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Spain appoint Jonathan Diaz as manager
Spain have today announced that they have appointed Jonathan Diaz to replace the departing Luis Enrique as manager. Speculation persists that Enrique's termination of contract has been partly down to the fact that he has failed to attend Spain's matches, most recently in their 3-0 win over Sweden which happened not 24 hours ago. Diaz is a relatively unknown manager, however, but is appointed with high hopes. He's already formed himself as a social figure, being highly touted by Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as a result of his appointment.
In Diaz's first press conference, he stated the following:
I hope to positively influence the Spanish side during my time at the helm. I was a spectator at the 2010 World Cup of Spain and admired the way which they played. I want to replicate that. The passing play with such speed and precision was exquisite to my eye; it's something which I want to see happen again. When I select my team, I want it to be youthful. I realise that some of our greatest servants, like Gerard Pique and David Silva, have and remain key players of our setup. But I believe there time has come and now gone for Spain. I believe that I should begin building for the future. While a few of the elder statesmen will remain, I want to bring in the young players. I want to build the next generation of Spain and I believe that it should begin now. Thank you.
As can be gathered from Diaz's comments, he is likely going to opt for a youthful system. He's already posed some potential selection surprises, with Gerard Pique and David Silva being ejected from the squad and replaced by Marc Bartra and Mikel Merino. It's going to be a long process for Spain, but Diaz looks like a bright young manager who is certainly one for the future. He said of being offered a club role that they're are only a selected few which he would accept. But it's still very early days and exciting times await Spain.
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