Euro 2020: Luis Enrique heaps praise on young midfield star despite semi-final exit

Spain manager Luis Enrique has heaped praise on young midfield sensation Pedri for his performances at Euro 2020. The Barcelona midfielder was excellent once again in Spain's defeat to Italy in the semi-finals on penalties.

Following Spain's exit from Euro 2020, Enrique had only positive feedback for Pedri. The 18-year-old has even been compared to Spain and Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta. Enrique said (via The World Game):

"Well I think no 18-year-old has done what Pedri has done in any major competition, whether it's the Euros, the World Cup or the Olympics. His performances, the way he reads the game, the way he finds space, his quality, his personality, I've never seen anything like that, not even Andres Iniesta. It's absolutely impossible to explain."

Pedri had a tournament to remember at Euro 2020 . The 18-year-old Barcelona star became the first European player to start all six matches for his national team in a major tournament.

Against Italy, Pedri played the full 120 minutes, which saw him finish the game with a pass completion rate of 97%. He also created 2 key chances for his colleagues. Euro 2020 was a breakout tournament for the Barcelona teenager.

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Pedri completing 65/67 passes as an 18 year old in a Euros semi-final, is phenomenal in itself. But when you appreciate that he’s done it from an attacking number 8 position. That is not normal 🤯

— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) July 6, 2021

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Luis Enrique defends Alvaro Morata despite penalty miss at Euro 2020 semi-final

Alvaro Morata missed the decisive penalty against Italy which saw Spain get knocked out of Euro 2020. However, it was the Juventus striker who had originally equalized for Spain in normal time.

Despite his penalty miss, Enrique has come out and defended his forward, labeling his performance as "brilliant." The Spain manager said:

"He has an abductor problem. It really says a lot about his personality that despite that he wanted to take a penalty. He's gone through some tough times during this tournament but he was brilliant. He really created a lot of uncertainty in the Italian ranks, he scored of course, so he was excellent."

Enrique also gave his rating for Spain's performance at Euro 2020:

"I'd say that it would be an A- for my players, it would be an A+ had we won. We've been speaking about how we want to play at the Euros for many months."

After a slow start to Euro 2020, Spain picked up form when they needed it most. The Euro 2012 winners scored five goals in consecutive games against Slovakia and Croatia. However, beating Italy was a step too far for Luis Enrique's men.

🗣️ "In professional sport we all have to learn how to win and how to take defeat. That's why I want to congratulate Italy."🇪🇸 Luis Enrique reflecting on his side's semi-final defeat.#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/nTLzHTdKtD

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 7, 2021

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