Luis Enrique’s ‘nueva ilusion’ brings freedom and joy to revitalised Spain’s play

The saying around the Spanish squad isn’t “revolution”, but it sounds like it, and what is happening can look like it. It is “nueva ilusion”.

All of the players are repeating it, be it in hashtagged form on social media accounts, in press conferences or just around the squad.

“Ilusion” is one of those Spanish words without a direct English translation but broadly means “excitement”, “happiness” or “optimism”. Really, it is a combination of all of those, and thereby the perfect word to describe the current situation. How could Spain not be excited, delighted or optimistic after the last few games? England are facing a team that look to have gone to an even higher level since September’s 2-1 defeat at Wembley, and are maybe already the most cohesive international team in the world again.

With players like Paco Alcacer performing far above their level thanks to that cohesion, Spain are so much more exuberant than a more grinding France, and obviously so much lighter than their own heavy performances in Russia. The side have enjoyed so much more than an emotional release from what happened in the World Cup, as they have now scored 12 goals in three games, and in such joyous fashion.

They’re not just creating chances for fun, but scoring with fun.

That’s what so strikes about this team now: the striking, as if they can score at will.

The stark difference from Russia means it can feel like a revolution, but it is not. The problem there, after all, was not that any issue with Spain’s fundamental approach; the pressing-possession that had made them world champions. It was that none of it was being executed properly, particularly not the pressing.

And this has been the biggest effect of Luis Enrique. A demanding and prickly character who gets straight to the point when he’s speaking, he gets straight to the point with this new team.

“He is very direct,” Jonny said on Friday. “He sends exact messages and he knows what he wants.”

And what he wants is faster possession, energy, penetration. The team couldn’t but transmit it.

A former Barcelona player and manager but having been formed through the older Spanish ways – a way then described as ‘La Furia’ – Luis Enrique’s background is here an extra bonus, precisely because it complements the Catalan-Dutch philosophy that did initially revolutionise the country’s football. He has crucially added that old fury to Spain’s recent thoughtfulness – and it has led to this new “iliusion”.

A slight irony is that the players are so visibly happy, and often playing as if they were kids, despite being treated like schoolchildren. Luis Enrique has introduced some strict guidelines on the camp, not least as regards use of technology.

These are the sort of moves initially seen as central to such transformations when results start well, but they were part of the approach that did grate on the Barcelona players, and can be seen as a negative in the long term.

This is one other reason why any grand proclamations about the team might be premature, why this isn’t a revolution.

Spain have been here before. The team were being talked up in similar terms in autumn 2016 and 2017, when Julen Lopetegui was still in charge. He was applying much of what Luis Enrique does on the pitch, before departing on the brink of the World Cup.

But Lopetegui didn’t do everything Luis Enrique does, and this is why there is some difference, that new excitement.

It is the Spanish approach amped up, with more directness.

It may yet lead to a direct route to Euro 2020. If Spain beat England on Monday, they will have already confirmed their place in the Nations League last four. There’s already a new excitement about doing much more.