Making Spain love Morata will rank as one of Enrique's best feats
Luis Enrique loves a battle… and making Spain fans adore Alvaro Morata will rank among one of his GREATEST achievements as the striker looks to silence his critics by emerging as his country’s hero at the Euros
- Spain are gearing up for Friday’s quarter-final clash at the Euros vs Switzerland
- Striker Alvaro Morata will be desperate to silence his critics again for Spain
- Morata recently revealed that Spain fans have sent his family sickening threats
- Morata had a tough start to the Euros, but made the difference against Croatia
- Luis Enrique has had Morata’s back, taking on those who insulted his family
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
Luis Enrique has done some striking things in his managerial career. He won the treble at Barcelona, managed to pick a Spain squad without a single Real Madrid player in it and now has them in the quarter-finals.
If Spain go on to triumph it will rank as his greatest achievement — but making Spain love Alvaro Morata in the process will come a close second.
Morata was whistled by the home support in Spain’s first game at Euro 2020. ‘It would have been easy for him to have erased me from the picture and put in someone else,’ said the former Chelsea forward this week.
Alvaro Morata sileneced his critics during Spain’s last-16 Euros victory over Croatia
Morata will be hoping to do the same when Spain take on Switzerland for a spot in the semis
Instead, the Spain coach told reporters before the second match that it would be: ‘Morata and 10 others’ in the next game.
‘I felt supported like never before in my career,’ said the player.
Not only did Luis Enrique stick with Morata but he also took on those who had insulted his family as they watched him playing for Spain in Seville’s La Cartuja stadium, saying the incident should have immediately become a police matter.
The Spain manager has brought vibrancy and positivity to the group, whizzing around their Madrid training camp on an electric scooter and donning retro Spain ’82 T-shirts in post-match interviews.
But he has also forged a strong group who now believe they can go all the way and Morata, 28, has started to embody that mentality after a career spent never quite convincing supporters at the four big clubs he has played for.
He was in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow at Real Madrid and failed to reach the standards set by Didier Drogba and Diego Costa at Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.
He believes the fact that the supporters of neither of the big Madrid clubs took him to their hearts is part of the reason why he is judged more harshly.
It didn’t help that he supported Atletico Madrid as a kid and then moved to Real Madrid before going back to Atletico.
Luis Enrique has had his striker’s back at the Euros, taking on those who insulted his family
There is also an image problem. ‘People think I’m surly,’ he admitted after one interview in which he complained about criticism.
One television presenter responded that he shouldn’t play for Spain again and Morata feels such coverage helped push the reactions to him beyond the line of what is acceptable.
‘We are fragile, the pandemic has showed that,’ he said of the insults made to family members. ‘To think that there are people insensitive enough to insult a woman and her children at a football match. We have to be better people. There is a limit and wishing someone dead goes well beyond it.’
Luis Enrique could have bowed to pressure to drop Morata — even used the abuse to make it appear he was protecting him.
But the Spain coach loves a battle. He had already run the gauntlet by leaving Sergio Ramos out of the squad despite the then-Real Madrid captain’s determination to get fit for the latter stages.
He also briefly took on Lionel Messi when he was Barcelona coach before Xavi intervened as peacemaker. So after being jeered throughout, but emboldened by Luis Enrique’s support, things have started to change for Morata. In Copenhagen travelling supporters applauded him — never more so than when he scored Spain’s fourth goal to seal the game.
Morata recently revealed that fans have sent sickening threats to his wife, Alice Campello, and three sons
‘I know everything is temporary. Maybe it’s downhill again soon,’ said Morata earlier this week. ‘All I can do is give my best.’
The comment belies an honesty that often borders on self-depreciation and he has never been afraid to show his frailties.
In Morata’s first spell at Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon spotted him crying after a terrible training session and told him that he should save his tears for home because the people who wish him ill would be happy to see they were getting to him.
So open to admit his weaknesses, Morata’s personality has left some feeling he lacked the fibre to lead the line — much less the squad.
But now there is a sense that coming back from the whistles and abuse to play perhaps his best game yet for Spain last Monday will mark a turning point.
Team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta said this week: ‘He is maturing all the time.
‘He has taken some stick but he is Spain’s centre forward — it happened to David Villa and Fernando Torres. He has shown that he can take it.’
Morata has spent his career never quite convincing fans of the four big clubs he has played for
The transformation has been possible because Luis Enrique did not allow him to shrink into a corner and let someone else become Spain’s front man.
The modesty is not going to disappear.
‘It’s one of those where I could have broken a window in one of the VIP boxes with the shot but instead it went in,’ he joked of his wonder goal against Croatia.
That strike was his 21st in 44 games for Spain.
In another impassioned plea to give his player a break earlier in the tournament Enrique said: ‘His record in his first 40 matches is only bettered by Harry Kane and you’ve all heard of him.’
The critics are off Morata’s back for now and it will be interesting to see how high he flies without them trying to drag him down.
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