Inside Spain: Brutal honesty the theme as Ansu Fati and Luis Enrique futures come into focus
Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.
The international break should be a calm time for those not on international duty, full of rest, relaxation and mental refreshment. Yet Ansu Fati had that ripped away from him when he woke up on Wednesday morning, following his father Bori’s bombastic interview the night before.
The 20-year-old Barcelona forward was in bed while his father made a number of headline-grabbing complaints and declarations about his son’s playing time and future. Bori Fati even admitted ‘he’s asleep so he can’t hear me’, and the next day Ansu apologised to coach Xavi Hernandez, saying those comments were not representative of his own views. It did not clear things up regarding his future at Barcelona though, which looks increasingly uncertain.
The Blaugrana already want to give Xavi a new deal, but he has told the club to wait until the end of the season. He may well ask for a big rise, given he is 12 points clear of Carlo Ancelotti at the top of the La Liga table, but earns a little over a third of Ancelotti’s salary. The top ten earning managers were revealed this week, with two La Liga managers amongst them, and somewhat surprisingly just three from the Premier League.
In Madrid, speculation continues over Carlo Ancelotti’s future, as Brazil players flirt with the Italian. Julian Nagelsmann once tunred down Real Madrid in 2018, but is back on the market, although of course he has been linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job too. Former Spain manager Luis Enrique is also available, and wants to manage in the Premier League, but it does not appear he will do so at Tottenham – at least according to the man himself.
Meanwhile the new Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has had a tough week. After a 3-0 win over Norway on Saturday, he was dragged through the mud following their 2-0 defeat to Scotland. One of the more restrained outlets came up with just the seven major mistakes he made against the Tartan Army. It has been acknowledged that it is too early for de la Fuente to be judged, but he will have to cut out some basic errors of judgement, as was accidentally let slip by former Stoke City and Newcastle United striker Joselu Mato in the following days.
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