News about Luis Enrique

INTERVIEW - BY PETE JENSON: So which of his two unique feats in football is Spanish coach Marcelino (left) most proud?Being sacked by Peter Lim at Valencia (right) for trying to win a trophy, or being the first coach to put Athletic Bilbao's Williams brothers (inset left) on the pitch together? The mention of the first one, more of which will be explained later, brings chuckles. The second is downplayed, while the third is overplayed. 'I didn't see anything in him that the youth coaches at the club hadn't seen before,' Marcelino says of Nico Williams, who debuted for Athletic last season and Spain last week. The Williams brothers' week has been a whizble for them. Spain defeated Spain in the Nations League final four next season after the 20-year-old set-up a 20-year-old set-up an injury time winner. Iraki, the older brother, made his Ghana debut. If the two groups break out of their clubs in Qatar, they may face each other. Marcelino, who won the Spanish Super Cup with Athletic, beating Madrid and Barça en route, will be the coach until Luis Enrique (inset right) returns to club leadership after this November's World Cup.

Luis Enrique has been leading the Spanish national team since 2018 and will lead the country at the World Cup in Qatar this summer. The 52-year-old has chastised his team just less than two months before the tournament, arguing that Portugal has a better team than the Romanians. Both teams will be looking forward to their time in Qatar and are among the favorites to win the tournament at the end of December.

Brazil, France, Argentina, and Spain are among the favorites alongside England ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Argentina is undefeated in their last 35 matches, dating back to July 2019. The team claimed their first Copa America title since 1993 last year. Spain has attended every tournament since winning only four World Cups from 1930-74. Qatar will host their 12th World Cup in a row. Brazil has scored 18 goals in their last five games, including five-time champions. They even left the in-form Gabriel Jesus out of their squad this week! France hasn't won any of their last four international matches. They were beaten by Denmark (2-1) and Croatia (1-0) during their poor run. As the tournament draws closer, Sportsmail examines the Three Lions' key 2022 Qatar World Cup rivals.

Sergio Ramos, a PSG defender, is said to have been 'deeply dissatisfied' to have missed out on Luis Enrique's Nations League squad, as Spain prepares to face Switzerland and Portugal during the international break. Borja Iglesias and Nico Williams, the Spanish manager, left out the likes of Liverpool playmaker Thiago Alcantara and Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati in favour of a slightly more experimental squad. Following his move to Paris in July 2021, the Ramos started having health problems.

The '10 things we learned in La Liga this week' is dominated by the derby, with Madrid teaching Atletico a lesson in how to defend and take your chances that was so good it even impressed Diego Simeone. Racism raged before the game, but Vinicius and Rodrgyo had the last laugh as Madrid made it nine victories out of nine in all competitions this season. Barcelona defeated Elsewhere Elsewhere with a win over a red card for the team and another Pedri masterclass.

Barcelona has reached an agreement with Gavi over a new deal until 2026, with a buyout of €1 billion - the joint-highest in world football. The 18-year-old's previous contract was due to end next year, and a number of Europe's top clubs had reached out to Gavi's camp to announce the signing of the midfielder, including a number of Premier league clubs. Barcelona had reached an understanding with the teen earlier this year, but the club was forced to suspend the contract due to financial difficulties unable to complete the deal.

Martin Braithwaite of Barcelona is close to joining Espanyol after undergoing a medical, but the Spanish club will have to offload top earner Raul de Tomas on loan first. Several Premier League clubs, including Everton and Aston Villa, have rated the 27-year-old, with Fulham now in the best shape.