have faith in us. We have a fantastic squad of humble people, who are also friends. The companionship in the squad is incredible,” commented Laporte.
“At the end of the day, 10 people say something good and one says something bad, and you highlight the bad one. We need to focus more on what is good,” he added.
It is still uncertain whether Enrique will continue as Spain’s coach after the World Cup. Although Laporte said he was uncertain what would happen, he made it clear what he would like to happen.
“People come and go, that’s the law of football. There are always changes in things such as age and time. If that happens, that is the way it is. But I hope Enrique continues as that would be a good sign,” explained the defender.
